Agastya’s voice trembled as he stared down, his fingers fiddling nervously with the edge of his sleeve.
“He wanted to be a singer…” his words broke halfway, a soft sigh escaping him.
Siya’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Then… why did you both stop?” you guys should have continued now .. everything is fine. she asked, tilting her head as if trying to catch every piece of the story.
Agastya’s faint smile carried both pain and longing. “Sis, it’s not possible now… I don’t even know why I’m telling you this,” he whispered, his eyes glistening. “I love to cook because… because when I cook, I feel my mother in it. I lost her when I was just eight. She had cancer.”
He paused, his throat tightening as memories flooded in. “My father… he is the best father in the world. He drowned himself in office work during the day, but at night, he still managed to take care of me. But I was just a child, Siya. I needed warmth, affection, that soft love only a mother can give. And when I didn’t get it… I fought with him. I hated him. At least… I thought I did.”
His eyes softened as another memory surfaced. “Then my classmate, Ruhaan, got admission to my school. We became friends instantly. And do you know what he taught me? That I should not hate my father. He told me, ‘If you’ve lost your mother, then your father has also lost his wife.’”
Agastya’s voice cracked, a tear sliding down his cheek. “Ruhaan… he was just my age, but his soul was so pure… so innocent. He taught me that anger and hatred can only be destroyed with love and kindness. And from then on, he became my best friend. My brother in every sense. He never left my hand during my worst pain. He would take me to his home… and that’s when I realized where Ruhaan got all his innocence and kindness from his mother. She was the purest soul I had ever met.”
A bittersweet smile tugged on his lips. “I used to flirt with her sometimes, you know? She was so beautiful,” Agastya admitted, shaking his head as if guilty for remembering.
Siya chuckled softly, her eyes glimmering with warmth. “Yeah… I know,” she replied, remembering something that tugged at her own heart.
Agastya’s voice grew heavier, almost breaking. “Everything was fine… until Sunita Aunty…”
He inhaled sharply, as though the weight of her memory pressed on his chest. “After giving birth to Ruhaan, she couldn’t conceive again. She was always sad about it. Uncle tried to make her understand, saying Ruhaan was enough… but she longed for a second child.”
Agastya’s voice softened as he recalled her words.
“Agar mujhe kuch ho gaya toh aap dono ke liye koi toh chahiye…”
[‘If something happens to me, then there should be someone else for both of you…’]
He closed his eyes. “When Ruhaan was seventeen, Aunty gave birth to Ishivik. She was so happy… and Ruhaan he pampered that little boy like he was his own life. Ishivik became the most important part of our world.”
His voice quivered as he whispered, “But… kehte hain na… acchi cheezon ko nazar lag jaati hai.”
[‘They say, don’t they… that good things always catch the evil eye.’]
Agastya’s jaw tightened. And then… Uncle and Aunty’s accident happened.“Ishivik got kidnapped. That broke Ruhaan completely. And the worst part? I wasn’t there for him. His own family abandoned him when he needed them the most.”
His hands clenched into fists as guilt burned in his chest. “And what haunts me the most… is that Ruhaan had fought with Uncle that very day. Uncle wanted him to continue the restaurant business, but Ruhaan… Ruhaan wanted to be a singer. Everyone knows how cruel that industry is to middle-class dreamers. Uncle wasn’t wrong… but neither was Ruhaan. They argued… and they didn’t reconcile before… before the accident.”
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Her innocent king
Romance"Her innocent King" He never wore a crown, never held a gun... but still, he ruled her world. She was born with blood on her hands and fire in her veins-the mafia princess everyone feared. A girl who could break ribs without breaking a sweat, yet s...
