Chapter 16 GRUMP SPOTTED
DIVYA
The metal shutter slips from my hand with a loud clang.
The sound ricochets through the narrow lane and immediately sends a sharp pulse through my head like someone has struck a bell inside my skull. I press my fingers to my temple and close my eyes for a second, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
It doesn’t.
The morning sun is brighter than it should be. Too bright. Even the smell of the attar bottles inside the shop feels stronger today, heavier in the air.
I bend to pick up the keys I dropped, but the moment I straighten up the ground tilts slightly under my feet.
Great.
Just great.
Behind me the door upstairs creaks open.
“Divya?” Aditya’s voice floats down the staircase, warm and annoyingly calm.
I grit my teeth.
“I’m fine,” I say immediately, even though he hasn’t actually asked anything yet.
He appears at the top of the stairs a moment later, one hand resting on the railing. His hair is still slightly damp from a shower, and he’s rolling his sleeves up the way he does when he’s getting ready for work.
He studies me for half a second. “You haven’t eaten.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You said that yesterday too. I can't let you miss two meal.”
I slide the key into the shop lock and push the door open with more force than necessary.
“I said I’m not hungry.” The words come out sharper than I intend.
Aditya doesn’t respond right away. I can feel his eyes on my back as I step inside and start arranging the bottles on the counter, even though they are already arranged perfectly.
Footsteps patter down the stairs behind him.
Neel appears next, dragging his school bag across the floor like it personally offended him. “Didi,” he says slowly, “why are you angry at the table?”
“I’m not angry at the table.”
“And you slammed the door.”
“I didn’t slam the door.”
“You definitely slammed the door.”
Aditya leans against the doorframe, arms crossed. “You’re snapping at furniture now.”
I glare at both of them.
“I am not snapping at furniture.”
Neel tilts his head thoughtfully. “Oh no.”
“What?”
“Oh no,” he repeats dramatically.
Aditya sighs. “What is it, Neel?”
Neel looks between us with the serious expression of a tiny doctor diagnosing a rare disease. “Didi is sick.”
“I am not sick.”
“You are definitely sick.”
“I am definitely not sick.”
“You yelled at the table and even at me.” He pouts a little bit making my chest tighten, guilt riding over all my other emotions.
Aditya pushes away from the doorframe and walks toward me slowly. “Divya.”
“I’m fine.” I whisper.
“You look pale."
"That's my skintone.” He stops right in front of me now, close enough that I can see the faint crease forming between his eyebrows.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Enough.”
“How much is enough?”
“Aditya,” I say through clenched teeth, “I am not dying.”
He doesn’t argue. He simply lifts his hand and presses the back of it against my forehead. Then his expression changes.
“Divya.”
“It's nothing.” I know I am acting like a child but I hate getting sick. I have been surrounded by so much sickness and I cannot afford to be sick.
“You’re burning up. You have a fever.”
I shake my head stubbornly. “I do not have a fever.”
Neel gasps like this is the most exciting development of the week. “I told you!”
I wave a hand at both of them. “This is ridiculous.”
The room tilts again. Not dramatically. Just enough that I instinctively grab the edge of the counter. Aditya’s hand is on my arm immediately. “That’s it,” he says genuienly concerned.
“That’s what?”
“You’re going upstairs.”
“No. I am fine, Aditya, I promise and I have to open the shop.”
“No you don’t.” He cups my face gently, "Divya, please let me take care of you?" He smiles gently and I feel my eyes well up, shit. He pecks my forhead and gently steers me toward the stairs despite my lazy attempts to protest.
“This is completely unnecessary,” I mutter.
Neel marches behind us with the determination of someone who has found a new purpose in life. “I will assist.”
“You will go to school,” Aditya replies without turning around.
“But didi is sick.”
“She will still be sick when you come back.” Neel considers this. "You can take care of her then."
“That is true.” he nods. By the time we reach the bedroom upstairs my legs feel strangely heavy, like walking requires twice the effort it normally does.
Aditya pulls the blanket over me with the efficiency of someone who has decided my opinion is no longer relevant. “I’m closing the shop today.”
“You’re very bossy.”
“You’re very stubborn.” he smiles and shrugs.
I try to glare at him but the effort feels exhausting. Neel climbs onto the bed beside me and places his palm on my forehead with exaggerated seriousness.
“Diagnosis confirmed.”
“You’re both dramatic. And you,” I point at Neel, "need to stay away from me."
Aditya hands me a glass of water and a paracetamol. “Take these.”
“I don’t need medicine.”
“You have a fever.”
“I know. It will subside eventually.”
“You nearly fainted. You held onto a counter like it was the last stable object on earth.”
Neel nods solemnly. “That was concerning.”
I sigh.
“Fine.”
I swallow the medicine just to stop the interrogation. Aditya disappears for a while after that.
I hear him moving around downstairs. The faint clatter of the keys. The sound of the shutter closing.
For a few seconds the house is quiet except for Neel shuffling beside me on the bed and the dull throb behind my eyes that refuses to go away.
I stare at the ceiling, breathing slowly, trying to ignore how heavy my body feels. The blanket suddenly feels too warm and the pillow too stiff, and my throat aches the way it does when a fever decides to settle in like an unwanted guest.
A minute later footsteps climb the stairs again. Aditya appears in the doorway carrying Neel’s school bag in one hand and Neel’s half-zipped jacket in the other. Neel trots behind him like an overly responsible assistant, clearly enjoying his new role in this medical emergency.
“You,” Aditya says, pointing the jacket at him, “have exactly five minutes before your auto comes.”
Neel turns toward me immediately. “But didi is very sick.” He looks at me, concerned.
“Yes,” Aditya replies patiently, kneeling down to pull the jacket properly over Neel’s shoulders, “She will get better soon, after you come home you will take care of her, like we decided?”
Neel frowns as if this is deeply inconvenient. “Okay.” He whispers.
Aditya zips the jacket up while Neel keeps glancing at me like I might suddenly disappear if he looks away too long. Neel walks over to the bed and climbs beside me again, very serious about his responsibilities.
“Didi,” he says, lowering his voice like he’s about to give a military briefing, “do not miss me too much.”
I snort weakly. “That will be very difficult.”
He nods gravely. “I know, but try.” Then he points a finger at Aditya. “You,” he says, “must take care of her properly.”
Aditya raises his hands like he’s surrendering. “Yes, sir.”
Neel narrows his eyes suspiciously. “I am serious.”
“So am I.”
“If you don’t take care of my sister,” Neel continues, lowering his voice dramatically, “I will kick you.”
"Neel." I exclaim.
Aditya presses his lips together to stop himself from laughing. “That sounds like a fair consequence.”
Neel seems satisfied with that answer. He turns back toward me and wraps his arms around my neck carefully, as if he’s afraid squeezing too tightly might break me. “Drink water,” he whispers.
“I will.”
“Take medicine.”
“I already did.”
“Sleep.”
“I’m planning to.” He pulls back and studies my face.
“You look very red.”
“That’s the fever.”
“Hmm.” He nods like a small doctor confirming his diagnosis. “I will check again when I come back.”
“I’m looking forward to that.”
Aditya taps his shoulder gently. “Auto.” Neel sighs like a man burdened by responsibility but climbs off the bed anyway. At the door he turns around one more time.
“Do not do anything stupid while I am gone.”
Aditya raises an eyebrow. “That instruction applies to both of you.”
Neel beams proudly and disappears down the stairs.
A moment later the door downstairs opens again and closes.
Silence returns to the house. I hear Aditya speaking briefly to the auto driver outside before the engine fades into the distance.
Then the stairs creak again. He walks into the room and sits down beside me on the bed.
For a moment neither of us says anything.
His hand reaches out instinctively to push a strand of hair away from my forehead. “Still warm but better,” he murmurs.
“I told you it’s nothing.”
He doesn’t argue this time. He just sits there watching me like he’s measuring whether I’m about to collapse again. Guilt curls uncomfortably in my chest. “I’m sorry,” I say quietly.
His eyebrows pull together immediately, “For what?”
“For causing all this trouble.”
His frown deepens. “You’re my wife, Divya.” The way he says it is so simple that it almost catches me off guard. “You are never trouble.”
My eyes sting suddenly. “You had to close the shop,” I whisper. “And take care of Neel too. He’s not even your responsibility and I wasn’t being helpful at all.”
Before I can say anything else he shifts on the bed and lies down beside me. His arm slides around my shoulders and pulls me gently against his chest. I blink in surprise.
“You’ll get sick,” I complain weakly.
He chuckles softly, “I will not. I haven’t been sick in five years.” He states proudly.
I gasp and swat his chest. “Don’t say that!”
He looks confused as he furrows his eyebrows, “You’ll jinx it.”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “That’s not how illness works.”
For a moment neither of us speaks. I can hear his heartbeat under my ear, steady and warm, and the rhythm of it slowly starts calming the tight knot sitting in my chest. “I do not like being sick,” I mutter finally.
“I gathered.” I shift slightly so I can see his face.
“I hate medicines and hospitals even more.” His expression softens. “When I fall sick…” I trail off for a second.
“You try to ignore it,” he finishes quietly. I nod. A lump forms in my throat before I can stop it.
“I have spent so much time in hospitals already.” The words come out smaller than I intend.
I swallow hard but the lump refuses to go away.
“I don’t deserve any more of it, Aditya,” I whisper.
A tear slips down my temple before I can stop it.
He immediately tilts my chin up so I have to look at him.
His thumb brushes the tear away gently, the touch so careful it almost hurts.
“I know,” he says softly. Then he presses a light kiss exactly where the tear fell. “I wish I could promise you that you’ll never have to deal with hospitals again.” His thumb continues tracing slow circles against my cheek. “I can’t promise that.” The honesty in his voice makes my chest ache.
“But I can promise something else.” I hold my breath. “If you ever end up there again for any reason,” he says quietly, “you won’t be alone.”
His forehead touches mine. “I will be there.”
The warmth of his words settles somewhere deep in my chest. I bite my lip. “Can I ask you something?” He nods immediately. “If something ever happens to me…” My voice trembles slightly despite my efforts to control it. “Will you take care of Neel?” The words feel heavy in my mouth.
“I always wonder what will happen to him if someday I…” My voice breaks before I can finish the sentence. Tears spill down my face now without permission. My head feels thick and foggy, and I hate how easily illness turns me into someone who cries over things I normally keep buried.
Aditya’s frown deepens. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”
“I know,” I say quickly, wiping my face with the back of my hand. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to obviously, it’s just something that scares me and you’re the only person I could—”
“Divya.” He interrupts gently. His eyes are softer than I’ve ever seen them.
“You do not have to ask for that.” His hand squeezes mine lightly.
“You already know I would take care of him.” Relief floods through me so suddenly that my chest almost hurts.
I didn’t realize how tightly I’d been holding that fear until this moment.
“Thank you,” I whisper. He brushes his thumb across my cheek again.
“You should take a nap.” I sniffle.
“Yeah.” I attempt a weak smile. “Before I burden you with more responsibilities.”
He looks at me like I’ve just said something ridiculous. “One,” he says calmly, “Neel is not a responsibility for me.” His lips curve slightly. “I adore that kid.”
He kisses my forehead again, “two, you are absolutely fine. It’s mostly a fever and you’ll be okay soon.” he meets my gaze and smiles softly, “and three,” he adds, leaning closer, “anything I do for you is never a burden.”
He taps the tip of my nose lightly. “You,” he says softly, “will never be a burden for me.” He kisses my cheek so lightly, I barely feel it, "Ever."
Warmth spreads through my chest as my eyes slowly drift closed. And for the first time since the fever started, my body finally relaxes, maybe because the realization dawns on me, I am not alone anymore.