( 🚨 Long chapter ahead 🚨 )
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It was Sunday, and as planned, I was in front of Ved's house which was intimidating me, just like the guy who lived in it. The building, painted in mostly white with a few splashes of my second favourite colour blue was looking surreal.
"Mam, your name please?" one of the security guards asked.
"Sandhya Rai," I replied and continued admiring the colossal house.
"You may enter. Please park your vehicle in the parking lot alloted for visitors," he directed, and I maneuvered my dad's scooter through a long concrete driveway before reaching the space to park it.
There was a huge garden between the three storey house and the main gates. All kinds of flora and fauna were in it and a medium sized swimming pool was resting on the left side with some deck chairs around it.
After parking my transportation, I thanked the security guard who guided me. I observed the lush lawn with a few tables and chairs; I knew Ved was rich but didn't expect him to be this loaded.
(Images are used for representational purposes only.)
My doubt was proven again when I entered the house through the 10 feet long metal doors. The place looked modern from the outside, but it was nothing less than a castle.
A maid welcomed me and after confirming that I was the girl who was supposed to come for group studies, she took me through a long corridor with white walls on both sides.
My mouth was in a permanent 'O' shape by the time I reached the main hall which was again a sight to see. I was standing in the middle of a huge marbled floor covered with a soft red rug and a huge staircase running on the left side.
A lavish cream coloured sofa set was placed on the right side, sporting a big LED Smart TV mounted on the wall opposite the main couch while a small dining table was on my left, near the entrance of a kitchen which I was sure was four times bigger than my house.
(Images are used for representational purposes only.)
"Gonna stand there whole day, Sandy Pandy?" Ved's voice made me stop ogling at some of his trophies which were proudly decorated in a big glass shelf along with some certificates.
Ved made his way downstairs, dressed in a loose baby pink t-shirt and black joggers. He always looked good even in simple clothes whereas I looked like a hobo even if I wore the prettiest dress in the whole world.
"Did you have any problems reaching here?" he asked and took my bag from me.
"Your house is visible from a kilometre. How would I miss the main landmark?" I mocked.
Yes, his house i.e. The Rajput Mansion was the largest and most important landmark of the area Ved lived in. The white piece of architecture had been there for over 60 years.
"Aw, I am so humbled," he teased.
"Others are here?" I enquired about our group members.
"Yes, they are on the first floor. But before we go, do you want to eat something?"
"No, I had my lunch. And... you don't have to act kind, Ved."
"It is my duty to take care of my guests since I invited you myself, so save your taunts for some other time," he retorted.
"Whatever, Natural Heater," I grumbled.
"What did you say?" he asked as we climbed the dark brown stairs.
"Nothing," I quickly replied and reminded myself to never say that nickname in front of him.
He shot me a strange look before we entered his light orange study room which was basically a game room, since most of the space was dedicated to all sorts of indoor games with a small area in the right corner dedicated for the study purposes.
(Images are used for representational purposes only.)
I noticed my childhood ex-best friend and college ex-best friend huddled near the foosball table. I glanced at my childhood enemy who was standing beside me and pursed my lips.
Did Mehta Sir purposely put us all in the same group?
"Ved, come, bro. I am losing here, help me," Nikhil said, completely ignoring my presence.
Unlike him, Ayush decided to grace me with his attention which lasted only for a second-okay, millisecond. I heard Ved sigh beside me while scratching his head awkwardly.
"You also think it was a bad idea to invite me, right?" I questioned while eyeing the other guys.
How were we supposed to work together when they didn't even want to look at me? Our group project was doomed.
As expected, Ved didn't have anything to reply. He just glanced between me and his friends while holding my bag in one hand and a worried expression on his cleanly shaven face.
"I will take that space," I pointed towards the small area near the black sofa set, "and start the work. Don't worry, you go and play with them. I will ask you if I need any help."
I took my bag from Ved and made myself comfortable on the floor. There was a nice study table, but since I had to draw charts, I found it more convenient to sit on the floor as it provided more mobility.
I laid down my equipment and took out the notebook in which I had made a preview of what I was going to draw. The topic we chose was simple, but it had a lot of information which needed to be included.
So, I rolled up the sleeves of my light green pullover and got started with the work. Ved went to his friends after glancing at me. I kind of understood the position he was in. He had to take care of Ayush and make sure he didn't suffer the same episode because of me, but he also couldn't tell me to leave as he himself called me to his house.
After taking a glimpse at the three guys, I continued my work. I was halfway through drawing rough outlines of the diagram when I felt someone staring at me. I avoided it as I sensed who it was.
But I couldn't ignore it anymore as I felt something weird in my stomach. I snapped my head at Ved who was sitting on a swivel chair, his elbows resting on the marble counter of the glass window and his face sporting a strange expression.
His eyes were on me, I noticed, but the way he was staring made my heart pick up pace. I wanted to dismiss it as his another way of trying to scare me-for what I didn't know-but my inner voice was mumbling something else which I found really absurd.
To make sure if I was not imagining it, I looked behind me to see if there was something interesting for Ved to stare at it so intently and turned my head to the front. There wasn't anything that I found captivating though.
I waited for some time for him to look away, but it looked like he became a statue, only his eyes seemed alive. When I couldn't take it anymore, I raised my eyebrows at him while twisting my lips at him.
"What?" I mouthed.
I saw him narrow his eyes a little before his lips curled into a slight smirk. He didn't move for a minute, and I was about to ask him again when he stuck out his tongue at me.
I rolled my eyes; sometimes my inner voice needed to shut the hell up before planting useless doubts in my mind.
I shook my head to myself and ignored the idiot. I heard Nikhil suggest Ved and Ayush to go and play outside. Ayush instantly agreed but his best friend didn't say anything. I glanced at them, and Ved snapped up from his seat and acted like he just wasn't trying to freeze me with his stare a minute ago.
"How about Squash?" I heard him ask as he exited the room after shooting me a glance. Other guys followed suit, leaving me alone in the huge room.
Finally, I could work in peace; I was getting distracted by the guys' continuous chattering and other gibberish.
And, calm down heart, we aren't in any danger anymore. Can you stop racing like there is a serial killer behind you?
I calmed down my primary source of blood pumping before moving my hands back on the chart paper which needed my attention. To avoid any more disturbance, I decided to play some songs on my phone while working.
After choosing my favourite playlist, I put the phone on my left and bobbed my head to the latest indie songs. I was enjoying myself and almost done with the first diagram when I heard a shuffling behind me.
I thought it was Ved again, but for that he would have to be in the room, and I didn't see him coming back. So, I twisted my torso and looked back at the couch. I tilted my head when I saw a tiny flop of light brown curly hair bouncing up and down behind the sofa.
For a minute, I was confused about what I was seeing. I wondered if Ved's house was also haunted like that resort room in Nandimata village. I was about to get up when a kid's face emerged from behind the sofa, and I halted.
This was not possible!
A boy, around the age of four or five years old was smiling at me with his palms rested on top of the black seating. His curly hair were covering his head like a canopy, some loose strands falling over his forehead, and his eyes, the shade of light brown were staring at me with amusement.
He looked just like Ved when he was a kid; it felt like I went back in time.
The boy came out from hiding and hopped towards me cautiously. He stopped a meter away and bent his body to the side as he gave me a once over.
"Who are you?" he asked in his cute voice which was really similar to that of Ved's.
I kept staring at him. He had the same face like my arch-nemesis' but his hair were lighter compared to Ved's darker ones, just like his eyes. While Ved had chocolate orbs, the kid in front of me had light brown eyes with specks of green mixed with it.
"Who are you?" he repeated his question and put his hands in the pockets of his denim dungarees which had a white t-shirt under it.
"I am Sandhya," I replied and smiled.
"Sandhya? Are you Ved bhaiyya's friend?" he enquired.
No, I wasn't his friend but saying that I was his enemy wouldn't turn out good. And I was sure his Ved bhaiyya wouldn't be happy to know that-
Wait a minute! Ved bhaiyya?
"Ummm... Is... Is Ved y-your brother?" I stuttered.
Please say no.
"YES!" He jumped in joy. "Ved bhaiyya is my brother, and I am his brother. We both are brothers! Yay!"
I wanted to cry. Why was life so unfair? Ved got such a cute little brother, and I didn't even have any siblings. My parents didn't love me, did they?
"What happened? Why do you look so sad?" he enquired while running around.
"Nothing. May I know your name?" I asked as I wiped my invisible tears.
"My name is Veer JaiSingh Rajput," he announced and stood like a warrior.
"That's a very sweet name," I commented, feeling a little better.
"And my father's name is JaiSingh Rajput, and my mother's name is Krittika JaiSingh Rajput. My brother's name is Ved JaiSingh Rajput," he added while doing some karate moves and started telling me the names of his friends.
I stopped him before he enlisted all the names of the people in the whole city. He giggled and ran towards me like a bullet train.
"Catch me!" he yelled, and my body reacted on its own.
I caught him before he banged his head against mine and both of us toppled back. He laughed and raised his head. "Once again!" he shouted and jumped up.
"No!" I yelled as I caressed the back of my head.
"Why not?" he pouted. "Ved bhaiyya always catches me."
He does? Oh well, he was his sibling after all.
"I am not strong like your brother, Veer. If I banged my skull one more time, I will die on the spot," I reasoned and facepalmed for mentioning death in front of a kid.
You really have no common sense, Sandhya.
But instead of asking me about it, Veer burst out laughing, and I couldn't help myself from joining him too. We were laughing and suddenly, he stopped. He said that he would bring his brother to play, and I shook my head vigorously.
"I have to do homework. Why don't you go and play outside? You will get bored with me," I said.
"Okay!" he replied and ran out of the room.
I chuckled, and after replaying the events that happened just a few minutes ago, I got back to work. While talking with Veer, I completely forgot that I came to his house for a group project.
The songs were still playing, so I kicked my mind which was getting drunk on nostalgia and concentrated on the chart. I checked the clock: 4:59 pm; I still had a lot of time.
I was so lost in work that I didn't notice someone come behind me, and a pair of hands wrapped around my neck. Fortunately, I didn't get scared and made a fool out of myself.
Veer hung on my back and kept pushing us back and forth. I asked him why he returned so soon and he just laughed.
Kids... you can never predict them.
"Can I tell you a story?" he asked sweetly.
I had a lot of things still left to do, but if he asked like that, how could I say no?
"Sure, go ahead," I replied.
Veer started telling me about himself, his friends and school. For such a small age, he had a lot of stuff to tell. I thought about introducing him to my friends; Surbhi would surely get along with him as she loved gossip.
"Do you mind if I work while you are talking?" I asked.
He nodded lightly, his Maggie like hair bouncing along with the motion. He kept on telling me about his favourite teacher and how he got A+ grades in all subjects except Drawing because he wasn't good at it.
I thought about consoling him, but he soon added that he got an A in that subject, and I got reminded of Ved. He was also like that, always worrying about getting perfect scores and having a competitive aura around him.
Well... I was also like that, but seeing Veer depressed over such a small fact didn't sit well with me.
"It is okay, Veer. Getting an A instead of an A+ doesn't mean that you failed. You can always try next time, but remember, never get sad over your marks. You are the best," I said, feeling like I should also stick to my own advice.
"Really?" he asked in surprise.
When I nodded and confirmed it one more time, he beamed like a small light bulb and climbed in my lap. He sat sideways like a baby and rested his head on my left collar bone.
"Can I tell you more stories?" he queried, his cheeks turning a shade of pink.
He was so cute!
"Tell me all you want." I patted his head.
After that, it was just Veer talking, rambling and laughing at his own jokes while I replied in between and did my work. I didn't realise how long he conducted his story session as he fell asleep on my lap.
I glanced at him when he stopped talking. He looked so peaceful; I didn't want to disturb his sleep. So, I let him be and got lost in my world again.
Only the moment my phone rang and my mom's heretic voice cut through my eardrums, did I realise that I got late. Again. My wristwatch read 8:02 pm and my face paled.
Well, 8 pm was nothing to be worried about but considering that it would take me about one and a half hours to reach home wasn't a good news. And the traffic...
Did I sign a death certificate this year?
I picked up Veer very carefully and laid him down on the couch. I quickly messaged Ved that I was leaving and packed up my bag. After checking that Veer wouldn't fall off from the sofa, I rushed out of the study room and informed a maid to check on the little Rajput.
I ran down the stairs and was about to cross the threshold when Ved called my name. I glanced over my shoulder and waved my hand at him in a hurry as I dashed to the parking lot.
Without wasting any more time, I started my scooter, and zoomed out of the driveway at full speed. I could hear Ved's voice from behind, but I didn't have time to hear what he had to say.
I sighed in relief when I reached halfway through my journey. I called Dad to give an update on where I had reached when small rain droplets announced their arrival.
I thought I was dreaming, but soon the little shower turned into a full blown rainstorm, and I cursed at the top of my lungs, just like my fellow commuters. I was drenched from head to toe within a minute.
Global warming!
Life was really unfair to me whereas Ved was rolling in all the good luck. He had friends who trusted him, fans who loved him and even a younger brother!
And here I was, getting soaked in rain while driving towards my home where my mom was waiting for me with a spatula.
R.I.P. Sandhya. No one will miss you.