Destiny's Gamble

Crackling Tension

Manik shuts the room door, bolting it. He turns around, frown lines creasing his forehead.

"Um...I locked it in case Alya..." He trails off, his meaning already clear to me. My cousin has no control whatsoever over her actions and so she can't be trusted. God knows what her anger, or supposed suffering could lead to. 

"Good thinking," I agree, my gaze landing on the window. She's still out there. When Manik and I came back into the house, Alya was still lying on the ground. Aiyappa, I hope she has enough sense left in her alcohol-clouded brain to reach her room, and not go wandering off out of the gate. 

"I'll just go change," Manik says, making his way towards the bathroom. I nod my head, seating myself on the chair. A few seconds later, I stand up again and begin pacing the length of my room. I crack my knuckles, taking notice of even the slightest of sounds in here. I wonder if she has made her way inside. As much as I hate Alya, worry for her is something that can't be helped. Keeping aside the kind of person she is, she's still my cousin, and I haven't been completely drained of humanity. 

Frowning, I make my way towards the window and push back the curtains. Alya is still lying on the floor, staring up at the sky. Her leg is bent at an odd angle, the six inch red heel of hers resting on its side near her face. Alya's body gives a jerk. Aiyappa, she's going to throw up. I let out a sigh of frustration as I turn around and head towards the room door. I will be a heartless person if I don't go to her aid right now. 

*****

"That's it," I say encouragingly, as I help Alya reach the second floor landing. I hold her in place for a few seconds as I catch my breath. Good heavens, I just lugged the weight of two people up an entire flight of stairs. Well, I guess I'm not as fragile as I look.

"Don't touch me." Alya slurs, making no move whatsoever to release my hold around her. 

"Okay, now we're moving towards your room." I say, pulling her in the direction of our destination. 

"Why are you even in touching distance of me?" Alya asks, her head lolling backwards. "You stole my boyfriend from me. Go screw off." 

"I know your brain's quite cloudy now, but let me remind you that you gave him up." I say, as we reach Alya's room. 

"That was because the money..." She trails off, her eyes completely shutting. Alya's entire body weight falls against my body as if she's just a mere corpse. I push open her room door with my toes and drag her inside. Once she's safely secured under the covers, I turn around, satisfied with the work I've done.

Manik is leaning against the door-frame, watching me. 

"Not even a bitch like Alya can suppress the Angel in you, huh?" He asks, smiling crookedly. I shake my head, my shoulders slouching forwards with fatigue. 

"Aiyappa, just please make this day end already." I pray, as I shut Alya's door. Manik wraps his arm around my shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze. 

*****

"How about trying out a hijab?" Alya suggests, seating herself on the patio chair beside me.

"Do you genuinely find me so interesting that you're always thinking about me, coming up with fashion tips and what not," I say. "Or am I an obsession, perhaps?" 

"You've really grown a tongue after marriage," Alya comments.

"Clearly you didn't know me well enough before," I retort. 

"How's life dealing with Manik?" I flip to the next page of the book I'm reading, unsure as to why Alya can't see just how disinterested I am in holding a conversation with her. "Oh come on, Nandini, I think we should occasionally share bonding sessions to strengthen our family tie." 

"There's not much of it left." To be honest, there never was any. 

"Don't be like this." Alya leans towards me and slaps my book shut. "No matter what you say, we do share a lover." My grip tightens around the edges of the book. They bend outwards, innocent victims of my anger.

"Okay," I say, nodding to myself. "Since you're in such a mood to bond, let's do so. Tell me, why'd you leave Manik? It doesn't seem like you're over him." 

"As if I was ever interested in the man," Alya scoffs, glancing around. "Listen, all I wanted was his money, and someone wrongly told me he's losing it all. Unfortunately, I found out too late that this was misinformation. You'd already tied the knot with him by then." 

"So you broke up with Manik solely based on the fact that he was losing his entire wealth?" I ask incredulously. "And before that you were holding a relationship with him because he was rich." Alya nods as if this is the most common scenario in the world. I watch my cousin with unabashed disgust.

"If America turns people into monsters like you, then I never want to so much as step foot on their soil," I say. "Do you know how ashamed your parents would be if they truly knew the kind of woman you've become?"

"It's not like their opinion makes much of a difference." 

"How'd you keep Manik's interest in you though?" I shoot another question her way. 

"It's not that hard to keep a fool engaged," Alya says, smirking. "He's the most pathetic person I have ever met. Even if a bear opens its arms for Manik, he'll go running into them, and stay there." Before I can register my own actions, I realize I've shot up from my seat and slapped Alya. The sound resonates across the garden, accompanied with my quickened heartbeats. 

"A much deserved one." I turn around to find Manik standing behind me. "Well done, Angel." He claps, sauntering his way over to us. 

"How fucking dare you." Alya hisses, standing up. Her chest is heaving up and down with anger.

"I would sit down if I was you." Manik says, reaching my side. "It's two against one, and quite frankly, you wouldn't want to incite the two of us at the same time. You've seen my anger and if you remember correctly the sight wasn't pleasant at all. Now you've also seen Angel's. Couple those two tempers up..." He trails off, the meaning of his words crystal clear. 

I watch Alya deflate, as she realizes she's on the wrong side. I smile, entwining my fingers with Manik's. I tug on his hand as I turn around, making him do so as well. There's no point in wasting our time with Alya. She's not worth it.

"You're a dumb bitch for thinking Manik and you will last!" Alya yells from behind us. "Do you honestly believe he will keep hanging out with someone like you? A person who's covered across every inch of her skin. A woman who will use makeup only to make herself uglier, and create an even greater disaster altogether. A fucking nun who has no experience in bed." 

Manik's fingers slip out of mine. He turns around, bolting towards Alya. Everything about his stance tells me he's going to hit her. Aiyappa, no.

"Manik!" I yell, rushing after him. However, his long legs move at a much faster rate than my short ones do. "Don't!" His left arm coils backwards, fist tight. I shut my eyes, not wanting to watch the next set of events unfold.