Next day:-
Aranya came down for breakfast. Her parents were already seated on the dining table.
" Good morning mom and dad" she wished and hugged them.
" Good morning, sweetheart. We were waiting for you only. It was really nice coming here and seeing you but as you know, we can't stay here for so long. So, we are going back to home today. Our flight is in afternoon. I can't wait to see you back in home after few months. Till then, please take care of yourself and don't worry about anything ok?" Ayesha said to Aranya.
" But mom, how you guys can go just like that. It's not even a week" Aranya protested.
" I know darling but we don't have a choice. Few days back only we returned from our annual break so now we can't afford anymore breaks. Our patients are waiting for us. We can't keep them waiting so we have to go. Please don't mind it and take care of yourself. Soon, you will be at home without any trouble, ok? Till then please take care of yourself and we will talk daily." Ravindra replied.
Before Aranya could reply anything, Sidharth entered in the house. He was busy on his phone and didn't realise that people were sitting on dining table. He was directly going towards his room but Ayesha called out him name. He got taken aback by hearing his name all of sudden. He had not expected anyone to present there but now having no options left, he went towards them. He was feeling little nervous seeing their gazes fixed on him.
" Good morning Mr and Mrs Gujral. You guys are doing breakfast this much early?" He asked formally and tried to act normal.
" Good morning Sidharth. It's 8 am now and I don't think it's early. Forget this, if you don't mind, may I ask you where were you last night? You arranged such a nice dinner for us and went missing? I would have loved it more if you too would have joined us and why you didn't come home last night? I even tried your number but it was switched off and why are you looking like you have not slept well? Is everything ok?" Ayesha bombarded with her questions.
All members present there were looking at each other with shocked expressions including staff. Ravindra wanted to scold his wife for intruding into his personal life too much. Aranya wanted to hide herself thinking of Sidharth's reaction of such interrogation as she had seen no one used to ask him anything. The most bizzare expressions were on Sidharth's face. He didn't know how he should feel about it. For last few years only bade hukum and Samaira used to ask him about his well-being and he had not expected that anyone apart from both of them will ever bother about him or his well being. He wanted to feel good but knowing that it was just temporary and a formality, he didn't want to give himself any hope. So he made up his mind and became serious.
" That dinner I had arranged for only your family ma'am and I had some important work which I couldn't afford to miss just for a dinner that too where I was not supposed to be present. I am perfectly fine, please don't worry about me. I have to go for another important meeting so please excuse me. Have a nice day." Sidharth said to Ayesha with no nonsense tone without looking at her and went away from there.
Ravindra and Aranya both felt his behaviour rude. Although, Aranya knew this but still she was feeling irritated the way he talked with her mother.
" Ayesha, what was the need to interrogate him? Now happy? How many times I have to tell you to not get carried away easily in anyone's matter but you never listen to me." Ravindra scolded his wife.
" Can you recall Ravi, how you behave when you are not happy about something or something is troubling you and you want to avoid that discussion? and still I can figure out everytime that there is something fishy." Ayesha asked from her husband.
" How does it matter here?" Ravindra asked from his wife.
" Because all men are same, as simple as that. Anyways, let's finish breakfast as I have to do packing also." Ayesha replied and started eating.
Ayesha's reply made Aranya alert. She didn't want to think about it but can't help it. She could also notice what her mother noticed but she didn't want to acknowledge it. Now, since her mother openly said it, her mind was not ready to let it go.
" What is wrong with me? Why I am thinking about him? Even if there is some problem,I am sure he can deal it on his own." She thought to herself.
After few hours:-
Aranya went to airport to see off her parents.
" Mom and dad, I will miss both of you"
Aranya said in crying voice.
" We will miss you too my child. Soon, we will be together ok? Take care and don't think too much ok?" Ravindra said to her.
" Ravi, can you please give us some privacy for few minutes, please? I need to talk to her about something important.
Ayesha requested to her husband.
Ravindra looked at her in confusion but didn't ask anything and went away with his phone.
" What happened mom?" Aranya asked being worried.
" Aranya, I know maybe you won't like it but can you please try to be cordial with Sidharth. He is not your enemy and he is too stuck in this situation like you. If you will be cordial with him then there won't be any awkwardness and will be easy for you to spend these few months. Please try to understand what I am trying to say.
Seeing you at ease and being comfortable will make things easy for him too.He is not a bad guy, Aranya. Please trust atleast your mother's instincts.Try to think this, ok?" Ayesha requested to her.
Aranya just nodded her head unconvincingly.
At office:-
"Your parents already went away? You didn't even invite us to meet them?" Aranya's team member complained to her in the office.
" They are doctors so they don't have too much time but better luck next time."
Aranya told them.
Sidharth had just arrived at that time for some work and heard their conversation. He was shocked to know that her parents already left without telling him.
. " Miss Gujral, I have to discuss something important with you. Can you please come in my cabin?" Sidharth said to Aranya and went away.
Aranya and her friends were just looking at each other with shocked expressions because they were not expecting him to present there like that.
" Aranya, good luck to you" her friend said to her.
Aranya just nodded her head and went to his office. She knocked on the door.
" please come,in" He replied.
" What happened? Why you called me like this?" She asked with confusion.
" Why you didn't tell me that your parents left? Trust me, I had no idea about it and I didn't tell them to leave. I am sorry if your mother felt offended the way I talked with her in the morning. I had no such intentions." Sidharth gave clarifications from his side.
Aranya didn't say anything and was just observing him. She recalled what her mother had told her.
" My parents had decided to leave even before you came and yes, mom felt hurt the way you talked with her. Why you talked with her like that? She just asked about your well being and you could have replied normally without being rude to her." Aranya lied to him to see his reaction.
" Actually, it was so sudden and I am not used to such kind of interrogation. Earlier only Bade Hukum and Samaira used to talk with me like that and now one of them is no more and other one is also far away. Apart from these two no one will give a damn even if I will die. So, I was not expecting your mom to ask so many questions in one go and I was not prepared for that. I am extremely sorry for that and I will personally call her and will say sorry." Sidharth told her and was about to dial Ayesha's number.
" What are you doing? Mom is in flight
and you don't need to do all this formalities now. I will talk to her on your behalf, you don't need to." Aranya said in hurry because she can't let him talk with her mother or else he will know that she lied to him.
" Oh but please trust me I didn't mean to be rude with her. I can never even think of insulting a mother. I didn't say a single word to my step mother till now despite her doing.." he was about to say but immediately stopped himself realising Aranya was there.
Sidharth started looking here and there to somehow change the topic of conversation. Aranya was noticing everything with full attention.
" Miss Gujral, you can go now. I am already late for an important meeting. See you later." He said in hurry and dashed out of his own cabin leaving a puzzled and curious Aranya behind.
Aranya went to her workplace but her mind couldn't take rest. She kept thinking about her mother's words, Sidharth's reactions whole time. She felt bad when he was going to blurt about his step mother but stopped himself. Now she was wondering about what his step mother did with him because at that time the pain she had seen on his face and his eyes, she could not ignore that.
With all these thoughts, she didn't realise when time passed and it was time to go back home.
Sidharth came home quite late. He was going to his room directly as usual but again a voice stopped him. Now he was really shocked. He turned around to see Aranya standing there. Before he could ask anything, she started speaking..
" Mom told me to convey to you that it's not good to come late home everyday. You should come home on time and have dinner on time too. One more thing, she told me to behave nicely with you so for her sake I will be nice to you till I am here. We can become friends only if you will not break your promise. Do you agree with it?" Aranya asked him.
Sidharth was very tired and sleepy. In that condition, listening to her felt like some alien language to him. He was too confused to react or say anything so just nodded his head and went away.
" Now, I got the clue to solve the greatest puzzle named Sidharth Singh Rajawat. I promise, before going from here, I will find my all answers which are making me confused and curious so that I can leave peacefully in future."
Aranya thought to herself and went to sleep satisfied with her plan.
Next day:-
Sidharth came down to have breakfast. He sat down and the lady who was incharge of kitchen, started serving him breakfast. He was about to start eating but at that very moment, Aranya came and stood in front of him with a bright beautiful smile.
" Good morning. You have started eating without me?" Aranya complained to him.
Sidharth thought he had seen some ghost. He closed his eyes and then open again to get clarity but found her standing there with same smile. He got confused and didn't know how to react.
" Why are you looking me like this? Since we are friends now, so you have to follow some rules. You can't have breakfast and dinner without me, it's bad manner. You have to wait for me but you can't make me wait, understood?"Aranya said in one go with so much ease.
Now Sidharth was sure that he was still sleeping and seeing some weird dream as this can never be real. So he shook his head and started eating. Suddenly, he felt someone snatched spoon from his hand and threw it on the table angrily. Now he was shocked beyond words.
" What is wrong with you? Here, I am talking with you and you are ignoring me as if I don't exist? I am talking with you not some ghost, got it? Since, we are friends now, so you have to behave nicely with me till I am here, understood?" She said angrily this time.
" You are real? I mean, you are talking all this in real? and since when we became friends?" He asked with so much confusion.
" Since last night and from now onwards, you better behave nicely with me or else I will not spare you because I am not scared from you,got it?" Aranya said with so much attitude.
Sidharth felt like he was having deja-vu. Last time also certain someone had declared that they r friends without him asking and today same thing was happening. Last time, it didn't end well and it's aftermath he is still experiencing. What will happen this time, God only knows. With being apprehensive and fear, he just nodded his head as he didn't have any other options.
Note:-
Friendship started again. Let's see where it goes this time.
See you with next chapter. Honestly speaking, I m struggling with writing due to gap. So many readers already left . I am trying to get the flow again and hopefully people will also come again...
Till then, keep reading and supporting...🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️