"Hey, Hey, Baby. Baby please open your eyes, please." Kiyansh's voice is decadent, it's the trail of a leaf jostling in the storm.

I feel his both hands cupping my face and I catch that leaf, that leaf that makes the storm a little bit okay. My eyes open and he looks into them, he looks and nods and doesn't let me turn back where my mother would be standing with a disappointed face, where my father would be worried or Tanya Tai wondering what happens to her.

His brown gold eyes stays with mine, it doesn't go to any other place. And in that moment I know, I know when his hands goes to my waist, and he picks me up from the floor and wraps me around himself, my head fitting to that same spot on his shoulder, I know when I hear the gasp of my mother and the clatter of something my father must be holding, I know when he doesn't pay them attention and just says, "Excuse us," holding me tight and not letting them see me cry, before moving out the kitchen and out the house and only stopping when we reach the backyard, I know that I still love him more than I can ever imagine when he puts me down on the spot where we buried Charlie and he lets me look into that face of Charlie which we painted from our own hands on that metal flag we had dug in the ground, and he keeps on holding me, letting me cry until I feel that storm fade away, that deep of pit reforming in the shape of my stomach.

And I am glad, I am so glad that I am holding the leaf, my leaf. And he is holding me back.

He moves his hand from my shoulder to my head, and scratches on my scalp softly, "Okay now?" he asks and his other hand goes to his jeans pocket and he takes out the handkerchief, passing it to my hand.

And I half laugh and rub my nose in it. He takes it from my hand when I am done, and keeps it back inside his pocket. I make a face and ask him "Why do you do that?" my voice comes out as wobbly so I clear my throat.

He smiles at me and pats my head, "I am sorry." He says.

I shake my head, "You don't have to be, it just happens."

"Was it because of the cup?" He asks me softly, sadly.

"Not completely." I say, and it is true.

"I am sorry" he says again, wiping at my dry tears.

"Shhh" I say and bend down to the ground touching the rusty paint on the metal flag, touching Charlie's painted face, "How are you? We missed you." I whisper.

Kiyansh bends down with me. His hand falls above mine, and my breath hitches, my heart spinning in my chest when he says, "We'll always love you." 

We both come inside minutes later, and I have washed my face and we both have discussed that we are not going to get my father worried and just tell him I missed Charlie.

The smell of butter, eggs and sugar floats in air when we re-enter the Kitchen. "Hello Kiddo's" My dad looks worriedly at me from the kitchen countertop, beside my mother, and removes the watermelon coloured apron with colourful types of food inscribed on them, and before I can say anything he is moving across the Kitchen and he is hugging me tightly.

I hug him back and he moves soothing hands on my back. "You okay Kiddo?" he whispers.

"I am okay." I whisper back.

"Promise?" he asks

"Promise," I say.

He nods his head and lets me go motioning at the table, but my eyes goes to my mother frowning at me from the same spot, for a second I think to move to her and ask her for curiosity what is she thinking about, because Aisha Sharma doesn't frown, she sneers.

But, Tanya Tai takes my arm and moves me to the kitchen table with hopeful eyes, smiling softly, and motioning Kiyansh to follow. It is filled with delectable food items like Dhoklas, Sandwiches, Banana bread, paranthas and, "Dad you made carrot cake with cream cheese!" I couldn't help but smile cheerfully winking at Kiyansh. It was Charlie's favourite. We made this once in a year in memory of him, Dad sent me this even when I was in London.

I smile fondly and move around the table to hug him. The oven beeped and I shook my head at the Kitchen filled with so much food and so many appliances. I am sure, the charcoal vintage colours with mismatched yellow and orange and brown was every chef's dream.

Kiyansh moves to us, and shakes my dad's hand. "Thanks for inviting me."

My dad winks at him, "Thanks for bringing my daughter home," and then his eyes turn a little sad, his mouth into a tight smile, he clears his throat. "Also thank you for taking care of her."

Kiyansh shakes his head and says in a placating voice, "You don't have to thank me for anything."

My mother takes measured steps and drags a chair at the centre of the table, sitting straight and profoundly, "Let's eat shall we?"

At the same time my phone starts to ring, I take it out of my jeans to see Ayan's name flashing across my screen. "I have to take this" I say to Kiyansh and dad and move away from the table. "Hello"

"Ahem ahem." Ahan's amused voice comes through which clearly indicates that he doesn't have cold.

"What do you want?"

"Such a cold hearted person, I thought at least you would wish me good morning."

"Good Morning Ayan," I say sarcastically, "now what do you want?"

"Why do you think I want anything?" I could hear him smiling through the other end.

"Because I just feel that you do and I am sort of noticing that you are stalling."

"Okay" I could literally picture him rolling his eyes. "I wanted to ask if you are free this afternoon, I know it's a big favour to ask but my friends from school were going to this India vs. Australia cricket match and booked tickets for me as well because I had this weekend off, my co-actor Kritika Seth, also wanted to go with me. But you know if she is the only one going with me and my friends, papers will speculate worst about it. And then I thought of you, I mean if you could."

I turn towards the table and find Kiyansh looking at me, I motion him a minute.

And then I turn and think about yesterday and how Ayan helped me. How could I say no to him? "Hey! I didn't tell you this but I am going there today with dad and Kiyansh as well. Maybe we could meet up there? Who will know who came with whom?"

"Oh great." I could hear genuine relieved tone in his voice. "See you there then."

"See you." I say and cut the call.

Someone clears their throat from behind me, and I turn to find my mother standing, she is folding her arms on her chest and looking at me as if she would rather be somewhere else when she says, "How are you?"

The question freezes me for a moment, it's not her way, she doesn't ask how I am, she tells me how I should be. Even though I know I am falling to the bait, I say "I am good."

She nods her head, a big shake of her neck, stiff enough, that it feels like she is glaring at me. She puffs a breath of air. She smells of cinnamon, herbs and something expensive. "Okay I want to get to the point. I don't think it's good for you to hang out with Kiyansh so much, I mean Maya obviously told me about that actress running away from the party," she rolls her eyes as if she is providing content for a big gossip magazine. "It will not take time for them to be back together, and you will obviously be third wheeling. It would be good for you to maintain your distance with him like before so that when the time comes, you don't feel like an idiot."

My stomach lurches so tight in my stomach, that I feel like I want to puke. Tears threaten at the back of my eyes again. One good moment, I wanted to give one good moment to her. I wanted to tell her that Kiyansh has proposed to me, that he isn't going to get back with Sahana. But the thing is, my mother knows where to strike, she always has known, it's her speciality. I open my mouth and close it and I decide she doesn't deserve to know, just like she didn't deserve to read that letter.

I glare at her and storm off to the table, scraping out a chair and sitting beside Kiyansh.

Kiyansh turns to me and asks me in a taut voice, "What's wrong, what did she say?"

"Umm nothing." I sigh, if I will tell him about my mom, it will not be a good scene

He looks at me pointedly.

I divert the conversation, "Actually Ayan called," the effect of Ayan's name on Kiyansh is immediate, before he thinks the worst, I add haphazardly, "he said that, he and his old friends are also going to cricket match today, his co-actres wants to join them and he doesn't want the media to write speculating dating news about them, so he wanted me there." Seeing the look on Kiyansh's face I add, "Because when it looks like a group, nobody can exactly write about them without confirmation."

I wait for Kiyansh to say something, and carefully watch the tick in his neck, his mouth tight. He takes a deep breath and utters, "So you want to go with him?"

What? "No. of course not. I told him that I am going with you and dad, that we could meet them up there."

His taut face relaxes so fast, it's a snap and then his face is impassive again, just the extra tinge of brown and gold reclaiming any sorts of emotion present their before. "Did he by any chance know that we were going to watch the match today."

My eyes widen, "Kiyansh we are not the only ones who want to watch semi finals, what are you even talking about? And even if he wanted to go with us, he could have asked me, we are friends."

"Friends." Says Kiyansh gravely, picking up the plate filled with Banana bread. And then my eyes moves to my mother, father and Tanya Tai staring at us from across the table, heat seeps into my face, I didn't even hear my mother sit at the table.

I ignore their eyes and start to fill my plate with food, and then my mouth so they don't ask me anything. And I totally find the new decor of the table very interesting when Kiyansh habitually eats carrot cheese cake from my plate instead of serving it in his own plate.