Becoming Sweethearts [✓]

Part Forty Four

Annika once thought that when she would get married and have children, she would give them so much love; something that she never received, something that she lacked. But it seemed like fate wasn't in her favour too. Her surgery was scheduled in the coming month, wherein she would fly with Shivaay to Italy. That surgery, although critically important for her health, would close all doors for her to carry a child within her. She had always longed to go through that feeling of holding her baby within her. For a mother to be able to feel every movement of her unborn baby must be such a delight. Unfortunately, she would never be able to feel it, she thought warily.

Arvind noticed Annika lost in thoughts and hinted at Gauri about the same. Gauri nodded, and immediately shifted closer to Annika. "Bhabhi, come, let me show you around. Then, let's sit on the balcony and chat. You know, my room has an amazing view of the park down the street!" Annika nodded, and then looked at Rudra. "Don't worry about him, beta," Arvind said with a smile, "He's busied himself in the kitchen. You go ahead." Annika nodded with a warm smile and followed Gauri upstairs.

Rudra, on the other hand, was having a gala time. Until this moment, he hadn't realized he could be drawn towards cooking. "Shalu Aunty," he said to her while sauteing the spices, "Main aage jaake chef banoonga!" There was a glint of pride in his eyes, and Shalini smiled sweetly at him with a nod, asked, "Tujhe cooking pasand hai?" He grinned saying, "Waise toh main protein shake, poached eggs, salads – yeh sab bahut achcha banata hoon. But it is only now that I realize that I can cook – thanks to you!"

Shalini's brows raised, "Thanks to me? Why?" She hadn't expected Rudra's smile to drop a little. It was actually surprising to see this chirpy fellow turn a little sad at that moment as if the light had gone from his eyes. However, putting up a smile, he said while looking at the onions that he was caramelizing in the pot, "I've always been pampered in the family – everyone calls me bachcha. So, I never really was given any chance to do anything on my own. Anytime I went to the kitchen, Shivaay Bhaiyya and O would coddle me and tell me that they would cook for me. Daadi, Mom, Choti Maa always thought of me that I was a baby. Woh beshak unka pyaar tha – that they didn't want their baby to do any work – lekin unhone mujhe kabhi bada hone hi nahi diya."

Continuing, he said with a smile looking at her, "When I was really small, Mummy used to cook. But then, when problems in our family began, she began to live in her own world; she lost touch with everyone, even with herself. Bahut dukhi rehne lagi woh. At least O got to experience a little of the happy days that we once had; I was too small to remember all of that. The only memories I have of my family are sad ones. Growing up, I don't remember sitting with Papa to have a decent conversation, or watching my Mummy cook for me. It was always O and Shivaay Bhaiyya who were my parents."

He noticed how Shalini had a crestfallen expression on her face listening to him, and he quickly put on a bright grin saying, "Main bhi na, bina baat ke senti ho gaya. What I wanted to say is, today you did not call me a bachcha and chase me out of the kitchen. Instead, you happily gave me responsibility. Thodi zimmedari milke achcha laga."

Shalini felt her heart aching for this boy. Rudra was an absolute sweetheart, she concluded and patted his back. She could see how he was trying to look upbeat and cheerful. Perhaps, he was so used to living in a broken family, that he had learned to use his bachpana, his childishness, his silly humour as a defense mechanism of breaking the tension. She realized, all this boy really wanted was to see people happy. Even the moment he had walked in, he had made Gauri laugh with his silly jokes, so much that her mood had improved a lot more than it had ever been in the last two days.

Then, she thought about her own son-in-law. Omkara must have felt the brunt even more, given how he had grown up parenting Rudra, while being a shield for him, protecting him from their parents' strained relationship. Her heart almost bled thinking of all those times, before getting married, of course, Omkara had tried to seek that motherly love from him. And each time, she had thrown bitter words and taunts, thinking that he wasn't the right company for her daughter. She felt embarrassed even more at this moment. The poor thing was only looking for some love and affection, while she was being rude to him. No wonder, he was always fond of Arvind and looked at the man like he was a godsent gift. She now realized, these two brothers were so deprived of love and familial relations, they were desperately seeking it from just about anywhere.