The Way We Were

Chapter 6

(Bridge)

Monday morning dawned bright and early in Gupta House. Khushi woke up at the first alarm, alongside Payal. Rubbing their eyes, they looked at each other from across the bed they shared. The announcement day had arrived.

They grinned at each other before rushing to fight over who would get to use the bathroom first. Payal lost, as she was on the opposite side of the bed anyway.

"If I get head girl, you are banned from using the bathroom before me, Sanka Devi." Payal warned.

Khushi opened the tap full force in answer.

"Payalia, come help me in breakfast while you wait!" Payal heard her mother.

"Coming, Amma!" Payal grabbed her dupatta before she left the room, keeping in mind that her Mama and Mami must be out there as well.

As expected, they greeted her from the dining table. Payal turned to the open kitchen opposite the living room.

"Come stir the tea, I have to start on the curry."

Payal hummed her latest favorite track as she picked up a spoon.

Kora Kaagaz tha ye man mera
Like diya naam ispe tera

"How many songs are you rehearsing on now?" Her mother called out.

Payal checked herself. She had been humming a lot of songs lately. What was that about? "Just... it was on the radio last night."

"It's no use to remember songs. Remember your syllabus, like Khushi does."

Yeah, right. Payal grinned to herself. If Mamaji knew what exactly Khushi had been studying the past week, she would be on a receiving end of a well deserved lecture.

The cousins had yet to tell him that Arnav was in their school, of all places the Raizadas could have shipped him off to. There were dozens of boarding schools that would have been more than happy to accept Arnav post his rustication, and Sashi Gupta had tried to talk to Mahendra Singh Raizada on the same. However, he had been shunned.

Sashi had come home in a foul mood that evening, on April 3, and told them that Maliks were not to be acknowledged or talked about at home. Years of service, even his wife's utter humiliation for their heir had not let them even place an ounce of trust in the Guptas.

Post meeting Arnav and Akash, Khushi and Payal had decided to not tell their family about it. It was a one in a million chance that they would ever find out, they had deduced. And the boys weren't as bad as Lavanya had made them sound.

Payal thought Akash was an extremely introvert person. She could never get a read on him. It made her curious to know why he was always just a distance away. He never interacted directly with her outside of their classroom.

She shook her head at his lazy behavior. The boy was not a topper but he just didn't try hard enough. She had yet to see him fail to answer any questions directed at him. He had come up to her a couple of times, asking for help for some complex theories. One explanation and he would be nodding like 'oh yes, should've got there myself'.

"Payal, I'm out." Payal looked up from the teacups she was arranging now.

"You go. We'll serve ourselves." Her mother ordered.

(Chorus Again)

"Once more! Once more! Once more!"

The auditorium was echoing with all the higher secondary students demanding an encore. Even some teachers were found nodding in agreement. It wasn't everyday Payal Sharma danced to pop beats.