53. Him and I
Song of the chapter is Dusk Till Dawn by Zayn ft. Siya
-53-
-Siya Natekar-
-Present-
_______________
Natekar Residence
24 December, 2019
4:30 pm
Yesterday was a blur.
It was Christmas Eve today. People in Delmore were busy decorating their houses with Christmas trees and fairy lights. The roads were fairly empty considering how everyone was already in their respective homes, trying to spend some quality time with their families. Unaware to the danger that lurked behind the shadows at night.
But there was a darkness in Delmore.
It lived among us, like a heavy weight that clings to the town's atmosphere, adhering to it like a second nature. The darkness wasn't exclusive to the atmosphere, it was a part of us too. It resided within us like an ultimate desire of our human nature.
Delmore thrived on the act of pretending everything was alright, when it was not.
And so I wasn't the least bit surprised when my family had reverted back to pretending like a perfect family, not even four days after their daughter had defied them and snuck out of their house with their enemy's son.
They hadn't addressed the incident of that day. I guess they were afraid. Afraid I would do something that would result in a similar fate like Ahaan.
Ahaan. His name brought back strained memories. I knew that we were never that close. Always fighting and competing about one thing or another. And it was true too that I had despised him for being too nosy and uptight.
But now that he was gone, I couldn't help but feel guilty. Guilty, that I had never said anything nice to him. Guilty, that I had never told him that he was an important person in my life. Guilty, that I wasn't there when he needed me.
I looked out the window that was exactly adjacent to his window. The light blue curtains were drawn but I could still make out the 'I love History' poster on the other side of his bed. I sighed.
Just then, my phone's ringtone reverberated around the room. I flinched in surprise. With shaky hands, I grabbed my phone from the bed.
It was Veronica.
With furrowed brows, I clicked accept. " Veronica?"
" Hey.... Siya." Her voice sounded somewhat shaky and quieter than usual. My pulse raced.
" Veronica, is everything okay?"
" Yeah... everything's fine. I just..um.."
" Veronica, it's me. You can tell me anything." I assured, sensing her hesistance.
" Yeah... I...uh...I just wanted to say I'm sorry...for yesterday. I was just upset and I...took it out on you all."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh... that's okay, Veronica. I understand."
" Thanks." Her voice grew softer as she spoke, " Have you spoken to Himanshu?"
I smiled slightly. " We spoke last night after you left."
" Yeah? Um...did he.... I mean....was he angry at me?"
I smiled and shook my head at the situation. " Himanshu can never be angry at you, Veronica."
She breathed and sighed.
" I mean... yeah, he was upset that you left...but I'm sure he understands. After all, he loves you-"
" What?"
My eyes widened as realisation dawned on me. I bit my lip in panic. I shouldn't have said that. Himanshu's gonna kill me.
" Uh... I mean...uh...he loves you as a friend. And he really cares about you. So..."
" Oh...oh.. yeah. Yeah."
I sighed. That was a close call.
" Anyways,...uh...thanks for understanding. I gotta go so.... talk to you later?" She said, her tone faster than usual.
" Yeah...sure.Talk to you later!"
Before I could respond anymore, she cut the call. I furrowed my brows. That was a weird phone call.
Suddenly, a notification lit up on my phone screen. I rubbed my forehead and clicked on it.
It was a message from the UNKNOWN and it read;
' The Final Round :
You're invited to the most exciting supper of your life. Tomorrow at midnight sharp, come to where it all began.
You know what happens if you don't. '
I momentarily froze for a second. What was this psychopath trying to do now? Was he going to reveal himself ? Was this some other sinister plan of his?
Before I could react or call Kartik, Sanchi burst into my room. I glanced at her as I put my phone away. She came and sat beside me on the bed.
" Siya, are you okay?" She asked.
I quirked a brow. Why was she being so nice to me?
" I'm okay." I responded anyway.
She nodded and smiled empathetically. " Are you sure? I mean...you must be distraught by what happened. It's so sad, honestly. Ahaan didn't deserve what came to him."
I gulped down the lump forming in my throat and nodded.
" If you ever wanna talk to somebody, just know that I'm here, alright? "
I looked at her questioningly in an instant. Something was off. Sanchi was never this good to me without a reason.
" Sanchi, why are you being so nice to me?" I moved away a bit. She looked questioningly at me.
" What do you mean, Siya? I'm your sister."
" Yeah, the same sister who has never said one good thing to me unless our parents were in the same room." I said.
" That's how siblings work, silly." She laughed slightly.
" Did you mom put you up to this? I'm sure she did. Mom-"
" Siya, " Sanchi grabbed my arm and looked at me seriously. "Mom didn't put my up to anything. I just came to check up on you because I thought you were going through a rough time. Jeez!"
I could sense by her tone that she was upset. I bit my lip and looked at her apologetically. This situation had me all paranoid.
" I'm sorry, Sanchi. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just.... we've never really been like this, you know. That's why I was a bit weirded out. Sorry."
She looked at me and smiled slightly. " It's okay. I know that I've not been there for you lately or...ever since I've left Delmore. And I apologise for that, Siya. I do."
I nodded as she proceeded to hug me. I hugged her back. At times like this, when I couldn't tell which time I would see a loved one of mine for the last time, I guess there was no point keeping stupid grudges.
As we parted, she grinned at me. " Do you want to accompany me and mom for a little Christmas shopping? "
" Um..." I began hesitantly. I couldn't go with her. I had to meet the others in order to know if they got the invitation too. " I can't. I have to meet with Himanshu today."
She frowned. " Come on, Siya , it's Christmas Eve. You can atleast spend these two days with your family."
" I'm sorry, Sanchi. But considering the recent situation, I'm really not in the mind state to enjoy Christmas this year." I said, feigning innocence.
She pressed her lips into a thin line. " Okay then. We'll drop you off at Himanshu's when we go."
I nodded, trying to ward her off as soon as possible. She smiled and turned to leave, but then stopped on her tracks and looked at me, "Siya, I hope you are smart enough to know that you should keep your distance from Kartik and his family."
I gulped and said, " What makes you say that now?"
" I know you snuck out with him the other day. I didn't tell mom and dad because I thought that would make things worse." Sanchi said.
I breathed a sigh and narrowed my gaze at her. " Sanchi, why do you hate him so much? What happened with grandpa wasn't Kartik's fault. It is idiotic to blame him for something he doesn't even know about. I mean.... I get why dad and mom would hate him...but you are smart and logical. Then why are you behaving this way?"
Her eyes hardened on me for a second before going back to their normal stature. " Siya, there are some things that you don't have a knowledge about, but I do. And as your elder sister, it is my duty to protect you from danger."
I scoffed slightly, " Are you even listening to yourself right now? What are you saying, Sanchi? Danger? Kartik isn't danger, alright? He's not-"
" Look, I know you wanna think that-"
" I don't think that, Sanchi. I know that."
Sanchi crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked sternly at me, " This is not right, Siya. Blindly trusting someone so much like this! You're setting yourself up for a heartbreak."
" I'm not blindly trusting Kartik, Sanchi. I'm trusting him the same way anyone who is in love would."
" In love?" Sanchi almost shrieked, giving me the look of shock. " You're in love with Kartik?"
I stopped for a second and realised what I had just said. I hadn't even admitted to myself that I was in love with Kartik Malhotra. And I couldn't believe that the first person I admitted it to was my sister.
" Yes. I guess I am." I said, trying to contain the smile that was threatening to ricochet on my lips.
Sanchi threw her hands up in the air in frustration. " Oh my god, Siya.... he's been manipulating you this whole time."
" What?"
" Yes, Siya. Are you that dumb to not understand his plan? Boys like Kartik Malhotra don't love girls like us. They prefer girls like Saina or Alishka. Rich, pretty and like them. They look for artificial things in a person, not the person herself. People like him prefer girls who they can show off in front of thei friends." Sanchi said, sneering at me. " Kartik Malhotra doesn't love you, Siya. You're just a pawn in his game. He'll be with you until he gets bored of slimming it with you or when someone better comes along the way."
The rage in my mind transpired like a booming typhoon. I was beyond mad. The veins in my forehead felt like they could burst any minute.
" Siya, I'm telling you. Listen to me! He's not what he seems like-"
Slap!
My hands burned against her right cheek in a moment of utter rage. I glared at her as she looked back at me, shocked and heartbroken.
" You don't have any right to speak about Kartik like that! You don't even know him....how could you say such things about him?"
She stared at me, contemplating her next move considering how angry I was at the moment.
" I love Kartik. He's as much of a family to me as you are, more so right now. And I don't care if you, or mom or dad doesn't like him. You're just gonna have to accept the fact that I do."
There was an uncomfortable silence following that. My breaths grew shallow and uneven. I grabbed my bag from the bed and tucked my phone into my pocket.
As I slung the bag over my shoulder, Sanchi grabbed my arm, " Siya, you can't-"
"Don't push me today, Sanchi." I glared at her, my nails digging deeper into my palms. " Because I will push back."
I jerked off her hands from my arm and walked out of my room.
And for the first time in my seventeen year old existence, I felt free.
_____________
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top