Secrets And Lies [Completed]

24. dirty little secrets

Song of the chapter is
Bad Things by Cults

-24-
-Saina Bahl-
-Present-

_____________

Malhotra Mansion
24 November, 2030
12:20 pm

A soft sigh escaped my lips as I stared out the window of my new room at Kartik's.

Since Himanshu drove a Honda civic, it was quite predictable that all of us couldn't fit in the back seat of the car. And thus, Zoya and Himanshu, accompanied by a resilient Veronica went to the sheriff station, while Kartik, Siya and I came back to the Malhotra Mansion.

After two repeated interactions with the killer at Delmore Inn, the police decided that it wasn't safe for any of us to stay there anymore. And thus, we were asked to shift to a more comfortable place, which could be placed under strict inspection easily. And thus it was unanimously decided that the best place for that would be Kartik's old house, which he still had an ownership of.

Kartik had had the house cleaned to its zenith in the past two days before all of us had moved in. Since it was quite a big establishment, with three big master bedrooms and two guest rooms, it was quite easy for all of us to get comfortable. Veronica and Zoya had occupied one of the guest rooms, while Kartik and Siya took his old room. I was left with choosing between Alishka's old room and the small-ish quarter at the darkened end of the hallway.

I chose the former.

Being in Alishka's old room felt uncanny. I couldn't remember how many days and nights we had spent in this room, playing dolls and braiding each other's hair. The furniture, although almost worn out, still had her touch to them. Nothing had changed. It was left as it was all those years back.

I felt lost in these pastel shades of red.

It was like she was here. With me. She could see what I was hiding. She knew what I did.

In the past few years of my life, I had grown to have many many regrets. But nothing exceeded more than that one sin that I had committed.

I always knew it would come to haunt me back. I just hadn't expected it to be this soon.

A sudden knock at the door shook me out of my thoughts. I turned around and found Siya standing at the door.

"Come in."

She gave me a soft tight lipped smile and walked in, closing the door behind her.

"Where's Kartik?" I asked.

"He just went out to get some groceries." She answered. I nodded.

"Hey....are you okay?"

I gulped. "Yea-yeah....why?"