Wedding Vibes

Chapter 4

"Love Song?" I suggest, stretching out my leg. We're both sprawled out on the floor, a few feet of space and a plate of biscuits between us. I wince when a joint cracks loudly. 

"Don't be ridiculous," comes the reply. Siddharth glances up from the guitar lying across his lap. "It's sappier than a twelve year old Justin Beiber fan."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad..."

He opens his mouth but then drops his head back, groaning when it lands with a thunk on the bright orange pillow with a giant pink paisley behind his neck. "I'm too tired to list the million and one reasons why it's a bad idea."

"Yet not too tired to say that," I reply teasingly, but I know what he means. My brain physically hurts from all the brainstorming we've been doing for the past hour. It's hard to find a song that actually fits our requirements; writing one in this time limit isn't an option either. Right now, a mashup sounds like our best option, but even that idea's quickly fizzling out as we both lose motivation. I take a sip of my tea. We got it from the tea lawn, where we ran into Jia di, Karan mama, and the parents. They seemed happy that we were actually putting effort into the sangeet together; Amma even let me escape with snacks and the chai, whereas under normal circumstances, I would have received a glare and a silent command to stay and socialize. My eyes land on Siddharth, eyes closed and fingers playing random chords.

Siddharth isn't who I thought he'd be. He's... different. Refreshing, like a breath of fresh air. The past hour or so have actually been enjoyable. I can't help but compare the atmosphere right now to the morning; it feels like years have passed.

We're sitting across from each other with glasses of chai*, sharing a plateful of chocolate chip cookies. There's a comfortable silence in the air, occasionally punctuated by birdcalls and random chords; the smell of lavender fills my nose as I inhale deeply. Something about Siddharth's expression draws me in; he looks as if nothing in the world can bother him right now. I lean back on my hands, accidentally nudging my glass; his eyes fly open, gaze meeting mine unexpectedly.

*(tea)

"You have a little something on your face." He ignores me, picking up a cookie and waving it in front of my face. "You're not eating the cookies? What evil has befallen us?" 

My stomach rumbles; I pick up one and bite into it. "I don't eat cookies day and night. Although they are the best food invented by mankind," I muse, chewing blissfully for a few seconds. Siddharth stares at me with a half amused expression on his face.

"What?" I ask around a mouthful of chocolate.

"First of all, that's gross; eat first and then speak!" He scrunches his nose when I open my mouth wide and chew exaggeratedly. "I don't think I've seen anybody eat that much sugar since my eighth birthday."

"This is barely anything; you should see me when I'm really hungry."

"I really don't want to imagine that; by now, you've eaten two doughnuts, a glass of milk with heaps of sugar in it, and- hey, that's mine!" He says in indignation just as I pick up the last cookie. 

"No."

"Hand it over," he says as we both eye the cookie.

"Um, no."

"Kalki."

"I picked it up first; rules dictate this one is rightfully mine. The early bird gets the seed, remember?"

"It's 'the early bird gets the worm', dumbass. You've already hogged most of the food. Bhukkad!"

"Now you're definitely not getting this."