Chapter 4: chapter 4

Chapter FourYash narrowed his eyes as he watched Maya limp away from him. Had she been hurt? Now? Was it temporary or permanent? Did he care? Why did he care?“What is that girl doing here?” his mother hissed. He ignored her question, handing his car keys over to the valet to park the car. “Yash, did you know she was going to be here?” His mother’s strident voice had a migraine taking root in his right temple. He gripped the back of his neck hard trying to ease the tension in his muscles. It didn’t help. Nothing helped when his mother was around. He stared straight ahead as they walked into their family friend’s home. He was here for one reason alone, his friend Aakash. When Vikram, Aakash’s younger brother, had died in an accident all those years ago, his friend had come apart. This memorial, while a lovely gesture, was still going to rake up barely healed wounds and Yash was determined to be there for him. Even if his mom had her own agenda on the side, one which involved Yash marrying Aakash’s younger sister. He ground his teeth together at the thought. If his mother thought she was going to get away with manipulating him like that then she could forget about it. He wasn’t marrying Aayushi, no matter that she was absolutely lovely. He wasn’t marrying her. He wasn’t marrying anyone. He’d considered marriage once and look how well that had turned out. His mind went back to Maya and the guy she was sharing a room with. He was grinding his teeth to dust now. “Yash.” Aakash strode down the opulent hallway. “Thanks for coming man. Kamini Maasi, welcome!” He turned to Yash’s mother and bent to touch her feet. His mother preened at the gesture. Yash rolled his eyes even as laughter wafted through the open doorways at the end of the hall. “I thought this was only close family,” he said, tensely, to his friend. “It is. Family and close family friends, like you all,” Aakash replied. “The people who arrived at the same time as us?” Yash’s mother spoke up. “I don’t think I have seen them at your family functions before this.” Aakash’s face shut down, all expression leaving it. “They’re Vikram’s friends. Aayushi felt it was important to include them.” Kamini shrugged her delicate shoulders, the pallu of her chiffon saree sliding down one arm. “Aayushi has a soft heart,” she said, the edge in the words clearly discernible. “Ma,” Yash warned under his breath.Aakash’s gaze sharpened as he looked at his friend. “You know them?” he asked. “We wish we didn’t,” Kamini snorted. “But now is not the time for all this.” The anger left her face to be replaced with a sorrowful gaze. Yash groaned. Here came the melodrama.“This time is to remember our dear Vikram who left us too soon.” And there it was. Aakash wrapped an arm around her shoulders, making it a point to nudge Yash out of the way with a hard elbow in his side. “Come Maasi. Ma has been waiting to introduce you to some of her new kitty party friends.” Yash followed them slowly down the corridor, his mind everywhere but where it should be. Within a few moments, they were enveloped in hugs and handshakes and manly back thumping that almost had him coughing up a kidney. Halfway through it, Aakash and he gravitated to the bar in the corner. “Drink?” his friend asked. Yash grunted. He took the whiskey decanter Aakash held out to him and poured himself a generous splash. “Cheers.” Aakash tapped his glass with Yash’s and took a sip. Yash swallowed almost half his glass in one gulp. The whiskey burned a fiery trail down his chest and he took his first deep breath of the day. “So how do you know Vikram’s friends?” Aakash asked. Yash’s glass froze halfway to his mouth. Then he sighed. He may as well get this conversation over sooner rather than later. “Do you remember me telling you I was engaged to someone? And she dumped me when I lost my job?” Aakash nodded. “This was just after you came back from the US.”Yash took another swig of his whiskey. “It was Maya.” His friend stared at him. “Vikram’s friend from college?” Yash didn’t look at him. He didn’t feel ready to. Five years after the whole mess and it still hurt. It had been an arranged match, one that had been set up by his father and he’d agreed to it to make the old man happy. And then, he’d spoken to Maya. From emails, to chats, to video calls to finally meeting her in person, once just once, he’d found himself ridiculously attracted to someone he barely knew. His father had chosen well or so he’d thought. Then his father had been diagnosed with cancer and his mother had been incapable of managing on her own. When his company found out that he couldn’t return to the US on the agreed upon date, they hadn’t even blinked before terminating his employment. He’d found himself with dwindling finances, an ailing father, mounting medical bills and a fiancée who’d suddenly decided he wasn’t worth her time. The bitter aftertaste filled his mouth at the memory of her sudden message calling off the engagement. He hadn’t even been afforded a phone call with an explanation. This isn’t working. I don’t want to marry you anymore.The terse words resonated in his head even now. Years had passed, he’d gotten his life back on track, moved past it even but he hadn’t forgotten. Aakash hadn’t moved or spoken in the silence that had fallen around them.“What’s your beef with them?” Yash asked, his curious gaze taking in the hatred on his friend’s face. Aakash drained his glass and set it down on the counter with a loud thunk. He braced his hands on the bar and met his friend’s eyes. “They killed my brother,” he said, simply.Â