Shattered Desires

Chapter Seven

*Flashback*

After I had reached home, I took a nap because I had the entire evening off until the guests came over. I woke up after two hours, refreshed. I decided to run and exercise for a bit to tone down my flabby tummy and then showered.

Finally, I dressed in a simple pink kurti top and some black leggings. After pulling my hair in a ponytail and doing some simple make-up, I came downstairs where Mom was setting the dishes out on the kitchen island.

"Oh good, you came. The guests are coming any minute." Mom said. I rolled up my sleeves and helped her set the table. The bell rang and I answered it only to see Ved, Virat, Ved's mom and dad at the doorstep.

"Ved?" I said, perplexed. Virat gave me a tight hug.

"Hey Virat!" I said, still confused.

"Wait, so you are Shilpa's daughter?" Ved's mom asked.

"Yes Aunty." I said, smiling.

"Amrita!" My mom said, wiping her hands on a dishtowel and hugging Ved's mom.

"Shilpa, it's been too long!" Mom said. She led Ved's mom and dad into the living room and soon my parents and his parents were chatting. Virat busied himself with one of my books when Ved winked at me.

"What?" I asked him.

"I told you it would be unexpected!" Ved said.

"It was unexpected enough." I said. Virat decided to read in my room when I showed Ved my rec room, aka the only place I spent more time in other than my room in the house.

"This is the one room Priyanka and I have our sleepovers. It was my brother's ro-" I stopped at the memory of Yash anna.

"You have a brother?" Ved asked me in disbelief. After noticing my expression, he put his hand on my shoulder. "It's ok if you don't want to tell me."

"Yash anna was my older brother. He wasn't like other brothers, who were loud and annoying or the too overprotective type. He was like my best friend and also a father at a same time. We spent all of our time in here, whether it was me trying to beat him in a video game or him having to sit through watching my Indian serials. I loved him more than anyone else in the world." I said, looking at Ved.

"Where is he now?"

"I would rather not talk about it." I said

"You can tell me whenever you feel like it." he said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Anyway, let's play some video games. I am so sure I will beat you in this one game I have." I said with a smirk.

"Who are you even talking to? I mastered Halo, Call of Duty and practically every new video game. But his face turned white once the game flashed on the screen.

"Super Babiez?" he said, his eyebrows furrowed. "You have got to be kidding me."

"I am most certainly not." I said.

"Please don't play with me Maya."

"But that's what we are here for, aren't we?" I said, teasingly.

"Maya, I can't play these kinds of stupid games." Ved said.

"Are you scared of losing Mr. I am the master of video games?" I said, picking up the controller. He gave me one good look in the eye, picked up the controller and spoke.

"You've got yourself a competitor." he said. We both began to review the game rules. We were both supposed to care for our own babies and the one with the most points won! We played the game and raced to change the diaper, virtually of course. We were so into the game that my mom and Ved's mom had to come and get us. They saw us playing Super Babiez and then began to tease us about it relentlessly.