Chapter 35

ARJUN SMITH

Anu gave me an apologetic and confused look. I know she was also confused as I was. I thought that
my parents had returned. She already went to open the door as I twisted on the table to get a clear
vision of the door.

She opened the door with both her hands as the morning sun rays kissed her skin. She smiled when
she saw the person in front of her. That must be my mom then, who else would that be? She was still
holding the door with both hands. She didn't move at all, so I stood from the chair and started walking
towards her and paused when I saw the shadow on her face getting closer to her as she grinning at the
shadow.

Then with the blink of an eye, I saw a guy come from the doorway and hugged her tight and took her in
his arms to the air, and swung her as she giggled and holding his shoulder for balance. I was watching
them with my eyes widened and didn't have any words to say or to stop them. First of all who was he?
And what the hell he was doing here? Why didn't she say anything while he scooped her in his arms?
Why did he show up now from nowhere? I was angry than I should have to be.

When that guy finished his swinging her like she was on a roller coaster, he made her feet touch the
ground. Then he kissed her cheeks and I was holding my fist together in anger without consciousness.
Anu saw my hand and frozen in her place like a kid who gets caught while stealing a candy jar. I was
expecting her to elaborate on what'd just happened.

"Um-hrm," she cleared her throat and wiped her sweats from her forehead which was flooding down
due to her tension.

"Say" I ordered her with angry eyes.

She stared at the floor for a second before answering.



"He's my cousin, my uncle's son." She said tilting her head up to meet my gaze as if she wanted me to
believe her which I believed her, even If she doesn't tell me in the first place.

I just stared at her eyes as she did the same.

Suddenly a brisk voice interrupted us and we broke our eye contact. "Hai! I didn't see you there. By the
way, I'm Arjun, and not just her cousin, maternal cousin." He said, grinning and holding out his hands.
What a weird situation?

So he wasn't her cousin's brother. He was her maternal cousin like if I didn't agree to marry her he'll be
the one to marry her. I can see his little sadness at the end of his eyes. But I was glad though. I wasn't
like him at all.

"Arjun," I said as taking his hands and forcing a smile. When I said my name he started laughing and
turned his head to Anu who was standing there with awkwardness.

"Arjun, Arjun." She introduced me to him. "Arjun, Arjun" She introduced him to me.

He started laughing at the fate, the same-named person standing in the same situation but with a
different character. He looks like a gym freak. I was also a gym freak but not like him. I was thinking he
must be a bodybuilder because his arms and muscles are broad and the veins are visible on his arms.
He has dark hair and fair skin. He was always grinning and not to mention he must the popular boy
wherever he'd go.

"Did you have breakfast?" Anushiya asked the other Arjun, her cousin, trying to change the subject. He
put his arms around her shoulder and shook his head.

"Then come and join with us." She invited him.

"Sure, sure," he said, still his arms on her shoulder.



I was clenching my teeth together and held my fists together as if he was now alone in this room I'd
murdered him by now for what he was doing now. Even I didn't hold my arms around her shoulder. Not
she'd not let me, I didn't myself.

Why he came here in the first place?

"Arjun, what's your last name?" I asked him as he took the seat at the dining table. Calling both of us
with the same name, "Arjun" may bring confusion into the family so. If he was staying here more than
I'd expect then we should call him by his last name.

He thinks for a moment before answer.

"Actually.... No, but Anu and their family call me Krishna. You are also now a part of the family I guess
Anu will let you call me with that too." He said as he turned his head to Anu like he was asking
permission, grinning.

"Sure," She smiled a shy and nodded.

I was getting irritated in this situation because he was grinning at her and she was shying at him. What
the hell was going on here?

She served Krishna the same as mine but the chutneys were looks like different than mine. My white
chutney Looks like a light green chutney and it looks like a pure white chutney.

This was the second time I was going to eat Indian food in my whole life. I took a piece of the idli
(Indian rice cake) and fully dipped it into the white coconut chutney. Krishna was already started eating
it and almost finished one idli. Here I was didn't even start eating. Anu was side-eyeing me which was
an unfamiliar activity.



When I took that piece in my mouth and started chewing, my eyes turned red, and tears started to drop
from my eyes and my tongue was burning in heat and hot, some kind of collaboration going on there. I
looked at Krishna as if he was seeing me, my tear in my eyes but he was only concentrated on his
plate. I took that as the chance to wipe it off and took the water from the table and emptied it. Once I
placed the glass on the table my eyes searched for Anu and found her.

She was eating like she didn't see me crying from the hotness of her food. When I first ate in her
cooking she put normal salt and chili but this time she was taking revenge, I assume. She was eating
like usual chewing and swallowing. Krishna seems like he was eating the normal food. I was thinking
she must be taking revenge for yesterday's matter. So that's the reason behind her silence.

When I shoved my look at her without giving her any warning, I caught her while she was looking at
me. She was staring at me like half sorry and half not. Her eyes were eagerly waiting to see me, sorry
but I won't let that happen. I took another piece from that rice cake and dipped it into the same white
chutney and put it in my mouth and chewed it as my eyes were staring right into her soul.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and watching me with that innocent look as if she didn't know
what was happening with me and what was I even eating?

Suddenly I heard the choking sound and tilted my head up to see the person who was choking. Krishna
was choking and patting his head to be normal. When she heard a choking sound she stood from her
seat like someone kept the needle on her chair and walked across the room to get to near to Krishna
and patting his head with her hand and took the water from the table and feeding him as if this was
normal for her to feed him.

"Can't you eat slowly?" she scolded him with her caring face. Did she even ever have this face? I'd
never seen that face before.



"Sorry, Shiya," he told her, pouting. "You know that I'd always liked your food no matter what you put in
it. I was thinking today you put a little lot amount of chili. Please make sure next time you put the
correct amount."

Wait. Did he just call her Shiya? Was that her nickname?

"If you felt this was hot then why didn't you stop at the first bite?" she asked her, crossing her arms
against her chest.

"Because it was done by you and I'd never stop eating what you put in my plate until it gets empty." He
said, grinning at her. He clapped on her shoulder and walked away from that room. Before he can walk
away he turned back and winked at her then fades away from the doorway.

What did just happen? I was also eating this hot food but she was only taking care of him? Not for me?
Do I also have to choke then? No, I won't do such stupid things. God has given me two hands and ten
fingers to do my work and also he gave me a strong heart, so I don't need anybody's help now and in
the future too. I was talking to myself in my mind.

"For how long he's going to stay here?" I asked her, irritated. I know he was going to stay here for a
while because when he entered the house I saw his huge luggage. It felt he was going to stay here for
a week or two, I guess.

"I don't know he didn't say anything. If I'm being honest, this was a surprise visit. I think he was going to
stay here for a week. But honestly, I don't know." She said like she just heard my thought.

She sat beside me closing the distance between us. "I'm sorry that I didn't know Alice had already put
the green chili and I also put an extra two into the chutney. I saw your eye tears." She said crying. She
was sobbing like a child. Who would do that? "Here, drink this." She handed me a spoon of honey. If I
was being honest she was about to feed me.



I leaned my face in and she cupped my cheeks and placed the spoon near my mouth and I took a taste
from it. When I ate it, it felt like pouring water into the burning fire. My tongue was getting chilled. And it
was the heavenly feel.

Once the burn was over and chillness filled my tongue. Once I came back to my sense I yanked away
from the spoon in her hand which fell on the floor with cling and walked away from there without
backward glances.


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