The Birlas' - BHAVANA

Chapter - 14: Time Waits For None (Part - B)

He turned to find her smiling at him. She didn't allow him to even greet her before sitting beside him on the bench and saying, 

"Phir se daant khaya tum ne? Do you ever get tired of riling him up?" She asked cheerfully. Neil forgot about greeting and got diverted by the question. 

"Never. I will never let it be any other way. But iska yeh matlab toh nahi hai na ki..." Neil was whining when Aradhna beat him to complete his sentence saying, 

"Tumhe bura nahi lagega. Daant khake kisko acha lagta hain" much to Neil's surprise. 

"You are such a betrayer! You always side with Bhai. And now you are taunting me. Tumhe yaad hain na....when you wanted to intervene and teach him a lesson" Neil reminded her of something she was really embarrassed of. 

Aradhna was quick to judge Abhimanyu and she soon regretted that. Abhimanyu had earned her respect just by being himself. She hardly had conversations with him, but Neil and Aradhna often discussed Abhimanyu. So, she did feel like she knew a lot more about him than what she could have gathered through pure experience. 

Not a day passed when she explicitly approved almost all of Abhimanyu's actions which felt like an impossible task for Neil. He was just happy that his friend was no more a stranger to his family and also that she enjoyed their company equally. He silently thanked Mahadev for the small mercies while Aradhna was justifying herself for the hundredth time. 

"Neil! That's not fair. You can't keep using that on me. Tumhe pata hain na aise kyun hua tha? Mujhe nahi samajh aate yeh dynamics. Mere ghar mein aisa nahi hota. 

Bahut pyaar hain hum sabke beech but aisewala nahi hain. Agar humko koi baat buri lagti hain ya hamara argument hota hain toh hum ek doosre se baat karna band kardete hain. Sorry isn't something that comes naturally to us." She whined. 

"Aur egos bhi bahut badi badi hain kyunki aap sab itne accomplished ho. Hain na?" Neil added sarcastically.

"Stop it varna mein Bhai ko complain kardungi. Tumhe yaad hain na, he told me that I can reach out to him if you ever pester me." Aradhna threatened and flicked her hair in style. 

"Jao. Karlo complain. Main bhi dekhta hoon kya kya batati ho. Because batane ko toh mere paas bhi hain bahut kuch." Neil countered savagely. 

Aradhna stomped her feet and walked away while Neil kept calling her. Neil chuckled and followed her out while Aradhna had no clue why she behaved the way she did with Neil. That was new to her, and she found it rather childish. So, when Neil came seeking her, she behaved as that never happened. 

The video diary involved bytes from every family member, Soha, Aradhna, Mrs.Diwan, a couple of teachers and her College Principal. They tried to gather as much footage as possible so that they can use it as per their convenience. 

The Birlas' didn't know how to be dramatic for the camera. They were just being their classy selves much to the crew's disappointment.