Everyone was beyond shocked. Pinky came up to him.

"Tu bahut bada ho gaya hain na..sab khud handle kar sakta hai..tujhe toh humaari koi jarurat nahi..."she said painfully tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Shabaash beta..Shaabaash..!" She taps his shoulder and moves away towards her room.

"Maa..!" his voice trailed.

Jhanvi-"Pinky ne sahi kaha Shivaay ...tumhe yun itni badi baat nahi chupaani chaiye thii."

Tej taps Shivaay's shoulder unable to say anything. Shakti walked up to him.

Shakti-"Mujhe bilkul bura nahi laga...tum kaise bhi mujhe kuch kahan baatate ho."

Shivaay-"I am Sorry papa."

Shakti smiled painfully.

Shivaay just hugged Shakti. Shakti taken aback, hugs him tight. He had never seen this vulnerable side of his son in the past 20 years.

His face showed distress and as he closed his eyes, drops slowly ran down his face.

Shakti rubbed his back-"Bas beta..hum sab hain naa...humesha..tumhaare saath."

Daadi coming forward-"Shakti theek keh raha hai...aur tu khotya...tu kab se apni daadi se bhi cheezein chupaane lagaa..koi nahi..tune yeh aaj bata diya. Sahi kiya shaayad kahin aur se pata chalta to phir aur bura lagta."

Shivaay looks up at Daadi. She hugged him. His gaze turns towards Rudra, he walked up to him.

"Aap bahut bure hain bhaiya !"he said turning the other way.

Shivaay-"I know..

Rudra-"Khabar daar jo mere bhaiya ke baare mein kuch kahaz wo iss world ke kya iss universe ke best bhaiya hain!! Lekin aapne mujhse kyun chupaaya..? Hum Obros ka pact hain naa ki hum ek doosre se kuch nahi chupaayenge..O aapne bhi...kyun? Main mature nahi hoon..aapko yeh lagta hai iss liye..?"

Shivaay had no answer neither did Om.

Rudra-"Aap log kabhi mujhse problems nahi share karte sirf bhar bhar ke pyaar dete hain..ye parshality kyun?"

Rudra's words brought tears in everyone's eyes.

Rudra-"yaan aapko lagta hain..li main bacha hoon jaanke kya karunga."

Shivaay – "Aisa nahi hai "

Rudra-"Toh mujhe aaj ek promise chaiye...aap dono se...aap log mujhse har cheez share karenge bad or good..anything..jo bhi jaisa hi hoga..share karenge..! Arey saath milke jhelenge...kyunki

Anhoni ko Honi kar de

Honi ko Anhoni

Ek jagah jab jama ho Teeno..

Shiv Ruddy and Ommy!"

All giggled.

Om smiled running his hand over his brother's head as tears of happiness rolled down his cheeks."Shivaay humara bhai bada ho gaya hai..is dumbell ne to aaj bade heavy words gira diye."

Rudra hugs them both."Aap log hain toh main hoon..aap log nahi toh kuch bhi nahi."

Shivaay smiled amidst his tears.

Om-"Aur ab Shivaay ka work stress bhi kam ho jaayega..Rudra jo office aayega tere saath.!"

Rudra-"Of course..90% aaye hain mere."

All laugh.

Prinku sees them crying, as they hug.Shivay seeing her.."Tujhe invitation chaiye kya..aaja."

Prinku runs to him and hugged him crying badly. "Prinku...its ok...oh pehlwana rote nahi."

"Bhaaiiiyaa..!" She  whined at his teasing.

All four group hug. Anika smiled.

Rudra-"Bhaiya...choti maa..."

Shivaay nodded and went to Pinky's room but comes out with a sad face.

Om-"Give her some time."

Rudra goes to Pinky's room and in a few minutes returns out with her. All look shocked.

Rudra-"Ladies and gentleman...ok kuch zyada hogaya..anyway...toh aaj mere, humaare results ki kushi mein hum sab dance karenge lekin the Punjabi style..the bhangada..!

Everyone stare at an over enthusiastic Rudra, clueless.

"Guys..aap logo ka pappu paas ho gaya hai itn atoh banta hi hai..." seeing everyone still seriously look at him.."Please...plz plz...aap log mere liye itna nahi kar sakte...bhaiya."

And he had his way. The music was played.Initially only Daadi and Rudra were dancing but eventually Shivkara joined and made the others including Pinky join as well...she tried keeping her face straight and angry whenever Shivaay looked at her.

Anika stood aside smiling happily. They now looked like one happy family. She started getting the table cleared by the servants. Om looked around and went up to her.."Anika...its family time...and you are also a part of this family."

She looked reluctant. Shivaay was observing the scene as he slowly swayed to the beat.Om dragged her in and she reluctantly danced, with Rudra joining on the other side. 

Her gaze turned to Him, he looked at her.She looked back at him.

A few hours later:

Shivaay was walking down the corridor passing by Rudra's room when he heard sounds of laughter. He slowly peeked in through the partially opened door.on the bed sat Rudra,Om,Saumya and She in front of the laptop screen. They were on a skype call with Saahil, probably breaking in the news on Rudra's result. They were all were probably laughing on some witty exclamation made by her extremely tadibaaz brother. He smiled at the scene and left for his study.

He sighed as he finished the tenth file. He had approximately 10 important ones still in store.As he pulled in the next file, he was interrupted by his brother's voice.

"Bas Bhaiya..kitna kaam karenge ..times up..abhi rest time."Rudra exclaimed touching the things on his table.

Om-"Yes Shivaay he is right."

Shivaay-"Guys abhi bahut kaam pending hai..thodi der baad..he said as he flipped to the second page."

Rudra-"Bhaiyaaa..."

Om-"Kaam hota rahega..tu please apne aap ko stress mat kar doctor ne kaha hai naa NO STRESS..!

Shivay-"Okay okay..just these 5..ye waali bahut zyada important hai.!"

Om and Rudra looked at each other at their loosing battle, wondering what to do next.

They were all surprised by Pinky's screeching strict voice."Shivaay.!"

Shivaay looked up to find his mother standing beside the door her hands folded giving her the exact same stare that she gave him when he was a 12yr old and she had caught him messing around in the kitchen trying to bake something, despite the fact that she had forbidden him to do the same.

Shivaay gulped and stood up exactly the way he had done back then.

Pinky-"Chal uth yahan se..aur thoda aaram kar."

Shivaay was about to open his mouth to say something, when she cut him off.

Pinky-"Mujhe kuch nahi suna...!Jaa."

Shivaay looked and nodded obediently. Why was she behaving as if he was still a 12 year old?

Pinky-"OmRu..."

Both extremely shocked at their names being mentioned look at her doubtfully, hoping that no sparks from her anger came towards them. They dreaded their Choti Maa's anger ever since they were kids and with the small replay of chilhood that had just happened with Shivaay those old days seemed to be back.

Rudra slowly moved behind Om peeking over his shoulder.

Pinky-"Tum log aise kyun dehk rahe hoo..kaacha nahi chabane waali maine tumhe..agar Billu tumhari koi baat nahi maane toh mujhe battana..maine dehkti hoon kaise nahi mantaa.!" She left from their.

The tensed atmosphere calmed and Om and Rudra high-fived breaking into uncontrollable laughter.

Shivaay totally annoyed-"Shut up guys..mom bhi naa...and phir Billu!"

Om and Rudra masking seriousness on their faces,

Om -"it's okay Shivaay..hum kisi ko nahi batayenge..!" and started laughing again

Shivaay-"Grow up guys, upar se mom bhi naa..!"

Walking out towards his room. Om and Rudra continue to laugh at what had just happened.

As he enters his room he bangs into Anika who was holding a heap of clothes, which literally covered her face.

"Dehke nahi chal sakti kyaa..!" as he held the heap preventing the clothes from falling off.

She placed the heap onto the sofa "mujhe toh nahi dikh raha thaa aap toh dehke chal sakte thee na..lekin nahi..aap SSO hain...toh galti meri hui."

Shivaay-"okay..thek hai..haan main agree karta hoon ki main kuch soch raha thaa..lekin tumhe saare kapde ek saath uthane ki kya zarurat thii.."

Anika gives him a long stare.Did he just agree that he was at fault?

"Aaj aapne dehka kyaa suraj kahan se aaya hai..!" She asked raising her eyebrow.

Shivaay-"What?"

Anika-"kuch nahi ..maine yeh kapde laundry mein rakhe aati hoon..!" She turned to pick up the heap again.

Shivaay-"Thank you.!"

Anika's eyes widens, she turned to face him, she clears her ears with her little finger, "Kya kaha aapne..?" She says putting her ear towards him.

Shivaay itching his head with his index finger whispers to himself-"I knew it..nautanki..!"

"Maine kaha..THANK YOU.!"

Anika blinks and blinks. Pinching herself.

"Oh bete ki...Pakka suraj aaj east se nikla thaa??

Sorry

Thank you

Ek minute mein back to back."

Shivaay-"Maine sorry kab bola..?"

Anika-"matlab toh wahi thaa.."

Shivaay-"Of course Not..!"

Anika-"Theek hain .." Steps closer to bring her face closer to his-"Aap wo sochiye jo aapko sochnaa hai main woh samjungi jo mujhe samajnaa hai!"

He stared at her. She smirked, picked up the heap of clothes and walked out. He stared in blank space. Moving towards the bed and lies down on the bed, engrossed in his thoughts.

P.S

Hope you all liked it.

I am planning to complete this.