Rudra stirred a little in his sleep and turned to his side. He could feel a familiar presence beside him. He didn't need to open his eyes to know who it was. Shivaay Bhaiya. Rudra's hand automatically made its way to touch his brother. Rudra sighed. His brother was home. He could breathe a little easier now.
Rudra had been waiting in Shivaay's bedroom and had fallen asleep while waiting for Shivaay to return. Stifling a yawn, he rubbed the remainders of sleep from his eyes and looked at his mobile to check the time.
2 : 00 AM
Damn. Rudra cursed himself. He shouldn't have fallen asleep. One more day had gone by and he couldn't spend time with Shivaay. But he was exhausted. Rudra's new Gym venture was in its nascent stage and he was working against time to make it successful. It was tough being an entrepreneur. He smiled. It was even tougher being a CEO of a company. His elder brother somehow always made it look like eating a piece of cake.
Pushing the duvet aside, Rudra sat up. In the darkness, he could see Shivaay's mobile lighting up continuously. He was irritated with it and thought of flipping it over so the light didn't bother Shivaay. He carefully switched on the bedside lamp, dimmed it and walked over to Shivaay's side as silently as he could. He picked up the mobile. It continued to receive messages by the dozen. He had no clue how did Shivaay handle all this. Rudra thanked the stars that the mobile was one a silent mode. Shaking his head, he turned it over and placed it back on the side table. That's when he noticed a strip of some kind of tablets. Frowning, Rudra picked up the strip to check it. It was a painkiller. It was torn right where the details were printed. So he quickly went to the internet and checked the ingredients list. Shivaay had a heart condition and even seemingly normal things could prove to be fatal for him. Over the years, Rudra had grown to be paranoid about the medicines that Shivaay consumed. He might not know the political situation in the country or the nitty-gritty of the business world, but he was well versed with what Shivaay could have or not. So much so, that he didn't even need a prescription. Not that he didn't carry one. His wallet had a copy, his mobile had a properly scanned copy and then he always had a backup of a medicine pack with him at any given time. He simply couldn't take risks with the health of his brother.
Rudra's eyes fell on the pale pink crepe bandage wrapped around Shivaay's right-hand wrist. Ah! The side effects of working on the laptop continuously. That must be the reason he popped the painkiller. Rudra shook his head sadly. He switched off the lamp and walked over to the window. He opened the curtains a little. It was a full moon night. Soft light streamed in the room, suddenly it wasn't that dark anymore and he could see Shivaay more clearly.
Shivaay's always impeccable bouffant had collapsed. His jet black hair now lay carelessly on his forehead. It honestly made him look a lot younger, thought Rudra. He was in a basic white kurta. Rudra liked his brother more this way. Sure he looked amazing in the designer suits but this simpler version was what he craved for - the one where his brother was just Shivaay and not a Oberoi.
Rudra stood by the window and observed the moon for a few moments. Being a businessman wasn't easy. It was tougher when you happened to be the country's rising businessman and also a business family scion. Even as a child, Shivaay had received multiple death threats. They only increased after he became a businessman. He would brush them aside like they were nothing but they did scare Rudra. So Rudra had promised himself that no matter what happened, he would see Shivaay at least once in a day. It was the only way he could assure himself that Shivaay was alright.
It was a ritual that he had religiously kept up since the first time a fourteen-year-old Shivaay had received a death threat. When they were in school, it wasn't a problem. They would get to spend ample time together. When Shivaay left for Cambridge, Rudra had begged his father to put him in one of the schools there so that he could be close to his brother. It had taken a lot of blackmailing, a lot of tantrums and finally suicide threats before the family agreed to send him there. In hindsight, Rudra considered it to be one of the best decisions of his life. Away from the petty fights and bad politics of the Oberoi family, he and Shivaay had the time of their lives while in Cambridge. Sure, they did miss Om but Rudra remembered those few years as his best ones. The natural progression for Rudra was also to secure an admission at Cambridge University as well. But as soon as Shivaay graduated, Rudra had also packed his bags and returned along with him. He just couldn't stay away from Shivaay - even if that cost him studying at a reputed university. His father was levied but it didn't matter as long as he had his brother. The trouble only began after Shivaay started to work at the Oberoi Industries. That started the long working hours, business trips and a schedule busier than the Queen of England. Shivaay would usually leave for the office before Rudra woke up and at night, he would come after Rudra slept. Even on days when Shivaay actually managed to come early, he would be so exhausted that he would just crash and sleep. But still, Rudra managed to find ways to spend time with him. He would diligently face time Shivaay when the latter was on business tours. Or he would simply wait for Shivaay to come home. Like he was doing today. But he had always made it a point to see Shivaay once a day and had kept up with it. Mindlessly, he walked back to the bed and sat down beside a sleeping Shivaay. Rudra placed a gentle hand on Shivaay's forehead. Shivaay stirred slightly at his touch.
