I wasn't gonna update, but here we are.
***
Here is a tip.Your brother is not worth it.
Vihaan might choke on his coughing. I might kill Arav for grinning so much. The only person who is making this a little bit entertaining is none other than my mother.
Who knew?
"Aisha," Dad sits and holds my hand, "I want you to know that I am okay with you dating but... Why do you need to? If you want gifts I will give them to you!"
"It's not gifts" Mom interrupts.
Dad sighs and looks at her. She looks like she is having her best time yet.
"Look... Boys at this age.... They are... Very very dumb." He continues.
"Yeah they are." Mom looks at Dad almost accusing him for the crime.
"Dad, I live with three men, Boys are always dumb. Age just doesn't matter."
"Are you saying I am dumb."
"You are saying that."
"Thin lines Aisha." Arav murmurs.
"You sure you don't want water? You really need it." Mom asks Vihaan.
"You could go and get him." Dad suggests.
"And miss this? Not in this life."
Someone please give her some popcorn.
"Alright so where was I? Yeah, fine if that keeps you away from them, men are dumb at all ages."
"What took you so long to understand?"
I cover my mouth with my hand. My Mom is killing it.
"Anyways, this is not the age... You have studies and so many more things to do!"
"Dad."
"Yeah fine, so maybe it's time for the talk."
This time I choke.
"Oh, this is going great."
Dad sighs loudly. "So... At this age...you will have urges to... You know... Try... Try new things. But it... It's dangerous."
I hide my smile, Dad is so embarassed and stressed and he is sweating. Vihaan is more red than a tomato and Arav just took out chips from Suku's bag.
"Pass it here." Mom says putting her hand out. Dad smacks it and mouths 'Concentrate.' Arav gets up and sits beside her. They are whispering to eachother and grinning.
Attaboy.
"So... Like you know you are curious at this age and... And I get it, I have been through it too... A long time ago."
"A long long time ago." Mom scoffs.
Dad wipes his sweat.
"So choose... Uh... Wisely. And be very protective about yourself, because once you let your guard down.... This happens and that happens... And you do a mistake and... And you become... Really fat."
"Dad!"
I have never been this embarassed. Vihaan gets up but Dad gestures him to sit.
"It's a life lesson."
Mom laughs. "I can't take this. Oh god! You get really fat?!"
"Dad, here, I get it. And you know what I am capable of it. And I know this stuff."
"You do?"
"Everyone knows. Alright? So I will be careful and nothing will happen. Alright?"
Suku and Shrey come down from the stairs and Suku knocks at the bathroom door. Shrey walks up to the living room.
"So, how's everything?"
Dad turned so fast that he could win a race with sound.
Light would be a big hyperbole.
"DID YOU KNOW YOUR SISTER HAD A BOYFRIEND?!"
"Um... I ... Did I ? Huh... Yeah, yeah I did."
"I thought we had a deal. Aisha does not go near guys."
"What deal?" I ask.
"It doesn't concern you."
"I just heard it and I beg to differ!"
"Everyone calm down!" Shrey says, "Dad, I remember it but Vihaan is a great guy."
Everyone in the room facepalms.
"I knew it!!!." Mom claps her hands, "This evening is turning out so great!"
"You." Dad turns to him.
"Mr. M, I thought it..."
"We are done with Mr. M. You call me sir."
"Yes... Um... Sir."
"We gotta talk mister, sit." He points on the couch. Very obediently Vihaan comes and sits near me.
"Away. From. My. Daughter."
"Of course!" He shifts away.
Shrey looks at me apologetically.
I gesture back that I will be the death of him."I want a man to man, everyone out."
Vihaan gulps, his face is pale.
"Yeah... Not happening." I say, sitting back on my couch.
"You have no--"
"What I find interesting is how you and Mom are this cool with each other. Ain't that right, Shrey?"
"It certainly is interesting." Shrey agrees under my death glare.
I get up from the couch, Vihaan follows me.
"You and you," I point at the two of them, "sit in the hot seat...uh... couch."
My parents share a look.
"Don't change the subject!" Dad tries to scold me. But I got the grip on the conversation.
"You did one interrogation thingy, now it's our chance, come on. Look alive. On the couch both of you."
"Maybe I should go..." Vihaan says.
"No, I think you should sit with them, I want to know how exactly did this Mr. M business start."
"But ash--"
"It's Aisha." Dad grumbles.
"Sit."
His face drops but he takes a seat away from dad.
Obviously.
Shrey and I stand in front of them while Suku, Vinnie and Arav munch on Suku's snacks.
She is sharing.
The conversation with Shrey must have been life changing.
It must be hard.
"Aisha? Are you going to make us wait?"
"Well, I was waiting for you to explain."
Mom sighs. "We met when we were in co--"
"We know that story!"
"I don't know that story." Arav protests.
"You are a kid."
"Am not!"
"Shhhh." Suku shushed him.
"Okay, about six months ago we met again in a b--"
"A restaurant." Dad interrupts. "And I was still angry with her but I grew up and then we were talking."
"You didn't grow up, you were there on a date."
"What?!"
"Who is it?"
"How?"
"Look how the tables turned."
Dad sighs heavily, he rubs his temples, "She is a colleague. I was hoping that you three meet her after the summers."
"We could meet her in the summers."
"That would not work with our plan to have you three here." Mom blurts out.
"Plan?"
"I missed the three of you and I genuinely wanted you back in my life and I knew how you felt about it."
"So we had to figure out a way to get you to come here. But if I told you, you would never come." Dad looks at me.
"That's true." I shrug.
"So we got Vihaan to hype it up."
"Do you even know the meaning of hype?"
Mom gives me a look. "The camp isn't particularly famous in your school but Vihaan knew a guy who knew a guy who knew Suku."
"So I told the guy to tell that guy to tell Suku." Vihaan says.
"And then I told you three and you asked your dad." Suku adds.
"And I said no, because that guaranteed that you will come here." Dad said in a matter of fact way.
"And I came to meet you three." Mom concluded.
"Once you were here, sending your brothers was a piece of cake. No offence."
"Too late for that." Arav mumbles.
"So, what you are saying is that my whole running away experience was sabotaged, and that too by my parents and boyfriend?"
"Yes. Wait, boyfriend. We gotta talk about it."
"Does this mean that I out pranked the three of you?" Vihaan asks grinning.
The three of us share a look. This is legitimate crazy. No one out pranks us.
"Oh gosh, you did. Congrats buddy." Shrey says.
It earned him an elbow on the stomach.
"Told ya, parents always win." Mom says."But boy, the trouble you girls created!"
"You said you wanted to know her, now you do. And your mother sent you three presents on each birthday which you can get once we reach home." Dad says getting up. "Now, because we are done here, Vihaan, we gotta talk."
Vihaan looks at me again, perhaps for help. But I like to have a clean record.
"You know what? I am damn sleepy." I smile.
"Me too, let's go, I wanna question life." Suku gets up.
"We will be in the dorm... I think I will answer Suku." Vinnie opens the door as the three of us get out.
"Take it easy on him, I do like the guy." I whisper Dad.
Once the door was shut and we were halfway to the dorm, Vinnie stopped and turned to us.
"Is it okay if I feel a little betrayed?"
"Hell yes."
***
Long long evening for the three.
Last day tomorrow.
I mean in the story.
The world's not ending, I don't have that big of a plan yet.
Enjoy! Till you can.
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