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- Chapter 26 - Now He Just Has to Fix the Most Important Relationship of His Life
‘She wants to hurt him just as he hurt her last year’ Rishav thinks while getting down from the car and mumbling a bye. Rishav sees Ankan restarting the car but he doesn’t enter his house and waits on the road to watch their interaction.
There are very few situations when Rishav feels the intense sadness that makes him want to cry and this is one of those moments. And the irony is that he can’t even complain because he knows he deserves this. Ankan was just joking with him because he knows that Rishav doesn’t want Ankan and Khanak to spend time alone but Khanak, the only reason she said anything is because she knew Rishav wanted the opposite of that, because she wanted to hurt him. And hurt is exactly what he feels when he sees Ankan open the passenger side door for Khanak and give her his hand to help her out which she took with a wide smile.
‘She is quite capable of doing those things by herself, you idiot!’ Rishav speaks loudly but then winces thinking that his mother will come out if she hears his voice, then he will have to get in the house and he wants to know whether Ankan will ask Khanak out today or not.
He concentrates on his friends to figure out from their reaction what is happening there. He sees Khanak getting out of the car with Ankan’s help and smiling at him in gratitude. Oh, what a gentleman his friend is! Rishav thinks sarcastically. Why do girls like these kind of sh*t?! Again, Rishav knows he wouldn’t have found these things so stupid if he was the one doing them with Khanak.
Ankan says something and Khanak nods as if she gets what he is saying. Then, she looks down. Rishav remembers she does that whenever she feels embarrassed. But, why is she feeling embarrassed? Did Ankan ask her out and she is feeling embarrassed because she doesn’t know how to reject her best-friend. Or maybe she is blushing the same way she was blushing when she kissed Rishav on his cheek when they were in school.
Before he could contemplate more, Rishav sees Ankan stroke Khanak’s cheek with his right hand and Rishav has never felt the violence passing through his body with so much speed as he is feeling in this moment. Rishav wants to break his friend’s arm. He clench is fingers tightly into a fist and takes a step toward Khanak’s house. He doesn’t care that Khanak will think of him as a lunatic or that he is going to ruin his and Ankan’s friendship. He can’t let Ankan touch Khanak like that. But before he could take another step Rishav sees Khanak’s mother coming out and Ankan bidding bye to Khanak with a friendly hug to her mother with a smile and a wave.
As soon as Ankan turns to get in his car, Rishav knows that his friend will be coming to his house so he runs toward his own house so that he won’t get caught spying at both of his best-friends like a creep even though he was doing exactly that. He just hopes that his sister will open the door at once not make him wait like he had to this morning.
He presses the doorbell and thankfully his sister opens it in the next second. He rushes in and announces “if anyone asks then I came almost 10 minutes ago, okay?”, confusing everyone. But by now everyone in his family know enough of his weirdness to not ask him anything and just nod.
His goes to his room to change so it would look like that it has been long since he has come. Just as he was about to enter his room, he hears the doorbell making him groan out loud. He doesn’t have enough time.
But thankfully his siblings start arguing about who should open the door giving him few minutes extra. God bless his siblings and their laziness. When he comes down from his room, he sees his brother hanging onto every word of whatever Ankan is sharing with him about college and guilt hits him hard. This should be Rishav’s job but he is so busy trying to create distance between him and his family that he has forgotten his responsibilities. Enough is enough, he will come back every weekend from now on. After all weekly visit will give him more chance to be close with Khanak. Just as the thought enters his head, he curses himself. He is trying to be a nice guy and nice guys don’t think about themselves all the time.
As soon as Anish sees Rishav coming down, he goes back to watching television. Since Rishav’s stepfather is not at home, the kids can watch whatever they want, otherwise most of the time the only thing they get to watch is news.
“So, Aunty I heard that you were missing me?” Ankan teases knowing very well that Rishav was lying in the car and Ankan scowls at him. Rishav’s mother look at him for a hint to what she should say and Rishav gives her his puppy eyes, requesting her to handle the matter.
“Of course, beta! I always miss having you around” His mother answers and goes back to stirring what seems like kheer on the stove “And now that you are here, have dinner with us. I have made kheer for someone who has missed me so much that he finally came to see me but didn’t even spend one minute with me, right Rishav?”. This must be taunt Rishav day, Rishav thinks to himself and goes to his mother.
“Maa, I miss you everyday” He smells the kheer and smirks “and I miss the food you make even more”.
“That he does, aunty! I have heard him enough times sighing and missing your food to verify that!” Ankan verifies, making Rishav’s mother slap Rishav lovingly.
***
“It’s so late beta! Why will you drive at this time. Just stay here and I will call your mom to tell her that” Rishav’s mother tells Ankan making Rishav groan in his head. It’s somewhat awkward between them aver since they have discussed that they both like Khanak. And sharing a room with him for whole night with that awkwardness hanging between them will be… well, awkward.
But it is late and Ankan is his best-friend so Rishav can’t exactly ask him to drive this late and maybe he will get to ask about what did he talk about with Khanak and whether he asked her out or not. Rishav doesn’t think that his friend got enough time to ask Khanak out but he can’t be sure.
***
Ankan and Rishav, both enter Rishav’s room but then Rishav sees his half-brother entering his own room and decides that it’s time that Rishav have a conversation with him.
“You go and change in something comfortable, I will come after some time” Rishav tells Ankan and walks toward Anish’s room.
It has been years since Rishav has entered Anish’s room and this is the first time that he is feeling like an elder brother entering his younger brother’s room. He knocks at the slightly open door and asks “can I come in?”.
His brother opens the door in pajamas and Rishav’s old T-shirt, making Rishav smile, “Bhai? Did you need anything?”. Rishav just raises his eyebrows as if telling that he has already said what he wants – to come in. Anish opens the door wider, “Yeah, of course. Come in”.
Rishav sits on Anish’s study chair which is yet again Rishav’s old one and look around the room. All the walls are filled with posters but other than that the whole room is a lot cleaner than Rishav used to keep in Anish’s age.
“So, have you decided what do you want to do after school?” Rishav sees his brother’s eyes widen at the question but he answers with a shake.
“I am not sure but most probably business”.
“Like your father, right?” Anish shrugs as if to say he is not sure and Rishav understands that.
“So, what do you want to know about college?” Rishav asks and Anish smiles sheepishly. “Come on, I won’t tell Maa, don’t worry!”.
“No, I just…. it must be another world, right?” Anish shares his doubt and Rishav lets out a laugh at that. He is well aware of the fake expectations, movies and T.V shows provide about college to teenagers but now that he is in one, he knows the reality.
“Not another world, per say. But yeah, it’s quite different than school. Like, in school teachers could interfere in what you do after classes but in college professors don’t do that. And then, there is whole culture of making boyfriend or girl….” Rishav stops himself from sharing more, not sure whether it’s the right age for Anish to know these things or not.
“Ohhh, so there are lot of girls?” Anish asks and Rishav smiles at his brother’s teenage excitement.
“Yeah but it gets old after a while. And most of the time it’s just distraction unless you really feel something serious for that other person” Rishav shares, because to be honest he has never been interested in any other girl. Khanak was always kinda it for him.
“You are only saying that it gets old because you have Khanak Di” Anish mumbles, scared of voicing his opinion. Rishav’s lets out a surprised cough at his brother’s statement. Has he been that obvious?! Anish smirks at him as if he has caught his elder brother.
“Maybe. But I am just saying that do the things that you are serious about whether its studies or you know…” Rishav awkwardly smiles, urging with his eyes for his brother to fill the blanks by himself.
“I got it, bhai!” Anish replies and Rishav lets out a relieved breath. Rishav gets up to leave the room, “Bhai, thanks!”.
“Anytime Anish and I mean it, okay?” Anish smiles in gratitude and Rishav leaves the room feeling good about himself and his relationship with his family.
Now he just has to fix the most important relationship of his life.
- Home
- The Day He Lost Her
- Chapter 26 - Now He Just Has to Fix the Most Important Relationship of His Life