US - Till Death Do Us Part

Chapter 9 - Shehnaaz and Sidharth

*5th December, Maldives*

"What did you just say?" Sidharth asked, a little hurt and a lot more confused.

"Was there anything between you and Trisha? Ever? Just answer me, Sidharth," Shehnaaz said, this time more sternly. Her sister would not stoop down that low, or would she? Shehnaaz wondered. Her heart thudded against her chest as she questioned him. This was her Sidharth, her entire world. She could close her eyes and do a free fall, knowing he would save her, and yet her mind was forcing her to ask him just once.

"Why would you ask that?" He sighed, closing his eyes before he opened them again. He could feel the heat rising in his body, anger rushing in his veins, yet he did not want to react. He tried to stand there, listen to her, and not fight with her this time. But her trusting the news articles and those shitty news portals and not him? Boy, that hurt.

"I - because, well, she told me that Sidharth", Shehnaaz whispered, keeping her voice soft. She tried looking into his eyes, but he would not look at her. Her hands itched to hold him and tell him she trusted him but then what was that bloody secret that always held him back.

"Who?" He asked; his face was red with anger, his voice a notch higher than before, and she could feel him restraining himself from not unleashing his rage at her.

Sidharth looked at her face; it was glowing in the dim lighting in the room. It was suddenly cloudy outside, and the light from the sun had vanished; dark clouds were hovering over them instead. Her hair flew onto her face every second as she tried to curtain them behind her ears, but the wind was more robust. He could feel the storm starting to build outside, much like the storm in their lives. But storms? They usually receded in a while, while the one in theirs kept on building, and he did not know for how long they could stand still in the eye of the storm.

"Trisha"

Sidharth was shocked would be an understatement but agitated above everything. For once, he did not know at whom. At his wife? For not trusting him? A woman he called his friend? For betraying him like that. Or at himself? For running away from problems like that all the time.

"When?"

"Last December, when you came home for Adira's birthday? tabhi Trisha and tumne ek film kiya tha saathme, and she were in town for promotions; I met her the day you had to leave." Shehnaaz explained. The entire story gave him whiplash. It felt like a strong slap against his reasoning of how that woman was nothing but a friend to him. Maybe Shehnaaz was right all along. She had seen more of Trisha as her cousin than he had.

"Hey, I'm in Mumbai to promote the film, I'd love to catch up if you're free. It's been a long time and a rough year as well."

Shehnaaz started at the text from her cousin sister Trisha. She wondered where the catching up came from. They never were that close. In fact, Trisha always held something against Shehnaaz in her heart, so it did not make much sense, but it did feel like a little act of kindness.

Her heart pricked at how she wasn't really subject to this warmth from the world anymore and so she did not have it in her heart to dismiss Trisha. Maybe for once, coming from the same family had warmed Trisha up, looking at the past year and she was Sidharth's friend and co-star after all. How wrong could this all be?

"Sure, let's catch up for lunch. Does 1 pm work fine for you? " Shehnaaz texted back getting a reply within a few minutes as she sent her the location of a cafe, hoping media would not catch up after her.

"Hi Shehnaaz", Trisha smiled as they met in the hotel's parking space and walked towards the entrance. The usual jump to her steps missing, the familiar glint in her eyes missing.