Akansh entered in. His sleeves were folded till his elbows and the top button of his white shirt was open.
Neetika was too stunned to answer him. But when he started picking up a broom, Neetika stopped him.
"Don't", she yelled and the broom fell off his hands. " I.. I mean, you are wearing a white shirt, it will get dirty. And.. What are you doing here? "
Ignoring her first sentence, Akansh picked up the broom and looked at her. "I found it wrong to leave a young woman all by herself, to clean a dirty place, especially when she is with an infant. So here I am. "
"But.. You don't do cleaning, I'll do it. " Letting her boss clean her place, felt wrong to her.
"You do not know but i'm an expert in cleaning. You just stand in a corner and see how I make this place like a five-star room. " He winked at her and started brooming from the extreme corner of the room.
Neetika looked at him, holding Prince in her arms and then an idea strikes her mind where she can help Akansh and take care of her Prince as well.
She started wiping the floor with the sweeper where Akansh was done with brooming.
"I am doing it Neetika. " His voice stern and firm, but it bought no effect to her.
"Jaldi ho jayega. " She smiled at him and started cleaning along with him.
"Aree Neetika! " Came her landlord's voice and Neetika froze in her place. Akansh looked at Neetika to know who is there on the door and before She could ask him to hide somewhere, the old woman entered.
"Ye Rajendra hai kya? "
The three adults looked at each other in confusion but when the strict eyes of the old woman met the soft ones of Neetika, she nodded her head.
"Yes, he is Rajendra. "
"But... " Akansh tried to speak but Neetika stopped him as she questioned the old lady.
"Aapne kaise pehchana inhe? " She asked, faking a smile.
The old lady looked proud of herself and took a deep breath. "Ye baal aise hi dhup me nahi safed kiye hain...
Kal mausam kharab tha, toh tumhe dekhne aayi thi, par phir tumhe inke saath dekha. Mai samajh gyi ki tumhara pati as gya hoga aaj. " The color drained from Neetika's face.
Was the name of her husband, that she told the landlord, was Rajendra? And if it was, then why did she made Akansh as Rajendra?..
Why did she felt like she created a new problem for herself?
"Phir tum raat bhar gayab bhi thi, subah bhi nahi aayi.. Toh zarur pati ke sath hi hogi na, aise gair mard ke sath thori na koi puri raat rehta hai dono. Ek baat bole beti? " The old woman chided.
Neetika nodded. Because in the back of her mind, she wanted only her landlord to speak, so that she can avoid those specific pair of eyes which were fixed on her.
"Aadmi acha hai tumhara, jo tumhari madad kar rha hai ghar ki saaf safai me. Varna toh ek mera aadmi, din bhar baitha rahega lekin ek glass idhar ka udhar nahi karta. Khair choro, ab toh tumhara pati yahi rahega na? " She spoke again and Neetika shook her head.
"Inka kaam bahar hai na aunty, toh ye chale jaayenge. Voh toh bas abhi hi aaye the. " Neetika replied, nervously and Akansh who was still trying to understand everything, added something from his side too.
"Jii aunty jii. " He smiled brightly at the old woman who smiled back at him nodding her head.
"Khush raho dono. Kal jara uncle se bhi mil lena dono, unhe vishwas ho jaye ki ye shaadi shuda hi hai. "
"Jii aunty jii. "
Neetika looked at Akansh with wide eyes and mentally slapped her forehead.
The old woman left merrily and now, Neetika and Akansh turned to each other.
"Jii aunty jii. " Neetika mocked and Akansh looked at her sharply.
"Rajendra? " He said as if the name was old fashioned. "Out of all the names, Rajendra? Imagine going From Akansh to Rajendra.. "
"What is the problem in Rajendra name? You do not know him at all, if you knew, you would be proud of this name. "
"Arey Rajendra is best, okay? Now tell me what is this all about? " He asked the same question that she was afraid to answer.
She pinched the sleepy Prince on his feet, apologizing to him mentally, and as the baby started crying, Neetika acted to calm him.
"My baby, what happened? Don't cry, don't cry. " She smiled sheepishly before turning her back to Akansh. "Don't cry. "
"Neetika chup ho gaya hai voh. " Neetika, for the first time wandered, why Prince always behaved opposite to what she expects.
When she wants him to not cry, he will cry like the world ended. But now when she really wants him to cry a little, he is not.
She slowly started telling everything from the day she met Prince, how she was living with her baba, how she was given the option to either take care of Prince or live in that house, and how she chose the former.
She told him how she had to made up this fake story where she was married to a fake person named Rajendra Singh Chauhan , just because no one was ready to give her place in rent when she had a baby.
"I completely forgot that Rajendra was my husband and when she asked if you were Rajendra, I was scared, so I said yes. I'm really sorry sir, I really forgot it. "
"Toh itne jhuth bolti ho tum? " He only wanted to tease her, but the messed mind of Neetika told her that he was mocking her.
"Jhuth nahi majburi thi. " She scoffed, and Akansh understood her mood.
"Vaise Rajendra Singh Chauhan naam toh acha hai, lekin ye koi gaav ka mukhiya nahi lag raha? " Akansh gave a caress to her subtle moustache, acting like it was a big one.
"Rajendra Singh Chauhan! "
"It's not funny, Sir. She takes you as my husband, and has called us to her home tomorrow, to which you even said yes."
"So what? " He casually asked and went back to cleaning. "Let me be here for today, tomorrow we will have breakfast in their house acting like husband and wife, and then we will tell her that I am going back to Delhi. That's it. "
"Now don't think much, and help me a little. I can't do everything by myself. " He said, distracting her tensed mind.
"Just now you claimed to turn this room as a five-star hotel room. What happened now? " She mocked, getting back to her work. Akansh secretly ordered some food for them, knowing they will hell tired after cleaning.
Once they were done with the cleaning and the food was delivered, Neetika started unpacking it. "I would have made something, you didn't need to order. "
"Oh com'on. I know you are also tired right now. Working whole day, then cleaning the house is not an easy task. I still slept in the afternoon, but you must not have."
"Baat toh sahi thi aunty ki. Aadmi toh ache hain aap. " She teased, giving him his plate and he smiled shyly.
"Oh my goodness, is that blush I see? "
"No." He stopped smiling and looked down at his plate. Acting like his face had no expression.
"Kal aunty ko bataungi, ki ye ache hi nahi, cute bhi hain. " She teased again, and laughed at his flushed face.
They finished their dinner and now the problem they faced was, where will Akansh sleep.
"If you agree, I can spend my night in my car, given we cannot afford to give your landlord a doubt of benefit. " He suggested but Neetika denied.
"You have helped me so much, and are still helping. You sleep on the bed, I will see for myself. " This time, Akansh Denied.
"Do one thing, you sleep on the bed, I have to check my files in my laptop. I will do that, then you wake up and I will sleep. What say? " Neetika nodded unsurely, and they finally came to a solution.
Neetika took some of her dupattas and spread it by layer on the floor preparing the place for Akansh to sit on.
(The single bed was also on floor.)
Akansh sat on it, facing the wall so that Neetika will not feel awkward while sleeping in front of him. She hesitantly laid on her bed, after setting an alarm in her phone.
Akansh started working and didn't know how time passed but when he heard an alarm, he immediately shut it off and let Neetika sleep.
He looked at Prince and a warm smile spread on his face. He lied on the floor, beside Prince, and fell asleep while adoring him.
_____
In the morning, Neetika turned in her sleep and stretched her hands, before sitting on her place. Her hands involuntarily moved to her side, to check upon her baby but frowned when the place was empty.
She looked at her side and her breath caught in her limbs.
Akansh was sleeping on the floor and Prince was laying over his chest. They both were snuggling to each other and looked like an epitome of innocence.
Yesterday when she had found them sleeping, she didn't noticed their appearance this close. But now when she is, she noticed the beauty they both radiated together.
"You are really a very good man, Sir. "
___
The landlord came again to remind them about their breakfast in her house and they moved together.
The old lady introduced them to her husband, who by his looks, looked Orthodox. He scanned them from top to bottom and when he was scanning Neetika, Akansh took a step ahead and came in front of her.
"Good morning, uncle. " He greeted and touched his feet. The man nodded and blessed him.
The lady asked them to take a seat and escaped to Kitchen to bring the dishes.
Akansh noticed the political news playing in the tv and he started the conversation about politics.
Neetika looked at Akansh and gave him a small smile, conveying her thanks to indulge the man in the politics, preventing them to not speak more lies.
She went to kitchen, handing over Prince to Akansh, and helped the old lady.
"Neetika? " Akansh called out mischievously when all sat on the dining table.
"Yes? "
"You have your breakfast, today I will feed My Prince. " He grinned, knowing Neetika cannot stop him now like that night.
And Neetika gave him a side eye, knowing he was recreating the scene, this time in his favor. She nodded, sighing.
"My baby loves his.. " Akansh, for a second fell silent. He didn't know what he was to Prince.
The old lady and her husband looked at each other before looking at Neetika and she smiled nervously.
"Dadda." She spoke on Akansh's behalf. "Prince loves his dadda, right. "
Akansh looked at her, nodding slowly when she gave him a pleading look. His heart beating as loud and fast as it can.
Dadda.
Dadda.
Dadda.
The only sound echoing in his ears. His eyes turned teary, and he didn't know when his hands pulled Prince to himself and he kissed his head, closing his eyes and embracing the new energy.
Neetika passed an embarrassing smile to the old couple while stroking Akansh's back and the latter came to reality. He nodded his head and stabled his emotions
"Are you fine? " Neetika whisperly asked, once the old couple started having their food.
Akansh nodded at her, without looking at her, and started feeding himself and Prince.
"Abhi mujhe office chor ke, ye jaa rahe vaapas Delhi. " Neetika told them in between of their talks and the old lady asked when he will come again.
"Pata nahi aunty, kaam par or inke boss par nirbhar karta hai, kab chutti de dein. "
The old couple nodded.
Once Neetika and Akansh came out, Akansh looked at Neetika and said, "you lie so good. "
"Its a habit now. " She blinked her eyes sweetly and the two chuckled before heading to company. Along with Prince.
___