(🚨 Long chapter ahead 🚨)
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"Thanks a lot, beta. If Zoya wasn't in her classes I wouldn't have called you, but I couldn't think of anyone else to call for help."
"It's okay, Aunty. You don't have to thank me every time." I smiled.
Faiyaz's mother patted my head, and I left her house. I was going to meet Sahil today, but on my way I received a call from Aunty. So, I paid her a quick visit and took an update on their current situation. Everything was fine and Zoya's exam preparations were going well too.
Faiyaz was also doing well in the new place, but as he was given a huge responsibility by his boss, his workload had increased too. I regularly talked to him on phone and it was really nice to see him happy and content after a long time.
I wish his family stays happy like that forever.
Half an hour later, I was in a public garden with Sahil, who was smiling at me while I was licking my vanilla ice-cream.
"That's the third ice-cream cone you are eating. Is vanilla your favourite flavour?" he asked.
"Nope." I shook my head.
"Then?"
"My favourite is butterscotch, but they didn't have it, so I bought vanilla instead," I replied. "Do you know who else likes butterscotch?"
"Who?" He quirked his eyebrow.
"Princess- I mean Ved also likes it a lot. Once upon a time, when we were in third grade, I learned that he and I liked the same flavour and ended up fighting outside the school over it."
"Hmm..." Sahil nodded curtly. "How about we go to a mall? I need some new clothes."
"Sure."
Sahil randomly entered a shop and began picking up clothes of various colours. He asked me to hold some of his shirts and took some jeans from men's corner. I eyed the pieces of clothing in my hands and followed my friend.
"Are you sure you want all these colours? Some of them are too bright for the eye," I suggested.
Sahil turned around and tilted his head. "You think those won't look good on me?"
"No, that's not what I am saying. It is like... Um... You know you are so white, I think you should wear more dark clothes which contrast well with your skin tone. For example, let's take Ved; he mostly wears shades of red, green, blue and majorly black," I said. "But... He wears other colours like pink too. How can he look good in all hues? Wait a minute... Is there anything he can't pull off?"
"Are you here with me or with Ved?" Sahil complained.
"Huh? Of course I am with you - I was just giving an example. You know what? I am not that good with colour chart; you choose your own clothes." I gave him his shirts and told him to continue.
He stared at me for some time and let out a huge breath. He glanced at my wrist and narrowed his eyes.
"Where is the bracelet I gave you?" he queried.
"At home. I can't wear it every day; I am afraid it will get stolen," I answered.
"But Sandhya-"
Ring! Ring! Ring!
I took out my phone from my bag and checked the caller ID: Natural Heater. I quickly picked up the call but instead of Ved, I heard a kid's voice.
"Sandhya Didi!"
"Veer? Is that you?" I asked.
"Yes! Could you please come to our house? I want to meet you," he said.
"Haha, you miss me already? But I can't come, kiddo. I am with my friend right now."
"Pleaaaassse. I really want to play with you. Ved bhaiyya said he will pick you-"
"Are you coming, Sandy Pandy?" Ved asked after taking the phone from his brother.
I thought for a minute. Should I got or not? Actually, I wanted to meet Veer too; he was so much fun and had great stories to tell too.
"No, I am not coming," I replied.
"Really? Even not after Veer asked you so many times? How can you be so heartless?" he accused.
"Sorry to disappoint you Mr. Rajput, but I am with my dear friend right now," I teased.
"Is it Sahil?" he queried in a clipped tone.
"Yup."
"Don't get in trouble, Sandy Pandy."
"Whatever." I hung up the call after irritating him till I felt satisfied.
I raised my eyebrows in question when I saw Sahil looking at me with a strange expression. While I was talking, I noticed him looking at me intently and even though I was having a weird feeling in my stomach, I decided to ignore it.
"Do you mind if we get this done faster? I have to go somewhere else," I questioned.
"Where exactly?" Sahil enquired as he picked up some graphic t-shirts.
"Ved's house," I replied.
He glanced over his shoulder. "Didn't you earlier say that both of you aren't close?"
"Oh, I am going to meet his brother, not him." I grinned.
Sahil took all the clothes and headed towards the changing room without saying anything else. Once he was done, I sighed in relief and rushed out of the mall with him following behind slowly.
"Thanks for coming, Sandhya. And next time, please wear the gift I gave you." He pouted.
"Will do. Sorry for leaving so suddenly; we can hang out some other day," I assured.
"By the way, I wanted to ask you something."
"Yeah?" I checked the time.
"Is there something going on between you and Ved, but you don't want to tell anyone?" he enquired.
"Why does everyone think so?" I mumbled. "No, Sahil, Ved isn't even my friend. Why would you think that? Ved and I? Haha... What a joke!"
If it is a joke, then why I am not finding it funny? Why is my heart beating like a maniac on the mention of Ved's name? Are my hormones malfunctioning or what?
"You were talking about only Ved since you came; I think you should sort out whatever it is," he suggested in a tone which sounded angry to me.
What the hell is wrong with him? Why does he always blow up his fuse whenever Princess' topic comes up? Wasn't Ved his friend?
I thought it better not to add fuel to the fire and bid him goodbye. After driving through the busy traffic for one hour, I reached the Rajput mansion. I entered after a security check and went in the huge hall.
I patted the head of Veer, who was sitting on the sofa, busy drawing something on a white paper. He looked up and beamed at me. He instantly jumped up and landed in my arms.
"Surprise, Little Rajput." I hugged him.
"You came!" he squealed.
I patted his back lovingly and sat him back on the couch. He pulled me to sit beside him and showed me the drawing he was making. Then he showed me the one for which he got an A+ and told me that his teacher appreciated him a lot.
"You are really good, Veer. I wish I could draw like you," I said, and we both started laughing.
"Mumma! Look who is here!" Veer yelled and a woman in her mid-thirties climbed down the staircase.
She was clad in a floor length kimono sleeved yellow gown and her light brown hair were tied in a neat braid, flowing over her left shoulder. She reached us and took Veer in her arms, who kept pointing at me while showing his mother his drawing book.
"Ma, Sandhya didi came!" he said.
His mom glanced at me, and I noticed her eyes widen a bit before she shot me a huge smile which instantly reminded me of my childhood. I smiled back and introduced myself.
"Hi, Aunty. I am Sandhya Rai; Ved's classmate."
She put her son down and pulled me in a bone crushing hug. "Where were you all this time?"
I blinked rapidly; I didn't know how I was supposed to react.
Where was I all this time? I was at my home. Should I tell her that? But why do I feel like it would sound stupid? Better keep your mouth close, Sandhya.
She broke the hug after a few minutes and glanced at me with a loving gaze. She told me to take a seat and ordered a maid to bring some refreshments. Veer made himself comfortable on my lap and continued drawing while his Mom kept staring at me like I was some alien.
"You remember me, beta?" she asked.
"Yes, I remember you." I nodded.
She smiled delightfully and questioned me about my family and well being. When I was talking to her, I didn't feel like I was talking to a stranger or someone I met eight years ago. She had aged, but her spirit was still the same. Her light brown eyes shone brightly as her lips curled up, creating small wrinkles around her eyes.
"I am really happy to meet you again, Sandhya. I can't express my feelings in words," she said.
I was taken aback by her reaction and wanted to know the reason behind her strange liking towards me, but just at that moment, Ved made his entry and pulled my hair when he saw me.
"Didn't you say you were not coming?" he questioned and ruffled his brother's hair.
"I came to meet Veer," I replied.
He shook his head and flicked me on the chin. I glared at him and told him to stay away as he was covered in sweat. His orange coloured tank top was stuck to his torso like second skin while his black shorts were revealing his toned legs.
You are ogling too much, Sandhya.
I pursed my lips and averted my gaze. I caught his mother's curious stare and gave her an awkward smile. I lightly pushed Ved off as he began pinching my cheeks and Veer joined him too.
"Ved, go and freshen up first," his mom ordered.
"Okay, Ma," Ved answered and left after hitting me on the head.
I thought I got rid of him, but he was back within seconds and plopped down on the armrest beside his mom. I glanced at him and he winked. I stuck out my tongue at him and he threw a crayon at me.
"I am so glad you both are going to the same college," Veer's mother said.
"I am too," Ved agreed.
Was he really? He must be happy because he got to trouble me again.
"Ved keeps talking about you every time, so I wondered why he never brought you home earlier. But now that you are here, I have nothing to complain," she informed.
"Ma!" Ved whined, and his mom started laughing at his embarrassed reaction.
"What? I didn't say anything wrong," she defended. "Veer will confirm it."
Ved's younger brother nodded in response and grinned. "Bhaiyya keeps saying Sandy Pandy like a parrot all day."
"You were not supposed to say that, bro..." Ved face-plamed himself.
"Is that so?" I narrowed my eyes at Natural Heater who was changing his skin colour again.
"What are you looking at?" he mouthed.
I shook my head at him and focused on his brother who was telling me one of his stories. I felt Ved's gaze burning in my skull and for the first time, I had great difficulty in ignoring him. My head automatically turned towards him, and the way he was staring at me sent shivers down my spine.
"Sandhya, why don't you stay for lunch?" Aunty offered.
"Thank you, Aunty, but I have told my parents that I will be back within an hour. I should take my leave," I replied.
"I understand, but before you leave, I needed to thank you once again," she said, her voice becoming thin in the end.
Why was she thanking me again and again?
"If you hadn't helped me that day, then Veer wouldn't even have been in this world." She glanced at her son with glazed eyes.
I glanced at the small ball of joy in my lap and wondered just how was I responsible for his existence.
Ved hugged his mom from the side and rubbed her shoulder. She glanced at him and patted his cheek while Ved told her not to cry. I observed them carefully and noticed the drastic change in their relationship from the time I had witnessed in the past.
Unlike earlier, Ved seemed closer to his stepmother and treated her with care and respect. I quietly observed them and gave Veer's mother a small smile when she looked at me.
I had a lot of doubts in my mind, but thanks to all the experience I had gained, I felt it better not to ask anything. I just let them be and decided to leave after some time. Ved followed me when I was leaving and kept poking me. I didn't respond and observed the photo frames which were hanging on the wall.
I glanced at them randomly, but my eyes caught the image of a woman in a golden frame on the wall. I stopped in my tracks and looked at that picture curiously. The woman in the photo was really beautiful with tan skin and dark brown eyes, and equally nice, curly hair which reached her waist.
It didn't take me much time to realise that she was Ved's late mother; a flower garland was hanging from her photo frame. I glimpsed beside me and saw Ved looking at his mom with a longing look.
I moved my eyes back at the photo and saw the details given below. I read the birth date and felt really bad for her as she died too young - Ved lost his mom at a really small age. Ayush had informed me that, but I still didn't know how she died.
Again, I felt my curious mind itching to ask, but I controlled myself. I took deep breaths, but when I read the date of death, I felt my soul leaving my body; I couldn't even blink.
"Hey Sandy Pandy!" Ved shook me. "Are you okay?"
I nodded without looking at him and masked my sullen expression. I wanted to dash out of there, but then Ved would have gotten suspicious; he didn't know that I was aware of his mother's death or even knew who his mother was.
"Bye, Ved," I said and exited his house.
"Do you want me to drop you home?" he asked.
"No, thank you." I managed to shoot him a smile.
He nodded and after getting my scooter out of his parking lot, I zoomed out of there. I reminded myself to focus on driving, but Ved's mom's face kept flashing in front of my eyes.
She died when I was in fourth grade; when I topped in my class for the first time; when I teased Ved about it a lot and made fun of him. She died when I was busy ignoring her son's pain and was merrily celebrating my ninth birthday.