Setting It Right! (A Batuk-Anirudh-Bondita-Kaka Story)

Chapter 16.1: Paap and Prasanjeet!!!

2nd December, 1942, Roy Chaudhary Kothi, 10:30 am

After pacing in his room for what felt like an eternity, Batuk thudded in his desk chair. He had pulled an all-nighter last night, and the things he learned were now weighing heavily on his chest, making him feel anxious and restless. He had been unable to sleep after reading that diary. He hadn't slept well the previous night either, and so, lack of sleep and his current state of acquired insomnia had left him more agitated and frustrated. The pressure of his findings from the diary was adding fuel to his already frail nerves, and now, Batuk Roy Chaudhary was a ball of nervous energy, rolling from one place to another, lost in deep thoughts.

That is how Anirudh found him when he came to his room to give him his morning medicines, causing him to freak out. Last night also, when he had met Batuk, he got worried to see him so gloomy and agitated when he had been happy just a few hours ago after meeting Rudhir and Aaradhya. When he had tried to ask Batuk why he was so down, Batuk hadn't told him anything. Instead, he had given him assurance that he was okay...just tired. Assuming that the events of the day must have been emotionally taxing for him, Anirudh had decided to let him sleep over his emotions in the hope that he would feel better the next morning.

However, that clearly hadn't happened.

Anirudh's heart sank as he noticed dark circles under Batuk's beautiful eyes and his sallow complexion. His hair was a complete mess, as if he had run his fingers in them for a long time. Another harrowing thought came to Anirudh's mind on seeing his hair like that.

Has he been trying to pull out his hair from their roots? What fresh hell is he going through now that's making him so frustrated?

All of these were clear signs that Batuk wasn't alright.

On noticing Anirudh, Batuk rose from the chair and smiled at his Big D in greeting. However, Anirudh was not a fool to miss the telltale signs that something was definitely bothering his brother...very much.

"Batuk, kal raat ko phir phone pe baat kar rahe thay?" Anirudh asked him, sincerely hoping that the only reason his brother appeared as if he hadn't slept in years was that he had spent the night chatting with his sabse khaas dost.

Batuk quietly shook his head in negative. Feeling restless, Anirudh then asked cautiously,

"Batuk, tum raat ko soye nahi thay kia? Neend nahi aarhy thy? Mien Tapur se pooch ker medicine..."

"Nahi Big D.", Batuk interrupted. "Mien kal isiliye nahi soya kyunki mien ek buht puraane dost ke saath catch-up kar raha tha. Usko phir se jaan raha tha. Sab sahi hai." And then, as if he was foreseeing something, he muttered, "Aur jo sahi nahi hai, woh sab abh sahi hojayega."

Batuk's cryptic responses were making Anirudh even more tense.

Puraane dost se... But abhi tou usne bola ki telephone pe baat nahi kar raha tha. Ramu ya pehredaaron ne bhi kisi ke aane ki khabar nahi di, aur Batuk khud bhi kahin jaa nahi sakta. Tou phir? Kahin Batuk ki haalat phir se...

Anirudh had been reading a lot about depression and other mental health issues these days. And despite how positive he himself was, he wasn't sure about Batuk's mental health status anymore. It was like a switch. For a few hours, Batuk would get extremely happy, as if his "Good mood switch" was on.

Yesterday when Anirudh had teased him after catching him asleep with his phone and Mallika on the other end, Batuk had positively blushed like any normal person would. And he had got flustered exactly as anyone would in such a situation. His meeting with Rudhir and Aaradhya was tumultuous and very emotional, and Anirudh had genuinely felt that Batuk got extremely happy because of that. Later, he and Bondita had wondered why Batuk was crying while doing his "Thank you rant," but they had attributed it to his emotional vulnerability.