Prologue

Few years later

London, UK

Kuhu tip toed down the hall to her bhaiyu's room. She figured that, at 15, she was getting a bit too old to be seeking out her brothers' comfort, but after the nightmare she had woken up from, it felt like the right thing to do.

Woof!

"It's me, Vampyre. I'm going to bhaiyu's room. Go back to sleep."

But the corso was wide awake and up on his feet, determined to follow his girl wherever on earth she was going.

Just as she reached her bhaiyu's room, the pupper let out a low growl.

"Right. You're not allowed in there, mister." Kuhu smiled at him, giving him an affectionate ear rub.

The cane corso was three years young. And in the two and a half years he had spent with them, he had never been allowed inside Agni's room. Her bhaiyu shared a bittersweet relationship with the pupper ever since his third day in the house, when Vampyre had enthusiastically chewed off the body of Agni's guitar. From that day on, Agni had forbidden the poor baby from wandering anywhere near him or his room.

Another woof.

"Yeah yeah, I'm going in!" Kuhu mumbled.

Even the 3 year old creature thought he was the boss of her! He had grown just as protective and annoying as her 3 elder brothers.

She pushed open the door to Agni's room and slipped inside, shutting the door behind her. She peered through the dark at her bhaiyu's bed but it looked abandoned.

"Bhaiyu?"

Light flooded into the room from the bathroom, blinding her for a moment. She squinted at her bhaiyu's figure in the doorway, eyes slowly adjusting.

Agni had a hand stretched out to a light switch, though he didn't flick it off yet. He frowned at Kuhu.

"What are you doing in here, bacha?" he asked groggily.

"I, uhh, had a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Kuhu shrugged her shoulders then shook her head.

"Do you need a drink?"

She scuffed her feet on the floor. "No."

Agni sighed and moved towards the girl, leaving the bathroom light on so he could see. Kuhu felt very small and childish at the moment. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor, watching her toes dig into the carpet.

Her bhaiyu squatted slightly in front of her.

"Look at me, birdie." Agni demanded softly. Kuhu looked straight at Agni, seeing him eye level. "What's wrong, hmm?"

She shrugged. "It was just a lil scary, I guess...."

"May I take a guess?" he asked, quirking a brow. Kuhu wasn't sure what her bhaiyu was talking about but nodded. "Was it about those dungeons?"

Oh a guess about her nightmare!

Whatever happened 3 years back had traumatized her deeply. It was only after a year of therapy that she didn't shiver even at the thought of that ominous day. Yet on nights like these, she felt vulnerable.

"Sort of...." she admitted.

"Kuhu." Agni tapped her chin, making her look up.

It was common knowledge that the young lady wasn't a big fan of therapy. So much that at one point, she started hiding about her nightmares and flashbacks just so she could stop going to therapy at the earliest.

None of them were amused, of course. It had taken a lot of talking, convincing and....incentives to break that particular habit. There was no looking back from that point on. She had healed considerably, yet it killed a small part of her innocence.

And the entire family mourned for the lost innocence.

"You're alright, birdie." Agni pulled her in a hug. "We're all here for you. Always." he promised her.

"I know."

"Do you want to sleep in my bed today?" he asked.

She hesitated. "Uh....c-can I?"

He rolled his eyes and picked her up bridal style. She yelped in shock but wrapped her arms around his neck at once wondering why she was still so easy to pick up.

Agni turned off the light in the bathroom, blinding her once again. She blinked as she was gently laid on the four poster bed.

He switched on the moonlight shortly after, making her sigh in relief. She hated sleeping in dark. Somehow, it reminded her too much of the dark dungeon she was kept into.

Her bhaiyu lay next to her and she curled into his side, resting her head on his chest. He looped out his arm from under her neck to rest on her shoulder.

"Why am I so small?" she asked softly, not particularly sleepy.

"You're not small." Agni said. "You're average for your age."

Kuhu lifted his hand and compared it to her own by placing her palm against his'. Her fingertips just passed Agni's palm. She pouted as she stared at the major size difference.

"You'll grow, birdie." Agni said, his voice sounding groggy. Kuhu was sure that he was on the verge of drifting off to sleep.

She also knew her bhaiyu was lying. Hopefully, not the growing up part but definitely the average-for-your-age part. Even in the class, she was shorter than the majority of the girls and....less 'girly'. She barely had any signs of breasts and her periods were yet to greet her.

For the last 2 years, the girls in her class were all talking about chums and cramps and how they hated that time of the month. Meanwhile, Kuhu was eagerly waiting for her periods to start. But to no avail. Her bhabhi ma had dismissed her concerns by stating that she was a late bloomer, but she feared the worst.

Kuhu snuggled closer into her bhaiyu's side, yawning. She looked up at the man. He had his eyes closed. "Are you asleep?"

Agni snorted before saying, "What if I was?"

"Oh, sorry."

"Go to sleep, birdie. You have school tomorrow."

"When did you come back home?" she asked quietly. He didn't have dinner with them today.

"Late." just one word. No explanation.

"Whennnn?" she insisted.

"Tiredly late. Please lemme sleep, birdie." he turned to face the other side.

Kuhu clicked her tongue. "I wanna talk about something important." she said, balancing her body on her elbow.

"Is it about your nightmare?" he asked bluntly.

She frowned. "No?"

"Did someone bully you again?" he continued the strange line of questioning.

Her brows furrowed deeper until realization hit her. So that was the priority list. Huh!

"Not that I would tell you!" she said annoyed.

Big mistake.

He turned to face her the very next moment. She could see his amber eyes glinting with anger even in the dim light. That made her gulp.

"I-I mean, who would dare to bully me after the last time, bhaiyu?" she blinked innocently, wondering if her goldfish eyes worked in the dark.

Last time she made the grave mistake of sharing her bullying story with her brothers, the poor boy had gotten rusticated and blacklisted from the top private schools of London, all because he made a racial remark before pushing her in the swimming pool....okay, maybe he was not that poor. But he was young and immature. She felt for him.

That incident taught her two things. One, racism was a big deal here and two, her brothers were a bit too protective when it came to her....overprotective, actually.

A sharp flick on her forehead brought her out of her thoughts.

"Bhaiyu!" she whined, burying her head in his chest so he couldn't whack her anymore.

"You dare hide about something like this and I'll have absolutely no qualms about going back on my word." All the grogginess was gone from his voice.

Her cheeks prickled with warmth at the mention of the promise. As a 9 year old she had been up to her usual shenanigans and came very close to breaking her neck. In a moment of paranoia, her bhaiyu had raised his hand on her. When the storm passed, he felt guilty and credited much to her pitiful performance, made her a promise that he won't ever raise a hand to her.

Now, she felt too embarrassed to look up from his chest. " 'kay...."

"Did you get in trouble at school?" he asked crossly.

That made her pull back. "No bhaiyu."

"Then whatever it is, we'll talk 'bout it tomorrow." he said in the same distant tone and turned to face the other side again.

She stared longingly at his back. Trust her to upset her softy brother in just one sentence! Her eyes teared up at the thought.

She turned to face the other side and sniffled softly. Her lower lip protruded out at its own will, something she would avoid until faced with death in broad daylight.

Kuhu officially felt like a sodding toddler now, well chastised and pouting. And on top of it all, the one person who was supposed to help her out of the fix, was mad at her!

o0o

The next morning, Kuhu walked in the kitchen all dressed for the day, rubbing her slightly red nose.

London weather didn't suit her in the slightest. Back in Mumbai, winters were far more subdued and even then, she often ended up falling sick. Here, the winter chills crept into her very bones!

She often ended up with a red nose and watery eyes. Especially on early mornings like these. Which was more of a daily routine. Because her bhaiya forced her to wake at 7 every morning, even when her school started at 9! 

"Lose an hour in the morning and you'll spend all day searching for it." her bhaiya had once said when he found her grumbling about such an early start.

She wondered how many more such quotes her brother had. Perhaps a lot.

"I lost it in bed." she had mumbled cheekily. "Guess I'll go search for it there."

Yash must have thought it was an excellent solution because she was sent to bed to seek the lost hour at 8.30 that night. Kuhu never grumbled again.

"Ready for the day, baby?" Avni's usual chirpy voice floated across the kitchen.

Kuhu smiled, inhaling deeply. The rich aroma of the perfect English breakfast filled the air. Avni had discovered her flair for western cooking barely a month after moving here, and since then, she had taken over the kitchen like a seasoned chef. With the relocation of the main headquarters keeping Yash constantly occupied, her help had been a blessing.

"Morning, bhabhi ma." Kuhu hugged her from the back. "Muffins!" she exclaimed excitedly when she caught sight of them on the cooling tray.

Avni lightly slapped her hand before she could grab one of those.

"No sweets in the morning." she warned her, making the teenager pout.

One of the many reasons she took up cooking was because many HSPs had a very sensitive digestion. Mood health was a direct reflection of gut health. While Kuhu faced no such difficulty, credited more to her capsaicin intolerance and picky food choices than her being an exception, Avni still didn't wish to take any chances. 

Kuhu's frequent headaches were more than enough of a physical consequence for her. The cook's inconsiderate cooking didn't need to add on to that.

On her advice, Yash had contacted a dietician and they came up with the perfect protein and mg rich diet for her. Caffeine and unregulated sugar was a big no-no.

"Just one?" Kuhu gave her an imploring look.

Avni's heart melted like butter. "I'll pack you 2, bacha. But for lunch break. You know sugar overstimulates you and it's just the morning." She tried to negotiate.

"No...." Kuhu whined. "Don't pack me a tiffin. That's so uncool! Just lemme have one. Pretty please."

"What's all this commotion about?" Agni asked as he walked into the kitchen, freshly out of bed. 

Kuhu stopped complaining at once. She couldn't quite risk it after their conversation last night.

"Muffins. Your sister wants a sugar rush so early in the morning." Avni complained, pulling Kuhu's cheek fondly.

The teen shot her a look of absolute betrayal. This was the end-

Except her bhaiyu surprised her by wrapping a casual arm around her shoulders. "Cut my birdie some slack, bhabhi jaan." he said. "1 muffin won't turn her into a sugar fueled tornado."

Kuhu relaxed in his arms. So he was in a good mood! 

Agni kissed the top of her head. He had woken up feeling guilty about last night's grumpiness. The poor child had come to seek comfort and he berated her over a childish remark. His bhaiya was right when he said sleep and hunger made him unreasonable.

"No means no." Avni dictated the law. "Besides, it's your bhaiya's general rule, devar ji. No sweets for breakfast."

"Then why did you make this tempting delicacy so early in the morning, hmm? It's gonna hurt me so much to break my beloved bhaiya's rule." he said, feigning regret as his hands inched closer to the cooling tray.

But Avni slapped his hand. And she was nowhere near as gentle as she was with Kuhu.

"Get your dirty hands off my counter!" she chided him. "And these muffins aren't for us. I baked them for lil Willy's birthday today."

"Who?" Agni frowned.

"The Smiths' kid. Our neighbors." Avni reminded him.

"Hawww!" Kuhu exclaimed, looking even more betrayed that she won't have all the muffins to herself.

"But I'll save some for you, baby." Avni cooed at her.

"Well, how much are you charging them?" Agni asked casually.

Avni gave him an unbelieving look. "Don't be ridiculous, Agni! They're our neighbors. It's goodwill." 

"And how much goodwill is too much goodwill, Avni?" he questioned her. "Didn't you bake a cake for your editor this Monday? And you gave the cleaner a jar full of cookies last week. I can go on and on but I think you got my point."

Avni knew far too well where the conversation was going. She looked at Kuhu.

"We'll have breakfast in the dining hall today, Kuhu. Go grab a banana. Your bhaiyu will bring your plate shortly." she instructed softly. "Feed Vampyre too. Or he'll beg at the table."

"Kay." Kuhu mumbled as she dutifully walked out of the kitchen.

Agni started as soon as Kuhu was out of earshot. "Your efforts aren't appreciated enough in this house, Avni. You're turning into an invisible, overworked housewife who's taken for granted by her family. Your life's turning problematic."

Avni rolled her eyes as she turned back to the stove and grabbed an egg. "My husband and kids thank me everyday. I am neither invisible nor overworked. All I do is cook 2 meals, somedays just 1 when my job demands as such. The only problematic aspect of my life is my manipulative old coot of a brother in law who wants to hire me as a full time baker in his cafe!"

"Our cafe." Agni corrected as he grabbed a plate.

With the global headquarters shifting to Knightsbridge, their old headquarters in Canary had lost its purpose. The building remained vacant for well over 6 months until a certain new adult hesitantly expressed his wish to work part time. That was the culture here. Yash knew he couldn't stop Kian.

Hence his bhaiya had decided that they'll put the vacant building to use. It was redesigned and rebranded as a chic English cafe and bakery. Agni took the reins in his own hands. In a way, the cafe became Agni's salvation. 

Yash found the perfect excuse of transferring a hefty allowance in his prince's account without coming off as indulging and Agni got a much needed break from the monotonous corporate life he was forced into.

"I am a barrister, Agni. I didn't work my ass off in pupilage for a year to work as a baker. The job does no justice to my qualifications." Avni told him as she flipped the omelet.

"And flipping these omelets does? Baking out of goodwill? Sitting at home 24/7?" Agni didn't mince his words. 

Avni glared at him. "FYI, I do have a job. I write for a law blog. A very successful one at that. In return, I get paid. A woman working from home isn't necessarily a hobby, you see."

"Jal gaya."

"Kya?"

"Omelet jal gaya, bhabhi." he said nervously. Boy did he push her buttons!

Avni scraped it off the pan and deposited it in the plate Agni held out. "You will eat this." she dictated.

"Fine." Agni accepted his fate. "But think about it, Avni. The head baker leaves next month. I am yet to find a replacement. Moreover, the cafe and blog could complement each other."

Avni raised an eyebrow. "Now what is this about?"

"Well, half of Canary Wharf is lawyers and consultants. And the cafe is their space. You already write for them. Imagine if you observe their lifestyle more closely....won't it benefit your writing? Give you a better idea of the audience you're catering to?"

Avni cracked another egg as she considered his words. 

She loved her new life and the job it brought her. But that didn't mean she didn't miss the hassle of a physical job.

Agni's idea  was tempting. Practicing here was out of the question, British law never stirred her the way Indian law did. And who knows noticing the lifestyles of the lawyers here might reignite something in her! Even if it didn't, at least she would have the satisfaction of a physical job.

"So?" Agni asked.

She looked at him. "Dump the omelet. I'll make you a fresh one."

o0o

Dumb. That was what she was!

Her bhaiyu had asked her at the breakfast table what was the important thing she wanted to talk about last night. But she remained quiet. Why? Because she didn't want to talk about it in front of Yash and Avni.

Especially her bhaiya, he'd have definitely given her a long lecture over it.

But at least, bhaiyu would have fixed it for you! her subconscious stated bluntly.

Her steps halted when she saw a group of students standing outside the locker room. Casual fits amidst the sea of monotonous uniforms. Sixth formers!

They'd caught quite some attention for Kuhu could see students whispering amongst themselves. It wasn't everyday that sixth formers, much less the most popular school group, came to the main building.

Only Kuhu knew the reason for their visit. Or better put, she was the reason for their visit.

Her throat dried. Nope! Let hell freeze over, but there was no chance that she was facing them today. She turned on her heel and started walking towards the classroom.

In the process, she did feel like a coward but well fuck it!

A day of being a coward was better than a lifetime of embarrassment. Her heartbeat skyrocketed as she quickened her stride. Perhaps, she shouldn't have sneaked that muffin. She felt so overstimulated.

Just then, Kuhu felt someone gripping her arm. Before she knew it, she was pulled into an empty alleyway. She was moments away from letting out a blood curdling shriek but the person covered her mouth.

If the familiar ocean blue eyes and 6'1 frame didn't click right away, she might have as well landed the punch her fist had prepared itself for. An encounter of this sort stirred unpleasant memories but over the last few years, she'd been trained to let instinct take over.

Once she was calm, the boy withdrew his hand.

"You hiding from me, K?" the raven haired boy asked in a rather husky voice, his eyes trailing down to her lips.

"O-of course not, Chad." Kuhu looked away uncomfortably, not liking the close proximity in the slightest.

"Well then, what is it? I asked you to wait outside the locker room, didn't I?" he sounded entitled.

"Oh it slipped my mind." she said, standing up straighter as she nudged him away from herself. The 17 year old had no concept of personal space.

"I hope yesterday's promise didn't slip your mind." He didn't really step back, if possible, only closer to her. "It would do my reputation no good if my girlfriend goes back on her word."

"C-consider it done. Tell Ginny and co." Kuhu hesitated as her back yet again touched the wall. 

Chad flashed a rare grin. "That's my girl." he was so close now that she could feel his hot, minted breath on her face. "Come on now, gimme a kiss." 

And Kuhu's heart dropped.

o0o