Laughter and Chess

It was a Sunday afternoon. The house was quiet, sunlight spilling softly into the living room. Aarav was sitting comfortably on the sofa, a packet of chips beside him, eyes glued to his phone.

Neil peeked over his shoulder.
“What’s this?” he asked, curious.
“Anime,” Aarav replied without looking up.

Neil tilted his head. “Anime again? Is it good?”

Aarav paused the screen for a second, staring at it. He thought, How do I even explain this? His expression turned serious, as if he was about to describe the deepest plot in history.

Finally, he said with a straight face:
“In this… there’s a boy who lost his balls—blah blah blah…”

Neil’s mouth fell open. “Wait, WHAT? That’s weird… who even watches this?”

Aarav burst out laughing, holding his stomach. “See, I told you it’s good!”
Neil shook his head in disbelief, but soon he was laughing too. Their voices filled the living room, echoing through the house.

Even their mom peeked from the kitchen, smiling quietly at the rare scene of the two brothers laughing together.

After the anime banter, the mood shifted. Neil spotted the chessboard on the table. “Let’s play,” he said.

Aarav smirked. “You sure about that? You’ll regret it.”
“Please,” Neil rolled his eyes, “I’m not losing.”

They set up the pieces. Their mom brought some tea and sat nearby, watching with interest.

Halfway through placing the pawns, Neil looked up and said out of nowhere,
“If brother ever uses his full potential… that might cause some problems for me.”

Their mom raised her eyebrows. “Would you lose then?”

Neil grinned confidently. “Nah, I’d still win.”

She laughed softly. “Okay then… the strongest chess player of history vs the strongest chess player of today.”

Aarav froze mid-move, his face turning into a mix of shock and disappointment. “Wait, wait, wait… I’ve heard those words somewhere. What’s this? Déjà vu?!”

Neil almost choked on his laughter. Their mom chuckled too, enjoying the moment.

The game began. Pawns moved. Bishops slid across. Knights hopped around. Neil played sharp, but Aarav had tricks hidden. After twenty minutes of back-and-forth… Aarav’s queen cornered Neil’s king.

“Checkmate,” Aarav said calmly, leaning back.

Neil blinked. “No way—”
“Way,” Aarav cut in, smirking.

Their mom clapped lightly. “Well played, both of you.” She glanced at Aarav and added softly, “You’ve improved, haven’t you?”

Aarav only nodded, a little awkward, sipping his tea to avoid eye contact. It wasn’t an apology yet, not even close, but it was something—just a tiny step forward.

Neil, on the other hand, was already resetting the board, muttering, “One more game. I’m not losing twice.”

The room was filled with laughter again, as the pieces clicked into place.

For the first time in a long while, it didn’t feel like a house divided—it felt like home.