Firstly, Thank you so so much for your support on the previous chapter!!! It means so much to me. Please continue loving the story and characters.

Secondly, I have copied the chapter over from a different app so it appears the pasting hasn't happened properly. I apologize about the weird spacing and spelling in advance. I will edit soon.

“Are you asleep?” Akash asked softly without opening his eyes. He noticed that even their sleeping positions were the opposite of each other. He slept on his stomach with arms and legs sprawled while Rudra slept straight on his back.

When Rudra didn't reply, Akash kicked his calf lightly.

“What is your problem?” Rudra snapped and kicked him back under the covers.

“I didn't even kick you that hard, drama queen.” Rudra scoffed when Akash almost howled in pain. “What do you want?”

“Should we try and convince Dadu to come back to Delhi?” Akash asked as he opened his eye a wink to study his brother's profile.

Rudra twisted his face towards Akash with a questioning look on his face. “Why?”

He didn't reply. The thought had come out of nowhere. Sitting and watching his grandfather laugh and speak to him felt so surreal that night that sudden fear of the future made him extremely restless.

“You know there is no cure for Dadaji's condition. Isn't it better if we let him be where he is happy?” Rudra asked after a few moments of silence.

“Yes, but in Delhi, we can get him better health care. Don't you think? Plus, you and I can't stay here forever. We'll eventually have to go back, and leaving him here seems…”

“Scary,” Rudra finished for him. “I know.”

“What should we do? Maybe you can ask Dad to convince him?”

“Why don't you ask him? He is your dad too.”

Akash scoffed and shut his eyes. “Doesn't feel like it anymore. All we talk about is how I am a failure.”

“All Dad and I talk about now is work.” Rudra murmured under his breath so quietly that Akash would have missed it if he weren't paying attention. He could feel Rudra restraining himself from saying what he wanted to say next, so he decided to end the conversation and call it a night.

There was complete silence in the room for a few minutes, and Akash was almost asleep when Rudra said, “Sakshi called me tonight.”

He instantly opened his eyes at the mention of Sakshi. Why was Rudra telling him all this? It turns out even after all these years, the tinge of pain and jealously still hadn't died down. He knew it was selfish, and he was angry with himself for treating Rudra and Sakshi the way he did back when he found out they were dating, but he just couldn't help it. Constantly watching and listening to his brother talk and be with the woman he loved was difficult.

“She wants to come to visit Dadaji,” Rudra whispered and tucked his hand under his head. “I told her it wasn't a good idea. I mean, we are already all piling on here and having our own guest doesn't seem appropriate.”

Akash didn't say anything in return. So far, he had managed to ignore Sakshi well enough and wasn't sure if he was ready to face her again.

“Do you still love her?” Akash asked, bracing himself for Rudra's reply. He didn't even know why he had asked him that. It wasn't like his answer would change anything.

“I am not discussing my dating life with you, Akash.” Rudra curtly said and rolled over to his side. “If you were so interested in my life, you wouldn't have shut me out as you did.”

“Oh! So, it's all my fault now?” Akash spat out, pushing away his guilt. “What about you, Rudra. You were my only friend, but what did you do? You left me behind to hang out with your smart medicos.”

“What are you talking about?” Rudra huffed and sat up. “You had so many friends when you were in college, and before that, I tried to include you in everything I did with my friends and-”

“Yes, by making me feel like a pile on.” He retorted bitterly. “You know what, Rudra. Forget it. You'll never understand.”

Rolling over, he got out of the bed and went into the washroom to get a handle on his feelings.

Akash used his right hand to wipe off the remains of the cold water he had just splashed on his face. Given the time of the year, it was a stupid move. Studying his reflection in the mirror, his mind went back to the much simpler times. Rudra had been his entire world. While the elders were out chasing wealth, he and Rudra were at home, making memories that strangely still made him smile. His elder brother was always there for him. Whether it was to wipe his tears after a scolding or to cover up for his mischiefs or goof-ups, or even his friend who would always wait for him regardless of how slow he was. As the brother of an academically inclined student, nothing less was expected of Akash at school and home. He didn't think much of it at first, but as he grew up, the pressure of living up to the benchmark his elder brother had set slowly began acting as a constant noose around his neck. A constant reminder that he will never be good enough as Rudra. It never let him partake in activities he enjoyed because he was always shadowing Rudra everywhere.

The thing that made him the angriest was the fact that he would work himself to the bone before every exam and only score average grades while Rudra would top the classes without putting even half of the efforts. Rudra's attempts of cheering, words of encouragement and actions to include him in things began feeling hollow, meaningless, and acts of pity as time went on. Sakshi and Rudra dating was the final nail in the coffin. Sakshi came into their lives when she and Rudra had just turned 12. Even though she was older than Akash, he still developed a crush on her. Her kindness and compassionate attitude made his young heart flutter time and again. When she smiled at him, he felt as if the entire world was a better place. Never could he gather enough courage to tell Sakshi how he really felt about her. The one person he hoped would love him back without constantly comparing him to his brother also chose Rudra because he was better than Akash.

🌸

“Oh ho, Dadi!” Soumya whistled softly and giggled as she fixed her grandmother's hair. “You look very beautiful.”

“So beautiful,” Akash said in agreement as he gently nudged Chandni's face a little to the left before snapping another burst of test shots.

“No! No! That's enough.” Chandni shook her head and tried to get up, but Akash held her down.

“Just a few more shots. Everyone is still getting ready, so don't worry.” Akash placated and moved to a different angle. “Dadiji, you are looking absolutely stunning.” He assured the older lady who seemed conscious of having her pictures taken.

“You kids are too much.” Chandni huffed.

“You are a very talented assistant, Ms. Soumya,” Akash commented with a grin when she came to stand beside him. “Maybe you can become my permanent assistant?”

Soumya laughed and shook her head, “I will keep that in mind! This does seem like a fun job. You promise me you'll let me know when you are going to shoot Hrithik Roshan, right?”

“Of course!”

Soumya smiled as she watched Chandni oblige to every request Akash made. Watching her grandmother do something that she seemed to be enjoying was very refreshing. In the monotony of everyday lives, everyone often forgot that their elders were also human beings with their own set of ambitions and hobbies.

The Rawats and Awasthys were off to the temple fair a few villages over. Being Sunday, Manoj had suggested the idea. Purshottam had jumped on board while Rudra refused blatantly. Finally, after a lot of convincing from everyone, he agreed when Purshottam promised they would return home after praying while the youngsters would stay on and enjoy the fair. Rudra didn't want to do that either, but after Purshottam practically emotionally blackmailed him, he agreed.

“I'll just be back.” She said to Akash and walked over to Dhara, who was standing near their jeep.

“Ready?”

“What's happening over there?” Dhara asked, nodding her chin in the direction of Akash and Chandni instead.

“Akash is taking pictures of Dadi.” She explained excitedly.

“I thought he was a wildlife photographer, you know, because he could blend in.”

“No,” Soumya shook her head, purposely misunderstanding Dhara's jibe. “He is a celebrity photographer. You know he promised me that he'd let me know when he shoots Hrithik Roshan next.”

Dhara snorted, “He is making a fool of you. As if a celebrity would like to work with him.”

“No, seriously. He showed me his work. It's pretty amazing, and he said he'd take a few pictures of the medical camp so we can use it to promote our initiative for more sponsorship.”

“I did that last time!” Dhara said and stomped her foot petulantly. “I don't understand why you had to invite them to ftothe medical camp. We already had enough volunteers.”

“But, Akash is a professional. Obviously, there'll be a difference in quality.” She rolled her eyes and smiled when she saw Akash forcing Tanuja to join Chandni for their combined photo shoot. “Purshottam Dadaji asked me ,and I couldn't say no.” With puppy dog eyes, she wrapped her hand around Dhara's arm. “It'll be very beneficial to have extra hands. Don't spoil your mood.”

“Okay. But why would you invite them to go with us to Dharamsala? We were going to go to watch a movie and then to a restaurant. Now, we'll just have to go buy the supplies and come back home.”

“I talked to Akash ,and he said we could definitely watch the movie.” She said and removed her hand.

“What about Mr. Grumpy face? Did he agree ,or do we have to beg him for our enjoyment?”

Before Soumya could answer ,someone cleared their throats behind them. To their embarrassment, they found Rudra looking right at them.

When Soumya shot an accusatory glance at Dhara, at least she had the courtesy to look flustered and guilty.

“Uhhh... I have to go get my phone. I'll be back.” Dhara stammered and scurried away leaving Soumya to bear the rest of the mortification by herself.

Soumya cleared her throat and prayed that her cheeks and ears weren't red because she could feel them burning. “You are ready!” She squeaked, pointing at his white button-downshirt and blue jeans.

He looked down at his shoes for a few seconds before looking up at her with his eyebrows raised. “Yes,” He said in his usual nonchalant voice.

“Since it is a very casual event ,I see you swapped your glasses for sunglasses.” She said and then laughed to ward off the awkward nervousness. Licking her lips, she did a double tuck. “Come on, Soumya”, She murmured under her breath when he raised his eyebrow again.

“I'll tell Dadu that I don't want to go to Dharamsala with you guys. You can take Akash with you if you like. I don't want to spoil your plans with my grumpiness.”

Soumya wanted the earth to split open and devour her. “I... Dhara is... I am...” Stammering, she looked around the garden for her betraying sister. “Sorry?” She finally offered when she couldn't articulate a proper sentence.

“Sorry that I heard?” Rudra asked. She wasn't sure if she interpreted his tone correctly, but she quickly squashed the thought of Rudra teasing her just as soon as it came up. “It's fine. I have been called worse.”

“You are not angry at us, are you?” She asked ,instead. She felt like a teenager talking to her friend, so she changed her attitude. “I mean... We are really sorry. That conversation shouldn't have happened. It was inappropriate. Dhara is a little immature and childish, but she would never insult anyone. I hope you can forgive us for that comment.”

“I said it's fine. I can understand why Dhara doesn't want me around. I won't-”

“No, please,” Soumya shook her head to interrupt him. “Please don't cancel. You are our guest ,and we would like the opportunity to show our hospitality.”

He gave a small laugh that surprised Soumya ,and she looked up at him in confusion. “You have shown enough hospitality to my family and me. When in fact, you should be angry at us for what Akash did to your sister's room-”

She frowned ,and then an ear splitting grin broke out on her face. “You mean the switching out of the posters? That was hilarious!”

“You're serious?”

“Of course! No one around here takes any pangas with Dhara ,and Akash has done the unthinkable. Plus ,it's a little funny to see Dhara all riled up.” She giggled involuntarily before she realized what she was doing, so she hurriedly straightened her back and smiled politely at him before excusing herself.

The entire way towards Akash and the older ladies, she felt the butterflies in her stomach multiplying because she could sense Rudra's attention on her the entire time.

Author's note: Hope you all liked the chapter!!!❤

Any gusses on what's going to happen at the fair? Let's see how many of you guys can figure out what I have planned 😆Here is a small spoiler to help you.

If you would like to see longer chapters, then type +1 as an inline comment here.