All Strings Attached

Chapter Thirty Three

A/N
Please remember to vote and comment, it would mean so much to me. I love to hear your thoughts on the plot/characters/development of the storyline.

Dhushyanth

Sita's phone goes off as soon as we get off the ORR, while we're at the tollgate. She glances at the caller ID, sighs, and rubs her face agitatedly, before silencing the phone and turning it over, face down.

It is fifteen minutes before I receive the phone call I expect. Except, I apparently have the better relationship with her parents, it does not allow me to do what she does, or decline the call.

I answer the call, "hi mama," I greet my father-in-law.

"Hi nanna," he greets back. "Are you and Sita back in the city, yet? I spoke to your dad, he said they're coming on the day after."

"They are, yes," I answer. "We've just entered the city, will be home in about a half hour."

"Very good," he exclaims, "I wanted to see if you would join us for dinner today, or tomorrow. You've not been home since the wedding, and then the elections came up. We miss our daughter very much, even if she doesn't miss us."

I venture a look at the said daughter, who's glaring at me through narrowed eyes. "I'm sure she does too, mama. She's just been very busy too. I could barely convince her to come back to Hyderabad for the week."

"Well, there isn't much left to do now, is there? The votes have already been polled, everything is set in stone."

"I think she just likes Kurnool more than Hyderabad mama," I joke. "She says it's just me and her here, but in Kurnool, she's got more people around- she's had quite the time with friends and family."

"Sita loves being around people," her father agrees, "she has the best time during elections. We missed all the buzzing of Sita, and around Sita, this time for the elections."

I chuckle, looking at the face Sita makes. "No one cares what he thinks," she mouths.

I frown lightly at her, but don't say anything. "I called her just now, she didn't pick up," he mentions.

"Oh, she fell asleep as soon as she got in the car, it's been a hectic few days— I'll have her call you back when she wakes up."

"I noticed you didn't say anything about the dinner," he states, as a matter of fact. "I assume the decision lies with my daughter? Let her know she can be angry all she wants, but all we have are two daughters to call our own."

I eye Sita, who turns her back to me, choosing to look out of the window. "I'll let her know you want to speak to her, mama," I choose my words carefully, knowing I should not make myself a part of this feud between father and daughter.

"Okay," he sighs. "How is she doing, though? Has she been eating okay? I will send over some mangoes and thaati munjalu for the both of you." [thaati munjalu= ice apples]

"She's good," I relay, "tired from the election campaigns, but she's good. I will take care of her, don't you worry."

Sita only turns to look at me after her father and I say our byes and hang up. She raises her eyebrows, a tiny smile playing on her face.

"Chuskuntaava?" [Will you take care of me?]
"Chuskovatleda?" [Am I not taking care of you?]

She nods, teasingly, before leaning back onto my shoulder and pulling my arm around her waist. "Chuskuntunav." [You are.]

I kiss the top of her head, and switch my iPad off and tuck it into the sleeve of the passenger seat, before saying to Sita, "your dad wants to speak to you."