Epilogue 2 The Rathore Boys
Sunday mornings in the Rathore mansion were never peaceful.
Especially not after Aaransh Rathore Mehra learned the meaning of "competition."
And unfortunately
his biggest competitor was his own father.
"Mamaaaa!"
A tiny dramatic scream echoed through the mansion at 7 AM.
Aarohi Mehra had barely opened her eyes before a small body launched onto the bed and attached itself to her instantly.
"Mama cuddle time."
A sleepy smile appeared on Aarohi's face as she pulled her five-year-old closer.
"Good morning, baby."
From the other side of the bed
dangerous silence emerged.
Then a very offended voice.
"So this is betrayal."
Aarohi laughed instantly without even looking.
Because yes
Ekansh Rathore was glaring at his own son.
Again.
Aaransh narrowed his tiny eyes right back.
"Mama cuddling me."
"She was cuddling me first."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
Aarohi buried her face into the pillow laughing helplessly.
How did she end up with two possessive emotionally unstable males?
One giant.
One tiny.
Both impossible.
Aaransh immediately climbed further into Aarohi's lap protectively and glared at Ekansh.
"Mama loves me more."
Ekansh looked calm.
Too calm.
"That's cute."
"I know."
"But she kisses me."
Complete silence.
Aaransh gasped like he had witnessed crime.
"MAMAAAAA!"
Aarohi almost fell off the bed laughing.
"Ekansh!"
"What?" he asked innocently.
"You are bullying a child."
"He started it."
"I FIVE!"
"Old enough to lose."
Aaransh looked personally attacked.
Then suddenly climbed across Aarohi dramatically and kissed her cheek loudly.
"Mama mine."
Ekansh stared at him.
Then immediately pulled Aarohi closer by the waist and kissed her forehead slowly while maintaining eye contact with his son.
Aaransh looked horrified.
"This corruption."
Aarohi wheezed laughing into Ekansh's shoulder.
Breakfast downstairs somehow became worse.
Because Aaransh had recently learned one dangerous sentence:
"Mama feed me."
The moment Aarohi fed him one bite of pancake
Ekansh slowly placed his coffee cup down.
"I see favoritism."
Aarohi blinked.
"You are twenty-nine."
"And emotionally neglected."
Vivaan nearly choked on juice laughing.
"Oh my God."
Aaransh immediately pointed tiny accusing finger toward Ekansh.
"Mama no feed papa. Papa big."
Ekansh narrowed his eyes.
"Mama kissed papa last night."
Aaransh froze.
Then turned slowly toward Aarohi with betrayal written across his tiny face.
"You kiss papa without me?"
Vivaan physically left the dining table because he couldn't survive the laughter anymore.
Savita wiped tears smiling.
Rajeev simply continued reading newspaper peacefully like this nonsense happened daily.
Because it did.
Every single day.
Despite the endless chaos
Ekansh was the gentlest father imaginable.
Terrifyingly protective.
But gentle.
One evening Aaransh scraped his knee while running in the garden.
Tiny injury.
Tiny blood.
But the second Aaransh cried
Ekansh arrived like someone activated emergency sirens globally.
"What happened?!"
"He fell."
Ekansh immediately picked him up carefully.
"Who pushed him?"
"Gravity," Aarohi answered tiredly.
Still
Ekansh carried Aaransh inside like catastrophic tragedy occurred.
Bandages.
Antiseptic.
Three doctors nearly contacted unnecessarily.
Meanwhile Aaransh sniffled dramatically from his father's lap.
"It hurts."
Ekansh kissed his forehead softly.
"I know."
Aarohi paused quietly seeing them together.
Because moments like this always affected her deeply.
Ekansh loved their son with everything he never received growing up.
No fear.
No coldness.
No emotional neglect.
Only warmth.
Only protection.
Only love.
Later that night after Aaransh fell asleep between them, Ekansh watched his son quietly.
The child slept sprawled dramatically across the bed while clutching Ekansh's sleeve in one hand and Aarohi's fingers in another.
Like he physically needed both nearby.
Aarohi smiled softly.
"He's attached to you."
Ekansh looked down at Aaransh silently.
Then quietly admitted
"I understand him."
Because once upon a time
Ekansh too had feared the people he loved would disappear if he let go.
Aarohi immediately moved closer and rested her head against his shoulder.
"We're not leaving."
Ekansh looked toward her softly.
Five years had passed and she still calmed every storm inside him.
Then suddenly tiny sleepy voice interrupted
"Mama..."
Both looked down instantly.
Aaransh's eyes remained closed as he sleepily mumbled
"Love you."
Aarohi's heart melted immediately.
"I love you too, baby."
Tiny silence.
Then
"Papa too..."
Ekansh froze slightly.
Because even after five years, hearing unconditional love still affected him deeply.
Slowly he brushed fingers through Aaransh's soft hair.
"Love you too, warrior."
Aaransh smiled sleepily without waking properly.
And in that quiet room
with his wife beside him and son between them Ekansh Rathore realized something extraordinary.
The boy who once believed he was too broken for love...
had somehow become the center of an entire family's world.