Sorry for being late.
Rubbing his eyes, Arunaditya let out a yawn. Looking beside him, he felt tranquil to find his wife sleeping peacefully beside him. A smile crept upon his face as he stared at his wife's calm, creaseless face.
"Subha subha ghoorna buri baat hai." He heard her sweet honey dripped voice though her eyes were closed. Snuggling closer to his home, his love, he pressed a kiss on her forehead.
(It's rude to stare early in the morning.)
"Koi buri baat nahi hai. Humara maal hum jitni der ghoore.. aapko kya?"
(It's not rude to stare at my own possession.)
Sanskriti's nose scrunched up at the choice of his words.
"And for once I thought, aap romantically bolenge 'Ghoor nahi raha nihaar raha hoon'." She fake sighed at her husband's antics making him raised his eyebrows in amusement.
(I wasn't staring, I was adorning you.)
"Itni filmy kab ban gayi tum?" He asked her with a chuckle leaving his lips.
(Since how long have you become so dramatic?)
"Jab se Vedansh se mili." She shrugged, making Arunaditya smile at his wife.
(Since I met Vedansh.)
"Okay. Good night. I want to sleep in some more time." She covered herself up until her face with the blanket.
Arunaditya carried on with his morning routine. He also had to make sure Vedansh was up and ready for school.
Entering into his son's room, his eyebrows furrowed at his absence in the bed. Knocking at the washroom, he found it vacant too. He panicked and ran towards Ruhani's room.
"Is Vedansh with you?" He asked without missing a beat as soon as a sleepy Ruhani appeared at the door.
"No bhai." Her eyebrows were furrowed too.
Everyone at the palace knew Vedansh never got up without his father. Even if he was up, he would not get out of his room, not until his father comes in to pamper-wake him. He craved love and Arunaditya was the most constant source of love in his life. He knew how to value the constants of his life.
Knocking at his parents, grand parents and Abhiraaj's room, he only met worried faces and negative replies. His heart thudded with anticipation. He couldn't loose his son.
"Where's Ved?" He asked as a cold tone overpowered his calm and kind nature.
"In the west wing." Abhiraaj replied. Sprinting towards the west wing, he found the room allocated to Ved empty. He broke down right at the door.
He lost his son. His heart broke at the thoughts of his son being in captivity of a man full of resentment and vengeance, god knows for what reasons.
"Bhai! Vedansh is here!" He heard his sister's voice. Wiping his tears off, he sprinted off to the direction of her voice.
"On the terrace." She said as soon as the worried and distressed figure of her brother appeared in front of her face.
Arunaditya skipped steps as he got to the top pf the palace. His heart broke when he saw his son cuddles up with his father. His biological father.
His son looked warm and contented in his father's arms, making him tear up and suck in a sob. He couldn't explain the feelings he was feeling at that moment. Looking at his former bestfriend's face, he witnessed him looking at his son with a small smile as he caressed his soft brown locks. Arunaditya's heart broke when he softly pressed a kiss on his son's head and softly whispered, "My son."
He knew what awaited him. This was the moment he dreaded the most. He would now have to put up a fight for his son only for being uncertain about the future. The decision was now his son's to take. He would decide his own fate. Vedansh might even despise hin for not telling him the truth. The Rathores would come to know about his private affair all these years and all his life he'll be witnessing a look of pity in their eyes.
His son would leave him. Vedansh would leave him. The thought was eating his guts out. He stood there, frozen, clenching and unclenching his fists.
He saw his son move as his entire body was laying on his father's. Scrunching up his nose, he looked around. He looked up and scowled at the familiar yet new voice.
"Good morning." Ved greeted him.
"Morning." He replied grumpily making Ved's eyebrows furrow in confusion.
"Are you okay?" He asked Vedansh. He had never dealt with kids earlier. He knew nothing about them. He was afraid of doing something that might upset his son. He was knew to this overwhelming feeling of new relationship between him and his son. He didn't want to make mistakes and lose his son.
"No. I need Papa." He sat grumpily, searching for his slippers. Ved gulped at his son addressing his bestfriend as his father and searching for him as the first thing he woke up.
As Vedansh moved towards the entrance of the roof his eyes glimmered with satisfaction. No matter what, he needed his father first thing in the morning.
"Papa!" He screamed and jumped upon the man who was his core strength, the main reason of his sane existence over the decade, the man he wouldn't trade for the world. He didn't realise what his little action swirled between the two young men.
One of them was hugging hin with a proud smile stretching on his lips as his son did the best he could do to reduce his insecurities, unknowingly. On the other hand, Ved felt a frantic mixture of emotions- guilt for not accepting his son earlier, insecurities of yet another important factor of his life choosing his former best friend over him, melancholy at his son calling another man his father with all his will and love. He was an emotional wreck. Ved stormed out of the terracial area, living the hugging duo in each other's embrace.
Arunaditya was glad at his dispercel. Picking up his son in his arms, he pecked his head gently.
"Why weren't you in your room, sweetheart?" He asked him softly while he carried both of them downstairs.
"I saw this uncle going to terrace at night. I thought if he was planning to see fireworks, I would accompany him. But then he was drinking alcohol there." He whispered the last part into his father's ears, as if sharing a secret. Arunaditya clenched his jaw at the mention of intoxicated people around his son. God knows what mishaps could have happened..
"He was really sad. He asked if her could hug me. I remember feeling good with your and mumma's hugs. So, I thought why not to make him feel good too. But then I fell asleep." He rambled.
Vedansh was just helping an unknown guy out of his miseries. Arunaditya was happy his son was adhering to his teachings however he wasn't happy with his proximation to Ved. However, he wasn't pety enough to tell him to keep his distance from the guest due to his own insecurities. That would be really hypocritic of himself. So, he let the issue slide out.
"It's okay. Next time, make sure you come down to either your own room or mumma and Papa's room when you're sleepy. You shouldn't spend too much time with strangers, okay?"
Today it might be Ved but Arunaditya couldn't let his child trust strangers so easily only to be taken advantage of.
He let out a sigh of contentment as he cuddled his wife and son together in his room.
"Mera bas chalta to puri duniya se tum dono ko chhupa leta." He murmured pecking his little family's heads, who know slept peacefully in his embrace, not giving a fuck about this world.
(If I could, I would have locked you both away from the world)
~•~•~•~
The way the personas changed for the addressee to 'his father' in this chapter was my favourite part to write. What 'bout yours?
Do lemme know.