FORNEVER | ✓

CHAPTER 17 - LOVESTRUCK

HER

"Suhaana, I think you'd look gorgeous in these..." Akka chirped as she brought a pair of gold earrings that I could see glistening behind me, through my reflection.

"Akka, these are gorgeous..." I said. "But I...how can I?" I hesitated a bit before she started adorning me with one of them.

"It's alright if you don't know the how..." she giggled.

"I'd be more than happy to help you myself." She said as she bejeweled my ears.

I looked at my reflection and couldn't stop admiring the sublime grace the earrings added to my face. I traced my fingers over them and thanked her.

"Alright. I think that baboon is going to be here soon." She said as she leaned into my reflection, to see if I needed any final touches.

I held her hand gently, as she was about to turn away, to which she gave me her signature warm smile.

"Thank you, Akka. For being the elder sister I didn't have."

"Suhaana, thank you for being such a positive ray of hope in our lives..." I looked at her equivocally. She sighed as she placed her hands on my shoulders, meeting my eyes in our reflection.

"My brother and I had lived long without a family, despite having one. We hadn't smiled as much as we do now, in five years..." She said as her face fell, reminiscing their past.

"Akka," I began as I placed my hand over hers, and squeezed it gently.

"We had everything you know?" She said as I rested my head gently over her hand, trying to offer her the solace she needed.

"Siddhanth had gone through the best and the worst. He was a spoiled brat, he never cared for any one, except our mother." Her voice started to shake as I felt my chest tightening.

"He was like a tornado. Swirling up anything and everything, not caring about those who'd come his way. Until one day. The day everything changed..." Tears started to fill her eyes as she gulped and drew in a deep breath.

"Until one day, his storms pulled in the person he loved...we loved...the most." A tear escaped her heavy eyes. Being someone who was herself attached to her mother, I could feel the pain in her voice.

"Baba then decided to...to sever ties with him, until he would become a man of discipline and learn to honor people and their hearts."

"At first, he was shattered, having to live away from our mother. He roamed around the world to find comfort, until one day, he learned that her condition was getting worse. After all, which mother can live without her son?" Tears started to rush through her eyes as I got up and held her hand. I gently led her to the bed and knelt in front of her. She protested a bit, but I didn't care. Ever since I had stepped foot in her house, she had been nothing but pollyanna. Joyous, happy, like the beaming sun. And if at that moment she felt like breaking down, I wanted to be her confidant.

"Siddhanth begged to see her, but Baba, baba didn't let him. Baba only had one condition. For Siddhanth to be successful and disciplined if he wanted to do anything with them, especially our mother. While my heart broke seeing Siddhanth going through what he was, I decided to be with him. After all, I had raised him like my child, along with Amma..."

"And now..." She smiled through her tears as she cupped my cheeks lovingly.

"God has filled these desolate hearts and souls with so much love and warmth by sending you into our lives. You make this mere apartment, home.... Suhaana."

I rested my head in her lap as tears made their way through the corners of my eyes. She pacified me by keeping her hand on my head gently. I closed my eyes to collect everything she had just said. SIdhhanth never talked about his family. He always kept a smile on his face while he'd make others laugh.