Please make sure you all reach chapter 30 before reading this update.

Thanks for you messages and opinion that helped me to continue the story with the initial flow I planned. And please be rest assured that the story won't be very long. My brain stops functioning by the time I reach chapter 40/45.. bwahahaha..
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"I.. I need to go to work.", Sidharth tried getting up at 4 in evening.

"Stay home. If your fever replase then again I would have to take off from school to take care of Khushi..", she spoke in a commanding tone that he could never disagree or disregard.

He nodded and lay down quietly. Amidst yesterday's chaos when she had left Khushi unattended, she had forgotten to buy nappies. She had used up the last nappy and had to go back to buy it now.

"Khushi has run out of diapers. I am going to get some. I am taking her along, so you rest well.", Sana said.

"I.. I can get the diapers.", Sidharth offered.

"Just do as I say. I need some fresh air and I guess Khushi also needs some. And for god sake you were having fever, stay home and take rest. Don't increase my problems.", Sana spoke a bit annoyed.

Why would he push so much on doing everything? Why was he acting so different? He has a fever, can't he behave normally like how he behaved in the past when he had fever? If anything she felt about him was that 'he wasn't himself'. The differences she saw in him were irking her.

Sidharth pressed his lips thin and lowered his head while on the other hand Khushi, who had been sitting up on the floor and chewing on her plushy toy, looked up at Sana's face. They say babies sense their parents behaviour and behave in a same way. Khushi was no different, she mirrored Sana's behaviour and started crying.

"It wasn't for you.. stop crying Khushi.. we are going Ta-ta..", Sana spoke sweetly to Khushi. Ta-ta was a magic word that pushed a cheerful button in Khushi.

"Ta...ta..ta..ta..taaaaahhhh..", Khushi blabbered all excited.

Sana buckled up the seatbelts of Khushi's pram after converting it into sitting position. Khushi squeaked and bounced happily in the pram having found her all geared up. She was a smart bub, who knew it when they were all set to go out exploring. Her expressions brought smiles on Sana and Sidharth's face. Indeed, she was Khushi, their source to happiness.

He observed them both disappear as the door shut behind. It was after a long time, he had taken a break from work. He sighed as he lied on his back and stared at the ceiling. The bedsheet on which he lied, smelt like her. His mind was swamped by thoughts of Sana. The way she took care of him the whole day. It just felt like old times but it still missed something. Something he couldn't decipher.

In the past, he never appreciated her for these affectionate actions and words. He might have continued the same even now if only he hadn't done that one mistake. She trusted him when she said 'You know I love you'. The love, so pure and so innocent without any lust or greed.

When he looks back, he feels he could give away everything to receive that love again because he realised the value of it after losing it. But, over the time he had also realised that he loves more than anything. He had in the past and has been at present staying without his parents but he couldn't stay without thinking about her even a single day. She had always been an inseparable part of him. His heart aches when to see her in tears or when she is in pain while it feels comforted when she is happy. He had wronged her in the past but now he would happily give up his life to bring a smile on her lips.

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"Oh look who is here!! You are back!!"

Sana turned around when she heard a familiar voice. It was the same caucasian boy, David from yesterday. Dressed in his green and white checkered store uniform, he was squatting and talking to Khushi. Khushi squeaked looking at David. She recognized him as well.

"Aww.. Did your mommy decide to leave you with us again today?", he asked Khushi

Sana bit her bottom lips feeling a bit embarrassed as she placed the diaper bag under the stroller, her brown orbs met with his blue ones.

"Hey Sana.. how are you doing?", David smiled.

"Hi, I am fine. H..h..how are you?", Sana spoke softly with a little stutter.

"Not too bad, thank you.", David answered observing her squirm nervousness while she played with the pram's handle. As she had been consciously avoiding any sort of communications with male species, she was palpitating.

"Are you okay? You seem to be bit edgy.", he asked observing her hands that were agitated.

"I'm.. I'm f..fine..", She answered.

"Are you sure?", he asked.

"J..just a bit nervous.", she answered genuinely.

"Ohhh!! Wait are you scared that I would ask you for the proof again?", he asked.

"What? No.. But I do have her documents in my bag today.", she replied that made him feel guilty for his yesterday's behaviour.

"Hey, I am sorry for my behaviour. I genuinely am. I see that I scared a shit out of you. I hate this.. I apologise again.", he said with repentance.

"No.. no.. please.. it wasn't your mistake.. I did some careful reflection on my behaviour and it was all my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone", her voice automatically choked and heavy as she remembered the incident.

"Ummm.. Hey.. I was wanting to take a break.. would you join me for a coffee? Maybe you could just vent out and feel relieved.", he asked seeing her emotionally breaking down.

Sana had always confided in her emotions with Sidharth in the past but their relationship wasn't the same. Although she had few friends in school, she could never discuss about her current personal life with them with the fear of being judged. But she bottled up everything within herself. When David made the suggestion, she felt she could indeed vent out to him everything. Sometimes, you just want someone to hear you out. Moreover, he was a stranger whom she may not meet that often. Even if he judges, she won't have to deal with him everyday, right? With these thoughts she nodded her head and they were right now sitting at the cafe in the open space just a few steps away from the departmental store David works in.

"Here is your coffee..", David said sliding her coffee in front of her while he settled himself in the chair opposite to her with his own coffee.

"Thanks David.. you really didn't have to bother..", she said feeling a bit shy.

"Don't.. consider it as an apology..", he shrugged.

"You wouldn't apologise if you know the reason behind me stranding her at the store. You might as well start loathing me for being such a bad mother.", Sana bit her bottom lip feeling mortified.

"I won't judge you. I am sure you had your reasons.", he shrugged.

"I ran into my school friends accidentally. I'd never disclosed that I have a baby fearing that they would judge me and leave me like my parents. Hence, when they insisted on going to parlour with them to get my eyebrows done, I couldn't tell them about Khushi. I left her alone in the stores to save myself from embarrassment. Now do you see, how bad of a mother I am?", she sobbed into her palm.

"Hey.. please calm down.", he got up and placed his hand over her shaking shoulder.

"I would never forgive myself for the mistake I did.", Sana spoke still covering her face.

"No.. don't do that.. you are not a bad mother. The circumstances were bad. I can only imagine how hard it would be to single parent a child when you are still a teenager yourself. You are a strong girl, Sana.", David spoke words of encouragement while patting her back. In case you are wondering how he knew that she was single parenting or her age, had noticed a single parent name and her age on Khushi's birth certificate the previous day.

Sana sniffled as she wiped her tears. Her face was red as a tomato with all the crying.

"I'll get you some water.", David said.

"No, I'm fine. I've got the water.", Sana said picking up the bottle from the pram and gulping down a few sips while David observed her quietly.

"Hmm.. so that explains why you got one eyebrow out of shape.", He spoke staring at her face with his right hand supporting his face with his elbow on the table. His comment made her crack a smile with red cheeks due to embarrassment.

"That proves you love Khushi so dearly that you left your eyebrows. I bet no other girl of your age would do that.", he spoke further.

"Stop embarrassing me..", she blushed scarlet hiding her face further.

"Okay, I've got 15 more minutes. So, let's get your other eyebrow done while I look after Khushi. How does that sound?", he got up looking at his watch and undid the brake on Khushi's pram.

"Please, you don't have to..", she replied getting up.

"Oh come on, I can't tolerate seeing those non-symmetrical eyebrows anymore.", he said as he maneuvered the pram towards the nearest parlour. While Sana got her eyebrow plucked, David played with Khushi.

"David..", Sana called.

"Wow! You are looking gorgeous.", he complimented looking at her.

"Thank you.", Sana replied with a smile.

As they both walked towards the departmental store, Sana learnt that David was brought up by a single parent and he works part time at the departmental store so to share his responsibilities with his mother. The most surprising element was that he is studying in the same school as Sana's but he was in Year 11. Well, technically if Sana hadn't missed her one year of schooling, they would have been in the same class.

After bidding adieu to David, Sana walked to her home with Khushi. She felt a little less burdened after speaking with David and even more delighted because he didn't judge her.
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Sidharth shut his eyes pretending to be asleep when he heard the door unlocking sound. Sana walked inside the house and parked the pram. Khushi was comfortably sleeping in her pram, hence she decided not to disturb her slumber. She walked towards Sidharth and touched his forehead and neck to check his temperature. Sidharth's heart fluttered at the touch but he didn't open his eyes.

"Thank God, his fever is gone..", she muttered to herself. She walked to her wardrobe and went to change her dress inside the bathroom. Sidharth's lips curved into a small smile at her action. His smile grew bigger when he heard her hum in the bathroom. He remembered how she used to hum when she was in a happy mood.

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"What happened to your knees?"

Sana, who was gobbling her breakfast hurriedly, looked at Sidharth, who had a baffled expression looking at her knees.

"Umm.. aaa.. It's nothing. I.. I had a small fall.", Sana mumbled with her mouth filled with food. Obviously she didn't have a courage to tell him that she fell while running  down the escalator because she had abandoned Khushi in the store.

"Yet you didn't put on a band-aid on it?", he asked.

"It's not a great deal.. don't make a mountain out of mole..", she said carelessly but Sidharth was already gone to get the first aid box.

"Seriously? This happened like the day before yesterday. I am okay. I am getting late to school.", Sana said to Sidharth who was now standing infront of her with the first aid box.

"It still looks fresh and bleeding. If you leave it open it could lead to infection. It won't take much time either. Until you finish eating, I can do the dressing, please", he insisted.

"It's bleeding because I scrubbed it a little harshly while bathing.", she said.

"Please..", he begged.

"Rrr.. Alright..", she rolled her eyes as she gave up to his insistence.

He quickly sat on his knees in front of her and unboxed the first aid.

"Sidhaaarth, It will sting..", she whined looking at the antiseptic lotion in his hand. He froze hearing his name in a whining tone for the first time after a year and half.  While she didn't realise her words, he was confused. Did he really hear those words or was he just imagining.

"It won't.", he replied pouring a little liquid on the cotton gauge. She clenched her eyes in fear of sting while on the other he dabbed the cotton gauge gently on her wound. He stole a quick glance of her expression and smiled subtly. While dabbing, he blew soothing air over the wound.

"Oh wow!! It really didn't sting. Pfftt..", Sana sighed opening her eyes. He shrugged and stuck a band-aid to cover the wound.

"Done..", he declared.

"Hmm.. thanks. I am done eating as well.", she said and quickly rushed off to drop the plate in sink. She grabbed her bag and kissed sleeping Khushi to say bye bye.

"Bye..", she muttered and left.

"Bye.. have a great day..", he mumbled to no one since she was already gone. He sighed already missing her presence.

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To be continued.. ❤️❤️