||CHAPTER 66||
《¤》

I was watching yet another South Korean series on Friday evening when Dad knocked on my open door. "Are you studying or something?"

That was unlike him, asking whether I was busy or not. "Anneyong," I said slowly, flipping my laptop shut.

"What?" He frowned, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

"No," I cleared my throat, sitting straight on my bed.

He strode in with a blue folder in his hands. "Is that a new teenage lingo?"

"Nope," I watched him keep the folder on my bedside table. It had to be something related to the school trip. Arnav wasn't lying. "It was South Korean."

"Why and how do you know South Korean of all languages? Bachpan mein French ke classes lagwaye, woh tho seekha nahi, South Korean seekh liya tumne."

I opened my mouth to reply with an explanation which never came to me. Thank god he jumped straight to the point. "Chhodo woh sab. This file, isko sambhal ke rakhna, and when you reach the hotel you will be staying at for the school trip, go to Mr. Chaudhry's office and hand it over to him, personally."

"Okay," I pursed my lips. "So we're sponsoring the lodging for the trip?"

My father was no longer looking at me, he was adjusting his cuff links and picking up random things on my table. This was probably the first time he had come to my room in this house. "Baath tho aise kar rahi ho jaise ki tumhe kuchh pata hi nahi hai. Mai ye Arnav ko bol deta karne, but I know how he had found out about this, and he is too emotionally biased."

This time, Arnav being the first choice didn't bother me. It made me laugh instead. "Or maybe you should just let him do what he actually wants to do."

I could feel the instant change in the room, almost a glass-shattering effect. His eyes had turned steely, daring me to speak a word more on the matter. "Tum in sab mamlon mein ghusne ki bhi mat koshish karna. He's my son, and I know what to do with him."

Arnav was right. He knew everything about it, and yet he showed no concern whatsoever.

"Bhai hai woh mera," I managed to speak. For the first time, it felt like my father was actually scaring me.

"Ye jo bhai ke liye itni hamdardi aa rahi hai na, iska dhong band karo. Tumhe ab wo competition nahi lagta hai, isiliye bada pyaar aa raha hai uspar tumhe. At least mere samne ye natak mat karo."

I was stunned. No words came out in response, not just because he was actually frightening me by slamming the paper weight on table, but because I couldn't counter his point.

I was not acting, I actually was in support of Arnav's passion. But my support had been questionable from the very beginning.

"Ayinda kabhi is baremey mujhse, ya kisi se bhi for that matter, ek shabd bhi bolne ki jurrat mat karna. Apne bhai se seekho chup kaise rehte hai."

I swallowed my words, and lowered my gaze.

"I'll be in Dubai for the next two weeks. Christmas taq aane ki koshish karunga."

That explained his attire, he was leaving for business. "Okay, Dad."

"No funny business while I'm away. House-keeping ko strict intructions diye gaye hai, and Jolly will come to check up on you two after you're back from Udaipur. Is that clear, Arvika?"

"Yes, Dad," I replied, not believing my own voice.

"Good. I'm leaving now... Ishita beta!"

My head snapped up to look at the door. Sure enough, she was standing there, expression akin to a dear caught in headlights. We had not talked after her break down three days ago, and it felt like I was sitting next to a robot at school. She wouldn't talk to me, and I wouldn't prompt her to. The fact that we weren't in the same bus anymore didn't help much either.

"Waha kya kar rahi ho," my father's tone changed. No one could tell what had happened just a few minutes ago. But Ishita could. The look she passed me for a brief moment was enough for me to know she had seen the whole exchange. "Andar aao."

"Uh," she fumbled for a moment before entering my room. "Good evening Uncle. Sorry for coming here unannounced, I just needed to-"

"Arey, ismey kya hai. Best friends hona tum dono, khud hi ka ghar samjho," he cheered her on. It was an act, I wanted to scream what he was doing was called an act, not what I was doing for Arnav.

"Anyways, I have to leave now," he checked his phone, and smiled at us. "No funny business."

Ishita managed a giggle. I didn't look up until he was gone. 

"Please," I whispered, "don't tell about that to anyone. Especially not to Arnav."

"I won't, I understand," she sat beside me. "But... I think... you should let him battle it out. Tu agar insab ke beech me padegi, it really won't help his case."

I nodded, but I didn't agree. She was right, but my support for him was not merely an act. Questionable, probably. An act, no.

I let a minute pass in an unframable silence. "Are we on talking terms now?"

She scratched the side of her forehead before sitting comfortably on the bed. "I'm sorry for that day."

"You don't have to apologise."

She nodded slowly.

"I just want us to be friends again. I don't like whatever's going on with us. Life mei already kaafi negativity hai," she scoffed.

"That's the thing, Ishita. What is going on with the group?"

"N-n-nothing," she shrugged. "Okay, well, Arnav and Vansh fought. Like physically."

"I kind of figured that out?"

She smiled, traces of nervousness visible. "Aah, well. Filmo mei jaise dikhate hai ki boys need to fight out their issues to make everything alright, waisa nahi hua. But they'll be alright. Itne saalo ki dosti nahi bigadne wali hai unki, stop worrying."

Oh, but I wasn't the only one worrying. "If you say so."

"But can we let bygones be bygones?" She looked at me expectantly.

I wanted to resume our girl talks and bitching sessions. I wanted to hide with her under the bleachers during P.E. I wanted to go to the washroom with her countless times to bunk classes, and I wanted to doodle in our textbooks during chemistry. Yes, I wanted to forget about whatever had happened, and so I shocked her by lunging at her with open arms. "I'm not going to say this ever again, I missed you bewakoof insaan!"

Relief coursed through my veins as soon as she hugged me tighter, so tight that I regretted hugging her first.

We could phrase it as Netflix and Chill, but the South Korean drama we were watching Sunday morning was not available on Netflix, and the only Chill thing was the glares Arnav was passing me.

"This is what keeps you up all night?" He asked, with an expression which could easily be passed off as judgemental.

"Obviously," I shrugged, slurping coffee, which unfortunately, was neither black, nor from Kawfee and Koolphi.

Arnav juggled his glare between me and Park Shin Hye hiccupping constantly, hiding under useless junk at the terrace. "I don't even understand wo kya baq rahe hai."

With my legs over his lap and back against the arm rest, I cast him a bored look. "Subtitles padhna seekhiye janaab."

His hands pointed at the T.V. screen in a frenzy, "It's in Japanese!"

"Korean, idiot. The show is Korean. And waise bhi, emotions ko padh. Woh tho tera passion hai na?"

Lee Jong Suk had arrived on the terrace, and he had heard his 'niece's' hiccups. Finally, they were going to confront each other. I knew, because I was watching the whole drama for the second time this week.

"This is boring," he commented.

"Mere haath mein garam coffee hai, and mere legs kaafi strategically positioned hai," I said in his identical tone of disinterest. "Ye dekhna hai tho dekh, kyooki mai tho tujhe remote dene se rahi."

The trust between siblings was always tested by the remote.

The doorbell rang before Arnav could come up with something, and we waited for the House Keeping to open the door.

It was difficult to hide my surprise when Ishita lead three boys into the living room. Friday night she had promised me that she'd fix the awkwardness before the trip, and now it seemed that she was not joking.

"Is Ratan Kaka on leave?" She asked, taking a seat on the couch. "I haven't seen him since you guys shifted here."

Arnav and I exchanged glances before replying. "Uhm, yeah. Permanently-"

"Ew man!" Ritwik scowled, looking at Arnav. "Tu mujhe poochh raha thha whether Teddy bears turned girls on, and yaha tu Asian porn dekh raha hai?"

Indeed, Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye were in a lip-lock on the screen. Finally, I thought.

"Mai nahi dekh raha ye bakwas!" Arnav shoved my legs off his lap. "Ye bewakoof remote chhupakar baithi hai. Stupid Korean drama!"

I did not pay attention to that uprising. As long as I had the remote, I was in control.

"But..." Karan objected. "Asian porn me kharabi kya hai? Ladkiya cute hi hai. I like it."

The debate went on, but I turned my attention to the guy who was not participating in it. He was looking at me too, and after a moment, he passed me a smile.

I smiled back, not paying attention to my inner turmoil. Ishita had fixed the group, just like she had promised.

_____

Namoshtaii!

A big thank you to N-infamous for her amazing tutorial on making text-dividers. It was really very helpful, thank you so much Naira :)

This chapter is dedicated to my awesome sauce friend Kimayaa . You obviously know her because of her Back To Back and I Was I Am series, and if you do not, go and check them out ASAP! Her books are down-to-earth, and something I always crave, you know, because they feel so real! All the best Ruchi Di for your IPCC exams, we know you're going to crack 'em!

And also, since you know now that DJH is going to end in a week or two, what are your speculations? And oh, another question. Which genre does DJH really belong to? Help me out lol :P

Anyways, read, vote, comment and promote!

(the banners you see down below are new and are being added to all the chapters. it's tedious to do so, but each banner contains a picture related to the chapter. check 'em out if you have time :) I do not own the pictures, they belong to their rightful owner, but the editing has been done by me. yes, i have been pinterest-ing all day instead of being productive.) 

~chaashnee