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“What’s happened?” Agastya asked quietly.
A stinging burn at the back of Harsh’s eyes had him squeezing them shut. He’d forgotten how perceptive his brother could be. He’d forgotten how well Agastya knew him. He’d forgotten how deep their bond went. Or rather had once gone.
“Are you happy?” he asked Agastya.
“Are you?” his brother returned. “It is your wedding, after all.”
“My wedding.” Harsh spun around, keeping his back to the bar and watching the crowd milling around on the huge lawns. Where his bride was, he had no idea. He hated himself for scanning the crowd for a glimpse of her. “My wedding,” he repeated. “But your ultimate dream. Your new family is further integrated into the old, ratty one.”
Agastya stared at him, eyes hooded. “I have only one family, Harsh. It’s expanded a bit but at no point did the new members replace the old.”
“Right.” Harsh toasted his brother with his glass. “Absolutely.”
Well aware he was being an asshole, he grinned at Agastya before tossing the liquor back and slamming the empty glass on the bar counter. He signalled the bartender to fill it up.
“Is that what you think?” Agastya persisted. “That I replaced you with…whom exactly? Ram or Raashi?”
Harsh snorted, staring into his empty glass. “I’m easily irreplaceable. Their family dog could take my place.”
“They don’t have a family dog,” Agastya replied dryly.
Harsh laughed, a loud, bitter sound that had people glancing over at them. Fairy lights twinkled all around them, bringing an old-world glamour to the place. Old world, Harsh thought. He was anything but old world, but nobody had bothered to ask him what he’d wanted. Nobody had asked the groom if he liked the decorations. Not that he gave a flying fuck about wedding decorations, he thought morosely. It would have just been nice to have been asked. God, he was being a mopey sad sack!
“What is this really about?” Agastya asked, raising a hand and having a beer miraculously appear before him. Honestly, the man’s charisma was practically magic.
Harsh raised his hand and the confused bartender gave him a high five before walking away.
“Harsh.” Agastya’s voice was low enough for only him to hear. “I don’t know what the fuck is bothering you but I’m assuming it’s something to do with Raashi.”
“Ding. Ding. Ding. Give the man a reward. He just hit the bullseye.”
Alcohol swam through his veins as he stared blearily at his brother’s tight face. “Do you want to know what my problem is?”
Agastya’s lip tightened into a thin line, but he said nothing, waiting for Harsh to finish.
“I’m never enough. Not for anyone.”
Agastya closed his eyes, exhaling hard. “Our parents have a lot to fucking answer for. And, I suppose, I do too.”
No. No. Agastya had tried. If it hadn’t been for him, Harsh’s childhood would have been a nightmare. Was that why he was acting like a pouty baby about his brother’s new relationships? Because he didn’t want to share the only champion he’d ever had?
“Good evening Agastya.”
That voice sliced through his musings, bringing with it murderous rage. Harsh turned slowly to meet Anant Madhavan’s flat, dead eyes.
“No good evening for me?” Harsh asked with an obnoxious grin.
“Please accept my felicitations,” Anant said stiffly, baring his teeth in an approximation of a smile at Harsh. The smile was slightly more polite when it was aimed at Agastya.
“Your what?” Harsh asked, deliberately, a childish glee overtaking him at needling the other man in a setting where he had no option but to be polite.
“Congratulations on your wedding,” Anant muttered, looking pained at having to say the words.
Harsh beamed at him. “Thank you, Anant Garu. Your presence here today has truly made the whole day special.”
Anant’s lips thinned, barely suppressed fury blazing in his eyes. He wasn’t even bothering to conceal it.
Agastya glanced between the two men, his perceptive gaze clearly picking up on the vibes.
