||CHAPTER 36||
《¤》

It's funny how I wished to sabotage my mother's wedding, because even nature was on my side of ruining their parade.

The clouds that had been hindering my star-gazing session were actually trying to grab my attention for a high-five.

It rained.

And not the slow, light drizzle. The full blown version of raining cats and dogs and every animal imaginable.

The whole open-sky reception was a failure.

They were, however, lucky because there was a hall by the lawn, where all the guests and us were now huddled inside of. The hall was big enough, and decorated for the occasion. Mr. and Mrs. Oberoi were saved, but it was nice to know that atleast someone was on my side. Nature in this case.

"Since when did you start liking monsoons?"

I was smiling, gazing at the rain-drenched grass. Drops were racing down the panes as I stood by the window with Jolly Bua when Aryan popped the question.

"I never hated it before," I shrugged.

"Arvika Deewan not hating something by default?" He sounded shocked. "That's a series of rare events happening tonight."

My aunt snorted with her martini in hand. I glared at her. "What forms your chain of rare events? You finding someone else prettier than me? Or, wait, did some teenager actually hit on you?"

Aryan gave me his 'shut-up' look. "You're predictions wouldn't suck if you actually hang out with people like me, you know. But yeah, you are right. Someone did hit on me."

"Was it a guy?" Jolly bua asked before I could. I high-fived her when he gave both of us his straight face.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but it's neither a guy, nor a teenager," he said in his matter-of-fact tone. "If you'd kindly follow my gaze..."

We did, and he looked behind him.

My Naani winked back at him.

"Is this supposed to be a joke? Are we supposed to laugh?" Jolly Bua voiced out my concerns.

"Hold my glass, Bua," I shoved mine in her hand, "I think I'm gonna puke."

"Why?" Aryan looked back at us. "She's so funny!"

"And old, and Arvoo's Naani!" Jolly Bua added.

"I think you've taken your older-woman kink a bit too far, because she is far-fetched. There are more chances of our relationship reviving than yours and hers working." I tried speaking seriously.

"Hey, hey, hey," he threw his hands up in surrender, "it's okay to feel jealous Vika Darling, but not the hatred."

My jaw fell open. What was it with guys assuming I was jealous, and that too of my eighty-two year old maternal grandmother?

"Now you are going to say that she is funny, and cool. Should have been a teenager-"

"You stole my words! You couldn't read me that well when we were together!"

"You guys are talking about your past as if you are alright with not being together," Jolly Bua interrupted. "This is the weirdest ex-meet up I'm witnessing. It's like you guys are..."

We stopped fighting. I knew what she was going to say next...

"... a sibling duo."

Aryan tucked his lips inside, nodding, something he did when he felt awkward. That was his 'weirded-out' face.

I gave her a fake smile. She must have thought it was real, because she smiled back.

"I'm gonna," Aryan coughed out, pointing behind his back."

"-yeah-" I nodded at him.

"Go- I got-"

"-stuff to do-"

"-yeah. Uhm. See you around."

Then I glared at Jolly Bua. She was enjoying her martini.

"I shouldn't have said that, right?"

¿¤?

"Aur pata hai, uss haathi ne cheeti ko kya kaha?"

She was drunk.

"Usne kaha..."

She had always been a light weight, I knew, because I had seen it many times.

"...ki..."

Most of the guests had gone, and the night was almost over, except a few close family and friends, and somehow, I was stuck being next to her. And because she was drunk, she had let go of the enmity between us.

"... ki woh makadi ke jaal me jaake phansa!"

She wasn't funny either.

Though I had seen her drunk many times, I had never witnessed her ferrocious cackle of laughter. I don't know what Vansh and Aryan found funny about her- even her attempts at cracking jokes sucked.

"Hasee nahi ayi?" She slurred. "Arrey, yeh tumhare first standard ki poem hai!"

I glared at the index finger she had pointed to enhance her point. Her sudden love for me was out of the blue, she wasn't letting me go. She had held onto my right hand to make sure I didn't sneak off.

"Arreeeeeeyyyyyy," she suddenly burst out of energy. "Wohh dekho!"

She was ogling Vansh. Has she realised she is my grandmother, and not my gossip girl?

"Naani," I huffed out angrily, passing her a glass of water. "Paani piyo. You're drunk."

Being drunk also meant that she was ready to do anything that she was told to. And that, for me, meant escape, since she unclenched my hand and set me free.

Making sure that no one creepy was around, and her drunken thoughts were just hers to be entertained, I got up and walked towards Vansh. He was talking to Swarhit, the twelfth boy who gave me a rose yesterday.

"Hey Swarhit. You guys know each other?" I jumped into the conversation.

He had a yellow rose tucked inside his pocket. The level of publicity these guys did nowadays...

"Arvika, hey. Our Dads are friends."

"Oh," I acted suprised, glancing at Vansh. "That's great."

He smiled back, a little less shy than our last encounter. "How do you guys know each other? I mean he lives in Delhi, and you live in Mumbai. And as far as I know, Yatis and Oberois never knew Mehras. "

His knowledge about me was as wrong as it was right.

"You get an A for your research," Vansh complimented. "But Arvika isn't-"

"Isn't bound by the boundaries," I interrupted quickly. I looked at Vansh to go with the flow.

Swarhit was clueless about what was going on, and it was apt to stay that way. He was young, rich and dumb.

"So you guys are a thing?" He looked between us.

"Not unless you consider us as individual humans," I shrugged. He laughed, understanding a joke I didn't get.

He plucked out the yellow rose, and I internally guffawed. "So it won't be a problem if I gave you this? Yellow is totally your color."

There was no trace of anger, or jealousy, or disappointment on Vansh's face as I accepted the compliment. "The flower's pretty, thanks."

"Well, I hope you can make it to the brunch tomorrow then? It's the annual business conclave for youngsters like us."

After a little bit of random talk, he left, leaving me alone with Vansh.

"And then there were two," I sighed, repeating his statement. "Yellow's a pretty colour, don't you think?"

"Reminds me of-"

"Don't want to know it!" I raised my palms up in surrender. I knew he was going to start singing that old-

"Yellow, yellow, dirty fellow-"

"Uh, uh-uh," I stopped him, by placing my finger on his lips. "Don't be so green with envy now."

It wasn't until his pupils dilated, and balled between my eyes and my index finger, that I realised I had made my move on him.

I gulped, withdrawing my hand back. "Stop drooling, I might get the wrong idea."

It took him a long moment to stop staring at my hand, and to return to his smirking self. "Ideas are open grounds, you shouldn't be bounding them by boundaries."

I didn't know how to react. He was clearly flirting with me, but I walked into that one.

"If this is your way of bagging deals in a private party, you're talking to the right person this time."

"I think you've started to figure me out now," he said in a breezy tone.

I presented him with one of my widest grins.

¿¤?

Naani was drunk, and though she was mumbling inaudible stuff, she wasn't talking incoherent.

"Le liya usne, shatir hai wohh!"

My mother was trying to keep her quite, offering her a glass of water. "Maa, aap paani piyo, shaanth ho jaao."

The Oberoi's were lucky that we were just winding up. Guests had left, and the servants were stuffing the gifts in the cars, and Naani was spilling out the wedding secrets.

"Par sabb uski wajah se hua hai!" She complained, cradling the bottle of water in her hands.

"Maa, mai Raman se pyaar karti hoon," my mother tried to explain, as I walked towards them.

"Mamma," I interrupted their mother-daughter moment. "I'll take care of her. Aapko Mr. Oberoi bula rahe hai. Mai Naani ke saath ghar chali jaungi and kal subeh aapse milne aajaungi before my flight."

A look of relief passed her face, and she placed her hand on my forearm. "Thank you so much Arvika. Take care, I'll see you... tomorrow. Good night."

I grabbed the bottle in my grandmother's hand, and poured some water in the glass in front of her. "Paani piyo. Ghar jaana hai."

She didn't drink until I brought the glass to her lips.

With some help, I got her inside the car that waited for us outside. Once inside, she started mumbling some more. But this time, the secrets were for me to hear.

_____

Namoshtaii!

I know I know, the ending was weird, but its got something to do w the next chapter. So I had to.

Moving on, DJH IS NOW TRENDING ON NUMBER 1 IN #DELHI !!!!!!!!!! Thank you sooo much guys, that feeling was amazing.

This week goes to controversions for the competition. Chapter 4 and this one is all urs ;) all the best!

Anyways, read vote, comment and promote!!

~emcee.