"Now that the will is being processed, you need to be more careful. The arrangements are made." Arjun said.

I laughed. "Funny, right? How life gets messed up all of a sudden? One minute I am quietly living my life and now I have to worry about a stupid will."

He looked at me in surprise. "Our life isn't messed up all of a sudden, like you think. Our own family has laid the foundation, brick by brick. So don't you worry."

"That's very reassuring."

He only laughed, and I surmised that since he'd known longer, he was already cool with it. I could use a little time; maybe a few years, ha, to finally deal with it. 

But was it something that time could actually heal?

The whole thing was still  pretty mind blowing.

"Sorry guys, it took a while to clean the counters, and a lot of people came to chat with me and ask for the recipe." Shruthi said, coming out nowhere of a sudden, and we had to stop with our little chat. "But I got you both a small sample!"

She then cut a piece of whatever she'd cooked for the competition, honestly I couldn't remember, nor I could I really taste it, because my heart felt like it dragged the weight of my whole body with it.. The gesturewas so loving and so sweet that both Arjun and I felt like our heart would break into a million pieces. I knew he did, I could tell just by looking at him.

She sensed that I wasn't myself. "What's wrong Anu? Why do you look like that?"

I was unsure what to say. "I just...missed my mom for a second there. She'd have loved it." It wasn't the truth, but it wasn't far from it."

At the mention of my mom, her face crumbled a bit. "She would have. She was such a wonderful cook. She was the one who made me fall in love with cooking!"

"Yes." I said.

"That reminds me, Anu. I'll return the rest of your mom's recipe diaries sometime later." She said, changing the subject. She knew how to divert things when it got awkward.

"Sure..I don't mind, since I don't use them anyway." I said. "You can just take them, you know. At least her legacy is alive and all." I said.

"Really?" She beamed.

"Yes, really."

"Then I hope you segregate her cooking book and her journals, Anu. The last time I took a few, I'd taken her daily financial journal by mistake. I was so afraid it might be of use to you, since you were just moving your house, that as soon as I realised it, I came back to return it." She said.

I chuckled. "Really? When did it even happen?"

"Oh! You weren't at home that time. Only your dad was. Your dad was so busy watching the cricket match that he suggested that I put it on the shelf myself."

"Oh!"

"Shruthi, I think we must leave soon, we can't simply keep chatting here." Arjun said.

"Hey, dude! Don't you worry, for I'll definitely tell her the rest of the story. You're embarrassed, aren't you?" She hit his elbow playfully.

"You want to know what happened after that, Anu? I begged him to drop me at your house to return the book, and he wouldn't have it, saying he had things to do. But I convinced him anyway, and we b-dashed to your house together! But when I came back, he wasn't there! I had to pay two hundred for the auto, you know! He just deserted me l"

My laugh became fake. "Hahahaha."

Arjun turned motioned to us to us. "First I'll drop you and then I'll drop Anu on my way home." He said to Shruthi

The car journey passed in silence, well Arjun and me were silent. And then Shruthi got down after a dozen goodbyes.

"You bastard! You put that damned picture in the book!" I said, the words consuming me internally, for I'd been dying to say them for a while. "You didn't want to get caught by dad, and that's why you left her alone at my house."

He remained silent, and continued driving the car.

The fact that he didn't deny it was proof enough. Slowly, the tears trickled from my eyes. It was as if I'd even lost the ability to cry fully to my heart's content.

"Why can't you ever do normal things? Why didn't just come up to me and talk to me?"

"Anu, let me speak-" He began.

"No! You let me speak! I was finally happy that there was at least someone, my own sibling, who I could trust. And finally have a chance at a bit of happiness. And then I find out about this! Just how long have you been planning this?" I said.

"Listen to me, first.I swear it was the spur of the moment. For a while I was debating on how to break it to you. And all of a sudden, an opportunity was presented on its own." He said.

"My god! You are so manipulative!" I said, in disbelief. It was one thing to find the picture of my dad with the lady. It was another thing to find out that it was my brother who put it.

He was so damn manipulative, I had no idea what he was always planning in the head of his.

"I don't care what you think." He said.

He brought the car to a halt, and I saw that my house had arrived. Which was surprising, since he was always careful not to venture close by, for he could run into our father.

"Go and bring your documents and certificates, everything important. I'll give you five minutes." He declared

"What? Why?"

"Didn't I say that I've made arrangements for you to stay? You're wasting my time now. The new place is quite small, I accept. But it'll do for now. Once you've settled, I can refer you to a new job somewhere, or you can look for one yourself."

I stood there in disbelief that after everything I'd accused him of, he'd still stand there and say things like that.

"No. I won't."

His face turned stern. "I don't care, if you don't, I'll drag you out myself. Now, five minutes."

I stood there, unfazed. "I won't do that, Arjun. This time, I won't dance to your tunes. I'll make my own decisions and deal with the consequences."

"Don't you understand? I don't want you to deal with the consequences and that is why I am willing to go to any extent for that. Do you think that I am actually enjoying it? That I actually enjoy fooling Shruthi and you? I can't even sleep at night due to the guilt." He said. "Maybe, my methods are a bit rough, but it's all I know. But polite talking and no action won't protect you at the end of the day, which is my number one reason in life, protecting you. I don't care if you think I am cruel or manipulative." He said.

"Wow, what a rant." I taunted. "Like father, like son."

His face turned menacing at the words. "That's the greatest insult you could have given me, Anu. But let's fight about it some other time. Three minutes."

I walked towards the building and knocked on the door. My dad, wasn't holding the usual newspaper in his hand.

"I have something to talk to you, dad." I said.

"What a coincidence. Me too."