Chapter 95
Arush had left for college and Aditya was pleading Advait to let him go out of the house. He was bored to death staying in the mansion all day. But Advait had denied him so he started roaming around the house to pass the time.
His gaze landed on the kaka who was entering the house holding a heavy box in his hand. He quickly made his way towards him and took the box from his hands.
"Kya kar rahe hain kaka kitni baar kaha hai aap se ye sab kaam mat kiya kijiye itne log hain ghar me unhe bol diya karein." He chided him gently.
Kaka smiled at his care filled scolding.
"Rajeev bhaiya." Aditya called out for a house helper.
"Ji sir." The house helper came and Aditya handed him the box.
"Kahan rakhna hai isey?" Aditya asked to kaka.
Kaka looked at Rajeev, "Storeroom me rakh do." He told him and Rajeev left from there.
Aditya turned to kaka, "Aap ye sab kaam mat kiya kijiye budhape me ek do haddiyaan idhar udhar ho gayi to pareshaani ho jayegi." He teased lightly.
Kaka playfully narrowed his eyes at him but before he could say anything, a voice came from behind.
"Jyada jubaan nahi chalne lag gayi hai?"
Aditya clicked his tongue recognising the voice and slowly turned around to look at Advait.
"Hehe mai to mazak kar raha tha, bhaiya." He said sheepishly.
Kaka laughed looking at the sudden change of his demeanor.
Advait rolled his eyes and about to went from there when Aditya stopped him.
"Bhaiya?" He said.
Advait raised his brow.
"Please jaane dijiye na bahar bohot bore ho raha hoon ghar me." He again requested.
"Ek baar mana kar diya na, Adi?" Advait asked sternly making him look down.
"Aur jyada bore ho raha hai to padhai kar." He told him.
"Isse accha to bore hi ho leta hoon." Aditya mumbled under his breath.
Advait lightly whacked his neck listening to him. Abhishek entered the room all dressed in his formal clothes. His face was set stern without any emotions. Advait and Aditya both looked at him in confusion.
"Aap kahan jaa rahe ho?" Aditya asked him.
"Since when I am answerable to you?" Abhishek asked in a clipped tone.
Aditya huffed, "Mai to bhaiya ki side se puch raha tha."
"Stop playing my assistant." Advait shot Aditya a look.
Aditya pouted, "Aaj ka din hi kharab hai." He grumbled under his breath.
Advait shifted his attention towards Abhishek and raised his brow in an asking manner.
"Office jaa raha hoon, bhaiya." He replied.
Advait concerned, "Thode din rest kar le, Abhi. I'll handle there."
Abhishek shook his head, "Nahi bhaiya already in sab ki wajah se bohot work neglect ho gaya hai aur mai thoda busy rehna chahta hoon." He replied quietly.
Advait nodded in understanding, patting his shoulder in reassurance.
"Aap saath chal rahe hain?" Abhishek asked.
"Tu jaa mujhe thoda time lagega." Advait replied glancing at Aditya who was sulking.
Abhishek nodded and went from there but not before lightly slapping Aditya's cheek in an adorable manner. Aditya rubbed his cheeks while pouting making Advait chuckled.
"Jaa change kar ke aa" Advait told him.
Aditya's eyes lit up in hope, "Hum bahar jaa rahe hain?" He asked.
Advait nodded.
"Kahan?" He asked excitedly.
"Office." Advait replied curtly breaking his heart.
"Mai office jaa kar kya karunga?" He whined.
"Wo mai tujhe wahan chal kar bataunga. Jaa ready ho kar aa." Advait said.
Aditya shook his head, "Bhaiya, mujhe nahi jana office." He said.
"Jaldi jaa kar change kar ke aa warna aise hi le kar chala jaunga." Advait threatened.
Aditya gulped down looking at his ironman PJs in horror.
"Pata nahi aaj kiska muh dekh kar utha tha." He muttered under his breath. He quickly ran to his room and came back with the speed.
Advait had to drag him to the car and they both headed towards the office.
~________________________________________~
The cabin was quiet and the heavy silence was lingering in the air.
Advait was quietly doing his work while Aditya was stapling the papers, sitting on the near by couch.
His face was morphed in an annyoance and pout.
He was offensively glaring at Advait who was coolly engrossed in his work unfazed by his deadly glare.
"Ab to lag raha hai isse accha padhai hi kar leta." He groaned, under his breath.
Advait's ear perked up instantly, "Kuch kaha?" He asked.
Aditya quickly smiled ever so widely, "Nahi to." He said while vigorously shaking his head.
Advait gave him a weird look before ordering, "Go bring a coffee for me." He said while typing something on the laptop.
Aditya sighed in relief, at least he got the chance to go outside and roam around for a while.
"Abhi se bhi puch lena coffee ke liye." Advait said from behind without looking up.
Aditya turned back at him with a smile, "Ek kaam karta hoon employees se bhi puch hi leta hoon aaj sabko chai coffee pila dunga." He taunted but Advait wasn't the huge fan of someone taunting him. He fixed him with a glare making him scurried away from the room.
Aditya came out of the cabin and took a breath of freedom. He made his way towards Abhishek's cabin but his gaze landed on the door where COO Abhishek Advait Malhotra was written in bold letters.
He made an impressive face, "Niceee." He sang and entered the room without knocking.
"Who the hell...
Abhishek was about to snap at the person but Aditya entered the cabin so he changed his question, "What are you doing here?"
"To ask you for a coffee." He replied.
"I'm not your girlfriend." Abhishek said taking his words in a different way.
Aditya rolled his eyes, "And you could never be. I have better taste." He replied with a sass.
Abhishek stared at him blankly.
Aditya frowned, "Aaj ho kya raha hai har koi mujhe ghoore hi jaa raha hai." He muttered.
"Anyway, Do you need a coffee or something?" He asked politely.
"Oh so bhaiya has finally appointed you as a barista for the office." Abhishek commented.
Aditya glared, "For your kind information, I'm the future CEO of this company. You don't get to talk to me like this." He said, crossing his arms.
"Uske liye mehnat bhi karni padti hai sirf Vanu Vanu karne se ghar nahi chalta." Abhishek said sarcastically.
"Mera ghar to Vanu Vanu karne se hi chalega." Aditya replied nonchalantly.
"I don't have time for your nonsense." Abhishek dismissed him, shifting his focus back on the task at hand, "A black coffee." He ordered him.
Aditya stomped away from there to brought the coffees for his elder brothers.
"Hey bhagwaan agle janam me mujhe kutta bana dena par middle child mat banana." He dramatically cried looking up at the ceiling.
He came back in Advait's cabin after dropping a black coffee to Abhishek on the way. He entered the cabin before politely knocking the door, aware of Advait's strictness about discipline and manners very well.
He set down the cup on the desk and Advait passed him a small smile muttering, "Thank you."
"Anything else, sir?" Aditya asked with a tight lipped smile.
Advait gestured him to bend forward to his level. Aditya obeyed but Advait quickly gripped his ear, "Bohot muh chal raha hai huh?" He said, lightly twisting his ear.
"Nahi bhaiya ahh mazak kar raha tha." Aditya quickly replied.
Advait left his ear and he started rubbing it with a pout.
"Notanki itni jor se to maroda bhi nahi maine." Advait said.
"Meanie." Aditya muttered.
A knock came on the door and Advait allowed the person to enter the room. Tia entered the room with the stack of files in her hand and dumped all of it on the desk.
"Tu yahan kya kar raha hai?" She asked glancing at Aditya.
"Majdoori." Aditya replied in a sad tone.
Tia laughed, "What?"
"Bhaiya mujhe aaj baal majdoori karane ke liye yahan le kar aaye hain." He said, slumping down on the couch.
Tia continued laughing and looked at Advait, "In files par tumhare signature chahiye, maine read kar li hain but ek baar tum bhi kar lena." She said referring to the stack of files.
Advait nodded, "'Kay." He said without looking up.
"I want them signed by evening." She ordered and left.
Advait shook his head muttering, "Samajh nahi aata boss ye hai ya mai hoon."
Aditya was peacefully smiling, sitting on the couch, enjoying his relaxing time. Advait gestured him to come in front of him and he obeyed with a groaning sound.
"I'm quite busy. Do one thing open these files and read them out loud to me one by one." He ordered and Aditya's jaw fell down to the floor looking at the level of the torture his brother was inflicting on a poor soul like him.
"You can't do this to me." Aditya whispered.
"Guess what. I'm doing this. Now start reading." Advait replied coolly.
Aditya grumbled but sat down on the chair across the desk and started reading the files one by one.
~________________________________________~
At night, after dinner Abhishek was restlessly pacing in his room.
He was feeling better while keeping himself busy in office work but now in the loneliness of the four walls of his room he was feeling suffocating.
His emotions were choking him from inside.
Roohanika's smiling face was flashing in front of his eyes.
Her eyes, the way she looked at him with her love filled eyes was clawing at his heart making it difficult for him to breathe.
He shook his head, trying to forget everything but his pain was only intensifying. He looked around and found only escape from this pain. He headed towards a room, the door was already opened so he entered inside.
Advait was standing in the balcony to got some fresh air. Abhishek ran to him and hugged him tightly caughting him off guard. Advait realized a moment later and quickly hugged him back while soothing his back in comfort.
"Abhi, kya hua baccha?" He asked slowly.
Abhishek's dam broke, "Bohot dard ho raha hai, bhaiya. Bohot jyada takleef ho rahi hai." He sobbed.
Advait's heart shattered listening to his heart crumbling voice. He tightened his hold around him, his guilt intensified after realizing that he was the reason behind his kid's tears. Directly or indirectly but he was the one who caused him the pain and now he was suffering from it.
Advait was rubbing circles to soothe him down but he was crying profusely. Advait let him be in his arms till he calmed down. Abhishek's tears soaked the fabric of Advait's shirt, his face was buried in his shoulder.
"Abhi, shaant ho jaa please." Advait whispered.
"I really love her, bhaiya." He hiccupped.
Advait closed his eyes for a moment before opening them.
He pulled himself back from the hug just enough so that he could wipe off Abhishek's tears.
Abhishek again hugged him tightly, he was not ready to leave him.
He needed the comfort, the escape from the pain he was feeling inside himself and only his brother's embrace could do this.
Advait didn't say anything after that. His hands kept rubbing circles on his back and grip only got tightened.
Abhishek cried in his arms pouring out his all the buried emotions.
No one uttered a single word because sometimes the silence was enough.
The silence between them was enough to exchange their emotions to each other.
After a few minutes, Abhishek parted away and looked at Advait. His eyes were swollen and red from crying. Advait's own eyes were prickling with tears but he didn't let them fall. He had to be strong to comfort his brother. Only he knew what his heart felt looking at his kid in this condition.
"I'm sorry, bhaiya. Aapne mujhe itna mana kiya tha phir bhi maine aapko Raichands ko ek chance dene ke liye force kiya." Abhishek whispered.
Advait shook his head, "Ye sab mat soch baccha jo ho gaya so ho gaya. Mai tujhse ek din me move on hone ki expectation nahi rakhta. Take your time. I'm here with you...always." He murmured, cupping his cheeks.
"Aap mujhse naraaz nahi hai na, bhaiya?" Abhishek asked in a choking voice. Advait could never be upset with him after listening to his this voice.
"Nahi, mera baccha." Advait replied, "Mai apne bacche se kaise naraaz reh sakta hoon. Meri to jaan basti hai tujhme." He said pulling him in a hug. His own voice was heavy with the buried emotions.
Abhishek's tears fall down freely, "Maine aapko bohot takleef pohchayi hai, bhaiya.
Par please mujhse kabhi naraaz mat hona mai ye dard, takleef sab bardaasht kar sakta hoon magar aapki naraazgi nahi bardaasht kar paunga.
Aap mere liye sab kuch hain." He mumbled, pressing his head against his shoulder.
A lone tear escaped off Advait's eyes in guilt and pain. He knew what he did was for his brother's own good but the sight of his brother crying like a child in his arms was unbearable to him. He wiped off his own tears and pressed a kiss on his head.
~________________________________________~
On a Sunday, Advait was sitting in the garden on the couch.
He was dressed in his casuals. His laptop was resting over his legs and his fingers were moving on the keys.
Abhishek was also sitting in front of him and busy in his own work.
He was keeping himself busy as much as he could and when he was not busy he tried to spend some time with his family.
They both were indulged in their work when a girl came there with a tray of two steaming cups in her hand. She gently placed the tray and handed the cups to Advait and Abhishek.
"Thank you...
Advait said but stopped when he looked up at the girl. He was seeing her in this house for the first time. The girl was merely looking around eighteen to nineteen years old. Her face was glowing in the sunlight and her eyes were showing the innocence she carried with herself.
"Tum?" Advait asked, squinting his eyes.
Abhishek looked up.
"Wo-mujhe matlab wo main yahan ka...
The girl stuttered in nervousness under Advait's hard scrutiny.
"Baba ye meri poti hai." Kaka said from behind while coming towards them.
The girl quickly bobbed her head.
Advait and Abhishek shared a glance before Abhishek asking, "Ye ghar ka kaam kyun kar rahi hai?"
"Maine isey gaon se bulaya hai. Aap to jaante hai mere bete aur bahu to saalon pehele hi iss duniya se chale gaye. Ye apne mama mami ke paas rehti thi par ab iski bhi baaravi (12th) ho gayi hai islie unhone iski aur jimmedaari uthane se mana kar diya." Kaka explained.
"Maine isey aaj hi yahan apne saath rehne ke liye bulaya hai. Isey saara kaam aata hai mai aapko aaj batane hi wala tha par usse pehle ye khud hi aa gayi." He added nervously.
The girl was looking between them in fear. Her little shoulders were slumped with the weight of her responsibilities. Her fingers were fidgeting with the hem of her duppatta.
Advait sighed and said, "Aapne iski umar dekhi hai, kaka?" He asked in a slight angry tone but not unkind.
Kaka looked down.
"Bacchi hai abhi wo padhne ki umar hai uski aur aap usse ye ghar ka kaam karwa rahe hain." He said.
Kaka didn't say anything. But Abhishek understood everything.
"Aapko pareshan hone ki jarurat nahi hai, kaka. Ye yahan par reh sakti hai par ghar ka kaam karne ke liye nahi apni padhai poori karne ke liye." Abhishek said.
"Tumhe aage padhai karni hai?" Abhishek asked looking at the girl. His tone was soft like a feather.
The girl felt at ease. She found Advait intimidated so when Abhishek asked her in a light tone with soft features, she sighed internally.
She glanced at her grandfather before meekly nodding her head.
Abhishek smiled a little and turned his attention back on kaka, "Usey aage padhai karni hai kaka to aap usey padhai hi karne dijiye aur aapko kisi cheez ki tension lene ki jarurat nahi hai." He told him.
"Par beta padhai ka kharcha...
Abhishek gently cut him off, "Maine kaha na kaka aapko pareshaan hone ki jarurat nahi hai. Aap befikar rahiye." He reassured him.
Advait looked at his grown up kid with a hint of pride on his face.
"Naam kya hai tumhara?" Abhishek asked her gently.
"Sadhwi." The girl replied softly.
"Okay to sadhwi tum kal apne documents le kar ready rehna. Hum college chalenge tumhara admission karane ke liye." Abhishek instructed her.
"Sacch me?" She asked in a disbelief tone but there was an edge of excitement in her voice.
Abhishek smiled before nodding sensing her excitement.
"Yay! Thank you thank you so much sir." She jumped happily. Her lips curved into a beautiful smile.
She was dancing on her place in excitement when her gaze landed on Advait who was just simply looking at her but she quickly stopped dancing and stood up straight, gulping down a little.
"Career plans kya hain tumhare? Konsa career pursue karna hai, kuch socha hai?" Abhishek asked.
She nodded vigorously, "Mujhe apna khud ka business startup karna hai. From scratch." She told him with dreamy eyes.
Advait made an impressive face.
"Great." Abhishek commented, "To phir kal ready rehna apne documents ke saath hm."
She obediently nodded her head, "Thank you so much, sir. Mai jab apna khud ka business start karungi na to aapko aapke saare paise return kar dungi wo bhi with interest." She said happily. Her tone was childish but sincere.
Abhishek chuckled, "Tum iss baare me mat socho bas apni padhai par focus karo."
She again nodded, "Wo mai yahan reh sakti hoon na?" She asked again.
Abhishek glanced at Advait who blinked his eyes.
"Haan reh sakti ho. Ab jao kal ready rehna." Abhishek chided.
"Ek last question?" She said, raising her hand as if she was in the classroom.
Advait and Abhishek exchanged a glance before sighing, "Pucho?" Abhishek said.
"Mai yahan kaam kar sakti hoon please?" She asked hopefully.
"Nahi." Advait denied firmly.
She flinched at his tone.
"Sir, mujhe sab aata hai. Khana banana bhi aata hai sacchi." She said innocently, pinching the skin of her neck.
"Bacchi ho abhi tum koi kaam karne ki jarurat nahi hai. Padhai karo." Advait replied in a stern tone.
She looked down while mumbling, "Mai bacchi nahi hoon, sir. I'm nineteen years old. Legally an adult."
Advait glanced at kaka and kaka quickly pulled back Sadhwi a little.
"Kya kar rahi hai chup ho jaa." Kaka chided her in a whispered voice.
"Par mujhe kaam karna hai, dadu. Mujhe kisi ka ehsaan nahi chahiye." She said firmly to her grandfather.
Advait listened to her and understood her sentiments.
The girl didn't want to take any favor for free.
It was against her self respect. Her way of thinking impressed Advait as he also hated taking anyone's favor.
That was why when his father had run away signing all his wealth to Advait.
He didn't accept even a penny from it and started from the scratch.
It was against his self respect to use the money of the person who was a murderer of his mother.
"Sir, please." She requested Advait, showing her puppy eyes.
Advait nodded after thinking for a while, "Theek hai, par ek condition hai. Tumhari padhai par affect nahi padna chahiye." He ordered.
She grinned showing her pearly teeth and nodded, "I promise, sir. Thank you so much." She said and kaka had to drag her away from there.
Abhishek sighed in relief, "Kitna dimaag khati hai ye." He said to Advait.
Advait shook his head with a little smile on his face.
~________________________________________~