That evening, Arin knocked on Astha’s door at precisely the time Shanaya had instructed. When the door swung open, Astha raised an eyebrow at him, her expression unreadable. “So, the great editor has been roped into Scrabble warfare. Hope you know what you’ve signed up for.”
Arin smiled. “I’m a quick learner.”
“Good,” Astha said, stepping aside to let him in. “Because Shanaya plays dirty.”
Shanaya, already setting up the board, grinned. “Excuse me? I play strategically. There’s a difference.”
Arin took a seat beside her while Astha settled opposite them, her expression composed, almost indifferent. As the game began, Arin quickly realized that Astha’s style was precise, methodical—she played not just to win, but to obliterate her opponent’s confidence entirely.
Shanaya groaned as her mother placed quixotic on a triple-word score. “Come on, Mom. Who even uses that word?”
Astha took a sip of her tea. “People with a vocabulary.”
Arin nearly choked on his water, caught off guard by the deadpan delivery. He had expected Astha to be reserved, maybe even aloof—but he hadn’t expected this dry, merciless humor.
“Alright, alright,” Shanaya muttered, placing her next word. “We’ve got this, Arin. We just need strategy.”
Arin carefully selected his tiles and placed eloquent on a double-letter score. “There. That should level the playing field.”
Astha peered at the board, unimpressed. “Cute. But not good enough.”
A few turns later, she casually placed zephyr on a triple-word score, earning an impressive number of points. She looked up at Arin, her expression entirely neutral. “Would you like me to recommend a dictionary?”
Shanaya groaned and dropped her head onto the table. “Mom, do you have to crush our souls along with the game?”
“It builds character,” Astha said, straight-faced.
Arin shook his head, both amused and intrigued. “You really don’t hold back, do you?”
Astha leaned back in her chair, sipping her tea. “Where’s the fun in that?”
The game stretched on, each round more intense than the last. When Arin placed modest on the board, Astha raised an eyebrow. “Ah, I see you’re spelling out your personality now. Next round, try delusional. It would be more accurate.”
Shanaya laughed loudly. “Mom, that was brutal.”
“I’m just helping him expand his vocabulary,” Astha said with a straight face.
Arin smiled, playing along. “Noted. And here I thought I was the editor.”
By the time the final tiles were placed, Astha had won—unsurprisingly. She leaned forward, her tone completely serious. “Good effort. If it helps, you didn’t lose by too embarrassing a margin.”
Shanaya sighed dramatically. “I need a new teammate. This one didn’t save me.”
Arin chuckled. “I’ll be better prepared next time.”
Astha smiled slightly. “I’d like to see you try.”
As Arin left that evening, he found himself replaying the night in his mind. He had come expecting a simple game of Scrabble.
Instead, he had discovered another piece of Astha Mehra that he hadn’t known existed.
And he wanted to see more.
Leave a Reply