Chapter One Hundred Fourteen: The Great Dinosaur Rebellion
The morning after Shreya's full memory return, the mansion was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Jay sat at the breakfast table, scrolling through her phone, when she saw it.
A giant inflatable T-Rex costume.
The kind that covers your whole body, with tiny little arms and a giant head.
Her eyes lit up like Christmas morning.
"Everyone. I have found something beautiful."
---
She held up her phone.
The table went quiet.
Akshi leaned forward. "WHAT IS THAT MAGNIFICENT CREATURE?"
"An inflatable T-Rex costume."
Shreya grabbed the phone. "OH MY GOD. I NEED THIS."
Jay nodded solemnly. "We ALL need this."
---
She turned to Keifer.
"Keifer. I want one."
He looked at the phone. Looked at her. Looked back at the phone.
"No."
She blinked. "What do you mean NO?"
"I mean no. You're not buying a giant inflatable dinosaur."
"But it's FUN!"
"It's ridiculous."
"That's the POINT!"
---
Keifer crossed his arms. "Jay, we have a three-year-old. We don't need another child in a dinosaur costume."
"I'm not a child! I'm an adult woman who deserves joy!"
"You can have joy without terrorizing the neighborhood."
"WHERE'S THE FUN IN THAT?"
---
Akshi watched this exchange.
Then she turned to Chethan.
"Chethan. I want one too."
Chethan didn't even look up from his food. "No."
"You didn't even think about it!"
"I don't need to think about it. The answer is no."
"But JAY is getting one!"
"Jay isn't getting one either. Keifer said no."
"He'll cave!"
"He won't cave."
---
Akshi's face fell.
She turned to Shreya.
Shreya was already looking at Mithun.
Mithun was shaking his head.
"No."
"I didn't ask yet."
"You were going to."
"What if I was?"
"Still no."
---
The three women exchanged glances.
A silent pact was formed.
Jay turned back to Keifer. "Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"With sugar on top?"
"No."
---
Jay's eyes filled with tears.
Not dramatic tears. Not fake tears.
Real tears.
Welling up. Spilling over.
"You don't love me."
Keifer's eyes widened. "What? That's not—I DO love you!"
"You won't even let me have a dinosaur!"
"A giant inflatable dinosaur is not a measure of love!"
"It IS to ME!"
---
Tears streamed down her face.
Keifer panicked. "Jay, please don't cry—"
"You don't want me to be HAPPY!"
"I DO want you to be happy!"
"Then LET ME HAVE A DINOSAUR!"
"It's not that simple—"
"IT IS THAT SIMPLE!"
---
Akshi watched this.
Then she turned to Chethan.
And started crying too.
Not fake crying.
Real crying.
Loud crying.
"I want a dinosaur," she sobbed. "I want to be a T-Rex. With tiny arms. And a big head. And—"
Chethan stared at her. "Akshi—"
"You don't love me either!"
"I DO love you!"
"Then WHY WON'T YOU LET ME HAVE A DINOSAUR?"
---
Shreya looked at Mithun.
Her eyes filled.
Mithun held up his hands. "Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you're about to cry."
"I'm NOT going to cry."
"Your eyes are watering."
"ALLERGIES."
"It's February."
"WINTER ALLERGIES."
---
The tears came anyway.
Shreya cried.
Quietly. Pathetically. Devastated.
Mithun's resolve crumbled.
"Shreya—"
"You hate me."
"I don't hate you."
"You won't even let me have a dinosaur."
"A giant inflatable dinosaur."
"THE BEST KIND."
---
The living room was now filled with crying women.
Jay sobbing into her hands.
Akshi wailing dramatically.
Shreya weeping quietly.
Percy watched from the doorway, popcorn in hand. "This is BEAUTIFUL."
Honey smacked his arm. "Percy, they're crying!"
"ROMANTIC CRYING!"
C.N. took notes. "Emotional manipulation tactics: Level expert. Success probability: Rising."
Rakii filmed everything. "For the album. 'The Great Dinosaur Debate.'"
---
Keifer looked at Chethan.
Chethan looked at Mithun.
Mithun looked at the ceiling.
"She's really crying," Chethan whispered.
"I know," Keifer whispered back.
"I thought it was fake."
"It's not fake."
"She really wants a dinosaur."
"She really does."
---
Mithun sighed. "What do we do?"
Keifer thought. "We have two options. Hold firm and deal with the crying. Or cave and buy the dinosaurs."
Chethan looked at Akshi. She was now wailing about "oppression" and "dinosaur rights."
"I think we have to cave."
"I think you're right."
---
Keifer approached Jay.
Kneeled in front of her.
"Jay."
She looked up through tear-filled eyes.
"If I agree to the dinosaur, will you stop crying?"
Sniffle. "Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Probably."
"Probably?"
"Definitely."
---
He sighed.
Grabbed her.
Kissed her.
Long. Deep. Thorough.
When they broke apart, she was smiling.
"No more crying?"
"No more crying."
"So you'll buy the dinosaur?"
"I'll buy the dinosaur."
She kissed his cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too. Even though you're expensive."
"Your expensive."
---
Chethan watched this.
Then he looked at Akshi.
She was still crying.
But watching.
Waiting.
He crossed to her.
Kneeled.
"Akshi."
Sniffle. "What?"
"If I agree to the dinosaur, will you stop?"
More sniffles. "Maybe."
"That's what Jay said."
"GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE."
---
He grabbed her.
Kissed her.
She kissed back enthusiastically.
When they broke apart, she was grinning.
"Dinosaur?"
"Dinosaur."
"Pink one?"
"Pink one."
She threw her arms around him. "I love you!"
"I love you too. Even though you're exhausting."
"Your exhausting."
---
Mithun watched both couples.
Then he looked at Shreya.
She was still crying.
Quietly. Pathetically.
Waiting.
He crossed to her.
Kneeled.
"Shreya."
Sniffle. "What?"
"If I agree to the dinosaur, will you stop?"
Sniffle. "Maybe."
"That's what they all said."
"GREAT MINDS."
---
He grabbed her.
Kissed her.
She kissed back like she'd been waiting her whole life.
When they broke apart, she was smiling through tears.
"Dinosaur?"
"Dinosaur."
"Any color?"
"Any color."
She hugged him tight. "I love you."
"I love you too. Even though you're dramatic."
"Your dramatic."
---
Percy watched all three couples.
He turned to Honey.
"Honey."
"No."
"I didn't ask!"
"You were going to."
"What if I was?"
"Still no."
---
Percy's eyes filled with tears.
Honey stared at him.
"Percy, that's not going to work."
"It might!"
"It won't."
He cried harder.
Honey sighed.
Grabbed him.
Kissed him.
---
He grinned through the kiss.
When they broke apart, she pointed at him.
"You're paying for mine."
"DEAL!"
"And you're not getting the blue one. I want the blue one."
"BUT—"
"BLUE. ONE."
He sighed. "Fine."
---
The order was placed.
Eight giant inflatable T-Rex costumes.
Jay. Akshi. Shreya. Percy. And now Honey.
Plus Mica. David. And, inexplicably, C.N.
C.N. had justified it with "statistical probability of needing a dinosaur for future events is 78%."
Rakii had simply said, "I'm documenting this. I don't need to wear one."
---
That night, Jay curled against Keifer.
"I love my future dinosaur."
"I know."
"I love you too."
"I know that too."
"Thank you for caving."
"I didn't cave. I made a strategic decision."
"You caved."
"I caved."
She kissed his cheek. "Best husband ever."
"Best wife ever. Even with dinosaur obsessions."
"Especially with dinosaur obsessions."
---
Akshi and Chethan were in their room.
Akshi was already looking at pink dinosaur costumes.
Chethan watched her, smiling.
"You're ridiculous," he said.
"Your ridiculous."
"I know."
She kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you too. Even though you're expensive."
"Your expensive."
---
Shreya and Mithun sat on the balcony.
"Dinosaur," she said.
"Dinosaur," he agreed.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For caving."
"I didn't cave. I made a logical decision based on emotional factors."
"You caved."
"I caved."
She kissed him. "I love you."
"I love you too. Even though you're a lot."
"Your a lot."
---
The night was peaceful.
The dinosaurs were ordered.
The chaos was temporarily settled.
Tomorrow, the real fun would begin.
But tonight—
Tonight was perfect.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Fourteen