Foreign | H.S.

Chapter 30

"Does everything look good?" Manika stressed, re-positioning the couch cusions for the tenth time.

"Chill out, everything's fine" Isha soothed, forcing her to sit and breathe.

"I just want this to go smoothly" She bit her lip.

"They are your parents for god's sake, not external examiners" Isha shook her head. And as if on cue, the doorbell rang and Manika sprung up in distress. "I said, calm down or it won't go how you want, do you want me to get the door?"

"No, I'll go" She mumbled, breathing deeply. Manika was going crazy and she could think of only one person who could help her bring back to sanity. She didn't wanted to go back and she knew that they won't come all the way here for no reason. She literally feared them and what they could do. It was unbelievable that someone could be so scared of their own parents but it was true. At least for her case. If they want, they can ask or force her to go back with them and she won't be able to say no. And that'll bring her back to square one. But for now, she inhaled sharply and opened the door.

"Namaste" Manika smiled, seeing them in person after a long time.

"There's my daughter" Rakesh, Manika's father, smiled.

"Ya, ya, your daughter" Rita huffed moving in without acknowledging Manika but she wasn't surprised. What shocked her was the hug his father had trapped her in.

"How are you?" He asked but Manika was too astounded to answer since Rakesh was never the one to show affection in this way. Hell, he wasn't the one to show affection in any way.

"I-I'm fine" She sighed, hesitantly hugging him back.

"Are you though?" Manika chuckled nervously as he pulled away. "Don't worry, I've requested your mother to be at her best behaviour." Rakesh laughed.

"Oh, Isha my little girl" Rita smiled and Manika just rolled her eyes at her mother subtly not really affected by the behaviour which used to hurt her.

Today, she had prepared herself. She was ready for whatever they had offer. At least, that's what she thought.

~~~

Manika sighed peacefully, stepping outside in the balcony since her mother's words of praise for other people was suffocating her. She leaned on the railing looking down on the little traffic that adorned the street.

Her eyes titled to gaze the starry sky and suddenly all she could think of was him. Manika bit her lip at the thought of Harry. She hadn't seen him, talked to him or called him in just the past 20 hours and she already missed him terribly. The fingers of her hands moved automatically towards her pocket, reaching for the phone. She smiled when at her first click, Harry's cross-eyed picture with the butterfly on his nose popped up on the lock screen. What is even stopping me from calling him? She thought to herself. And in no time, she had his contact opened and the second she was about to press call, she heard the glass door slide.

"Do you have a lighter?" Rakesh's bubbly voice questioned.

"Ya, it's in the kitc- papa!" Manika exclaimed when she realised the reason. She snatched the cigarette from his hand quickly and look at him in disappointment.

"What, let me get the lighter" He said unfazed.

"No, you're not smoking" Manika annouced.

"Hey, I allowed you to smoke" He grumbled, closing the door.

"I quitted" Rakesh's mouth snapped shut at his daughter's comment while he stared at him with wide eyes. "It is possible if you try, so give me the cigarette pack now" Manika demanded.