Chapter 39

AADHI

Life is so boring without any adventures or any kind of entertainment. In life, there comes a time when you are not sure what you are doing and what you are going to do.

This was that time for me. For a few days, I had been feeling kind of off and it reached its peak today. Everything around me was annoying the hell out of me.

For days, I only served people when they needed food, like a slave. No one bothered to talk to me or ask what I was doing.

I understood that they were busy completing the project but I had no idea how long I could keep this routine for.

At first, I thought it would be fun to have everyone at my home so that I wouldn't feel lonely but I felt lonelier than ever.

One upside to this arrangement was that I got to see him more often than before.

I was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast for everyone. Ria came in and started eating the raw carrots that I had spent ages cutting.

I wanted to yell at her, but I didn't... I just kept stirring things on the pan.

She was blabbering about something that I didn't even listen to, when Harsha came in, followed by her after a few minutes.

He sat on the kitchen counter opposite her and did the same thing. I glared at him, but he didn't get the message.

They did this all the time. I kept quiet, suppressing my annoyance.

After he had come, there was this awkward silence.

When I suddenly raised my head to look at them, Harsha was looking at her intently with a soft smile, and she was looking at her fingers with a shy smile.

That set me off...but I have no idea why. I forcefully threw the spoon inside the pan making the food splatter everywhere around it.

"What is going on here?" I yelled.

They both looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights.

"N-nothing," Ria stuttered. But Harsha lowered his head, so I knew he was guilty.

I left in a hurry. When I get angry, I feel very cramped. So I went to the terrace to cool off.

I get it... He likes her and maybe she likes him too, but why didn't they tell me? It's not too long ago that we talked about Bharathi. He wasn't hesitant then.

When I came out of the kitchen, Barathi was in the doorway.

It's a good thing she didn't see them. It would break her.

I heard footsteps behind me, and I knew who it was.

"Sorry," Harsha said in a low tone. I didn't budge. I stood looking at the faraway buildings.

"I love her," he said out of the blue. I turned to look at him with wide eyes. Even though I expected it, I didn't think he would blurt it out so suddenly.

"I don't know how she feels about me. It was like love at first sight.

When I saw her at your wedding I kind of liked her goofiness, but that was it. Then when I saw her here that day, something inside me stirred.

I couldn't control myself and I reached out to her. I really wanted to tell you, but I just wanted to make sure how she felt about me first. I am really sorry, Aadhi."

I didn't know what to say, so I kept silent.

"I know we talked about Bharathi. I like her and I care about her but I don't feel like this with her. Ria...she is different. She makes me feel alive and wants to have things in life."

I turned to look at him with my eyebrows knitted together. I was pursing my lips, feigning contemplation. I knew what I was going to say. I just didn't want to make it easy on him.

"I would never do anything with her if you don't like it. I mean...it's going to be hard, but I respect our friendship more than that," he said lowering his head.

That's it...now I couldn't say no even if I wanted to.

I stood silent waiting for him to look at me. He slowly raised his eyes. A wide smirk formed on my lips. I could see a glint of joy in his eyes, and his lips slowly formed a smile.

"Thank you so much." He hugged me so tightly.

"I am so happy for you. I am happy that you found love again," I said, patting him on the shoulder.

"I thought you would act like a typical sister and forbid it."

"Hey!" I elbowed his ribs playfully.

"Come on now, let's go down. You created a scene, and you need to clear it up," he called me.

"What did I do?"

"When you stormed out of the kitchen yelling at us, your husband and Nija were in the living room. They wanted to know what set you off, especially your husband."

He said the last word singing in a teasing manner.

"Oh... I didn't see them there," I answered bluntly.

"So what are you going to tell them?" he asked me. I knew he didn't want them to know yet, but I could have some fun with him.

"Let's go and tell them the truth. You want to know how Ria feels about you, right? Just do it in front of them. They will get it," I said, shrugging.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked me in a panicked tone.

"What?"

"Don't play, Aadhi. You know why I am hesitating. First, I need to clear things up with Bharathi, and then when I ask Ria, I want it to be special... Not like asking did you eat or something."

I started laughing, which earned me a glare from him. "Okay, Okay." I raised my hand in defeat. "I know what to say. Come on, let's go. Just play along."

Everyone was having their food. I guess Ria finished things up. I winked at her, and she smiled, getting the message.

Everyone was looking at me anticipating for me to talk. I just went and sat casually beside Harsha and started eating.

Harsha nudged me to talk, but I waited. I was expecting someone else to talk first.

"So, what happened?" my husband asked.

My face lit up with impish glee, but I managed to hide it.

"Nothing." I just shrugged and started eating again.

"Then why were you angry?" He didn't budge, and that was what I wanted. I wanted to know how much he cared.

"It's just a stupid reason. Doesn't matter."

"Harsha, why did she yell at you?" This time he threw the question toward Harsha, which made him choke on his food.

He thought that I would handle the situation. I could see the panic in both his eyes and Ria's.

"They were eating my carrots," I said, rolling my eyes.

He didn't get it and looked confused.

"They both were eating the carrots that I had cut for making food. I was so annoyed that they might finish them and then I would have to cut them more."

"So that is why you yelled at them and went outside?" I could sense the disbelief in his tone. He knew that I was lying, and I didn't care.

For that, I just shrugged and continued doing what I was doing. He didn't talk about it again. But I know for sure that he didn't believe it.

Everyone left to do their work, and I was alone again. Ria and Mia stayed with me for some time and then that was it.

I didn't ask her about what I and Harsha talked about. Let them sort it out among themselves. I was pretty sure that she would approach me if she needed any help.

In the afternoon, I was reading my book in my room. Harsha knocked on the door and came in to sit beside me. I closed my book and looked at him.

"Why are you alone all the time? What is wrong?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"I just don't want to disturb you people working."

"No, you are lying. You used to sit with us before. What changed now?" he insisted.

"I don't know how to help you people other than cooking. I mean I can help, but you never asked, and I don't want to interfere.

Everyone in there, including you, never thought about including me. It's like you people decided that I didn't know about anything other than cooking. I am not illiterate, you know."

Everything that I had been mulling over these last days came out.

"I am bored to death. I thought I wouldn't be lonely if you people come here often. But I have never been so lonely. Nija is not talking to me, and God knows why.

Mia and Ria have been bombarded with work given by my husband. And most of all, he is avoiding me and you know why."

He looked at me like he was going to deny the final statement.

"I know you know why." I shut him up before he could speak.

"Come with me." he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the living room where everyone was working.

"She is going to be my personal assistant from now on," he informed everyone out of the blue.

Everyone was looking at him like he grew horns out of his head. I looked at him bewildered

What the hell is he talking about?

"What? Abhi has Mia, and you have Ria to share your work. I have no one," he said looking toward Nija.

"You said you didn't want anyone," Nija retorted with a glare. I didn't know why he was so against that. My next thought was to look at my husband.

I wanted to know what he thought about it, but he was turning some paper in his hands like nothing was happening. So annoying.

"Yeah, I did, but I need someone now. I cannot bear the workload alone anymore. So I thought it would be better if Aadhi helped," Harsha said to him, shooting me a meaningful look.

I smiled at him. I was so grateful that he was doing this for me. He didn't wait for anyone to say anything, and he just escorted me to his work area and started explaining things.

I keenly listened to everything and started working. All the while, all I got was just one look from him. I couldn't contemplate what was going on in his head.

Anyway, I was so happy that now I have got something to do to escape from boredom and loneliness.

Harsha got a call from his friend to come over, so he told me that he would bring me to the office the next day. Everyone else got ready to go to the office to wrap up some things.

Bharathi was playing a game on my cell phone since hers was broken. We chatted for some time, and then I went to my room to chill out.

I put my headphones on and started reading my book. Listening to my favourite songs always helped me relax.

Sometime later, as I lay there reading, I felt someone's skin brush against mine. I immediately removed my headphones and turned over to see who it was.

It was him. His touch sent chills all over my body. But he didn't seem to notice.

He just lay there on his back, his eyes closed, his breathing steady.

I wanted to talk to him, but I didn't know what to say.

Then again, there was something far more interesting to do than talking.

I turned on my left side, staring intently at his face. I wanted to enjoy this closeness between us for as long as possible.

The next moment, I was fighting the urge to touch him. I hovered my fingers over his forehead, then lowered them over his eyelids, his nose, and his lips, all without touching him.

"What?" he asked out of a sudden.

Immediately I withdrew my hand as if had I touched fire. How did he know?

"What?" I asked defensively.

"You have been staring at me...," he said, not opening his eyes.

I let out a breath, thinking that he didn't know that I was trying to touch him.

"...and trying to touch me." He voiced out my thoughts.

"No, I wasn't," I denied.

He didn't say anything for a while. So I went back to reading. Suddenly he shifted his body toward me and turned to my side.

He came so close to my face that it was almost intimidating. I stretched my neck backwards a little in retreat.

"You have been lying often nowadays," he said, looking straight into my eyes.

I knew what he meant, and I wanted to tell everything to him, like a scared child to a teacher.

"I... That was... I didn't lie... I mean I won't lie to you," I was blabbering nervously.

He looked at me like he was searching for something in my soul. His lips formed a smirk. He just said, "Okay," and resumed his previous position.

I won't lie to you. Why the hell did I say that?

I didn't want this to end here. I tried to make more conversation.

"So how is work?" I started with a casual question.

"If I said not going very well, what would you do?" he answered with another question.

"I... Maybe I will try to help."

"I want you to..." He was going to say something when Mia called him.

Nice timing, Mia, I thought, rolling my eyes. He went out while I tossed around in bed.

A few moments later I went out and saw Mia holding my phone in her hand. My husband was sitting beside her with a weird look.

He was looking at me like I was a criminal. He was clearly angry about something.

"Here." Mia gave me my phone.

"Uh... Thanks." I looked at her, then at him, and then at her again, expecting a hint about what was going on.

I received a text when I went back to my room. It was from an unknown number. OKAY.

Why would someone just send, OKAY? There was no message sent from my phone. Usually, I ignore these things, but my intuition told me something was up. So I called that number.

"Hello, Mia?" the voice on the other side said. I knew this voice. How could I ever forget it?

I was about to speak when the line dropped. I tried to call again, but it was switched off.

My mind was exploding with questions, but there was one I desperately needed the answer to.

How did he know Mia?

After a long thinking, I could only come to one conclusion.

Mia was a backstabbing traitorous bitch.