*Kalpana Pov*

"Bye, Ma!" he mumbled, looking down and walked inside the school.

"Hey! Don't stress yourself about it, Kalpana. He will come around for sure." Jhanvi said, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"I will be on my way to work." I mumbled, not wishing to point out my exact thoughts and fears which she understood giving me a small nod.

"Thank to god we are here together. You know I am really mad at you." Pallavi said the moment I walked passing the gate.

I gave her a little glance and continued to walk with her following me. I sighed, wishing she just leave me for today when I don't know what would I say or do or maybe I will just cry again.

"You said you will call me giving me a brief about his reaction, but you didn't." she continued when we walked inside the elevator and I closed my eyes.

"Kalpana! What happened?" she asked in a gentle tone.

"I will talk to you later." I finally replied, forcing out the words feeling relief when we reached her floor.

"Okay! Just... I... I hope everything is fine." She mumbled and walked away before the doors can get close.

I immediately started feeling guilty, but it definitely didn't reduce the confusion and pain I am still feeling which seems to be silly at one point of time and again as a big matter at another point.

"What happened, Ms.Kalpana?" I stared at my boss with shock hearing his question.

From morning I pushed away all my thoughts and did everything he asked me to not showing a single sign of my distress.

"Nothing, Sir!" I replied, frowning at him.

"Ms.Pallavi entered this floor already four times and each time I saw her returning with slouched shoulders. I am sure the reason must be known by you." He explained.

He counted the number of times she came and her expression? Does he like her? I thought and then felt better knowing she deserves such person feeling happy.

"I am sure she is fine, Sir. Is that all to be typed?" I asked, gesturing to the notepad.

"I sure hope you can solve whatever problem you have, Ms.Kalpana." he replied making me frown at him.

"I will make sure Ms.Pallavi is not sad. Do not worry about it, Sir." I said with a small smile finally able too keep my thoughts on another topic.

"What?" he asked, frowning and leaned forward.

"Nothing, Sir!" I replied, realizing he must not wish to let anyone know of his feelings.

"If you have the thinking of me having a romantic interest with Ms.Pallavi, you couldn't be more wrong. I am thirty five and she is twenty four." He said shaking his head.

"I was not thinking that, Sir." I mumbled, coming out of my shock knowing his age.

"I just found out about your mood because of her and that's all. And I do not think my business will do any good if you work with such mood. My clients would wish for some normal greeting than any stiff one." He said giving me an irritated look.

"I am really sorry about that, Sir." I said, realizing how I read too much over a single thing and he is a business man due to which I should think regarding them for their behavior.

"You may leave now." He said waving his hand and I rushed out of his cabin before flopping on my chair.

Can this day get any worse? In the morning Sudhir was totally quiet and I accept that I tried only a little to make him talk feeling the urge to let the tears fall.

And now I just made an inappropriate assumption making him think bad about me. What else will happen today? I thought covering my face.

"Bye, Kalpana." Pallavi said, waving at me when I reached the gate to get inside the bus.

"Pallavi! I... I am sorry." I mumbled to which she shook her head.

"It is my mistake. I came over too strong and didn't get the clue of your mood." She mumbled fidgeting with her hands.

"I am trying to be normal... but... I am unable to." I mumbled to which she frowned.

"Want to talk?" she asked, gesturing the café around the corner to which I nodded before walking towards his letting the bus driver know we are not going to catch the bus.

"He was happy when he saw the cycle. However, he suddenly started saying his friends said they learned from their dad's and where is his dad." I blurted out making her eyes go wide.

"You must have felt lost." She said, placing her hand over mine.

"Yes! I didn't know what to say and I didn't. Jhanvi handled him making him play with Harsha but after she left there was complete silence." I said brushing my tear away.

"It feels so strange with all that silence and even in the morning he was silent. I don't know what to tell him. Jhanvi said to do whatever I think is best." I added, releasing a breath, hoping to control the tears when I realized they are coming too fast.

I can't cry in a public place for sure. I took a few minutes to compose myself and felt glad for Pallavi's silence.

"How can I decide when one type of answer would be showing my selfishness while another part would cause him hurt?" I asked and glanced up to stare at her.

"I... I don't know what to even say. It may seem easy to just choose any one of it, but know it is not at the same time." She replied and I nodded.

"I know! I am not expecting anyone to tell me what to do." I said and she nodded squeezing my hand.

"Thanks for bringing him home." I said walking inside the house.

"It is not a big deal. It's not like I went to school specially to bring him." Jhanvi said waving her hand.

"We will leave." She added and I nodded, following both of them outside while Sudhir sat on the couch watching his cartoons.

"He just needs time." She mumbled and I nodded, standing near the door until they reached their house before turning around to walk inside.

However, I stopped staring at the cycle. I suddenly felt the urge to throw it outside on the road. If I had not brought it, then he might have been fine.

"Want to eat some snacks?" I asked, standing near to him.

"Aunty gave me." He mumbled, looking down.

"Okay! I will go and prepare dinner." I said and waited, but he just looked down.

You don't know how much I hate you right now, Jay. Why didn't you give me a better reason to tell him for your absence in his life?

I can't just say that his father thought him as someone else kid and left him. And I don't want to tell him some stupid thing.

Wait! What if I tell him you are dead? I thought and immediately shook my head, knowing well I can never pull off such lie when Sudhir is easy at guessing them.

Sure, he guessed them when I wanted to give a surprise to to tease him about his toys to be lost, but I don't want to take chances here making him hate me for sure.

"I... I will never ask about him again, Ma." He calmly said, making me blink at him while he just walked inside the school.

"What?" I asked behind him, but he just walked away.

"Did you see how clever he is? He suddenly said his decision and walked inside knowing well I have to wait until evening to ask him anything else." I said turning towards Jhanvi.

"If he is like this at this small age, I can't think about when he becomes a young man." Jhanvi said shaking her head.

"I will talk to him in the evening." I said, nodding at her and walked away to not miss the bus.

"What?" I repeated the word for the second time.

"Yes! We got a very important client for which we are going to throw a bash for all the employees along with their families." My boss repeated while I frowned at him.

"Tomorrow? Will all the things get done, Sir?" I asked him frowning.

"I have already called the event management company which always does the work for us. Everything is settled, but you just have to send the invitation to everyone in the mail. And also add that the ones who can't reach the mail must be known by anyone whoever can manage to pass the message." He ordered and I nodded.

After noting down the message he dictated, I returned to my chair before typing it and mailed it as soon as I can.

"Are you bringing Sudhir tomorrow?" Pallavi asked when we got inside the bus.

"I am thinking about it." I replied.

"Maybe you should bring him. It will nice change in environment for him." She suggested.

"I guess! But for now I need to talk to him about his words in the morning." I said and she nodded understanding.

"Shall we go?" I asked when Sudhir and Harsha walked out of the school.

"I want to play with Sudhir." Harsha mumbled when we reached my house.

"You can play later." Jhanvi said, knowing well that I am going to have a talk with my kid.

"No! I want to play with him now." He said stubbornly and Sudhir nodded eagerly before they both rushed inside the house the moment I opened the door.

"What is their age again?" I asked her narrowing my eyes at their act of playing.

"Their age is not the matter here. I will take him after some time." She replied hiding her chuckle.

However, the moment they left is the dinner time, so we had that before he walked inside his room.

"Ma!" he suddenly called making me rush to the room.

"What is it?" I asked him in surprise because from the past few days he stopped talking.

"Story?" he asked with a small smile and I nodded before sitting beside him.

After a half story passed, he chuckled and then I closed the book before turning him towards me.

"Why did you say those words in the morning?" I asked and he immediately looked down.

"I made you cry, Ma." He slowly whispered.

And for the third time that day I repeated, "What?"

"You were crying... that day. I heard you, Ma. I don't want you to cry and... and if father is making you cry, then I don't want... to know him." He replied.

"Oh, Sudhir!" I mumbled, pulling him into my arms and hugged him tightly.

"You didn't make me cry." I said rubbing his back when he sniffed.

"I got scared hearing you cry." He said making me wish I can slap myself right now.

"I am sorry! I will never make you feel scared." I said, moving my head after completely brushing away my tears.

"See? I am smiling." I said, smiling at him before brushing his tears away and he smiled back.

"Shall we finish the story?" I asked and he nodded excitedly before snuggling into my hold to stare at the book.

I placed a kiss on his forehead before finishing the story and he slowly dozed off. I sighed making him lay properly and covered him with the blanket with a smile.

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nice! i too like both of them :D

And party... hmm these always seem to be the reason of some drama... well, what can it be here??? wait for it...

how is the chap?

comment plz and vote...

P.S--- no jay in next chap... point to be noted please...