Chapter 25 #3
‘I don’t think so,’ Dhruv chuckled. ‘Abhay was a very real threat to him back when he was blackmailing Siya. More than once, I’ve wondered if Abhay actually had a plan to take him out.’
‘I might have let him,’ Kashvi said bitterly. ‘Well, it’s good to know that if I ever decide I need bodyguards, I already have the two of you.’
‘Always,’ Dhruv said with a smile.
Kashvi squeezed his hand, smiling back. How had she gotten lucky enough to end up with not one, but two of these clowns in her life?
The sound of a lock clicking open drifted in from the living room, and Vihaan checked his watch. ‘That’ll be Prateek. It’s opening time already.’
The words snapped the world back into place for Kashvi, urgency threaded through her voice. ‘What time is it?’
‘Almost one,’ Vihaan called over his shoulder as he walked out.
It hit her like a jolt.
She cursed under her breath. Dhruv stepped forward and handed her the phone. ‘You left it on the table yesterday, so I kept it safe. Don’t worry, I told Siya you were busy with work and that you’d call her later.’
‘Oh thank God,’ Kashvi murmured, taking the phone. She instinctively pressed the button, only to find the screen still dark.
‘Siya sounded worried. She thought you were upset with her because she couldn’t talk to you on your birthday,’ Dhruv added.
Kashvi felt a pang of guilt at that. She sighed. ‘I’ll call her as soon as I get home.’
‘Can I say something as your big brother?’ he asked hesitantly.
Kashvi looked at him, amused. ‘You can, but I’m not promising I’ll listen.’
Dhruv held her gaze, leaving no room for her to hide. ‘I know you’re trying very hard to pretend you don’t feel anything for Swayam, and it’s hurting you a lot.’
‘That’s not...’ she trailed off, her gaze dropping to the floor. She was all out of lies.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘Out of the three of us, Siya is the only one who managed to come out of our childhood with her sanity intact. Dad played with our heads, Kashu. He twisted our sense of self-perception until we only saw ourselves through his critical lens. I mean, how many of your fears, your choices, your pain trace back to our father?’
Too many to count.
Their daddy issues would have been funny if it weren’t so suffocating.
Kashvi admitted reluctantly, ‘He might not be wrong about everything, though.’
‘That’s not you talking. That’s the self-loathing garbage Dad shoved into our heads growing up,’ Dhruv corrected gently.
She shook her head, her gaze fixed on her pink toenails. ‘You wouldn’t say that if you knew... the things I’ve done.’
‘Do you mean the way you pushed Swayam away yesterday?’ he asked.
She gave a faint shrug. She wasn’t referring to that, but it was yet another weapon her guilt held against her.
He brushed away her tears. ‘Kashu, look at me. Being human means messing up. What matters is what you do after.’
‘But I don’t know if it’ll ever be enough,’ she admitted.
The words left her feeling raw.
‘You’re punishing yourself by thinking that way. Cutting yourself off from people who love you is not the price you have to pay. You deserve all the good things that come your way, especially Swayam,’ Dhruv said softly.
Doubt coiled stubbornly in her chest as she whispered, ‘What if it’s too late? What if I’ve already ruined it beyond repair and pushed him into getting engaged to that girl?’
Dhruv shook his head firmly. ‘If I’m right about Swayam, he wouldn’t do that. But you won’t get your answers until you talk to him.’
That was all she wanted to do, but the dead phone in her hand made it impossible. ‘I’ll call him too.’
Dhruv relaxed, patting her on the back, and she gave him a faint smile in return. Together, they made their way through the empty pub, and she waved goodbye to Vihaan with promises to come back soon.
Outside, the afternoon sun pierced through her head like needles, and Kashvi quickly slid on her sunglasses. She raised a hand to hail an auto as she asked, ‘How come none of us knew you owned a pub in the city?’
Dhruv shoved his hands into his pockets. ‘Because it happened recently. My new apartment is in the next building. I got it thinking that if I lived nearby, maybe I’d run into you all more often.’
‘I’m glad you did. It’s good to have you close,’ Kashvi said, pulling him into a quick hug.
The auto stopped in front of them, and she climbed in, adjusting the bag on her lap before looking back at him. ‘I’ll see you soon, yeah?’
Dhruv nodded, then leaned slightly towards the young man in the driver’s seat. ‘Get my sister home safely, okay?’
The driver smiled, but Kashvi narrowed her eyes. ‘Oh, so this is how it’s going to be? You becoming overbearing already?’
‘You should expect it a lot more often,’ Dhruv said, flashing her a smug grin.
‘God help me,’ she muttered, though there was no real complaint in it.
‘You’ll be okay?’ he asked, straightening up.
‘Yes,’ Kashvi said.
Because she would be fine the moment she heard Swayam’s voice. As long as she had that, she could face whatever came next without hiding behind lies, even if it terrified her.