Here's the 84th chapter.
Enjoy reading.
"Princess..." Shaurya caressed her hair.
"Aankhein band karo Princess... Aur aap so jaao..."
"Main yahi hoon..." he murmured softly.
Mimi, who was resting her face on his shoulder, spoke up in a broken voice, "Mumma ke bina ninni nayi aati Laddoo..."
Listening to it made Shaurya disheartened because he knew how difficult it would be for her to spend the night away from her Mumma; after all, he had gone through it himself every night, after SHE was gone...
He was currently standing on the terrace, under the night sky of twinkling stars, trying to make his Princess sleep.
He himself was exhausted, but his only concern was for his Princess.
He had come here on the terrace with her after he had finished feeding her in the kitchen, to get her to breathe some fresh cool air and to make her sleep. But now it appeared that it would take some more effort as she was in no mood to sleep away from her Mumma.
Mimi was just finding solace in her Laddoo's arms, and sleep was palpable in her drowsy eyes, but she didn't want to fall asleep as she was still longing to have a glimpse of her Mumma.
Shaurya realized it was past midnight and that he needed to get his Princess to sleep as soon as possible because she was in a fragile state and needed rest.
He looked in his arms, and then better hold his Princess, shifting her to his other arm because the previous one was hurting due to the wound.
He then turned to face her, who was still looking down with a sad expression.
*edited 😂*
"Princess..."
"Vha dekho..." he softly said, pointing to the sky.
As Mimi listened to her Laddoo, she turned her head to look up at the sky.
She observed clusters of twinkling stars in the dark sky.
"Princess..."
"Dekho vo stars kaise jhilmila rhe hain..."
"Vo jo left side mein hain... Use dekho..." he said as he walked.
"Vo vaala sabse bada star hain..."
Mimi continued to stare at the sky with her slow blinking eyes.
"Aur vo jo centre pe hain... Use dekho..."
"Vo sabse zyaada chamak rha hain..."
"Aapko yaad hain Princess... Aapne mujhe ek baar twinkle twinkle little stars vaala poem bhi sunaaya tha..."
"Usi tarah yeh stars bhi twinkle kar rhe hain dekho..." he continued to walk around.
"Uske baad... Vo next vale star ko dekho..."
"Vo sabhi se chhota hain..."
"Haina ?..." he whispered; his gaze fixed on the sky.
When he didn't get any response, he turned his face towards his arms, only to greeted by a beautiful sight.
There was his Princess, her face resting on his shoulder, peacefully drifting into deep slumber.
Finally... His Princess dozed off.
Shaurya's heart felt lighter, and he was comforted that he was ultimately able to put her to sleep.
The "sleeping angel" in his arms was a sight to behold for him, and he lightly patted her head with love.
He was feeling too breathable now because the entire day had been full of ruckus, which had drained away all of his energy.
His Princess's plight had been a source of grief for him the entire time. He felt terrible recalling the sight of her constant crying, which was unbearable for him.
He returned his gaze to her now that she had finally fallen asleep.
Her small hands were wrapped around his neck, and he could hear her soft breathing. Her glowing face in the moonlight, her small mouth open, and her frame peacefully resting in his arms were all moving him to tears for unknown reasons.
He was relaxed that his Princess had been put to rest, and that he would no longer have to witness the heart wrenching sight of tears in her eyes.
Now all he had to do was to look forward for the next morning, when his Princess would eventually be able to see her Mumma, and the wait that she had endured with great difficulty thus far would be over.
Heaving a deep sigh, he cradled his Princess close to his heart, as if never to let her go.
Turning around, he headed to go downstairs for his room...
Shaurya walked into his room. He could see how calmly his Princess was sleeping by resting her cheek on his shoulder.
Walking towards his bed, he gently took his Princess off his arms and laid her tiny body down there.
He sat down beside her sleeping form and fondled her head once more. She looked even cuter with that peaceful sleeping face, like a perfect angel.
He then realized that he should cover her with the duvet. Leaning slightly, he caught hold of the duvet, and was about to drape it over his Princess when his hands froze in mid-air.
He looked at Mimi for a moment before returning his eyes to the duvet he was holding. The duvet seemed far too big, that he felt his little Princess would suffocate under it.
He didn't want her to be in any discomfort, so he immediately tossed the duvet aside.
He started thinking of something lighter with which he could cover her, and wondered if he had anything like that.
He couldn't come up with anything.
He looked here and there and his eyes eventually settled on the almirah. Something occurred to him at that exact moment, but the thought didn't sit well with him.
After a cursory look at his Princess, he rose from beside her sleeping form and began approaching the almirah, despite his hesitant thoughts.
He approached it and came to a halt in front of it.
Without any second thought, his shaking hands rose up and unconsciously opened the almirah door.
Reaching for one of the ends, his fingers caught a soft hem of a cloth. His hands paused there for a moment, as he let a tear escape his eyes. He at once realized it was exactly what he intended to find.
After all, it had been in the same place for all these years and he never cared to remove or even touch it.
He had never tried to take it out in all these years, but today, for "unfathomable" reasons, his subconscious mind compelled him to do so.
Taking a long, deep breath, he subsequently drew his hand back, picking up the piece of cloth from there.
As soon as his eyes fell on his hands, he couldn't help but let some more tears flow.
The floral pattern on the cloth, the soft pink cotton fabric, and the crease clearly indicating that it had remained at the same place, same way for all these years made him overcome with emotion.
It made him recall of the person to whom that dupatta belonged.
It reminded him that this dupatta once used to be his only companion, acting as a comforter for both his body and his grave "pain".
The dupatta provided the warmth he needed from SOMEONE, but that person never cared...
The next thing Shaurya knew, he was being swayed by emotions because of the memory of that cloth, which he definitely didn't want.
He turned sideways to catch a glimpse of his Princess, who was sound asleep, and it occurred to him that he was only doing it for her, and NOT FOR HIMSELF.
He closed the almirah door, shrugging the deep attachment to the cloth he was holding.
Swallowing the large lump in his throat, he walked back towards the bed.
Taking his seat beside his Princess, he opened the layers of the dupatta, and covered the tiny human figure with it. He cocooned the cloth endearingly around his sleeping Princess.
He then sat up straight, his gaze fixed on her.
The teeny-tiny human figure hidden beneath the dupatta was too cute.
He couldn't help but lean back and settle beside her, safely guarding her from the bed's edge, and caressing her hair.
His eyes forgot to blink as he took in the serenity of his Princess's sleeping face, which brought him immense peace.
He noticed how delicately she inhaled and exhaled while sleeping.
He was paying close attention to everything because he had never been around a child before, and watching all of his Princess's cute actions filled his heart with delight.
He felt he did the right thing by covering her with the dupatta rather than the heavy duvet, as her calm face evidenced she was comfy with it.
It was the same cloth his Chachi used to lull him to sleep when he used to cry uncontrollably every night remembering HER.
It was the same cloth that used to suffice in giving him the warmth which he needed from HER.
It was the same cloth that was the only thing he had of HER, after SHE was gone.
It was the same cloth that made him realize when he was grown up, that there was no point in making a mere fabric of cloth "valuable" to him, because it belonged to someone who had NOTHING to do with him.
After this realization, he had dumped the cloth in one corner of the almirah, vowing never to take it out to see or touch it again... But he could never gather the courage to remove it from there either.
The reason was all known to him, but he never admitted it to himself, and thus let it there at the corner.
It had remained in the same place since then, and he avoided letting his eyes fall on it whenever he opened the almirah.
Today, after so many years, he took it out from his almirah... Just for his Princess.
Who knows, perhaps he did it for HIMSELF as well. Because for him, it was more than just a cloth.
It was a cloth that soaked up his endless tears he shed in remembrance of HER.
Shaurya blinked back tears as he realized he was being swept by emotions once again.
That particular piece of cloth, which was right in front of him, was making him weak, moistening his eyes, and bringing his entombed turmoil to the surface.
To avoid it, he decided to get off the bed, and go to the balcony to breath some fresh air and silence his inner torment.
Moving away from his Princess, whose head he had been caressing until now, he began to rise from the bed, but as he did so, he felt a sudden pull at his thumb, which caused him to land back on the bed.
When he turned around and saw what was causing the pull, his heart just melted away.
His eyes which were already misty, teared up more in a split second as he saw the view.
His little Princess, who was fast asleep, was "clutching" his thumb in her small fist. Her entire tiny fist was wrapped around his thumb.
The emotional turmoil he was experiencing gradually vanished into thin air.
He returned to his previous position and rested his back against the pillow.
The way his Princess was holding his thumb warmed his heart so much that he couldn't bear to think of leaving her. It showed how much she wanted him to be by her side, even if she was sleeping.
He slowly disentangled her entire fist from his thumb, cautious enough not to wake her.
Taking her little palm in his own big one, he caressed it tenderly, feeling blissful.
Shaurya was prepared to stay awake all night for his Princess because he couldn't afford her to feel even the slightest discomfort.
Despite his fatigue and sleepy eyes, he sat by her side to keep a watchful eye on her.
Mimi, who was deep asleep, continued to receive caresses from her Laddoo.
Shaurya had decided not to close his eyes, but his tiredness from the day took over him, and his eyes closed without his knowledge.
He had no idea when he drifted into slumber...
The clock struck two o'clock in the morning.
Silence prevailed everywhere in the Sabharwal Mansion.
Everyone was fast asleep in their respective rooms, except for one person who had awoken.
Opening her eyes slowly, Mimi blinked a couple of times, and found herself under a soft cloth.
She swung her eyes for a moment around, eventually landing on the person next to her... Her Laddoo.
It was then she realized that she was in her Laddoo's home, and had no idea when she had fallen asleep.
Her eyes filled with tears once more as she remembered she was yet to see her Anumaa, who was in hospital.
Her Anumaa wasn't by her side tonight, which was why she awoke subconsciously.
She took another glance at her Laddoo and noticed that he was sleeping in an uncomfortable sitting position. She saw his one arm encircling her to protect her.
She sat up timidly from her laying position, careful not to wake up her sleeping Laddoo.
She had no idea what time it was; she only knew that because she had awoken from her sleep, it must be morning.
Nonetheless, she made the decision to visit her Anumaa right away.
But how would she reach there, when she didn't know the way to hospital ?
Realizing that she had no knowledge of the way to reach her Anumaa, she turned to face her Laddoo again.
She saw he was deeply asleep.
"Muje Mumma ki bohot yaad aa lahi hain..."
"Muje Mumma chhe milna jaana hain... Lekin Laddoo toh chho lahe hain..." she wondered.
After much thoughtful consideration, she decided that she won't disturb her Laddoo, and would go to her Anumaa herself.
Determined, she carefully removed the dupatta from above her and, rather than putting it away it, she draped it over her Laddoo and adjusted it on his shoulders.
After that, she crawled little by little to the edge of the bed and carefully placed her legs down, all the while keeping an eye on Laddoo to ensure she didn't wake him up.
She managed to get out of bed, and it was now time to leave the room.
She turned around for having one last look at her Laddoo, and subsequently headed for the door.
She emerged from the room, resting one palm on the wall on her side.
Horror gripped her as soon as she saw that the only room with lights ON was her Ladddoo's, and that every corner around where her eyes fell was completely dark.
She was afraid of the inky blackness, and it made her reconsider whether or not she should leave her Laddoo's room alone.
She then remembered that she, like her Mumma, was BRAVE.
She had high spirits, just like her Anumaa, so she eventually decided to go further because nothing could stop her from achieving what she wanted, and she was willing to go to any length to reach her Anumaa right now.
Without further ado, she began taking wobbly steps towards the stairs, her left palm still resting on the wall for support.
She reached the stairs, and tension gripped her once more as she noticed how many there were. But she resolved that once she had made up her mind, there was no going back.
Scrapping her fear away, she placed her left palm on the railing, and her left feet on the first stair down. She then did the same with her right feet as well.
One hurdle had been overcome !...
Once again, with racing heart, Mimi put her left feet down followed by the right one. She continued to carefully place her feet down on each step.
Apart from the fear of darkness, she was terrified of "falling" also, because she had never walked down so many stairs with her own legs before in her life. Those small steps seemed very big to her.
Despite her growing fear, she persisted in what she was doing.
After all, it was her Mumma who had taught her to be always COURAGEOUS.
She was alone in the dark, fully afraid, but all she wanted was to see her Anumaa. She continued descending the stairs amidst her fearful feelings, believing that the faster she went down the stairs, the sooner she would be able to reach her Mumma.
She thought she'd made it halfway down the stairs, which made her feel reassured and gave her hope that she would be able to conquer the remaining stairs in the same manner.
She was just about to take another step down when she was startled to find someone approaching her from the front.
Goosebumps ran down all over her body in terror, as it was pitch black out there, and she had no idea who it was.
She clung to the railing in dread, because the thing she thought was approaching her turned out to be a shadow.
It was a GHOST !!!...
She immediately sat down on the stair, wrapping her arms around her knees and pressing herself against the railing, her eyes tightly shut.
She was absolutely petrified, her heart pounding dangerously against her chest.
She didn't know who was coming.
She only dared to blabber something in her feeble voice with her eyes clenched tightly and her face buried in her folded knees.
"Peeshh bhoot uncle..."
"M... Muje mat khaana..."
"Muje Mumma chhe milne jaana hain..."
"Mumma ki bohot yaad aa lahi hain..."
"Peesh muje hochhpital jaane do..."
"Peechh bhoot uncle..." she began to cry, her eyes still squeezed shut and face buried, just begging to the ghost not to harm her.
Mimi's throat became dry, and she didn't say anything else. Her whole body was shivering due to the extreme fear.
She sensed that no sound could be heard and that silence was everywhere, but she couldn't summon the courage to look up and open her eyes.
The silence was abruptly broken, shocking her.
"Ohh beta ji !..."
"Yaha kya kar rhe ho ??..."
When Mimi heard the voice – a human voice – she stopped whimpering.
She fearfully drew her face up from her knees and opened her watery eyes to see who the creature before her was.
Two pairs of eyes and ears, a nose, lips, and hairs on the head, still visible in the darkness, convinced her that it was a human being.
Her shivering subsided as soon as she was assured that she was not seeing a ghost.
She discovered a person kneeling in front of her on the stairs, staring at her in puzzlement.
Mimi exhaled her bated breath, which had become stuck in her throat. She got a huge relief that it wasn't a ghost.
Even though her Anumaa had told her that ghosts didn't exist, she still feared the dark, and anything scary in the dark reminded her of the word "ghost".
She quickly wiped her tears away from her cheeks with the back of her palm.
"Kuch bolo bhi puttar ji..."
"Itni raat ko akele kaha chal diye ??..." Alok inquired again, baffled.
He had gone into the kitchen to fill his jug of water when he heard some footsteps from the stairway, prompting him to look over there. It was then that he noticed a small human figure descending the stairs, which led him to the conclusion that it could only be Anokhi Bhalla's daughter, who was upstairs in Shaurya's room.
Placing the jug on the table without any delay, he had begun climbing the stairs to reach the little girl because he was befuddled as to why she was coming downstairs alone.
"M... Main..."
"Main Mumma..."
Alok's chain of thoughts broke when he heard the girl's voice.
"Main Mumma chhe milne jaa lahi thi..." Mimi's lips trembled as she spoke.
Alok noticed the girl's watery eyes, and it did something to him.
He was seeing her for the first time, and her gloomy yet innocent face was enough to weaken his "dislike" for the little girl which was based solely on the fact that she was Anokhi Bhalla's daughter, but he quickly looked away, not wanting that to happen.
He now realized that Mimi was most likely sleeping, and she had woken up by chance, which was why she was coming downstairs to find her Mumma.
Shaurya might also be asleep, and thus he would have failed to notice the little girl, otherwise, she wouldn't have been alone there, Alok comprehended.
"A... Aap kaun ho ?..."
Mimi's trembling voice caught Alok's attention.
He noticed that her body was still cowering, which he assumed was due to fear.
He decided to return the little girl to Shaurya's room and alert him not to be so careless again.
Even though he had nothing to do with Anokhi's daughter and had no concern for her, but he couldn't leave her there in that condition either.
He rose from his kneeling position, saying, "Beta ji..."
"Chalo mere saath..."
"Main aapko lekar chalta hoon..." he said.
Mimi stood you up slowly with her shaking legs, listening to it, and asked with hope, "Aap muje Mumma ke paachh lekal jaaoge ?..."
Alok replied by saying, "Abhi subah kaha hui hain beta ji... Abhi toh vo so rhi hogi..."
"Lekin M... Mumma ki bohot yaad aa lahi hain muje..." Mimi said, her face sad.
"Oho beta ji... Mumma se baad mein mil lena..."
"Abhi aao... Mere saath chalo... Main oopar chodkar aata hoon..."
Mimi couldn't help but agree to the person after seeing that he wouldn't take her to her Anumaa nor would he allow her to leave.
"Chalo aao... Mere peechhe – peechhe aao..." Alok said, as he climbed up a stair.
Mimi nodded and began to raise her leg up the step when she lost her balance, but Alok was quick to spot.
"Arre sambhal kar !..." he exclaimed, rushing to grab her.
Mimi balanced herself while Alok held her hand.
"Chholly..."
"Pail (pair) chhlip ho gaya galti chhe..." she apologized.
Alok sighed tiredly and extended his hand, saying, "Mera haath pakad lo beta ji..."
"Kahi gir - gur gayi toh pta nhi sab mujhpar baras padenge..." he muttered.
Mimi obeyed and placed her little palm on top of his.
Alok held her hand, and they both began climbing upstairs to reach Shaurya's room...
Shaurya, who was sleeping in an awkward position, had started to experience back pain. He shuffled slightly, and his one hand, which had been guarding something, felt an emptiness.
He moved his hand over the bedsheet while still asleep, but the lack of someone's presence prompted him to open his eyes.
He sluggishly let his eyes open, and felt pain in his neck. Ignoring it, he turned sideways, only to receive a huge shock.
He looked here and there, all around the bed, but whoever he was looking for was nowhere to be seen.
"Princess ??!!!..." he was startled awake from his sleepy eyes when he couldn't find her.
"Princess kaha gayi ??!..." he sat up straight with a jerk.
He found himself draped in the dupatta, which he put aside, and jumped out of the bed, only to find himself alone in the room.
"Ohh no !..."
"Princess kaha chali gayi ??!... Mujhe kuch pta bhi nhi chala !..."
"Mujhe kuch pta kaise nhi chala ???!..." he scolded himself.
Without wasting any more time, he rushed outside, his heart pounding with fear.
He stepped outside and after walking through the corridor, he was about to go downstairs when he came to a complete stop on seeing the two figures nearing him.
He focused his vision only to see his Princess approaching him, accompanied by Alok Chachu.
Seeing his Princess safe brought relief to his heart, but it befuddled him as to what they were doing with each other.
He quickly walked over to them.
"Shaurya Puttar..." Alok said, as he reached upstairs.
"Princess..." Shaurya noticed her standing beside his Chachu, holding his hand and looking terrified.
"Chachu aap ?... Aap yaha Princess ke saath ?..."
"Arre Shaurya Puttar... Yeh akele-akele seediyon se neeche utar rhi thi..."
Shaurya's eyes widened in shock as he listened.
"Main toh kitchen se paani lekar vaapas laut rha tha... Aur shukar kar meri nazar pad gayi is par..." Alok said as he let go of Mimi's hand.
"Princess..." Shaurya bent down.
"Aap theek hona Princess ?... Kaha jaa rhe the aap ?... Mujhe uthaaya kyun nhi ?..." he asked worriedly, picking up in his arms.
Mimi wrapped her hands around his neck but stayed silent.
"Shaurya Puttar..." Alok spoke up.
"Ab dhyaan rakhna iska..."
"Pta nhi kisko bina btaaye kahi chali jaayegi... Aur fir kuch bura-bhala ho gaya toh vo ladki Anokhi aakar humpe ilzaam lagaayegi..." he said. Though he was a bit concerned, but didn't express it.
"Jee Chachu..."
"Thank you Mimi ko yaha tak lane ke liye..."
"Main dhyaan rakhunga agli baar se..."
"Aap jaaiye... So jaaiye..." he said politely.
Alok nodded and walked away, giving the little girl one last look.
Shaurya, who was extremely worried, turned to face his Princess in his arms, who had her face bowed in sadness.
"Princess..." he whispered softly, caressing her hair.
Mimi looked up to face her Laddoo.
"Princess..."
"Aapko pta hain Laddoo kitna dar gaye the..."
"Aapne mujhe jagaaya kyun nhi ?... Kaha jaa rhe the aap akele... Hmmm ?..." he asked softly as he began walking back to his room.
"Laddoo..." Mimi finally spoke up, albeit in a weak voice.
"Aap toh chho lahe the Laddoo... Ichhliye maine aapko nayi jagaaya..."
"Main Mumma chhe milne jaa lahi thi... Bohot yaad aa lahi hain..." she lamented.
Shaurya's heart sank as he heard how much his Princess wanted so badly to see her Mumma and was all set to reach her, even when she had no idea how to get there.
Shaurya returned to his room and entered, closing the door behind him.
He walked over to his bed and sat down, leaning against the pillow, but this time he didn't take his Princess off his arms, preferring to keep her close to safeguard her.
He made her sit comfortably on his lap and turned to face her.
"Princess..."
"Maine aapko btaaya tha naa... Aapki Mumma toh abhi so rhi hain..." he said softly.
"Aap akele – akele itne andhere mein jaa rhe the... Agar aapko kuch ho jaata toh..." he said, concerned.
"Lekin Laddoo..."
"Ab toh chhubah ho gayi hogi... Mumma abhi bhi chho lahi hain ?..." she asked innocently.
"Nhi Princess... Abhi tak subah nhi hui..."
"Main sach keh rha hoon..."
"Bas thoda sa aur intezaar karna hain aapko..."
"Abhi tak aap soye hue the naa... Ab firse so jaao... Aur dekhna jab agli baar aap sokar uthoge tab tak subah ho gayi hogi..."
"Tab main aapko pakka aapki Mumma ke paas lekar jaaunga... Promise..."
Mimi extended her little finger towards him and said, "Pinky plomish Laddoo ?..."
"Pinky promise Princess..." he said, intertwining his little finger with hers.
Mimi had no choice but to wait some more time, as her Laddoo had stated.
"Chalo Princess..."
"Yeh lo... Yeh aapka teddy bear..." he reached for the soft toy on the bedside table, which Betty had given to Mimi.
"Aap aankhein band kar lo... Aur teddy ke saath so jaao..."
"Main yahi hoon aapke paas..." he said lovingly.
Mimi rested her body against her Laddoo's and closed her eyes to drift back to sleep quickly, because her Laddoo had promised that the next time she woke up, she would surely get to see her Mumma.
Shaurya enveloped his arms around his Princess. He didn't take her off his lap; instead, he decided to let her sleep there, because he was afraid she would wake up and leave the room alone again.
To ensure that nothing like this happened again, he stayed in the same position, leaning against the pillow and letting his Princess's sleeping figure rest in his lap.
He was terrified when he found her missing upon opening his eyes. He himself didn't know when he had fallen asleep.
But this time, he won't take any risks, and he let his Princess sleep in his embrace.
He locked his gaze on his sleeping angel, protectively wrapping his arms around her.
He promised himself that as long as he was near her, he would always keep her safe.
She appeared extra serene while sleeping, which filled his heart with tranquillity once again.
He raised his hand to tenderly caress her head.
Shaurya's mind wandered back to the thoughts of the two people who were currently in the HOSPITAL.
On one side, his Princess's mother was there, and on the other side, HIS own mother was there.
His eyes turned wet again upon realizing that today was a day full of unforeseen events that he had never expected to happen in his life.
Everything was too much for him to endure - from his ruthless encounter with Miss Aastha Kashyap to losing his strength when Miss Bhalla went missing, to dealing with his Princess all throughout.
His thoughts returned to the moment he found Anokhi unconscious.
Dread had filled his heart upon seeing her in that state, and he had been too broken all the way from the riots site to the hospital when she wasn't opening her eyes.
He couldn't understand why he had felt the fear that he was "losing" something when he couldn't find her.
He couldn't figure out what had caused those "intense" emotions when he discovered her in that unconscious state.
He had no idea why her blood-splattered face "hurt" him.
He didn't know why he was shedding tears when he saw her lifeless body lying over there.
He couldn't fathom what those feelings were for her, when she wasn't opening her eyes despite his continuous requests.
He couldn't get any answers to his questions, so he just assumed that since she was his student, and that he was there with her to protect her as well; this might be the reason that he had grown too cautious of her safety, which brought tears to his eyes because he had failed to fulfil his duty of the same.
He shrugged off all of the unfathomable emotions that were running amok on his mind.
His thoughts intuitively wandered to the thought of what the current situation in the hospital might be.
His Dad was the only one there to look after them, but had they gained consciousness yet ?... He wondered aloud and hoped it would happen soon.
Everything that happened today made him realize that he was an overly hot-headed individual.
Just because of him, the whole fiasco happened.
Just because of him, his Princess had to stay away from Mumma.
Just because of him, SHE got hurt and her foot was fractured.
He remembered how, in a similar way, he had hurt Anokhi when he had called her "characterless" and that her future, as well as the future of his Princess, was going to be at STAKE as a result of his impulsive behavior.
This time too, Anokhi and his mother's lives were going to be at STAKE just because of his impulsive behavior.
Shaurya realized that every time, it was HE who was the cause of the destruction. It was HE, due to whom others' lives were going to be at stake.
He realized that his words and actions could spiral out of control at any time, RUINING everything good.
He made up his mind, that from now on, he would never put himself in a situation again where he knew he would end up acting rashly.
Today's disaster occurred solely because he confronted his mother; otherwise, everything would have been peacefully fine right now, in its proper place.
He realized that if he ran into HER again, it would almost certainly result in another disaster, which he didn't want.
He firmly resolved that from today, he would never face HER again, ensuring that the peace would be maintained and that no mishaps like the one that recently occurred would happen again.
No matter how strongly his heart opposed his decision, he knew himself well enough to be aware of his own destructive behavior, and thus he was determined never to go in front of HER again, to avoid engaging in any sort of conflict.
The further he stays away from her, the better peace will be maintained, he felt.
His heart was bursting at the seams with emotions, because the decision he was making right now was vehemently opposed by his heart.
His heart was actually yearning for MISS AASTHA KASHYAP, his "MOTHER".
Only he knew how he felt when he learned from Ahir that SHE had been found, but in an unconscious, injured state. He was already in a state of panic at that time because he couldn't find Anokhi, and on top of that, he had received such devastating news about HER.
Since the evening following the riots, he had come across numerous instances that unintentionally reminded him of HER.
After so many years, he found himself longing for HER again.
Though the longing was always there, it was deep inside and "hidden" in his heart all these years, but whatever happened today brought that hidden longing to the surface.
He couldn't figure out why he had this sudden longing after such a long time, when he had already given up on getting what he wished for.
He couldn't find out why he wanted to be near HER right now, even if only for a second.
Right now, a warm hand of HERS on his head as a "caress" was all what he wanted. It would have been enough for him, he felt.
But all thanks to his BAD LUCK, because of which he could NEVER ever get whatever he wished for.
At last, he pushed all those UNFATHOMABLE thoughts about Anokhi and Miss Kashyap out of his mind because he couldn't fathom them in any way.
He turned his eyes to his Princess only to see his sleeping angel resting her cheek against his rib cage, her hands around his waist, and her tiny body leaning against him.
He encircled his arms securely over her body, pulling the duvet over to his waist and covering her back with it.
He closed his eyes and leaned back on the headboard, his Princess safely in his hold.
Now, he and his Princess only needed a few more hours to pass before they could finally see who they had been looking forward to seeing for so long.
Shaurya with his Princess and Mimi with her Laddoo slept next to one other, waiting for the sun to rise...
How was it ?
Do tell me in comments 😊