Chapter 23
Siya woke up to a shrill argument slicing through her deep sleep and she jerked upright in the bed. She pinched her nose bridge to shake off the sleepy fog and realised the sound was coming from the living room in the suite.
She rushed out of the bedroom and found Luv and Kashvi standing around the dining table, in full combat mode.
Luv flung his arms wide in the air. ‘You have such trashy tastes that I can’t even take your opinion seriously!’
‘Says the guy who cooed at a cheap rom-com last night after finishing up my entire emergency ice cream stock!’
It took a moment for Siya to relax her defensive posture and look around the table. Abhay sat at the end of the mahogany table, watching them argue with amusement. Meera and Raghav were next to him, shovelling breakfast from the wide spread of items.
Perched on the island counter eating an apple, Swayam said, ‘Hey! I suggested that movie and it was not a cheap one.’
‘And that’s why I will never again ask you to choose a pick for movie night,’ Kashvi retorted.
‘What are you guys doing here?’ Siya interrupted, and everyone turned to look at her standing at the door.
‘Siya,’ Kashvi said and threw a napkin at Luv when he was about to speak. ‘You gotta weigh in. These idiots are taking all the fun out of this competition with their stupid opinions.’
Meera rolled her eyes and teased Siya. ‘Abhay invited us all for breakfast. And don’t ask any follow-up questions unless you’re ready for chaos.’
‘It must be important enough if you had to wake me up that way. Did Luv steal someone’s power bank again?’
‘That reminds me, I want mine back,’ Raghav chimed in before resuming the game on his phone. Luv dismissed him with a swat of his hand.
Siya rounded the table and took the empty seat beside Abhay as everyone bickered. He smiled at her and the colour rose in her cheeks when she saw the hickey on his neck, peeking out from under his white tee. He caught her blush and smirked at her.
She playfully punched his chest and turned back to Kashvi. ‘So, what happened?’
‘I need time to hide the knives before you tell her. Either way, you’ll need this,’ Abhay told her and placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. The smell of roasted coffee beans and cream was like sunshine in a cup, and the heat chased away the last tendrils of sleep.
Kashvi barked a laugh. ‘Jiju is overselling it. Luv insists that your love story is enemies-to-lovers, I say that it’s childhood love, and Swayam here foolishly thinks it's unrequited love.’
‘Don’t forget, I voted for star-crossed lovers,’ Raghav offered, still not looking up from his phone.
‘Right! That too. So Di, which is it?’
Eyes flickering between them, Siya asked, ‘What? Whose love story?’
‘Yours and Abhay Jiju’s, who else’s? I know Swayam and Luv are both wrong and I’d love to witness you rip them a new one. Let’s get started.’ Kashvi enthusiastically clapped her hands. Swayam laughed at her antics, finding her adorable.
Abhay caught her bewildered gaze and raised his cup in sympathy. ‘I did warn you.’
‘I don’t get it,’ Siya mumbled.
‘Stop confusing her!’ Meera scolded them.
Turning to Siya, she explained. ‘Luv found one of Kashu’s romance novels, and together with Swayam, finished it in one sitting.
When PR began running your love story on social media and used #enemiestolovers, Luv supported it but these two idiots vehemently fought against it.
Since then, it has become an everyday debate. ’
Luv leaned forward, waving a piece of toast and spoke in between bites.
‘See, Kashvi’s argument is that your story is one of childhood love because Abhay liked you since he was a boy.
But, in my opinion, you became enemies as soon as both of you were born into the Kashyap-Agrawal fiasco, so that makes it enemies-to-lovers.
And Swayam’s reasoning is too stupid to consider so pick one between ours. ’
‘I’d love to pick up a knife instead so I can stab all of you to my heart’s content,’ Siya smiled, showing her teeth, and Luv slowly leaned away.
‘I knew she’d threaten them with a knife, but they never learn,’ Abhay mumbled to Meera who nodded back in understanding.
‘In that case, you should know that all of us do agree on one thing that both of you represent. Grumpy x Sunshine.’ Kashvi smiled back with just as much edge.
‘Aww,’ Siya cooed.
‘Not you. Jiju is much more sunshine compared to your grumpy ass,’ Kashvi burst her bubble.
‘I’ll disown you,’ Siya warned, pointing her fork at her younger sister.
‘Yeah yeah, whatever,’ Kashvi disregarded it with a wave. ‘I’ve been hearing that threat all my life. I don’t even care enough to pretend to be scared anymore.’
Siya rolled her eyes and looked at Meera. ‘What was your guess?’
She sighed. ‘Apparently I’m “too mature” for such childish games so they unanimously decided to make me the judge and won’t allow me to place a guess. God forbid I have any fun.’
Raghav snorted, patting her hand in comfort.
Siya looked around the table to find fruit salad and noticed the two suitcases crouched beside the hotel door. ‘Whose luggage is that?’
‘They’re mine. I got kicked out last night,’ Swayam said, slipping off the counter and taking a seat at the table next to Kashvi.
Kashvi turned to him and asked, ‘Wait, what?’
‘She finally did it?’ Luv asked, taking a sip of orange juice.
‘She’s had a problem with me since I moved in, something about how renting to a bachelor is a “risk to community values” or whatever the hell her phrase of the week is.
Yesterday I came home late from work and she flipped out, like screaming in the hallway.
I called her out on it and she told me to get out by morning. ’
‘Your landlady has too much free time. She seriously needs to develop some hobbies,’ Kashvi muttered, folding her arms against her chest.
‘If you’d seen her open white hair and red eyes, you’d say she needs an exorcism,’ Swayam added.
‘Remember the time she sent a text to the society group about “suspicious male activity” and it turned out to be you playing with a stray dog in the building premises?’ Abhay asked.
‘She called that dog an abomination, and tried to kick him out.’ Anger sparked in his eyes.
‘Well, where are you staying now?’ Siya asked.
‘Nowhere yet,’ Swayam replied. ‘I plan to crash with Meera and Raghav for a bit and figure it out from there.’
‘You can stay with me. Kusha is still in London and my place has a spare room,’ Luv offered.
Swayam shook his head. ‘Thanks for the offer, but you live too far from my office. I’ll end up spending more on gas than rent.’
Kashvi cleared her throat and kept her eyes firmly on the scrambled eggs in front of her as she said, ‘You can move into our place. Siya’s old room has been empty since they got married.’
Swayam tilted his head, studying her closely. ‘Are you sure?’
Kashvi shrugged lightly but still didn’t meet his eyes. ‘It’s better than you couch-hopping or dealing with another landlord from hell.’
He turned to Siya. ‘Are you okay with this?’
Her gaze flicked between them, unable to decipher the tension between them, but still, she answered, ‘Sure.’
Swayam exhaled in relief. ‘Alright, then. Thank you, girls. You’re my lifesaver.’
Kashvi finally glanced at him and warned, ‘You’ll have to put up with my Taylor Swift alarm, though.’
‘I have very good noise cancellation headphones. We’re good.’
Swayam came up to stand behind an unsuspecting Kashvi’s chair, and Siya hid her smile when he tried to discreetly open the clasp of the chain around her neck.
Kashvi caught on quickly and tried to hit Swayam for trying to steal her pendant, but he jumped back, laughing.
‘I can’t believe you’re still trying to steal her pendant, Swayam,’ Siya remarked.
‘Tell me about it. I’m tired of being alert all the time. I think it’s time he found another hobby,’ Kashvi grumbled.
‘It’s fine, I’ll have plenty of chances to steal it since we’ll be living together now,’ Swayam announced, popping a grape into his mouth.
Kashvi leaned to her other side toward Luv and smiled. ‘You know, as a payback for that, I’ll punch him every day, like a morning ritual.’
Luv clutched his chest and his eyes moistened. ‘What did I do to deserve you?’
Meera’s phone rang in a shrill tone and she excused herself, stepping out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind her, Raghav pushed his phone aside and instantly leaned forward.
‘Okay, now that she’s not here,’ he began, scanning the group like they were on some secret mission. ‘I need help, desperately. It’s Meera’s birthday next week and it’s her first since our wedding. I want it to be special but I’m completely blank.’
‘For a guy who forgot his own birthday last year, you’re pretty concerned over hers,’ Luv taunted.
‘What do you have in mind?’ Siya asked, eager to help. She knew how much birth dates meant to Meera.
‘I’ve been asking for so long but none of you have been of any help. So I came up with a bunch of ideas. A weekend away maybe?’
‘Why don’t you write her a poem?’ Swayam suggested with a smirk.
‘That’s a great idea!’ Luv snapped his fingers and said, ‘You can write something like “Roses are red, Meera’s too hot, please don’t leave me, this was all I got.”’
‘That’s tragic,’ Abhay muttered. ‘You should be banned from speaking for the next hour.’
‘I’m a romantic,’ Luv defended himself. ‘In fact, Siya, when is your birthday? I’d love to give you some serenading musings too.’
Abhay reached across the table with zero hesitation and smacked Luv on the head, hard enough to make him cry out.
‘Hey! Raghav only ever threatens me. I didn’t know you’re unhinged enough to actually get violent.’
‘And you’re lucky I didn’t use my right hand,’ Abhay replied.
Luv rubbed the throbbing bump on his head, turned to Siya, and said, ‘You deserve better.’
He quickly moved away before Abhay could reach out for him again.
Swayam asked Abhay, amusement tinting his words. ‘Aren’t you lucky to be married into this circus?’
‘I was born for it,’ Abhay said with a smile.
Siya choked on her laughter when Abhay placed his hand on her bare thigh and possessively gripped it. She glanced sideways and caught the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
Abhay watched her with a soft intensity as he took a sip and it made her body ache with need. Reaching out, he brushed a stray strand away from her face, making her shiver.
‘My mark looks good on you, jaan,’ he whispered to her, brushing a thumb over the hickey.
Siya didn’t get nearly enough of him last night, and had to fight the urge to kick everyone out so they could get back to where they left off early in the morning. She did what she could with people around them and tangled her fingers with his.
He smiled at her and she felt a flutter in her belly. Meera walked in and comfortably settled into Raghav’s open arms. Her sister was laughing at the men bickering about which cake was the best.
For all his reckless jokes, Swayam had always been meticulous about the things that mattered. Now that he would be staying with Kashvi, she could relax just a little.
Siya looked down at their joined hands, where Abhay was tracing absent circles with his thumb as he spoke to Raghav. For the first time in a long time, she let herself believe that things might turn out alright.
Just then, her phone buzzed on the glass table and when she glanced at it, her smile faded.
Dad
The name alone curled anger through her gut and rippled coldly into her chest. The events of last night crashed down onto her and she flipped the phone face-down on the table.
Abhay glanced at her, but didn’t say anything.
Her phone buzzed again. And again. And again. By the fourth call, everyone was looking at her, and she knew that whatever was waiting on the other end wouldn’t stop at four missed calls.
She looked at Kashvi and a worry surfaced in her mind. He might begin calling her if she doesn’t answer.
When it rang again, Siya picked it up on the first ring. ‘Hello.’
‘Siya, sweetheart,’ Kartik’s voice came through. ‘I wasn’t sure if you’d pick up but I’m so glad you did.’
She didn’t respond right away.
After a beat, Kartik said, ‘I was just thinking about you. How are you feeling now? That was some breakdown you had last night.’
Anger coiled in her and she clenched her jaw to stop it from spilling out. She was not surprised that he’d see her valid outburst as a hysterical breakdown.
‘I’m busy, Dad,’ she said, itching to get off the call.
‘Alright, I’ll keep this brief. I wanted to say that I genuinely didn’t know that Arohi’s ring meant that much to you. I wouldn’t have donated it for auction if I did.’
‘It belonged to Maa. Of course it meant a lot to me.’
‘I know, and I should have asked before including it in the collection. Truly, my dear, it was never my intention to hurt you.’
The apology was so polished, it felt like he’d rehearsed it in a mirror.
‘I appreciate you saying that,’ she said. It was the only polite thing she could pick out of everything she wanted to say.
‘And I’ve been thinking about how proud I am of the work you’ve done. I know I don’t say that enough.’
Siya knew this tone. He only showed this careful affection when he wanted something so she only hummed in response.
‘To celebrate, I’m hosting a dinner tonight just for the family and I’d love for you to come.’
She closed her eyes. ‘I have plans.’
He sighed and the line went silent for a minute. Eventually, he said, ‘It would really mean a lot to me. I thought this could be a new start for us, a reset. That’s why I’ve also invited Mihit and Neena.’
She glanced to her right where Abhay was watching her. He raised his eyebrow and she relayed what Kartik said. He thought for a moment, then nodded.
‘Siya… you don’t know how important this is to me. I would love the chance to make up for my behaviour,’ Kartik added.
Her grip on the phone tightened. ‘Alright. We’ll be there,’ she said at last.
She hung up before he could say anything else.
She looked for Kashvi and found her curled up on the velvet sofa, shaking her head at something Swayam was saying.
‘Dad is hosting a family dinner tonight. He’s invited all of us.’ Siya told Kashvi.
‘I don’t know what yet, but I definitely have better things to do so I can’t make it,’ Kashvi answered.
Siya didn’t ask her why.
She instead turned to Abhay. ‘You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but your parents will be there too.’
Abhay lightly squeezed her hand and softly assured her. ‘I’ll be right there with you.’