"Enough! Enough you two, I don't want to hear another word." Aabharan loudly banged his fist on the table, the glass jug of orange juice shook in its vessel, the water filled glasses stirring along.
"Bhai I-" Ayesha looked at her older brother with her honey coloured eyes, glossy, she wanted to explain herself, her reason for fighting. Her older brother shushed her down before she could say a word, his furious glare was enough to quite her, making Swarnima smirk, it did not go unnoticed by Ayesha, who again, didn't dare to open her mouth and gave a sassy reply in front of Aabharan.
Well to Swarnima's bad luck her smirk was observed by Abharan, who spoke in a all work voice, "Swarnima don't misbehave with your sister."
"She's not-" Swarnima wanted scream loudly, she wanted to tell the world that how much she hated Ayesha, and how she was not their sister. Much to her dismay, their older sibling raised his hand to shut her down.
Aabharan had a aura of power and authority surrounding him, no wonder both his sisters listened to him without a single complaint. Swarnima was definitely a difficult one, she had to argue for everything that supported or was in favour of the youngest Dewan. Ayesha she was anything but shadow of the oldest sibling, she listened to him without a single objection every single time, she not only respected Aabharan as her brother, but as her Guru, she worshipped him.
Deep down, Aabharan loved her more than Swarnima, he kissed the dirt of the path she walked on. He considered her as his daughter, he had raised her after all.
"Ahem. Ayesha." Aabharan cleared his throat, and glanced at his youngest sister who rubbed a few tears of her eyes and looked up at him. "Before leaving for your school, meet me in study."
"Yes bhai." She mumbled, sightly nodding at him.
The trio had their breakfast quietly, just the sounds of cutlery tapping on the plates and the cups and glasses being kept on the table.
"What's wrong?" Aabharan asked Ayesha, who entered the study after knocking twice.
"Nothing bhai." She looked down at dark brown study table which had a few files, a charcoal coloured pen holder with expensive pens in it, a MacBook and a few papers with fine text printed on them. Aabharan stood up from his chair and walked to the little girl, her reply was not something he wanted, he needed the truth, he knew that she wouldn't speak against their sister, but he still expected her to say the real thing which keeps their bickering active every single day, every single moment they were together.
"Are you guilty of something?" Aabharan with his pointer finger raised her chin up.
She peeked through her eyelashes, even after having her chin raised to her height, she couldn't meet the eyes of her over six feet tall brother. The emotional less dark brown orbs with golden slashes in them, held warmth in this time and the child inside her couldn't control her emotions and started to pour down the tears.
"Enough, stop it now." Aabharan repeated the same set of words again and again to console his sister who cried like anything from a last few minutes, he had hugged her tight and rubbed her back. He hated whenever some one made her cry, and he made sure to confront anyone who made her sad. But it was not anyone who had hurt her, it was his another sister who had hurt her. And no matter how much he tried, more than a scolding he couldn't do a lot to prevent it, the same little scolding which had no effect of guilt on Swarnima, left Ayesha in tears, who never got scolding due to her misbehaving with her older sister, but for a few different things.
"Sorry." Ayesha was a well behaved kid, she apologised for no mistake of her. As soon as the word left her mouth, her brother sighed, he was well aware of Swarnima's intelligence and Ayesha's naivety. He knew Swarnima won't say a word to her in front of him and behind his back she make her feel pathetic. Just a few accidental times where she bullied Ayesha in front of him, landed her into a hard confrontation, his little sister never told Aabharan about the fights she had endured with her older sister.
"Bhaiya, I didn't do anything." Swarnima barged inside the study and broke the little moment of care and concern Ayesha was receiving.
Aabharan glared at the invader who shifted uncomfortably on her feet, without leaving a protective hand around Ayesha, he scolded Swarnima in a rather too harsh manner, "Did I call you here?"
"No bhaiya."
"Then why are you here, interfering in our conversation. I had clearly called Ayesha only, had I called you?" His voice was hard and cold.
Swarnima entered inside the room and glared at the back of head of the youngest Dewan. "No, I thought like she must be brain washing you so I should come and clear out my side."
Aabharan took a deep breath, his eyes went to Ayesha, whose eyes brimmed with a new set of tears, after so long she finally could manage to stop her crying and Swarnima's words sprinkled salt on her wound. Brain wash. No, never Ayesha was an angel who loved everyone. Every time she was being poorly treated by her sister, she quietly cried in her room and wiped her tears before her brother would come from his office. She never blamed Swarnima for her mistreat on her, she just used to explain her reason for fighting if Aabharan had seen them arguing.
"Di, I didn't do anything. I didn't say anything to bhai." Ayesha peeked at Swarnima from Aabharan blazer, with a protective hold of her brother around her, she got the courage to fight back. Mostly it was just Swarnima quarrelling on trivial matters and she being a sweetheart never said much. Not that she used to be quite always, she also stood up for herself, but it was in a limit, not too well for her ownself.
"Oh! Ayesha- Ayesha, I didn't know you were such a darling." Swarnima began of in a pleasant voice. "If you're not here to manipulate bhaiya against me, then what the hell are you doing here?" Her tone changed drastically in the last part, sounding rude and taunting.
"Don't do this Swarn. You very well know Ayesha can never brainwash anyone, she's too sweet and innocent for her own." Their brother sighed in irritation, his sisters were his lifeline, and hated seeing them both in not so good terms. "You know, I'd called Ayesha in here. You don't pick on her every moment."
"Wow! Ayesha fantastic, you fucking succeeded in your plan, you wanted to feed lies to bhaiya, and look, there you did it. Bhaiya is believing in your fake words, and he is not trusting me." Swarnima clapped her hand together, and spoke in a voice too loud to Aabharan's dismay. Not to forget the curses she fled from her mouth.
"Di-" Ayesha rubbed of her eyes and starting to speak, and even before she could say an other word, Aabharan shook his head, knowing he didn't want her to speak, she quietened down. Ayesha's heart broke in to a million pieces, not wanting to upset her brother more, she listened to him. However deep down her heart, she wanted to fight for herself.
Quietly snugging closer to his chest dipping more into his blazer she drowsed in to his masculine musk cologne and smell of expensive smoke. She couldn't afford to make her brother disappointed in her, she considered him on the top, she didn't want him to dislike her like their sister.
Aabharan was aware of his sister's sensitivity and he know she had misunderstood his simple gesture to stay quite. He had done that because he wanted to deal with Swarnima himself and not let Ayesha feel more terrible. To rectify his mistake, he gently rubbed small of her back.
"Ayesha, please go to your room." He asked her in a voice that was gentle, in actual it was a command. He now had enough of Swarnima's nuisance and now wanted to deal with it, himself. But not in Ayesha's presence. He knew the reason behind Swarnima hateful nature towards her, and in front of her, talking about it would have done nothing than hurting her. She nodded her head and left the study, she couldn't help but notice Swarnima rolling her eyes at her.
Sniffing, Ayesha silenced her ringing phone call from her best friend, it was a little late she had to be in school by now and her girl gang would have been waiting for her, and instead of going to school, she here was a crying mess. It had been at least nothing, but some twenty five minutes since she'd been waiting for her to be called out or for her brother to come in her room.
"Ayesha." There he was, Aabharan opened the door of her room and called her out. The small part in left side of his chest hurt as saw his baby sister in extremely pathetic situation, her hair which were neatly done in the morning were now all messed up, her doe like eyes were red and would have been burning, her lips look chapped and her little button nose was too red.
Her honey brown eyes looked at the door, where her name was called from. The corner of her eyes crinkled a little before it could get any deeper, she remembered the scenario of the previous minutes. "Bhai, I'm sorry." Her voice came up hoarse, licking her dry lips, she rubbed her burning eyes, her throat screamed for a sip of water she reached for a glass of water from the table kept beside her bed. Before she could pick up, her brother handed to her.
"Here." Aabharan gave her the glass of water and sat in front of her, he ruffled her hair and took the glass which was now empty and placed it back on the table. "How're you feeling?"
"Bhai, my head hurts and eyes are burning." She kept her head on his shoulder, tenderly rubbing her back, with the other hand he tamed her messed up hair.
"Who told to cry like anything, huh?" He kept rubbing small circles on her back, he could feel her, adjusting her head properly. "Now do one thing, sleep for a while you'd feel better after it."
"But bhai school?" She pulled back her head, with curiosity washing over her features, she asked. Ayesha loved school, maybe more then home. With Swarnima being around she felt vulnerable at home until their brother was back from the office which was pretty late at night.
"Give it a miss, you're already quite late and you feel unwell. You can skip for today." He patted her head and made her lie down on the mattress and then covered her with a duvet.
"Bhai." Aisha called out for him. His neck turned back at her, she kept her lips sealed, not saying a word more. She had nothing to say, calling out the endearment she used to address her brother, makes her feel the solace and peace. Aabharan didn't reply her back, he knew his youngest sister's habit of calling out for him just like that. He bent down to give a peck on her hairline and left the room.
Author's Note: Hello readers. Welcome my new readers and my old readers. Please tell me how it is? I know, it's not very good, however in the upcoming chapters, it will get nice.