87. Should Koushik learn the truth?

Olivia entered the Music Room and heard someone singing. She could only see the back of the singer, who was looking at the lyrics projected on the wall, immersed in the song, not noticing another person's presence. Olivia raised her eyebrows. She was hearing him sing live for the first time.

'Not bad.'

She leaned against the door and continued listening. When Koushik stopped singing she knocked.

"Oh hi, what brings you here?" Koushik smiled at her.

"I'm looking for someone," Olivia said.

"Is it me?" Koushik winked at her and said, putting his head on his palm.

Olivia stared at him blankly.

"Tch. You're such a bore."

She did not comment.

"Anyways were you standing for long?" He stood up and came near.

Olivia nodded.

"Did you hear me sing?" he asked, surprised.

She nodded again.

Koushik continued his questions as Olivia looked around.

"How was it?"

Olivia opened her mouth to say that it was okay but changed her mind seeing his expectant gaze. He had a slight smile across his face but Olivia could make out that he was biting his inner lip.

"Good," she said with a nod.

"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it," he said with a big bright smile.

"And you know, I wrote that myself," Koushik said proudly.

"I know."

He nodded at her answer but stopped.

"You know? How?"

"Your fans are always talking about you." Olivia looked at him as if he asked an obvious question.

Koushik laughed at his stupidity and scratched his head.

"By the way. You said you were looking for someone. May I know who it is? Maybe I can help."

Olivia said, "Ritu."

Koushik frowned for a moment trying to remember if he knew someone by that name.

"The VC." She clarified.

"Oh! She did not come here today. By the way, are guys that close? Till now only you called her by that name. Others would just call her VC." Koushik.

Olivia thanked him and got up to leave.

"Hey, I told you about that friend of mine. Remember? Do you have any news?"

Koushik heaved a disappointed sigh when she shook her head.

"There you are." Olivia leapt in through the window.

"I have a door you know?" Ritutandra said, without looking up as she carefully changed the bandage on Pace.

"Long route." Olivia plopped on the sofa and sat down folding her legs.

Ritu sighed. She never failed to feel amused by her sister's laziness. Like, even if doing something one way was more difficult but quicker, she would choose that way. Just as now, she could have taken the lift or the stairs, but she chose to jump in through the window in two seconds instead of walking for a minute. And Ritu, despite knowing that, would remind Olivia that her room had a door from time to time in case her sister forgot.

Pace lifted her head, sensing someone else's presence and growled softly. But seeing Olivia, she layed her head back on Ritutandra's lap again.

She caressed Pace's face and asked, "Why were you looking for me?"

Olivia stared ahead blankly and asked in a soft voice, "I need suggestions. Should I tell Koushik the truth? He keeps asking about Ankita."

Ritu said thoughtfully, "Wow, he seems to really value his new friendship which isn't odd though, considering his profession where genuine relationships without mutual benefits is rare. But was his friendship with Ankita actually genuine?"

Olivia shook her head after much contemplation.

Ankita and Koushik certainly had a compatible personality and the former definitely would have been a great friend to Koushik, if only she were real.

"So, we got an innocent person involved in our mission without his knowledge. Now we either tell him the truth and leave it up to him to keep our work a secret or continue keeping him in the dark and let him believe his friend ditched him for some reason." Ritutandra counted their options on her fingers.

"Oh! We also have a third option!"

Olivia looked at her sister with a raised eyebrow.

"We can tell him everything and then threaten him to not spill anything." Ritu snapped her fingers.

Olivia sighed in frustration. Those were the three options she came up with too.

"Goddamn it, why did he have to get attached so fast?" Ritu pinched her temple.

'If I behaved like a crazy Tricks maybe this wouldn't have happened.' Olivia thought.

She regretted leading Koushik on but as Ankita, she really enjoyed their time. She admired his welcoming attitude. He was cautious but not suspicious of every person.

Just then Parijat entered, "Arrebas! Such a lovely gathering!"

Hw exclaimed. "Hi, dear Pace. How's my baby girl?" He extended his hand to pet the panther.

Smack.

Ritu and Pace simultaneously slapped his hand with their hand and tail.

"Like mother like daughter," he muttered, rubbing his hand.

As if pleased with the compliment, Pace roared. Ritu rubbed her belly.

"So, what are you doing here?" Parijat was planning to make himself comfortable on the bed.

His biological cushions were about to touch the bed when Olivia said in a deep threatening voice, "You dare touch the bed with your filthy ass and see how I make sure you can't sit on them for a week."

A dangerous warning flashed past her eyes as she looked at his football uniform covered in dust.

Parijat sprung up holding his buttocks and stood there in attention position, even saluting Olivia. Although she was wearing black contacts Parijat could visualize her blue and green eyes gleaming from the thought of flattening his cushions. No, rather they would become so swollen from her beatings that he would not be able to sit for a week like she said.

"My sweet, lovely, beautiful, kind, merciful, big-hearted, magnanimous sister. How could you say that you'll hurt this little, innocent, baby brother of yours? Look, I didn't touch the bed with my dirty clothes right?" he sang her praises and tried to save his behind from her wrath.

"A 16 year old adult ass baby?" Olivia scoffed.

"And by the way, I saw a loose string from your blazer touch the bed," she said with a smile that did not look pleasing to Parijat at all.

"Where? I see nothing." Parijat frantically patted the bed with his hands trying to dust off any remains of a thread.

But suddenly he realised that his surroundings had gone quiet. He looked up and saw Pace and Ritutandra looking at him with a frozen expression. It seemed like they felt sorry for him about something. He was confused. Then it suddenly hit him. He slowly looked at the bed and gasped hysterically at the dirty hand print.

"Did you wash your hands after coming from outside? Baby brother?" Olivia's voice came from behind.

Said baby brother gulped and turned his head stiffly.

"Um... Didi..." he tried to explain with a stiff smile but no more words came out as he met her eyes.

"I happened to have a more important task at hand so I'll deal with you later," Olivia said.

Parijat heaved a sigh of relief, 'At least I'm safe for now'

No sooner had he thought than Olivia spoke again, "For now, run 50 laps on the ground."

The sigh of relief he was sighing was not sighed fully.

"But anyways, help me with something." Olivia looked at him with a troubled gaze.

Parijat became serious and asked what she meant. After listening to the girls he went silent for a while.

Then he said, "Abhi said you asked him to run a second background check on Koushik. Is this why? To be sure he isn't connected to someone who can misuse the information in case you tell him the truth?"

Olivia nodded.

"Look, I would say he deserves to know that the person he befriended doesn't actually exist. Especially when he's actively looking for her. But we should also remember that there will be more situations where we have to form and manipulate relationships with people to see through our missions, no matter how guilty we feel and we will have to leave them in the dark." Parijat looked at his sister in the eyes as he finished his speech.

Olivia looked back at him gratefully.

That was the harsh reality. For the greater good, they would have to go against their individual principles whenever required. This experience would stand as a lesson to be more careful in executing their plans so as not to make the same mistake twice. Due to Olivia's carelessness, Koushik would lose trust in making friends either way. If he knows, then the doubt of people trying to use him by pretending to care about him would leave a scar in his heart. On the other hand, if kept in dark, he would think that Ankita did not wish to remain his friend and hence lied about joining Ketu to get him off her back. The doubt of the person he treats as friend returning his feelings as well as his emotions being a burden to them would remain forever.