100 DAYS

ENIMIES UNITE!

Then He came into the picture.

Priya's vision tunneled. A pair of hazel eyes caught hers and her lips instantly curved into a scowl. The short, skinny boy that she had known as Aarav had had quite a growth spurt. He gained quite a few inches, slightly towering over Uncle Ravi. All that remained was his iconic smirk. Ever Since they were six, the two had done nothing but bicker. Aarav would prank her and she'd head crying to her mother to tell on him, that was the drill. The severed Barbie's head, surprise water balloons, and stationery embedded in Jell-O were a few of his fine works.

Pranking her made his day and the scolding he'd receive brightened hers. He called it a perfect win-win situation.

As much as she hated to admit it, she had always envied him for his social skills. Keeping that one teensy good quality in mind, she had prepared her battle plan.

Priya followed Papa dragging her suitcase behind her. She unconsciously rolled her shoulders back and raised her chin, trying to appear huge and mighty, like a small animal does to scare off the predator. The hallway leading into the living room had been decorated with Ellie's artwork. One painting, in particular, caught her interest, it was a sunflower overwhelmed by a sea of roses. She went into a trance examining it.

She felt a loose grip around her left arm-

"Hey", a husky voice called out.

Priya turned her head.

"What?", she spoke through gritted teeth.

"No greetings?"

"Pardon my curtness, good sir, what are you seeking of me?", Priya dead-panned.

"Classic Priya" she heard him mutter.

"Let's call a truce", Aarav said in a low voice.

She wasn't sure what she expected him to say, but it certainly wasn't this.

"What do you mean?"

"No more practical jokes. I'm a changed man now. Let's put the past behind and try to get along", he put his hand forward.

She paused for a moment, considering his proposal.

It is said that one's eyes can never lie. His were like huge orbs of honey with speckles of brown. They moved frantically searching her face, trying to calculate her response. Priya declared them innocent.

And so they shook hands. It had been brief. His hand had been clammy with sweat but she didn't mind.

"Honey, could you help me set the table?", Ellie called out.

"Coming!", Aarav replied.

They parted with a nod. Priya smiled, feeling self-satisfied. Maybe, he wasn't so bad after all.

A loud snicker followed their farewell, Aarav turned around and pointed a finger toward her palm.

she eyed her palm in confusion.

It was blotched in blue dye.

"That bas-"

"-Priya, dinner's ready!", Uncle Ravi yelled.

And she strutted sulkily to the kitchen.

<----««

The giant cedar dinner table buzzed with random conversation. The room was lit up with excitement except for a gloomy dark little corner where Priya sat. To further rub it in Priya's face, Aarav sat in the chair directly opposite hers. Typically, in this type of scenario, She'd fix him with a glare and he'd internally roll with laughter. So, she chose to ignore his presence and put on her best poker face. At the end of the day, she was also a changed woman. Aarav seemed visibly confused and that was enough to satisfy her for now.

Ellie had prepared a delicious round of Dosas accompanied by coconut chutney. Priya was surprised by how full of flavor it tasted. She had often heard complaints about how bland food prepared by white people tasted. Tasting these Dosas, she'd beg to differ.

Priya had heard stories of how Uncle Ravi's marriage to Ellie had caused havoc back in the day. The two had met on a business trip and remained inseparable ever since. It was love at first sight as Uncle Ravi liked to call it. Both of their families were against the idea of them getting married. They were sure the two wouldn't last the test of time due to the vast amount of difference between their cultures. However, they were proven wrong. Priya was glad it had worked out for them.

Sometimes, she wished it had worked the same for her parents. Sure she met Ma from time to time, but the divorce had created a large gaping void in their relationship. During one of her visits to Ma, she had told her that she had felt betrayed when Priya had chosen to stay with Papa. That statement stuck with her. Feeling the sudden change in atmosphere, Ma had tried to play it down and lighten the mood with a joke or two but her attempts remained unsuccessful.

She noticed that she had been absently fidgeting with a worn-down piece of paper in her pocket. She was a fool to think of executing her previous plan. Her fist balled tightly around the paper, she aimed for the trash can.

The little paper ball zoomed across the table and landed perfectly on Aarav's lap.

"As if it couldn't get any worse", Priya muttered to herself.

"Give it to me", She hissed.

"Finders, keepers", he whispered back.

Scribbled onto the chit was a very official-looking contract that Priya had modeled after some rom-com. The message had been very straightforward, asking Aarav to give her tips on how to improve her "people skills". She had thought it to be very clever at first, mafia-ish in fact, but as Aarav's eyes skimmed over the words she couldn't help but feel embarrassed at how dorky it was. The prank he had welcomed her with had infuriated her and she had decided against giving it to him. The fates had decided otherwise it seemed...

Aarav's face remained expressionless as he read the note. He was quick to abandon his chair and glided up the stairs. On returning a few minutes later, he sat back in his chair and hurled it back at Priya.

Priya caught it like a pro. Watching cricket might have sharpened her catching skills she thought.

She carefully straightened the paper on the table.

Scribbled onto it was: OK