"Alright, your turn now," Chetna said settling on the sofa after handing Siddharth his cup of coffee and getting hers. 

Siddharth look at her and raised his eyebrows slightly. 

"To spill," she said a little impatiently. 

"I know, I know. Just kidding around."

Siddharth took a long sip of his coffee and let the rush of caffeine soothe him. 

"My cousin, your brother-in-law that is, had a rager last night and apparently all my relatives think I was part of that. They made a huge mess. Broke some stuff and misbehaved with the staff. Typical." 

"We heard about that," Chetna said sipping on her chai. 

"I am sure you did. Everybody in this damn hotel did. Except for Tauji that is. He is still very much in the dark about what shenanigans his precious son got himself into. Good thing we didn't join them last night." 

"Yeah, we decided to not go because I remember we both agreed that going to the groom's bachelor party wasn't a great idea for the sister-in-law," Chetna said smugly.

Siddharth couldn't help but smile at her tone. 

"Sure, thank you, Chetna. You knew in your infinite wisdom that going to that party was a bad idea."

"You're welcome. And you can defer to my judgment for all future decisions." 

"Yes," he nodded in agreement, "Although it doesn't matter to my relatives. For them, we shall forever be the outcasts and the troublemakers. I won't be surprised if the whole thing is blamed on me. God forbid their precious son ever make a mistake." 

"Why?" Chetna asked simply, noting the sudden change in demeanour. 

"Like I said it is a long story," Siddharth feigned a nonchalant smile. 

"And like I said, I have time."

Siddharth looked at her expectant face and felt his defences slipping away. He didn't think he would ever share this story with a stranger but here he was. 

He thought the week would be bearable with his mother but his mother had all but defected to the other side. 

"You must have heard everyone talk about my father right?" he asked.

"Sure, the person who single handedly built the empire your family runs today?" Chetna said placing her cup aside. 

"Great business acumen, terrible person all round." Siddharth sighed. 

He then related a short account of what his childhood had been like for him. The verbal abuse, the physical abuse, the drinking bouts and the miserable time his mother had had with him. 

"Everyone talks about him like he was some kind of a God," Siddharth chuckled bitterly, "They basically worshipped him. My mother had never been raised to utter a syllable out of line so she took it. Not just from my father but from everyone around him who treated her like a second class citizen for years."

Siddharth drained his own cup of coffee wishing it was something stronger. At least that would help bear this conversation.

"I still remember the day I walked into our house and my uncle told me my father had died. I knew I was supposed to be sad but all I felt was relief. Like this weight had been lifted off my chest. I thought our days under his tyranny were over and we could finally live happily." 

Siddharth stood up and paced over to the window and looked out into the city.

"Then a new torrent of insults and accusations. They all thought my mother was responsible for his death. Don't ask me for a logical explanation because I don't have one. The torture was too much and my mother finally took me and left that house. We haven't looked back since."

He turned to where Chetna sat wordlessly,

"So you won't be surprised when I say that I wasn't too enthused to come here and spend a week with those same people. Especially when they all pretend nothing is wrong. They congratulate me on my success and the tour, ask me to sing and chatter away. The worst part is that my mother pretends to forget the years of abuse and neglect she suffered through."

Siddharth looked away again and there was a pause. He wondered whether he had overshared too much and said things he shouldn't have but decided he didn't care. He felt a tiny bit better after that conversation. 

He was startled a little when he realized Chetna had placed her hand on his shoulder. She had come up behind him when he was pondering over the last few minutes. 

He turned around and looked at her. She wore the tenderest expression and let her hand slide down from his shoulder. 

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," she said finally. 

"It's them that should be sorry," he answered. 

"Yes, they should be. I have so much respect for your mother for being the person that she is today and raising you to be the way you are." 

Siddharth felt a strange emotion bubble in his heart as she said those words. He usually didn't like it when people talked about his mother in that manner since it sounded condescending but somehow this wasn't as disrespectful. Chetna had meant every word she said. He knew that because in his heart he could tell the sparkle in her eye and the tenor of her voice could be nothing but absolute sincerity. 

Siddharth found himself wanting to get closer to this girl. He had never considered fooling around with Chetna because he knew she was too innocent. 

Yet what he yearned for in this moment wasn't the physical closeness that had formed the basis of all his recent relationships. This was something he hadn't felt in years. Hell, he wasn't sure he had felt this ever before in his life. 

Before he could make up his mind on what his next move would be, a knock on the door pulled them rudely out of this moment. 

Chetna sprang apart from him with the speed of lightning and grabbed his arm roughly dragging him towards the bed. 

"Who is it?" she asked out loud. 

"Open the door Chetna," called out a feminine voice from outside. 

"Crap it's my mother," she whispered and shoved Siddharth towards the bathroom. 

Siddharth hopped over the bags on the floor and quickly opened the bathroom door to step inside, careful not to make a sound. Chetna opened the door in the meantime and plastered a smile on her panicked face. 

"Yes," she said standing in the doorway. 

"Move aside we need you to try this suit. This is what you will be wearing to the Puja tomorrow." said another voice. 

Siddharth could hear the commotion and they tried to navigate past the mess on Chetna's floor. He recognized the other voice to be her Bua's voice. It was the same person he had heard yesterday while on the balcony. 

This was the second time he was hiding in the shadows while she conversed with Chetna. 

"But what happened to that green suit of mine?" Chetna asked. 

"Charvi will be wearing that," her mother said. 

"But why?" she asked in exasperation.

"Because Pandit Ji has said she needs to wear green during the Shubh Muhurat. It will be good for her married life."

Siddharth bit his lip in amusement. Indians and their superstitions. 

"That makes no sense, Mummy. How can a colour determine how happy her married life will be?" Chetna said reasonably. 

"You stop arguing with us and try this on. Otherwise, we will have to buy Charvi a new dress for tomorrow." her aunt said. 

"Alright, I will try it on and let you know," Chetna said. 

"Try it on now. We need to see if this will do." her mother insisted. 

There was a silence and that was when Siddharth realized she was making her way to the bathroom where he was hiding. Obviously, her mother and aunt didn't know the bathroom was occupied and that was where they were sending her to get changed. He quickly stepped inside the bathtub and waited for her.

The door opened slightly and Chetna walked in with a helpless expression on her face. Siddharth gave her a comforting smile and gestured to let her know she could trust him and then turned around to face the wall. 

Outside they could hear her mother and aunt conversing about the state of Chetna's room and what an irresponsible girl she was.

"I guess it is the perfect place to hide that necklace, right Bua?" she called out from inside. 

Siddharth couldn't help but smile when the conversation lowered in volume at her remark. They were most probably muttering about her insolence. 

"Alright I am getting changed now," she called out again but this he knew was for his benefit. 

He stayed as motionless as possible so she wouldn't get too uncomfortable with the knowledge that he was in the bathroom. It was, though, to be fair, her idea to invite him to her room. 

He would also be lying if a tiny part of him wasn't tempted to turn around and get a quick peek but he was above all else a gentleman. He waited patiently till she opened the bathroom door to show her aunt and mother what the outfit looked like and heard their comments. 

"Why are there two cups here?" her aunt asked suddenly in the middle of the conversation.

"Because, uh, I wanted two cups of chai Bua. Is that okay with you or is that also a problem?" Chetna said managing to sound confident. 

She hmm'd and they decided that the dress would do. After a few more sentences of instructions they finally left the room. 

The bathroom door opened again and Chetna peeked in. 

"They're gone. You can come out." 

Siddharth quickly stepped out of the bathtub, which was starting to feel a little cramped the longer he stayed in. He walked out and saw Chetna in the outfit she was made to put on. It was a long blue kurta with silver detailing. She looked beautiful in it but he refrained from commenting recalling how awkward it had gotten the last time he had said she was beautiful. 

"So sorry about that. I thought everybody would be downstairs longer," she explained.

"No worries. I get it," he said. 

"Thank you," she said after a pause, "for putting up with my shit."

"The same goes for you Ms Haldar, thank you for listening," he said. 

And for a moment it was like they hadn't been interrupted by her relatives. Siddharth knew he was treading dangerous territory with her now so he tore himself away from her wide eyed gaze and said,

"I should get going now."

"Yeah," she said airily and hopped towards the door. She took a quick look around in the hallway, "It's safe. Go on."

Siddharth nodded and walked out.

"This was nice," he said. 

"We should meet up for a drink tomorrow too. After the Puja?" she asked.

"Yes," he said quickly. 

They smiled at each other one last time before he rounded the hallway towards the lift. He saw his mother walking towards him. 

"You seem happy," she remarked as they stood in wait for the lift to ascend. 

"No I don't," he said defensively. 

"Huh, sure," she said and gave him a knowing smile.