Chapter 1
Arnav stretched his right hand, searching for the familiar figure there. Little left, then right, little to the edge but the inure touch didn't grazed his rough palm. His eyes jerked opened.He sat straight on the bed, his panic eyes searching anxiously. His hasty hand reached the bed side lamp, instantly filling the room with faint amber.
And there he heard the voice!
His eyes landed at the tail of the bed. His feature relaxed instantly and he leaned back against the head-post. He closed his eyes, regulating his breath which had taken a pace. He opened his eyes after few seconds and his weary orbs rested on the tiny figure lying near his leg. He stretched forward and laid on the bed, flat on his stomach, his face too close to the ridiculously innocent looking creature lying there.
" How many times to tell you to stay close to me? What are you doing here? Everyone sleeps at night, what are you doing? Come here.." rolling on his back, he took him on his chest, his head still facing the tail and legs pointing towards the head-post.
" Come, sleep now..." Arnav patted his back, his rough hand patting the soft skin covered with a thin cotton cloth.
Arnav tilted his head down after few minutes of patting, to only stare in two big hazel gazing back at him, wide awake. He stared in the two innocent pools, so like her. He averted his eyes from there.
" Aren't you sleepy? I told you to sleep ...sleep" his features tensing, the voice turning rough.
Arnav again looked at the innocent face, the smiling lips first turned into a big pout, then quivered a little and soon the wailing sound filled the confine of four walls.
" Shhh...calm down...how many times to tell you I don't like this wailing business...Can't you understand?...now keep quite...shhh" his commanding words laced with mixture of care and coarseness.
Arnav got up from the bed, holding him close to his chest. The innocent little thing rested his tiny head on the warm and comforting chest, his sobs turning into small hiccups.
" Shhh...calm down...quiet...keep quiet." He said, but the small hiccups continued.
Arnav entered the poolside, his leg halting near the rose plant. His gaze fixed at the recliner there, just staring.
He saw themselves there. She sat on the recliner, he beside her, telling her how their heart beats in unison. How the one can't do without the other.
He saw the two figures getting up, advancing towards him, ever so slowly, the two pair of eyes, gazing at each other, shinning with love. He saw the couple approaching him, and then...then...then everything disappeared. The two people, advancing towards him, disappeared in the cool breeze of the night. His scared eyes looked everywhere. He ran towards the recliner- nothing there.
But...but...he just saw her.
Arnav's heart thudded frantically inside his chest, his throat getting dry. Running his hand in his thick hair, he looked down at his shoulder. Securing the tiny little thing close to his chest, he slumped on the same place where she had sat just a mere years ago.
He looked down at him, he was wide awake, not a trace of sleep in his eyes.
"Sleep...have some mercy on me...sleep.." Arnav whispered, his throat choking with emotions. But it was like no one had an ounce of mercy reserved for him, not the one resting on his chest and certainly not her.
"What should I do to make you sleep?...What?...Should I sing for you?"
"Chandaa hai tu...mera suraj hai tu..."
The sweet voice filled Arnav's ears instantly, and at last the tears spilled out, a sob dying in his throat.
She sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard. Her hand caressing her swollen belly... and the love in her eyes- the love and care in her eyes so palpable that it held the power to cut the thick air between them and strike straight at the place where he felt it all. He felt the love, the care, the adoration, everything. He leaned against the door, just watching her singing the lullaby for their unborn child, a small smile playing on his lips.
Arnav looked down at his son, his innocent face tugging at his heart.
"Chandaa hai tu...mera suraj hai tu" the rough voice grazed the two tiny ears.
"O meri ...aankhon ka... taara hai tu..." Arnav continued, the pauses at all the wrong places.
"Jeeta ...hu ... main... bas tujhe dekh kar...is toote dil ka sahaara hai tu..."
"Nanha... sa hai...Kitana Sundar Hai Tu"
"Chhota ...Sa Hai... Kitana Pyaara Hai Tu"
"Chanda Hai Tu..., Mera Suraj Hai Tu"
Arnav completed the words he was able to recollect and looked down at his son. And to his surprise, he was fast asleep.
His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he brought his son close to his chest, his hold on him tightening. He lifted his head up, facing the vast blue sky, holding the tears, not wanting it to flow down.
He will not cry, he will not! Why should he cry? For her? For that woman,who betrayed him? Who, not for a second, thought about him? He will not cry for her. He will not! But still a sane portion of his mind, a selfless portion, still reasoned with her decision. A decision which took her away from him.
Was there no other way?
Had he done something if he had known beforehand?
Would he have been able to convince her otherwise if she would have told him everything?
All the above questions clouded his mind, one by one saying yes to every question.
Yes! There WAS another way.
Yes! He would HAVE done something.
Yes! He would have convinced her, he would have done anything to do that and God forbid, if that meant killing himself, than he would have done that, too.
And maybe that's the very reason she had deceived him!
A voice from within screamed at him.
Arnav shunned that voice; nobody dares to stand against him. And when the matter is about that beautiful deceiving woman, than no one dares! Not even the voice within him.
Arnav got up on his feet and took the familiar path leading to their room. Entering the room, he laid his son in the middle of the bed, securing his right side by placing a pillow and then lying on the left side. The sleep was his enemy these days but still he dared to expect some mercy from it.
The morning rays grazed his room, embarking the room with its fresh light. Arnav opened his eyes for it to instantly land on his tiny son. He was sleeping.
Getting up from the bed, he secured his son from all sides and then having a look at his work, he assured himself he will be safe. Taking his towel from the cupboard, he went inside the bathroom.
Exiting the bathroom in his towel, he looked at the bed. His son now wide awake, playing there by throwing his tiny hands and legs up in the air. Arnav marched towards him and picked him in his arms.
" Come... I will give you a bath" taking another dry towel, he entered the bathroom to give his son a bath.
Arnav entered the kitchen, holding his son by one arm and the milk bottle in his other hand. Marching towards the wash basin, he opened the bottle to wash it. Holding his son with one hand, he washed the bottle with the other- with great difficulty, but did nonetheless. Taking the clean bottle, he went towards the Kitchen slab. Keeping the bottle there, he went towards the fridge, removing the milk he again returned near the stove. Pouring the milk in a steel container, he kept it on the stove to warm.
Payal entered the kitchen to witness the familiar sight of Arnav ji warming the milk for his Son. Plastering a smile with awkwardly, she took hesitant steps towards them.
"Arnav ji, give it to me...I...ahhh.." Payal yelped with the force her hand was jerked away.
Arnav's blazing eyes flashed at the woman standing in front of him.
" How many times..?"Arnav hissed. " How many times to tell you? Do not come in front of me!!" his loud cry filled the kitchen, making Payal jump in fright.
Payal's eyes, filled with tears, shining with pure motherly love and craving, craving to touch the little angel in front of her, to feel his soft skin, to kiss that pout which was grazing his small lips, to smell his baby odor, to feed him, take care of him.
" Arnav ji, I was just...just" Payal stammered, the lump in her throat not allowing her to speak further.
And Arnav Singh Raizada was neither all ears for her.
" I had told you so many times to stay away from my child...I don't need your help...He is my Son...Either I am feeding him or starving him, shouting at him or loving him...all these is none of your concern, do you understand?!!"Arnav bellowed and then pouring the milk in the bottle, he marched out from there as fast as his legs carried him.
A small sob left Payal's mouth as she ran out of the Kitchen.
Akash was putting his jacket on when something collided against his back with such force that he took a few steps ahead. He turned his head to look at his wife.
"Payal?" his concerned voice traveled its destination.
" Why? Why he does this?...Why?" Payal sobbed. " You...You know right?...you know that I have done nothing of sort Arnav ji thinks I have...I...I am not selfish...you know right?...you know, right?" Payal frantically pleaded for some answers.
" Yes...yes I know Payal...I know you are not selfish...Whatever you have done was selfless...Your intentions were never selfish...But you know Bhai, right? It's really hard to make him believe this...really hard Payal" Akash wiped the tears from his wife's face and hugged her, providing her the much needed support.
Payal closed her eyes tight as more tear spilled out, the lump in her throat making the easy task of drawing the breath in and out, a difficult task.
Arnav pulled in the last button of his shirt, and looked in the mirror.
And that's how Anjali Raizada found her brother as she entered his room.
" All ready, Arnav" Anjali asked. She moved towards the bed where her nephew lay. She sat on the bed beside him.
" Wow, you are looking all fresh today, it seems your father had some mercy on you.." Anjali joked as she picked her nephew in his arms.
" Give him to me, I am getting late." Arnav extended his hand for his son as he stood in front of his sister.
Let me play with him for a while...I swear on you Arnav, I didn't knew anything...if I would have known then..."
" I know.."Arnav cut her mid sentence. He lifted his tired eyes to look at his sister. " That's why I allow you near him otherwise I wouldn't have allowed you anywhere near him, too" Arnav's cold and low voice filled the room.
Anjali's concerned eyes took in her Brother. He has lost considerate amount of weight, the once powerful eyes now lacked its luminous. Her Brother looked nothing but a living body whose soul was wretched away. Often she wondered what was holding her brother together. But one look at the little bundle in his arms and she would get her answers instantly.
Anjali handed her nephew to Arnav.
" Take care of him...and yours, too .."
Arnav looked down at his son, who was smiling at him. Not bothering to reciprocate the smile, he packed his Son's bag with all the necessities and exited the room.
"Good morning Sir!" Aman's manly voice greeted Arnav as soon as he reached his SUV.
"Morning.." Arnav greeted back and handed his son to Aman, who took the junior Raizada with a smile on his lips.
"Hello Junior. How are you today? All good? Excited to meet your..."
" Aman, if you are done then shall we start?" Arnav asked as he started the ignition.
Aman nodded obediently and set inside the car with his nephew smiling in his arms.
INDEX-
Hi, everyone. This is a new Short Story, consisting of just three parts. I have all the three parts already, but need to do some editing. For now posting the first chapter, let me know how it is.
@Moonbow, than you for suggesting me to post in IPKKND forum.
-Saami
My Other ArShi work- ArShi Story ~ The December Girl~
Cricket
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