The first thing the three of us did was redecorate the apartment. I wiped down every single surface with a lavender-scented cleaner. Vivaan and Farhan worked on moving furniture. The dining table was shifted further into the corner, the sofas more spread out against the walls. The Islamic symbols and pictures were taken down and stowed away, the long-dead plants thrown out.
Vivaan cleaned the balcony. Farhan sorted the bedrooms out, packing away any of his Uncle's belongings. I emptied the kitchen of all the expired food. Once the cleaning was done, the apartment was spotless, spacious, and ready to be filled with our belongings.
But first we needed food.
"Cheetos," I announced at the grocery store, picking up a party-sized bag off the shelf and dumping it in the cart that Vivaan was steering.
Farhan stepped forward and pulled a box off the shelf. "M&M's." That too, was chucked into the cart.
"Oh!" Vivaan reached out. "Mango Bite!"
We all paused and stared down into the cart. We'd been here for fifteen minutes now and so far it had nothing but candies, snacks and sodas.
"We should probably buy some vegetables and stuff," I said. "We can't live off this."
"Right," Vivaan nodded. "What would we need?"
Both men looked at me again. I put my hands on my hips and glared at them. "Seriously? You're asking me?"
"No one ever taught me to cook," Vivaan murmured.
"Farhan, you should know at least. You lived on your own!"
"I know microwave meals," he pointed out. "And takeout."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't expect me to do all the cooking. Alright, we need a bag of rice, spices, masala, and lots of vegetables. Also pasta, because I can't do curry all the time. Vivaan, now is probably a good time to tell you that I'm not a vegetarian." My husband gave me a stunned look. I cringed. "Another thing my parents don't know."
"You-but... how?"
I sighed longingly. "You'd know if you'd ever tried fried chicken."
"Or a cheeseburger." Farhan added.
"I feel betrayed." Vivaan lifted his chin and steered the cart past us. I heard him murmur in a quiet tone, "I've always wanted to try chicken. But I'm a good Hindu. I am a good Hindu."
We went home and stocked the kitchen with our grocery. By then, it was time to make dinner. Finding some recipes online, the three of us got to cooking. Farhan tried to bake some chicken, while Vivaan attempted to make a salad.
"This is easy," I pointed out while Vivaan stared at all the ingredients. "You just throw shit together."
I drifted between both men, teaching them what to do, grateful that they didn't depend on me to cook and had immediately set about to learn. Once dinner was done, we set the table and sat down to eat. It took us a moment to realize that was no longer necessary. So we shifted our dinner plates to the lounge, where we relaxed onto the sofa with a bottle of beer and turned the TV on.
I cleaned up after dinner, and once that was done, the three of us stared at each other wordlessly, and- I admit- a little awkwardly.
"Now what?" Farhan asked
A sly grin spread across Vivaan's face. "I have an idea."
Now that we were alone, I no longer had to wear traditional Indian clothes. I got changed into jeans and a crop top, feeling naked after being covered up for so long. Farhan entered my room and came up behind me as I put some jewelries on. He smiled at me in the mirror, and his fingers traveled across my bare stomach, tracing the tattoos. I couldn't help but shiver at that, and leaned into him.
"There's the Aditi I know," he murmured into my hair. "I have to admit, you in a sari... it's something else. You were like a Bollywood actress."
I snorted. "Well, maybe I should keep wearing them then."
He chuckled. "Only if you want to." He reached around me and picked up the taweez he had given me, a symbol of his love for me, and fastened it around my neck. "You can wear this now."
I ran my fingers over it, beaming. "I missed you," I told him.
He turned me around so he could kiss me. "I missed you too."
It turned out, Vivaan's idea was to go to Club Karma. While he said it was so we could finally have some fun, I knew he had his own motives. The line was as long as he once told me it would be, and when we finally went inside, into the flashing lights, the pulsing music, Vivaan's gaze immediately traveled to the bar. Preeti was just as beautiful as ever, leaning over the counter as she chatted with a girl.
"Go," I said to Vivaan, having to lean close so he could hear me. He looked at me uncertainly and I nodded. "You can finally tell her. Go."
Vivaan took a deep breath, and headed towards the bar. I grabbed Farhan's hand and led him to the dance floor. His eyes widened in panic.
"You and I are going to dance," I said, grinning.
"I don't dance." Farhan shook his head. "Nuh-uh."
"You do now. Come on. We'll be together, it's fine."
It took a couple of shots for Farhan to finally relax enough to dance. After that, things picked up and the two of us could do nothing else but move together in beat. Every time I looked at the bar, Vivaan and Preeti were deep in conversation, the girl she had been taking had joined them. His face was alight, and I was glad he had a chance at happiness now.
The three of us drove back home, Farhan and I a sweaty, drunken mess.
"You're amazing, bro," Farhan slurred as he reached across to pat Vivaan's face. "Did I ever tell you that? You're amazing for letting me have my girl back."
"Alright, alright." Vivaan wacked his hand away. "Let me drive."
I giggled in the back seat, then leaned forward between their seats. "Did you tell Preeti about our arrangement?"
"I did." Vivaan sighed. "She was shocked, but happy that we did this for ourselves."
"Then why are you so glum?" I asked.
"Because I couldn't tell her. She had her friend there.... but I was hoping she would at least say something."
"You gotta tell her, bro." Farhan blinked slowly a couple of times. "She won't... she won't say anything."
Vivaan frowned at me. "Why does he keep calling me bro?"
"He's drunk. Just go with it."
We all collapsed into bed at home. Our home. Our own place. The thought made me so happy, I fell asleep with a smile, wrapped in Farhan's arms.
By the next morning though, all thoughts about our own place was gone. I woke up panicked that I had slept in and hadn't helped Jayanti in the kitchen. I gasped and jerked up in bed, waking Farhan up with a jolt too. We both groaned when our head pulsed.
"What's wrong?" Farhan moaned, rolling around to go back to sleep.
"Sorry," I said. "Habit."
Cringing at my hangover, I crawled out of bed and headed to the kitchen in search for some painkillers. I took two, then placed two on the bedside table for Farhan along with a glass of water for when he woke. I went and sat in the lounge, enjoying the quiet and dimness, until Vivaan came out of his room with a towel around his neck, freshly showered and awake.
"Good morning," he said, then glanced at the clock. "Well, good afternoon."
He went and yanked the curtains apart. Sunlight pierced through the apartment, hiting me first. I flinched and covered my eyes. "You ass."
"Sorry." He came and sat beside me on the sofa, toweling his wet hair. "So?"
"So what?"
"What do we do now?"
I rested my head back and closed my eyes. "We go back to sleep."
"You know what I mean. We need to find a job. I don't think my father is going to let me stay with the business anymore. We can't keep letting Farhan's uncle pay for the apartment while we're living here, and not to mention all the other costs of living."
I rubbed my face. "I would've had a job right now if it hadn't been for Sanjana's wedding."
Vivaan face turned grim at that. "Do you... do you think she's okay?"
I tried to imagine where she would be right now. Still on the run? Or settled into hiding somewhere? I hoped it was the latter. "She's tougher than she looks."
I stank of sweat and alcohol. My hair was tangled in Farhan's taweez in the back. I untied it and set it on the small table beside the sofa. "I gotta go shower. We'll all go job hunting today at the mall. How does that sound?"
Vivaan nodded. "I'll boil some water for tea."
"Don't burn it."
I took a long, glorious shower. Once I was squeaky clean, I got dressed and went back to my room, eager to wake Farhan up. Just as my hand rested on the doorknob, I heard a voice from behind.
"There she is."
I spun around. Darshan and Kunj sat on the sofa across from Vivaan, who blanched slightly. My throat tightened, and I couldn't even muster a smile for them after everything that had happened. Darshan and Kunj weren't smiling either, and gave my clothes a disapproving stare. I wasn't wearing a sari, but at least my nightgown was loose and fell to my ankles. My first thought went to Farhan, and I prayed he would stay asleep until they were gone. My bedroom was in clear line of the living room. If I had opened the door, they would've seen him lying in my bed. I couldn't even text him to stay inside, my phone was sitting on the bedside drawer.
After a heavy and awkward pause, I shuffled towards them, head bowed. "Namaste," I murmured. I avoided meeting their gazes directly and walked into the kitchen where Vivaan had set up the water to boil. I began to prepare making the tea, my ears fixed on their conversation.
"You could've had your own mansion right now, Vivaan," Kunj was saying. "If you had just listened to your father from the beginning. Women come and go. How long do you think she will stay by your side in this place, without money?"
I cringed and gritted my teeth, wishing I could disappear instead of listening to that dickhead while I made tea for him, but I needed to be on good behavior. I had already fucked up enough.
It took Vivaan a while to respond, and I knew he was finding the right words, the ones that would console his father and uncle. "How will I grow, if I don't learn from my mistakes? As I man, I need to be able to get out there and do things. It's the only way I will get stronger and wiser. I couldn't remain your little boy forever, Papa. I did this for me as much as I did it for her."
No one said anything for a moment. Realizing I was standing there waiting, I began to add tea leaves to the water.
"I will let you stay in the business," Darshan announced.
I swear, I felt the surprise that emanated from Kunj, who spoke next. "Darshan, think about this. He will only go on to disappoint you."
"I won't," Vivaan said quickly. "I want to learn to the business." I held my breath and added sugar to the pot, knowing very well that Vivaan meant need rather than want. "I want to be like you, Papa. I want to learn."
There was a small, relenting silence, and I knew Darshan was about to confirm it, that Vivaan could indeed stay. Then we all heard my bedroom door open.
"Aditi?" Farhan's sleepy voice called out.
Good, God.
The cups slammed as I set them down and turned around. Farhan walked into the room, eyes fixed wearily on Darshan and Kunj. "Would you like some tea?" I asked him in a polite voice.
He looked at me, blinked, then nodded. "Yes, thank you. That's-that's what I was calling you for."
Darshan fixed a penetrating glare on Vivaan. "What is he doing here? He should have been gone by now."
Vivaan sputtered a few times. Before he could come up with a response, Kunj got to his feet. "What is that?" He walked over to the table beside the sofa. We watched as he lifted the taweez that I had set there before showering, holding it like it would burn him. "What is this doing here? Do you know what this is?"
Vivaan became considerably pale. He met my eyes, the words obviously stuck in his throat. In the silence, Farhan spoke in a quiet voice, "It is a taweez."
Kunj turned and advanced on him. "Yes, yes it is. We know for a fact that Vivaan is a proper Hindu. So, who does this belong to?" He looked at me. "Is it yours? This could just be another thing you are hiding." He turned back to Farhan. "Or is it yours, Arjun?"
I tried to think of a lie, but couldn't think of anything. How do we explain it's presence here?
Farhan spoke again, "It was my uncle's. This apartment is his, remember?"
Kunj nodded. "Your uncle is a Muslim. What does that make you?"
"My uncle had converted. That still makes me a Hindu." Farhan was calm, meeting Kunj's gaze evenly.
"You're staying in a Muslim's apartment?" Darshan asked Vivaan.
"Papa, please," he said.
"You still haven't told me what he is doing here."
"I was going to leave," Farhan said in a smooth voice, "when I learned one of my aunts was sick. She wanted me here. They don't have any room at their place, so Vivaan was kind enough to let me stay with him."
Darshan didn't even look at him as he spoke. His eyes remained on his son. "Another man living with you and your wife. Do you realize how inappropriate that looks?"
"This is his uncle's place. Where else was he supposed to go?" Vivaan asked.
"What will people say?"
"Why do people have to know?"
At that, Darshan sputtered and looked at his older brother. Kunj glowered at Vivaan. "The values of our culture must always be kept in mind. You want to live alone, that is fine, but don't stray from what is deemed appropriate." The man looked at his brother and nodded, as if he'd just successfully managed to set Vivaan straight. "We only came because Darshan was dropping me off, but you can be sure there will be more visits now."
"Dropping you off?" Vivaan glanced at me. Alarm flashed across his face.
Kunj nodded. "I will be staying nearby for a couple of weeks."
"What for?" That came from me. I bit my tongue when Kunj and Darshan glared at me.
Kunj looked at Vivaan to respond. "I have some business to attend to."
"But... but what about Sanjana?" he asked.
Kunj waved a hand through the air. "Don't worry about that. I am working on it."
"We should go," Darshan said as he stood up.
"Papa," Vivaan hesitated, "...what about the business?"
His father frowned, avoiding his gaze. "I will think about it."
I slumped. We had been so close and now we ruined it. The pair went to the door and left without another word. The silence that followed was unsettling.
"I feel nauseous," Farhan whispered. "I can't believe I lied so easily."
"Ne neither," I admitted, but I was more concerned about something else. I turned to Vivaan. "Why would Kunj be staying here? What business could he have?" He should be out looking for Sanjana still. Or had he already found her? The thought made my breath catch until Vivaan spoke.
"He doesn't have business. Kunj never stays here. Isn't it obvious?" He looked at me, his lips purse. "He still suspects you for Sanjana. He's probably hoping to catch you red-handed."
I took a deep breath, trying to fight the heavy weight that had settled onto my chest. "Well... he won't be able to find out. Sanjana is probably somewhere far away by now." Farhan's eyes were full of concern for me. "Don't look at me like that," I snapped at him.
I turned away from both of them and went back to the stove to continue making tea, but the water had boiled away long ago, leaving nothing but burnt tea leaves.