You and I - a pranushka tale

chapter four

There was a whole new buzz to the house after Rana and Prabhas arrived. The younger ladies of the town heard of the new visitors and suddenly there was more help offered in the house. There were colourful, extravagant sketches being designed on the floor, the chefs had more 'experts' offering their 'expertise' and the non-existent dust on certain corridors were being dusted with distracted eyes.

After getting dressed, Mithrah had hurried down to have breakfast when she noticed how there was a wave of giggles flowing through the house that she had never heard before.

With an intrigued expression she followed the sound and saw a bundle of young women standing by a window. "What are you guys laughing about?" She asked curiously walking over to the window.

There she caught sight of Prabhas and her brother working out. Ignoring her brother's presence she looked at her vice and noticed he was shirtless. As annoyed as she was about him, her eyes trailed down his what looked liked it was sculpted by Greek gods body.

She realised the girls were giggling about him or possibly her brother too but she ignored that. A sense of annoyance riled up within her. She wanted them to stop looking but instead of voicing her thoughts she walked away, not wanting to hear their giggles or look at his shirtless body.

She went to the dining room and placed her plate loudly on the table and was about to put food on her plate when her aunt, Padmini, saw that she was alone and came scolding. Padmini was one of Mithrah's favourite aunts from when she was a child. Padmini was the youngest sister of her father and having not been able to conceive a child of her own, Mithrah had taken the role of her daughter.

"Mithrah why are you eating alone? Couldn't you have called me?" She asked putting the food herself on the plate.

Mithrah shrugged with a smile. "It's okay auntie, everyone's busy with the preparations or has left to the temple. Plus I woke up late."

"Either way, don't eat alone. Not when you're back home." She ordered, filling her niece's plate to the brink affectionately.

She kept Mithrah company making sure her niece was satisfied with everything. She waited until Mithrah had finished before returning to the kitchen. Mithrah after washing her hands came and sat back down on the table bored. She couldn't find anyone who wasn't busy.

That was when he came into the dining room, his dark curly hair wet, and a tight white t-shirt clinging to his skin. She sat up straighter in her seat as he caught sight of her and slowed down the pace of his steps. She noticed he was alone and he noticed she was alone.

With narrowed eyes, she watched him walk to the dining table and peer into the bowls filled with breakfast. "Is this food?" He asked.

Mithrah raised her eyebrows before nodding.

He sat down and pulled out a plate. She watched him pick out all her favourite choices without saying anything. He was rather quiet too, aside from the jovial whistle leaving his lips. Mithrah tried not to narrow her eyes at his awfully positive mood. She was going to get up and leave but unwillingly remembered her manners and realised everyone else was busy and she shouldn't leave him to eat alone.

But that doesn't mean she has to talk to him.

She began playing with an apple when she saw him begin to eat. What was initially a look of satisfaction immediately changed into one of confusion, showing that he was deep in thought. He looked at Mithrah and raised his eyebrow before looking down at his plate. She stopped playing with her fruit and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

When he looked up again she stopped fiddling with the apple. "Is something wrong?"

He feigned confusion once more. "Have we met before?"

By then a full-fledged glare settled on Mithrah features. She knew he was intentionally feigning confusion when she caught on to the laughter that was laced in his voice. "Why? Do I look familiar?" She asked, her tone rather deadly, daring him to give the wrong answer.

He nodded. "Awfully familiar. I just can't figure out where..." He trailed off going back to that deep in thought expression.

Mithrah was about to give him a sarcastic reply when Rana walked in. His hair, like Prabhas' was wet too, which he walked closely by his sister and shook, letting the wet droplets attack her dry top.

She squealed and elbowed his ribs to which he jumped in surprise before settling down in a seat beside Prabhas who was focusing on his food once more. Only once Rana sat down did he realise that his sister and his best friend were sat alone.

"Where's everyone else?" He asked picking up a plate for himself.

"Busy with preparations or at the temple." Mithrah said biting into her apple when she caught Prabhas' eyes looking at her once again. Feeling her skin warm, she looked at her brother who remained oblivious to everything. "Everyone already had breakfast. Who wakes up this late?"

Rana scoffed. "We actually woke up earlier. We were exercising,"

"Yeah, yeah everyone saw," Mithrah muttered under her breath which Prabhas heard, causing him to laugh. The siblings looked up at him, Mithrah, annoyed that he heard her and Rana, confused as to why he was laughing.

Prabhas shrugged with a sheepish smile. "I thought of something funny."

"Is he always like this?" Mithrah asked, in a tone which she believed was normal and not at all hateful.

Rana looked up amused. "Like what?"

She saw Prabhas look at her with a smirk playing on his lips, waiting for her to continue whatever she was going to say, well aware that he was getting under her skin.

Not wanting to appear too affected she forced a fake smile on her face. "Happy."

Rana laughed at his sister's remark. "It's a good thing right?"

Mithrah made some noise of false agreement. Rana remained oblivious as he continued to eat before he stopped and looked at her with a look of remembrance. "Didn't you say you almost got run over yesterday?"

Mithrah's heated stare immediately flashed to Prabhas who rolled his lips in to avoid the chuckle that was about to leave. Trying to be the better person she looked back at her older brother who watched her amused. "Yeah, I did."

"That's unusual. There's hardly ever any cars here." Rana commented to which his sister scoffed.

"There was plenty yesterday." She muttered.

Her older brother still remained oblivious to her not so subtle comments as he nudged his best friend. "Do you want us to find him and lock him up?" He asked teasingly.

She shot him a wide fake smile. "No thank you. You work on improving the neighbourhood." Only then did she realise she didn't know which neighbourhood her brother would be protecting. "Where are you appointed to work at?" She asked warily. She knew it was rather slim for her brother to work in their own village station. For one they already had the necessary officers and more importantly, they have no power. It was her father and his men that made the decisions and provided the protection.

Rana made a face knowing that his answer wouldn't satisfy his sister. "We haven't been officially appointed yet. We find out soon."

Mithrah nodded slowly before looking at her brother with a small smile. "Stay close, yeah?"

He ruffled her hair affectionately. "I'll always be close."