[ S A N J A N A ' S P O V ]
"Please, do this." I folded both of my hands, sitting at her feet and gazing with pleading eyes. However, none of my looks influenced my younger sister, Samyutha, who shook her head whilst my other sister gaffed in laughter. "Samyutha, I hide your escapades!"
"I can't," She refused in one way. "Your in-laws are coming in an hour, and here you are, telling me you're going for a dinner. With whom are you going?"
"Friends," I lied, clutching my hand tightly. I couldn't expose I was going to a dinner with Arnav Oberoi. She would scream, yell and expose it to our brothers and parents. Some days, I wonder why I had to have such a big family? Three sisters, two brothers and yet such a small space to live in. Most of the times, my house was a crazy circus with screams coming from a different part of the house, one yelling for papers, another screaming and fighting with another.
And yet, I couldn't deny the smile that curved my lips.
"Which friend?" She cocked her eyebrow in the air. "As far as I know, you don't have friends much."
"I have!" I said defensively.
"Didi, don't lie," My youngest sister, Priyasha, voiced her views. Striking a glare at her, I moved it back to Samyutha and pleaded.
"Please, do this once. I will be back soon. I will be engaged soon. You know how Adirath's family is. Please, Sammy." With a beaten sigh, she meandered her gaze around the room, and at last, nodded with a tight lip smile. "Thank you." Stretching my body, I hugged her tightly to me, grinning at the prospect of having dinner with Arnav after a week, and the excitement reached back. What was I doing? I didn't care. I wanted to meet him again, listen and register his relaxed smile, see the person hidden under the deep layers of a businessman.
"But come before nine. They will be expecting you."
"I promise." I licked my lower lip, stood up from the bed and meandered a lasting glance to our room. Ever since, Anusha, my elder sister had gotten married, the room felt bigger for three girls, with plenty of space to do our work.
I missed her.
When would she come to visit us?
"But wait for a second," She said suspiciously, her gaze narrowed at my face. "Who is this person you're so excited to meet with? Sanju, you do know that you have a fiancé and your Rishta has been finalized."
I was aware of that. Why was she keen on reminding me about it?
"Just someone," I lied. "Someone for the painting, sis."
"She's lying," Priyasha sang. "Boyfriend. Didi has a boyfriend."
"Priyasha!" I hissed to stop her singing. Voices get out of this room and I didn't want my mother to get a heart attack on such a lie. Twenty-one graduated and my marriage was finalized. In their view, I had three siblings after me and I should get married because I wasn't interested in studying anymore.
Study sucks. It was like food. Some like a particular thing, some don't. And I, without any doubt, fell in a don't section.
"Tell me you're not doing anything wrong."
"I'm elder, Sammy." Rolling my eyes, I peered at my reflection. He was five years older than you, Sanjana, and you were having a fucking girly crush on someone who was out of your league.
You weren't into the older man.
It's just five years.
But—
YOU ARE READING
The Things We Love and Lose
Romance"We shouldn't be doing this," I whispered, protesting at the back of my throat. He curled his finger around the strand of my hair. "But we're doing this." His lips inched closer to mine. "We're always doing this." Squeezing my eyes, I pushed him bac...
