Ashi was continuously gazing to and fro from Arjun. Her dada was a tough nut to crack. He wasn't even paying attention to her good girl attitude! But rather he was taking advantage of it. Who asks a little girl who had spent the better part of her day butting heads with formulas and equations (which she won't ever need in her life) to solve the questions of the side book?
Once she was sure that he wasn't looking at her, she poked out her to tongue at him. It was days like these when she felt that her dada was a certified Hitler.
Arjun not looking up from his file- "Kitne questions hue, Ashi?"
The question brought her back to reality and she looked down at her notebook, realising that she hadn't even read the first question! Getting no response from her, Arjun looked up from his file and gave her a questioning look.
Ashi got nervous and cleared her throat- "C-Confusion hai first question me..."
Arjun raised his eyebrow- "First question me? It's the most basic question of this chapter!"
Ashi looked down and shrugged. "Sorry...."
Arjun crossly- "Second question karke dikha."
Ashi seized the opportunity and immediately started jotting down the solution. It was an easy question. That would surely make her dada happy and he would atleast listen to her demand!
She showed him the solution in less than a minute. Arjun looked at it and then back at her. "5×9?"
Ashi frowned- "45...oh!" She internally kicked herself when she realised that in the last step she had calculated it as 35! "Sorry." she said and corrected the solution.
The very next moment, Arjun held her ear in a tight grip and twisted it.
"Oww dada. Kya kar rahe ho aap? Lag rahi hai!"
"Lagne de!"
"Ouch...galti se likha tha na dada!"
"Accha? Aur first question galti se read karna bhul gayi thi? If not the numerical values then both the questions are exactly the same!"
Ashi mentally cursed herself for the obvious loophole in her plan. She cried as Arjun increased the pressure on her ear. Arjun left her ear as he saw her struggling. He stood her in front of him and gave her a forbidding look.
Before he could say something, Aki barged in the room after listening to Ashi's over-exaggerated cries. Aki walked over to the duo and pulled Ashi closer to himself, making Arjun frown at his protective stance."
Arjun glared at him- "Aki!"
Aki glared back- "Kya kar rahe ho aap,Dada? Kyun maar rahe ho isse?"
Arjun sternly- "Get out Akash! I am dealing with her."
Aki- "Mai kabhi aapke aur uske beech nahi aata, dada but not today. Subah se woh bohot upset lag rahi hai. Aaj yeh hitlergiri mat dikhao aap!"
Arjun sighed in defeat. He knew he didn't stand a chance against Aki when he was in this stubborn mood. So he turned his attention to the easier target. He glared at Ashi and asked her to come towards him.
Ashi gulped. Leaving her dadu would mean leaving her safety heaven but she can't stay hidden. Going to her dada might mean a bit of pain but that pain would be worth the gain. She put the most obedient look she could muster on her face and walked to him.
Aki let her go but stood there to make sure that his dada didn't get overly harsh with her. He knew the very idea was ridiculous but his concern towards his little sister clearly outweighed logic. He glared at his dada as if daring him to even touch her hard.
Arjun was shocked. A bit more by his little girl's overly obedient attitude than his little brother's overly courageous one. He glared fiercely at Aki making him look down. He atleast knew how to tame the older one. But today, the younger one confused him!
He lifted her chin and made his voice as gentle as he could- "Kya hua, princess? Why are you so upset?"
He knew something was wrong with her the moment he saw her on the dinner table. He would have brought it up sooner if he didn't observe how desperate she was for his attention. A clear sign that she was trying to manipulate him into giving in to his demands. He decided to have a chat with her before she went to bed. But well, better sooner than later.
Ashi looked at him,unsure. Finally, this was her moment. She knew what she wanted is valid but she couldn't help the fear that was resurfacing in her heart. She took a deep breath and looked at Arjun.
Ashi- "You love me right dada?"
Arjun frowned. What sort of question was that? "What do you think,Ashi?"
Ashi nodded- "I was perfect today. Saare kaam acche se kiye. Koi tantrums throw nahi kiye aur khoob saari padhai bhi ki! Haina dadu?" She turned to Aki.
Aki looked confused but he nodded.
Ashi eagerly- "So aap mujhe pyaar karte ho na?"
Arjun frowned- "Ashi, baccha, you don't have to do all this for me to love you. Ha Mai aur tere dadu tujhe humesha Aisa karne ko bolte hai but we don't mean that you should force yourself to be perfect. You are not a robot. Even if you are a bit mischevious, I'll always love you."
Aki- "Right, Ashi. Plus I wasn't very fond of your attitude today! Normal Ashi hi sahi hai."
Ashi looked at both of he brothers. Their unconditional love and concern was heart touching but she had to remind herself that this was not about her but rather it was about them.
Ashi looked directly at Arjun- "Aap mujhe itna pyaar karte ho toh Jo main mangungi woh doge aap?"
Arjun nodded. Here it was. He swore if all this drama was for some petty game or dress, then...
Ashi- "Mujhe Vahini chahiye, dada!"
For a moment, both Aki and Arjun stood there numb. What Ashi said had really shocked them to the core. Never in their dreams would they have ever imagined that Ashi would put forth such an unusual demand.
Ashi- "Aap shaadi kar lo,dada. Woh bilkul Roshni Vahini jaisi hi hogi. Jab woh thi toh hum sab kitne khush the, dada aap kitne khush the! Agar ek nayi vahini aayegi toh phir hum sab pehle ki tarah..."
Arjun yelled angrily- "ENOUGH!" Arjun had had enough by now.
Ashi took a step back. Aki immediately pulled her towards him, not wanting his little sister to fall prey to their elder brother's wrath.
Arjun- "Get out before I lose my patience. Both of you."
Ashi was too scared to move. She had never seen this of her dada. He had been mad on her earlier but never once in her life had she been scared of him, nervous yes but terrified? Not even in her dreams. Today his raised voice had unnerved her.
Aki dragged her out of the study. He had no idea about what compelled her to even think about such a thing but he was sure that if she stayed here a moment longer, then she would surely incur The Arjun Rawte's wrath and he knew for a fact, that she was not ready for it.
As they walked out of the room, Aki turned her towards himself. He tried to glare at her but her red puffy eyes and tears stained cheeks made all his anger flow out the window. He sighed and crouched down to her level.
Aki gently wiped her tears- "Ye kya tha, Ashi? Tune dada se woh baat kyun ki?"
Ashi in a crying voice- "Toh Maine galat kya bola, dadu? Don't we need a Vahini? You think dada doesn't deserve a wife?"
Aki firmly- "No we don't need a Vahini. Hum apni Vahini ki jagah kabhi bhi kisi ko bhi nahi de sakte. And whether or not Dada wants a wife, is up to him. We don't have any right to demand such things from him!"
Ashi- "Kyu koi right nahi hai, dadu? Woh humare dada hai for god's sake! Aur agar woh dobara shaadi karenge to unke liye hi accha hoga na?"
Aki- "This is not up for discussion, Ashi. You won't ever bring up this topic again. And kal subah, tu dada se maafi bhi mangegi. You crossed your limit today."
Ashi- "NO. Maine kuch galat nahi kiya, dadu. Mai dada ke bhale ke liye hi bol rahi hu. He needs a woman in his life. A family of his own. He needs to MOVE ON!"
Aki's features darkened at that. He didn't know when his hands shot up in anger- "AKSHITA!"
Ashi's face jerked to her side due to the impact of the slap.
Aki- "How dare you? Apni saari limits, saari boundaries bhul chuki hai tu?"
Ashi held her face. That slap had hurt but her brothers' words and denial had hurt her even more. She didn't dare look at him.
Aki was too mad to say anything further- "Go to your room, Ashi." He said in a controlled voice but the anger was still evident in his voice.
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Arjun was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. What Ashi said, had shook him at many levels. The fact that she even thought that she needed a replacement for Roshni in their lives had initially angered him. But now as he thought about it, he felt a pang of guilt in his heart. Perhaps, he had failed as a brother, as a father to provide her the much needed time and love. Maybe that's why she thinks that she needs someone else in her life.
Ashi was 2 and Aki was 5 when they lost their parents leaving an 18 year old Arjun with the responsibility of his siblings. The huge age gap made him feel naturally responsible towards them. It was hard at first but as time passed, they fell into place. Gradually, their life settled down. Arjun was content with both his job and personal life. He became a father to his siblings and in turn his little siblings looked up to him as the only parental figure in their lives.
Arjun was 22 when Roshni came in their lives. He fell in love with her the day he saw her. They were young and passionate about their love. So they decided to get married at the earliest. Roshni entered the house as Arjun's wife but soon became a mother to his siblings. Just like her name, she spread light in the entire house. She was the one who turned the house into a home.
Not even two years to their marriage and Arjun lost her as well. That was too much of a big blow for him. He had somehow managed to collect himself after his parent's demise but his wife's untimely demise broke him to the core. The realisation that he had failed in protecting the live of his life had made him vulnerable.
But he put on a strong front for his family, his siblings. Ashi was just 8 and Aki was 11. Both of them were too young to be left alone. He tried his level best to be there for them. Six years back, he had grown up overnight for the sake of his siblings and now, Aki grew up for the sake of his sister. His heart ached but he kept quiet. Something that would be his biggest regret. As time passed, the kids learned to live without Roshni. They learnt to live with a man who was just a shadow of their Dada. And thus the cycle repeated itself. They fell back in their places and their life settled down.
Never once had he thought that his siblings, his Ashi would ever feel the need for the love that Roshni once gave her. He had tried his best to fill that void in her life. His little Aki had grown up overnight to fill that patch but she still needed someone else? He certainly didn't blame her but somewhere he himself felt as a failure all over again.
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Aki was sitting by the window, reviving everything that happened today. He was feeling guilty for raising his hand on Ashi. Her words had infuriated him back then. They were almost insulting. Their Dada had been there for them everytime they suffered a loss. The fact that she couldn't be there for him when he lost someone and wanted him to 'move on' had felt like a slap to his face. He had wanted to shake her up.
But now when he recollected her words, he knew something was wrong. That was so unlike Ashi! Those were not her words. He couldn't exactly point out the reason of such an unusual demand. He made up his mind. He will confront her about this. He had fallen for her dramatics once but not again. He was Akash Rawte and he learned from his mistakes. A certain little girl had certain answers to give!
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Sorry for such a long wait, guys. My mind hasn't exactly been cooperative these past few days.
Tell me how was the chapter and what do you think about the characters.
Do vote and comment.
And yeah I promise next chapter will have ETF scenes!!