Sweet 'n' Sour | ✔

thirty

30. Iss chalne wali duniya mein, tumhare saath rukne mein maza hai. (In this constantly moving world, stopping with you is fun.)

•°•

Her birthday was coming closer.

Initially, I had a plan. It involved diamonds. The least expensive ones.

I had checked a few sites and sweated over the price, yet that didn't stop me from checking my bank balance and adding a delicate diamond bracelet to the cart.

Well, that was before I saw the ridiculously expensive diamond necklace in her hands, gifted by my brother. I knew there was no reason to blow upon her like that. She did nothing to deserve my rude comment. She was excited and she wanted to share it with me.

I had a worse day at the office. Nothing new. I'm just counting days before my boss shifts to the new branch and someone nicer, if not, at least a professional replaces him. On my way back home, the possible dent in my savings account for her birthday gift, had lowered my spirits to newfound depths. Then upon coming home, I found my woman missing, only to be told by my mother that she is in Bhai's room to deliver a cup of coffee.

How much time does it take to give a cup of coffee?

Two minutes max?

It took her ten minutes to come back to our room, and when she came, the expensive piece of jewelry in her hands set me off.

It was wrong of me.

To steal her smile, which I so adore, was wrong of me. So I fixed my attitude, so as to not ruin her happiness, and faked a smile.

The last week has been rough. Meghna's attitude towards me was getting worse. As siblings, we've had our blues, but they never extended so far that it'll be physically hard to close the distance. She treated me so coldly. I wasn't used to it.

So I did the same.

I agree, I made a decision on a whim. But she has never been the elder sister to me that she claims to be. How can she expect me to be comfortable enough to breach such a sensitive topic in front of her? And I did try, didn't I? But she shut me up, blissfully basking in her know-it-all attitude. If it was anyone else, I would have given zero fucks. But there's a bond between us I can't deny. If in the future, something had happened, I would have blamed myself for not bringing her incapability of making the right decisions at the right time. I don't understand why people think their age justifies their immature decisions. Just because you're old doesn't mean you can't make wrong decisions.

But fine, if this is how she wants it to go, no qualms from my side. I'm not wasting my time trying to mend something we had an equal hand in damaging. If I did wrong, she did too. And she is the least of my concerns now, anyways. I don't know why I even bother with her at this point.

I've way more complicated things to focus on. Like Bhai's feelings towards my wife that she is still unaware of, Mom's sudden shift in attitude, my insufficient savings, finding a new, affordable place, and moving out of this house.

My eyes darted in the direction of the bathroom hearing the door open. Priya stepped out, making me frown at her outfit. It was the beginning of the weekend again, meaning no office. Why is she not wearing a saree?