" Bhai. Suha is coming over," I told him and immediately, his door locked.
" She wants to talk to you bhai!" I banged on the door
" Tell her to go back to her brother! I'm not meeting her at all!" He shouted and I crossed my hands
" She's pregnant," within a second my brother was standing in front of me with a face full of worry
" Pregnant? Where is she? I'll talk it out," he told me while holding my shoulders and two people walked behind me
" Pregnant?" Sohit asked behind me and I crossed my hands
" Pregnant?" Suha asked me and turned me around
" Pari. Didn't we talk about it?" She asked me. She was talking about using protection. Of course, we had that talk 5 years ago.
" You talked to her and not me about this?!" Bhai asked her in anger and Sohit scratched the back of his neck
" What exactly is happening here?" He asked and the angry couple just glared at him
" Shut up," they said in unison and went back to staring at each other while I, like a normal third wheel, stayed between them. I hated my brother and Suha for this very reason! But no. I did not start a fight when they started dating. No ways. I was cool about it because I had seen them grow closer after mom passed away. I had seen Bhai open up to her about things he never told me. I had seen her stay up nights for him, taking care of him while he stayed drunk. In fact, I can say for a surety that he got over mom's death because of her and her alone.
" Do you reply to any of my texts to talk about anything?!" She asked angrily
" So?! You could've called me! You could've come to the office and forced me to listen!" He argued
" Done and done. You didn't leave me any choice! I had to tell her that!" She shouted and he gulped
" Fine," he gave in," I'm sorry,"
They hugged after that and she hit his chest playfully while I kept trying to control my laughter and Sohit sat on the couch, trying to ignore Suha and Bhai.
I was done too, after a time when Suha and Bhai started kissing each other on the cheeks so, I walked to him and sat next to him as he played random stuff on the TV.
I had called only Suha for a Netflix binge night but I guess she forced him to come saying that it was a couple's thing. I guess he wouldn't know it when he never dated. I know him, he only has one night stands. He never dates anyone. I don't know why though...
" You..." he started after a long time and I looked at him with anticipation. I wanted to talk
" Why did you end things with Tan?" He asked me and looked at my face directly, begging for an answer and all I did was smile
"Like I said back that day. I moved on. Don't have any wrong ideas. This was not something I did under pressure. I did it for proper closure. I've moved on from him and he understands. It's over," I told him and a huge frown came off his head. He tried hard but I could still see his smile as he went back and turned the channel of the TV to another completely random channel. But I didn't care about that. His expressions were a more important film for me and I had to see all of them.
" Pari!" 2 people shouted from the side and I looked at the love birds. I guess those 2 had finally understood it...
" Why did you tell me that she's pregnant?!" Bhai asked in anger
" I tried every other way Bhai. To get you to meet her. This was and has been the most effective one ever," I told him
" It's the third time!!! Pari find better ways to deal with him!" Suha shouted and I brought my tongue out, teasing them
" You want me to keep solving your fights every time then you fall for that same trick every time. Otherwise, forget marrying," I told them and they looked at each other with wide eyes. Someone tapped their hand over my shoulder and I turned around to look at a smiling man
" Don't try that one on me. It'll give you weird reactions," he told me and I blinked. I was honestly innocent at that point
" Why?" I asked him, making sure that it was the cutest voice I could come up with and my brother chuckled from behind. I looked at him walking us and then looked back at Sohit who was shaking his head sideways very fast. The beautiful smile on his face had disappeared. There was only fear? I don't know for sure.
" He-" Bhai got cut when Suha kept a hand over his mouth
" She's a kid," I heard her say and squinted my eyes. How could she do this to me!? I was seriously only 6 months younger than her!! We are practically the same age! She can't do this! I hate her.
I guess she noticed my glare and raised her hands in the air as if surrendering from something. I don't know...
" He has many tell him that he got them pregnant. Now, he gets them checked and if one mistakenly turns out fake pregnant, he'll ask her to abort, record the entire conversation and threaten the girl with it. He's a psycho," I looked at Sohit once and tilted my head. He was trying hard to keep his face hidden from but I didn't get it.
" So?" I asked they all looked at me as if I said something very very shocking. I knew how Sohit was so, this wasn't a shocker to me... I honestly expected this much
" You're not shocked by this?" She asked me and I frowned
" Why would I be? He's been like that since school," I asked back and she gulped, blinked, and shook her head
" Who is this? Hello?! Can I get some signal here?" She shouted and I rolled my eyes
" Khesekki," I cursed and she sighed
" Familiar word. Thank God. Baby, she's using familiar words now," she exclaimed sarcastically and Bhai nodded while staring at me with a jaw dropped. I only told the truth... Why are they so... Oh... Oh... Now I remember! Shit.
" That came out wrong. Sorry," I immediately apologized because I understood what my mistake was. I just hope that no one understood it...
" No. Wait just a moment," Bhai said and squinted his eyes
" Who in the fucking world is my innocent sister ok with Sohit's history?!" He shouted and I pursed my lips
" even I'm interested in knowing that. Every time we talked about any guy or sex in general, you got all vary and weird!" Suha added and I sat back. I just crossed my hands and sighed. Honestly, I didn't want to blow my cover but
" I've been to an Arts college," they sat back
" Drugs, alcohol, guns anything you say you'll get there," I added
" then why do you always act to be innocent!?!?" Suha asked in anger and I pointed at my brother
" Bhai tells everything to papa," I told them and his jaw dropped
" No, I don't!" He shouted and Suha looked at him with anger
" about me. I don't want papa to think that he did wrong by sending me to Gujurat for studying," I completed and everyone nodded. Sohit didn't seem shocked but my brother and his current cuddle partner were seriously shocked out of their wildest dreams
" So did you-"
" yes," I cut her before she could even complete it and I sighed again, " no one is saved from the peer pressure there cuz friends are all that'll help you in the future," I continued, " like me. I started my own start up because I had friends and we could come to a conclusion of working together. It helps later on for jobs, offers, and many other things," I explained, practically
" Even drugs?" Bhai asked and I honestly did not want to answer that question. So, I changed the topic
" We should watch something on the TV na... Are you guys fine with ZNMD?" I asked them and Bhai held my hand
" We're having a long talk later," he told me and I nodded.
We went to watch a movie on Netflix but, more than the TV, I looked at Sohit. I wanted to know how he felt about me now, after finding all this out.
Ok. I agree I was dumb and it was only once. Although it was addictive, the second time I saw it, I saw my dad's face in front of my eyes and threw the powder on the floor. I didn't report it because they were all my friends but after that day, I didn't even think of doing something bad.
If you would've looked at me in the college, I was badass. You know that one cool girl who gets any guy yet doesn't want any? I was that girl. The college bell or as people loved to call me, an angel straight from heaven.
But all that was in the past now. I've moved on. Like I moved on from Tanish. I've gotten a proper, clean slate from the past and I'm happy now. All I wanted to know at that moment was what he was thinking about me. He wasn't looking at me though. At least not when I was looking at him.
Once though, at the moment when Kk kisses HR, he looked back at me and our eyes clashed. We stuck there for a moment and it didn't even end when I heard some kissing sounds from behind me. Although, Sohit's face stiffened and he stood up. He walked into the gallery. He still didn't like it when those 2 kissed and cuddled. They hadn't married yet and I got it. I found it irritating too but for 2 years now, they have been my biggest entertainment source so I
" Think of them as random idiots on the road who are going to be hit by their parents for kissing in public," I said after walking into the gallery and he removed the cigarette from his mouth. He looked at me with a smile and I stood at the railing with him too. I was feeling confident
" Public?" He asked and I shrugged
" I consider myself innocent public who shouldn't see things like that," I told him and he chuckled
" don't think I come in that category," he told me and I lit his cigarette for him, with the lighter in my pocket
" Then just normal public who shouldn't be shown all that," I told him and he nodded while smiling
" You're a good hider," he told me while I offering me a cigarette and I shook my head
" Can't say that about everything. Plus there's this one secret everyone doesn't want anyone to know," I told him and he smoked
" How many?" He asked and all I could do was shrug
" Don't remember," I told him, " Everyone there is always drunk. They're not even sober during exams. Only when someone's parents come in is the air freshener sprayed around," he chuckled again and I smiled
" but seriously. Not more than 3," he nodded while sighing
" and?" He asked
" Once. Only once," he looked at me, pointed a finger at me, and took it back
" You're really bad," he commented and I smiled
" You've done things even I haven't done," he commented and I looked at him with wide eyes
" Not even once?" I asked him and he shook his head
" There was this guy. Jaspreet. He did it, once, and then the amount of beating he got..." He looked down at the road from the gallery, " From that day on, for the next 2 years, no one even thought of that," he told me and I nodded
" but he couldn't get it over with after taking in once. He did it at least," he smoked, " 20 times before getting caught by his parents and the school,"
I understood what he was trying to say and rested my hands on the railing, looking forward myself.
" I get it. Many of my friends went to rehab after a raid on the campus," I started and he looked at me but my eyes were stuck on the distant past that was in front of my eyes
" It was bad. Almost half of us were wiped out within one night. Those who were still going to be checked ran away or hid their supplies somewhere. The supplier was caught too. But it was different for my lot. We weren't touched 'cause they didn't find it in our blood," I told him and turned around to face him, " Because I couldn't do it after once. The guilt was too much. Dad had called that night so, I just threw it from the window. God knows where that packet went now but, I couldn't dare to touch it after that,"
I don't know why but, I was comfortable with talking about all this with him. He did bad things too so he would get it, I thought.
" Don't think I would've been that guilty. It's a good thing I didn't try it," he told me and I smiled softly
" You don't have to smoke and drink every time to suppress your anger," I don't know where that came from. Honestly. I swear!
" You can let it go sometimes and just get angry too," he smiled and threw the cigarette down. I don't know where it went but it wasn't as if someone was getting hurt. The cigarette was finished. It didn't have any fire on it so, it wouldn't cause any problems
" Maybe you are right," he agreed and stood, taking the support of the railing and pointing at the window
" But rather than killing those 2, it's better I just smoke it out," he told me and I nodded. I got it. Those 2 irritated me too, in a bad way. I didn't like my best friend over my brother all the time either but, it hurt more to him rather than it hurt me.
" Is that why," I stopped when I understood that the question I was going to ask made no sense but, when he looked at me, asking me to continue with his expressions alone, I couldn't stop.
" You go around sleeping?" I asked him and he looked back at the couple
" Now yeah. But I didn't start that because of them," he told me and I nodded. Although I was dying to ask the question, I couldn't... It would be a breach of his privacy and I didn't want that. We weren't even married yet.
" I started because you left without saying a bye," my eyes widened, " then I continued because you started dating Tan," reality just kept hitting my heart
" Then I stopped for 3 weeks. After you broke up and your mother died. But after seeing them together, I started again. It's like an addiction now and I'll try my best to get it under control," he was looking directly at me and I have never been this shocked in my entire life. He had never been that direct and straight with me... It left me thinking... Did I not even try to look at him before any of this?
" Oh... Ok," I was speechless as I looked at his straight face, still waiting for a proper answer
" Well at least now, it's official that you are the bad one here," I mumbled in my mouth so that he couldn't hear and he raised an eyebrow, still waiting for an answer
" You really wanted me to say goodbye before going to college?" I asked him and he sighed. He smiled and hung his head low
" It's dumb. I know," he told me and I cleared my throat. I didn't know... If I knew, maybe I would've really told him before leaving. Maybe
" It's not that dumb," he chuckled in sarcasm
" Anyways. I'll change that now," he told me and I nodded.
I got drowned in my thoughts after that. This man, whom I knew liked me, he was even possessive about me when I didn't even belong to him. I don't know this man. He was this guy I used to look up to at work.
A top businessman. He got his company shares sky rocketing within 2 years of being installed as the COO. After his dad's retirement, he took over the entire company and now, I think that my dad has some competition. Although, after these 2 marriages are done, they're going to join the 2 biggest companies in India. Bhai is going to be the director and he is going to be the new CEO while our fathers would be co-chairmen. How do I know all this? I got the contract to design their new campaign's ads, design the mascot, and a new logo for the joint venture.
It is my biggest contract till now and I'm hoping I don't screw up. Bhai and papa are just going to go with whatever I present but, I need to please him to move forward. I know him as Sohit but, I don't know him as Mr. Sighania. I need to make sure that everything goes well because he is a strict boss.
I just hope I can get under his brain and please him with my company's designs...