Agar tum saath ho...

Part 10

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Next morning,

Mumma papa utho jaldi, aap dono kitne sote ho??

Ha aur mumma aap to roj hume dant lagati ho na der tak soye to, uthiye na jaldi...

Abhinav (still sleeping): Are nikki ji pari ji kya hua?? Aap itne jaldi uth kyun gaye?? Dekhiye abhi bhi bahar andhera hai aur jabtak bahar suraj nahi aata hum log uthate nahi ye humara plan tha na?

Akshara: Beta abhi to surf subah ke 5 baje hai,thoda aur sone do aau tum log bhi so jao.

Abhir: MPM

Abhinav: Ab ye kya hota hai?

Aanchal: Meri pyari mumma, aap kuch to bhul rahi ho..

Akshara: kya??

Both children in union: Aaj ruhi aur shivu bhaiya aane wale hai masi aur taiji ke saath..

Upon hearing this Akshara hurriedly woke up.

Akshara: are ye main kaise bhul gayi? Bohot sari tayyariya jo karni hai? Abhi tak to kuch nahi hua. Ruhi ko jo jam pasand hai uski to sirf ek bottle bachi hai. Shivu ke liye aaloo ke parathe banane hai. Aaru ko jo yaha ke biscuit pasand hai vo to laye hi nahi aur shefali bhabhi ke liye sweets aur ghar main saman lana hai uski list aapne banayi hai kya abhinav ji?

Abhinav (sleepily): hmm...

Akshara: ABHINAV JI.... Aap so kaise sakte ho?? Uthiye jaldi..

Abhinav: Are aap in bachhon ki baton main mat aao, dekhiye thodi der aur sote hai phir aaram se...

Akshara: 5 minutes main agar aap tayar nahi ho gaye to phir aap ho aur main.

Abhinav: Neelamma na such kehti hai meri biwi sherni hai sherni.

Akshara: kuchh kaha aapne?

Abhir&Aanchal: SHERNI...

Abhinav: are are sherni nahi hirni kaha maine,tum dono bhi na ek din marwaoge..

And he picked both the child and ran towards the hallway.

After sometime Akshara was standing in the kitchen lost in her thoughts.

Abhinav: Akshara ji kaha kho gayi aap?

Akshara: kuch nahi bas yakin nahi ho raha ki main aur aaru ek dusroki best behne ban gaye hai. In 6 saalon main lagta hai ki jindagi ne hum behnoko phirse ek moka diya hai jo main ab khona nahi chahti.

************(Flashback)*************

It's been an hour since Abhinav left hurriedly to receive some important passengers. After putting little 6 months old to sleep Akshara was waiting for her tuition children.

Akshara: aaj bacche aaye kyun nahi? Baki din to time se pehle hi hajir hote the?

Muskaan: Vo kya hai bhabhi aaj unko chhutti hai

Akshara: par aaj kaisi chhutti? Maine to koi  chhutti nahi di?

Neelamma: are beta vo maine kaha tha muskaan se.

Akshara: kya hua amma? aapki tabiyat to thik hai na?

Neelamma: mujhe kuchh nahi hua hai tu fikar mat kar. Chalo muskaan mere saath mujhe jara bajaar jana hai.

Akshara: Amma par vo...are ye kya hua hai sabko? Abhinav ji bhi aaj jaldi chale gaye, roj subah to bye karke jate hai aaj to vo bhi nahi. Aane do unhe phir dekhti hun.

Suddenly some shuffling on the doorstep caught her attention. As she saw Abhinav's car pulling up in front of the door she thought of 100 different ways of scolding him. She opened the door angrily.

Akshara: Abhinav ji aap na... Aaru??

Standing in front was none other than her sister Aarohi Neil Birla with tears in her eyes. Time seemed to be frozen as a wave of emotions flooded in Akshara's heart - surprised, joy and a shadow of guilt. Tears started to gather in Akshara's eyes. Silence between their gazes spoke of the untold stories from past to present , all the bittersweet memories, all the guilts in hearts.

Seeing her sister stirred in a deep well of memories, Aarohi took the first step to embrace her. Tears were saying all the unspoken apologies and the joy of reunion. Then she saw shefali with a little 3 year old whom she assumed was shivu. Both of them also hugged each other as shefali was Akshara's support in the birla house.

And then, in Abhinav's arms, Akshara caught a sight of a little baby -

Akshara: Aaru ??

Aarohi: Apni bhanji se milogi nahi?? Ruhi Neil Birla.

It was the first time Akshara saw ruhi, and an overwhelming sense of love and awe took over her. As she cradled ruhi in her arms, Akshara felt a shadow of Neil in her eyes. Neil, the one who was there for here every time, whom she cared like a little brother and the one died because of... And the realisation hit her hard, all the joy, happiness of reunion overpowered by the guilt. Aarohi seemed to understand this.

Aarohi: kuchh mat socho akshu, tumhari koi galati nahi hai. Bass aajse tum uss baat ko firse nahi aapne dimag main laogi. Promise??

Akshara: par aaru?

Aarohi: maine kaha na, PROMISE?

Akshara: promise..

And then the whole day went with the aweness of the four children and the joyful memories with the Sharma family. Aarohi shared how her senior doctor Dr Satya helped with contacting abhinav. She along with Shefali made a plan to take Aarohi for treatment in kasouli. And here abhinav helped them with their plan.

*********(Flashback end)**********

Akshara: Abhinav ji.. aapne kya kuch nahi Kiya hai mere liye. Par mujhe kabhi kabhi lagta hai ki maine apni sari jimmedariya aapke upar sama di hai. Aapke bhi kuchh sapne hoge na, aapko bhi jindgi main kuch chahiye hoga na? Par wo sab meri wajah se tut gaya. Aap is sabme khush to hai na?

Abhinav: Dekhiye Akshara ji... In 6 saalon main ek din aisa aata hai ki aapke man ye sawal phirse jaag jata hai. Us wakt bhi mera jawab bhi same tha aur abhi bhi wahi hai ki mera sirf ekahi sapna tha ek Puri family. Pehle wo muskaan aur Neelamma ne aadha pura Kiya aur aap tinone 100% kardiya ji. Aap jyada sochiye mat. Ab sali sahiba bhi aatihi hogi.

Akshara: lagtahe kisine darwaja knock kiya hai. Main dekhke aati hun.

Abhinav(in mind): Mera sapna to pura ho gaya hai. Par kabhi kabhi daar jarur lagta hai ki achanak se nind udd jayegi aur sapna sapna hi reh jayega. 6 saal se ye daar man mein chhupa ke rakha tha par ab ye khayal baar baar aata hai.

Akshara(in mind): Main janti hun abhinav ji aap kya soch rahe ho. Par main aapka ye sapna kabhi tutane nahi dungi ye Mera wada hai.

As Akshara opened the door, she was shocked to see the person in front of her eyes.

Akshara: Aap?

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Guys, I'm so sorry for the month of delay. Don't worry, I'm not leaving this story before completing it.
Take care all of you and thank you for sticking with this story💗💫.