Chapter - 10 Princess

We are in my parents car. My father clears his throat. " Princess if you would like you can talk with us you know right?"

" I know Papa but about what. It's embarrassing."

" Can I ask why does it feel embarrassing? "

" Because she liked him since she was three? four? " My mother says smoothly from the back. I turn my head and stare at her.

" What? he is talking nonsense because he is nervous" She says pointing towards Papa.

" Mom " I scold. " You are behaving like a kid. "

" No you and your father behave like kids. I mean what's so nerve-wrecking in taking about it. You didn't have to switch your phone off Shanvi. "

" But mom..."

" No. " She says with 'no argument with me' kind of face. " we got so worried. "

" Okay I am sorry. "

" No kiddo it's fine. " My father says despite my mother's protesting shriek.

" Now tell me how it all started and why you don't want to marry him? See..." He raises his left hand at me. The other at the steering wheel. " I am not saying that you should get married to him. It's completely your choice. But to be honest I don't wanna let you go so soon. Not soon not ever. But even if you don't want to talk about him with us. You can always think about it. Like cool down your mind give yourself time and think. You did the right thing kiddo. " He side smiles at me. " I am proud my princess knows how to take a stand for herself. "

I smile at him. Then put my hands on my lap." We'll talk about it when we get home. Till then, Can we play Kishore Kumar? "

He nods happily and turns the stereo, we laugh singing along the lines.

We get to our home and I literally squeal watching my old room. It's exactly as I left. Cream coloured walls, one wall filled with pictures of me, Mom, Dad, and ofcourse Kiyansh. I look incoherently at my phone. Not a single call from him.

I glare at the picture on the wall. Then fall happily on my waterbed. It's so soft and smushy. I run downstairs. Like really run. I jump on the back of Tanya tai, she is the head of care takers in our home.

She looks back in surprise.

" Thank you for keeping my room just the way it was. "

" It's my work " she shakes her head but smiles at me.

My mother and father come in the kitchen and my father starts to cook. His brows concentrated together.

" Sometimes I think you married him for food." I raise an amusing eyebrow at my mother.

" Ofcourse food was one of the reason. " She smirks. But then her lips form a little smile and she sighs. " Sometimes I don't even know what would I have done without him." My mother looks adoringly at my father who is rolling dough and putting butter on it. He looks up as if he knows my mother is looking at him and smiles instantly.

My chest tugs but in a good way. " You would have turned to a work maniac ". I joke.

" Oh that I would have. " She looks at me tentatively. " So.. what's up with him."

I know who she means by him. " I don't know maybe he's gone mad. It's so strange mom isn't it. When I was a kid I always used to pray to be with him for a liftetime. " I sigh at my stupid self. " And now he thinks that we should get married because that's inevitably what was going to happen. All these years I thought maybe he'll realise that I love him. But now all of a sudden when he breaks up with her. He wants to get married."

My mother smiles softly at me and holds my hand. " You don't realise do you?"

I look at her in confusion.

" He doesn't want to marry you because of breaking up with her. "

" But mom.."

She shakes her head and smiles at me. She jumps and sits on the black marble kitchen counter. Our kitchen is apparently the work of art. Because my father apparently was more interested in the kitchen construction instead of house.

" Listen" she tugs at my hands and looks me in the eyes. " He loves you Shanvi. "

" Mom" I object.

" Shush. Do you know why I always let you cry over him and even then let you go places with him? "

I shake my head.

" Because you both couldn't stay away from each other. "

" It's because we are best friends " I whisper.

" No it's because you both unknowingly and obsessively love each other since childhood. He went on dates with her right? "

I painfully nod my head.

" But his focus is always on you. Haven't you noticed? " I look at her baffled, What is she saying?

"Okay let me explain. He argued with me over taking you to Paris. "

" What? " I gasp.

She rolls her eyes. " It was his idea that you both should go to Paris alone. Because you only wanted to go with him. I told him that you wanted to go with me because I knew you were very hurt over the fact that he had started dating Sahana at that time. So I tried to make excuses. But he said you were only going with him. And he cut the phone on me. " My mother says with a little smile on her face.

" But he said that he had to go there for business, that is why he took me there because Sahana was not ready to go with him. He said that mom. " I argue.

My mother gives me her beautiful but ' you don't know anything ' smile.

My heart twists in confusion. When I went to Paris with him. I was so angry I sometimes stayed that I stayed inside my hotel room admant about not going out with him. So he used to say, " Good. I don't even have time for you. I have to go look over the office anyway. "

" Do you want to know more? "

I nod my head desperately at my mother. My heart lurching inside my throat.

" When you were in Mumbai. Didn't he come to meet you almost every week. So tell me one thing when you were for shoot in USA for a month. How did all of a sudden he had emergency problem in his branch over there. An emergency which could not be solved over video conference call. "

My face pales. But I try to find an excuse " It's because I am his best friend and he has a habit of seeing me. "

My mother looks at me as if I am naive.

" Whatever you want to believe. I won't force you over anything. Never have, never will. " She touchs my hair and looks at my father who is busy in talking with Tanya Tai, and adds, " But I don't want you to miss something important in your life just because you are scared to get hurt. Okay? "

She looks at me again. " You are brave" she says and kisses me on my forehead.

" Hey no being lovey - dovey when my hands are covered with food. " My father pouts from the other corner of kitchen.

" Okay " me and my mother say and laugh at the same time.

I am full on indulging into the chocolate cake which my father made. But still inside my stomach amalgam of emotions from my talk with my mother are matting with food.

" So.." my father looked at his plate.

" So" I raise my eyebrows.

" Do we still have a plan for tomorrow?"

I ignore the churning inside my stomach. " I don't know. He hasn't contacted me. So I don't know. "

My father looks with wide eyes at me. And then his face turns like the red soil on the mountains. " He...He called me today and said that he will see us on the match."

I nod my head. So this is the game he wanna play. " Okay. " I say and smile at my father. He loves watching match atleast for him I can go. And I am not into any obligation to talk to him.

I finish dinner and head into my bedroom. Calling my editing team and working on the cuts till 2 in the night. Then, I simply put my head on the pillow with vampire eyes and sleep in.