The Friendzoned Husband - Part 4

Part 4 - The blame game

"You shouldn't have done that." Anirudh said for third time. Amar didn't seem to listen. He was lost in thought. Anirudh literally shook him to get his attention. "Are you listening? I said you shouldn't have done that."

"What did you expect me to do? Tie her up and take her to her family? You saw how they treated her. And I can't marry a girl whose heart lies with someone else. I did the right thing." Amar almost yelled.

"Anna, calm down. I pity her too. She didn't deserve to be treated that way. What I meant was that we, of all people, shouldn't have helped her. We should have asked her to hide somewhere else." Anirudh tried to explain. 

"It was our duty. Every human being has a right to marry the person he/she likes. We just safeguarded her right as responsible Indian citizens." Amar emphasized the last part.

"How exactly are we going to explain that to Amma? Do you know what happens when she gets to know the truth? She will get us killed." Anirudh pointed out the actual problem.

Amar was startled. "I didn't think about that. What shall we do now?"

Anirudh spoke after thinking for a while."I have an idea. No one knows where we have been to. So let's go back home and act normal. Let's have supper, go to bed and wait for the news to reach our family from Lasya's family. After hearing the news let's pretend to be shocked. Okay?"

"But lying to our family is not done. It doesn't feel right."

"Anna, we are not lying. We are just hiding the truth. She would have run away with or without our help. We just made it easier. That's it." Anirudh concluded.

"I think you are right. None of this is our fault. So, let this be a secret forever." And they left for home.

--***--

Vennela kept looking at a crying Nanditha. She didn't know how to console her. Meenakshi was saying words of comfort to her but she was in no mood to listen to her. Shruthi  was trying to contact Lasya's friends to inquire her whereabouts. Ragini, who sat on the floor, seemed restless. It was she who caused a diversion in the living room so that Lasya can escape from backdoor.She closed her eyes and started praying to Lord Hanuman 'Please don't let anyone know that I helped her.'

"Vennela! Come with me." Vidya held her arm and took her out of the room. 

"What happened aunty?"

Aunt Vidya didn't answer. She took her to the backyard and asked her, "Where is Lasya?"

"Aunty, what are you saying? How would I know?" 

"Don't lie to me. I saw you give her money this afternoon. I would have stopped you if I had known the reason." Vidya sounded angry.

It then occurred to Vennela why Lasya was so particular about money in cash. 

"I didn't know what she was up to. She said she was dissatisfied with the hair stylist and wanted to hire another hairdresser who demanded 25K in cash." Vennela struggled to explain.

"Have you lost it Vennela? Who pays 25K to a hairdresser? Didn't you find it suspicious that she asked you when she could have asked her mother." Vidya scolded her.

"She said her mother refused to give her money." Now that she thought over it again, she understood how dumb the reason was.   

"What have you done! I know you didn't do it intentionally. But no one will believe you."

"Aunty please don't tell--" Before Vennela could complete the sentence Meenakshi came out of nowhere, grabbed her arm and dragged her inside. "Nanditha vadina, this idiot provided financial assistance to Lasya for running away", she said pointing at Vennela. "She has given her twenty five thousand rupees this afternoon."

Nanditha looked at Vennela and spoke in a strange voice,"Is this true?"

Vennela didn't answer.

"ANSWER ME VENNELA!! IS THIS TRUE?"

Vennela nodded. Nanditha raised her hand to slap her. Vennela closed her eyes waiting for the blow which never came. She opened her eyes to see Nanditha clenching her fist and trying hard to control her anger. She drew in a deep breath and said, "Why? Why did you do this? Didn't you know that the annual income of the man Lasya wanted to marry is not even ten percent of what she earns per month?"

"Who are you talking about? I don't know him. I don't know anything. She said she didn't have money to pay the hair stylist. She lied--" 

"And you believed that?" her aunt interrupted. "I thought I've raised you to be an intelligent girl. I was wrong. You are a fool." She paused for a while.

"She was always focused on her work and nothing else. We were shocked when we knew that she liked a man who didn't deserve her. Do you know how hard it was to separate her from him? Your uncle still didn't forgive himself for slapping her on that day. But we had to do it. It was for her own good. And when everything was under control, you had to ruin it. You didn't just give her money. You gave her wings to fly away from the nest." Nanditha started weeping again.

The seriousness of the situation stopped Vennela from laughing at the 'fly away from the nest' comment. "But aunty, why didn't you give her boyfriend a chance to prove his worth?" she asked timidly.

"Shut up! Not a word." Nanditha yelled.

Vennela walked to a corner and sat down. She wiped her tears. She knew she wasn't wrong, yet she was being yelled at. She made a mental note to punch Lasya's nose if she ever met her again.

--***--

"I'm planning to sleep in your room tonight. You may need someone to share your feelings with. If you feel like crying, go ahead. I won't tell anyone."Anirudh entered Amar's room holding a pillow and a blanket.

 "I am feeling bad. But I'm not crying. I'm not a little boy." Surprisingly Amar didn't feel unbearable agony. "I mean I hardly know her. I met her only once. The fact that I wasn't emotionally attached to her will help me move on easily."

"Good. It will just take a day or two. Ask me how I'm feeling now. I feel smug. Because we know the news before amma." 

Amar laughed at this. They hardly slept for an hour when they heard loud voices coming from the ground floor. "I think they heard the news. Let's go and see." Amar got up. 

Anirudh started laughing. "This is so funny. We are about to fool everyone with our acting."

"Rudy, please. You will get us caught. Stop laughing." 

When Anirudh finally stopped laughing, they went downstairs. All the guests were assembled in the living room. "What happened? Why are you standing here at this hour?" Amar asked in an innocent voice.

"The bride eloped." said Shambhavi.

To his horror Anirudh started laughing again. Everybody looked at him as if he sprouted another head. To cover up Amar joined Anirudh in the laughter. "Very funny joke aunty. I can't stop laughing."

'I wish Rudy would stop. I can't laugh anymore' he thought.

"Have you two gone mad? Do you really think I would joke about such things?" Shambhavi shouted at them. That shut them up. "We are going to meet the Dhanunjayas and demand an explanation." 

Amar and Anirudh pretended to be shocked. 

"Amma, you go with nanna. I think Amar anna is saddened by this news. He is not in a mood to get involved in your fight with Lasya's parents."

"Anirudh is right. Amar is in shock. Let's leave him alone or a while." Bharat told his wife.

"Right. Anirudh. Stay with Amar. We will come back in few hours." Shambhavi left with her husband.

Amar couldn't bear the looks of sympathy the guests were giving him. He excused himself and went to his room. "Thank God they didn't force me to go with them. I really don't want to witness their quarrel. I just hope they come back soon so that we can get some rest and disperse to our respective homes tomorrow."  

"Come with us to London for a few days." Anirudh suggested.

"I'll see. Let me sleep for now. It was an exhausting day.

He drifted to sleep while his aunt created havoc at Dhanunjaya mansion.

The Friendzoned Husband - Part 3

< Previous Part

Part 3 - The Local Bachelor Trip

Telugu words in the chapter:  Nanna = father;  Anna = elder brother;  Vadina = sister-in-law (elder brother's wife)

---***---

"Shambhavi has been yelling at me since morning" Uncle Bharat told Amar as soon as he entered the house.

"Why? I did inform you before going. Didn't I?" Amar sat on the sofa beside his uncle. He looked tired.

"I told her where you have gone to. You know what she said? She called me a lazy and irresponsible uncle. She said I should have stopped you from going out and started listing my past mistakes right from year 1985. She reached 1992 when your father-in-law called her on her phone and I escaped quietly. May the lord bless him," said Bharat making Amar laugh.

 "What's going on here? " Shambhavi, the matriarch of the family entered and suddenly the atmosphere turned silent.

"Nothing aunty. Uncle was telling me that he is not scared of you because he is the boss and you are just a--"

"NO NO NO. He's lying" said Bharat quickly.

Shambhavi ignored this and turned to Amar. "How many times do I need to remind you that you are the bridegroom? You'll get tanned if you go out on a sunny day like this. You are not allowed to work a day before getting married."

"But this was important. I have been told that the supervisor of our manufacturing plant in this city is involved in illegal activities. I had to go. I tricked him into confessing his crimes and got him arrested."

"You could have assigned it to someone else from your team. Now go and sleep for a while. I will wake you up in the evening." Shambhavi ordered.

Amar nodded his head and went to his bedroom. To be honest, the Vishakhapatnam house was smaller compared to his huge mansion in Hyderabad. But he liked the 1930s styled architecture which gave a royal look to the house. 

He entered his room to find his cousin Anirudh lying on his bed with a juice bottle in the right hand, a book in the left hand and earphones connected to his iPod. He was humming a tune. He jumped from the bed on seeing Amar and exclaimed, "Finally!! You are here. I thought you have forgotten me."

"How do you manage to do all these things simultaneously?" Amar pointed towards the book and the iPod.

"Anna, I'm the biggest multitasker you will ever see. Now don't change the topic. Tell me the story."

"What story?" Amar feigned ignorance though he knew what Anirudh was asking about.

"The story of your first meeting with Lasya vadina. As far as I know it was supposed to be a normal business deal. How did it turn into a marriage alliance?"

"The Dhanunjaya family invited us for lunch after finalizing the deal. Aunty insisted on me to accompany her and uncle. She revealed that she was considering Lasya as prospective bride for me only after reaching their house."

"I knew it. It is amma's doing. She tricked you. Didn't she?" Anirudh asked.

"Hey!! Don't talk about Aunt Shambhavi like that." Amar said reprovingly.

"Oh! Sorry. I forgot that I was talking to Shambhavi Devaraju's biggest fan. Please continue."

"I spoke to Lasya for a while. She was very polite and cordial."

"How can you decide it in a single meeting?" Anirudh interrupted.

"I have been reading her blog for 2 years. She seems to be a nice person. And when aunty asked me what my decision was, I couldn't say no. I didn't have a reason to say no. So I said yes." Amar explained.

"But why did you rush with the wedding date? You met her just 3 weeks ago." Anirudh continued asking questions.

"The wedding date came as a shock to me. I was expecting an engagement ceremony. But the Pandit who examined our horoscopes said that there is an auspicious day within 2 weeks and if we miss it we will have to wait for one year. I tried to protest. But aunty and uncle were not ready to wait for an year."

Anirudh was outraged"I wonder who is getting married. You or my parents?" 

"I wanted a gap of at least 2 months between the engagement and wedding. I wanted to call my fiancee everyday, chat on WhatsApp, meet her secretly in her balcony like they show in the movies. The supposed engagement didn't happen. I didn't even get to speak to her on phone. Her parents pick my call every time." Amar said bitterly.

"You know what the worst part is? I planned a Bachelor trip for you in Bangkok. Now you are directly headed to Honeymoon in Hawaii islands."

"Thanks for reminding what I've missed." Amar said sarcastically.

"Hey cheer up. What will you do in Bangkok? You don't drink or party. A local bachelor trip is enough for good boys like you. Come lets go out for a drive." 

"Not now Rudy boy. I'm not allowed to go out."

"I found nanna's old bullet in the backyard." Anirudh said the magic words.

"Really? Let's go out then. I'll talk to aunty. Watch how she gives me permission."

Amar found his aunt sitting on a couch. He sat next to her with a miserable look on his face. "What happened?" his aunt asked to which he answered lowering his head, "Nothing". "Amar, is everything fine?" his aunt looked concerned. "Leave it aunty. I can't get everything I desire."

"Why are you saying so? If you want something, just name it and I shall get it for you within seconds."

"I wanted a love marriage which I couldn't get. I wanted a bachelor trip which I couldn't get. Now Anirudh asked me to go for a long drive with him. I want to go but I can't go." Amar covered his face with his hands for additional effect.

Shambhavi thought for a while. "Go with Anirudh. But comeback by 9 pm."

" You are the best aunt in the world."

---**---

"Bro, you are a terrific actor." Anirudh said as the bullet roared.

"You just need to know what to speak and when to speak," said Amar. They stopped at a coffee shop next to bus stand and chose a table in the corner to sit.

Anirudh sipped the coffee. "It's the best thing I have tasted in ages. Do you like it?" 

But Amar wasn't paying attention to him. He was staring at something at a distance. "Is that Lasya?" he asked pointing at a woman standing at the entrance.

"You are behaving like a typical Romeo who sees his Juliet wherever he goes-- wait that is Lasya vadina. What is she doing here? Is she here for her bachelorette party too? What a coincidence!!" Anirudh exclaimed.

Amar walked up to her and said "Lasya, what are you doing here?". She was startled on seeing her fiance. 

"I need a place to hide. The guards are searching for me." she said with urgency in voice.

"You look scared. Please come and sit with us." He took her to the corner table. "Now tell us. Who is searching for you? What are you doing here?" he asked gently.

Lasya took a deep breath and answered "I'm running away. I don't want to marry you. I love someone else."

Amar's heart sank. There was a deafening silence. After a few seconds Anirudh spoke," You're kidding. Right?"

"No. I'm serious. I love someone else. But my parents separated me from him and are trying to get me married to Amar."

Anirudh shouted "Why didn't you tell this to us before? Running away like a coward .My brother has to face everything alone now." 

"Do you think I haven't tried? I was house arrested. They took my phone, credit cards, debit cards, passport and laptop away. They even hit me twice" she showed them a bruise on her right arm." They value money more than their daughter's happiness. My boyfriend is not rich. That is why they rejected him."

"Your parents seemed so nice when I met them" Amar found his voice again.

"They are good actors." She checked her watch. " He should be here by now. I don't know why he's taking so long. I don't even have my phone to call him."

"Call him from my phone. Ask him to come to the coffee shop. And hide under the table. We'll handle the guards and your family if they come here searching for you." Amar handed over his phone to her. 

Nobody spoke until Lasya's boyfriend arrived. "Take care of her. Never hurt her." Amar told the guy. He didn't know what else to say.

Anirudh pinched himself to check whether he was dreaming. "Anna, I don't  believe this. You helped your fiancee in eloping with her boyfriend."

The Friendzoned Husband- Part 2

Author's Note: I do not own the images used here. They are just for reference.

< Previous Part

Part 2 - Vennela's Family

"Where were you? The Gauri  Pooja starts in 2 hours. Go, take bath and get ready." Aunt Nanditha, the bride's mother, was annoyed at them for being late.

"Relax Amma. We'll be ready in half an hour." Shruthi slumped on the sofa and opened a large packet of potato chips.

"Half an hour?!!!  You two are the bride's sisters. You both need to look good. Vennela, you are the next in line to get married. You need an hour to get ready at the very least. So hurry up."

Vennela looked slightly alarmed at this. Uncle Prakash came forward to greet her. She noticed that he was not his usual funny self. 'He must be worried. It is his daughter's wedding after all.' She shrugged and moved forward to meet Aunt Meenakshi, who kissed her cheek.

"Hello Uncle Praveen. How are you?" She greeted her youngest uncle. "Didn't I tell you not to call me uncle? Call me bro." he said. "Sorry Uncle." Vennela answered. He pouted like a child while everyone in the Dhanunjaya household laughed.

"We missed you" said Aunt Vidya and Uncle Praveen in unison and pulled her into a hug. She touched her grandmother's feet and took her blessings. "God bless you, my child. I was longing to meet you." said her grandmother and handed her a 2000 rupee note.

"How come Vennu akka gets money everytime she touches your feet?" said Rishi.

"This is unfair. We are the youngest ones. Someone give us some money too" added Raj, Rishi's twin.

"It's a pity the 1000 rupee notes have been banned. Or else I would have given you a thousand each." Vennela pocketed the money. "Now stop looking at me like that and give me a hug."

They hugged her and lifted her on their shoulders like they used to when they were kids. What could have been a perfect family moment for Vennela was interrupted when her grandfather spoke to her.

"How are you Vennela?" he asked.

"Fine" she muttered refusing to look at him. Every eyeball in the hall turned towards them.

"You have grown up. You look so tall."

She chose to ignore him.

"Why didn't you use our private jet? It would have been a comfortable journey" he said trying and failing to make her look at him.

She turned to Aunt Vidya who understood how awkward the situation was. She spoke loudly "Come Vennu. Let me take you to your bed chamber." Vennela followed her.

"The designer has delivered your dresses for all the functions last night. Hope you like them. I made sure that they are simple and elegant. Just the way you like."

"They are beautiful aunty. Thank you so much. You understand my taste very well." Vidya smiled in response.

"Where are Lasya akka and Ragini?"

"Lasya is getting ready for the pooja. Nanditha akka hired the best stylists for her. And Ragini, as usual, is instructing them."

'More like irritating them' thought Vennela. 

"Did you meet Lasya's fiance Amar at your office?" asked Vidya. "I'm glad you work for his company."

"Aunty, he is the MD. He uses a separate elevator to get to his floor. Normal employees are not allowed in 11th and 12th floors where he works with his team. He came to inspect us twice in the past 8 months. But I was absent on both the occasions. This time I will be there. I may even get special privileges in the office for being his wife's cousin." Vennela winked as her aunt laughed.

"We can catch up later. Now go for bath." Vidya left the room.

Vennela spent half an hour in the bath tub. She almost fell asleep when she heard her phone ring.

"Akka, hurry up. The bride is ready and you didn't even take bath yet. Mom will be furious." Shruthi warned her.

"Okay. I'm almost done." 

Ten minutes later she was drying her hair wearing a silk saree. Unlike girls of her age, it took her less than 5 minutes to drape a saree. She struggled to apply eyeliner wondering how her friends do it perfectly. Her eyes watered.

"Look who is here. The VIP of the family who has finally decided to grace the event with her presence." Ragini was leaning by the wall and staring at her.

"I was busy Ragini. My project manager didn't approve my leave request. At least I get to attend the wedding. Thank God it's not on weekdays."

"I can't even imagine how embarrassing it must be to work for some other company and beg your manager for leaves when your family owns a multi national company" smirked Ragini.

"It's alright. Even I can't imagine how embarrassing it must have been for you when aunt Nanditha hired designers from outside for the wedding. She doesn't seem to remember that you are a fashion designer by profession." Vennela gave her a fitting reply.

Ragini scowled while Rishi-Raj who just entered the room, laughed.

"Laugh as much as you want. And you," she turned to Vennela "apply as much make up as you want. But you won't be the best looking girl. Grandma has given me a necklace worth 3 crores. I shall look like a princess by wearing it."  

Vennela rolled her eyes. "I don't want to look like a princess Ragini. I'm happy being the Queen I am."

"Okay. Whatever. I've been sent to tell you to come quickly. Make it fast." She left the room.

Vennela hurriedly combed her hair while Rishi-Raj told her funny stories about their detentions in school. They finally marched towards the hall where all the guests were seated.

She glanced at Lasya who looked stunningly pretty. She was sitting in the front row and reciting the mantras on the Pandit's instructions. She just hoped Lasya won't be mad at her for not attending the previous functions.

It was almost 2pm when the Pooja was over. Everyone was headed for lunch when she finally met Lasya.

"Akka, you look beautiful" she complimented.

"You look good too." Lasya smiled. A smile that didn't reach her eyes. 

"I'm sorry. I couldn't come earlier. It's not my fault. It's my manager. He looked at me as if I asked him to donate his kidney when I asked for leave."

"Hey, it's alright." 

Vennela was puzzled at her cousin's behavior. During their childhood, Lasya once refused to talk to her for 3 weeks because she skipped her birthday party. And now she forgave her for missing her wedding functions just like that.

"What happened akka? You look tensed. Is everything fine?" Vennela inquired.

"There is a problem. I don't like the hair stylist mom hired for me. I talked to another stylist who agreed to show up tomorrow. But she demanded payment  in cash. I don't have that much cash with me right now." Lasya explained.

"Ask aunty. She will pay the money."

"No. Mom didn't like the new stylist. She told me to do whatever I want but she won't be giving me a single penny."  

"If aunty didn't agree, then I think you shouldn't go against her. Besides, who asks for payment in cash these days?" Vennela told her.

"Every bride has a right to decide how she wants to look on her wedding. And mom can't force her opinion on me. Please give me some cash. I will transfer it to your account later. " Lasya requested her.

"Sisters don't request. They just demand. Tell me the amount."

"Twenty five thousand rupees." 

Vennela was shocked. "Don't you think it is a bit too much for a hair stylist?"

"She is very famous."

"Fine. I don't carry that much cash. I will go and withdraw it from the ATM. Let me get my debit card." 

"Don't tell anyone." Lasya added before she left.

An hour later, Vennela entered Lasya's room gave her the money. To her surprise, Lasya hugged her.

"Thank you Vennu. I knew you would help me" she said teary eyed.

"Now, now sis. Stop being emotional. You can't cry now.It's your wedding tomorrow. And don't forget. Your fiance is the MD of my company. He would be angry if he knew that one of his employees made his fiance shed tears." Vennela attempted to cheer her up. 

Lasya smiled.

"That's like a good girl. Take rest." Vennela left the room.

Lasya looked at the retreating figure of her cousin wondering when she would be seeing her again. 'I'm sorry for lying to you Vennu. But I had to.'

She gestured Ragini to come to her room. "I received money. I packed few essentials in this bag. Create a diversion exactly at 6 pm. Keep the back door open."

"I will miss you." Ragini hugged her.

"I'm going to miss you too. I never thought I will have to elope to get married." Lasya sighed thinking about the problems she would be facing in the coming few hours.

Next Part >

The Friendzoned Husband- Part 1

Part 1 - Meet Ms. Vennela Dhanunjaya

Telugu word in the chapter:  Akka = elder sister

---***---

Vennela gathered all her luggage ten minutes before the train reached her destination. After making sure that her phone, charger and water bottle  have been put back in her bag properly, she walked ahead and joined the long queue of passengers who were ready to get down.

"Could you please help my mommy? Her bags are so heavy." A four year old little boy tugged her arm.She reached forward and picked up one of the bags while the boy's mother thanked her.

"Mommy, your left arm is free now. Lift me up." The boy asked in his cute voice making everyone laugh. The sight of the mother-son duo was so adorable. 

 'Just like me and mom' thought Vennela. Her mother used to carry her in her arms always.

'It's not my duty, but my right. My child is never a burden to me.' She used to say whenever people told her to let the child walk.The fact that she was about to return to the place where she had lost her parents made Vennela sad. The train came to a halt and the crowd jolted her forward.

She got off the train and handed over the bag to its owner earning a flying kiss from the little boy. She waved at him and searched for the exit. She felt nostalgic as she entered the city of Vishakhapatnam.

She felt her phone vibrating and answered it " Yes, yes, uncle,I have reached the station.And I'm searching for the car-- wait a moment. I think I found it."

As she reached the car, two men wearing black uniform and sunglasses saluted her. "I didn't know that you sent bodyguards along with the driver" she said over phone and heard her uncle chuckle. One of them came running towards her and took her luggage while the other one opened the car door. She ended the call and was about to get inside when she heard a voice she could recognize anywhere.

" Vennu Akka!! I'm here to pick you up. Put your luggage in the car and come with me" said Shruthi, her favourite cousin. Before she could answer, Shruthi turned to the driver and asked him to take the car home "Tell my dad we'll be home in an hour" she said grabbing Vennela's arm and asking her to follow.

"Isn't it beautiful?" asked Shruthi pointing at a vintage scooter with a sidecar. And a few minutes later they  were roaming the streets of Vishakhapatnam with Shruthi driving  and Vennela sitting in the sidecar.

The city brought back many childhood memories. 'It has changed a lot' thought Vennela reminiscing the days she spent with her family during summer vacation. It has been 18 years since she last visited the city. She was lost in thought and didn't notice that the scooter has stopped until her cousin offered her an ice candy bought from street vendor.

She refused to take it,"I didn't brush my teeth Shruthi." But Shruthi was in no mood to listen to her. "So what akka? I didn't brush my teeth too. But I had coffee and chocolates in the morning. You just need some practice and you will get used to it." She forced it into Vennela's mouth whose expression changed from disgust to delight the moment she tasted it.

"I missed you very badly. I miss our home sweet home in Hyderabad" Said Shruthi.

"Shruu, it has only been 7 days."

"7 days felt like 7 months without you."

Vennela laughed. She missed her cousin too. And she was sure she will miss her simple double bedroom flat once she enters her grandfather's huge sea-facing mansion. But on the brighter side, she will get to meet her uncles, aunts and cousins.

Uncle Prakash and Aunt Nanditha (Shruthi's parents, they fostered Vennela) stayed in Bangalore while Shruthi, who was in the final year of engineering, stayed with her in Hyderabad. It was hard for them to take time out of their busy schedule to come and visit her. So they were content with meeting her thrice in a year. Uncle Praveen and Aunt Vidya stayed in Sydney with their twin boys. Aunt Meenakshi, the widowed sister of her father, and her daughter Ragini got settled in Mumbai.

Her aunts and uncles doted on her. She loved everyone in her family barring one.

"I know you don't like being here. I can understand." said Shruthi as if reading her mind. They both have this gift of understanding each other's inner feelings. Shruthi didn't share this kind of bonding with her elder sister, Lasya. She keeps telling people that it was God's mistake that she ended up being Lasya's sibling and Vennela, who should have been her sister, became her cousin.

"But this is your last chance to tease and irritate Lasya akka. She is getting married. We may not meet her frequently after that" she continued. "And my parents will head back to Bangalore after the wedding. We will not see them for 6 months. Speaking of my parents, I need to tell you something before we reach home. Our family is determined to make us move from our flat to family mansion in Hyderabad."

"WHAT!!" Vennela exclaimed, " I will never stay in that mansion. I agree it is majestic and luxurious but it belongs to him. And I have nothing to do with him and his belongings. If it weren't for Lasya's wedding, I wouldn't have come to Vishakhapatnam, where I have to live in his house for 3 days" ,she said trying and failing to keep her voice calm.

"Hey! Calm down. I have a plan. How about we start crying immediately after they bring up this topic and say that we are emotionally attached to that flat? We will tell them it's insensitive of them to separate us from our home sweet home. How is it?" Shruthi asked her opinion to which she replied, "Won't that make us look like cry babies?"

" Who cares? Besides, fooling the family is always fun. You know what? Yesterday we tricked that foolish Ragini into drinking mango juice with peanut powder. You should have seen her face. It was red like a tomato. And she was sneezing the entire day", Shruthi giggled.

"You shouldn't have done that. She is allergic to nuts. Poor thing" said Vennela reprovingly.

"That poor thing insulted me yesterday. She asked me not to stand next to her during the wedding or else I would fade out and the groom's side will mistake me for a waitress" ranted Shruthi.

Vennela was outraged. "Did that halfwit really say so? Wait till we reach home. I'll dye her hair yellow while she's asleep..."

After debating for half an hour on how their cousin, Ragini should be  punished they finally reached home and parked the vintage scooter.

Vennela took a deep breath and entered the mansion unaware of the storm that awaited her.

Next Part >