ˏˋ quiet dinners and unspoken truths 'ˎ˗

➷

On their way back, something about Dhruv's mood feels... off.

Mahika has known him too long to not be able to tell that much from his silence.

It's not that he's much of a talker on other days, too. But the little droop at the corners of his lips and the lack of music in the car tells Mahika that her friend might not be having a good day.

(The realization makes her feel a little guilty about calling him, but Dhruv would most likely open the car door and throw her out if she apologized for asking him for help.)

But since Mahika has known him long enough, she's aware that Dhruv is the last person you could get a straight answer to 'Are you okay?' from. So... silent glances of worry through the rearview mirror every couple minutes while she talks to Amoli is what she has reluctantly settled with.

He'll tell her when he feels like it. Hopefully.

"I could just... never really find anything solid that I was interested in. Not enough to choose it as a career path, at least," Amoli responds to Mahika's question from earlier about why she's majoring in business, and Mahika is genuinely surprised. She was always under the impression that Amoli was doing it for her parents. "Maybe that's kind of immature," she mumbles, shaking her head to herself before looking at Mahika with a sheepish smile. "I don't know..."

"Not at all," Mahika demurs gently, lightly bopping her head against Amoli's. "It's not like you're not doing well."

"I guess...? Bhai always said it's a bad idea to build a career around your passion and it stuck with me as a teen." Amoli hums, though it sounds a bit irresolute. "I never thought I'd grow up to be someone that isn't passionate about anything, though. Now I'm just doing something that would let me help my dad with his business."

"Sounds fair to me. I kinda assumed you were doing it because your parents wanted you to."

"Oh, you would have been assuming right if bhai didn't already have the company's future secured from all directions," Amoli tells her with a little chuckle. "Since my parents know its in safe hands, they've let both Arnav and I off the hook. I could say I want to go to Spain and become a diving instructor or something and one message from bhai would get them to be like, 'Fine. Whatever'. The most my mother would ask for is that I video call her every day and show her what I'm eating."

The last part she adds with an eye roll that looks more affectionate than annoyed.

And Mahika is... pleasantly surprised. "Why did I think your parents would be super scary? I mean... they're nice. They've always been really nice to me the few times I've met them, but I expected them to be... I don't know—"

"Stricter?" Amoli supplies, and Mahika nods carefully. "They are," Amoli answers her own question with a snort. "Arnav and I just have the younger sibling convenience sometimes. And bhai is an overachiever. It works out."

"Wow," Mahika marvels. The concept of siblings will forever be a mystery to her. "I wonder what it's like being the older..." Then she tilts her head to one side as realization hits her. "Wait. Dhruv."

He meets her eye in the rearview mirror. "Hm?"

"Tara's younger than you. What's it like? Being the older sibling, I mean."

"Probably exactly what you're imagining."

Mahika grimaces. "That stressful?"

"Very." He says and clicks his tongue at the car that drives past them at full speed even in this rain. "It's not because of her, though," he continues once he's safely taken the last turn to the street that leads towards Mahika's house. "There are just a lot of silent expectations you're supposed to meet when you're the oldest kid in the house, I guess..."

"Does that not..." Amoli starts but trails off for a second. "That would make me so bitter. I don't know how you guys do it."

"I mean... it used to?" Dhruv admits, and shakes his head to himself a little. "It still kinda does sometimes. Thing is, it's just not directed at my sister." He looks at Amoli as he says that, like he could tell where her trail of thoughts was leading.

Amoli doesn't say anything in response to that, but the tiny smile on her face tells Mahika that she got the message.

It's only a few minutes later that they stop in front of Mahika's house, and she gingerly takes hold of his shoulder even before he's fully parked the car.

"Stay for a bit?" she murmurs and hopes the words reach out to him like an arm of support. Like a don't leave with a heavy heart. Like let me be here for you. Like I hope I can ease whatever it is that's bothering you even if it's just for a little bit.

He nods after a few ticking seconds, and the tension in Mahika's chest unwinds like a coiled spring.

"Thanks," he says quietly, breaking the stillness. It's the first real acknowledgment he's given of what she'd hoped he might be feeling. She smiles faintly, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Come on. You're going to be fine," Mahika murmurs, and with one last reassuring glance, she slides out of the car, opening the extra umbrella that Dhruv had gotten them when he came to pick them up as she waits for Amoli to join her.

Outside, the rain is relentless.

She unlocks the front door and they step inside, only for her her heart to skip a beat when she sees her mother's shoes by the door.

"Shit," she mutters under her breath. Her mom's home way earlier than she was supposed to be.

"Your mom?" Dhruv asks from behind her, his voice suddenly full of playful amusement, and Mahika shoots him a glare like the two of them hadn't been silently communicating over his wordless woes only seconds ago.

Beside him, Amoli has gone completely still at the question, almost like a mannequin.

Mahika hesitates for just a second, standing in the entryway, eyeing the hallway like it's some kind of minefield. "Actually, maybe you don't have to stay," she says to Dhruv, half-joking but mostly serious. "You look like you're about to be up to no good."

"Yeah, no, I'm not going anywhere," he says, pulling off his jacket as if he's already made up his mind to stay for the duration of whatever comes next. His eyes are sparkling with childlike glee, clearly not as worried as she is.

Mahika eyes Amoli's clearly panicked face warily, heart racing incessantly. "Amo, you good?" The way she looks at Mahika makes her heart squeeze painfully in her chest. "If you're not ready, we can—"

Her mother's voice from the living room cuts through her concerned question.

"Mahi, is that you? You're home?"

Mahika squeezes her eyes shit for a second. Rationalizes this inside her head. See, objectively, she knows it would be fine for Amoli to meet her mother. But the part of her brain that habitually panics over the thought of introducing her girlfriend to her (even if she introduces her as a friend) is buzzing like a fire alarm.

God, she doesn't have time for this. And it's not entirely her choice, anyway.

So she takes hold of Amoli's wrist and raises her eyebrows in silent question.

Amoli swallows hard, her eyes flicking from Mahika to Dhruv to the hallway that leads to the living room. She looks a little like she's about to bolt, but Mahika's hopes that's just her own anxiety talking.

Dhruv, the absolute traitor, is barely containing his grin.

Mahika sighs. "It'll be fine," she whispers, giving Amoli's wrist a reassuring squeeze. "She's nice. I promise."

That doesn't seem to do much to ease Amoli's nerves, but she nods anyway, drawing in a deep breath as if steeling herself for battle.

"Mahi?" her mother calls again, her voice getting closer.

And then, just like that, she appears in the hallway, her expression immediately softening at the sight of them. "Oh! You're back. And Dhruv is here too?" She smiles, walking toward them. "I should have guessed. You basically live here at this point."

Dhruv places a hand over his heart dramatically. "Aunty, you don't have to expose me like this."

Mahika rolls her eyes, but her mother just laughs. Then her attention shifts to Amoli, and Mahika sees the exact moment Amoli freezes. Her mother's expression, however, is nothing but kind.

"Oh! And you've brought another friend." Her mother's expression is bright with curiosity.

Mahika forces herself to keep her voice steady. "Ma, this is Amoli," she says, releasing Amoli's wrist gently, trying to offer as much comfort as she can in the brief touch.

Amoli presses her lips together, offering a nervous smile before quickly folding her hands in a polite greeting. "Namaste, Aunty."

Her mother beams, instantly reaching out to place a warm hand on Amoli's shoulder. "Oh, you're Amoli! Namaste, beta. I've heard so much about you! Mahi doesn't bring many new friends home."

"She barely brings anyone home at all," Dhruv chimes in unhelpfully, earning a sharp elbow to the ribs from Mahika. He only grins wider.

Amoli lets out a short, nervous laugh, shifting slightly under Mahika's mother's gaze. "I, um. Sorry for dropping by unannounced."

"Nonsense! Any friend of Mahi's is always welcome here." Her mother squeezes Amoli's shoulder gently before stepping back. "Have you all eaten yet? I made some snacks earlier. Let me bring them out." Then her gaze flickers to both Mahika and Amoli's damp hair. "You two got caught in the rain?" she tuts. "Go upstairs and dry off first before you catch a cold. I'll make tea until then."

And Mahika doesn't need to be told twice. Tugging Amoli by the wrist, she makes a quick escape up the stairs, Dhruv's barely concealed amusement following them.

Behind them, her mother asks Dhruv, "Dhruv, beta, you'll stay for some, won't you?"

"Wouldn't dream of saying no, Aunty," Dhruv replies smoothly, ever the golden child in her eyes.

The moment they step into Mahika's room, the atmosphere shifts. It's quieter here, removed from the warmth of the living room, and Mahika lets out a slow breath before reaching for a towel from her wardrobe. She hands it to Amoli before grabbing her own, rubbing it through her damp hair before dropping onto the bed with a sigh.

"You okay?" she asks after a moment, watching Amoli carefully.

Amoli stands by the dresser, towel pressed against her hair but unmoving. "Yeah," she says, but there's something distant about it. Then, softer, "I wasn't expecting this."

Mahika nods, watching the way Amoli's fingers twist into the fabric of the towel. She shifts, sitting up properly. "You know we don't have to stay down there long, right? We can just drink our chai and leave. Dhruv will cover for us if we need an escape."

That gets a small smile out of Amoli, albeit a wobbly one. "Your mom is really nice," she murmurs. "I don't know why I was so scared."

Mahika tilts her head, observing her for a beat. Then, gently, she reaches out, taking Amoli's free hand in hers and lacing their fingers together. "It's okay if you were," she says, voice soft but sure. "You don't have to be fine with this just because she's nice."

Amoli exhales, shoulders relaxing slightly. "I just... I don't want to mess this up."

"You won't." Mahika squeezes her hand. "It's just tea. Just my mom trying to adopt my friends. Just Dhruv being a menace. We're okay."

Amoli nods, and Mahika gives her hand one last squeeze before letting go. "Come on," she says, standing up. "Let's change before my mom yells at us for catching a cold."

Amoli laughs at that, and just like that, the tension in the room melts away. For now, at least, it's enough.

By the time they make it downstairs, the smell of chai and something frying fills the house, wrapping around them like a comforting embrace. Mahika's mother has already set up plates of pakoras on the dining table, and Dhruv is comfortably settled into a chair, looking entirely at ease.

Amoli, however, still looks a little stiff as she takes a seat next to Mahika, hands folded neatly in her lap.

Dhruv snorts, glancing at her. "You looked like you were about to salute her and declare your unwavering loyalty."

Amoli shoots him a glare, but Mahika's mother just laughs, shaking her head. "There's no need to be nervous, Amoli. Just think of this as home."

Amoli nods quickly, though her fingers tighten around the edge of the table. Mahika reaches under the table, giving her knee a quick squeeze in reassurance.

The rain outside only grows heavier as they eat, the steady drumming against the windows making the dining room feel all the more cozy. Mahika's mother glances outside, frowning slightly. "It's really coming down hard," she murmurs. "I don't think it'll be safe for you to leave in this weather."

Dhruv perks up immediately. "Are you saying we should stay over, Aunty? Because I fully support this idea."

Mahika groans. "You would."

Her mother smiles. "I don't want anyone driving in this storm. You all can stay the night." She glances at Amoli, a hint of concern in her eyes. "That's alright with you, isn't it, baccha?"

Amoli hesitates, glancing at Mahika for a split second before nodding. "Yeah. That's... that's fine."

Mahika doesn't miss the way Amoli exhales a little, as if loosening the tight hold she's kept on herself all evening.

And despite the unexpected turn of events, Mahika finds herself feeling oddly okay with it too.

➷

a/n

I HAVE ARRIVEDDDDDDDD

first of all, thank you SO much for waiting, you guys. i don't have words to thank you guys for your patience enough. truly. 

it is a brand new year, and i'm trying to gather new motivation to stay more consistent with my writing than ever. so here we are! it is so good to be back.

a lot has happened since i last updated, but let's talk about good things!

the love of my life and my biggest cheerleader aka arodynamic (i think some of you already know them 👀) has published their book 'Olive, You', and since i have boyfriend privileges, i've already read it and it would mean the WORLD to me if you guys did too. here's the summary:

the link will be attached in the inline comments right here! they are here after a long time and it's one of the best things to happen to me this year! please send them loads of love 💛

thank you so much for reading! i will see you guys again soon.