Eklavya

Chapter VII

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY!!!!!!

This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend, Kratika. The name who holds a very special place in my life and my heart. Today I want to thank her for all she'd ever done for me. For always being by my side.

And I wish for everyone to have that special friend in their lives.

Advay pushed open the door as he entered the house with his cousins in tow. Kusumlata who was sitting on her grand wooden swing in the living room greeted them.

Eklavya immediately sauntered towards his room after he acknowledged both his grandma and his aunt who was in the kitchen, cooking for the boys.

Rudra sat down on the sofa and groaned in pain as he rubbed the lower region of his abdomen where he'd received a blow from his brother for interrupting him in his fight with Majid.

Kusumlata looked at her grandson in worry as she traced the look of pain on his countenance.

"What happened Rudra? Are you alright?"

She spoke anxiously, the always stern looking woman that she was now held worry and fear in her deep orbs.

How could she not, he and Eklavya was all that she had left of her only daughter, Meera.

And both Rudra and Eklavya understood this fear of hers, so they always tried to never give her even a single moment to worry about them.

Rudra shrugged his head, trying to convince her that he's was alright. "I'm alright grandma, just got injured during our practice." He lied casually. "It's no big deal."

Well it was half a lie. Their coach made them practise their ass off for the upcoming inter school football league.

It was held during July or August every year, where every school of Dehradun participated.

"No big deal. How's it not a big deal? Come here let me see it and then I'll tell if it's a big deal or not." She ordered firmly not leaving any chance for denial.

"Grandma it's just a normal injury one gets when he plays football." Advay tried to aid his cousin.

"Shut up! Did I ask you Advay? Rudra come here right now." She spoke with more autocracy in her voice than the last time.

Defeated, Rudra walked up to where his grandma was sitting. Lifting his shirt up he let his grandma inspect the bluish remainder of his brother's fury, though he'd lied that it happened during their football practise.

It hurt like hell. He wouldn't lie on this; his brother knew how to never let anyone forget that they once stood in front of 'the Eklavya Singh Shekhawat.'

If they thought that his injury was bad then how would they take the badly bruised knuckles of Eklavya.

Kusumlata gasped as she saw the ugly bruise that had already started to turn blue. "You call it no big deal!!"

"Oh! No grandma it's really not a big deal. It'll heal in no time." He assured her but Kusumlata was not buying it, she yelled Kasturi's name who immediately rushed towards her from the kitchen.

"What happened maa? Do you need something?" she queried feverishly but too gasped in horror as she glanced at Rudra's naked abdomen.

"Rudra what happened to you?" she mulled hysterically.

"Tsk. Aunt, like I said to grandma it's no big deal. I'm alright." Rudra tried to explain haplessly, he just wanted them to let go of this. But both the women were too stubborn for his good.

They immediately ushered him on the sofa as Kasturi instantly brought some ice pack. Kusumlata pressed them against her grandson's injury. Rudra hissed as he felt the sharp jab of pain.