INTRICATE

CHAPTER 14

V E D A N   S H E K H A W A T

"I'm driving."

Vedan had never been one to let people dictate him around. No matter who it was, he put his leg down whenever the situation demanded it. He was very particular about his limits, so he ensured people knew not to cross them.  However, the case with Samaira was a lot different.

The moment he drew a line, she made it her life's purpose to cross it over and over again. It was admirable when she directed her stubborn nature elsewhere, but when she directed it at him, all he wanted to do was hit his head on the wall repeatedly like the dramatic mothers-in-law in the soap operas that his grandmother loved to watch. 

"Who died and made you queen?"

Samaira sent him a look from the other side of the car. Vedan held her stare, momentarily getting distracted when Ansh poked his arm to get his attention. "Don't do it. Trust me, it's not worth it."

His sister smiled. "Better listen to him."

Vedan gently ruffled Ansh's hair. "Don't worry, kid. I've faced worse from your sister. This is nothing compared to what I've had to go through."

Samaira rolled her eyes but didn't bother denying it. How could she have? He had stated nothing but the truth. A truth that her brothers deserved to know. They probably did already. It was impossible not to know when Satan stayed under the same roof as them.

"I'm driving on the way back." he asserted as he climbed into the passenger seat of the car. He heard her chuckle lightly under her breath. Nodding, she did the same before turning to the backseat. "Avni will be joining us, won't she? Can one of you call her?"

Hriday looked at his brother with a disturbed look. "You invited her?"

Ansh narrowed his eyes. "Back off. She's my friend."

Samaira's eyes darted between the two when their irritation didn't seem to fizzle. "Am I missing something? Whatever it is, spit it out right now. I don't want either of you to bring this back up when she's here."

The intensity of Ansh's glare diffused by the time his eyes shifted to his sister. He took a deep breath. "Avni is very quiet and she keeps to herself in class, so Hriday and his clique have taken to calling her names whenever they get the chance. It's totally unnecessary. Everyone treats her like the school freak now."

Hriday should have taken his brother's advice from earlier because Samaira's glare nearly scorched Vedan and it wasn't even directed at him. Honey brown turned to molten lava. It was the indication that seventeen-year-old Vedan had learned to look for in order to back off immediately. He was known to be smart for a reason.

"You better have a good explanation, Hriday Yadav or you can sit this one out," Samaira said sternly, making Hriday send his twin a harsh glare. "Don't glare at Ansh. This is on you. Own up to it."

He let out a sigh. "It's nothing serious, di. We all mock one another."

"Mock?" Ansh laughed in disbelief. "Really? You're not even going to try to be honest? This is low, dude, even for you."

"Even for me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Hriday asked as he clenched his fists. Vedan knew for a fact that he wasn't going to raise his hand against his twin. In fact, as far as he knew, he was pretty sure they had never physically fought with one another. Ansh smiled mirthlessly. "You're a bully. You know that, right?"

Hriday's eyes blazed like wildfire out of pure rage. 

"Deny it. I dare you."

That seemed to be it because Hriday had no argument. He simply turned to look out the window wordlessly. Samaira sighed, making him look back at her. "Should I get out now?"