Chapter 20: The Unwanted Chaperone

The days settled into a comfortable, almost domestic rhythm. We became a unit, a strange, unlikely trio of me, Kushi, and the gym. Every morning, we’d meet at the gate, her shy smile a welcome sight. Every afternoon, we’d grunt and sweat through Aravind’s increasingly challenging routines, Kushi slowly shedding her baggy tracksuit for slightly less baggy yoga pants and a loose t-shirt. We’d have lunch together at the small cafe near the park, sharing samosas and stories, our conversations flowing easier, more natural. Sometimes, she’d even come over for dinner, her laughter a welcome addition to the quiet hum of our apartment.

It was nice. It was ... sweet. But it was also a problem.

Devi noticed. Of course, she noticed. I’d see her watching us, her eyes a little too observant, her smile a little too forced. She was being left out. The woman who had taken me in, who had cared for me, was now an outsider looking in on my new life. Kushi, in her sweet, naive way, would try to include her, asking her about her day, drawing her into our conversations. But I could see the cracks. I could see the hurt in Devi’s eyes, the subtle shift in her demeanor. She was my stepmom, but she was also a woman, and she was feeling the sting of rejection.