"No, you have to first wash your clothes in proper detergent or soap and then use Comfort!" Sweety mentioned and ensured Nishi understood carefully before handing her the liquid.
"Yeah, I know." Nishi didn't fail to pretend perfection.
"I don't trust you. First go and wash your clothes after that I'm giving it to you." Sweety brought forward her hand to take back the Comfort liquid but the sneaky, little Nishi ran from there.
"Nishi!"
"Ha! You won't come out in your towel, there are cameras Sweety." Winking in victory, she walked off in style. It was true there were cameras near the stairs and at the water filter which were hundred meters apart on every floor.
Undeterred, Sweety changed in her clothes quickly before following that nuisance.
"This is a call for Miss Sweety Roulette to come to the reception immediately."
Sweety paused from turning the corridor. "I repeat, this is a call for Miss Sweety Roulette, your family is waiting in the reception hall."
Finding a girl passing by she called, "Simran, what day is today?"
"Wednesday."
"Why will my aunt come on Wednesday? She usually comes on weekends only."
Simran shrugged off knowing the girl was speaking to herself.
Eventually, Sweety had to catch up downstairs. Aunt Maliah, Rowan Roulette's sister and Sweety's legal guardian was a peculiar woman who visited with a packet of biscuit for Sweety.
Unknown to her that Rob was listening, she also wasn't aware that Rob was taking rounds when hearing the surprise visit, he decided to lurk near girls' hostel.
Sweety walked towards the hall expecting a middle aged woman who never bothered to make-up but who also never cared hair to apply a good quality shampoo. What she found is, her father making a talk with Aunt Maliah Flores.
She did not know what took inside her but she ran from the spot until landing in a perfect hug with her father. It wasn't that she was seeing her father for the first time yet for her to feel this way.. tears flowed on its own.
"Shh... What is wrong, Sweety?" That was it. The dam broke, maybe it was a point where someone appreciated the value of a precious being.
He was his own self, looking dashing in his shirt and trousers and his signature pot belly aligned on his built. She wondered how handsome he must have been in his youth.
Rowan brought his daughter's face in front of him, his eyes gathered with tears as well mirroring hers. Bringing her back into a hug, he whispered in her ears, "Did anyone rag you? Don't be afraid and tell me, Sweety."
Heightened with his cause of worry, she shook her head in denial.
"You are sure?"
"Yeah." Sniffing the duo wiped their eyes before smiling mirrors until their face hurt. That was true, just one look at Sweety and Rowan and everyone will know they are related. The same was not very easy when Sweety and her mother, Archie stood together though. Tessa took most after Mom.
"Tears of joy." Commented the receptionist, Ruby. While she was with her father, Aunt Maliah shifted close handing her a plastic bag.
"Your favorite biscuit. I don't forget!" Maliah giggled with her brother.
"Eating the same biscuit everyday doesn't keep it on the lists of favorite, thought Sweety. Still, accepting it, she went with her father to walk outside.
Rob was around the perimeters when he saw them come out from the back gate which was usually kept open for visitors to meet their kids and thereby not crowding the frontier.
"The trees are dense here."
"Yes, way better than in Mumbai. That's why I said yes to this school and not the other one."
"Ignited International Minds," Her father read the name of the school displayed broadly from afar. Staring the direction he was watching on, Sweety's eyes moved to the slight left side as she noticed a movement.
Seeing the psychology teacher gawking on them caused a shiver down her ribs. What was he doing here and why was he staring at her and father?
For the two of them to come across each other did not seem to be a good idea for Sweety. Who knows what mood he must be in and if he said anything inappropriate then..
"I hope you are doing well Mr. Roulette."
There went her protective thinking. Sweety squeezed her eyes once and forcedly turned with her father to greet him.
Rowan raised his brows in question.
"Frank Wilson, Sweety's Professor." He did not miss her scared look which fueled him in taking the move.
"Ah! Your her teacher, I hope she is doing well too," Rowan took his hands in a shake. Sweety gave a small smile. Rob watched the girl and remembered the non-stop Sweety who ranted all about her family earlier the same morning.
Perhaps, she was doing it deliberately or it was her second nature to confuse people. He went with the latter as it suited better.
"Only she can answer that. She says a lot about you too." He showed a smile, in between eyeing her reaction. Just as he thought she was fudging with her pants in nervousness.
"Really?" Rowan passed the questioning eyebrows to his daughter this time. Familiar with his interrogating ways she tried replying naturally, "Teacher and I do Counsels regularly. Its.. NECESSARY for scoring grades."
Hearing that even Rob's brow rose up but she had no intention of answering his question. Looking away, Sweety let her father take the conversation until he got a ringing phone in exact timing.
"Excuse me."
The second Rowan turned, Sweety looked back ahead only to slip back in fright with the intense look Mr. Wilson was showing her. Oh, that was not all, he also stood too close to her that she managed to get a grip on time before landing on her butt for no good reason explainable.
"What are you so afraid of?" He inquired.
"What?" Was a screw loose in his brain? Or more than one?
Her doubting eyes made him say, "We are doing Counsel for grades?! Why do you have to lie of it?"
"Until there is something I am doing that scores good marks for me or is good for my grades, my father will never approve something otherwise. So if you want me to continue it then you need to be quiet."
Rob recollected the previous minutes when he heard the father-daughter's loving relationship and now this. He must be correct. This girl is really delusional.
"Mr. Wilson!" A female voice pierced through his thoughts. He was NOT Mr. Wilson, yet nowadays he seemed to have born with that name! "I can't believe you came to Girls hostel to see me. You are late though from our last meeting." Julia Sanders was definitely speaking of their date night.
"So, you were saying Professor?" Rowan Roulette returned to his daughter who was now facing an additional person.
Sweety caught his eyes panicked. He was about to say something when Julia interrupted, "If you don't mind will you speak with him after? He is needed somewhere else more important."
Sweety visibly relaxed what she wanted to hear for a long time but the woman's behavior of pulling Mr. Wilson like lovers must have put a strain in Papa's mind.
Uh..oh.