The library had become a second home to Vikram just before the exam. But Vikram who was supposed to be studying, especially when the teachers had given them periods off since the exams were just fifteen days away, was doing anything but. He tried to concentrate but his mind kept running back to whatever was going on in his house.

Since that night he had tried talking to Vaibhav, he realized that Vaibhav had become more and more recluse. He had even stopped coming out of his room for food and his mother, step-mother, had begun leaving food by his door, which usually went untouched.

He was still at odds on how to talk to Vaibhav when Ruvee pulled a chair next to him and nudged him lightly on his arm.

"What are you thinking about?"

Vikram looked up from the page he was staring at for the past five minutes and smiled at Ruvee. "Nothing. Just things at home."

Vikram didn't usually share his home life with anyone, even Shruti because she never really cared to know so it was a little unexpected for Vikram to be so outspoken about it. If it were anyone else, Vikram would have easily said that he was thinking about nothing in particular or that he was thinking about the exams probably. But something about Ruvee was so comforting that he couldn't help it.

"Is everything alright?" Ruvee asked.

Vikram hesitated a little. What if he told her everything and she would react just like Shruti had done when he had told her that his dad had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year?

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Shruti had said and then proceeded to talk about the guy she was dating back then. It had stung to watch her react like that but it was not like Vikram could do anything about it. She had always been like this.

But Ruvee was different, wasn't she? She had never once shown that she didn't care about what Vikram had to say or thought about something. So he took a chance.

"It's my brother." he said. "Well, half-brother actually."

"Half-brother is a brother too." Ruvee quickly added. "Let's save the extra word, shall we?"

Vikram nodded. "He had congenital heart diseases."

Ruvee's eyebrows shot up. "Since birth?"

Vikram nodded again. "It was detected when he was three and he had surgery when he was five." he continued. "He was fine for a few years after the surgery but when he was around 7, he got sick again. This time, they had to go for a transplant."

"Is he fine now?" there was genuine concern in her eyes.

"Yes."

"Then what is the problem?" Ruvee asked. "If it's his heart again I can talk to my dad and he can help you consult the best doctors in the country."

Vikram smiled. "Thanks but he's not the problem, my step-mother is."

"Mom." Ruvee said casually. "Why use extra words when they're unnecessary?"

Vikram sighed. "Fine, mom. Ever since the transplant, she's been..."

"Worried?" Ruvee asked.

"Too worried." Vikram said. "When he had the heart problem, she'd gotten into a routine of trying to keep him away from everything that could potentially be risky but then he got better and she has not been able to move past it. He was homeschooled and it's his 10th boards next year, after which I think he wants to go to a regular school for his further studies..."

"But your mom disagrees?"

A curt nod from Vikram confirmed her suspicions. "I tried talking to him but there is so much history of me being constantly absent from his life that I don't know how to get through to him."

"What do you think he should do?"

Vikram shrugged. "I mean I know where my ste..." he paused, "where my mom is coming from but I think Vaibhav has a right to decide that for himself."

"Then tell him that." Ruvee said. "He must be scared, all on his own."

Vikram looked at her oddly. "Scared of what?"

Ruvee pursed her lips and then smiled at Vikram softly. "It must be terrifying for him to make this decision." she said. "I mean he's lived in a very comfortable cocoon all his life and now he wants to break out and face the world, can you imagine how scary that is?" she asked.

Vikram presumed she was right. It definitely seemed scary. Had it been Vikram, he wasn't sure if he had the courage to do what Vaibhav was planning to.

"Just tell him that you'll support him." she continued. "Sometimes, only that is enough."

Vikram shook his head. "I am not sure if it is going to be enough."

Hearing this, Ruvee placed her hand on top of Vikram's and gave a light squeeze. It was comforting, Vikram realized, to have someone have his back like Ruvee did at the moment.

"You won't find out if you don't try."

Vikram could try. There was no harm in trying, right? The worst that could happen was Vaibhav would ask him to leave his room again, not wanting to talk to him. But if there was even the slightest chance that he could help, Vikram would definitely try.

"I think he's very lonely." Vikram said after a few seconds. "He doesn't have friends because mom never let him step out of the house."

"That's so heartbreaking." Ruvee said. "I can't imagine what the poor boy must be going through."

Vikram didn't either and it was only himself he could blame. He had let too many people and their words come between him and his brother.

"He hasn't come out of his for almost a week now." Vikram continued. "He doesn't even eat anything."

Ruvee suddenly turned towards Vikram. "Tell you what?"

"What?"

"Why don't you ease your mom into the idea of letting Vaibhav out of the house?"

"And how would I do that?"

"Well..." Ruvee began, "he's not been eating, right?"

Vikram nodded.

"Why don't you tell your mom that you'd take him out for a bit, just to get some air, or something to eat that he might like. You can take him somewhere your mom trusts." she said and then her eyes lit up. "What about the restaurant at Blooming Orchid where Gaurav works?"

This seemed like a good plan. "This might actually work." he said, in amusement.

"I'll come too if you want."

Vikram nodded enthusiastically. "I think Vaibhav would like that."

"Great." Ruvee said. "So I'll see you tonight?"

Vikram smiled. "Definitely."

It was around 8 pm that Ruvee had said she'd meet Vikram at the hotel restaurant. So now, Vikram sat with Vaibhav, awkwardly waiting for the clock to strike 8. Vikram looked at his watch. It was only 7:49 pm now.

Getting Vaibhav out of the house had not been easy. When Vikram had talked to his mom about it, she flat out rejected the idea. But Vikram reminded her of how Vaibhav was skipping meals and it was only about time his body would start giving up because of it.

She had eased a little when Vikram promised that he'll take Vaibhav somewhere nearby, somewhere safe and she eventually agreed to the idea when he said that he would take Vaibhav to the restaurant at Blooming Orchid.

"Are we waiting for someone?" Vaibhav asked, tapping his foot on the floor, looking around. Vikram thought it must be a little awkward for him to be out like this, especially when he had never stepped out of the house, ever.

"Just a friend." he said. "If you don't mind."

Vaibhav shook his head. "I don't."

When Vikram had told him he was going out for a walk and wondered if Vaibhav would like to join him, Vaibhav had been suspicious about what this was about. Then Vikram admitted to him that he didn't feel like eating at home and since the pressure of the midterms was stressing him too much, he was just looking for a break.

At first, Vaibhav wanted to refuse but Vikram did look jaded, so he agreed. Plus, he needed a reason to get out of the house in any way possible.

"Is this too much for you?" Vikram asked, a little concerned.

"What do you mean?"

"Being outside must be strange."

Vaibhav laughed. "I have been out of the house several times." he said, surprising Vikram.

Vikram's expressions must have been obvious because Vaibhav continued. "I know mom's routine, especially when she has to attend meetings and parties. I sneak out and come back before she's home."

Vikram looked at his younger brother in absolute shock. "And no one knows?"

Vaibhav shook his head. "Not a soul." He said. "Well except my friends."

Each sentence from Vaibhav was one shock after the other. "You have friends?"

Vaibhav raised an eyebrow. "I even have a girlfriend."

"Who are you?" Vikram asked, really trying to figure out. Vaibhav had been leading a secret life and Vikram had absolutely no idea about it.

"Do you also have a secret family and a secret brother?"

This made Vaibhav laugh. "You wish." he said.

Vikram tried to wrap his head around all this. "How long have you been doing this for?"

"Since dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's." he said in a low voice. "I mean it's a hereditary disease, right?"

Vikram nodded. He was aware of that fact.

"So I thought that if I were to ever get it, shouldn't I make memories first that I can forget?"

Vikram looked at his brother in awe. How was it that he was just fifteen and yet so wise? It made him regret all those times he'd missed out on being the older brother that he should have been. The guilt was still hovering over his head when Ruvee walked in.

"Hi guys." she said and pulled a chair next to Vaibhav's. "Sorry I am early."

Vikram snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his watch. Ruvee was indeed early, but just by five minutes. Vikram smiled. Only she could apologize for arriving before time.

"You must be Vaibhav." she said, extending her hand to Vaibhav. "I've heard so much about you. I am Ruvee."

Vaibhav smiled and took her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Ruvee nodded and turned to Vikram. "So what are we eating?" she asked, "I am famished. Haven't had anything since lunch at school."

"Gaurav introduced French menu last time I was here." Vikram said.

"I don't mind French." Ruvee said, shrugging and turning to Vaibhav. "You?"

Vaibhav shook his head. "I'm fine with it too."

"French it is then." Ruvee said and called for Gaurav.

"The menu today is Spanish." Gaurav yelled, walking towards them and Vikram and Ruvee burst into a laugh. Vikram noticed that Vaibhav was laughing a little too.

"We have a full table today I see." Gaurav said, patting Vikram softly on the shoulder. "And look who's here, Vaibhav." he said, turning to him. "My favorite person on earth."

Vaibhav smiled at him. "Good to see you again."

"Again?" Ruvee asked, a little surprised. "I thought you never left home."

Gaurav laughed. "Never left home?" he asked. "He was here last week with his girlfriend and they shared a pot of cheese fondue."

Ruvee raised an eyebrow at Vikram, utterly confused. "I'll explain later." he said.

"So, what would you guys like to order?"

"Whatever you feel like feeding us." Vikram said. He had no clue of Spanish food either.

"Three super scrumptious dishes coming right up." Gaurav said and walked away.

Once they were alone, Vikram filled Ruvee in on what he and Vaibhav had been talking about before he arrived, except the Alzheimer's part, of course. Vikram wanted to tell her about it when he was comfortable with it.

"Rebellious." Ruvee said once Vikram was done. "I like it. So, what does your girlfriend do?"

"She's a dentist." Vaibhav casually said.

Both eyes flew towards Vaibhav in astonishment. Vaibhav took a sip of water from the glass on the table, took a look at each of them and began laughing at their expressions.

"Relax." he said amidst his laughs. "It was a joke. I am fifteen so it's pretty obvious that my girlfriend would be a student too."

Vikram calmed down a little and saw how Ruvee was laughing at the joke lightly. She then turned to Vikram. "I must say." she said. "Your brother's sense of humour is better than yours."

It sounded preposterous to Vikram. "I don't have a bad sense of humour." he protested at Ruvee. "You just have very bad taste."

Ruvee was about to say something when Vaibhav interrupted. "Are you guys dating?"

"What?" Vikram asked almost at the same time as Ruvee said "No." and everyone sitting at that table realized that the reaction was far too quickly than expected.

Ruvee tried to salvage the situation by asking Vaibhav random questions about his friends.

Vikram, sitting there with the two of them found, some pretty amazing things about his brother. He found out that Vaibhav had friends of varied ages. They hung out in the evening by the park near their house every Saturday when their mom was out on community meetings. Vaibhav told them that he met his girlfriend, whose name was Isha, when he had walked into a coaching institute one evening, just to see what it was like. There he had stumbled upon Isha who was late for her class and hence was denied entry. She stood by the door, making notes in her copy from what she could hear and Vaibhav had found that incredible. She was a year younger than Vaibhav and since he had already covered that syllabus, he had offered to help her with what she had missed. They would meet twice a week and Vaibhav would tutor her and around six months ago, they began dating.

He told them that it was her school that he wanted to study his secondary years in so he could be near her and Vikram found that a pretty valid reason.

Vaibhav was telling them more about his plans when Gaurav walked back in with the food he had prepared. He put the first one on the table. "This one is called Paella," he said, trying to sound Spanish but failing like he had failed at French. "It's a famous dish from Valencia." Vikram noticed that it looked like fried rice with prawns on top. Gaurav then went on and placed the second one that looked like fried bread-rolls. "And this one is called Croquetas." he said.

Gaurav moved away, making space for the server to serve them the third dish.

He placed three shot glasses on the table that had thick red liquid in them. "This is Gazpacho." Gaurav added. "It's an appetizer, like tomato soup."

"Shouldn't you have served this first?" Vikram asked, teasing Gaurav a little.

"I told you." came the server's voice and Vikram turned to look at him.

It was Aditya, again!

"You're still working here?" Vikram asked.

"Yeah, where else will I work?"

"No, I mean with the exams and all?"

Aditya curtly shook his head. "My university exams don't start until September." he said through gritted teeth.

"Oh!" Vikram said and looked at Ruvee nervously who was smiling at the stupidity Vikram had shown.

"You..." Gaurav suddenly said to Aditya, making everyone jump a little. "Why don't you take the evening off and join them?"

"No it's..." Aditya protested but Vikram cut him off.

"Yes you should." he said and Aditya's eyes rested on him for a second. Then Aditya nodded.

"Okay."

"Great." Gaurav said, "Maybe I will take the evening off too. Pull up another chair while I get the wine."

With that, he vanished behind the counter and into the kitchen.

"You almost lost me my job today." Aditya said, taking his apron off and sitting down next to Vikram.

"I am sorry I completely forgot. But why haven't you taken time off?" Vikram asked curiously while Ruvee filled Vaibhav in about the situation.

"What will I tell him I need time for?" Aditya asked Vikram, shaking his head. "It's better if I keep working."

"But what about the exams?" Ruvee asked, "Are you getting enough time to study and sleep?"

Aditya nodded. "I am fine, really." he said and then looked at Vaibhav who was eyeing him with curiosity.

"And who might you be?" Aditya asked.

"I am Vaibhav." he said in a nonchalant tone as he extended his hand. "Vikram's younger brother. And you are?"

Aditya took his hand and shook it firmly. "I am Aditya, Vikram's classmate."

Vaibhav's eyes grew wider. "Aditya as in the Aditya?"

Aditya raised an eyebrow at him and looked confused. "I don't know what that means."

"It doesn't me..." Vikram began but Vaibhav cut him short.

"You're kind of an urban legend at our house." Vaibhav said and turned to Vikram who was glaring at Vaibhav, asking him to shut up. "We always talk about you but no one has seen you." Vaibhav continued, despite Vikram asking him not to. "Except Vikram of course."

"You guys always talk about me?" Aditya asked Vikram.

Vikram did not know what to say. He had never felt so embarrassed in his life.

"Yeah." Vaibhav said, "My dad keeps pitting Vikram against you."

Aditya nodded. He had been aware that Vikram hated him because of this competition between them but he was not aware that his father was the one pushing him towards it.

"It worked." Aditya admitted. "For the past few years until we had to work for the English project together." he said and turned to Vaibhav. "It must surprise you that your brother and I are somewhat friends now."

Vaibhav shook his head. "Not at all."

"No?" Aditya asked.

"Have you heard of 'mere-exposure effect' and 'interpersonal attraction'?" Vaibhav asked and took everyone by surprise.

Aditya smiled and nodded. Vaibhav was too smart for his age.

"Ah..." Ruvee said, "That explains it."

Vikram looked lost. It seemed like he was the only one who didn't understand what it meant. "What is 'mere-exponential effect' and 'intersection attraction'?"

All three eyes turned to him.

"Why do you always think in math?" Vaibhav asked and Vikram scowled. "It's 'mere exposure effect' and 'interpersonal attraction'" The younger brother corrected him and was about to tell him what the terms meant when Gaurav emerged with a bottle of red wine. He sat himself down between Aditya and Vikram and pulled the bottle to Vikram's glass.

"Wine?" he asked.

Vikram looked at Gaurav like he had just been involved in a scandal. "I am seventeen." he said.

"Right." Gaurav replied and turned to Aditya who just shook his head.

Shrugging he turned to Ruvee's glass who placed her hand over it. "I am also seventeen." she said, "In case you didn't notice."

Gaurav closed his eyes and shook his head. "Yes, but what about your soul?" he asked. "It's not seventeen, it's seventy."

With that, the table broke into a laugh and Vikram noticed that Aditya was smiling too.

Mere-exposure effect and interpersonal attraction, Vikram thought. I'll have to find out what that means.

The dinner went better than anyone had expected. They ate and talked and laughed and Gaurav finished the entire bottle of wine himself. It was a memorable night that Vikram knew he'd cherish forever.

"These new friends that you have." Vaibhav said as they headed back home, "are better than the old ones."

Vikram smiled. He had noticed that too.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to attend regular school?" Vikram asked just as they were about to reach home.

"Yes." Vaibhav said. "I am pretty sure."

Vikram nodded. "Fine." he said. "I'll talk to mom when I can."