《Short Recap》
"Do you need a hot water bag or chocolate? Or more uh...you know, sanitary pads or something?" he asked after a pause.
I snorted at his sudden awkwardness and ushered him out of my bedroom and into the kitchen.
"I've been a menstruating female for six years Vinay, I'm fully prepared." I said between peals of laughter, "What you can do though, is make us dinner."
"Whatever." He muttered grumpily, "I was simply trying to be thoughtful, ok"
"I know." I smiled, before rushing to the bathroom to get changed.
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I rechecked the address that Vinay had texted me a last time to confirm that I had made it to the correct street. Although superficially very organized, residential blocks for independent houses in Bangalore had an uncanny ability to be rather confusing.
I once found two separate lanes marked sixth cross in the same block and I spent fifteen minutes trying to locate my cousin's newly bought house until I finally conceded and called him. He had to come running down the block and direct my car to his house.
"Thank you uncle." I said politely, as I gathered the silky material of kurta and clambered out of the auto rickshaw.
Vinay had left early the apartment early in the morning to help his father put up the lantern and strings of lights and other last minute things.
Taking a deep breath, I smoothed out my delicately embroidered silk robes with one hand and stood nervously in front of the large, lamp lit house before me.
"Vinay Bhaiyya! She's here." a shrill squeal came from a window on the first floor and I spotted Millie staring at me inquisitively.
I raised my hand to wave at her and she waved back enthusiastically before giggling shyly and running away from the window.
The front door opened revealing Harsh, and Millie who carefully jumped over the colourful rangoli in front of the door and ran over to me.
"Happy Diwali Akira Didi." Millie smiled up at me and grabbed my hand before I could greet Harsh, dragging me into the living room where Mr. And Mrs. Karthik were sitting on their plush sofa.
"Happy Diwali Aunty." I flashed the bright smile I'd spent most part of the afternoon perfecting at Mrs. Karthik before turning to Mr. Karthik and wishing him too.
"Happy Diwali beta." He grinned warmly as he shook my hand firmly, "I heard your startup is doing well."
"It is better than we expected, Sir, but we can't get overconfident too soon." I replied, "It's only been a month and a half. The gestation period can last for more than a year, sometimes even extend to about five years."
"That's true and I must admit I'm impressed. I feel like it's an underlying cue for me to look towards getting retired soon." he nodded with a solemn grin as he patted my shoulder lightly, "If kids like you start helming new companies, people like me are going to get kicked out of the corporate world soon."
"Oh no, Sir!" I chuckled nervously, "You must know that your experience rules over our naive youth any day."
Turning to Vinay's mother I handed over the festive gift box of soan papdi I'd bought from the sweet store on the way to her and she graciously accepted it.
Apparently everyone above the age of forty loved it according to my mother and was therefore the perfect gift, especially if I wanted to make a good impression.
"You didn't have to bring anything, beta." She smiled warmly as she placed the box on top of a small pile of soan papdi boxes in a corner, "Harsh, why don't you take Akira upstairs until I have the dinner set on the dining table?"
Yikes! I mentally smacked my forehead as Harsh led me out of the sitting room. At least I got the box of chocolate flavoured soan papdi and not plain old besan flavour.
The house was modestly large and designed tastefully, no doubt by Mrs. Karthik. In fact, there were more than a dozen framed canvases of pristine landscapes and abstract art scattered all over the house so I presumed she liked painting. It was probably where Vinay got his artistic gene from.
A small temple made of marble sat opposite to the dining table where small idols of several Hindu gods and goddesses were cleaned and arranged amidst a bed of orange marigolds and yellow chrysanthemums. A big oil lamp made of polished brass burned steadily in front of it like a doorkeeper and a beacon of faith and hope.
"Traditional attire suits you well." Said Harsh with a small smile.
"Thank you!" I chuckled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear, "You clean up pretty well too."
He blushed and turned away embarrassedly as he scratched the back of his neck.
"That's Vinay's room." He said, pointing at a closed door at the end of the passageway decorated with tons of family pictures, "And this one's mine."
I glanced in from the doorway and saw that the walls were covered with posters of Steve Jobs quotes and a picture of Jack Ma.
I heard Harsh shuffling on his feet behind me and I sighed.
Turning slowly, I met his reluctant gaze and asked, "Is there any possibility of us forgetting the past and moving on? We can't always have this lingering tension between us whenever we're alone. We've started a freaking company together so there's no question of avoiding being together at all."
"I know," Harsh mumbled, "I probably just need some time. Honestly, I never meant for you to find out. It would have been so much easier then."
I pulled my lips into a sad smile.
Harsh had already lost so much in the short span of his life and I didn't want to cause him any more pain. Breaking someone's heart was a heavy burden to carry if you truly cared for that person.
"I...uh need to use the toilet. Why don't you go check on Vinay until then?" He forced a bright smile that looked surprisingly real. Very real. And I wondered how he managed to. If I didn't already know he was hurting, I would probably never know.
It was true, I suppose. The brightest eyes have cried the most tears.
As he entered his room, I sent up a silent prayer to whichever one of the thirty-three crore gods was available at that moment. Diwali was a time when miracles happened. Maybe one them would listen to my prayer and help ease Harsh's misery.
I knocked on Vinay's door before pushing it open an peeking in.
He was sitting on a low set divan next to his window, a pair of thin rimmed spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose, as he scribbled into his fattening black diary.
"Happy Diwali!" I wished him, making my way towards where he was sitting.
"Same to you Akira." He smiled, his eyes giving me an intense once over.
He leaned forward to kiss my cheek and patted the space next to him for me to sit.
"Aren't you going to come downstairs?" I asked, taking in his appearance.
He looked particularly handsome in his simple maroon kurta that complimented his bronzed skin tone. His hair was gelled and combed perfectly, unlike his usual messy mop that would stand precariously.
"I'm kind of hiding from Mumma because she's been using me like her personal butler since morning and I hate doing chores." He widened his eyes, shaking his head in an animated action, "Since the house help took a holiday today, she made me sweep and mop the entire house. And roll the coconut rava laddoos with her. Harsh got off easy. He only had to water all the plants in the garden and do the laundry."
I burst out into a laughing fit and Vinay stared at me quizzically.
"What's funny? And yes, I forgot, Dad made me clean my bike with freaking toothpaste and a toothbrush." he knit his brow in annoyance, "My bicep is probably another centimeter bigger."
I snorted harder at that, imagining him scrubbing his beloved motorcycle in the sweltering hot sun with a tiny toothbrush.
"Fine, stay here." I said, "I need to go play the role of a model guest."
"Come on, you don't need to." Vinay said, encircling my waist with his arms and gently pulling me closer to him so our noses were almost touching, "I can think of several other things that we can do until dinner."
I slowly eased myself out of his hold and shook my head.
"No, that's highly unlikely because I plan on making a considerably good first impression." I lightly tapped his cheek as I straightened up, "So you can continue hiding from your mother while I go down and help her. You do realise she must be pretty tired right?"
"Yeah fine, go be fucking goody two shoes for all I care." Vinay puckered his lips into a pout.
Rolling my eyes, I exited his room, carefully shutting the door behind me as I left. I paused for a moment to look at the numerous photographs put up on the walls of the corridor.
A picture of much younger versions of Vinay and Harsh sitting in a rowboat, gleefully splashing water at each other, caught my eye. The picture was old, probably a candid taken when they were about five or six, when Harsh's parents were alive. There was another one of them atop a fig tree, grinning impishly with their mouths covered with fig juice as they stuffed themselves. They looked like they used to be best friends, blissfully ignorant of the inevitable change that would occur in their relationship.
There weren't many pictures of them together after that, the wall was dominated with pictures of Millie and the Karthiks.
Smiling covertly, I made my way own the stairs and to the kitchen where Mrs. Karthik was adding final touches to all the delicacies she had prepared.
"Is there anything I can help with Aunty?" I asked with a sweet smile.
She looked up at me returned my grin.
"No Akira beta, I have everything under control." She replied earnestly, before taking a spoonful of the curry she was cooking and holding it out to me, "Just taste this and tell me if it's all right."
I nodded, taking the spoon from her hand.
A perfect blend of spices and the creamy thickness of the paneer curry tingled my taste buds as soon as I put the spoon into my mouth.
"Oh my God! This is delicious, Aunty. It reminds of my mother's cooking." I gushed enthusiastically, "Is the paneer homemade?"
Her face lit up on hearing my words and she patted my cheek affectionately.
"You must miss your mother's cooking." She stated.
"Yes, I do," I smiled, nostalgia hitting me like double decker bus, "I absolutely love Ma's cooking. She's even taught me to make some of my favourite dishes but my culinary skills aren't half as good as hers."
"I see why Shashi is always talking about you," Mrs. Karthik chuckled, "You're the daughter she always dreamed of having. And you look so much like her too. I'm sure she's really proud of you."
"Thank you, Aunty." I beamed, "Do you want me to set these plates on the dining table?"
"It would be great if you could." She nodded.
I picked up the pile of fancy ceramic plates and frowned.
"Aunty, are you expecting more people?" I asked, "There are two extra plates here."
"Yes, our neighbours have a terrible habit of crashing our festivities so set the plates for them just in case." She answered dismissively with a slight wave of her hand.
"Ok." I smiled politely.
At that very moment Millie skipped into the kitchen, holding up her ghagra.
"I want to help Mumma!" she declared standing on her toes next to Mrs. Karthik and craning her neck to peek into the pan that she was cooking in.
Her mother laughed and let her stir the curry for a bit.
"The spoon is hot Mumma," Millie scrunched her nose, "Can I do something else. I want to cut something with that big knife."
As her little fingers inched towards the knife lying on the chopping board, Mrs. Karthik swatted away Millie's hand and said, "No, how many times do I have to tell you not to touch the knife. Why don't you take Akira into the garden and show her the saplings you helped Daddy plant yesterday?"
Millie huffed, crossing her hands in front of her chest before walking out of the kitchen with her chin pointing upwards.
"I'll go talk to her, Aunty." I said, shaking my head as I smiled.
Mrs. Karthik nodded with an apologetic smile.
Just as I was about to turn and follow Millie, she placed her clean hand on top of my kurta sleeve lightly. I paused and looked at her curiously.
"Akira I'm sure you know this, but I ought to say it anyway." She said quietly, "Both my sons really like you."
"I uh..." I started, taken aback.
She smiled, "Yes, I've seen the way both of them talk about you and watch you. Just try not to hurt either of them."
I forced a myself to nod solemnly and breathed, "I'll do my best."
With a last nod, I left the kitchen to look for Millie.
When it was time for dinner, we sat around the dining table and prayed for happiness and prosperity in our hearts and our lives after which everyone except Millie was assigned with the task of serving one dish to everyone.
Just as we were about to begin our meal, the doorbell rang silencing our lively banter momentarily.
"Oh, it's probably just our nosy neighbours." Vinay's mother shook her head as she got up.
Mr. Karthik smiled covertly, sharing a brief, knowing glance with his wife before he made his way to the door. No one seemed to notice and within seconds the cheerful chatter resumed.
"Surprise!" a pair of familiar voices boomed from the doorway and my head shot in that direction excitedly.
My parents walked into the dining room with gift bags in their hands and I instantly got up to hug them.
"Daddy, Ma?! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" I asked, absolutely flabbergasted.
"It wouldn't be a surprise if did, would it?" my father raised his brow, "The boys here planned it all by the way. Too bad they didn't pay for our plane tickets too."
Everyone laughed as my father shook hands with the two of them. Harsh and Vinay flashed me sheepish grins when I turned to face them.
"Oh, stop looking so embarrassed you two!" my mother said to Harsh and Vinay.
I let out a content a sigh as I watched our parents drowned in animated retellings of their college anecdotes and bittersweet memories. All the people I loved were under one roof, happy and bursting with life.
And under the soft golden glow of the fairy lights strung around the house I felt my heart warm up too.
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Since my story has an urban Indian setting I just had to do write a Diwali chapter! Hope it was nice :)
Also I got an Instagram handle for my Wattpad account. My username is @addinginfinities_ . Same as my Wattpad username, so go follow me there for more pictures of the characters and other cool things.
You can find pictures of Akira and Vinay's first Diwali on my ig.
So, vote, comment, share and don't forget to spread the love!❤
QOTD: Drop in suggestions of what I should do on my ig account.