Siri's POV
By the time I reached Bhargav's house, the tiredness from the day had settled into my limbs, but there was a familiar lightness in my chest—an echo of something good, something still blooming. My fingers curled around the small gift bag I carried—some sweets for Indu and a book Bhargav had once mentioned in passing, half-joking. I hadn't told him I picked it up.
The front door opened before I could even knock. Auntie stood there, her expression warm but laced with a curious twinkle.
"Oh, Siri! Come in, dear," she said, stepping aside. "We were wondering when you'd show up."
I blinked. "You were?"
Uncle emerged from behind her, arms folded with mock seriousness. "We're always wondering. It's a hobby now."
I laughed, stepping in and slipping off my sandals. "I'll try to be more predictable."
"Where's your suitcase?" he asked with a smirk. "You're practically a daughter-in-law already. You might as well move in."
Auntie slapped his arm lightly, giggling. "Let the poor girl breathe!"
I flushed, the weight of their words making something flutter in my chest. They were joking—maybe—but there was warmth in their teasing, an unspoken welcome I wasn't sure I deserved yet.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted Bhargav peeking from the top of the stairs. He disappeared the moment our eyes met, like a boy caught eavesdropping.
I barely had a second to react before Indu appeared, practically materializing beside me. "Come on! My room. Now."
I barely managed to hand Auntie the sweet box before Indu grabbed my hand and tugged me down the hallway. I could feel Bhargav's gaze on my back even as I passed by the stairs. Was he listening?
The second the door closed behind us, Indu spun around, arms crossed. "Okay. Sit. Talk. Tell me everything."
I laughed, nervous and warm all at once, and perched myself on the edge of her bed. "Can I breathe first?"
"Breathe later. Spill now."
I looked at her—my friend, my unexpected sister through all this—and realized that even if I didn't tell her every single detail, she deserved the truth. The whole truth minus the parts still too raw to touch.
"You already know the beginning," I said. "The party. The fall."
She nodded slowly. "I remember. That was the night my friend broke you, and Bhargav found out Varsha wasn't who he thought she was."
I exhaled, my fingers twisting into the edge of my kurti. "Yeah. That night changed everything. For both of us."
"And after that?" she asked, softer now. "You two stopped talking. Then suddenly... terrace meetings?"
I smiled despite myself. "Not suddenly. It started with silence. An awkward kind of stillness. We didn't fight anymore. We didn't even look each other in the eye for weeks. But then... the terrace happened."
Indu tilted her head, intrigued. "The famous terrace."
"You make it sound like a sacred spot."
"It kind of became one. You two disappeared up there every Saturday. And you think no one noticed?" She raised her brows knowingly.
I blushed a little. "We thought we were subtle."
She scoffed. "Please. You both walked back down with matching silences and flushed faces. Amma started smiling differently when your names came up. Dad stopped asking Bhargav where he went in the evenings. Everyone knew. We just… waited for you to admit it."
In the hallway, a faint creak echoed—floorboards betraying the weight of someone standing just beyond the door. Indu glanced toward it and smirked.
"Your brother is shameless," she muttered. Then louder, "Bhargav, if you're trying to eavesdrop, at least pretend to be subtle!"
A thud, followed by hurried footsteps, vanished upstairs.
I shook my head, laughing under my breath. "Well. It was quiet at first. Just... existing next to each other. No confessions. No plans. Just shared skies, shared silences."
Indu leaned back against the wall, her smile softening. "Sounds peaceful."
"It was," I admitted. "But I didn't just want peace. I wanted to understand him. The way he always seemed to understand me."
She blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean... Bhargav always knew when I was upset, even when I didn't say a word. He knew what I liked, what annoyed me, what I needed—sometimes before I knew it myself. And for the longest time, I couldn't say the same about him."
Indu's lips parted slightly, as if she was hearing something she hadn't expected.
"So I started paying attention," I went on. "Noticing how he carries quiet sadness even when he smiles. How he zones out at family dinners and only snaps back when someone mentions you or Auntie. How he only laughs freely when he's watching old videos of you two."
She looked down at her lap, touched by that.
"I started asking myself why he picks certain words. Why he deflects when conversations get emotional. Why he always acts like he has something to prove, even when no one's watching."
I let out a shaky breath. "I wanted to learn him. Not love him from afar like some unfinished poetry. I wanted to understand the boy who stood beside me in silence for months, waiting—without pressure, without expectations—for me to be ready."
Indu's voice was quieter now. "And were you? Ready?"
I nodded. "Yes. I didn't realize it at first. But those evenings on the terrace... they made me feel safe. Like I didn't have to be anything else, just myself. And somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing Bhargav as the boy who once teased me, and started seeing the man who stayed."
"And he told you how he felt?"
"Not directly," I said with a tiny smile. "Not until I said it first. I told him yesterday. That I wanted this. Him."
Indu blinked quickly, her eyes brightening. "And?"
"He cried," I whispered. "Bhargav, your tough, emotionally-constipated brother, just... broke. In my arms."
Her expression melted into something soft and tender. "I knew it meant a lot to him. But hearing that…"
I reached for her hand and squeezed it. "We're taking things slow. Not telling Amma or Dad yet. Just… holding it quietly. Like a fragile thing learning to breathe."
"I won't say a word," she promised. "But I'm so happy for you. For both of you."
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and before Indu could say a word, Auntie peeked in.
"Siri, sweetheart," she said, smiling slyly. "We're about to start tea. Would our favorite guest care to join?"
"She means daughter-in-law," Uncle called from down the hall.
Auntie rolled her eyes, laughing. "Ignore him. But do come out. Bhargav's hovering in the kitchen like he's about to burn something."
"I'll be right there," I said, my cheeks aching from how hard I was smiling.
Once Auntie left, Indu nudged me. "Better go before he ruins Amma's snacks."
I stood, brushing down my kurti, but a heaviness tugged at my chest. Something I hadn't told her yet. A truth I wasn't ready to hand over.
Indu noticed. "You okay?"
I hesitated. "There are some things we're still figuring out. Some moments we're still understanding. I promise I'll tell you when the time is right."
She nodded slowly, her fingers tightening around mine. "Okay. I trust you."
And in that moment, with the sun dipping behind the rooftops and the shadows stretching long and soft across the room, I felt something settle inside me. Like the world had given us a second chance, and this time… we weren't going to waste it.
Not even the tragedy of that night, the one I still hadn't spoken of—not even that—could take away the quiet beginning that was growing stronger between us.
To be continued...
[Volume 2- Ended]
[Volume 3- Coming soon]