-• a date •-

The twins, Agastya and I head downstairs. My eyes fall on Vivaan first. He sends me a comforting smile. I smile back. Then my eyes shift to the person sitting on the couch, knees spread, fingers interlocked, he looks distant even after being so close. I cast my eyes down guiltily, it nibbles at my conscience painfully. I wring my fingers, looking over my shoulder when another set of footsteps join us. Yuvaan meets my eyes for a flickering moment before looking down fondly at his dog. Perry is calmly settled in his master's arms, unaware of the tensed air around him.

"How's Dad now?" Yuvraaj asks.

I stand at the end of the staircase, Agastya settles down near my feet, his back to the wall. The twins walk over to the sofa chair. Ayush sits down, while Arush supports himself on the hand-rest. Yuvaan leans against the front wall, gently caressing Perry's fur. I wonder if he brought the dog to keep himself busy. He had so much to say last time, but now that Yuvraaj is here, he's suddenly putting up the old walls.

"He's fine." Vivaan answers. "He's resting right now."

Yuvraaj nods. "Loosen up, kids." He addresses us together. Then he smiles. It appears forced. I'd rather he only smiles when he feels like it than force it for our sake. My heart feels like it's breaking all over again. "I'm not mad."

"I'm sorry, Bhai," I step forward. "I- I should have remembered." My voice comes out trembling.

He shakes his head. "It's not your fault. It's no one's fault." He embraces silence. His head lowers and he intertwines his fingers together, clasping them shut tightly. "Remember you once said," he looks up at Vivaan. "When they stop noticing, I'll be the first to know."

Vivaan sighs.

Yuvraaj nods. "You were right." He inhales a deep breath and gets up from the couch. "But it's okay, they have you." He places a tender hand on Vivaan's shoulder. Then he pats it gently. "And you have them. That's all it takes for me to never worry about you guys." He smiles at us.

We glance at each other timidly. I see Perry get restless in Yuvaan's arms, causing him to lower the dog on the floor. We watch in surprise as Perry scrambles on his feet to approach Yuvraaj.

The eldest of us blinks awkwardly.

"I didn't think you like me." Yuvraaj crouches to Perry's level. The forced smile on his face turns genuine. He runs a hand down the golden retriever's back. Perry turns his head and tries nuzzling the broad hand. "You've grown up a lot." He whispers. "Remember he was just a puppy when I got him for you?" He looks Yuvaan's way.

The latter nods slowly.

"You brought Perry?" I ask in disbelief.

Yuvraaj meets my eyes. "Yeah, I had a client whose daughter had a female golden retriever. She had given birth to a bunch of puppies. Yuvaan fancied dogs a lot when he was a kid. So I asked them if they're open to give away the puppies. They said yes, so I adopted one."

"He also got me my first baseball bat." Agastya smiles, a faraway look in his eyes.

Yuvraaj nods, "You said you dreamt of it. The same day on my way to the office I noticed a sports store. I brought it on a whim."

"And the basketball court?" Arush asks. "Did you transform the auditorium into the basketball court on a whim too?"

"It was for marriages primarily. But after we had one built in the hotel, I had to figure out a way to put it to a different use. And you used to stay up until late in the school to play basketball so I just thought why not have one in our palace?" He shrugs.

"Do you have something to say?" I ask Ayush. He seems like he also has something to add to the list.

"Uh," he stammers, "He got me the first signed edition of The Shining for my sixteenth birthday."

"I still don't understand what's so special about it." Agastya snorts.

"Shut up. That's because you don't read." Ayush snaps back.

"Honestly, I never knew books can be so expensive until I bought one." Yuvraaj shakes his head in disbelief.

"How much did you pay?"

"Seventy eight hundred dollars." He replies.

I quickly do the maths in my head and the figure leaves me in shock.

"You've a book that costs over six lacs!?" I look at Ayush. He shrugs.

"Hey, you're finally starting to think like an Indian."

"The calculation was fast, Tara." Agastya says in awe.

"Thanks." I mumble.

"Alright, enough of reminiscing the old memories." Yuvraaj gets up after patting Perry one last time. "I had a long flight. Let's meet at dinner tonight." He turns around the corner of the couch and walks off to his room.

Silence befalls on us. I sit down next to Agastya. Regrets fill me up to the brim. Looking at the faces around me, everyone appears to be in the same state of mind. None of us expected this chilled out, nonchalant reaction.

"He should have just lashed out at us." Agastya murmurs.

"Yeah, I wish he had called us a total disappointment and confiscated our wallets and phones." Arush grumbles. "This just makes me feel way worse."

"Perry!" Yuvaan clicks his fingers at the dog. Perry stops staring at the hallway Yuvraaj disappeared into and turns, trotting in the direction of the back gardens rather than going back to his master. "Perry!?" Yuvaan calls out, standing flabbergasted in his spot as he watches the dog disappear. "What's up with him?"

"I'm going to the hospital. See you guys at dinner." Vivaan walks out as well.

I look down at my feet mindlessly. Is this what growing distant feels like? I used to believe physical distance is hard to overcome. The time difference, different schedules, different social circle, it all amounts to the reasons why two people living in different parts of world start to fall apart. I never thought growing apart while being together under the same roof would hurt just as much.

"Why do we take things for granted and then regret later?"

"Because that's what humans do. Move" Ayush nudges between us with his foot. Agastya and I shift in the opposite directions to make space for him. He heads upstairs. Yuvaan walks off too, followed by Arush, and then it's only Agastya and I left in the living room.

"See you later," I whisper to him before heading upstairs to my room.

Closing the door, I sprawl on the bed and sigh into the clean bedsheet. It smells of detergent. I close my eyes, trying to shut off the outside world.

Recently, it has started to feel like the world has picked up an unusually fast pace. And I'm just standing there, watching everything and everyone rush past me and into the future. And still, I feel like the most exhausted at the end of the day.

Every time I think things are starting to get better, something happens and I'm proved wrong. When did life become so tiresome and monotonous? After my mother's death, this was one place where I used to find peace. Among my brothers. But nothing feels the same anymore. And I don't like it.

My phone starts to ring on the nightstand. I reach over to pick it, my hand flaps like a fish out of water for a while before I get hold of the vibrating device. Without looking at the contact, I answer the call and place the phone between me and the pillow.

"Hello," I drag out the greeting.

"Were you sleeping?" The familiar deep voice breaks me out of the frazzled state.

I sit up straight with a startle. "Shourya!" I breathe out. "Hi,"

"Hi," he murmurs. "Did I wake you up or something?"

"No, I was just lazing around." I answer. "What is it?"

"What?"

"You called me." I pathetically remind him. Of course, he knows he called me. "I mean, anything important? Regarding the case?"

"Is that the only thing I can call you for? The case?"

I blink. "No, you can call me for other reasons."

"Should I need always need a reason to call you?"

"No, you can call me without any reason." I respond immediately. My eyes shut in embarrassment. Great, Tara. Why don't you act more desperate? That's all that's left to do. "No, but seriously, what is it?" I try to sound more firm.

He chuckles. "I was thinking if we could hang out together tomorrow?"

"Just us?"

"Yeah, just us." He repeats.

"Wouldn't it be weird?" I twist the thread I randomly pick on the bedsheet. "I mean, just us-"

"Why? Don't you and Janet hang out together? Just you two?"

"Yeah, but we're girls." I speak almost incoherently.

He tsks, "There you go, making sexist remarks."

I frown. "I'm not being sexist."

"Is there a rulebook over friendship that says a girl and a boy should never hang out together unless they're in a relationship?"

"No!"

"Then come to my place tomorrow." He states.

"Your?"

"Yeah, your brothers wouldn't like me coming to your house often." He mutters.

"Right, but I don't like it at your house. It's huge and creepy. And unnaturally cold. Sorry." I blurt out.

"I understand." He says. "I don't know much about the hang out spots in the city though."

"Why? I thought you and Akansha were often spot spending quality time in the city?" I jab.

He doesn't reply for a moment and when he does, I wish he hadn't. "Are you jealous?"

"Ew, no. Think of a place to hang out and send me the address. Bye!" I quickly cut the call and bury my face in the pillow, muffling my scream of mortification. Pulling my face away, I turn to look at my reflection in the mirror. "I hate you!" Groaning, I hide my face back in the pillow.

I stay cooped up in my room until Juyi comes to inform me about the dinner. I grab my card key and phone from the nightstand before following her downstairs to the dining hall.

"Good evening," I greet everyone with a smile. Dad pulls the chair for me and I thank him with a smile.

The dinner is served. I fill my plate with little of everything and start to eat.

"You sure you'll finish all of that?" Arush teases Janet.

"I've got a big appetite. Stop judging my food intake!" She throws a slice of lemon at his face.

Yuvraaj clears his throat.

"Sorry," she mumbles and looks down at her plate.

"How was your business trip, Yuvraaj?" Dad strikes up a conversation unexpectedly.

Yuvraaj looks up from his phone. "It went great. How are you feeling now?" A certain gentleness reflects in his tone. I frown. What's with the sudden change in attitude? He also appeared different in the living room. Way different from his usual behaviour.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Dad forces a smile at his eldest son.

My frown deepens.

Wait.

The reactions and the men expressing them don't feel right. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

"Well, Yuvaan here has a great news to share." Vivaan chimes in. We all look at him attentively. "Please bring it in," he says to the staff. The double doors open and a maid rolls in the trolley holding a bottle of champagne in the bucket of ice cubes. My brows shoot upwards in surprise. "Go, do the honours!" He slaps Yuvaan's back proudly.

The young man gets up and picks up the bottle of champagne. "The opening date of my gallery is decided."

Synchronous gasps ring around. "Which is?" I lean forward excitedly.

He grins, the dimples show. "23rd September."

"Your birthday!?" Ayush chuckles.

Yuvaan nods.

"Wohoo!" Arush hoots loudly. "Congratulations, Bhai!" He says and we all join in.

"That calls for a celebration." Dad says with a smile. "C'mon, open the champagne."

Yuvaan nods, popping the cork and the fizzy white foam spills out. He pours each one of us a glass and raises the toast, "To Art Abode," he says and we all echo. The glasses tilt, rims touch our lips and we take a sip.

After dinner, we retire to bed. I stay up late to finish the movie I started in the hospital. I don't realise when I fall asleep, but it was when the last credits rolled in and they played out behind the scenes in the small window on the left.

The next morning, I spend more than an hour in my closet trying to decide what to wear. Unintentionally, I gravitate towards the options in purple. I choose a cute floral printed lavender maxi dress that has puffed sleeves and v-neck. It falls seamlessly just below my knees, the fabric is flowy and dances along my skin everytime I move. I part my hair in the middle, apply a little serum to give them some shine and use a curler to increase the volume. Instead of heels, I opt for ankle length socks and white sneakers. Slinging my backpack over the shoulder, I twirl around in front of the mirror and blush bright red noticing the glee in my eyes.

It's not a date.

I school my face blank. "Right. Stop acting stupid, Tara." Shaking my head, as if that'll help me mentally, I step out of the walk-in closet and slip my macbook in the backpack. Grabbing my charger, phone and the card key, I exit the room and pull the door close.

Janet whistles when she sees me coming downstairs. "Are you going on a date?"

I flinch hearing the question. "Shh!" Hissing in a warning, I rush towards her and place a hand over her mouth. "Watch what you say. If my brothers hear you, it'll be the end of me."

She lowers my hand from her mouth and smiles sheepishly. Her eyes disappear, just two crescents winking at me. "Sorry. Are you going on a date?" She asks in a whisper.

I shake my head. "Shourya asked me to hang out with him."

"Oh," she murmurs. "Just you two?"

"Yeah, I mean, we're just friends. And friends hang out together. Like you and me."

"We're girls."

"Do- Don't be sexist, Janet." I nudge her aside and walk away.

She snorts out a chuckle. "Such a dork!" She follows me and swings her arm around my neck. "So? What's the plan?"

"I don't know," I say bashfully.

She tickles me in the stomach, teasing me in a coo and calling the whole "just friends" thing a lie. "I don't know why you insisted on Rudra so much." My smile falters, I hold the steering tightly. "It's clear as day you like Shourya more than any guy you've ever had a crush on." The smile comes back.

It's true. I don't know why I was so hung up on Rudra. Except for the night we met for the last time, I didn't shed another tear over him. It's just didn't feel right. To cry over a man who chose to end the relationship rather than being brave to face the odds of it. Like Shourya did. He quickly ended things with Akansha to give us a chance, even when I said we've to start from being friends. He didn't mind. Didn't complain. He was straightforward and didn't hesitate speaking his mind. How are they so different despite being siblings?

I press the horn when we hit the slowly moving traffic. Steering the car through the dense crowd, I pick up on the speed once we leave it behind.

"Indian traffic sure honed your driving skills."

I chuckle. "Ask Ayush to drive you back home today." I cut off the engine and look towards her.

She snorts, getting out of the car. I step out too. "Sure, have fun on your date." She says walking off.

My cheeks flush. "It's not a date!" I call out after her.

"And I'm Lady Gaga!" She shouts back, then starts singing Bad Romance in a deep voice, pulling weird looks from the students in the campus. I laugh at her antics. A one unique piece, I must say.

My phone chimes with a notification of a text message.

I unlock the device.

Shourya ❄️: Meet me in the parking lot of our university at three. Morning, by the way ;) thanks for wearing purple again.

I fluster and look around the parking lot. A retreating back heading upstairs towards the library catches my eyes. I recognise him just by his brown jacket. It has white bands around the shoulders and the sleeves.

A giddy feeling develops in my belly. It stays there throughout the day.

At three in the afternoon, I pack up my things and head out of the class. "Tara!" I turn around hearing Atharva's voice.

"Yeah?"

"I thought we will work a little more on the article?"

I bite my lower lip. "How about tomorrow? I've plans for this evening." I say softly.

He shrugs. "Can't be helped then. It's okay. Let's continue tomorrow."

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!" With a last wave at him, I turn around and breeze through the crowd.

When I reach the parking lot, I see him leaning against the bonnet of his car. The tinted brown sunglasses rest sexily on the bridge of his nose, his eyes focused on something in his phone. I approach him meekly. "Hi," the breathy word escapes my mouth.

He looks up, his lips smile and his eyes run down my figure. Shoving the phone in the pocket of his jeans, he clears his throat. "You look pretty."

I shrug. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"Thanks, I spent an hour getting ready today."

I hold back a chuckle. I've seen him wear this jacket for the times I've lost the count now. If he mulled over what to wear for an hour and ended up choosing this, either his wardrobe is empty or he isn't much of a fashionista. I'll go with the latter. It makes more sense.

"I don't remember it being a date." I walk up to the passenger seat. He rushes past me to open the door. "Thank you." I whisper, looking over the door to meet his eyes. The tip of his ears turn red. I smile and sit inside, tucking my dress beneath before he closes the door.

He strides to the driver's side and gets in. "It is a date." He pulls the car out of the parking lot.

"Oh, so you lied to me?"

He shakes his head. "I just cheated a little."

"And that makes it better?"

"No, but it won me a date with you." He grins lopsided.

I don't refute. But the smile on my face grows so big I'm afraid my cheeks might fall off.

I fucking love this man's attitude.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere we can spend time without people watching our every move." He answers.

Thirty minutes later, we end up at his self-owned apartment. He holds the door open for me. I walk in and I'm taken aback by how beautiful the place is. "You grandfather bought it for you?"

"No, I bought it for myself."

My jaw drops. "What?" I follow him into the house.

"Water?" He slides up behind the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, sure." I nod.

"How did you buy this place?"

He shrugs. "I invested in some start-ups and now I'm earning profits through the equity I bought."

"Wow," I say in awe, taking the glass of water from him. "You weren't kidding around when you said you're going to become a CEO at 23."

"And that I'm making you my wife at the same time."

I snort. "Keep dreaming."

He clicks his tongue, leaning on the counter so close I feel his breath fan my face. "I don't dream, Esther. I make it happen."

Can you hear a squeal? Yes, that's me.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Makes my day.