10. haath chodne ke liye thode hi pakda hai. (I did not catch your hand to leave it one day.)

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"Andar aajao. Girna hai kya? (Come inside. Do you want to fall?)" Preeti interrupted with a teasing lilt in her tone.

I tried to move first, failing because I was trapped. While the lack of space between us was exciting, I'm a gentleman and this was something way out of my expertise. She pushed herself back, a futile attempt to add distance between us given the bulging backpack that didn't let her move. Our eyes met as a string of awkwardness lingered between us.

We both tried again, at the same time, and ended up knocking our heads into each other.

"Ow!" She grunted, clasping her forehead and shrinking her head like a turtle.

I gasped. "Shit! I'm so sorry!" I held her shoulders, cupping her cheek to tilt her head up so I can see the extent of damage my thick skull has caused. Literally. She looked up, and we both froze. My hand fell back to my side, clenching and unclenching at the thought of having the audacity to touch her without any consideration on both sides.

She blinked, I blinked and we both looked away in the opposite directions.

"Are- Are you okay?" I whispered, turning my head to face her.

She nodded timidly.

Preeti chuckled at our expense. "Give the bag to me." She held out her hand, helping Priya shrug off the backpack from her shoulders. In doing so, she leaned into me and her forehead slightly touched my throat. I flattened myself to the wall, hands pressed by my sides curling into fists. Then she moved away and I breathed out in relief. Priya disappeared inside, leaving me to deal with her younger sister's wiggling brows and playful eyes. I passed the woman a forced smile, escaping past her without making it obvious.

"Aisi speed se toh mein agle janam tak mausi nahi banane vaali, (Considering the speed, I'm not becoming an Aunt until my next birth.)" I heard Preeti comment as she entered the compartment along with me. My cheeks colored and I rushed in, settling on my seat beside the window.

"Are you okay?" Bhai asked worriedly.

I turned to face him. "Huh?"

"You're all red. Is it the heat? Do you need sunscreen?" He inquired.

I shook my head. "I'm fine," I mumbled, meeting Priya's eyes for a split second before focusing back out of the window.

Despite promising there will be no work bearers on the trip, Priya and Bhai had their laptops out. Preeti was busy on her phone, so I plugged in my earphones and put my liked songs on shuffle. The gentle sway of the train lulled me to sleep.

"Adi?"

"Adi!" A tap on my shoulder jerked me awake. I yawned, clamping my mouth shut when I noticed Priya right in front of me. I blinked rapidly, embarrassed that she had to see my sleepy face that I know, and Vikram is the witness of, is not a pleasant sight to watch. Bhai offered me a bottle of water for which I thanked him. Twisting open the cap, I let the cool water soothe my dry throat. "How much more time?"

"It's not even been an hour yet." Preeti snorted.

"It's a one-day five hours travel," Priya answered.

I sighed, rubbing my face with both of my hands.

I'm hungry.

"When will be lunch served?" I asked anyone willing to answer.

"At one," Preeti replied. "I'm hungry too." She added with a pout.

"I'm sure Mom has packed something to eat." Bhai closed his laptop and put it aside. "I'll go and-"

"That's okay." Priya stopped him. "The bag I had on me? Where is it?" She asked Preeti.

Bhai sat down reluctantly.

Preeti handed the bag over.

Priya unzipped it and pulled out two tiffin boxes. I sat straight in anticipation. She opened both of them and placed them on the little pull table between the windows. It had sandwiches and parathas. "I made them this morning -" before she could finish, the three of us had allowed ourselves to dig in. "Enjoy," she smiled softly.

"Thank you," I raised my hand a little, highlighting the sandwich before I took a huge bite of it. "It's delicious."

She nodded back, acknowledging the compliment.

"Thanks," Bhai whispered.

"Ugh, this is so good! I love you, Di!" Preeti hugged her sideways, almost squeezing her hard. Priya chuckled, patting the arm Preet had around her front.

In less than fifteen minutes, we had emptied both the tiffin boxes. Priya closed them and put them back inside the bag. The three of us left the compartment to wash our hands. When we came back, Preeti rushed past me and settled herself on my seat. I stood stunned at the doorstep. She grinned wide at me while pulling her legs up and folding them across.

"Preeti!"

"What?" She looked at her elder sister.

"That's not your seat. Come here." Priya called her back.

"But I like it here more. It has a window."

"You can take this window." Priya attempted to move, wordlessly giving up on her seat.

"But I like this window better." Preeti shrugged.

"Preeti-"

I sighed and sat down beside her. Priya looked at me, holding eye contact for less than a few seconds before she scooted back to her position. "Sorry about her."

"It's okay," I murmured and fished out my phone to distract myself. Not even a minute had passed and Preeti spoke up again.

"Look up!"

Priya and I followed.

"Gotcha!" Preeti giggled. "You both look so surprised. I need one with a smile!" She demanded. "Once again."

"Preeti, cut it out -"

"Smile," Preeti repeated.

Priya sighed in defeat.

"It's okay. It's just a picture." I mumbled though I was losing it in my mind. There's a reason why I'm so camera conscious. My photos don't look good. I look like a skinned potato that's been discarded after boiling too much.

We both leaned in together, looking at the camera.

"Guys, smile!" Preeti huffed.

I forced a smile on my face.

Preeti grunted. "Oh, c'mon Di, at least he is trying! You're making zero efforts!"

I looked at Priya and chuckled. And I thought I was worse when it comes to photos. Priya looks like if she moved, the world will collapse around her. I startled when she looked at me with an offended face.

"What?"

"Nothing," I shook my head, failing to hide my smile.

"You're laughing."

"I guess you're not a camera person either," I shrugged.

She rolled her eyes and looked back at the camera. Was she seriously throwing a tantrum right now? I never thought Priya Mathur could act childish.

"Di!" Preeti complained in annoyance.

"Just take a picture already or I'm going back to my work!" Priya warned.

I leaned in slightly. "Priya,"

She turned her head to meet my eyes.

"Smile or I'm stealing your seventy-five rupees change," I said in a serious voice.

Despite her resistance, because I could see the struggle on her face, she chuckled. I felt a smile come on my face at the sight of her. "Here!" We both looked back at the camera, finally giving Preeti the satisfaction of fulfilling the requirements of her temporary job. "Perfect!"

"Excuse me," Bhai got up and left.

Priya went back to her work while I scrolled through my Instagram account. Sometime later, Preeti tapped on my knee and invited me to sit beside her. I obliged.

"See, I edited them." She shoved her phone into my hands.

I was gobsmacked seeing the pictures. There was no way I looked this handsome. "What app did you use?" I asked her in awe.

"That's a secret!" She winked at me. "But did you like them?"

"They came out amazing!" I swiped to the next photos.

The door to our compartment slid open and Bhai entered, looking at me and my empty seat in confusion.

"Sit there for a minute." I requested him and looked back down at the phone. "Tell me the app,"

"No," she snatched the phone from my hands.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to." She squared her shoulders proudly.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the phone from her hands. "Let me see the pictures again," I said, while in reality I just wanted to check for a watermark or something that'll give out the app identity. Preeti leaned into my side, watching the photos as I swiped through them. I accidentally landed on a video.

"Tell me! Do you like him!?" Preeti asked, keeping the camera focused on her sister.

"Not that!" Preeti tried to take the phone back. I held the phone away from her reach, watching as the video played out on the screen.

"Aditya, don't!"

"Tell me, na!" Preeti whined in the video.

"Just leave me alone, Preeti. I've work!"

"Tell me and I'll go!" Preeti insisted.

"What is it!?" Priya snapped.

"Do you like Adi?"

"Adi, please. Di will kill me." Preeti begged in a whisper.

"What kind of question is that?" Priya in the video blushed.

"Just answer me!"

"No! Now shut up!"

My stomach dropped. I turned off the phone and handed it back to Preeti. So much for curiosity. This was humiliating.

"Sorry," I said to the girls who stared at me with stunned faces. "Excuse me," I forced a smile and left the compartment. "Ugh!" I cupped my face in embarrassment, storming off towards the entrance of the train. The winds cooled me down but the humiliation was still burning me from within.

What did I even expect to hear!?

Yes, I like him so much!?

God, I should have just handed the phone back when Preeti was asking for it. Who knew instead of them, it was me inviting the embarrassment on myself. Should I just jump off the train and die!?

"Aditya,"

I stiffened. "Can you- Can you just leave me alone for a moment?" I requested pathetically.

"She was eating my head off with that stupid video so I just said it to get her off my back."

You could have said the opposite but okay.

I nodded, pretending it was okay and I wasn't hurt or embarrassed.

"Aditya, I'm sorry," she whispered.

The guilt in her voice made me feel guilty. With a sigh, I turned and plastered a fake comforting smile on my face. "Hey, it's okay. It's been what? Two weeks we've known each other? In fact, I'm sorry for watching that video. I clearly had none of your consents."

She held out the phone to me. "Now you do." She placed it in my hands and dashed back inside. I frowned looking at the device on my palm. Does she want me to re-watch the video and feel rejected all over again? The video was paused right from where I had stopped watching so I resumed playing.

"No!? Is that your answer?" Preeti asked in disbelief.

"Yes!"

"Alright, I'm calling him and letting him know we're not interested in him anymore. He can find himself someone else." Preeti said nonchalantly.

"No!" Priya exclaimed, getting off her chair in an instant. For the next few minutes, I could only see the blurred pixels and some snippets of their room and clothes as the two fought like wrestlers for the phone. I chuckled. Who would have believed the Mathur sisters act like typical siblings behind closed doors?

"Got it!" Preeti held the phone over their faces, the two sisters spent and exhausted as they laid side by side on the bed. "Now, either you answer the question honestly or I'm calling Aditya and telling him you don't like him!"

"Shut up!" Priya snapped back.

"Ah? What's with the attitude? Do you want me to really call him?"

"No!"

"So that means you like him, right?"

"I-" she stammered, looking anywhere but the camera.

"You?"

"I- I - I hate you!" She got up to leave.

"Do you see that, Adi?" Preeti switched the cameras, focusing it on Priya who had her face covered as she left the room in a hurry. "That's what you're dealing with for the rest of your life. All the best, dude!" The video went to its initial thumbnail.

I dropped my hand with the phone clutched in my palm. My smile stretched even longer and I leaned against the wall beside the entrance, raking a hand through my wind-ruffled hair.

She did not say it.

And no seems to be her favourite word.

Yet I could not stop grinning. This was even better. I don't know why but now I like her more. There was a side of her in the video she hasn't shown me yet. And it was because of me. She was rude one second, bashful the next, shy another, and embarrassed in the next instant. It was amusing the emotions she went through at the mention of me. Maybe I was looking at the side that didn't even exist. Maybe it isn't as deep as I was making it out to be. But I have got a reader's mind, and if I was reading correctly, then even though with a rough start, we have a great story to tell so far.

I turned to walk back inside. She was coming out of her Uncle and Aunt's compartment when she spotted me, froze, and turned right back around to march inside. I blinked in surprise. With a shake of my head and a smile I couldn't wipe off my face, I entered our compartment. Bhai and Preeti looked up worriedly, watching me as I sat down in my place.

"Your phone," I held out.

She quickly took it.

"Are you okay?" Bhai questioned.

I smiled at him. "I wasn't," Priya entered, hesitating at the doorstep. "But now I'm perfectly fine." Our eyes met and stayed connected for more than a second before she looked away and entered to grab her seat beside me.

Before the awkwardness could settle in, we were served our lunch. Preeti insisted on watching a movie while we ate. None of us resisted. It was a lot better than trying to come up with a topic while hearing each other chew their food.

After the movie, we went back to do our own thing. I plugged in the earphones and tried to fall asleep. It was uncomfortable with my head lolling back and forth, so I was woken up quite a few times. Then like a miracle, I fell fast asleep.

When I woke up, I realised the reason why I wasn't disturbed. My head had found its resting point on her shoulder and she didn't push me away. "I'm sorry," I pulled away immediately, rubbing the sleep off my eyes.

"It's okay," she murmured, rolling her shoulder. We both heard a crack.

I smiled sheepishly. "I'm really sorry. You should have woken me up."

"We tried but she didn't let us." Meghna piped in.

Wait, Meghna?

"What are you doing here!?" I grimaced.

"Bhai asked me to replace his seat with mine." She shrugged, sounding smug.

"Ugh," I scrunched my nose in disgust.

"Don't make that face, you pig! My company is a lot better than yours!" She kicked me in the shin.

"Ow!" I pulled my knee up, rubbing the spot she had inflicted pain on with her elephant-sized leg.

"Such a sissy," she scoffed.

"Try punching yourself in the face sometimes. You'll realise how desperately in need of diet you are, you expanding waste of space!"

She gasped. "Are you calling me fat!?"

"Not me. But your mirror indeed is."

"Shut up, you monkey!"

"Ever heard of Freedom of Speech, you whale!?"

"At least I don't have a memory of a goldfish, you dimwit!"

"I rather have the memory of a goldfish than remember your existence. How traumatising." I shivered dramatically.

She made a face of crying and stormed out of the compartment. "Good riddance." I scoffed out a chuckle and leaned back smugly. My smile dropped feeling two pairs of wide eyes glued to me.

"That was amazing!" Preeti clapped sounding impressed. "Teach me your skills, Prabhu!" She joined her hands together and bowed to me.

I chuckled awkwardly. "Stop that."

The door slid open and Bhai entered. "What did you say to her? She was on the verge of crying." He sat down beside Preeti.

"She started it." I shrugged anymore.

"She said otherwise."

"She is lying," I said bluntly.

He narrowed his eyes at me. I didn't fall for his intimidation so he gave up pretty soon.

When the night fell, Bhai asked if he could take the upper berth since Preeti wasn't looking to fall asleep anytime soon. She told him to go ahead.

"Do you usually start fights with her?" Priya asked, closing her laptop and putting it in her backpack.

"With who? Meghna?"

She nodded. "That sounded like something you two do on daily basis."

I chuckled. "She likes getting on my nerves but she can never keep up with our arguments. So she either mocks me or goes crying back to our parents. She is dad's favourite, so she knows he'll always have her back."

"And you're mom's favourite?"

I laughed. "No," I shook my head.

Her brows shot up in surprise. "No? But I thought-"

"Bhai is mom's favourite. I hang in between." I swung my palm up and down sideways. "Don't look so concerned. I wasn't neglected as a child. My parents love me."

Her face transformed into one of relief.

"By the way, I wanted to ask you something." She gave me her attention. "Were you and Bhai acquainted for long?"

"For two years." She answered.

I nodded. "He is very efficient, isn't he?"

She hummed. "Definitely. He was my first mentor in the practical world. I learned a lot from him."

"Were you close?" My stomach clenched at the thought. It was obvious they aren't. If they were, the two wouldn't have drifted apart. But I still couldn't help the flicker of jealousy that crosses my mind every time the words of my mother and Vikram haunts me.

"Professionally, yes. Personally, not at all. I was surprised to find out you're brothers."

I nodded, relieved for some reason. "Now you're personally close as well."

"Not yet." She smiled.

"Soon," I answered.

She bit her lower lip and turned away, ignoring my lingering gaze.

I poked the inside of my cheek with my tongue, looking to my left to hide the smile growing on my lips.

Did I just flirt?

Did she just shy away!?

"I'm going to sleep," she announced softly and got up. "Can I use the upper berth?" She asked me. I nodded, scooting towards the window to make space for her. She climbed the stairs and heaved herself up.

I turned the lights off, lying on my seat with my phone unlocked.

"You two are cute but so slow," Preeti commented in a whisper.

"Shut up and go to sleep." I scolded like I would scold Meghna. They act the same. I don't see the difference except for the face. One has a more pleasant smile while the other looks like a copy of Pennywise. That being my sister if you don't know already.

"Yes, Ji-Ja-Ji!" She sang, giggling to herself before she turned off her phone and turned to the other side.

Since I had caught enough sleep during the day, my eyes were stark open. I opened my mobile Netflix and scrolled through different movies. I stopped on Drishyam. Vikram had been nagging me to watch the movie. Saying it may not be the typical romantic comedy I prefer, but it's worth watching. I had been putting it off for when I've leisure time. Now I do a lot.

An hour into the movie and I was invested. So much that I didn't notice Priya trying to climb down the stairs. Only when she yelped did I fling the phone aside and got up, holding her by the waist to save her fall. "Thanks!" She panted, taking my hand to get down slowly.

"You should have told me to turn on the lights," I said with a frown.

"I didn't want to disturb you." She mumbled.

"I wasn't doing anything important." I sighed. "Do you need to use the washroom?"

She nodded.

I walked her towards the door and opened it. She stepped out, clutching my hand tighter when I attempted to let go. "It's - It's dark," her complaining voice made me smile.

"C'mon, I'll walk you to the washroom. Who switched off the lights in the hallway anyway?" I frowned, taking the lead to manoeuvre us through the dark.

I entered first and located the switchboard. After I turned on the lights, I stepped outside and nodded at her to walk in.

She headed inside, clutching the edge of the door to push it close. I raised a brow when she left a slit open and peeked out. "Don't go anywhere." She warned me in a small voice before slamming the door close. I chuckled.

She opened the door in less than a minute. I held out my hand for her and she took it hesitantly. We both walked back to our compartment. I hadn't expected to hold her hand for the first time in such a situation. I had dreamt of a more cheesy version. Like a movie date or a stroll. Not when I need to walk her to the washroom and then back to her bed. But I love this more.

"Let me see if there is any switchboard here," I said upon returning to the hallway with her behind me. She waited patiently as I looked around for the switches. I finally found it on the left wall. Lights filled in the hallway, replacing the darkness that had blinded us a few minutes ago.

"Thank God," she said in relief, still clinging to my arm.

"You should go inside. I'll stay outside for a while. I'm not sleepy."

"Oh," she pulled her hands away and stepped back. "Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I smiled at her, watching her walk back towards our compartment. I turned and made my way towards the entrance doors, stopping beside and enjoying the view provided by the rectangular glass section. The sound of footsteps made me turn my head and my brows shot up in surprise when I saw Priya standing awkwardly at the threshold of the hallway. "What happened?"

She bit her lower lip. "It's- I'm not sleepy either."

"You could have used the hallway lights to locate the switch."

That's right between the windows.

"Oh, right!" She exclaimed and turned, before whipping back around. "That's not why I came here. I'm really not sleepy." She said with a straight face.

I chuckled. "It's okay. We all have our dumb moments sometimes."

She looked down at her feet, fiddling with her thumbs coyly.

"Come here, Priya," I said, faking the confidence I didn't have. "Stand here with me." I pointed at the spot in front of me. She walked up slowly and stood across from me. "Look at the view outside, it's beautiful."

She turned her head, staring at the passing city lights that ran for miles.

"I hope you don't think this is a waste of time as well."

She met my eyes. "If it doesn't have a purpose, it's a waste of time."

"It has a purpose," I nodded.

"How so?"

"We're making memories." I smiled at her.

She smiled back. "That's true. I appreciate people like you who can satiate others' curiosity. Every time I ask Preeti why we need to take walks when she can come to the gym with me every morning, she always says because this is different. When I ask how, she says it just is." She shrugged.

"I'll try my best to keep up with your questions." I joked.

She chuckled, turning her head to stare back outside the window.

We headed back a few minutes later. I didn't want to but she looked like she will doze off any minute. We entered the compartment and I offered my hand to her. She took it, waiting patiently as I switched on the lights before helping her go back to the bed.

"Careful," I murmured as she climbed the stairs to the upper berth. "Next time you need me, no matter if I'm asleep or doing something important, let me know. I'll help you."

She stared at me for a while, not answering me.

"What?"

She shook her head and laid down, pulling the comforter over her shoulders. "Good night, Aditya."

"Good night, Priya."

Why are they so effin cute 😭 like why!?

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