-• hello, esther •-

Luckily, Dad chooses that time to come out. I quickly look over at him, the worry in my mind replacing with pity when I see his red rimmed eyes, now confused as they take in the scene. "What's happening here?"

Vivaan and Agastya step aside, revealing Samuel. Poor boy looks like he's one step away from screaming bloody Mary.

"Do we know him?" Dad looks down at me in question.

"Do you not recognise him, Dad?" Vivaan asks, a smile on his lips, but his eyes narrow in slits. Someone save my ex-crush from the cruelty of my brothers.

Dad looks at Sam carefully and then shakes his head. "I don't. Who's he?" He glances down at me before his gaze strays towards Janet in the room. "Oh, you're here too. Hi, darling."

"Hello, uncle." My bestfriend greets sweetly, like she didn't just throw me and my old crush under a running bus. I'd rather have a thousand enemies than a friend like her.

"Is he your brother?" Dad inquires further.

"Oh, no, Dad," Agastya chuckles and swings an arm over Sam's shoulders, we both flinch at the action. I'm not even in his shoes but I can feel the weight of that arm crushing my willpower. I've experienced it when I was caught with Atharva in the cafe. "It's the guy your little star had a crush on. It's Sam." He squeezes the boy's shoulder. I can see Samuel's knees tremble. He looks at me like the victim of the century and my heart breaks.

"Can you guys stop, please?" I rush in and throw off Agastya's arm, grabbing Sam's wrist before I pull him behind me.

"Tara," Vivaan calls out sternly.

"We're over." I say, then grimace. It sounded like we were in a full fledged relationship that ended with an official break-up. "We never started to begin with. The kiss, I consented to it, okay? He didn't force me." Agastya scowls. "And he has got a girlfriend now." I state, releasing a breath when I see Vivaan's shoulders relax.

"Oh, no, they broke up. He's single now." Janet chirps.

"Janet!" I snap. She flinches. "Shut. Up." Bitch.

She places a finger on her lips, the unmistakable glow of mischief shining on her face. Let me clean up the mess she has opened up in front of my brothers, and then I'll deal with her.

"Whatever it was, it's over." I glance between my brothers. "Yes, Sam?" I look over my shoulder. "Tell them you don't like me anymore."

He stares at me hesitantly.

I see my brothers stiffen.

"Samuel." I grit out. "Tell them." My eyes narrow at him.

He blinks and clears his throat. "I- I don't."

"See." I focus on my brothers. "It's not fair how you guys behave with the boys around me. Not everyone's out to take advantage of me. If someone tries, you'll be the first to know-" Janet coughs. I shoot her daggers through my eyes and she lifts a thin shoulder in a sheepish shrug. "You should go, Sam." I turn around to face the boy.

"Are- are you back to stay?" He asks in a whisper, his voice evidently laced with fear. But the glares of my brothers doesn't seem scary enough to stop him. I sigh regrettably, having to turn him down. He is a good guy even though we didn't last.

"Yes, I am. But I'm not joining our old school."

"Oh," he murmurs, fiddling with his long fingers. "Alright, I'll see you around then, I guess." He looks up at me, his emerald green eyes sparkling with hope.

"Sure, if time allows."

"I'll go," he steps aside, a faint smile lingering on his lips.

He seems so reluctant to leave. Don't tell me he still feels something towards me? Because, I don't. And I hate saying no to people. Gosh, I'm such a people pleaser.

"Yeah, take care of yourself." I force a smile back.

"You too," he nibbles on his lower lip. "I'll - I'll leave-" He yelps like a helpless kitten when Agastya grabs him by the back of the collar like one does to a cat and shows him out of the door. I rush behind, shoving my brother once he releases Sam on the porch.

"What is wrong with you?" I snap.

"He was taking too damn long." Agastya scoffs out.

"Are you okay?" My gaze hurries back to check up on the poor boy.

"Ye- Yeah," Sam fixes his crumpled collar.

"I'm really sorry. He's usually not so rude-" Sam gives me a look that says he doesn't believe me, so I shut up. "I'll see you later. You should head back home."

Sam nods, turning around and walking out of the old gates. The tension in my body leaves with him. I face Agastya, hitting him on the arm for acting so harsh with Sam. "You're can't do that to my friends!"

"He's no friend, alright." Agastya sneers.

"That's not for you to decide." I stab a finger in his direction, my voice low, fuelled with anger.

"Tara, I'm a guy, and trust me, I know how a boy looks at the girl he is interested in. That boy is no friend. Cut him off and never speak to him again. It's a warning." Agastya growls.

"Order me around like that again and you'll see me picking out guys to date every weekend." I threaten him.

"Sure, just don't question it if you see them walking around with a broken bone the very next day."

I clench my jaw, my hands ball up in fists automatically. I feel the rage blur my rationality, somehow craving unfiltered violence and hence, it's on me to control it. "I'm never calling you Bhai." I spit out. "You don't deserve it." Hurt flashes in his eyes but I don't stop to let it affect me and walk past him with a shove on his shoulder, storming inside my mother's room to look for a bag to pack the remaining important stuff.

I open my mother's wardrobe and grab the clothes and things that can be donated, leaving the ones that cannot be used again. Hearing the shuffling of feet cross the threshold of the room, I pause and look up, meeting Janet's guilty eyes. Yes, be sorry. You instigated the whole thing. And to think I was so excited to meet my bestfriend.

"Tara, I'm sorry. I was just being play-"

"Shut up, Janet. As if you don't know what kind of possesive freaks they are." I snort, throwing the wearable clothes in the suitcase one after another, not even bothering to fold them correctly. It's going to be hard closing that suitcase if I don't arrange the stuff properly. So I maneuver to the edge of the bed and start folding the clothes.

"Tara," Dad's stern voice stops me. I meet his dark, onyx eyes, that regard me with a look of disappointment. "If I can correct him when he speaks wrong about you, don't think I can't do that for him. If you're my child, he's too. And whatever you said just now, hurt him, a lot. He's already not taking it well that he has to leave you and the twins behind. That's not the way to treat your older brother. Go and apologise."

I bunch the fabric in a ball and throw it on the bed. "He started it."

"And you took it too far." He states.

"I was being honest. I didn't know being honest was a problem in this household." Perhaps, I'm taking it too far, but I'm not in the mood to mend things between us. He started it. I'm not humiliating myself by apologising to him when he began giving me the shit first. He can't treat my friends like that just because they're boys. He's in the wrong too.

"Because it's not. But being rude to your elder sibling is."

I chuckle mirthlessly. "Oh, so because I'm younger, I need to take all the shit he gives me? And still respect him? Sorry, Dad, but I'm not doing that. He never respects my privacy! Never."

"Because you're a child -"

"I'm not!" I shout back. "God damnit, I'm seventeen! Stop treating me like a kid! I've learned to take care of myself since I was fifteen! None of you were there when Mom was diagnosed with cancer, none of you even knew I existed while I was waking up at five in the morning, rushing here from Janet's house to make breakfast and lunch for Mom and me, going back and forth between hospital and school, struggling to live the mess that my life was. And in those moments of absolute stress, Sam was leaving candies on my desk, smiling at me across the crowd in the hallways, treating me like a human instead of a pity case! I owe him. And I'm not going to stand back and watch as someone insults him, intimidates him, just because we used to have a crush on each other!"

Dad rubs his temples tiredly. "Why are you not getting the point, Taranya? I'm not defending him. I'm just saying it's not right for you to say that to your brother when he was just looking out for you. He didn't deserve to hear that. You tell me. How would you feel if Janet says you don't deserve to be called her bestfriend during a silly argument? Would that not hurt you?"

I look at Janet, and she swallows, seemingly awkward for having been roped into the middle of the conversation so abruptly. I imagine her saying those words to me and my conscience slaps me in the face for feeling hurt just at the thought of it.

"Do you get the gist of it now? Do you understand how much power words can have on someone's feelings?" He asks rhetorically. "And if you still don't, then I'm ashamed to admit it as a father, but your brothers and I have spoiled you too much." He walks off briskly.

I release a long, shaky breath. "Was I really too harsh?" I turn around and sit down on the bed with a slight huff.

Janet comes to my side, acting careful, like she's afraid I'll pounce on her anytime before she reluctantly sits down beside me. "He was in the wrong too. But you could have handled it patiently. He's obviously just looking out for you. And you told me he's the most worried freak among all. It's only understandable he acts that way around the boy who still looks at you with hearts in his eyes. It doesn't help that your brother is leaving tomorrow morning. He must have got paranoid thinking if something goes wrong he won't be here to protect you."

"Great, thanks for making me feel guilty." I sniffle, picking at the hard skin around my nails.

"What's with the Bhai thing though?" Her pronunciation is way off but I don't correct her. I was just like her in the initial days.

"Honorifics." I mumble. "I call everyone else except the twins and him Bhai. It's the way of addressing your older brother with respect and love."

Her lips fall apart in shock. "And you still call him by his name?"

I shrug. "The first time we met, he didn't treat me right. I decided I'm never calling him Bhai."

"And now?"

"Now if feels weird. I can't call him Bhai." I shake my head. "It makes me cringe."

"Have you even tried to call him that?"

"In my head once or twice. Couldn't say it aloud. I don't know, it's awkward." I shake my head, rejecting the idea immediately. I just can't call him Bhai now. I don't know why. It doesn't sit well with me. I'm used to calling him by his name.

"But-"

"What do you call big brother in your mother tongue?"

"Oppa," she mutters.

"Imagine calling Elliott that." I tell her.

"Eww," her lips twist in disgust. "I can't. And even if wanted to, these stupid young girls have sexualised the word too much. I can't anymore."

"Feels weird, right?" She nods in agreement.

"But still, go and apologise to him. If you want, make him apologise to you. But don't let him return to India with such a sour mood." She advises.

I consider her words for the time we finish packing everything. Then I carry the bags outside the house and see him rolling his eyes at my sight from the passenger seat. I scoff. The audacity of this guy. Ignoring him, I walk to the back of the car and put the boxes inside. Janet joins me.

"Done!" Janet claps her hands once we're finished with the task. "I should head home now-"

"Get in the car, Janet. We'll drop you off." Vivaan says to her.

She smiles in relief. "If it's not a problem," shrugging softly, she gets inside the car on the backseat. I join her, sitting in the middle as Dad is forced to sit in the back along with us since the passenger seat has been claimed by Mr. Arrogant.

"How did you know I was at my old house?" I ask her as Vivaan pulls the car out of the driveway.

"I didn't. I was on my way home from the internet cafe. Our WiFi started to act up this morning." She tells me. "Then I met Sam, and since he needed my chemistry notes, I asked him-" she is cut off by the loud music Agastya puts on. I grit my teeth and lean in between the front seat, turning it low. "Yeah, so, I met him and he offered to come along-" she clamps her lips shut when Agastya increases the volume. I lean in and lower it again.

"Yes, and?" I look at my friend expectantly.

"An-And-" of course she is unable to finish because of my annoying ass brother.

I push myself forward and turn off the music.

He turns it on.

I turn it off.

He turns it on again.

And I turn it off again.

Hence, the fight ensues.

"For the love of God, stop!" Vivaan bellows, almost rattling me from the bones. We all flinch in fear. I look at him shocked, never having expected him to be capable of so much anger. But I guess, too much of anything can even turn the calmest waters into a tsunami. Swallowing, I sink back between my father and best friend, giving up on the tussle. Agastya doesn't try turning on the music either. So I declare myself a winner in my head.

We drop off Janet in front of her house. She waves at me goodbye from the stair of her porch and makes a hand sign of a phone, mouthing call me. I nod back at her. Just as she spins around to ring the doorbell, Vivaan starts driving again.

We stop at the local Bistro to have lunch. I order myself a margherita pizza and some french fries. Agastya gets himself salad and some kind of spinach pasta. Dad and Vivaan order themselves something in French.

I play with the tissue holder in front of me, fixing the corners so they align together. As I look at my creation proudly, a hand shoots out and roughly yanks at the tissue, ruining the whole thing. My jaw drops, eyes settling on Agastya who writes a number on it and hands it to the young waitress blushing by his side, recently having served the table next to us.

I grit my teeth together. "He's here only for tonight." I pipe in, catching their attention to me. "He's leaving tomorrow morning." My hand takes off like a flight. "Back to Asia." I smile at her sweetly.

She looks crestfallen and walks away, throwing the tissue in the dustbin on her way. I grin victoriously.

"What the hell, Tara!?" Agastya grunts.

I ignore him, humming a random tune as I start fixing the tissues again.

"I'm talking to you!" Agastya topples the tissue holder.

I sigh and look at him tiredly.

"What was that?" He demands angrily.

"Agastya -"

"Agastya," I begin, cutting off Vivaan before he can finish. The mentioned nineteen year old gives me his whole attention. "I'm a girl, and trust me, I know how a girl looks at the boy she is interested in. That girl is no friend. Cut her off and never speak to her again. It's a warning." I imitate a deep voice.

He looks at me for a second longer, speechless, but aggravated, just like how I was and then settles on scoffing out an unamused chuckle. Yeah, how does it feel to have the taste of your own medicine? Not that great, right.

"I'm nineteen." He emphasizes.

"Care to tell us at what age did you lose your virginity?" I counter. I already know the answer. Courtesy, Ayush Singh Chauhan.

Agastya blinks, glancing at Dad and Vivaan and shifting on his chair.

"What happened? Got a rust on your memories? Should I refresh them for you?" I smile sarcastically.

"Shut up."

"When did he lose his virginity?" Vivaan asks, a deep frown replacing the calm expression on his face.

"Were you underage?" Dad asks worriedly. "Don't tell me whoever it was with was older than you." He panics. Everyone knows how much the nineteen year old here fancies older women. I smirk.

"Can we drop this topic?" Agastya requests through clenched teeth. "The food will be here -"

"He was fifteen." I reveal.

Dad gasps aloud, Vivaan's elbow slips from the table.

"What is wrong with you!?" Agastya looks at me angrily. "Mind your God damn business!"

"You started it." I retort.

"Agastya, you were fifteen?" Vivaan grabs his shoulder and yanks at it so they face each other. "You told me it was in September last year. Before that whole Shekhawat fiasco!"

"Hey Bhagwan," Dad holds his head in his hands.

"Here's your food," the waiter announces happily, unaware of the tension at the table.

"Who was she?"

"She was in my class. Don't worry. It was not someone older." Agastya answers in a strained voice, shooting me a hateful glare. I poke at the inside of my mouth, doing my best to not laugh at his predicament.

"And you were being a moral police to her?" Vivaan snorts, shaking his head in disgust. "Let's just get done with this because this day has gone from good to worse in matter of hours." He says, serving himself with the food.

Upon returning home, Agastya storms out of the elevator and heads to his room, slamming the door shut, the loud noise resonates throughout the whole house.

Yuvraaj, seated on the couch with the laptop on his lap, looks past the screen dubiously. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Nothing." Vivaan walks away.

"Dad?" He demands.

Dad blinks, "Uhm, it's, actually -"

"Go, you need rest too. I'll explain it to him." My father is such a scaredy cat when it comes to Yuvraaj. For God's sake, that's your son. Where are the power dynamics? He throws me a grateful look and walks off.

Yuvraaj stares at me expectantly.

"Agastya and I got into an argument in the restaurant. Then a little more on our back home. He kept increasing the volume to annoy me and I kept decreasing it. Vivaan Bhai eventually burst."

He sighs in exasperation. "Go and get fresh." He commands.

I nod and scurry to my room, staying there until it was time for dinner. Which proceeds in complete silence. "Can I get the salt shaker?" Agastya asks Arush who's seated beside me. But since the bottle is closer to me, I pick it up and place it beside his plate. He doesn't use it. "Arush?"

Arush has to get up, bend over, grab the salt shaker, sit back down, and then offer it to him again, all while looking like he's about to run for the hills.

I scowl openly at his attitude.

"Did something happen?" Ayush whispers to me.

"He's just being a baby." I answer aloud.

"Didn't ask for your comment." Agastya glowers at me.

"I don't remember talking to you." I deadpan.

"You were talking about me."

"So? Freedom of speech." I shrug.

"Honestly, it's good that I'm leaving tomorrow. I can't stand you anymore." He rolls his eyes.

"Good for you, then." I plaster a sweet on my face, ignoring the prick I feel. "Just don't call me asking, Tara, did you eat? Did you go for the morning run? Is anyone troubling you in the school?"

"Why would I do that for a stranger?"

"Excuse me?" I put the spoon down. "I'm your sister."

"I thought I don't deserved to be called your brother?" He bites back.

"What's happening here? If you want to continue arguing, leave the table at this instant." Yuvraaj commands.

I pick my plate and push the chair back, glaring at Agastya one last time before storming back to my room.

"Tara?" Vivaan calls out. Another chair screeches. "Not you too, Agastya! C'mon it's our last dinner together!" That's all I hear before I close my door shut.

I don't leave my room until next morning when it's their time to leave. I greet everyone goodbye, except you know who, and stand stiffly as they get in the car.

"Tara, you're not meeting him anytime soon." Yuvaan says to me when Agastya goes to open the door of the backseat.

My heart squeezes in my chest.

"You're going to regret letting him go this way." Arush states.

He opens the door and glances at me over the roof of the car.

"C'mon go," Ayush presses his knuckles on my back and I stumble forward. Agastya hesitates to get in, looking at me expectantly.

Fuck it. I'm not about to let go of my brother like this.

I stride upto him and pull him in a bone crushing hug. He wraps his arms around my waist, burying his face in my shoulder, releasing a long, strained, painful sigh, and then embraces me even tighter, almost picking me off the ground.

We pull away a minute later and he tucks the loose curls behind my ear, leaning in to press a long kiss on my forehead. I bunch the front his tshirt in my fist, unable to let him go now that I let go of the anger.

"Miss me, okay?" He whispers cupping my cheeks.

My eyes brim with fresh tears and lips part to exhale sharply.

"Sorry about yesterday." I sniffle, pressing my face into his chest.

"I'm sorry too." He murmurs, hugging me once again. I bask in the feel of his arms, the scent of his body, like a cool, fresh breeze of the first spring morning, oddly comforting. He's my safety net, one that I automatically seek in moments of weakness.

"Get in the car, Agastya." Yuvraaj orders.

Agastya pulls away unwillingly and I let him go unwillingly. But he bends forward and presses a kiss on my cheek, looking at me like I'm made of porcelain, fragile and easily breakable.

"Call me when you reach."

He forces a smile on his face and nods at me. "Take care of yourself."

I release his hand with a gentle squeeze, "You too," and then step back.

He gets in the car. The twins and Yuvaan comes to stand beside me to wave at them before the car finally drives off. With heavy heart I watch it disappear.

"C'mon," Yuvaan ushers us back inside the building. I follow the suit.

"Taranya Chauhan?" The woman at reception calls out. I stop, causing my brothers to stop too and we all look at her. "You received a parcel just a few minutes ago."

I frown. I don't remember ordering anything online. "Are you sure it's for me?"

"Taranya Singh Chauhan, it's you, right?" She looks pretty confident while asking me the question.

"Yeah," I murmur and walk over, receiving the parcel after she makes me sign somewhere. "Thanks," Throwing a polite smile her way, I head back inside with my brothers.

When I'm finally in the privacy of my room, I set the box down and find a pair of scissors in the bedside drawer to cut open all the tapes. A pale pink box, with a pink bow on top reveals itself. I gently take it out and undo the knot, lifting the lid curiously. My mouth falls agape at what I find inside.

Heels.

My phone rings right at that moment. I fish it out of my pocket, nervousness crippling me once I read the name on the screen. I've felt this before, this thrill, this adrenaline, but because of a completely different person.

Answering the call, I press the screen to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Esther." And if his voice had claws, they'd have dug my heart out and watched how excitedly it raced just at the sound of him.

My man fulfilled the promise he made

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment. Makes my day.