Little Girl’s Wild Side - Chapter 55

Akira’s ecstatic giggles suppressed the waves every now and then. Priya and Gautham were bickering as usual endlessly. Priya was stubborn to go deep into the waves while Gautham held her back in a death grip. He was afraid she won’t be able to balance and fall down. But more than that he was afraid Akira will follow her. So there they were having a glaring match.

“Here,” Rahul said coming beside Sindhu handing her a water bottle. He watched his wife and best friend bickering like kids.

Rahul shook his head and said exasperated, “They are at it again.” He had long gotten used to their annoying bickering; after all he grew up seeing it for almost whole of his life.

“They won’t be them if they don’t do that.” Sindhu commented simply looking at them with calm eyes.

They all have been hanging out for a while now. Whenever time permitted, all four went out with Akira to have fun on weekends. It was relaxing and they all got together very well. The men could clearly see all the three ladies becoming thick as thieves in near future. They did not know whether to be happy for them or be scared for themselves.

Rahul sat down next to her, silently agreeing. He did not bother going over to mediate. Over the time a silent friendship formed between him and Sindhu. He did not even know how she did it. After all they did not meet up that much. But somehow she made it extremely comfortable for him to talk to her as if they had known each other for decades.

“How come you never had any hostility against Priya??” Rahul asked curiously. This question had nagged him from the first time they ever met. Typically shouldn’t wives be possessive and over bearing?? Shouldn’t they be envious of their husband’s first love?? I mean they needn’t all be over dramatic about it. But Sindhu did not seem to even have an inkling of hostility against Priya. It both confused and surprised him.

Sindhu thought about it for a while and then said,

“It’s not that I am not affected by it. When he first said to me about her, my feelings for him did not really go that far for me to feel a jab. And then when I saw them together at your home I saw something really pure and innocent between them. I could see he cares about her but nothing more. Whatever spark he had on her had died long before.”

To dirty eyes it might actually seem illicit but she could clearly see the comfort between them and of course also the lack of intimacy.

“I do not want to question their intentions over something so petty as jealousy and ruin it for them. I might carelessly vent to him, but it would actually leave a permanent stain between them. No matter how casually I am going to ask him, it would still prick because the person questioning your intentions was not some stranger on the street but someone who you had brought close to you trusting they will understand you. And for the same reason you won’t ever be able it ignore it. That will unintentionally make him pull away from Priya because of the guilt for being judged badly because of him.” She said.

Sindhu knew it from experience. When her mum first asked her if Aryan was her boyfriend, she couldn’t help but cringe. If it were someone else, she would have just brushed it off, but it was her mother who voiced it and she couldn’t ignore her voice no matter how much she tried. It put an invisible stain between them and between herself and Aryan. She refrained herself around him unconsciously all because of how it might look to others. She started holding back a lot. Somehow the relationship itself lost its innocence. After experiencing it, how can she have the heart to do it to Gautham.

Rahul looked at her awe stuck. Now he knew why Gautham was such a puppy around her. He couldn’t help the respect that blossomed at the depth of his heart. So far he liked her. He could see that she made Gautham happy, so invariably he was happy for his friend. But at that moment, he respected her as a person.

Sindhu perfectly balanced her practical and emotional side. So much so that he was getting envious of her trait. He wished he had it too.

“Dad…. Water.” Akira bellowed in a high pitched voice and crashed in the mud right in front of Sindhu and Rahul right that moment bringing both of them from their own respective train of thoughts.