Us Against the World

9. Budding Feelings and the Resolve

EDITED

"I think she's starting to wake up," Riya whispers.

"It's about time," Chandini sighs. She pats my cheek a couple of times, and I know that she's scowling, even though my eyes are closed. "Damn, she's been asleep for almost a whole day!"

"I know," Riya mutters. "Bitch missed graduation practice on a fucking Sunday."

"Why did you leave her unattended?" Another voice chimes in. This one sounds angry. "It's dangerous."

Riya snorts. "We didn't know she'd get that drunk. She seemed fine in the morning."

"You seemed fine for months!" Chandini counters. "I told you that we should have sold those bottles."

"You're underage, so you don't know the blissful effects of alcohol," Riya says in wonder.

"Hence why we're here," the other voice snaps. "As blissful as it is, you shouldn't leave her alone, Riya. What if she got hurt at home from drinking?"

"Don't fucking raise your voice with me. You don't know anything about our lives," Riya's voice hardens. "We look after Meera when we can, but she said she wanted her independence..."

"And you just gave it to her? Like that?" The man sounds exasperated. "I'm not saying that she shouldn't be independent, but maybe keep in mind her issues before leaving her home alone?"

"I never thought it'd get this bad!" Riya hisses. "And what do you mean by issues? You don't know her; you don't know us."

"I know more than you do about last night," the man snaps.

Riya's silent for a moment. "Your efforts are appreciated," she finally says, her tone icy. "But what happened last night wasn't the fault of anybody. Meera's stayed home alone before—!"

"Maybe not in such a deteriorated mental state!" The man sounds like he's shouting and my ears ring.

"Hey! It sounds like you're saying that my sister is incapable of taking care of herself," Chandini raises her voice too.

"Isn't that why your cousin is here?" The man responds quietly.

Riya and Chandini are silent. I tilt my head slightly, trying to gage the atmosphere of the room to choose the right moment to open my eyes.

"I'm sorry," the man finally says. "I never meant to insult you, or her. I knew her for only a few minutes, but she struck me as a remarkably independent girl. I...I was just worried. Can you blame me?"

"Your sentiments are both appreciated and confusing," Riya says. "But I understand. I try not to let Meera know that I worry about her because she's disabled, but it gets hard sometimes because that's exactly the reason why I worry about her."

"It can be hard," the man agrees. There's a pause. "But allowing her to make her own decisions, especially as an adult, is a good thing to let her do. She could grow resentful of you, otherwise."

"Sometimes I worry that she already has," Riya sighs. My heart begins to thump quickly. No, don't think that, Riya! I try to open my eyes, but the dry stickiness around my eyelids holds them shut. Damn it!

"I don't think so," Chandini assures her, and I'm grateful that my sister is being serious for once. The bed shifts. "We only talk about Meera's disability when it's really required. Apart from that..." she trails off.

"It can be a touchy subject, I imagine," the man says. He moves too, and the bed rocks with his movement. "Look, I didn't mean to criticize your way of life; I apologize if it came off like that. The alcohol bit can be discussed later...let's just hope she wakes up soon."