His Guiding Star

Fourteen

Manha

Something had shifted in the air and between Aaban and I since that night. Suddenly, the gigantic house didn't feel so cold and desolate; it felt warmer. It was like flowers could start sprouting in corners and I won't even bat an eyelash at it. Aaban had grown warmer, nicer, and it was like his house had shifted to keep up with it's owner.

I was on my back on my bed, my phone above my face as I scrolled, bored out of my wits. If I'd been tired during the wedding functions, wishing for all of them to end, no one had told me how bleak everything else that came after it was. I couldn't imagine that to be a case if you lived with more people than just your husband-who lived on a different floor altogether-and in a house that wasn't so big that I felt like I would discover a new room each time I went to explore. As fun as it seemed, it was rather lonely.

Suddenly, the door swung open hard enough to hit the wall behind it, and though it could be none other than Aaban who would have barged in, I was still appalled at his shamelessness-or maybe I wasn't. He was always shameless.

From the force of his unexpected entry, the phone fell from my hand and landed on my face, and it felt like my nose had broken. I rubbed it with a wince as I sat up to regard him, annoyed at him yet grateful that he'd come to me first before I had to go to him since the loneliness felt like it would drive me insane.

But he was on the phone, holding the door knob with one hand. "Yes. Yes, Appi. Eshu already told me... time pe hi aayenge." He paused and looked at me like he hadn't expected to see me even though he was standing in my room. "Okay, bye."

He walked closer and I could hear his sister's scolding as she said, "yeh 'bye' kya hota hai? Allah hafiz bola karo."

*"What's this 'bye'? You should said Allah hafiz."

I stifled a giggle as his ears went red and he cast a narrow-eyed glance at me with a scowl formed on his mouth. "Yes, yes, okay. Allah hafiz aapko aur aapke khandaan ko."

*"Allah hafiz to you and your family."

Then he went and flopped down on my bed. I scooted backwards as he fell down, splaying out wide on the messy blankets like he was going to create snow angels in them. He looked up at me. "What's so funny?" He asked, and though he tried to sound serious, I could see the mirth swirling in his eyes.

I propped my chin up on my hand. "You being twenty-seven and still getting scolded by your sister like you're seven."

However, that reply seemed to delight him even more as he shifted onto his side, sliding an arm under his head to hold it up. "Been googling me, Manha?"

My eyes went round at the accusation. "What?"

His hand slithered across the blankets like it was reaching for my ankle-bare ankle because my trousers had ridden up. I immediately threw the blanket over myself. "How else would you know my age?"

It was an instinctive reaction to immediately defend myself. "I-no."

"Mhm," he didn't sound convinced as he hummed, his eyes sparkling brighter. "But we can talk about what else you've been searching about me later. For now, you should get ready for dinner at Eliza Appi's place."