“Trying to block out the world?” Aayushi asked, smiling, though her eyes were worried. “Or just the families?”
“A bit of both,” he admitted, smiling slightly, hating that he’d put worry in her eyes. “Ma-“
He stopped, not sure how to explain everything to her.
“Talk to me, Kabir.” Aayushi’s voice was soft. “What’s going on?”
The door to the study slammed open and Kabir sighed as his father’s furious figure filled the frame. Time to face the music, in more ways than one.
“What the hell, Ved?” Aayushi rose to her feet, startled.
“Exactly my question.” Ved stalked towards him, grimly. “What the fuck, Kabir?”
Aayushi raised a brow in surprise. “I believe the word I used was hell,” she said, mildly.
“Do you know our son has been keeping secrets from us, Aayu?”
She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it, shooting Kabir a ‘what the hell did you do’ look. Kabir sighed again. Shit. Where did he start?
“What were you thinking, Kabir?” Ved’s voice was so rich in disappointment that it felt like he’d been sucker punched.
“Dad, I-“ Words failed him as he met Ved’s angry yet immeasurably sad face.
“I’ve been so damn worried about you. I knew something was wrong. I knew you were spiralling. But I put it down to the fact that –“
“Ved!” Aayushi’s sharp reprimand had him stopping mid-sentence.
Kabir’s skin prickled as he met Ved’s gaze. “To the fact that?” Kabir asked softly, feeling himself teeter on the tip of an abyss.
Ved looked back at him steadily. “I put it down to the fact that the woman you love is marrying someone else.”
“Ved!” Aayushi hissed, smacking him on the back of his head.
And the bottom fell out of Kabir’s world. “You knew?” he managed to say.
“Of course I did, you idiot.” Ved’s anger deflated at the expression on Kabir’s face. “I’ve known forever. So has your mother. It’s written all over your face every time you look at her.”
Kabir’s temper surged, humiliation mixing with it to send him spiralling over the edge, his control in free fall. “Then why the hell did you insist I attend her wedding?” he yelled.
“So you could get your head out of your arse!” Ved yelled back. “Either get the girl or get your fucking closure!”
“Alright!” Aayushi said sharply. “That’s enough yelling.” She shot them a quelling look. “From both of you.”
They fell silent but continued glaring at each other.
“Sit,” she snapped.
Kabir and Ved sat.
“Now start from the beginning, please,” Aayushi said with forced calm. “What exactly is the big, scandalous secret Kabir has been keeping from us? Clearly, it’s not the fact that he is desperately in love with Tani.”
“There’s no need to keep repeating that out loud,” Kabir muttered, dropping his head into his hands.
“I will if I don’t find out what the fuck you are hiding,” Aayushi retorted.
“I thought we were using hell?” Ved asked, sardonically.
“I swear to God, Ved Kashyap,” she rounded on him, “if you get on my nerves right now, I’ll-“
