Aryan got up from his bed and walked towards Arnav's room. It was almost one in the night and he was unable to sleep for some reasons. His head was hurting and all he wanted was his Bhaiya.
He was about to enter Arnav's room when someone caught his hands and dragged him back.
"Kya hua, Bhaiyu?" Aryan looked at Aniket.
"Bhaiya Bhabhi so rhe honge, Aru. Kuch chahiye tujhe?" Aniket asked. He had come out to fill water when he saw Aryan going towards Arnav and Ashi's room.
"Sar dard ho rha hai, Bhaiyu. Neend nhi aa rhi." Aryan siad wearily.
Aniket sighed and guided him back to his room. "Chal yahan se. Mai massage kar deta hoon."
They had just reached the room when they saw Ayaansh coming out in hurry.
"Ab tujhe kya hua?" Aniket asked.
"Aru room me..." Ayaansh stopped when he saw Aryan and sighed. He had gone to washroom and didn't find Aryan in bed after coming back. "Isse hi dekhne ja rha tha, Bhaiyu."
Aniket nodded, guiding them inside and settled down with them. Aryan cuddled to him as Aniket massaged his scalp with his fingers.
"Tujhe bhi neend nhi aa rhi?" He asked looking at Ayaansh.
Ayaansh looked away. He was feeling restless. Since the moment he had seen that hooded person, he was unable to shrug away the image from his mind. He felt he had seen the person before.
"Kya ho gya, bachcha?"
Ayaansh shook his head.
"Bhaiyu," Aryan nudged Aniket. "Mujhe Bhaiya ke paas jana hai."
Ayaansh gulped the lump in his throat. He wanted Arnav as well. He wished he could demand it the same way Aryan did. Somehow Ayaansh found it really endearing the way Aryan was rightfully asking for Arnav. Like a child asked for his parent! And truly that's what Arnav was to Aryan. His father in every sense! Everytime he looked at them together he was reminded of the relationship he shared with his parents and it ended up leaving him filled with sadness and longing.
He shrugged away his thoughts and turned to Aryan. "Bhaiya so rhe honge na, Aru. Subah mil le unse. Abhi so ja."
"Haan, bachcha, Bhaiya ko rest karne de. Tu aankhein band kar, aa jayegi neend." Aniket coaxed him.
Aryan was reluctant but gave in and closed his eyes. Even after good twenty minutes of darkness, sleep was far away from his eyes. Suddenly, he opened his eyes when he felt a warm touch on his forehead.
"Tu soya nhi, bachcha?" Arnav asked in surprise. He had been restless too so he came back to check on the boys.
Aryan shook his head and hugged Arnav's midriff. "Neend nhi aa rhi, Bhaiya!"
"Tum dono bhi nhi soye?" Arnav asked looking at the other two.
Both of them shook their heads. Arnav sighed. None of them could sleep when Aryan couldn't. That's been the tradition of their home. Ayaansh was no different.
Aniket got up to let Arnav take his place. He knew the boys wanted him around and Arnav wouldn't go back until they sleep. He quietly walked out of the room.
Arnav sat beside Aryan who was progressively cuddling up to him. "Aankhein band kar, bachcha. Aa jayegi neend."
Aryan closed his eyes. Now that Arnav was there he could convince himself to sleep. Arnav ran his fingers through his hairs and that was all for Aryan to fall asleep within minutes.
Ayaansh stared at them with a soft smile on his lips. They were perfect definition of father and son!
"Tujhe bhi neend nhi aa rhi?" Arnav asked, breaking his trail of thoughts.
Ayaansh shook his head.
Arnav walked to his side and sat with him. He had actually come to check on Ayaansh. He had observed him being fidgety during the day. He wanted to make sure there was nothing troubling him. He had let that happen once, never again!
Ayaansh shifted to his head to his lap and looked at his brother. He could see Arnav was worried about something. "Aru thik hai, Bhaiya."
Arnav smiled a bit. "Tu theek hai?"
Ayaansh thought for a moment if he should tell Arnav but then decided against it. It was not even something to give a second thought to. His brother would be worried needlessly.
"Sab thik hai na, Ayu? School me phir se..."
"Sab theek hai, Bhaiya. Everything's fine, trust me." Ayaansh assured him. "Aru nhi soya tha isliye mujhe bhi neend nhi aay, bas."
Arnav nodded and tapped his forehead. Ayaansh leaned into him.
"Bhaiya?" Ayaansh spoke after a few minutes. Arnav hummed back. "Bhookh lagi hai."
Arnav smiled. Ayaansh had finally let go of his habit of eating cold food from fridge. Arnav had scolded him enough number of times for him to let go of his apprehensions and ask for food whenever he wanted.
"Bhaiya!" Ayaansh shook him.
"Chal, kuch bana deta hoon!" Arnav said as they got up and made their way towards the kitchen.
"Noodles banaoge aap mere liye?" Ayaansh asked him with a smile.
Arnav's heart melted at his smile. He wished Ayaansh would have demanded for it rightfully instead of asking. But he could make do with the progress for now.
"Tu baith, I'll get it in fifteen minutes." Arnav entered the kitchen and started taking out the noodles.
Ayaansh followed him in and sat on the kitchen counter. "Mai help kar doon?"
"Tujhe khud hi banana tha toh mujhe kyun puchha?"
"Aapke haathon se bana jyada achcha lagta hai."
"Yeh buttering karne ki jarurat nhi hai."
"Buttering nhi kar rha mai." Ayaansh said in offended tone.
Arnav smiled. Ayaansh behaving his age felt like an achievement to him. Ayaansh saw him smiling and glared at him. "Joke maara maine?"
Arnav laughed making Ayaansh sulk. He couldn't stop himself from reaching out and ruffling Ayaansh's hairs when Ayaansh turned away his face like a toddler.
"Achcha thik hai, nhi bol rha mai kuch."
Ayaansh looked at him incredulously.
"Kya?"
"Buttering nhi kar rha tha mai."
"Achcha?"
"Mai toh sach keh rha tha." Ayaansh shrugged and spoke casually as he took the jug from Arnav's hands to fill the water. "I love it when you cook for me, Bhaiya."
Arnav looked up. Ayaansh had said it was like the most obvious thing in the world but the simple sentence warmed up Arnav's heart. Aryan always said the same to him but coming from Ayaansh, it hit a different chord inside him.
"Bhaiya!!"
"Kahan khoye hue ho aap?" Ayaansh snapped his fingers.
Arnav shook his head with a slight smile. "Kahin nhi. Bol, kya hua?"
"Bhabhi ke khayalo me khoye ho aap?" Ayaansh asked with a teasing smirk. "Aaj bohot pyaari lag rhi thi na Bhabhi?"
Arnav raised his eyebrows. Since when did the boy start taking those liberties with him?
"Vaise toh Bhabhi har roz hi pyaari lagti hai par sayad aaj aapne jyada achche se dekha.... Ahh, Bhaiya.." Ayaansh yelled as Arnav caught his ears and gave it a good twist.
"Come again, Ayaansh?"
"Ahh, Bhaiya, chhodo na..." Ayaansh said cutely.
"Aryan aur Aniket ka asar ho gya hai tujh par!" Arnav said as he left his ears and got back to cooking.
Ayaansh laughed and hugged him from behind. He had been very upset with the thought of his parents. Arnav's presence dispelled all the sadness and filled him with cheer. When Arnav turned around in his embrace, he pressed himself to Arnav's chest. He wanted to listen to his Bhaiya's heartbeat. It was a soothing caress to his soul!
Arnav let him stay for as long as he wanted. He could feel Ayaansh was upset. He could always feel his brother's emotions. Ayaansh pulled back after some time and smiled at him. Arnav relaxed.
"Aur kitni der, Bhaiya?" Ayaansh asked as he randomly started playing with the spoons kept nearby.
"Bas kuch der. Itni bhookh lagi thi tujhe?"
Ayaansh nodded. His eyes fell on something and he looked up with a frown. "Yeh saare toh new packets hai na, Bhaiya? Dustbin me kyun..."
"They have hazelnuts." Arnav said. Sharda had bought those desserts for them. Arnav checked the ingredient list out of habit and threw those packets right away. He didn't want to hurt Sharda's feelings but he couldn't risk his brothers' health either.
Ayaansh fell silent.
"Kya hua, bachcha?" Arnav asked gently. The sadness in Ayaansh's eyes got to him.
When Ayaansh looked at him, his eyes were filled with a varied range of emotions. Guilt, remorse, gratitude and love, all together at once!
"Bohot pareshan kar diya tha na maine aapko? Uss din .."
"Bakwas mat kar, Ayaansh." Arnav cut him off firmly. "Tum logo me se koi bhi kabhi mujhe pareshan nhi kar sakta."
"Par meri galti thi na, Bhaiya." Ayaansh looked down.
Arnav made him look up gently. "Aniket ko bhi hazelnuts se allergy hai. Uski galti hai usme?"
Ayaansh shook his head.
"Toh teri galti kaise ho gyi?"
"Aapne puchha tha mujhse..."
Arnav sighed. Under normal situations, he would have given Ayaansh the scolding of his life for pulling out that stunt but he understood Ayaansh's state of mind back then.
"Tu mujhe nhi jaanta tha, Ayu. Mujhse baat karna ya mere kareeb aana mushkil tha tere liye, samajhta hoon mai. Mai anjaan tha and you didn't feel like telling about yourself to..."
"Aisi baat nhi hai, Bhaiya.." His eyes clouded up as he held Arnav's hands. "Maine nhi bataya kyunki mai keh nhi paya. Mujhe..."
"Maa..."
Ayaansh came looking for Smriti and found her in the hall sitting with his father. He hesitated. His parents were working and he wasn't supposed to disturb them. He looked at the food once and then kept it back in the fridge before leaving.
He had just returned from the school. The maids informed him that his parents had had lunch outside so they hadn't prepared anything at home. He went to the fridge to see if he could get something and saw the pancakes. They must have prepared it for the breakfast after he had left for school.
He would have gladly eaten it but he knew those had hazelnuts. They had recently had a medical checkup at school and his teacher had informed him that he was allergic to those nuts. Ayaansh didn't quite understand but his teacher told him that he must not eat hazelnuts. He wanted to ask his parents about the same but they were working so he decided to wait.
After a few hours, when he saw his parents shutting their laptop, he rushed down to them. It was evening and he was starved. He approached them hesitantly. They looked up at him.
"Mumma, bhookh lagi hai."
"Kitchen me ya fridge me hoga kuch. Jake kha le." Smriti replied nonchalantly.
"Woh, maa.." Ayaansh fidgeted his fingers.
"Say it quick, Ayaansh. Pura din yahin khada rehna hai?"
"Pancakes hai fridge me par usme hazelnuts hai."
"So?"
"Meri teacher ne kaha hai I'm allergic to hazelnuts and I shouldn't eat them."
"Teri teacher doctor hai? Pareshan mat kar aur chup chap Jo hai woh kha le." Smriti replied harshly. "Kuch nhi hota yeh sab. Ja aur kha le woh pancakes varna dinner banne ka wait kar."
Ayaansh bobbed his head and scurried out. He was confused but ended up having those pancakes anyway. He was starved and couldn't wait for another two hours for dinner. The next thing he remembered was falling asleep in his room.
When Ayaansh opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the bed. He looked around to realise that it was a hospital. He held the bars of the bed and sat up. His throat was burning. He wanted water. He saw the jug of water beside the bed and stretched out his hands to get it. The jug was a little far from his reach. He tried to get hold of it but the jug fell down making a screeching sound.
His parents and the doctor rushed in hearing the sound.
"It's okay." The doctor said when he saw Ayaansh's fear stricken face.
Ayaansh sighed in relief and looked at his parents. "Why am I in hospital, baba?"
"You should know that." Came the harsh reply.
Ayaansh flinched. The anger in his father's voice scared him.
"Hospital hai, Ashok. Ghar chal ke baat karte hai." Smriti said with a straight face and Ashok nodded.
When they came back home, Ashok grabbed Ayaansh harshly and slapped him right across his face.
Tears slipped down from Ayaansh's eyes.
Ashok slapped him again.
"Tumhe pata tha allergy hai tumhe hazelnuts se? Kyun khaye tumne woh pancakes?" Smriti asked, not even trying to hide her anger.
"Maa, aapne hi toh kaha tha..."
"Zubaan ladane ki bhi himmat aa gyi hai tujh me ab?" Smriti yelled at him.
Ayaansh flinched. He was feeling drained out of energy. He didn't want to be shouted at or get punished.
"Pata hai kitna bill aaya hai hospital ka? Kon bharega, haan?" Ashok said in frustration. He was done with the boy and his expenses.
"Baba, maine puchha tha mumma se..." Ayaansh said in a low scared voice but Smriti cut him off with a slap.
"Toh ab tu yeh keh rha hai ki meri galti hai? Ruk ja achche se batati hoon mai.." Smriti dragged him to a room and pushed him in.
"Do din tak yahin raho bina khaye piye. Two days of hunger should straighten you out." She said and locked the door from outside. She was furious. How dare the boy turn it on her?
"Mumma..." Ayaansh shouted but didn't get any response. His mother had walked out already. He sat down and cried helplessly. He had no energy to shout and face another consequences for it. He just cried over his fate and his life!
Arnav held Ayaansh to his chest as the boy shed silent tears in his embrace. Talking about his past always reduced him to tears. That was one thing Arnav couldn't protect him from. No matter what, he couldn't change what his boy had already been through. He closed his eyes against the tears that welled up in his eyes.
Out of everyone, Arnav knew exactly how it felt to be walked out on. How it felt to be starved! How it felt to be punished without any mistake! He knew the amount of damage it did physically and emotionally. It often left you craving, while throttling your will to live. His grip subconsciously tightened around Ayaansh.
Ayaansh wiped his tears against Arnav's shirt and drew a breath. It was catastrophically beautiful how he had been so scared of the darkness once and today he was drawing strength from the same. Arnav was not only sharing his pain but absorbing his darkness in himself, letting Ayaansh see the light behind those.
When Ayaansh mustered up the courage to pull back and look at his brother, he was shocked to see the tears swimming in his eyes. He gasped. "Bhaiya..."
Arnav quickly blinked off his tears and cupped Ayaansh's face. "Tu theek hai, bachcha?" His voice was laced with concern.
Ayaansh hugged him tightly. The tears unnerved him. He never realised his pain hurt his brother to that extent. He never thought someone would even acknowledge his pain, let alone get affected by it. And here his brother was hurting more than him merely by listening to it.
Arnav closed his eyes and brought Ayaansh closer to himself. His mother had done that to his brother. Arnav somehow understand his mother's hate for him but he couldn't understand why his mother hated Ayaansh. Ayaansh wasn't like him. Why would she do that to her own child?
Ashi, who had come out hearing their voice, rushed back to her room and cried her heart out. She had heard Ayaansh's every word. It broke her that Ayaansh had spent his childhood with so much of sufferings and anguish. She didn't understand how could a mother do that to her own child! To a part of herself! She didn't know for how long she sat there with tears in her eyes. When she heard the footsteps, she wiped her tears and pulled herself together. If it was hurting her so much, it must have shattered Arnav beyond words. Her husband needed her more!
"You were amazing, Ayu!!" Swara hugged Ayaansh happily as soon as he came out of the auditions.
Ayaansh smiled. He had been very nervous there. He looked around for Rihaan. "Rihu Kahan hai?"
"Yaha hoon, bro!" Rihaan joined them.
"Bhaiya ne kaha tha Ritvik sir auditions lenge? Kyun nhi aaye woh?" Ayaansh asked.
Rihaan's smile dimmed. "Security reasons hai, Ayu. Bhaiya sayad fest par bhi na aaye."
"Kya?" Ayaansh asked in displeasure. Ritvik's performance was the highlight of the fest every year. He was thrilled that he would get to listen to him live this year.
Rihaan nodded. "Tune bhi toh notice Kiya hoga? Bhai ne security badha di hogi na tum logo ki bhi?"
Ayaansh thought back. Now that Rihaan mentioned it, he did remember noticing more number of cars following them and many more people hovering around their house than usual.
"Kuch hua hai kya? Kya security reasons?" Ayaansh asked. He was clueless about it.
Rihaan shrugged. He himself didn't know what exactly it was except that there was some threat. He didn't know why his brother was getting paranoid about it as both Ritvik and Arnav were used to getting threats. Those were as shallow as the people who sent them. No one dared to even touch Ritvik Birla or Arnav Singhania!
"Toh kya fest me Bhai perform nhi karenge?" Swara asked.
Rihaan shook his head. Even he was disappointed that his brother wouldn't be performing. He rarely gave public performances and when he did, those were to die for.
"Tera bata? Kya hua andar?" Rihaan asked turning to Ayaansh. He could still see his best friend performing.
Ayaansh shrugged. "Abhi nhi bataya kuch. Kaha kal final names denge."
"Tune kya socha hai? What will you perform?" Swara asked. She was the most excited.
"Mujhe nhi lagta I'll even get selected. Performance plan karna toh bohot door ki baat hai yaar."
Swara rolled her eyes. Her friends were a bunch of idiots. "Toh kya stage par Jake plan karoge? Ya phir stage par Jake kahoge abhi mujhe nhi lagta I should perform so you guys wait for another year to hear me and till then I'll decide what to perform."
Rihaan laughed out. She gave back perfectly. His best friend needed that. Ayaansh glared at Swara and whacked Rihaan. "Badi hasi aa rhi hai tujhe?"
"Tu beta aise hi sidha hoga. Pyaar se boli hui baat samajh kahan aati hai tujhe?" Rihaan whacked him back.
Ayaansh rolled his eyes. "Pyaar se bolna aata bhi ha tujhe?"
"Naah, woh department Bhaiya ka hai. Mai aisa hi thik hoon." Rihaan said.
Ayaansh smiled. He could agree with that.
"Iss baar ka theme kya hai performances ke liye?" Swara asked.
"It's a surprise this time. They haven't revealed the theme or rules yet." Rihaan said.
They were talking when a teacher came to them. All of them stopped talking and looked at him.
"Ayaansh Singhania?"
Ayaansh nodded.
"You're selected. Start practicing for your performance."
"What? I got selected?" Ayaansh asked, his voice clearly expressing his surprise.
The person smiled and nodded. "We'll let you know the rules and other details tomorrow. Come to the auditorium."
"But they told me they will give the final names tomorrow." Ayaansh asked, unsure.
"Yeah we decided that as we are not the ones choosing students. Ritvik Sir is doing that. He isn't present here but we sent him all the recordings we did. He was supposed to get back to us tomorrow but apparently the first recording he saw was yours and he specifically sent your name to us."
Ayaansh was shocked. Ritvik himself recommended his name?
"You're one lucky guy. And very talented for sure. Ritvik Sir hardly suggests name specifically. We'll be waiting for you." The person patted Ayaansh's back and left.
Rihaan and Ayaansh looked at each other. Even Rihaan was surprised at the information. He shrugged away his thoughts when Swara hugged Ayaansh beaming in happiness. He joined in and congratulated Ayaansh.
Ayaansh still couldn't believe his ears. His idol had specifically suggested his name. He couldn't ask for anything else. His face broke into a wide smile! It was indeed the best day for him!
____________________________________
A/n
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I'm traveling since yesterday and wasn't gonna update for next three days but when I opened Wattpad, the last chapter's comment section had me squealing like a child. The chapter got over hundred comments! That's the highest any chapter of this book has till now! Thank you so much for making my day!
Hope you guys liked the chapter!
Love,
Muskan