As I reached home, I noticed that maa was taking a nap on sofa, so I tiptoed around to avoid making any noise.
"You're back early today," Maa said as she woke up, surprising me because she had been asleep just moments before. I couldn't help but wonder how mothers always seem to know when we arrive.
"Yeah, my class got canceled for today," I replied.
"Alright, go freshen up, I'll get your food ready," she said, getting up from the sofa. I nodded and headed to my room, where I found my younger brother Aaryan peacefully asleep in his bed.
After changing into comfortable clothes, I lounged on my bed, scrolling through my phone. Soon, Maa came in with a plate of food, and I ate before taking a long nap to shake off the day's fatigue.
I woke up at 6 PM, washed my face, and went downstairs to look for Maa. It's a habit of mine to check on her first thing after waking up, just to make sure she hasn't gone anywhere.
I found Maa and Papa chatting happily, their faces beaming with joy. Curious, I approached them with a smile.
"What's making you both so happy?" I inquired, but they exchanged glances and grinned even wider.
"Why are you laughing? Tell me what's going on," I asked again, puzzled by their reactions.
"It's something exciting," MAA said, still smiling.
"Are we getting a new sibling?" I joked, but they looked shocked, and my maa playfully scolded me.
"Don't say such things," she said, tapping my head lightly.
"Okay then, what's the good news? I'm dying of curiosity," I said eagerly.
"We're buying a house!" Papa announced, and I couldn't contain my surprise and joy. I had recently moved back to Mumbai after staying with my grandmother in Delhi for a long time, and I knew how much my maa and papa had dreamed of having their own house here.
I hugged them both tightly and congratulated them.
"Daughters truly bring luck to a home. Look, Aadu just returned, and we're buying a house!" Papa exclaimed proudly, kissing my forehead.
"Where's Aaryan, Maa?" I asked, realizing that he wasn't around.
"He's gone to the park to play with his friends," she replied. My papa then showed me the pictures of the house we were planning to buy.
"I love it! It's such a beautiful house, Maa," I said to her, admiring the photos.
"We're all going to visit it this Friday and finalize the payment," papa added, and I nodded happily.
"But haven't you already seen it?" Maa asked papa.
"Of course, but I want the whole family to see and approve of it in person," he explained, and we all smiled.
"It must be in a really nice area," I remarked.
"Yes, and the neighbors are really friendly too," papa confirmed.
"Okay, you two keep chatting. I'll go and prepare dinner," Maa said, getting up.
"Make something delicious, Maa," I requested.
"What should I make?" she asked, placing a hand on her waist.
"Something tasty," I replied casually.
"What is something tasty?" she pressed on.
"Kadai paneer and laccha paratha," I answered, my mouth watering at the thought. Maa gave me a look, questioning my choice.
"You just had paneer rolls for lunch," she reminded me.
"I love paneer, and I couldn't finish my lunch alone," I explained, remembering how I shared my food with him today.
"You shared your lunch with someone? Does that mean you've made a close friend already?" both of them asked, surprised as if making friends and sharing lunch were rare occurrences for me.
"Can't I make friends?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You can, but you shared your lunch with someone you just met yesterday," Maa pointed out, and I rolled my eyes.
"Who was it, a guy or a girl?" Papa inquired seriously.
"It was no one important. I'm going out to get Aaryan," I replied, heading towards the door.
"Wait, do you already have a boyfriend, Addu?" Maa asked, clearly shocked. I turned back to clarify as papa also listened in.
"Of course not, Maa. It was just a classmate who needed my lunch that time, nothing more," I explained before leaving the house to find Aaryan.
As I stepped outside, I took in a deep breath of fresh air. My Maa and Papa always surprise me with their interesting reactions. I walked towards the park near our house and found Aaryan playing football with some neighborhood kids. I signaled to him that it was time to go home, but he gestured to wait a bit.
I settled on a nearby bench, soaking in the evening vibes of the park. Parks really have a special atmosphere. As I was enjoying the view my thoughts drifted to Aarav, I couldn't help but wonder if he had applied the pain-relieving gel or used a spray on his injury.
"Why are you worrying so much? Of course, his family would take care of it for him," my inner conscience reassured me.
"Di, let's go," Aaryan's voice brought me back, and I nodded, standing up.
As we walked through the park, we talked about Aaryan's school and other things.
"Di, tomorrow is Rohit's birthday, and he's having a party. We're invited," Aaryan said excitedly.
"Wow, you really like these guys, don't you?" I remarked.
"They're my best friends," Aaryan replied with a grin.
I couldn't help but worry about how Aaryan would react to the news of us moving out. I knew he'd be happy, but also sad as he had formed strong bonds with the neighborhood kids over the years.
Author POV
Aarav lay in bed, enveloped by the melody filling his room. His sister, Disha di, was adamant about him not moving around alone due to his leg injury.
"I'm here with your food, Aarav," Disha di announced as she entered the room.
"Why did you come? I can go downstairs, di," Aarav replied, sitting up on the bed.
"I've told you not to strain yourself until you heal. I also brought my dinner so we can eat together," she explained, placing the food in his hands and identifying each item for him. They shared a meal in each other's company.
"Aarav, I've asked the driver not to come for the next 2 or 3 days," Disha di informed him after they finished eating.
"Why, di? College is where I feel somewhat normal. Do you want me to stop going there too?" Aarav questioned, feeling unsettled.
"It's not about college; it's about letting your injury heal properly. I don't want you to make it worse by being careless," she reassured him.
"But di, my leg won't heal just by staying at home," Aarav protested.
"You're right. We'll take short walks when I come back from work, and I'll ask Dev to stay with you. But you're not going to college for a few days, that's final," Disha di said firmly.
"I'm not a child, di. Why are you being so stubborn?" Aarav retorted, his frustration evident.
"You're the one being stubborn, not me. You've been avoiding surgery and an eye transplant for years, despite us having the means, yet you try to so hard look normal I can't understand you Aarav. You're always too busy blaming yourself. Please, if you won't listen to me about that, at least follow my decision about this," she said sternly, leaving Aarav feeling guilty as she exited the room.
I know it's not very interesting chapter but it's important to be present 💜
Next chapter will be up in 7pm today only if I could get atleast 20+ comments
Thank you so much for reading!
