Chapter One Hundred Five: The Sibling Question (And A Flicker of Memory)
The morning after Murudeshwara, the group gathered for breakfast at their hotel.
The beachfront restaurant was beautiful—palm trees, white sand, the sea sparkling in the morning light.
Shreya sat quietly, watching everyone.
Watching Mithun.
She'd held his hand last night. She didn't know why. It just felt... right.
Today, things were different.
Not in a bad way. Just... different.
---
Keiran was in rare form.
He'd had sugar. Lots of sugar. Probably from the mango juice Akshi had given him.
He was bouncing in his seat, Rex in one hand, Ganesha in the other.
"Mamma! Pappa! I have a QUESTION!"
Jay sighed. She knew that tone. "What is it, baby?"
"When am I getting a sibling?"
---
The table went quiet.
Jay's face went red.
Keifer's went red.
Percy, of course, was delighted. "THE QUESTION RETURNS!"
Honey tried to shush him. "Percy—"
"THIS IS HISTORIC! THE SIBLING QUESTION, PART THREE!"
Akshi grabbed Chethan's arm. "This is going to be good."
C.N. pulled out his notebook. "Documenting for posterity."
Rakii already had her camera up.
---
Jay took a breath. "Keiran, baby, we talked about this. Siblings take time."
"But it's been FOREVER."
"It's been a few months."
"FOREVER months."
Keifer tried. "Buddy, these things happen when they're supposed to happen."
"WHEN IS SUPPOSED TO?"
"Soon. Maybe."
"MAYBE ISN'T YES!"
---
Percy was crying with laughter. "HE'S GOT A POINT! MAYBE ISN'T YES!"
Keiran pointed at Percy. "TITO PERCY AGREES WITH ME!"
"I DO! I ABSOLUTELY DO!"
Honey pulled him back. "Babe, you're not helping."
"I'M NOT TRYING TO HELP! I'M ENJOYING!"
---
Keiran wasn't done.
"Mamma, do you and Pappa do special hugs?"
The table ERUPTED.
Akshi screamed with laughter. Chethan choked on his water. Mica fell off her chair. Calix caught her.
C.N. was writing furiously. "Special hugs. Documented."
Rakii was crying. "Best morning ever."
Felix buried his face in his hands. Bridget patted his back, laughing.
David was on the floor. "I'm dead. I'm literally dead."
Freya patted his head. "RIP David."
---
Jay's face was approximately seventeen shades of red. "Keiran—"
"WHAT? Pappa TOLD me about special hugs! That's how babies come!"
Percy pointed at Keifer. "YOU! You started this!"
Keifer put his head in his hands. "I regret everything."
"TOO LATE! THE LEGEND LIVES ON!"
---
And then—
Shreya laughed.
A real laugh.
Loud. Uncontrollable.
Everyone turned.
She was holding her stomach, tears streaming down her face.
"I remember this," she gasped. "I remember—Keiran asking about siblings—at breakfast—everyone losing their minds—"
---
The table went silent.
Akshi grabbed her arm. "Shreya? You remember?"
"I remember—I remember him asking—and Percy—and—" She laughed again. "Percy fell off his chair. I remember that. He FELL. OFF. HIS. CHAIR."
Percy pointed at himself. "I DID! I DID FALL OFF MY CHAIR!"
Honey nodded. "He did. It was spectacular."
---
Shreya kept laughing.
But then—it faded.
The memory faded.
She looked around. Confused.
"What—what just happened?"
Jay leaned forward. "You remembered. Just now. You remembered Keiran asking about siblings."
"I did?"
"You laughed. You said Percy fell off his chair."
Shreya looked at Percy. "Did you?"
"YES! I DID! IT WAS GLORIOUS!"
---
She touched her head. "It's gone now. But for a second—I saw it. Like a flash."
Mithun took her hand. "That's progress. That's real progress."
"It was just... chaos. Not anything important."
"Chaos IS important. Chaos is our family."
She looked at him.
Something in her eyes.
Not love. Not yet.
But something.
---
Breakfast continued.
Keiran, oblivious to the significance of what just happened, was still demanding answers.
"SO ABOUT THE SIBLING—"
Jay picked him up. "Let's go find seashells, baby."
"BUT MAMMA—"
"SHELLS. NOW."
Keifer followed, laughing.
The table watched them go.
---
Akshi turned to Shreya. "You really remembered?"
"For a second. Just... flashes. Like a video playing too fast."
"That's more than before."
"Yeah." Shreya looked at her hands. "It's more."
---
Mithun didn't let go of her hand.
She didn't pull away.
The chaos continued around them.
But for one moment—just one—
Something felt almost normal.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Five