Marry Me

Chapter - 26 THE EXPLOSION

Kiyansh is quiet and lets me drag him to the parking lot without a word. I have never seen him so quiet in my life. I fall back leaning on the cool passenger door and gasp for air like I haven't breathe in a while. I haven't.

His arms brackets around me and he wipes a tear away. "I am sorry." He says, his warm eyes gliding through my face with a feral anger.

"No, you don't have to be." I manage to say, a twisting rag in my stomach.

"Hey." His fingers slide on my face like silk, "I will-"

"Shanvi" a new voice interrupts us. I turn my head to find Kiyansh's mom meandering her way to us in sweatpants and spongebob t-shirt. How did she get here?

Kiyansh looks at me like, I have no idea.

"I am so sorry Beta." She looks at me, and I know she knows. More tears sweat out of my eye, and Kiyansh steps aside so she can hug me. Why can't my mother love me like this?

I hug her warmth and clutch my face on her shoulder.

Minutes pass like this and I hear her say, "Let's get you inside."

I step back and look at her with hurt expression, Kiyansh steps forward and glides his hand with mine, his eyes plunging into his mother, "She is not going anywhere."

I don't know how she does it, because she is Kiyansh's mom or because she is strong, that she doesn't mind Kiyansh looking at her with those eyes, whatever it is, it's a valiant task. Very calmly she points toward the house, "Let's go inside."

Before we both can say anything, she shushes us and says, "We all deserve some explanations," she glares and looks at me like a lioness taking a deer under her wing, "especially you." she says and starts moving towards the way of the house.

A small devilish smile comes on Kiyansh's face. "You are quite right about that mother." And then he determinedly takes my hand in his and says, "Trust me."

I inhale a jagged breath, and wipe my face, "I always trust you."

Kiyansh's mom claps her hand and waves us over like it's some TV show, and says, "Let's get our troops together."

****

We re-enter the house, and my heartbeat picks up a notch. All the nausea and panic starts to tug inside me, I feel half floating in the air, the only thing anchoring me Kiyansh's hand.

The image that greets me is not something that I expected. My mother is sitting on the golden leather couch in our living room with her head in her lap. My dad is sitting far away from her, his face half- red in anger.

Both of their heads perk up at the same time. Dad's eyes shine and he exhales, his eyes look charcoal black, like rain fallen on fresh coal.

I take a deep breath and look at Kiyansh. He nods his head and leaves my hand before squeezing it once.

I move to dad and say the only thing I was thinking since, "I am sorry."

He shakes his head and whispers back, "I am sorry I let you down."

"You never let me down dad. Don't ever say that."

He hugs me and we stay that way for quite a long time. A long silence taking over the room, like there are not five people present. Actually eight when Tanya Tai , Ashraf Kaka and Kiyansh's dad come strolling in the living room from upstairs. They all smile carefully in my direction.

I smile at them but it waivers in the middle.

"You need to talk to your mom." Dad whispers in my ear and lets me go.