When a truth-and-dare question turns Chavi's life upside down and pushes her toward the only person whom she had pulled with herself, Garvit, in the turmoil.
dive in for some sour and sweet banters and most of all, teenage romance!
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A page fluttered rapidly from the wind coming from the open window, Garvit advanced towards it and put a paper weight on the open pages and returned to the pieces of clothing strewn around an opened luggage. The calendar resting by the mirror stand indicated the September endings.
Mid terms were around the corner, it was that time of the month, the crepe myrtle trees will finally be looking only with green leaves and not be covered in purple and pinks at the end of September and it would soon bring the promising coldness of October. Garvit could feel the cold seeping in, it didn't come from the weather outside, the red circle around the dates every year indicated only one thing, his mother will be there for some days.
why can't she just stick to one life?
Garvit never found the answer to it and still doesn't think if he would ever as he folded the clothes haphazardly and shoved them in the small size trolley. He had asked his grandfather if he could stay there for the time being and prepare for his exams, to be away from the chaos.
He looked up from the spot he hadn't realised he had been staring at when he heard his father calling for lunch, it was the weekend, the only time when all three of them had lunch together. He gave a last look towards his clothes and stepped out of the room to cool off and spend some time with his family.
"Yupp, Okay", Garvit noticed his father on a call, the somber aura and his tightened jaw gave way to his cause of distress. He said nothing as he watched his father listen to what the other person had been saying as he took a seat on the table beside his brother.
After a few nods, hums and yup, his father finally cut the call and joined his two sons on the table, no one said anything and they silently had the food. Clinking of metal and aroma of food filled the heavy air of room.
After some time, his father cleared his throat to speak up, "She will be coming a few days later", he said mostly to Garvit who had already planned to move out when she comes.
Garvit kept chewing on his food and acted as if the topic hadn't arised. Once they had finished eating, he realised how short sighted he had been and his world had been revolving around his mother's visit and how he wanted to avoid it at all cost. He went out when evening rays hit his window to get himself some of his favorite orange flavoured candies.
The convenience store seemed packed today being the weekend and people hung out at the ice cream and soft drinks corner to cool themselves along with their quick snacks when he bumps against a familiar figure, a smile takes over his face, one only reserved for his family and closed ones.
He puts his hands around his shoulder from behind when he spoke, "What you doing here oldie?". The former had expected the shocked expression that ran through him but what made him curious was that the expression still remained on Ishar.
Ishar opened and closed his mouth several times and for a second he looked past Garvit and made it seem like he had been checking those milkshakes behind him but Garvit knew better, the latter turned right that instant when the same pastels and beaded jewellery caught his eyes.
The look on Garvit's face as he turned towards Ishar said it all, whose eyes in turn widened realising the fact that his younger brother knew.
He spluttered to cover up saying, "It's not what you think-", when Garvit beat him to it and asked, "Are you dating her?"
He felt a cold emotion run through him and Ishar's silence, who had been taken by surprise to that question, only added to it
"What? No."
"You know what? I don't believe you, let me ask her".
Before Garvit could take a step forward, Isharmoved fast and held Garvit steps using his strength and ordered him," Don't".
Something in him cracked when he asked," Why don't you want her to know about us?"
"I don't know what you are talking about but it's clearly not what you are thinking", Ishar tried to reason.
"You knew we are classmates all along then why didn't you tell her? Are you ashamed of us?", he asked in his small voice.
Silence followed his question and he felt like twelve years old again, the pain, the fear of abandonment, he knew the answer yet he wanted to listen to this from his brother.
"I just didn't want her to know. I want her to see me as me", Ishar's eyes were anywhere but him.
"So you are ashamed of us rather than the woman who left us, you are ashamed of the ones who are in just as much pain as you", he had nothing left to say after that.
He gave a last look towards Chavi who was still unaware of all the turmoil happening on this side as he left the place without buying his candies.
As soon as he reached home, he started to shoved clothes in his bag again along with the textbooks and notebooks in a different compartment and clothes in the other. When he finished, he left the trolley by the door and let his father know that he would leave tomorrow itself then left to take his bicycle keys from the key bowl and stepped out to spend the rest of the evening outside.
After unlocking his bicycle he cycled around the neighborhood and then hit the main road when his eyes fell on Chavi having her ice cream wearing her signature beaded jewellery and pastel coloured outfits. He planned on cycling past her when their eyes meet and her eyes widen a little but at last she timidly waved at him and eventually he had to stop his bicycle beside her.
They said nothing and stared as a light wind bid their evening good byes.
