CHAPTER. 2

The shadowed moon glimmered in the ebony sky, reflecting the light of the hidden sun. Sahir gazed at the stars that twinkled in revelry, winking at him and laughing in gaiety.

He and his lover lay on the bed, tangled in silk sheets of silver, the strong arms of the man holding his beloved close.

Laghavi traced airy patterns with her nimble fingers on the muscular chest of her fiancé, looking at him through her long lashes. Sahir glanced down at her, a rare smile on his attractive face. "You called me a week ago to tell me something important but you haven't uttered a word till now. Wonder why that is."

"I keep forgetting." Laghavi laughed softly, snuggling closer to her man and Sahir pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Well now that I've reminded you, perhaps it is a sign that you should tell me." She hummed softly, her fingers trailing along his torso. A gentle silence embraced the two as they slowly began to lose themselves in the labyrinth of their minds.

Sahir had an inkling that whatever Laghavi desired to tell him was somehow related to his youngest sister, Dhvara. Edhas had told him that she had arrived in India a couple of weeks ago, and thought what she was doing here was something he couldn't figure out. She hadn't come to meet him so he assumed whatever she was here for, had nothing to do with him.

It had been six years since he had seen her and he had blandly admitted to his fiancée that more times than not, he had forgotten how she looked. The brief time he had seen her during their argument left the memory of her face twisted in fury and the times before that were too unclear for him to remember.

He had thought that she would resume contact after a couple of months but she didn't, leaving him to wonder if she would ever reach out. So he did, he sent multiple emails and even went as far as letter but there was no response to any of them. Worried for her, he and Edhas sought to find her and finally discovered that she was studying a prestigious course at Yale and was safe.

Thinking that perhaps no contact was best, he had left her to her life and occasionally checked upon her, making sure she was not in need of any necessity. As the years went by, Sahir rarely inquired about her to Edhas and his brother never revealed anything to him which made him think that perhaps their path as siblings had run its course.

But with her unusual arrival, he was left with no clue of what to do. Should he try to meet her and tell her of his marriage? Or should he let her come to him? Did she even know of his marriage? All these arbitrary queries and thoughts left him with no answer and mild headache. He seldom thought of their falling out but on the uncommon times he did (which could be counted on the fingers of one hand), he wondered if he should have stopped Edhas and Vasavi from screaming at her.

Afterall, even she had come from a place of grief. It wasn't her fault that she didn't know the truth. Sahir was the one who didn't tell her and ordered the people who knew not to reveal a single word. But perhaps her leaving was for the best, the lifestyle that he had grown accustomed to along with his brother and cousin was not ideal for his sensitive sister.

Banning any more thoughts of Dhvara, he cleared his mind and refocused his mind on the present, tracing the cheekbones of Laghavi with his knuckles and inhaling deeply. He truly loved her, her patience and composure, the way she held herself optimistically with a realistic ideology. He thought of her as his equal, the one who stood next to him, the one who offered him trust and support and he in return, gave her tenfold of what he received.

"I met Dhvara a few days ago." Laghavi abruptly spoke, sitting up and picking up Sahir's shirt, throwing it over herself. Sahir rested his hands beneath his head, looking at her curiously, his suspicions proving to be right. "And?"

"She seemed like a good woman, a bit nervous and shy but well-meaning nonetheless. Quite honest too, didn't leave any part of her mistake out when she told me of your spat a few years ago." Laghavi said, her voice softening at the edges. He nodded quietly, running a fatigued hand through his hair.

"Dhvara didn't say anything unbecoming, did she?" Sahir enquired, narrowing his gaze at her. She shook her head, "Perhaps rambling but I don't recall her saying anything that was impolite or crude." Laghavi smiled at her soon-to-be-husband, "She was beautiful love, only a year younger than me but god was she so gorgeous."

"Do I sense a rival, a fight to win your love?" He teased, clutching her soft palm in his own coarse one. She rolled her eyes, tapping his chest in mirth and pressed her lips to his cheek. "You know my heart is yours, don't interrupt me." An impish threat was laced in her light tone. It only made him chortle and nodded his head for her to continue.

Raising a finger, Laghavi signaled for him to wait and reached out to the drawer behind her. Slowly sliding it open, she stretched her hands to the very back and pulled out a card, a creased paper and a small box. Gathering them, she turned back to Sahir who seemed perturbed, perhaps for the first time in his life.

"What are these?" He questioned, taking the small black and golden card in his fingers and flipped it over. His eyebrow arched above his amber iris, glancing at his fiancée and back at the thick piece of paper. He quickly scanned it over, mild shock etched into his features.

Turning the card around, he caught sight of her and another man, both of them grinning at the camera. "Dhvara Agnosti, Co-Founder and Mumbai Based." Sahir read aloud, looking at his sister's face. She was indeed very pretty, the effect of strong genes that she had inherited from both her parents. But what stunned him was the uncanny resemblance she held to their mother, before she passed away.

"She looks just like madre, Laghavi." He glanced at his partner, a sudden wave of emotion crashing over him. "For a moment, I thought it was her." Laghavi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and he drew her into a side embrace. "She gave me this card, in hopes that we would meet again." She told him, taking the card in her own hands.

(Madre - Mom/Mother in Italian)

"I'm actually kind of impressed, I googled the company and they're apparently doing well enough for a start-up that was created by two people who were studying full time."

"I know." Sahir said simply and Laghavi furrowed her eyebrows. "I hired their services about a year ago to update the firewalls of Rana Enterprises. I was constantly in touch with Saurav Malhotra," He nodded at the picture of the young man on the card. "I knew there was a co-founder but I didn't know it was her, but now I wonder if she knew it was me and intentionally stayed away."

He would never admit it to his sister but Sahir was immensely proud of her. Samarpana Seva was well on its way to become a renowned infosystems enterprise. If she and her co-founder continued to make well-informed decisions, he had no qualms that people would flock to her corporation.

"What are those?" He gestured towards the thin folded paper and the box. Laghavi smiled slightly, "Open the letter first and the gift next. I think you'll like it."

Sahir gave her a slightly exasperated look but did as she was told anyway. Unfolding the paper, he sniffed the parchment and laughed in amazement. "Scented paper, god she hasn't changed a bit. Fucking scented paper." 

"Mujhe dedo." Laghavi snatched the sheet and inhaled the scent. "Oh my god, you're right." Breathing in the perfume again, "Is that lavender? And vanilla?"

Taking the paper gently from her hands so as not to tear it, he smoothed the wrinkles and scanned the contents. His lips were drawn together tightly with each word he read and he let out a forceful breath, setting the parchment aside. "Customized rings? She should have saved the money for her needs, not for some ludicrous rings."

"Sahir!" Laghavi slapped his shoulder, glaring at him. "She did it out of love, she was still very young when she bought these rings. Appreciate the thought behind it. Dhvara does love you very much, the proof is this letter. She's ashamed of herself but she's trying to repent." Her voice became gentle at the end of her words. "It wasn't only her mistake that night, you know that."

"I know that Laghavi but rings?" He shook his head in exasperation, picking up the box. Gently setting the rings in his palm, he sighed loudly. "These are custom rose gold rings with diamonds. It must have cost her a good fortune! This girl, always dramatic. A simple heartfelt sorry would have sufficed, there wasn't even a need for an apology. If she had proceeded to speak with me normally, we all would have left it in the past. But no, the drama queen doesn't rest until she makes everything more complex than it is!"

Despite the slightly sharp edge to his words, the edges of his lips curved up in a fond manner. "I suppose they are very elegant, perfect to our taste." He grudgingly admitted, setting the wedding bands on the bed. Taking the left hand of Laghavi, he grazed her skin lovingly before taking a hold of her ring finger.

"We never had a proper engagement so perhaps I should thank Dhvara for giving me a chance to rectify that." He mused, slipping the thin ring onto her fingers and looked up at her. Laghavi rolled her eyes and cupped his jaw, brushing her thumb along his cheek. "I love you." She whispered, taking the thicker ring and pushing it onto his ring finger as well and kissed his knuckles, her eyes never once leaving his.

Leaning forward, the two clung to each other and brought their foreheads together, reveling in the fact that they were together. Sahir kissed Laghavi's cheek and savored the moment of tenderness between them before bringing her back to bed. Pulling her closer to himself, he splayed a hand on her stomach and kissed her softly.

His irises gazed at her with affection, "Sleep. We have the rest of eternity to speak about my sister and her antics." Laghavi chuckled and nodded, her eyes fluttering close. Soon enough, her breathing evened out and her face smoothened out, a pleasant dream playing behind her irises. Sahir gently extricated himself from her grip and walked over to the bedside table where the business card lay.

Dhvara's smiling face sparkled at him and he made a decision on a whim, something he never did. Picking up his phone quietly, he added the number listed on the card and saved her contact. Opening the new chat box that was created, his thumbs typed out a message before his hesitance could take over.

"Hello."

"This is Sahir Rana."

Seen

Sahir's narrowed his eyes at the screen, seeing that his messages were immediately read by his sister. He wondered why she was awake even at midnight and further thought if her being online had to do with her talking with someone else. Brushing off those thoughts, what she did in her personal life was none of his concern especially when his relationship with her was non-existent. Before she ran off, he continued to shoot off messages.

"Laghavi told me she met you."

"She has apparently taken a liking to you and wishes to see you."

"Would tomorrow afternoon be a good time to meet you? She is insistent that we reconcile. I do not how much of her wishes can come true but I would find myself sordid if I didn't at least try."

"If not for me, at least accept for her."

Seen

He knew that the last message was a low blow but he didn't become a feared businessman in the corporate world by being sensitive and soft. He needed things to be done and found efficient ways to complete them in the least amount of time as possible. If it meant that he had to hit them where it hurt the most, well he didn't see any harm doing just that.

Sahir waited for a few more minutes to see if there would be any reply after Dhvara had seen his messages but an inaudible sigh escaped him after there was no indication she would answer. A miniscule part of him had hoped, expected even, that she would type something. But he was disappointed, as always when it came to Dhvara. Just as he switched off his phone and set it back down, it vibrated loudly.

Dhvara's caller id flashed and he picked it up as fast as he could, before the ringtone could play and wake up Laghavi. Casting one last, long glance at his lover who slept peacefully, he quietly made his way out of the room and held the phone to his ear.

"Itne saalon baad main aapse baat kar rahi hu. Yeh nahi kahungi ki maine bohot samay iss kshan ke baare mein sochi thi lekin haa, yeh tho zaroor keh sakti ki maine yeh tho bikul nahi expect kiya ki aap mereko text karenge. Mujhe laga aapka ego aapko rukhega." Dhvara's voice flowed through the phone and Sahir couldn't help how his lips curled upwards.

(I'm talking with you for the first time in many years. I would not say that I have thought about this particular moment but I can say that I never expected that you would actually message me. I thought your ego would obstruct you.)

Even after all this time, even after what had transpired, she was the same. Older, perhaps more mature but her essence stayed the same. Honest and to the point, a quality only the two of them shared. Edhas liked to skirt around the discussion and Vasavi would never even bother debating about whether to tell or not. No, she would leave that to Sahir.

"Aap pehle text kiya, maine pehle baat kiya ab aapka baari hai. Kuch tho jawab do varna mereko lagegi ki main koi bhoot se baat kar rahi aur Sahir se nahi." Her voice was mild, no residue of bitterness or excitement in her words.

(You have texted first, I have spoken first and now it's your turn. Give an answer or I'll think it's a ghost I'm speaking to and not Sahir.)

"Aap itna accha Hindi kaise baat kar rahi ho? Kab seekha?" Sahir broke his silence, diffusing the tense atmosphere that had begun to steadily build between the two of them.

(How are you speaking such good Hindi? When did you learn?)

"Saurav, Raghav aur Aarav ne sikhaya tha mereko. Vaise bhi, Duolingo naam ke ek cheez hai." Her reply came, her tone still carrying the mild pleasantness with an undertone of snark.

(Saurav, Raghav and Rishi taught me. By the way, there's a thing called Duolingo as well.)

"Aapke saare dost ladke hai? Ladkiyan se baat nahi karte ho kya?" He enquired blandly, seating himself at the onyx granite bar that was placed opposite to the kitchen. His appreciative eyes took in the conjoined dining room and cooking center. Just like the rest of the house, the walls were painted in a light gray shade with silver and ebony hues of marble laid out tastefully.

(Are all your friends boys? Do you not speak with any girls?)

It gave the house a somber yet aesthetically pleasing look to the eyes, which was the entire aim of Sahir. He only used this mansion to sleep so he could care less about how it was but appearances mattered. Dark green plants were placed in an artful manner through the house and paired with the dim lights, they were the only tints of color through the manor.

Dhvara replied after a few short moments of hesitation, the jab in his words clearly not missed by her. "Shaadi karne se pehle aap apne behen ko nahi batate ho kya?" She took his words in stride, delivering her own sharp barb in that same light timbre. Hints of her Italian accent were emphasized clearly in her sentences, along with the subtle New York accent she had obtained.

(Do you not tell your sister before getting married?)

"Touché, seems as if little sister has learned to give as good as she gets."

"Can't say I've learned it from you, tujhe tho logon se baat karna hee nahi aata."

(Can't say I've learned it from you, you don't even know how to speak with people.)

"Kyu nahi aata, ab tho main aapse baat kar raha hoo na." He tossed back, taking pleasure in the light banter that was taking place between the two of them. Leaning back in the seat, he drummed his fingers on the tabletop and could hear faint noises of disturbance from Dhvara's side.

(Why wouldn't I know, I'm speaking with you right now.)

"Yeh sab faltu ka baate hain, seedhe seedhe batao ki aap mujhko kyu call kiye hain. Was it to tell me to not meet you in person, because I have no intentions of that." That was a blatant lie and both of them knew that, yet Sahir chose to leave his sister with some amount of dignity.

(Cut the bullshit, tell me why you have called.)

"Actually nahi, call tune kiya main nahi. Vaise bhi it was to find a time when Laghavi and I could meet you and invite you to our wedding." He replied and at the same time, he could hear Dhvara gasp and immediately curse, the sound of tires screeching against gravel clearly audible to him. He sat up straight, his features re-arranging themselves into an expression of concern. "Are you driving?" He demanded, frustration slowly beginning to build inside of him.

(Actually no, you called me, not the other way around. Anyways,)

The silence he received was all the answer he needed. "Are you a child Dhvara? Do you not know not to speak and drive at the same time?"

Sahir could practically feel the eye roll of Dhvara and the frustration inside of him grew. "Aapko kya farak padta hai, zinda hu ya mari hu...Che saal se hum dono ki beech main baatein nahi hai aur uske pehle tho mahine main ek baar baat karte the. Mar gayi tho shayad aap meri antim sanskaar karke ek do hafte ke baad theek ho jaayenge. Vaastav main, mereko shak hai ki aap meri antim sanskaar bhi karenge ya nahi." Came her amused answer, the first tone of feeling he heard from her in six years.

(Whether I'm alive or dead, what difference would it make to you? We haven't spoken for six years and before that, we would talk to each other once a month. If I die, maybe you'll arrange my funeral and feel fine after a couple of weeks. Actually, I doubt you'll even perform my funeral.)

"Boyfriend ke saath dimaak bhi kho gaye ho kya?" The words tumbled out before he could stop them and Sahir knew it was the wrong thing to say, he grasped the iciness that began to crawl upon Dhvara. Sucking in a breath of air, he rubbed his forehead and felt all the tension drain his body and be replaced with an overwhelming amount of guilt.

(Have you lost your mind along with your boyfriend?)

"Dhvara, mera matlab vo nahi--" Was all he could get out before he heard the resonating and unmistakable sound of a car crashing into a metal. The distinct sound of an airbag bursting through and alarms blaring was all he could discern. All of them, the tell tale echoes of a car crash.

(Dhvara, I didn't mean--)

"Dhvara?"

"Dhvara!"