Rakesh folded his hands and bowed down in front of the lord Ganesh idol in the temple near to the society. Giving a basket of flowers and a box of pedha to Panditji to offer to the idol, Rakesh picked a hundred rupee note from his wallet and pushed it in the old donation box. This was the highest amount he must have donated in a temple. There was a time he used to question what has god even given to him and what good had happened in his life after he prayed. Sometimes he used to believe in God just because everyone around did it.

But when he started his life anew all over again after Naina and Sameer's marriage, leaving the old Rakesh behind, he had again started restoring true faith in God. He discerned that life is not only about asking, but it is about giving. And just like how going to a temple is not about your demands to God but it is about offering him whatever you have. Even if it is less.

He started the parikrama and in his way, he found a family of fourーhusband-wife and two children, a daughter and a sonー performing the parikrama together. The couple was following the ritual religiously, while the kids were only jumping and walking and playing in their way, holding the hands of their parents. They must be hardly 7-8 years old and were so adorable.

How he wished to live such a peaceful life with Rama!!!

He finally walked his way back home. He was out for two hours. Before going to the temple, he casually wandered in a garden nearby, wanting to breathe in the open. He was quite overwhelmed with the way he had spent his day with Naina and Sameer.

He hadn't anticipated his birthday would be remembered by them. His birthday had never gone beyond taking the blessings of his elders.

Naina and Sameer had wished him in the morning after he finished performing pooja. And today being Sunday, they prepared all the special dishes only for him. The menu of kheer-puri had made him happier and a bit emotional. He was getting royal treatment today.

Also, coincidentally, Doordarshan was broadcasting his favorite Dharmendra's movie 'Chupke Chupke' and they all had enjoyed watching it together.

But his day still had a tinge of despair to it.

Among the very few calls he received during the day, 'that' call he was waiting for hadn't come yet.

He was going through an internal debate with himself. He wanted the call but also didn't want it to happen at the same time. And hence he finally left the house at 5 o'clock so that he could divert his mind.

Rakesh smiled warmly after spotting Shubham and Preeti at home. "Arey tum dono yahan?"

The three stood up and Preeti walked towards Rakesh, "Happy Birthday Tauji," she said with a beaming smile and hugged Rakesh. Shubham followed her and he too wished Rakesh and touched his feet.

Rakesh greeted them with a smile and blessed them. He asked some casual questions to Shubham about his work and Shubham replied to them accordingly. After the routine conversation was over, the four stood awkwardly for a while, smiling at one another and not getting what to do next.

"Arey, yeh gubbare aur sajawat kisliye ki hai?" Rakesh asked, looking around and stopping his gaze at Naina.

"Papa, yeh gubbare aur sajawat na... ummm..." Naina fumbled to tell the reason, "woh... Preeti tu bata na." She nudged Preeti.

"Mai?" Preeti got startled, "haan, woh Tauji yeh sajawat isliye ki hai kyuki... ummm... Shubhamji batayenge aapko." She passed it to Shubham.

"Mai? Mai kaise batau?" Shubham looked helplessly at Preeti.

Rakesh only shifted his eyes from one person to another. "Arey kya chal raha hai yeh tum logo ka? Aur Sameer kaha hai? Nazar nahi aa raha." Rakesh asked.

One more question and the three of them found themselves in another trouble, as creases took place on their foreheads.

Rakesh was perplexed, finding them dumbfounded.

"Papa..."

Everyone heard Sameer's voice and looked towards the entrance passage. Sameer stood there with a wide smile on and Naina-Preeti-Shubham sighed together. Naina noticed that he had a suitcase in his hand and she wondered where he had gone after all.

Resting the suitcase near a corner Sameer looked towards the door and whispered, "aao na."

Rakesh, Naina and Preeti's heart stopped beating for a moment at the same time while their eyes widened, when Arjun appeared from behind the walls of the passage. He had a small smile on his lips, clearly stating that he was quite nervous meeting his own family.

Arjun stood beside Sameer, his eyes started glistening after watching his father and little dear sisters.

How much time must have passed in between when he had last seen them?

Definitely a year...

He remembered the happy times they'd celebrated together during Preeti and Shubham's wedding, where all these cousins, along with their partners, had been at service for Preeti.

How he wished it would have remained the same... but things had to go bitter... and just two phone calls ruined everything for him and for everyone...

First, it was him-who, in the fit of anger and rage, had spit harsh truths to his father on the phone call, for making a deal out of his marriage. He was frustrated with the treatment given to him by his in-laws.

And later, it was his father, who finally broke all the ties with him.

He had experienced in person how a man's anger and ego can destroy relationships...

....and it had kept him away from his own family, his father, his sisters...

But today, he was finally here... seeing his family in front of him in the form of flesh and blood... who were looking at him agape... flabbergasted...

..... aaahhh!!! His heart was heavy with emotions.

Sameer gave a supportive pat on Arjun's shoulder, gesturing him to enter further in the house.

"Arjun Bhaiya," Preeti said emotionally, curtailing the distance between her brother and herself as she walked towards him. She hugged him tightly, grinning but with happy tears in her eyes.

Arjun placed his hand on her head as he hugged her back. "Kaisi hai tu, Preeti?" He asked, withdrawing from the hug.

"Mai na bahot naraaz hu," Preeti said in her typical tone, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. Arjun frowned. "Nahi matlab aise koi karta hai kya? Meri shadi ke baad aap ab milne aaye hai apni behen se," Preeti twined.

Arjun chuckled, "sorry baba, ab toh aa gaya hu na," he said, making Preeti smile gleefully at him.

Meanwhile, Naina was still very much under the effect of this sudden surprise brought at home by Sameer. Her eyes were fixed on her brother, though her vision was a bit blurred due to tears. She roved her eyes on Arjun. He had a well-built and toned physique compared to the last time she met him in Ahmedabad. He had grown a full beard; the thick black hair spreaded on his jaw contrasted wonderfully to his fair skin. She always knew her brother had extremely beautiful eyes, but they seemed to have lacked its luster for a few years. But today as she observed, she saw the gleam in his eyes back; it wasn't just the shine, it was confidence Arjun was oozing through his eyes.

(Of course, I don't need to tell whom to imagine... but still... ;) )

Naina couldn't perceive when exactly Arjun walked to her and stood in front of her. Her first reaction was to check her father's reaction as she instantly remembered the promise Papa had taken from her. But what she saw stunned her. Just like her, he too was gazing at Arjun in a daze, with tears in his eyes too.

"Naina," Arjun whispered, and Naina lost all her semblance of a controlled girl. She threw herself on him for the warmest hug, resting her head on his chest and locking her hands behind, she made the way for her tears.

Arjun enveloped her tiny body in the brotherly hug, keeping his palm on her head and kissing her forehead affectionately. He wouldn't have otherwise liked to see Naina cry, but today he let her emotions flow freely in the form of tears. He had slowly started choking too but he knew it wasn't the right time.

He drew back from the hug and cradled Naina's face in his palms; smiling, he said, "itne dino baad dekh raha hu tujhe... aisa lag raha hai kitni badi ho gayi hai tu..." Naina smiled child-likely with teary eyes. "aur kitna achchha likhne lagi hai..." he added.

Sameer, who was standing behind them, smiled looking at the love between the siblings. He could see the heavy downpour of emotions by the Agarwal's today. Had it been any random moment, he would've laughed and called it a filmy scene.

But... not today for sure...

He was aware how every drop of tear shed by the people present here was so raw and pure. He saw the bonds, which even after a long gap of communication, were tightly knitted.

"Offo Bhaiya, saari baatein abhi hi karoge kya?" Preeti barged in between Arjun and Naina, and the brother-sister duo parted with a chuckle.

Arjun finally turned to Rakesh, who was standing with a neutral face till now, but his eyes were red and watery. The father and the son looked deep into each other's eyes and their last call during last year's Diwali appeared fresh in their minds. They both stiffened for a moment.

After his previous call when Arjun had told Rakesh not to come to Kanpur after settling Naina and Sameer, Ajun had called again on Diwali, mainly to apologize to Rakesh. Rakesh was quite silent and only humming in between while Arjun was rambling about the wishes and general talk. He was gathering the courage to apologize and hence kept delaying it. When he casually told Rakesh that he would remain in touch with them in Mumbai and would call often in between, he was stopped by Rakesh's curt voice.

"Koi zaroorat nahi hai hame phone karne ki... ya hamse koi naata banaye rakhne ki... Jis baap ne tumhare rishte ka sauda kiya, usse kewal aupcharikta* ki wajah se sambandh rakhna tumhare liye bhi thik nahi hoga. Toh ab hame bhi apne haal par chhod do... aur bhool jao ki tumhara koi baap bhi hai..."

Rakesh's bitter words that day echoed in Arjun's mind again. He should have known it was inevitable after the way he had spoken with him in the previous call. Arjun hadn't got the opportunity to apologize for his deed in that call, nor he could say it later than that. He had almost lost his father that day and he knew he would lose his dear sister too. Because he knew Rakesh Agarwal inside out. Rakesh Agarwal's words meant the ultimate say.

The atmosphere of the house suddenly turned heavy and the two couples, Naina-Sameer and Preeti-Shubham's eyes got fixed on the two men standing in the center now. Sameer walked to stand beside Naina and she instantly grabbed his shirt in her fist.

It was Arjun who smiled first and bent down to touch Rakesh's feet, "janamdin ki shubhkamnayein, Papa," he said.

Rakesh breathed deeply and only hummed with a nod, not responding much to Arjun's wish. Arjun didn't move from his place though, he stood rooted. "Yeh dadhi kyu badha rakhi hai aise?" Rakesh asked, almost in the tone of interrogation.

Arjun chuckled and sighed, "aapki daan't khayi nahi thi na bahot dino se... isliye..."

Rakesh swallowed a heavy lump in his throat, lest he be choked. "Sirf daan't khani hai ya thappad bhi chalega?"

This time Arjun laughed a little, closing his eyes for a moment. He saw his father almost on the verge of breaking, "kuchh bhi chalega, Papa," he said.

Rakesh raised his hand and grabbed Arjun's nape in his palm, holding it tightly. The rest four tensed for a moment and looked at one another with a sense of foreboding.

"Nalayak..." Rakesh whispered and pulled Arjun to himself... but... in a tight embrace.

Arjun hugged him back, resting his chin on his father's shoulder and bowing down his head. Between the two, it was Rakesh who was weaker today and Arjun discerned it right at the moment he had entered the house. He supported his father with his strong arms, stroking his back with love and letting his father know that he can let his piled up emotions flow freely.

But Rakesh didn't. Rather, he smiled while in the hug. Was it the reason why he was missing Arjun so badly since a few days? Was it any kind of sign?

A few feet away from them, Sameer averted his gaze to focus on anything else but on the two. He didn't know what was happening to him. He had mixed feelings seeing Papa and Arjun hugging each other tightly, a hug that was filled with emotions and love.

Papa had never hugged him this way... forget that... Papa had never hugged him even slightly till date...

No matter how blur the line between them had become, there still was the formality of the relationship of a father-in-law and a son-in-law between them. He looked at Naina, Preeti and Shubham. They all were happy, smiling and emotional.

He too should have been happy for Papa, right?

Well, he was happy... he indeed was... but... there was always a but somehow...

The men parted and sniffed, preventing themselves from the heavy breakdown in front of their family members; they only smiled. Rakesh patted Arjun's cheek, "khush raho," he said.

"Juhi kaisi hai?" Rakesh asked.

"Achchhi hai Papa," Arjun replied.

Arjun quickly rubbed his eyes with the back of his palm, turning to Shubham now to greet him. The other four peopleーRakesh, Sameer-Naina and Preetiー anticipated a casual handshake between them. However, when Shubham and Arjun started laughing, they all were left nonplussed.

Arjun and Shubham laughed as they shook hands and then pulled themselves into a hug, "abey saale," Arjun voiced, "aaya kyu nahi mujhe lene?" patting Shubham's back in a friendly gesture.

As they drew back, Shubham replied in an equal zest, "abey saale tu... teri behno ko kaun dekhta yahan..." and they laughed again.

The rest of the people in the living room were left awestruck seeing Arjun and Shubham meeting each other like long-lost friends. Naina and Preeti had their eyes and mouth open, while Rakesh and Sameer had a surprising frown on their face.

Okay, they were aware that Shubham and Arjun had gelled well during Preeti-Shubham's wedding functions, but was it to the extent that they were talking in the language of 'tu' with each other? That was quite unbelievable for them all.

When Shubham looked at Preeti, he found her staring at him with crossed arms and her look clearly said 'hum iske baare me ghar par baat karenge'. He only passed a sheepish smile at her.

Before anyone could utter anything, they all heard a knock on their door and Sejal peeped in from behind the wall, followed by Mrs. Gadkari and Aditya. Naina walked further and happily welcomed them. Within a minute, Tanvi, Nirmalaji, Jatin-Vanita and Sahiba too arrived.

It was decided to cut the cake first as Rakesh was completely clueless of what was happening. A table was quickly arranged in the center by Sameer and Shubham, and Naina brought a cake with her from the kitchen, with 'Happy Birthday Papa' written on it.

Everyone gathered in a half circle and a knife was passed to Rakesh. He was puzzled about what to do with it and Naina and Sameer gestured to him to cut the cake. All started singing the 'happy birthday' song and Rakesh cut the cake. However, when Sameer recognised that Papa still didn't get how to do it, he wrapped his palm on Rakesh's hand and assisted him to cut the cake in pieces of V. Arjun, who was standing in a corner, only smiled bright seeing this.

Rakesh glanced at everyone, the way all his neighbors came to celebrate his birthday, the way they were smiling and clapping cheerfully; not just this, the way his children, now five of them, were singing 'happy birthday dear Papa' on the peak of their voices, his suppressed emotions appeared on the surface again in the form of happy tears.

Naina took a piece of cake and fed it to him, wiping the tears from his cheeks and then hugging him. Sameer too then fed the cake to Papa; he wanted to hug him too, but again he couldn't and only smiled. After Preeti and Shubham fed the cake, Rakesh looked at Arjun hopefully. Arjun came forward and cut a fresh piece of cake. He smiled and whispered, "Happy birthday, Papa!" and fed it to Rakesh. Rakesh took the same piece and fed it back to Arjun.

This didn't go unnoticed by a few society members. "Papa?" Mrs. Gadkari enunciated curiously.

"Ji, behenji," Rakesh's face brightened, "yeh mera beta hai. Arjun!" He introduced his son to the neighbors and pulled Arjun for a side hug.

An expression of surprise took place all over society people's faces. They never knew Rakesh had a son too. They all were under the impression that Naina was Rakesh's only child.

The society people started looking at one another with this sudden drop of new information they weren't able to digest. Before anyone could react weirdly to it, though they were quite friendly with Sameer-Naina and Rakesh, Naina quickly jumped in with a proposal.

"Aap sab log baithiye na..." Naina pronounced, bringing everyone's attention towards her. "Mai sabke liye snacks lekar aati hu."

A few nods by the guests and they started moving and looking for a place to sit. After Naina took the cake to the kitchen, the table was again shifted to the corner to free up the space. And after a lot of awkwardness of 'pehle aap, pehle aap', they slowly got settled.

Jatin, Shubham and Arjun happily took their places on the trunk, sitting with their legs crossed and leaning on the wall behind. While the ladies- Nirmalaji, Mrs. Gadkari, Sejal and Vanita took seats on the sofa and sofa chairs. Sahiba was still standing but she instantly grabbed a cane stool and positioned herself beside Vanita.

While some of the people took their seats, Sameer noticed that some were still standing, Papa too. The feeling of them having a small house struck him again for a moment. Naina had suggested he lay a carpet on the floor so that some of them could sit on the floor, but he had denied it straightaway, stating it would look odd. He had thought he would do some arrangements for the same, but he couldn't manage anything in the rush of going to pick up Arjun.

Naina, Preeti and Tanvi were preparing the snacks dishes in the kitchen, Rakesh was standing beside Arjun and society people were engaged in knowing about Arjun and his whereabouts. Shubham and Jatin looked busy themselves in a random chat.

While Sameer was still standing near the fridge, thinking where rest people would sit or would they have to stand all the time. His face dulled looking at the inconvenience people were facing in the house.

Aditya patted his shoulder to break his thoughts and murmured in a low voice, "tension kyu le raha hai tu? Apan hai na... " he winked and left the house running. Within a minute, he was back with three plastic chairs and a small smile appeared on Sameer's face finally.

The snacks included Samosa-chutney, dhokla, chips, farsaan, a piece of cake and Gulab jamun. Nirmalaji was handed over a steel tiffin-box for her and Dadi, and she left soon after wishing Rakesh again. The chatters resumed among people, talking on various topics and devouring the snacks.

*****

The guests had dispersed to their respective homes whereas Preeti-Shubham stayed back for some more time. After Naina did a quick tour of the house to Arjun, he finally freshened up and changed into a navy blue t-shirt and track pants. He joined Rakesh on the two-seater couch, Sameer and Shubham sat on the sofa chairs while Naina and Preeti took the cane stools to sit beside their husbands.

Naina finally asked what was in her mind since Arjun came, "Sameer, tumhe kaise pata Arjun bhaiya aane wale the... matlab... achanak se..." She tried to keep her voice low.

Sameer looked at Arjun and raised his brows. Arjun signaled him to proceed and Sameer replied with a smile, "Naina... Papa... Arjun hi hai hamara blank caller."

They both looked at Arjun in surprise.

Blank Caller? Arjun? Seriously?

Naina gasped as she realized the reason why she never felt like complaining about the caller, the reason behind always getting the positive vibes from the call and wanting to blabber anything without fear. Of course... It was after all her brother on the other side.

Rakesh still processed how the caller could be Arjun. He remembered once he had heard someone coughing before he disconnected the blank call and he was restless for the rest of the day as if someone very close to him was ill. He comprehended it was his fatherly instincts in that moment that made him worried, but his resented mind still wasn't in the state to really identify who it was.

Rakesh narrowed his eyes at Arjun first and said, "tumhe toh mai baad me dekh lunga... lekin Sameer..." he turned his gaze to Sameer, "tum bhi shaamil the isme?"

"Nahi nahi Papa," Sameer immediately defended himself, "pehle toh mujhe bhi nahi pata tha... woh toh baad me Arjun ne khud bata diya wohi hame calls kar raha tha." All this while Arjun had a subtle smile on his lips, he let other people express their side of the 'blank call' matter. "Lekin mujhe ek baat samajh nahi aayi Arjun," Sameer continued, "jab mai complaint karnewala tha, ussi ke thik pehle tumne apne baare me mujhe kaise bataya?"

This time Arjun chuckled. This was time to unfold another secret.

"Ek minute ek minute," Preeti, who was only a listener till now and was totally clueless, interrupted the conversation, "yeh blank calls ka kya chakkar hai? Aur mujhe kuchh kyu nahi pata iske baare me?"

Everyone laughed and Naina revealed how they were getting blank calls at home since a few months and how they stopped suddenly, making it more suspicious. She shared how she had doubted that reason behind the calls getting stopped might be Sameer speaking to the person and how it came true.

"Arjun bhaiyya?" Preeti gasped, "aap? Blank calls kar rahe the? Kyuuu??"

Arjun smiled first but then he turned a bit serious. He sat a little alert, "Papa ne pichhle Diwali me hi bata diya tha ki woh mujhse koi naata nahi rakhna chahte. Aur mai jaanta tha unhone Naina se bhi yeh waada liya hoga." He peeled a layer from the past, "mai toot sa gaya tha uske baad... aur mai jaan chuka tha yeh sab meri wajah se hua tha. Mai hi zimmewaar tha jo hamare beech yeh kadwahat aa gayi thi.

"Mai bass hamare toote hue rishton ke wapas jodna chahta tha, lekin phir... himmat nahi hoti thi... isliye... " he took a deep breath and put a small smile on his face, "isliye ghar par call karke Naina ki... papa ki... Sameer ki... sirf aawaz sunta tha... bass wahi tasalli mil jati thi mujhe... aur usise mai himmat juta raha tha... aaj ke din ke liye..."

"Toh aap sirf aawaz sunte the bhaiyya??" Naina asked, turning emotional.

Arjun grinned with a chuckle, "sirf aawaz nahi... bahot kuchh suna maine... jaise Sameer ki admirer ka phone samajh ke teri pyari baatein suni..." he looked teasingly at Naina, "Papa ko chot lagne par Papa aur Sameer ki tu-tu-mai-mai suni... aur bhi bahot kuchh."

Sameer and Naina looked at each other and they facepalmed together. Others only laughed.

"Lekin hamare ghar ka number kaise mila tumhe?" Rakesh asked.

"Isne diya mujhe... mere dost ne... " Arjun pointed his hand straight, with a mischievous smile playing on his face, and all the eyes shifted towards Shubham.

Another shock for all of them... Another layer to peel off from the past...

Arjun disclosed how once he had called Shubham in his office regarding some accounts issue at Arjun's department in Kanpur office. It had taken them some follow-up calls to resolve the complete matter and they had become quite friendly with each other over the conversations. Arjun had slowly started sharing about his messed up relationship with Rakesh and they both connected through it. They would often talk to each other and became close friends over the period of time, sharing about each other's lives. And one day, Arjun asked Shubham for the phone number and Shubham couldn't deny it knowing how badly Arjun was missing his family.

"Aap ko toh mai ghar par dekhti hu Shubhamji," Preeti put the widest smile on her smile but sheer sarcasm in her voice.

While all others were still under the shock and processing the revelations one by one, Arjun found today's newspaper below the tea-table and he picked it in exhilaration, "Naina, tera article aaya hai na isme aaj? Mai padhunga isse pakka... kitna achchha likhti hai tu... Maine teri Kadambini ki kahaniyaan bhi padhi hai..." He exclaimed, appreciating her.

Naina pointed her gaze at Sameer, "tumne milte hi sab bata diya bhaiyya ko?"

"Maine nahi bataya," Sameer reasoned quickly.

"Naina... woh maine bataya Arjun ko..." Shubham confessed, "jab mujhe pata chala tumhari kahani chhapi hai, tab maine Arjun ko bataya. Lekin jab dusri baat chhapi tab Arjun ne mujhe bataya."

Getting surprised and laughing over it had been a constant reaction for everyone now.

"Itna chhup-chhupkar hamari jaankari rakhne se achha hai," Rakesh voiced in a bit serious tone, "ek baar humse hi puchh lete?"

Arjun's smile faded and he lowered his gaze. "Papa, mai aapko kuchh dena chahta hun."

"Kya hai?" Rakesh queried.

Arjun got up from his place and rushed to the bedroom where his suitcase was kept. He came back with a white envelope in his hand.

Taking back his position and slightly turning towards Rakesh, he started, "Papa, mai kabse aapse mafi mangna chahta tha... lekin meri himmat nahi ho rahi thi. Mai pehle uss layak banna chahta tha ki aap se aankhon me aankhe milakar baat kar saku... Aur mai itne waqt se usi me juta hua tha. Aapko pata hai, Kanpur mai ek ameer logo ka area hai. Waha ke bachchon ko mai cricket sikha raha hun... uss se paise bhi kama raha hu. Aur mere sasurji ke office me kaam kar raha hu lekin woh bhi izzat se."

"Yeh aap ke liye hai Papa..." He forwarded the envelope to Rakesh and everyone looked at it curiously. As Rakesh opened it, he found a Bank passbook of his name and there was one transaction in it and it was of... Forty Thousand Rupees. Rakesh was flabbergasted was an understatement. He looked agape at Arjun.

"Arjun... yeh... chaalis hazar rupaye?" Rakesh enunciated, making Sameer, Naina and Preeti gasp again.

"Papa, mai jaanta hun aapne school se meri hi wajah se voluntary retirement li thi aur mai hi..." Arjun choked as he was speaking. He composed himself with a deep breath and continued, "mai hi aapka sath nahi de paaya. Mai nahi jaanta Papa aapke naukri ke yeh 8 saal, jo aapne meri wahah se gawaye, unhe mai kaise wapas karu. Lekin beta hone ka farz toh nibha hi sakta hu na.

"Yeh bank account aap hi ke naam par hai Papa. Aur yeh wahi paise hai jo maine bachchon ko cricket sikha kar kamaye hai... yeh aap hi ke hai Papa... mai beech-beech me isme paise daalta rahunga... aur aap jab chahe inhe nikal sakte hai."

Rakesh smiled with teary eyes, he didn't know how to react to this situation. "Arjun... beta mujhe tumhare paiso ki zaroorat nahi hai. Yeh tumhari mehnat ki kamayi hai."

"Papa please..." Arjun urged. "Aapke iss nalayak bete ko kuchh toh aapke liye karne dijiye..."

Witnessing her brother and father having an emotional give and take, Naina turned teary eyed too. She wrapped her hands around Sameer's arm and leaned on his shoulder. There couldn't be a better sight than this according to her.

Rakesh accepted the envelope upon Arjun's insistence. He wiped his tears and smiled.

"Papa, aap na Kanpur aaiye... pehle mujhe cricket khelta hua dekhte the... aaj mujhe cricket sikhata hua dekhiye... mai aapke chehre par woh khushi wapas dekhna chahta hun."

Rakesh patted Arjun's cheeks and only nodded.

Sameer, who was playing with a thread of cotton from the cushion on his lap, looked up alarmed. His heart skipped a beat as he didn't believe what he heard and saw.

After a quietude of a minute, Shubham proposed that they should leave given that it was late. Shubham and Preeti stood up and Shubham voiced, "Arjun, chal na tu bhi ghar pe. Tere liye guest room me arrangement ho jayegi."

Preeti too supported Shubham and insisted on Arjun, but Arjun denied it politely.

"Chal thik hai, lekin kal raat ka khana tu mere yahan kha raha hai thik hai?" Shubham said.

Arjun smiled and accepted the invitation. Goodbyes continued for a while, followed by wishes and hugs again.

But Sameer wasn't interested much to see off Shubham and Preeti, or wish them goodbyes being a host.

His eyes were fixed on the envelope Papa was carrying all the time. He felt a hole in his guts, as if something was stirring inside his system. His heart was a bit heavy. He saw how Shubham and Arjun were joking with one another close to the door and Preeti, Naina and Papa were laughing at it. They all seemed to be happy.

Then why didn't he feel the same? Shouldn't he be pleased with the fact that he was a part of reuniting a father and a son who were not on talking terms?

Was he a bad guy who didn't find happiness in others' happiness?

With a heavy exhale, he swallowed his piled up emotions and smiled....

****

Sameer tucked the bedsheet under the mattress in the bedroom and arranged their cushions. Arjun and Papa had settled on the two mattresses in the living room and Naina was wrapping up her kitchen work. After finishing all the four corners of the mattress, Sameer took their duvet from the almirah and went on to pull the curtains of the window.

He got startled for a fraction of a second but then got relaxed when he felt Naina's arms wrapped around his stomach. Naina hugged him from behind, resting her temple on his shoulder blades and tightening her arms more.

Sameer chuckled and voiced, "kya baat hai Madam? Bade mood me lag rahi ho aap?"

"Thank you..." Naina whispered, her voice was heavy, and she sniffed a little.

Sameer frowned and turned to her. He saw her eyes brimmed with tears. Sitting on the window frame, he pulled her towards him, "o madam!! Ro kyu rahi ho tum?" he said, wiping her tears.

"Sorry bhi bolna tha," Naina said, making a puppy face.

Sameer giggled, "pehle decide kar lo thanks bolna hai ya sorry."

He got a playful swat on his arm. "Dono bolna hai." Naina emphasized. "Thank you, Arjun Bhaiya ko yaha lekar aane ke liye... aur sorry... woh blank calls ko lekar tumpar gussa karne ke liye."

Sameer clasped both her hands in his, "Arjun ne khud kaha tha ki woh Papa ke pachasve janamdin par unse milna chahta hai... taaki saare gile-shikve door ho jaye... mai toh bass use station lene gaya tha." He shrugged.

Naina's sorrowful face turned into a joyful one, knowing that Arjun himself had taken the first step to resolve the differences between him and Papa. She knew they couldn't live without each other but there was a great wall standing between them in the form of hurt, resentment and ego. But finally, one of them decided to break the wall and she was glad that it was her brother.

"Aur sorry toh ulta mujhe tumse kehna chahiye," Sameer continued, "woh saari baatein tumse chhupane ke liye. Lekin kya karta mai... Arjun ne tumhari kasam jo de rakhi thi."

Naina laughed and then furrowed her brows, "ohh... toh isliye janaab uss din kasam dene par bhadak gaye the haan?"

"Aur nahi toh kya... tum Agarwal's kya nashte me aur khane me kasam hi khilate ho sabko??" He complained sweetly and it made Naina laugh wholeheartedly. She pinched his cheeks and wobbled his face.

After a moment, Naina heaved deeply and said, "Papa bahot khush hai, Sameer... unki aankhon se khushi jhalak rahi hai..." Sameer pursed his lips in a smile and only nodded. "Papa bhi na, khud ne hi bete se dooriyaan bana li aur phir bhaiya ko dekhte hi khud hi pighal gaye."

"Bhaiya me kitna badlaav aa gaya hai na?" Naina stated with exhilaration, "kitne handsome lag rahe hai... bachchon ko cricket sikha rahe hai... yahi nahi, balki usse paise bhi kama rahe hai... mai na bahot khush unke liye."

Sameer saw the sparkle in Naina's eyes while she was speaking about her brother. It was pride that she had for him. He recognized how Arjun's mere presence had taken both Papa and Naina's mood to the next level.

"Chalo na saamne jakar baatein karte hai," Naina pulled Sameer with her to go to the living room, but she was dragged back with his strong pull.

"Nainaaa..." Sameer stopped her from leaving, "unhe karne do na baatein. Dono baap-bete itne time baad ek-dusre se mile hai," he suggested.

"Toh? Hum bhai-behen bhi toh itne time baad mile hai... mai kyun na baat karun?" Naina countered, playing along.

"Tum kal kar lena Arjun se baatein... aaj Papa aur Arjun ko sath me waqt bitane do... aur tum..." he pulled her closer, locking her in between his legs, "mere saath waqt bitao."

"Thoda control kar lo Mr. Maheshwari... bahar na mere Papa aur Bhai baithe hai..." Naina teased him. "Aur waise bhi mere periods kabhi bhi aa sakte hai."

"Tch... woh baat nahi hai Naina..." Sameer's eyes and voice lowered. There was a slight change in his body language too.

"Kya baat hai, Sameer?"

"Yaar Naina, hame ek-dusre ke liye waqt hi nahi mil raha hai... tumhara aadha din toh office me hi nikal jata hai."

Naina giggled, "Sameer, woh toh tab bhi nahi mil raha tha jab tum din bhar auditions ke liye bahar rehte the... yaad hai? Kabhi kabhi tum subah aath baje jaate the aur sham ko saat baje laut'te the... toh ab kya hua?"

Sameer gazed at her intently. He hadn't thought of this from her perspective before. "Pata nahi," he shrugged, "lekin ek aadat si ho gayi hai tumhe ghar par dekhne ki... ghar aate hi sabse pehle tumhara muskurata hua chehra dekhna... tumhara mujhe gale lagana... tum jab ghar par dikhti nahi ho na mujhe, toh mai bechain hone lagta hu..."

A warm smile covered Naina's face. She could feel the earnestness Sameer was speaking with. "Haan toh aadat daal lo ab... office toh jaana hi padega na..." she said as she wrapped her hands on his nape.

Sameer only nodded. He knew there was no option for it. "Kaise chal raha hai tumhara office ka kaam?"

"Thik chal raha hai..."

"Tum khush ho apne articleship se?"

Naina's hold on him loosened and her smile faded. "Sameer, tumhe pata hai?" she changed her tone to chirpy, "mere office me na, do women employees hai jinse meri baatchit hote rehti hai... ek Smita Ma'am hai jo 12 saal se office me kaam kar rahi hai aur ek Sonica Ma'am hai jinko 10 saal ho gaye. Woh bata rahi thi, woh subah ghar ka saara kaam kar ke, khana bana ke, unka aur unke pati ka tiffin pack karke phir office aati hai, dinbhar kaam karti hai, aur sham ko ghar jakar phir se sab ke liye khana banati hai aur baki kaam bhi karti hai. Toh na mujhe bhi na aise hi mehsoos ho raha hai. Ki mai bhi ek responsible working woman hun." She raised her hands in the air to depict the same. "Aur mujhe yahan ek mahina bhi nahi hua." She chuckled at last.

Sameer was listening to her keenly. The way she was sharing about her colleagues, her expressive eyes as she talked about being a working woman- he saw everything and smiled genuinely. "Tumne mere sawaal ka jawab nahi diya..." he said at last, when she was done.

Her excitement dropped again. "Iss sawaal ka jawab dhundhne ka yeh sahi waqt nahi hai Sameer..." she softly said, bringing a small smile on her lips, "mujhe abhi ek mahina bhi nahi hua hai. Aur hamare liye yahi thik hoga agar hum iss sawal ko kuchh samay ke liye side me rakh de. Arjun bhaiyya ko dekh rahe ho na? Woh dinbhar apne sasurji ke office me kaam kar rahe hai aur baki samay me woh kar rahe hai jinse unko khushi milti hai. Toh mera bhi kuchh aise hi samajh lo."

A warm smile crept on Sameer's lips. He kissed her cheeks softly as a token of appreciation to her smart answer.

"Mai soch raha tha mai bhi thodi dadhi badha leta hun." He rubbed his palm on his day-old stubble, bringing a new topic out of nowhere.

"Hein? Kya?" Perplexed, Naina asked.

"Haan, Arjun ne badhayi hai na... aur tum hi ne toh kaha, woh handsome lag raha hai..."

"Seriously Sameer? Woh bhaiyya hai mere," narrowing her eyes, Naina placed her hands on her waist. "Waise... mujhe koi problem nahi hai, mujhe toh achchhe lagte ho tum dadhi me." She shrugged, making herself sound deep as her gaze pierced through his eyes. "Lekin aisi shakal leke audition dene jaoge na, toh hero ka nahi villain ka role denge tumhe."

"Yeh kya baat hui yaar? Nahi matlab, yeh kaisi soch hai? Ki aadmi clean-shaven hai toh ekdum shareef aur sachcha... aur dadhi badhayi ho toh ya toh woh dukhi hai ya gunda-mawaali." Sameer twisted his mouth.

Naina giggled, "baat toh sahi hai... ek kaam karna... tum badalna iss soch ko thik hai?"

"Haan. Ab toh mai badal ke hi rahunga."

Naina sniggered and put a long and sloppy kiss on his cheek. Sameer turned her to let her back rest on his chest, keeping his cheek on her head, he wrapped his arms around her. "Tum dekhna Naina, kuchh saalon baad na, trimmed beard ka hi culture rahega... ladkiya aise aise ghayal hongi dhadhi rakhne walon pe..."

Naina only laughed thinking about his point. He continued to explain the future of men with beards and she continued to embrace the sweet moment with him in his warmth.

She hoped they would manage to sneak such cute little moments with each other in the upcoming time too. After all, it was the innocence of these small moments, the urge to spend some time with each other and that 'anything for you' approach they had acquired for their partner- all of it had proven to be the booster for their love and longing for one another.

She hoped... But she couldn't be more wrong....

************

Woww, finallyyyy.... the revelation of the caller happened... even I'm relieved now. 😌

How was it? How do you like it? Do let me know.

I understand it might have irritated you at times, but there was a certain need to reveal it here, at this moment.

So Shalinipataudi had guessed it long ago and I was actually very happy about it. So kudos to Kalyani. 👏☺️

I had plotted hints all over the chapters- through Shubham, through some gestures and through sequence of events as how they took place.

Now that you know all of it, tell me in the comments here how many dots are you able to connect now. Let's see if you can remember things now.😜

Waise, I was a mess when I wrote about Juhi. Still I am. Coz for me Arjun means Somy and I can't imagine Somy and Nidhi together that way. But anyways.... I accepted it finally.

I didn't want this chapter to coincide with my twitter thread, but aahhh... I'm only responsible for it. Please take note that it just happened coincidentally and my thread has nothing to do with this chapter.

Do Vote and do comment bhar-bhar ke.... 

And thanks for the support you've always shown on this story.

Love ❤️