Sweet 'n' Sour | ✔

epilogue ii

happy one million reads! ✨

- ten years later -

ps. this leap comes after he returns from the US

•°•

"He's very quiet in the class." The class teacher said, glancing pitifully at the ten-year-old Ishaan. "Never speaks if not spoken to, always stays in his seat looking out of the window, and he barely shows any emotions." She sighed.

Aditya and Priya glanced at each other worriedly before looking down at their son who sat with his head lowered.

"Actually, our dog died two months ago. Ishaan was very close to him." Priya mumbled.

Aditya scooped the little guy in his lap when they heard soft sniffles coming from him.

The teacher nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I can see that. Maybe some counselling will help? Just a suggestion." She shrugged.

The couple left the school campus with their son, placing him in the backseat before Aditya returned to get their five-year-old from her playschool. Priya got in the passenger seat, looking at her son through the rearview mirror, concern revealing the lines on her forehead.

Aditya returned with the sleeping five-year-old and buckled her in her booster seat before he got behind the wheels of their Mercedes and pulled the car out of the parking lot.

The drive was spent in silence except for when Priya asked if anyone was interested in eating ice cream. Ishaan shook his head whereas their daughter, Iyra, screamed her yes like her vocal cords were recently polished.

They stopped at the local ice cream parlour and Priya went out to buy the icecream to keep them company in the hot summer.

Upon reaching home, Iyra tossed her shoes haphazardly and rushed to her room.

"Iyra, come back!" Priya addressed sternly.

The little girl dragged herself back to the living room, picked up her shoes, put them in their place before apologising to her mother and heading back inside.

Priya sighed, glancing at her son as he sluggishly walked past her inside the house.

"We should talk to him,"

Aditya nodded, removing his shoes and stepping into the living room, scooping the ten-year-old in his arms which made the boy whine and kick his legs in the air. Priya followed the duo, smiling as she heard her husband's chuckles along with their son's resistant screaming.

"Let's talk!" Priya declared once they reached his room.

Aditya set him down and Ishaan stomped towards his bed, flopping down on it face down.

"Hey, champ," Aditya sat down on the edge of the bed, sliding his hand inside the kid's shirt to give him his favourite back rubs. "Talk to us, huh?"

Priya pulled herself a chair from the desk and sat down. "Ishaan, get up."

He whined a no.

"Ishaan!"

He sat up with a huff and glared at his mother.

"Take it easy," Aditya murmured to his wife.

She glanced at him before looking back at her son. "How old are you, Ishaan?"

He splayed his ten fingers at her.

"And how old am I?"

"Very much," he answered.