-• thank you •-

"Taranya?" An unfamiliar voice calls out to me. I lift my head from the paper sheet, pausing the game of tic tac toe I'm busy playing with Ayush in the short recess.

"Yes?" I raise my brows at the girl. I don't think she's from our class. And she looks young too.

"Can I speak to you?" She requests softly.

I glance at Ayush in confusion, trying to figure out if he knows who she is. He simply puts his legs out, giving me way. I sigh and get up from the seat, stepping out of the desk area before following her lead outside the classroom. On my way, Anagha raises her brows curiously. I shrug and exit the classroom.

"Yes?" I ask her stopping against the corridor wall. She turns to face me.

"I'm Tarun's friend." She reveals.

"Lately, Tarun has been distracted because of some girl at the school. I feel sending him off to boarding school will get him back on the track."

Is this her?

"Your name?"

"Saanvi," she answers.

I nod. "Is there anything you want to tell me, Saanvi?"

She takes a deep breath. "Why would you do that?" She eyes me in disappointment.

"Do what?" I act dumb, trying to stall the confrontation as much as I can.

"Play with his feelings? Promise him and then break it? Act like you truly care?"

I sigh softly. "Look Saanvi, I did what I had to. And it was his Mom who came to me with this request. I felt his mother knows best. Also, it was my brother over him. I made my decision."

"How easy it is to say it was your brother over him," she chuckles coldly. "Then why act all kind towards him? Why give him hope? You should have kept your distance from him. If he meant nothing, you should have never made it seem like he does mean something!" She snaps furiously.

"Because he did. He still does." I reply sharply. "I'm sorry, okay? I know what I did has no excuses. I'm not even going to ask you or him to forgive me. But I had to make a decision. Also, I didn't ruin his life. Even his mother wanted the same. If not me, maybe someday in the future she would have sent him far away." I shrug. "And let's not pretend that no one is ever going to part ways. What grade are you in right now? Ninth? After three years, we're all going seperate ways. So what if he went early?" I justify myself pathetically.

Her eyes tear up unexpectedly. I step back in panic, backtracking into my memories to check where I went wrong in choosing my words. Did I come out too harsh?

"Saa- Saanvi," I reach out to her hesitantly. She sniffles, recoiling from my touch and turns to leave. I watch her storm off in the class next to ours. A tired breath leaves my mouth as I lean against the corridor wall and stare outside the huge vertical windows.

The bell rings, compelling me to return to the classroom.

"Who was she?" Ayush asks me the moment I reach my desk. I gesture him to make way for him. He slides his legs out and I slip inside before plopping down on the seat.

"Tarun's friend," I answer, catching Arush's attention as well. He turns on his seat, looking at me with interest.

"What did she say?" He inquires.

I shrug. "She wasn't happy with his departure."

"So she came to you to vent it all out?" Ayush leans over, eyeing me curiously.

"Did she blame you?" Arush's tone drops low.

I don't say anything and thankfully, the teacher chooses that time to arrive. As a result, the boys unwillingly drop the topic and shift their attention ahead. We take out our geometry books along with the pencil case and other necessary stuff on Mr. Qureshi's instructions as he begins with the chapter Circle.

I like how he explains the concept theoretically, then through solved examples and then with the help of the exercises given below each concept. For the last fifteen minutes, he gives us the pending exercise as a homework and tells us to start right away.

The sound of pages and stationery fills the otherwise quiet classroom. I begin with the next question and channel all my focus in solving it.

The teacher strolls between the rows, checking the progress. Eventually, he stops at our desk. Since Ayush is naturally smart, he gravitates to me. I look up and show him my notebook. He analyses the answer, nods and shifts to Arush's desk. I resume my work.

"Give me that scale, Arush," we all lift our heads at that. Arush sheepishly hands his scale to the teacher. "You must have the intelligence of the great Ramanujan that you don't need measurements on scale to determine the length, right?"

Chuckles ring throughout the class.

"What do you do with this?" He waves the scale in front of Arush's face. "You know what? Draw a line of seven centimetres using this on the board, go," he points towards the front of the class.

Arush stays seated, looking anywhere but at the teacher.

Mr. Qureshi sighs in disappointment and snaps the scale in two, tossing it on his desk before he resumes walking. Arush glares at the back of the man's head, snatching my scale from me without asking and focusing on his notebook. I let out a frustrated breath before grabbing the long scale from my backpack and continuing my homework.

For the next lecture, which is PE, our class teacher labels it as self-study and tells us to continue what we were doing.

"Taranya," she calls out suddenly.

"Yes?" I raise my head.

"Head to Cirius for this lecture. Your maths teacher will start with Algebra today."

I blink reluctantly. "But I already have two hours alloted for extra lecture after school," I remind her.

"I know." She nods at me. "But it's better to start right away than waste this hour, don't you think? C'mon, don't waste anymore time."

I sigh tiredly.

Stuffing my things in my backpack, I take out books for algebra and leave the classroom. When I reach the private room in the library, Mr. Qureshi puts his phone away and motions me to take a seat. I obey and we begin with the first chapter.

It's easier to understand things when you're the sole receiver of someone's attention. When he simplifies the concepts, solves examples with me and gently lets me know if I'm wrong or right, it's easier for me to mentally grab all the information. At the end, he instructs me to keep practicing if I don't want to end up back to the square one. I nod obediently.

The bell for long recess finally rings and I quickly slam my books close. Mr. Qureshi chuckles at the that. I ignore his eyes when my cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"Thank you, sir." I get up, hugging the books close to my chest.

He nods at me softly.

I leave the room, hurrying out of the library because I'm hungry as fuck, when out of no where a tall figure appears and we slam into each other. My books hit the floor near my feet. I look up at the culprit furiously and feel my anger wither away at the sight of the bright copper eyes staring down at me apologetically. He pinches the end of his ear and crouches down to pick up the books for me.

I kneel too, studying his features while he's busy picking my stuff. He has dark black hair, thick and sans any gel or spray as they ruffle with the winds coming from the open windows. His olive skin is flawless and his jawline is peppered with light stubble. The bridge of his nose is long, rising to the cute tip of his nose, under which sit slender pair of lips. Unexpectedly, he looks up, and I quickly tear my eyes off him, shifting them to the floor as I put the pencils and pens back in the case.

"Thank you," I whisper to him and get up on my feet.

He follows with a nod.

We stand in front of each other clueless. He shoves his hands in his pockets, smiling at me when our eyes clash, before I quickly look away so I don't trap myself in his elegant charms. God, I've been ignoring him for last two days now. It feels so awkward.

I open my mouth to wish him goodbye when the quiet hallway fills with an indistinct chatter of familiar voices. My eyes go wide spotting Agastya descend the stairs and I react on instinct, dragging the startled Atharva inside the library so we're off my brother's radar.

He raises his brows at me, shaking his head in question as I stand straight after keeping my books on the floor.

I place my finger on my lips, warning him to stay silent.

He rolls his eyes, pointing at his mouth and wagging his thumb in a no.

I can't help the chuckle that escapes my mouth. "Sorry." I apologise before peeking through the door's slit to check if Agastya is gone. "It's my brother. If he saw us together, he'll raise hell." I scoff in displeasure.

Atharva asks why through a hand gesture.

"He thinks I-" I shut my mouth real quick. "Because he's a protective freak and so are my remaining five brothers. They think everyone except them want to take advantage of me. Especially boys."

Atharva nods in understanding and turns his head, looking through the open slit as well. My gaze attaches itself to his neck, the veins and the muscles prominent as he stretches it to take a good look outside. I clear my throat and look away, brushing off the stupid thoughts brewing inside my head.

Feeling him stiffen, I lean in to peek outside as well. Abruptly, he looks back and our eyes accidentally meet. His eyes go down between us, sending me back in surprise when I find my hands plastered on his chest. "So- Sorry," I apologise again, locking my hands on my back before I look outside to distract him from my weirdness.

Agastya disappears down the stairs and I sigh in relief. I grab my books from the floor before we come out of the hideout.

"Thank you," I say gratefully.

He nods at me.

"Bye,"

He nods again.

And we part ways.

He goes inside the library while I make my way back to the classroom. Ayush asks me what got me so late. I make an excuse of using the washroom. He hands me the tiffin box from my backpack and I walk up to the girls. They make space for me, waiting until I open my tiffin before adding me into the ongoing conversations.

Without even wanting to, my thoughts drift back to the stupid but cute moment I had with Atharva. My cheeks heat up automatically and I let out a soft sigh.

"What?" Anagha's question takes me aback.

"What?" I repeat sounding clueless.

"Your cheeks are red." She points to my face.

"Oh," I pat my cheeks gently, forcing a smile at the three girls staring at me with intrigue. "It's slightly hot today, isn't it?"

"A little bit, yeah," Kusum agrees.

I heave a relieved sigh and shrug, resuming my lunch. The three go back to their pending conversation.

I sit through the remaining lectures with an unintentional smile on my face. After school, I make my way to the library and enter the private room allocated to me at this hours. Putting my bag on the desk, I walk up to the window for a breath of fresh air when a certain someone catches my eyes on the field. I lean in to take a closer look and simper when Atharva takes off his cap to ruffle his hair. He puts it back on to acquire his fielding postion as my brother swings the bat and hits the ball.

"Taranya," Mr. Qureshi's voice has me straightening in attention.

"Good evening, sir," I walk up to the desk and take my seat.

"Good evening. Let's start with the second chapter now, okay?" I nod and we get down to work.

My patience is barely hanging by a thread at the end of our extra lectures. I almost cry out in relief when the teacher says that's all for today. It's already six forty and I've had several missed calls from my brothers.

"Take this," he hands me four pages attached together with a stapler. "There are fifty important questions in there. Thirty on algebra and twenty on geometry. Whatever we've learned today, in both algebra and geometry, look for the questions of that concept and solve them properly in the notebook. At the end of the year, submit it to me. I'll use that to grade your internal assessment."

I resist the urge to crush the paper in my fist and simply slip it inside my notebook. "Okay, sir."

"See you tomorrow," he exits the room with his backpack and phone.

I stuff my things in my backpack and leave the room while checking through my phone.

Ten missed calls from Agastya.

Two from Arush.

I sigh and call Agastya.

"Where the hell are you!?" Agastya demands.

I descend the stairs to reach the ground floor. "Here," I raise my arm to wave at the three. Agastya turns, shakes his head and hangs up on me. I slip the phone back in my skirt pocket, jogging up to them.

"What took you so long?" Arush snaps. "We've been waiting for over thirty minutes now!"

"Don't yell at her." Ayush takes my side. "You know how Mr. Qureshi is. He must have kept her back."

I nod sheepishly.

"Alright, let's go now. I'm tired as fuck." Agastya groans.

Upon reaching the palace, we step out of the car and head inside together. My feet pick up speed when I hear dad's voice coming from the living room. His back is on us as he speaks to someone on the phone. I quietly sneak up on him, ignoring my brothers as they judge my childish attitude and boo my father, scaring him out of the wits. He jumps away and turns around looking petrified.

I cackle loudly and so does my brothers.

"Tara, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

I hug him chuckling softly. "Then it's good that you're a heart surgeon." I reply cheekily.

"Very funny," he squeezes me in his arms and drops a kiss on top of my head. "Go and get changed," he pats my back pulling away.

I leave his side and join my brothers again as we head upstairs to our rooms.

I change into fresh clothes and sit down to start on my maths. The guide sitting on the shelf entice me everytime I get stuck on a problem but rather I opt for YouTube as a source of help than the thick book. After I manage to solve everything I'm capable of, I'm done with almost fifteen questions. Putting the notebook away, I grab a packet of chips from the drawer and finish the pending history project. I've to submit it tomorrow. By the time dinner hour strikes, I'm done with school work for the day.

Once I enter the dining hall, Arush's absence sticks out to me first.

"Where's Arush?" I ask as I pull myself a chair.

"He's finishing his history project. So he asked to be served in the bedroom." Vivaan answers.

I nod and start filling my plate.

"Are you done with the project?" Yuvraaj questions.

"Yes, just now." I reply.

"Punctual, huh?" Yuvaan smiles at me impressively.

I smile back.

"And what about you?" Yuvraaj asks him. "You've an exhibition coming up. Are you prepared?"

Yuvaan shifts his attention to our brother.

"Uh yes, I've been in touch with the curator for a week now. Everything is going smoothly."

"Have you already shipped your art pieces to the gallery?" Vivaan queries.

"Not yet. But I will this Sunday." He avers.

"Good," Yuvraaj nods. "What about you, Ayush. Ready for the competition?"

"Yes, we've been practicing everyday. I think I'm prepared." Ayush smiles.

"And how's it going at the hospital, Vivaan?" Yuvraaj's tone considerably turns softer when asking Vivaan.

"I've a news to share too," Vivaan says catching our attention. We all look at him in anticipation. "I'll lead a surgery next Friday." He announces with a smile.

I gasp in shock. "Oh my God, yes! Congratulations!"

"Thanks," he chuckles. He really looks excited.

Yuvaan, Agastya and Ayush congratulate him too.

"What is the surgery about?" Yuvraaj questions further.

"It's a simple one. Laparoscopic hernia repair. I think it was the first surgery I assisted Professor Krishnamurthy for."

"And who'll assist you?" Agastya asks.

"The professor himself," Dad answers on Vivaan's behalf. "If something goes wrong, there should be someone to immediately take the control. So when residents are offered to lead a surgery, we professors assist them."

Vivaan nods in agreement of his words.

"And what about you, Agastya?" Yuvraaj shifts the attention to the eighteen year old.

"Oh, we've been practicing for the first game of the year. The coach said there's a probability grand slam will visit for scouting."

"Give your best." Yuvraaj says to him.

Agastya nods and everyone swiftly goes back to their dinner. I frown. Yuvraaj asked everyone about what's happening currently in their lives but no one asked him. Not even Dad. I'm sure he has something to share as well.

"What about you?" I ask him.

Everyone stops eating, their surprised eyes on me. Yuvraaj blinks slowly.

"Huh?" This must be the first time I saw him so confused.

"What about you?" I ask again.

"Me?"

I hum. "What's happening with you? Cracked any huge deals?"

Yuvraaj sits straight and picks up the tissue to wipe the corner of his mouth as he regards us with an apprehensive look.

"Yes, Bhai, what's happening at the office?" Vivaan smiles at him.

He clears his throat, awkwardly shifting on his chair. "I, uh, I had a meeting today. We won an important government tender. If things go right, we'll be a top choice for majority of the public organisations in the future." He shares sounding proud.

"Does that mean more money?" I ask excitedly.

To my surprise, he chuckles. "Yeah, so much money."

"Woohoo!" I throw my hands in the air.

"Congrats, Bhai," the others echo.

"Good job, son," Dad says gently.

Yuvraaj's icy look slips, his eyes evocative of something unrecognisable, delicate and frail, but still unrecognisable. He nods at our father and looks down his plate to resume the dinner.

"Bhai, what about that invitation thing? Did you talk to the chairman?" Agastya is the first to bring up yesterday's unfinished topic.

Yuvraaj lets out a breath. "I did. He is adamant."

"What did you say?" Yuvaan leans in worriedly.

"I couldn't say no to his face. So I tried to press on her studies and upcoming exams, but he didn't listen. He wants her there. In his words, his Shourya would like her beside in these tough days."

Yuvaan snorts aloud. "What a joke."

"He's defo trying to set her up with Tara," Ayush grits out.

"Did you give the kid any hint that you're into him?" Yuvaan interrogates me.

"Seriously?" I burst in rage. "Now you're going to blame me because someone else likes me?"

"No, Tara. But how come the guy is so fixated on you after three hours of party?"

"I don't know. Ask him." I shrug angrily.

"No, it's not her fault this time." Agastya shakes his head. "When they first met in the corridor, I caught him looking at her with interest."

"Alright, no need to squabble pointlessly." Yuvraaj interrupts. "I decide for the people living under this roof, not a spoilt, mannerless sixteen year old. Out of respect for the chairman, Tara will go there-"

"Bhai!" Yuvaan exclaims.

"Let me finish," Yuvraaj glares at him.

"She'll stay the weekend there and then return home. Shourya is in coma anyway. She'll be fine there."

"And what about that sick father of his?" Vivaan demands, slightly pissed off himself with the turn of events. I've rarely seen him angry but the mention of Rajawats always gets him on the edge.

"I'm sure he knows better than to touch what belongs to Chauhans." Yuvraaj states sharply.

"I'll go there," Agastya suggests suddenly. "I'll go there with her."

"Agastya," Yuvraaj begins but Agastya cuts him off.

"He knows I'm as stubborn as his Shourya. Tell him I want to tag along. I'm not leaving her alone there."

These guys are making it seem like I'm stepping into a monster's den.

"You don't have to worry. She'll be fine there."

"How do you know?" Vivaan demands.

Yuvraaj clenches his jaw and sighs out in frustration. "Fine. I'll talk to the chairman."

That settles my remaining brothers.

"Is the family that bad?" I ask my father in a whisper.

"Worse." He answers.

I feel a chill down my spine at the thought of spending a weekend in an unfamiliar place, between unfamiliar people, the ones my family has already labelled as the bad guys.

Let's just hope nothing goes wrong.

Don't jinx it, Tara.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment. Makes my day.