Titaliya

Chapter 29

What the hell was glamping? Arnav looked at the message from Asha. It sounded suspicious. It was good that Veda wasn't alone with the guy, but the thought of her spending an entire weekend with him still brought a frown to his face.

Another message popped up.

Why don't you join us?

Asha somehow still thought Arnav was Veda's boyfriend, or well on the way to being so. He knew Veda wouldn't appreciate the misunderstanding in Asha's mind, but Arnav needed all the help he could get. Before he could agree with her, she sent him an address in Richmond Town.

That must be her grandmother's house. Arnav knew the old lady wouldn't be glad to see him.

I'll just meet you guys at the campsite, he messaged back. Did one call it a campsite? Or was it a glampsite? He shook his head. It had been years since he'd taken a vacation of any kind. He packed some old hiking boots and some clothes into a duffel bag and headed downstairs.

His SUV was there, but there was a giant scratch along the side. Someone had keyed his car. If he had time he would've checked the CCTV footage, but he didn't. Instead, he started the car. Veda and the rest were headed for Doddamakali, and he inputted the destination into the GPS.

Anjali called him as he was on the outskirts of the city, and he picked up the call. He had almost forgotten about her.

"Chote?" she asked.

"Hey, di. I have a lot of work this weekend," he said. "I'll see you on Monday."

Arnav wondered why he had lied as soon as he cut the call. But he knew. His sister had come to accept him prioritizing his work over her, but if she knew that Arnav had chosen another person over her, she would not take it well. His sister had only liked his girlfriends when they were less important to him than her. She was so blinded by her husband's fake adoration she refused to see the truth.

Anjali was a kind person, but she was difficult to live with. Arnav switched his car to the highest gear and raced towards the campsite. Despite everything between them, looking at Veda made him forget his problems.

***

Sanjay was a flirt. Ten minutes after telling her about the girl he was in love with, he had gone to the backseat to sit with Asha and began staring at her unabashedly. Veda spotted him through the rearview mirror, and no amount of clearing her throat or trying to start a conversation could break his gaze. It was lucky Asha was busily on her phone and didn't notice. They got to her grandmother's villa, where her grandmother and Sanjay's parents were having tea on the lawn.

Asha stood behind Veda hesitantly. Sharda stared at the other girl. She knew her from Veda's occasional social media posts, and she seemed a nice enough girl. But she and Sanjay's parents had planned the trip as a way for the two kids to get to know one another. Sharda had even arranged a candlelit dinner. Asha was a nice girl, but she would be a third wheel that was impossible to ignore.

Then again, it was only their first time meeting each other. Perhaps going as a group would make it less uncomfortable. Whatever the case, she couldn't turn down Veda's friend.

"I hope you don't mind that I came along, Mrs. Bharadwaj," Asha said.

"Of course not, dear. You are always welcome," Sharda replied. It was true. It was good that her granddaughter was making friends in college. Her new friends would always be welcome. It was her old ones that she would be tempted to have thrown out if they showed up.

Sharda recalled the day in Paris, waking up and not seeing her granddaughter in the house. She feared that the months of calm she'd created for Veda had been undone in one evening by that man, Arnav. It had been a relief to see her in Bangalore, happy and well-adjusted. As long as he stayed away, everything in her granddaughter's life would be fine.

Sharda shook her head. The man was in Delhi, hours away. He was probably a faded memory to Veda by now. Veda and Asha went to Veda's bedroom and brought out a bag filled with clothes.

"Have fun, kids!"

"Okay, Nani!" Veda yelled back. She sat in the driver's seat and started the engine. Perhaps she would have fun. Sanjay was a lovestruck fool, but she would have Asha by her side. The forest was miles away from everything she was trying to avoid. It would be a peaceful respite for her, a few days away from chaos.

***

Asha didn't notice Sanjay staring at her at first. But when she did, it became discomforting. He looked at her face as if it was a winning lottery ticket. Veda was in the front seat, busy driving.

"Why are you looking at me?" Asha asked.

Sanjay startled. "Oh sorry, I was just thinking."

"Thinking of what?" she asked.

"Just thinking."

Veda's friend was strange. As she looked at his face, she realized he looked familiar. But he wasn't the sort of guy she could know. She'd moved with Veda long enough to start recognizing designer brands when she saw them, and Sanjay wore nothing but the most expensive brands. From his Rolex watch to his handmade oxfords, he reeked of wealth. Asha slid towards the car window and slipped on a pair of earphones.

There was something strange about Sanjay. She couldn't decide if it was a good strange or a bad strange, but it sent alarms ringing in her chest. It was an unfamiliar feeling, and she didn't like unfamiliar things.

They reached the campsite at dusk. They parked their car at the nearby resort and walked to the campsite. Two tents were pitched as near to the edge of the river as possible. Employees were starting a fire in the firepit in front of the tents, and Veda immediately went and started to warm her hands.

"This place is beautiful," she said.

A large wooden picnic table stood between the two tents. On it was their dinner, gourmet food covered with glass cloches, and a bottle of champagne kept in a bucket of ice at the end of the table.

The employee came over and handed her a card.

"Please call this number if you need anything, ma'am. At any time."

"Thank you," she said. She gave him a tip and the employees left.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving," Veda said. She cracked her knuckles after sitting at the picnic table and lifted the lid of the first appetizer. From nearby she smelled something sweet and lifted her head to find the source.

Someone was walking towards them from the resort building. They held a glass container in their hands, and her mouth watered as she saw the orange spirals in the container.

Her Nani knew she liked jalebi, but not that she used to be obsessed with them. It had been a few weeks since she had them. She looked up at the man bringing them.

"Hello, darling," he said.

Writer's Note

I'm afraid this might seem like a fluff chapter of sorts, but I needed to set up something for the big confrontation that's gonna take place in the next few chapters. Hopefully, I pull it off well (meaning I write it well). 

I updated both stories today, yay. Check out the latest chapter of Beastly, if you thought I had abandoned it completely.