Chapter 159
Shreya stepped down the stairs where Aditya was still sitting in the hall. She slowly shook her head and walked to him, "Baccha, room me jaa kar rest kar le jyada thak gaya hai to." She said.
"Dinner karne ke baad hi jaunga bhabhi baar baar stairs chadhne ki himmat nahi hai." Aditya replied in a tiring voice.
Shreya nodded her head and glanced at the door, "Abhi aur Sia aaj jyada late ho gaye haina?" She asked.
Aditya looked at her quickly making an excuse, "Wo bhaiya nahi the to office me jyada kaam tha islie bhai thoda late hi aate hain aur Sia bhabhi bhi unhi ke saath aati hain." He said.
Shreya nodded her head but a smile came on her lips when she noticed Sia entering the hall. She was walking, looking down, her movements were mechanical. Shreya furrowed her brows when Sia didn't notice her.
"Sia." Shreya said softly to catch her attention.
Sia blinked her eyes twice before looking up and a smile came onto her lips, "Bhabhi, aap...aap kab aaye?" She asked and hugged her.
"Bas abhi thodi der pehele." Shreya responded with the smile, "Kya hua tum abhi aayi to kuch pareshaan si lag rahi thi?" Shreya asked, sensing her unusual expression.
Sia caught off guard, she gave a hollow chuckle before speaking, "Aisa kuch nahi hai bhabhi aaj bohot jyada thak gayi hoon." She said.
Shreya raised her brow and looked between Aditya and Sia, "Kya baat hai aaj sabhi bohot thak gaye hain." She said with a hint of suspicion in her tone.
Sia hesitated looking away, "Mai bhaiya se mil kar aati hoon." She said and started walking away from there when Shreya's question stopped her.
"Abhi kahan hai?" Shreya asked.
Sia slowly turned back, "Abhi wo...aata hi hoga." She said in a low voice.
"Adi keh raha tha tumhe hospital se pick karne ke baad Abhi aur tum saath me hi ghar aate ho." Shreya asked.
Aditya cursed himself under his breath and Sia passed a brief glance at him, "Mai jaldi free ho gayi thi islie aa gayi wo bhi thodi der me aata hi hoga." Sia said and Shreya nodded her head.
As if on cue, Abhishek entered the hall and Sia quickly headed upstairs from there. Abhishek noticed Shreya and ran to her before pulling her in a tight hug. Shreya wrapped her arms around him with a smile on her face.
"Kaisa hai mera beta?" Shreya asked but Abhishek kept hugging her not ready to pull back.
Shreya was hugging him but felt a bit strange, an uneasy feeling clawed in her chest but she shook it off thinking it could be because he was seeing her kid after a long time. The tears started flowing out of Abhishek's eyes but he sneakily wiped them off and pulled back with a smile.
Shreya looked at him and the moisture in his eyes didn't go unnoticed by her, "Tu ro raha hai?" She asked gently.
Abhishek shook his head, "Itne din baad aapko dekha na islie thoda emotional ho gaya, I missed you so much." He said.
But Shreya kept looking into his eyes with suspicion. She wasn't convinced by his answer, her mother instincts could clearly sense that something was troubling her child but she didn't push him and let that thing slide for now.
"Jaa change kar ke aa, phir dinner karte hain." She said and Abhishek walked away from there.
Advait was standing in his room, typing something on the phone when Sia entered the room. Advait looked up at her and she threw himself in his embrace. Advait caressed her hair gently with a soft smile on his face.
"Kaisi hai meri bacchi?" Advait asked and she pulled back, "Theek hoon." She replied.
"Abhi ne jyada pareshaan to nahi kiya na meri behen ko?" He asked playfully but she felt a pang in her chest.
She smiled dryly and waved it off, "Ye sab chordiye aur aap bataiye aap kaise hain aur time par dawai lete the ya nahi?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm fit and fine." Advait said with a roll of his eyes, "Abhi aa gaya?" He asked.
As if on cue, Abhishek entered the room and bent down to touch Advait's feet but Advait pulled him in a hug.
Abhishek hesitantly wrapped his arms around Advait with a heavy feeling in his chest. Sia kept standing there awkwardly as she couldn't leave the place just like this otherwise Advait would doubt.
"Kya haal banaya hua hai ye?" Advait asked, noticing the dark circles under his eyes.
"Work load." Abhishek muttered curtly but his response didn't satisfy Advait and before he could ask anything Abhishek spoke up, "Mai change kar leta hoon." He said and left the room.
"Isey kya hua?" Advait asked Sia who was already looking at him, "Kuch nahi bhaiya bas thak gaya hai thoda. Mai bhi freshen up ho kar aati hoon." She said quickly and left the room leaving Advait with his thoughts.
~________________________________________~
Everyone set for the dinner, the atmosphere was lighter than the last few days. The tension has lessened a bit but Advait and Shreya sensed that something was not right between the new couple.
Arush was happy it would be an understatement. He was grinning having his bhaiya by his side after a long time, "Bhaiya, aaj aap mujhe khana khilao." He demanded.
"Ji maharaj." Advait replied sarcastically while serving himself the food.
Everyone started having their food and Advait was eating his food and feeding Arush in between. They all were having the dinner in silence but Advait was noticing Abhishek and Sia from the corner of his eyes.
Sia cleared her throat before saying, "Bhaiya, mai kuch dino ke liye mom-dad ke ghar jana chahti hoon, unki bohot yaad aa rahi hai." She said.
Abhishek's grip got tightened around the spoon and his hand paused for a brief moment before continuing. Aditya sneaked a glance at Abhishek and looked down feeling guilty.
"Dono tere hi ghar hain baccha tu jab chahein aa jaa sakti hai." Advait replied softly making Sia nodded her head.
Shreya looked at Sia, "Hum aaj hi to aaye hain Sia kuch din ruk jao phir chali jana. Tumhara jyada mann hai to kal uncle aunty se mil kar aa jao." She said after noticing Abhishek's expression.
Sia hesitantly looked between Advait and Shreya but didn't say anything, "Baaki jaisa tumhara mann ho." Shreya added.
Sia reluctantly nodded her head, "Ji bhabhi." She said.
Shreya smiled at her and glanced at everyone, "Maine tumhare college me accountancy ke professor ki post ke liye apply kiya tha aur mera selection ho gaya. Kal mera interview hai." She announced looking at Aditya and Arush.
"Wow bhabhi ab aap humein padhaoge?" Arush asked in an excited voice.
Shreya chuckled, "Wo to kal interview ke baad decide hoga." She replied.
"Wo to clear ho hi jayega." Aditya said with confidence.
Arush jumped on his place, turning his face towards Advait, "Aapko pata hai bhaiya wo sadu principal ne resign kar diya." Arush said happily but Advait glared at him for his choice of words.
"Sorry." He muttered slowly, "Par aapko pata hai ab humare new principal kaun hain?" He asked creating a suspense.
"Yuvaan." Advait replied, feeding Arush a bite.
"Hmm aapko kaise pata?" Arush asked with stuffed mouth.
"Let me remind you, Yuvaan bhai, bhaiya ke cousin hain." Aditya spoke up to which Advait replied, "Kuch dino pehele baat huyi thi, tab usne bataya."
Arush pouted, "Oh."
After a few minutes of silence Aditya stoop up from his chair, "Mera ho gaya, mai sone jaa raha hoon bohot thak gaya hoon." Aditya said before walking away from there.
Slowly one by one everyone started slipping from the dining room to their rooms. Advait also stood up and made his way towards the kitchen.
He heated up a little amount of oil and poured it into a small bowl before heading towards Aditya's room.
Advait's gaze fell on Aditya who was sleeping covering himself with the duvet.
He silently sat down beside his legs and peeled away the blanket from over his legs.
He gently placed his leg on his lap and folded up his trousers careful of not disturbing his sleep before taking oil in his hand, rubbing it between his palms and massaging Aditya's leg.
He slowly started massaging his legs easing the tensions from his muscle.
His movements were deliberate and slow, he was gently applying pressure on his sore legs.
Aditya stirred in his sleep, he lazily opened his eyes before his gaze landed on Advait. Aditya looked at Advait in his sleepy state and quickly pulled back his legs, "Bhaiya, rehne dijiye please." He said in a sluggish voice.
"Shh chup chaap so jaa." Advait murmured in a low voice again reaching for his leg when Aditya sit up straight.
"Kya kar rahe hain, kyun paap chadhwa rahe hain mujhe?" He asked, placing his head on his lap.
"Bachpan me jab thak jata tha to khud hi rota tha bhaiya mere pair daba do bohot dard kar rahe hain." Advait mimicked him, shaking his head.
"Wo bachpan tha ab mai bada ho gaya hoon, bhaiya." Aditya protested, "Bas sir sehla do thakaan door ho jayegi." He muttered, closing his eyes.
Advait's feature softened looking at Aditya's innocent face, "Hath dho kar aane de, phir sulata hoon." Advait said.
Aditya whined again, "Mai kal head wash kar lunga, yaheen rahiye." He guided Advait's hand into his hair.
Advait gently started stroking his fingers through his curls lulling him into a peaceful slumber.
He kept sitting there for an hour, absent mindely weaving his fingers through his hair.
He gently placed Aditya's head on the bed and placed a pillow under his head before getting up with a hiss sound.
His body had started aching after sitting still for an hour without any backrest. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead before slowly slipping away from the room.
~________________________________________~
The next day, after breakfast everyone went for their work except for Advait who was sitting in the living room because Sia had strictly forbidden him to step out of the house after checking his blood pressure in the morning which was not normal.
He was silently sitting in the living room, his laptop was opened and placed on the table.
A coffee mug was resting in his hand and he was sipping on it when a guard came inside and bowed before standing up straight.
Advait raised his brow silently asking him the reason of his arrival.
"Boss, aapko kuch batana tha." He said in a bit scared voice.
"Go on." Advait nod his head.
The guard looked hesitantly at Advait and took a deep breath, "Wo maine Aditya sir aur Ar-Arush sir ko smoking karte huye dekha tha." He told him, looking down at the floor.
"What?" Advait stood up on his feet and stepped in front of him making him look down.
"Ji." The guard whispered, looking down.
"Kab aur kahan?" Advait asked through gritted teeth, controlling his anger.
The guard looked up, "Aditya sir ki room ki balcony me, almost 2-3 baar." He answered honestly.
Advait closed his eyes, calming himself down until he talks to his kids. He needed to listen to them first before jumping on any decision.
"Theek hai." Advait replied but the guard kept standing there.
"Aur kuch kehna hai?" Advait asked and the guard nodded.
"Wo Abhishek sir." The guard said, "Wo kuch dino pehele nashe me ghar aaye the, theek se chal tak nahi paa rahe the aur kaafi pareshaan bhi lag rahe the." He fed him with the information.
Advait furrowed his brows in concern. He was already suspecting that something wasn't right with Abhishek and this new information cleared his doubt.
His breathing had started getting heavy thinking of the worst scenarios.
The guard gave a slight bow before leaving from there.
Advait clenched his eyes shut in anger but before Abhishek he had to deal with the two troublemakers.
He pulled out his phone and dialled Aditya's number.
"Aru ko le kar abhi ke abhi ghar aa." Advait said before Aditya could say anything and declined the call.
Advait went straight to Angad's room where he was sitting on the bed, staring at nothing. Advait knocked on the door before entering inside. Angad smiled a bit after looking at his son and told him to sit down but Advait ignored it and asked him the question for which he had came.
"Jab mai yahan nahi tha Abhi drink kar ke ghar aaya tha?" Advait asked.
Angad nodded his head, "Haan." He responded making Advait sucked a sharp breath.
"Kyun?" Advait asked further.
"Ye to nahi pata magar bohot pareshaan lag raha tha. Usey apna tak hosh nahi tha pata nahi ghar bhi kaise aaya hoga." Angad replied, voicing out his concern.
Advait left from there without any word and Angad looked at his retreating figure before following him out of the room.
~________________________________________~
After half an hour both Aditya and Arush were standing in front of Advait who was barely controlling his anger. He took predatory steps towards them and stopped right in front of them. Angad was also present there but he hadn't had any idea what was going to happen.
"Mai jo puchunga uska mujhe sacch sacch jawab chahiye." Advait said with a warning in his tone, "Ek bhi jhooth and you boys will see the worst of me." He said, dangerously pointing his finger at them.
They both exchanged a nervous glance before slowly nodding their heads, "Ji bhaiya." They said in a whispering voice.
"Tum dono ne cigarette pee thi, haan ya naa?" Advait asked, turning their faces pale.
Aditya looked down, his heart started thumping in his chest as he knew they both were doomed now but Arush kept his calm and spoke up, "Hum cigarettes, aisa kisne kaha aapko bhaiya?" He asked, trying to look innocent.
"Sawaal ye nahi hai ye mujhe kisne kaha, sawaal ye hai ki tumne cigarette pee, haan ya naa?" Advait repeated.
The fear flickered in Arush's eyes but he composed himself, "Nahi, bhaiya." He said in a low voice.
Advait nodded his head at him and turned his attention towards Aditya, "Adi, haan ya naa?" He asked him, looking straight in his eyes clearly knowing about his weakness.
The room felt into a chilling silence, the ragged breathing of Aditya was the only sound in the room. He looked down without any reply as he couldn't lie and if he tell the truth than Advait would skin him alive along with Arush. Besides Aditya, Arush was praying to God to save themselves.
"I'm waiting, Aditya." Advait's stern voice cut through the tensed air.
Aditya clenched his eyes shut in fear before muttering a low, "Haan." The word escaped out of his lips even before he could control himself.
Advait's hand raised in the air and came across hard on Arush's cheek making him fell down on the floor. Aditya's eyes widened in horror mirroring Angad's reaction when he slapped Arush. He shut his eyes in fear waiting for his turn to get slapped but the slap never came.
Advait gripped Arush by his collar and made him stand up, "Kya bola tha abhi maine?" He shouted on his face, "Kaha tha na agar jhooth bola to accha nahi hoga. Kaha tha na." He yelled, making Arush shivered under his gaze.
The tears started spilling out of his eyes, his face had turned red because of the slap but Advait slapped him again, this time with a lighter force than the last one, "If I see a single tear in your eyes, I'll make sure to beat the shit out of you.
" He clearly warned him. His eyes were blazing in anger.
"Advait...
"Ek shabd bhi mat kehna." Advait sharply turned towards Angad before he could say anything.
He shifted his attention back on Aditya and Arush, "Mai kuch dino ke liye bahar kya gaya mere peeth peeche tum logo ne ye sab karna shuru kar diya?" He asked them. He was angry but the disappointment in his tone was clearly audible.
"Tujhe maine us din bhi samjhaya tha na smoking nahi karne ke liye uske baad bhi tere andar itni himmat hai ki tu cigarette peeta hai aur phir mere muh par jhooth bolta hai." Advait asked Arush in a bone chilling voice.
Arush was looking down, his tears were not stopping from spilling down on his cheeks but he was stopping himself from making noises. Aditya was looking down feeling ashamed but he was a bit confused as Advait wasn't scolding him let alone slapping him.
"Saari galati teri nahi hai, tujhe jyada sir chadha kar rakha haina maine islie itni himmat aa gayi hai, saara dar khatam ho gaya hai haina." Advait asked cupping Arush's jaw in his tight grip staring deep into his soul.
"Sahi kehta tha Abhi itna sir chadhaunga to ek din mere hi sir par baith kar naachne lagega." He said, leaving his jaw, "Aaj tera saara bhoot utarta hoon, ruk tu." He muttered making Arush flinched.
He looked around in the hall when his gaze landed on a plastic pipe laid down on the floor against the wall.
He marched towards the pipe and picked it up before taking long strides towards Arush who had started crying loudly only with the fear of getting beaten up.
Angad's eyes widened and he was about to stop Advait when he struck the pipe on Arush's calf making him screamed in pain.
"Advait, ye kya kar rahe ho, ye kya tareeka hai bacchon ko sudharne ka?" Angad asked incredulously.
Arush rubbed the spot where the pipe strike. It had started stinging badly, Aditya was standing on his place waiting for his punishment but nothing came on his way not even scolding.
Advait again hit the pipe on Arush's other leg making him choked on his tears, "Bhaiyaaa!" He screamed, rubbing the spot vigorously.
"Ek bhi awaaz aayi na to taange tod dunga mai teri." Advait said, "Theek se ande se nahi nikla hai abhi aur smoking karega." He said and hit the pipe on his thigh.
Angad stepped between them and Arush hid behind him in fear, "Bas karo, bohot ho gaya." Angad said firmly.
"Saamne se hatiye." Advait said, his eyes were fixed on Arush's trembling form.
"Agar bacche se galati huyi hai tu usey samjhao, ye koi tareeka nahi hua." Angad stood against him.
"Ye pyar se samjhane wale bacche nahi hai, ye laaton ke bhoot hain jo sirf laaton se hi maante hain." Advait retorted, "Saamne aa, Arush." He ordered him.
"Bhaiya, ma-arna nahi please." Arush hiccupped and Angad protected him.
"Arush." Advait said flinching him making him step in front from behind Angad.
Advait pulled him by his ear and made him stand away from the Angad. Arush was looking down at the floor with the sobs, "Meri taraf dekh." Advait's commanded voice made him look up.
"Jhooth bolne ki himmat kahan se aayi hai tere andar?" He asked, holding his gaze.
"Sor-ry." He said through broken sobs, clutching his ears in a tight grip.
"Mai sirf teri baat hi nahi kar raha hoon, tum teeno ke liye meri koi bhi baatein matter nahi karti hain.
Chahein tumhe pyar se samjhao ya maar se magar tum teeno ko wahi sab karna hota hai jiske liye mai tumhe mana karta hoon.
" Advait said loudly for both of them to hear, "Jab meri koi bhi baat matter hi nahi karti to mai bolna hi chord deta hoon.
Aaj ke baad jisey jo karna hai karo, mai kuch nahi kahunga.
Teeno bade ho gaye ho, sahi galat ki samajh rakhte ho jo theek lage wo karo.
Mai tumhe bas sahi raasta dikha sakta hoon aage uss par chalna ya nahi chalna tumhari marzi hai.
Mere paas kuch bhi puchne ke liye aane ki jaroorat nahi hai kyunki aakhir me tum sab ko karna wahi hai jo tumhe accha lagta hai.
To karo phir jo karna hai, bhaad me jayein bhaiya.
" He said, his voice was loud and clear filled with utter disappointment and hurt.
Aditya and Arush both were looking down in shame. Advait left from there leaving both of them with their guilt. Arush's hysterical crying was the only sound echoing in the mansion. They both were ashamed of their actions and feeling guilty for disappointing their bhaiya.
~________________________________________~