When you smile

chapter 18

Dev's P.O.V.

The dinner table atmosphere feels tense after yesterday's incident, and rightfully so. But leave it to Mom to try and make things normal again.

"Dev's friends are coming over tomorrow," Mom announces, breaking the silence. Dad's eyes widen in surprise as he glances at me and then back at Mom. I can't tell if he's shocked that I actually have friends or if he's just surprised that Mom is talking to him.

"They need to work on the play," Mom explains.

"Oh," Dad responds, and another awkward silence ensues.

"So, I was thinking we could go somewhere tomorrow too," Mom suggests, her excitement barely contained. Her eyes betray how eager she is for this suggestion to be accepted. She quickly continues before Dad can react, "I'll get bored at home since Dev will be busy with his friends... so we can go see a movie. It's been ages since I... we've watched one." Come on, Dad, even I can see she's desperate for some private time with you.

Dad gazes into Mom's eyes for a moment, then lowers his gaze, fiddling with his fork on the plate. We all know what he's going to say. I shake my head and take a sip of water.

"Tanu, you know I can't. I have to go to the Delhi head office on weekends. I don't have time during the weekdays... and with our first store opening, there's a lot of work..." He clears his throat. "Tanu, you know I'm never home on weekends. What's new?" He raises his head, trying to force a smile and diffuse the tension.

Mom continues to stare blankly at Dad's face for a while, "Exactly. What's new?"

...

The next morning, I wake up to find Dad has already left, and Mom is busy in the kitchen cooking something delicious.

"Good morning, Mom," I greet her, giving her a tight hug.

"Morning, Dev," Mom hugs me back, "so how are you feeling? Excited?"

Finally, I get to have some friends over...real friends. I'm slowly moving on and embracing my new school life.

"Yup, so what're you cooking?" I ask, my stomach growling in anticipation.

"Something for your friends. I don't want them to think your house is boring. You go freshen up first. What will your girlfriend think if she sees you like this?" Mom teases, chuckling.

"Mom, she's just a friend, not my girlfriend," I reply, heading towards my room.

Yeah, but I totally forgot about Raj coming over. It's already 8:30, and I haven't even taken a shower. You're really on top of things, Dev!

I rush into the bathroom, take a quick shower, and after struggling for half an hour to decide on an outfit, I settle for a full-sleeved blue t-shirt with black polka dots and my trusty black trousers with blue ankle cuffs.

I come downstairs and plop down on the couch in the living area, but my gaze keeps drifting towards the main door. It's the first time my friends are coming over, and I can't help but wonder where they are.

Should I message Arya and ask when they'll arrive? No, that might seem too desperate, right? I place my phone on the table and turn on the TV. But my restless fingers keep inching towards my phone, tempted to check the time, even though there's a clock right in front of me.

"Why do you seem so impatient? You can ask her, it won't be weird," Mom's voice comes from the kitchen.

My fingers quickly abandon the idea of reaching for the phone and instead grab the TV remote lying next to it, "Who said I'm impatient? I'm just contemplating what to watch on TV." Yeah, right. I'm totally impatient.