Chapter 15

Once they were done with dinner, Gautham left. And Sindhu sat Steve down and asked in a stern voice, "Did you know that pops snuck out again last night?? He was partying god knows where well after midnight!!"

"What???" Steve asked shocked. "Seriously??"

Sindhu simply nodded.

"Damn the old man. He happily snuck out to party while I was stuck with doing my homework. He even conveniently sent that hawk Vijay with me. Don't worry sis. I will teach him a lesson when I get home. The nerve of that guy!!! He went to a party without me..." but he before could continue, Sindhu twisted Steve's ears and Steve let out a wail, "Ah... ah... Ouch. Sindhu it hurts. Leave me."

"Steve you are an adult now. Even though barely. Can you act responsibly for once???" Sindhu asked in a stern voice.

Steve bobbed his head quietly. Steve turned 20 this year. He was actually doing MBA in IIM Bangalore.

In all honesty, Steve was not playful. Growing up as an orphan, he knew what 'life' was at a very young age. Because of this, he was able to appreciate John for the fullest extent. He even started a business on his own on the side when he was 18. But it was John's at most wish to let Steve have a normal life. John wanted Steve to have a carefree youth and John did everything in his power to create an easy-going environment all his life. That is why he kept Steve away from the affluent environment that was filled with wolves. All people knew was John had a son but no one really knows who he was or what he looked like.

That's why Steve acted so carefree. He wanted to give John his wish. But he was like that only in front of Sindhu and John. Because he knew they would never take advantage of him.

And Steve wanted to protect these two people in his life at all cost. He did not care if he lost everything else in his life, but these two people gave him a sense of home and he did not want to lose that at any cost. The sense of family and home was something that he craved with every nerve ending at a very young age. So he knows the value of that and he cherished it with at most sincerity.

Steve was actually protective of these two. So much so that he had secretly hired bodyguards to follow John 24/7. He almost always knew where and what John was up to. But he did not want to restrict on John too much, so he always let him be unless and until he goes overboard.

And the main reason why he came to Chennai was to meet and assess Gautham. The seminar was just a convenient excuse.

Seeing his obedient expression, Sindhu softened a bit. She ruffled his hairs and said in a gentle voice, "I'm sorry. I know you take care of him. I was just worried last night. By the way, how're your studies going??? You're still acing all your subjects???"

"Of course," Steve said proudly beaming at Sindhu.

Sindhu went and sat beside him. They both stayed quiet.

After a while, Steve broke the silence and said, "Gautham is nice. He seems to care about you a lot."

"I know... and he does," Sindhu answered simply.

"What about his parents??? What are they like??" Steve asked.

"Them too. They actually seem like cool parents. They reminded me a lot of John actually." Sindhu replied.

"Then what are you still thinking about sis??" Steve asked looking at Sindhu.

Sindhu shook her head and said, "I don't know." She had a faraway look in her face that said she was deep in her thoughts.

"If you can't decide to say 'yes', think about the consequences of saying 'no'," Steve suggested.

"Wow. You are actually maturing. Not bad, not bad." Sindhu said teasing Steve.

They talked for a little while after that. Then Sindhu left for her house after making sure Steve was comfortable for the night.

Sindhu got home and saw that her dad was still up. He was reading something. He called out to Sindhu

as soon as he saw her.

"Hey dad, what's up??" Sindhu asked going up to him.

"I wanted to talk to you actually. You know your mom is worried. It's been at least two months since Gautham's family came over and you haven't said a word about it yet." Srinivasan asked in his usual deep rumbling voice.

Sindhu hasn't been having a great relationship with her parents in quite a long time actually. It's pathetic as to how she can share more to absolute strangers than her own parents.

It's not that she did not love them. She loved them to pieces. She won't be alive if not for them, literally. And they loved her more.

But she never really connected with them. She and her way of thinking and doing things were alien to them.

They were your typical conservative parents who wanted their children to have a safe childhood and a secure youth. For them things were simple. They wanted to give the means and opportunity for their children to succeed and prosper in their life. But the fact that Sindhu never really had any goal or a destination in life, it was something they couldn't comprehend.

And Sindhu knew maybe if she had tried a little bit harder, maybe things could have been better between them. But she herself was very lost. When she herself couldn't seem to put together the scattered pieces of her head, she was absolutely clueless as to how to explain it to her parents.

How do you explain to your mom that her love was suffocating???

How do you explain to your parents that in spite of all the love and care they gave her, you still felt so empty and so depressed???

It was not Sindhu's fault alone. She did try. She did share things with them. She started small. She started with her friends. She told them everything she did, all the fun she had with her friends. Every time she went out, she told her mum where and with whom she was going out with.

Sindhu could not be bothered about the societal standards of what's right and what's wrong. She did not care about a nameless anybody calling her shameless for how close and comfortable she was with guys because they did not know her and it was none of their damn business.

But when she saw the same look on her mum's eyes, it shattered her. When her mum stopped trusting her words and gave her a suspicious look every time she went out, Sindhu did not know what she was trying to do anymore.

When her dad sat her down and told her that her behavior was 'wrong', she lost it. She stopped sharing because you can share something only when you trust the person to understand you. But her parents couldn't understand something as simple as being friends with a guy; she did not know how they would ever understand the royal mess that her mind was.

They did not even give Aryan a chance just because he is a boy. They just declared him a bad influence. Maybe they were protective of her but when they couldn't trust her words when she informs them about her whereabouts. When they just assumed blindly that Sindhu was lying to them like every other teen around when she would painstakingly inform them every single time, she had had enough. She never gave them a second chance. All they would ever see is her plastered smile and light jokes. She put on such a thick mask around that nobody ever knew who she was.

All these may seem very trivial now but for her who had painstakingly came out of her own hell hole and worked up so hard to build up the courage to share, trusting that she would be understood, that too after all that veena fiasco- that is a tale for another time- her parents never knew the kinda damage they did to her by a few sarcastic comments said in the passing.

But seeing that she won't be living with them anymore, especially since she decided to go forward with the marriage, she felt an epiphany. Whatever issues or resentments she had with her parents faded away. In spite of all the flaws, she loved them and they loved her. They may not have known all the right things to say or do but they always had her best interest in mind.

So Sindhu leaned on Srinivasan's shoulders and started talking. She told him everything about her and Gautham meeting in the past two months. Maybe not in depth but she told him enough.

"And??" Srinivas asked with a warm smile on his face.

"And what?? Sindhu asked confused.

"You like him??" Srinivasan asked.

"Yes, dad," Sindhu told him with a smile on her face.

"Will you be happy with him??" Srinivasan asked again.

"Most probably," Sindhu said.

"Then that's all I need," Srinivas replied.

They stayed silent for quite some time but then Srinivasan said in a soft voice, "Sindhu I know you and your mum have a quite a lot of difference of opinion and I know I have not been much of help. But know this, me and your mum, we love you very much. Especially you're mum. She just doesn't know how to show it right."

"I know dad," Sindhu said getting up to go to her room.