Page 11 of Since You Came Along

‘You’re my saviour,’ Siya said, blowing a kiss, which Swayam pretended to catch.

Meera burst out laughing at their antics. She thanked God for blessing her with these crazy, wonderful idiots who always had her back.

Chapter 6

Meera and Raghav spent the entire week chatting on long calls, enjoying every moment of getting to know each other. There was an unspoken understanding between them; no talk of marriage or the future, just easy, getting-to-know-each-other conversations. Their bond deepened with each passing moment.

Raghav had listened to some of her childhood stories and learned many things about her. He discovered she was a morning person, always cheerful as soon as the sun came up, while he needed Meera to nudge him into going to bed every night.

After barely any sleep the night before, Meera went to bed early on Friday. But even then, she tossed and turned, her stomach fluttering with excitement and nerves about tomorrow’s dinner with Raghav and his friends.

She had barely got any sleep when the shrill ring of her phone jolted her awake at five in the morning. Alpha, who had been sleeping beside her, jumped up with a soft growl and trotted out of the room.

The ringtone blasting from Meera’s phone was unmistakable. She groggily reached for the phone. ‘Hello?’

‘Open the door,’ Siya’s voice came through, calm but tinged with frustration.

‘Huh?’ Meera mumbled, still half-asleep.

‘Open the door!’ Siya repeated, more urgently this time.

Meera stumbled to the front door. Alpha seemed to recognise the person at the door, as he wagged his tail and pawed at it. She nudged him aside and opened it, only to be bombarded by four arms that knocked her off balance.

Swayam hugged Meera and spun her around in the air, making her laugh. Siya walked past them and headed into the kitchen, with Alpha trailing behind, hoping for some treats.

Still disoriented, Meera asked, ‘What the hell are you guys doing here?’

Swayam wiped fake tears from his eyes, grinning. ‘Oh, what a warm welcome! So happy to see us!’

‘Obviously, I’m happy to see you guys,’ Meera replied, punching him on the shoulder. ‘But I thought you said you couldn’t make it.’

As they made their way towards the kitchen, Alpha leapt onto Swayam. Leaving the two of them to wrestle on the floor, Meera entered the kitchen.

There, Siya was sitting at the counter, looking as if the weight of the world had settled on her shoulders. She stirred her coffee in a mug with her name etched on it, her lips pressed together. Siya was so addicted to coffee that no one dared touch her mug, whether or not she was there.

Meera whispered, ‘Should I ask what happened?’

Siya let out a long groan, her high ponytail swishing as she moved. ‘That idiot kept me up all night. His flight was delayed by two hours, and he didn’t bother to tell me!’

‘We had a miscommunication about the timing,’ Swayam explained with a shrug.

Meera shot him a warning look, but turned her attention back to Siya. She could see how long and tiring her week had been. Even though she looked chic in her snug jeans and black turtleneck, the fatigue in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Siya continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm, ‘I had to wait at the airport for four hours, with no idea when he would land. He didn’t even bother telling me his flight number.’

Meera stroked her back in sympathy, and Siya smiled, the tension easing from her shoulders.

‘To make up for it, I will ask aunty to makegaajar halwafor us at lunch,’ Swayam announced.

‘Why wait till morning? Might as well keep her awake all night too,’ Siya muttered under her breath, taking a long sip of her coffee.

Swayam poked Siya in the arm, and she shot him a glare that could have melted ice. Not missing a beat, he turned away, but Siya, with a sly grin, pressed the hot cup against his finger. He yelped, ‘Ow!’

Meera couldn’t help but smile, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. It was like old times, and the realisation of how much she’d missed them hit her hard. Her throat tightened, and she whispered, ‘I can’t believe you guys are here.’

‘You’re just now starting to notice, huh?’ Swayam teased, waving his hand in front of her face.

Siya pulled Meera into a tight hug. ‘Of course! Did you really think we’d miss out on meeting the guy you might get married to?’

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