Chapter 8
Aditi's Perspective
"Aye haye, yeh wala meetha nahi tha," I complained to my mom as she popped a sweet pea into my mouth while I was engrossed in my physics textbook. She was sitting next to me, peeling peas with an air of contentment.
"Arre, kabhi kuch na meetha kha ke bhi dekho," she said jokingly, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Kya baat hai, aap Dairy Milk ka ad audition nahi de rahi ho?" I teased, chuckling.
"Kyun, meri acting achi nahi hai kya? Abhi dekhiyo, tere papa mere liye ice cream laani bhool jayenge, toh main naaraaz hone ki acting karungi. Phir woh mujhe jalebi khilane le jaayenge," she said, smiling brightly.
I shook my head, unable to suppress a smile. "They are so in love," I mumbled to myself.
Just then, Anaya burst into the room, jumping with excitement. "DIDI! DIDI! Jungle mein jaaoge?" she asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.
"If I don't clear this test, toh sanyaas hi lena padega na, behen," I replied, keeping my face serious as I glanced at my notes.
"Arre, bolo na Didi," she pleaded, tugging at my arm.
"Haan behen, jaungi," I said, giving in.
"Sher pakad ke laoge?" she asked with wide-eyed curiosity, as if it were the first time she was asking this.
"Ji haan," I answered, barely hiding a grin.
"Daroge toh nahi?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips in a mock serious pose.
"Bhoooooooo!" she shouted, trying to scare me.
I acted as if I'd seen the most terrifying thing in my life. Haa... lemme guess, a gift from Kabir. Not gonna happen. Even if he gets me something, I won't take it. Huh, what does he think of himself? Such a tease.
"Acha, Anaya, get me my water bottle," I said, not looking up from my textbook.
"Me toh nahi laungi!" she replied defiantly.
"Tic tic 10... tic tic 9..." I began counting dramatically, as if the world were about to end.
With a sigh and a quick glance at my serious expression, she sprinted towards my room and brought back the water bottle. Just as she handed it to me, Dad walked in and placed a cup of ice cream on the table.
"What is this?" my mom asked in surprise, her eyes widening.
"Gift from Kabir," Dad replied casually.
I choked on my water, coughing as I tried to process what he just said. "W-who Kabir?" my mom asked, patting my back to help me stop coughing.
"Arre, Kabir, iska dushman. Ese hi is ladki ne bechare ko badnaam kar rakha tha! Kitna pyara ladka hai. Maine use kaha tha ke ice cream mat la, fir kehta hai, 'Ek cup ice cream Aditi ke liye bhi le jao meri taraf se,'" my dad said, his tone light as if he didn't realize the bomb he'd just dropped.
I stared at him, my eyes wide with disbelief. "Aap fir meri ice cream laani bhool gaye. Main naaraz hoon aap se," my mom said, pouting playfully.
Dad moved to rub her cheek, but I interrupted, still reeling from the shock. "Arre, baad mein le jaenge, jalebi khilane! Pehle yeh batao, aap us kutte se kyun mile? Aur mile toh yeh kyun laaye? Pehli baat, main uss dukaan se kuch khaati nahi, kyunki 6th class mein uss ice cream mein makhi thi! Aur koi bhi ladka aise ice cream dega mere liye, toh aap le loge kya? Kaise baap ho aap? Thoda 'Crime Patrol' dekha karo, toh pata chale ki kaise-kaise ladke hote hain aaj kal. Aur usse kya baat hui aapki?" I demanded, my voice rising with every word.
Dad looked at me, stunned, trying to make sense of my outburst.
"Arre, I knew you wouldn't eat it, Didi. Can I have it?" Anaya asked innocently, her big eyes pleading.
"No!" I snapped, snatching the ice cream and putting it in the freezer, far out of her reach.
"I'm sorry," I muttered, looking at my parents, guilt washing over me.
"Arre, beta, no worries," Mom said, her voice gentle, trying to soothe my frayed nerves. "I think you need space."
Dad kissed Mom's hand tenderly, a gesture that made my heart soften. "We're both taking Anaya with us to eat jalebi. You take the whole house—watch any Harry Potter, read any novel—and we'll get jalebi for you too," they said as the three of them left, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the quiet hum of the house.
As the door clicked shut behind them, the silence in the house felt almost foreign. I stood there for a moment, my mind whirling from the events of the past few minutes. Kabir? Buying me ice cream? It felt like the universe was playing a cruel joke on me.
I made my way to the kitchen, the cold floor soothing against my bare feet. Opening the freezer, I stared at the cup of ice cream sitting innocently on the shelf. I could still hear my dad's voice in my head, "Kitna pyara ladka hai." It made me frown.
Pyara ladka, my foot. Kabir was a menace. Ever since I could remember, he had made it his life's mission to annoy me. From teasing me about my grades to constantly reminding me of every embarrassing moment I'd ever had, he was relentless. And now, this ice cream. What was he trying to prove? Was this some new way to get under my skin?
I slammed the freezer shut and leaned against it, closing my eyes. My thoughts drifted back to that day six years ago. I was in sixth grade, and Dad had bought me ice cream from this same shop. I was excited—who doesn't love ice cream? But then I saw it. A fly. Dead, stuck in the frozen treat. I had been so grossed out that I refused to eat anything from that shop ever again.
And now Kabir had the audacity to get me ice cream from there? Did he even know about the fly incident? I wondered if Dad had told him. No, he wouldn't. It wasn't exactly something you casually bring up. But still, the thought of Kabir buying me anything, let alone something as thoughtful as ice cream, was baffling.
I walked back to my room and threw myself onto the bed. My physics book was still open, the equations and diagrams staring back at me. But I couldn't focus. My mind was too busy trying to decode Kabir's actions. Why did he care if I had ice cream? What did he want from me?
My phone buzzed, breaking my train of thought. It was a message from Mom.
"We're at the sweet shop! Jalebi coming soon! ??"
I couldn't help but smile. Mom's enthusiasm was contagious, even through a text. But then my thoughts drifted back to Kabir. Did he really think this would change anything? That a cup of ice cream could make up for all the years of teasing?
Another thought crossed my mind. What if this wasn't about the ice cream at all? What if Kabir was trying to apologize in his own weird way? But for what? He had never seemed sorry before. If anything, he enjoyed getting on my nerves. I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling.
Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe it was just a simple gesture, and I was reading too much into it. But a part of me couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this. I sighed, closing my eyes.
The sound of the front door opening brought me back to reality. Mom, Dad, and Anaya were back. I could hear Anaya's excited chatter as they walked in. A few moments later, she burst into my room, holding a small bag of jalebi.
"Didi! Didi! Look, we got jalebi!" she exclaimed, her little feet bouncing as she climbed onto the bed beside me.
I smiled and ruffled her hair. "Thanks, Anu."
"Mommy said we can watch a movie! You pick!" she said, her eyes wide with excitement.
The idea of a cozy night in with my family sounded perfect. I needed the distraction. "Alright," I said, taking the bag of jalebi from her. "Let's do it."
Anaya giggled and hopped off the bed, running out of the room to tell our parents. As I watched her go, I couldn't help but glance at the freezer one more time. The ice cream was still there, waiting.
Maybe I'd deal with it tomorrow. Maybe I'd even figure out what Kabir was up to. But for tonight, I just wanted to enjoy the moment with my family.
I joined them in the living room, the warm smell of jalebi filling the air, and for the first time that day, I felt a sense of peace. Whatever Kabir's intentions were, they could wait. Tonight was about family, and I wasn't going to let anything ruin that.
The next morning, I groggily shuffled into the kitchen, still rubbing sleep from my eyes. The house was quiet, the kind of peaceful silence that only exists in the early hours when everyone else is still asleep. I opened the fridge, thinking of the ice cream from last night. I didn't really want it, but there was something oddly satisfying about knowing it was there, untouched, just waiting for me.
But as I opened the freezer, my eyes landed on the empty cup, a telltale sign that someone had already gotten to it. My immediate thought was, **Anaya**. Who else could it be? She was the only one who would even think about sneaking in for an early morning treat.
"Ugh, Anaya," I muttered under my breath, feeling a mix of annoyance and resignation. I wasn't even sure why I cared so much. It was just ice cream, after all. And I didn't even like that shop.
Shaking off the irritation, I decided it wasn't worth dwelling on. I made a mental note to give Anaya a playful scolding later, but for now, I just needed to get ready for school.
After a quick shower, I walked into the living room where my parents were having their morning tea. Anaya was already up, munching on toast with a cheerful grin on her face.
"Good morning, sweetheart," Mom greeted me with a warm smile as I leaned down to hug her. Dad reached over to ruffle my hair affectionately, and I hugged him too.
"Morning," I murmured, planting a quick kiss on Anaya's cheek as she giggled and squirmed in her chair.
As I grabbed my bag and headed for the door, I couldn't help but think about the day ahead. It was just another school day, but something about it felt different. Maybe it was the lingering thoughts of the ice cream or the way Kabir had gotten under my skin yesterday. Whatever it was, I was determined not to let it get to me.
The walk to school was uneventful, and I soon found myself making my way towards the classroom. Just as I was about to enter, I heard a familiar voice call out my name.
"Aditi!"
I turned to see Reena ma'am walking towards me, a stack of papers in her hands."Good morning, ma'am," I greeted her politely.
"Morning, Aditi. The function is just two days away, so we're going to have full-day practice today," she informed me, a slight frown on her face as she sorted through the papers. "I need you to go to the classroom and call Kabir. He's supposed to be with you for anchoring."
My stomach sank a little at the mention of his name. I wasn't ready to face him, not after the ice cream incident. But there was no way out of it. I nodded and made my way to the classroom, my steps feeling heavier with each passing moment.
As I reached the door, I could hear voices inside. Peeking in, I saw Kabir leaning against one of the desks, talking animatedly with Raghav. He seemed completely at ease, laughing at something Raghav had said, his usual carefree self.
Kabir's Perspective
I leaned against the desk, half-listening to Raghav's chatter about the cricket match, but my mind was elsewhere. I kept replaying the events of yesterday, wondering about Aditi and the ice-cream I got for her a part of me was wondering if she liked it, even just a little. Maybe she was too stubborn to admit it. Or maybe she had actually thrown it out without a second thought.
I wanted to ask her, but knowing Aditi, she wouldn't give me a straight answer. She'd probably twist it into another opportunity to tease me or brush it off entirely.
My thoughts were interrupted when Priya approached, her eyes bright with the kind of interest I'd seen too many times. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the classroom door creaked open, and there she was—Aditi.
She looked a little off, like she'd been lost in thought. That piqued my curiosity even more. Was she thinking about the ice cream? About me?
She didn't waste any time getting to the point. "Reena ma'am said there's a change in the plan. We have full-day practice today since the function is in two days."
Priya, standing nearby, snapped, "Is it really necessary for you to always grab Kabir's attention?"
I almost laughed. **If only she knew**. My frosty didn't have to do anything to grab my attention. She just had it, whether she wanted it or not.
Aditi didn't bother responding to Priya. Instead, she walked over, grabbed the back of my collar, and started pulling me towards the door. "I don't have time for this," she muttered under her breath.
I let her pull me along, trying to figure out what was going on in that head of hers. As we walked out, I leaned in close, just to see if I could get a reaction. "Morning, Frosty. No need to be jealous."
She stopped abruptly, turning to glare at me. "First of all, I don't have to be jealous of anything—"
I didn't let her finish. Leaning in even closer, I whispered, "Yeah, why would you be jealous, my Frosty? You always have my undivided attention."
Her ears turned pink, and she looked away, flustered. I couldn't help but grin. She was trying so hard to keep her cool, but I knew I'd gotten to her.
As we started walking again, I found myself wondering again about that ice cream. Did she like it? Did she even eat it? The thought nagged at me, but I knew better than to ask her directly. I'd have to find another way to get her to talk about it.
For now, though, I was content just walking beside her, knowing that I had the whole day to spend with her, teasing her and maybe, just maybe, getting a little closer to figuring out what was going on in that head of hers.