Chapter 38
The sun dips below the horizon, the sky transforms into a canvas of fiery oranges and vibrant reds casting a warm, golden glow over the city and its surroundings and in the middle of the city The Malhotra Mansion stood tall and commanding exuding it's power all over the city.
In the Malhotra Mansion, the two figures were laying on the bed in the cocoon of each other's warmth. Abhishek snuggled more in the protective embrace of Advait and he tightened his grip around him securely tucking him in his arms.
Advait stirred in his sleep due to the constant shuffling of Abhishek, he tiredly opened his eyes and looked at the Abhishek's tensed frame clinging to him seeking for something to held on.
Advait circled his thumb over his forehead to ease the tense lines forming on his forehead. His features eased up instantly and he let out a low exhale.
"Bhaiya" He murmured burying his face more into his chest.
Advait raked his hand gently over his hair and hummed, "Hmm?"
"Don't leave me. Please." His voice was merely a whisper but Advait caught on the words.
He was in a deep sleep but the words, they were real... almost pleading.
"I'm always here, Abhi... by your side." Advait replied, thinking maybe his words would heal his brother's unspoken pain.
Abhishek clunged more his fingers tightly gripping Advait's shirt.
Advait pecked the top of his head and lulled him back to the sleep but his own sleep was far away from his eyes. He was trembling in rage from inside, the urge to destroy every person who inflicted pain on his little brother's innocent heart was pushing him from inside.
~________________________________________~
Arush and Aditya were in their room sitting on the couches adjacent to each other.
The books and notebooks were scattering all over the table in front of them.
Aditya was silently doing his homework solely focused on writing but Arush.
.. He was glaring at his notebook as if it had personally offended him.
He didn't want to do homework but when Aditya threatened him with Advait's name he reluctantly started doing it.
Aditya looked up from his notebook and sighed, "Notebook ko ghoorne se homework complete nahi ho jayega, Aru." He said as a matter of fact.
"Mujhe nahi karna homework." Arush whined.
"Mat kar." Aditya shrugged.
"Sacchi?" Arush's eyes sparkled.
"Haan mat kar jab bhaiya ruler le kar padhayenge na tab karna." He teased.
Arush sulked more, "Kya hai bhai."
But Aditya didn't say anything he continued doing his homework and Arush started thinking of an escape plan to get rid off his boring homework.
He thought for a few minutes and then looked at his diary, his mind lighted up with an idea.
"Iss diary ki wajah se ye homework karna padta hai mai ye diary hi phaad dunga sara homework ek sath khatam ho jayega. Phir mujhe kabhi homework karne ke liye daant bhi nahi padegi." He innocently said in his mind and thought of it as a genius idea.
He picked up his diary and torn it from between without giving it a second thought. Aditya looked up at that with widened eyes.
"Ye kya kiya?" Aditya gasped.
"Homework finish kar diya ab mujhe kabhi homework nahi karna padega." He replied innocently.
Aditya looked at him as if he had seen an alien, "Kya bol raha hai?" He asked, twitching his eyes in irritation.
Arush palmed his forehead as if Aditya was the one who was dumb, "Offo bhai sara homework iss diary me hota hai maine isko hi faad diya ab mujhe kabhi homework nahi karna padega." He explained and let out a phew in the end tired of explaining.
"Abey choti akal ke praani!!" Aditya smacked the back of his head.
"Oww maara kyun?" He rubbed the spot.
"To aur kya teri aarti utaroon? Itni kam buddhi kisi me kaise ho sakti hai." Aditya gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Aap chid rahe ho." Arush mumbled sounding offended.
"Mai chid raha hoon?" He asked incredulously.
Arush nodded, "Mujhe homework nahi karna padega aur aapko karna padega isliye aap chid rahe ho mujhse." He accused.
Aditya rolled his eyes, "Right, mai chid raha hoon."
"Do one thing, go to bhaiya and tell him about your genius creative destruction." Aditya said sarcastically.
Arush's eyes lit up with excitement, "Will he be happy?"
"You can't even imagine how much." He again replied in sarcasm.
But Arush was too innocent to catch his sarcastic comments. He picked up his (no more) diary and hurried away from the room making Aditya run behind him to catch him before his dumb little brother could himself invite his death.
He was about to bang the door of the Abhishek's room when Aditya caught his collar from behind.
"Leave me, Bhai." Arush yelled.
Aditya covered his mouth and dragged him away from there.
"Akal ki kami hai kya tujhme?" He whacked the side of his head.
"Kya hai baar baar maar kyun rahe ho?" Arush furrowed his brow in irritation.
"Teri harkate hai pitne wali." Aditya hissed.
"Bhaiya ko bataunga." Arush muttered.
"Bata bata aur ye bhi batana ki maine kyu maara phir wo tujhe acche se batayenge." His face was scrunched up in annoyance.
"Matlab?" Arush asked with his doe eyes.
Aditya snatched his rest in piece diary from his hand and held up in front of his face, "Ye jo tune kiya hai na bohot maar khayega iske liye."
His lower lip jutted out in a pout, "Maine to saara homework khatam kar diya phir bhi mujhe maar padegi."
Aditya pulled his own hair in irritation and dragged him away, "Tu chal yahan se aur apna muh band rakh."
"Bhaiya daatenge?" He asked, his eyes tearing up slightly.
"Mujhe nahi pata jab wo puche to unhe bata dena apni iss samajhdaari ke baare me usse pehle apne ye chota dimag lagane ki jarurat nahi hai." Aditya replied flicking his forehead.
"Aap bol dena galti se aapne faad di please." Arush requested cutely.
Aditya looked at him with an open mouth, "Apni tarah pagal samjha hai kya mujhe." He said.
"Mai bhaiya se jhoot nahi bolunga aur na tu bolega chup chap accept kar lena kam daant padegi." He added glaring at him.
~________________________________________~
Advait was in the kitchen making vegetable soup for Abhishek. His temperature was normal but the faint headache was still there. His movements were sharp and precise despite of the lingering pain in his head.
He served the soup in the bowl and about to headed towards Abhishek's room when Amrinder met him on the way.
"Ab tabiyat kaisi hai beta?" Amrinder asked, his tone was gentle and concerning.
"Bua ne Abhi se kya kaha, dadu?" He asked completely ignoring his question.
"Sulekha ne?" Amrinder furrowed, "Sulekha to jab se aayi hai Kalyani ke saath hi hai usne kisi se koi baat nahi ki." He replied.
"Unhone Abhi se kuch kaha hai kuch aisa jo unhe nahi kehna chahiye tha bas ek baar Abhi ne mujhe bataya na ki unhone kya kiya, I swear mai bhool jaunga ki wo mujhse badi hain." Advait warned his tone was dangerously calm. He walked away from there without any more conversation.
He gently opened the door and found Abhishek was sitting on the bed, his eyes were distant as if he was in deep thinking.
"Abhi." Advait called his voice was unusually soft reserved only for his brothers.
Abhishek noticed Advait and about to stand in the gesture of respect but Advait stopped him. He placed the tray on the bedside table and sat in front of him.
He placed the back of his palm on his forehead to check his temperature, the fever had been reduced slightly but not properly.
"Kaisa lag raha hai ab?" He asked while removing the hair strand from his forehead.
Abhishek only nodded his head.
"Kisi ne kuch kaha hai Baccha?" He asked gently coaxing him to open up.
But Abhishek remain unresponsive, his eyes were fixed on his lap and he meekly shook his head.
Advait sighed, "Bataoge nahi to mujhe pata kaise chalega baccha."
"Kuch nahi hua, bhaiya." He replied, his voice was gruff.
"Bua ne kuch kaha?" Advait asked directly earning an instant reaction from him.
He snapped up his head and looked at his bhaiya.
He thought for a moment before shaking his head, "Kisi ne kuch nahi kaha." He whispered.
Advait gripped his chin and made him looked up in his eyes, "Ab bol kya hua hai?" He asked.
He replied barely hesitating, "Kuch nahi hua hai, bhaiya. I'm sorry maine aapko pareshan kar diya." He lied bluntly looking straight in his eyes. He was always good at lying unlike Aditya who can fool the world but couldn't bring himself to lie to his bhaiya.
Advait tried to hide the hurt that flickered across his face but failed. He knew Abhishek was lying but didn't press him anymore.
He silently picked up the bowl from the bedside table and fed him soup by his hands.
Abhishek had it silently without any tantrums which tugged at Advait's heart.
He was the one who always threw tantrums when he was sick but now his silence aching Advait's heart.
The silence filled the room and the worse part no one tried to make it better.
Advait gently made him lay down on the bed without any word and covered him with the duvet.
~________________________________________~
Advait barged into the guest room in which Sulekha was staying. She was sitting there with her mother but startled as soon as Advait entered the room in anger.
They both stopped talking and stood up glancing between Advait and each other.
"Kya hua beta... " Kalyani started.
But Advait raised up his hand motioning her to shut down her mouth. His eyes were never leaving Sulekha making her shrink on her place.
"Abhi se kya bola aapne?" He asked catching her off guard.
Her features turned into like a deer caught in red light but she immediately put up a facade and smiled innocently.
"Maine... kuch bhi to nahi." She replied calmly... too calmly for Advait's liking.
"To usko yahan apne room me bula kar kya baatein kar rahi thi aap usse?" He asked boring his gaze in her soul.
"Mai to un bacchon se pehli baar mil rahi hoon mai kyu unhe kuch bolungi." She replied making Advait clenched his jaw.
"Tum chahe to khud usse hi puch lo. I'm sure wo kuch nahi bolega." She replied his tone was a mock indignation.
"Jab wo bolega na tab mai aapko bolne layak nahi rakhunga." He warned and stormed out of the room but not before glaring at his grandmother.
~________________________________________~
They all had their dinner and it was unusually silent.
Advait took Abhishek's dinner in his room and fed him by himself.
He again tried to talked to him but his replies remains short.
As if he was trying to distance himself from Advait and the only thought of it made Advait's breath caught up in his throat.
He gave him his medicine and sat there caressing his hair until he fell deep into sleep.
He headed to his study and asked Aditya and Arush to come with their bags for their study session. His mind was swirling with the thoughts of Abhishek. He needed to work fast before his brother could trap himself in something reckless.
A knock on the door erupted his thoughts, he rubbed his palm on his face before sitting up straight. Aditya and Arush settled themselves on the chairs across the desk.
"Take out your diary. Both of you." Advait ordered.
Arush gulped and nervously looked at Aditya who shrugged in response.
Aditya took out his diary and handed to Advait, he looked through his homework and asked him to complete it.
"Bhaiya, Maine maths ka homework kar liya hai." Aditya replied.
"Show me and do your English homework." Advait said and looked at Arush who was doing the drama of searching his non existent diary.
"Itna time lagta hai ek diary nikalne me, Aru." He pointed him a look.
He continued his act, Advait was about to scold him when Aditya jumped in between, "Maths notebook." He handed to Advait.
He went through the pages and returned it to Aditya but Arush was still putting up with his act.
Advait understood something was wrong, "Give me your bag." He demanded.
Arush didn't make any movement, Advait exhaled slowly before reaching to his bag. He searched in it but his diary was not there.
"Where's your diary?" He asked.
Arush didn't reply and glanced at Aditya who ignored him royally as he didn't want to get in a trouble with him.
"Bolo, I'm asking you something. Where's your diary?" Advait repeated.
"Kho gayi." He lied in fear.
Advait raised his brow, "Kho gayi?"
Arush meekly nodded looking down.
"Stand up and come here." He motioned with his fingers scaring the daylights out of him.
~________________________________________~