Sometimes you meet people who just click. Who seemed to have been meant for you, as if fate carried you along a path where they were waiting for you.
For me, it was first Farhan. Then it was Vivaan. After that, Preeti came into all three of our lives permanently, like another pieces of a puzzle that had been missing. We didn't know we weren't a complete picture yet, but we were still happy. More than happy. There was never a dull moment.
Preeti went to speak to her family again, trying to convince them to let her stay, but they wouldn't hear it even though Preeti had been the one supporting them financially. They said they'd figure something out, but she was never to show her face again, lest she bring shame to them. Before leaving, Preeti gave her aunt the address to our apartment.
The next morning, her aunt showed up, begging for forgiveness. We tried to give them some privacy, but we would still hear the pair weeping as they embraced. Preeti promised her it would be okay, and gave her a large chunk of cash to keep for herself. She told her to come every two weeks so she could give her money, despite her protests.
After that, we were able to focus on us. We took out all of the uncle's things from Preeti's room so she could settle in more comfortably.
We spent a lot of time at Club Karma, where Preeti would go to work, then join us after her shift to party. We cooked dinner in turns, teaching the boys whenever they needed help. Most the time, they chose a recipe and stuck by it so they didn't have to ask us for help.
"We're gonna cook a feast tonight," Vivaan announced one night while him and Farhan prepared the ingredients. Farhan chopped up some onions, and we would see it getting to him. His eyes were watery and he kept sniffing. Vivaan took some vegetable out of the fridge while he grinned at us. It had become a bit of a competition between us to see who could cook better. "You'll see. It'll be better then the roast you made yesterday," Vivaan said to me.
"Yeah, that roast was yuck," Farhan said, despite having devoured a lot of it last night, then sniffed and looked back at his onion.
Preeti and I were splayed across the sofa, our legs stretched out next to each other and a beer in our hands. "Don't cry, Farhan," Preeti said. We both snickered as we watched.
Farhan blinked tears out of his eyes. "It is a pain I must suffer... for this food to be good."
I almost felt sorry enough to go and help him.
Almost.
I stood and headed out to the balcony to finish the rest of my beer so the sight of Farhan wouldn't make me cave in. It had been humid all day today. Dark clouds in the distance promised a storm for tonight and a cold wind was starting to pick up. I leaned against the rail and watched people do some last minute shopping across the street before the rain. There was a sweet shop, a clothing boutique, and a café that I had been wanting to go. Elegant sarees wrapped around mannequins glittered from their windows and caught my eye each time I came onto the balcony. Maybe Preeti and I could go together tomorrow. The café was still open and a couple of customers were seated outdoor, chatting and drinking coffee.
Including two men who averted their gaze as soon as I looked at them.
A chill ran up my spine.
They had been staring directly at me a second before. Maybe they were just casually looking at the person who had just stepped out onto their balcony. But they looked familiar. I had seen them yesterday too, sitting in the same spot... hadn't I?
As I watched, the two men didn't look at me again, and instead seemed to resume their conversation. Four cups of coffees sat on the table between them, two of them still seemed to be full. They'd been sitting there for a while. Was I being paranoid?
ESTÁ A LER
The Arrangement
Ficção geral"That's Vivaan Trivedi. His parents are good friends of ours. Aditi," my mom's face was open with regret as she spoke, "we're going to arrange your marriage with him." Aditi Sharma has spent most of her life doing what her parents wanted. She tries...
