GROUP SS-Bandhan!(From Varsh,madhu,Awi )updt-pg 21 - Page 10

"Daddy…pleashh ! I don't want to go to school. I want to go back to London." she pouted in her british accent. Her parents looked at the innocent child of theirs. They smiled at her. She was their only child. Ever since they came back Arohi had been sad. And now that, she was about to join school for her 2^nd grade she hated it. She had always hated school but going to a new school where she knew no one was the last thing she wanted.

"But beta, if you don't go to school how will you learn and if you don't learn how will you be a biggg person?"

"But daddy, I don't know anybody!" she frowned with her hands on hips.

"Don't worry darling! You are good enough to make friends. And there will be Arjun with you too beta!" Her dad Sudhir picked her up and holded her in his arms.

"Arjun ! Who's Arjun ?"

"Beta, He's the son of our family friends. We have been friends since long and you guys were born at a gap of one month. We kept you both together until your first birthday when we had to move to London and they to States."

"Daddy, he's you friend's son. But not my friend ! And he's at states anyway ? I don't remember him though!"

"Our little angel is too smart for a 7 yr old right! They've come back like us! And don't you worry, They are coming over at our place. So, you will know him."

"Mamma…Daddy wants me to go to school. And I hate school ! That's so unfair mamma !" She said turning towards her mom and rolling her eyes.

Her mom took her from her dad's grip and made her seat at the sofa and bent down her knees before her. "Beta, you want to be a great person right ? Want a big house right ?"

She nodded frowning.

"Then beta, you need to go school for that. You should study and learn things na to become a great person."

She gave her parents a weird look and ran towards her room. Arohi had always been a bright student, even though it was too early to decide that. But ever since she had joined school at the age of 3.5 yrs she had learnt everything smart. She was pretty smart and a sharp child. Going to school had not been her thing back there too, but after making friends she had got used to it. And again, after 3 years of adjustment she had to come back to India and go to a complete new environment. She sucked at speaking hindi and making new friends again was all in all a boring thing for her.

Sudheer and Amrit, her parents sighed at their daughter. She was one hell of a stubborn child being the only child. But, this time they couldn't do anything about it. May be this evening, getting to know Arjun would make things better.

"Ting tong" the bell rang and Amrit hurried towards the door. She knew who could it be and literally ran towards the door. No soon she had opened the door and there stood the Singhania Family ! Amrit threw herself at the lady figure standing at the door. They hugged each other tight and both of their eyes got mist.

"Kumud...I am meeting you after 6 years. You've grown a lot thin huh ?" Amrit Aluwahlia expressed.

"Yeah ! it's been a long time. I was dying to see you! And you've become a big fat doll huh ?"

Amrit hit Kumud Singhania on her arms when a little boy hopped in. He started running towards every corner of house while Amrit stared at him .

"Aa..Ar..Arjun ?" Amrit looked at Kumud with dreamy eyes. Kumud nodded and a voice from behind stepped in "Bhabhi, are you planning on making us stay out all evening ?"

It was Rudra. Rudra Pratap Singhania. Best friend to sudheer Aluwahlia. And an equally wonderful businessman as Sudheer was.

"Oh sorry Bhai sab!" Said Amrit with an apologetic look.

"Rudraaa….mere bhai !" screamed Sudheer coming down from the stairs with his lil baby girl in his arms.

The Singhanias and Aluwahlias had been friends since, 3 generations back. Arohi's great grandad's dad and Arjun's great grandad's dad had been friends. And that tradition of being friends had been carried off by their parents too. Ever since the startind days of their career they were friends, and now that they were parents, their friendship had only grew as their wives were best friends too.

After a lil showing around and warming up, they noticed, Arjun and Arohi were missing from the living room. The elders got too caught up in their conversation that they didn't even notice their children missing. Not that they were actually missing, it was a big home, they were probably playing somewhere but still they had to go for a search. The first place they went was Arohi's room.
And the sight their parents got was obviously, one to die for.

Arjun was laying on the ground with Arohi over him and they were giggling. While the elders stood their puzzled, the little children got up and continued laughing at each other.

"Hey what happen Darlings ?" Asked Amrit.

"Mamma…You know what he fell down and I just gave him my hand to pick him up. But I fell down instead. Hehehehe !" She started giggling again.

"And how did he fall down?" asked Kumud this time.

Arohi laughed more harder and between her chuckles she managed to speak " He was trying to catch me and I just fooled him and poor boy fell down. She said it confidently in a mocking way.

The lil boy with those beautiful pair of eyes had a lil shade of red on his cheeks and he had his hand at his hair. He frowned and lowered his gaze. He was undeniably embarrassed. Even though, it sounded a small thing. But, what more would matter to a small 7 yrs old boy rather than getting teased by a GIRL ?

The rest of the evening passed by with Arjun and Arohi playing like they'd known each other since forever. They were fighting, running, dancing and screaming like maniacs. But, that's the way it was supposed to be. Their parents couldn't help a smile. They wanted their child to have atleast a friend before they join school, when they didn't really want to to go school. They would be together till the school anyway ! So, they had to get well !

After some games of hide and seek, tripping and falling over the small kids sat at the couch on the living room. The ladies were all into the latest gossips and all that they had to catch up about. The men were discussing about business and what else?

"Aljun, can you speak hindi ?"

"No!" he said sadly.

"Owh..Same here. I wish I could learn !"

"Me too. My parents try to teach me, but I don't get a bit of it!"

"Yeah. Ditto ! You know what if I learn someday, I will teach you !"

"Do you know what, my mommy and daddy are sending me to a school. So bad na?"

"Oh no. my parents too. I hate school !"

"Yeah, playing is so much fun ! Why do we have to go to school ?"

"You and me, we will be going to the same school yeah?"

"At least ! Hey, I have a plan so that our Mum dad won't send us school !"

"What?"

"Let's run away !"what say ?"

"But where will you go?"

"Owh yeah!" he nodded sadly.

"Why don't we pretend to die?"

"hushhh…Do you know what does dying mean ? It means, going away forever and not coming back!"

"How do you know that? Have you died before?"

"No istupid. I'd have died earlier, you wouldn't see me!"

"Ohh…Thank god you didn't die then. Or else, I wouldn't have phun today!"

"Hmm…What do we do about the school ?"

They bought took their index finger towards their chin with their brows folded and eyes rolled as if they were thinking something very important.

Suddenly Arjun's face glowed and he shouted "IDEAAA!"

He whispered something at Arohi's ears and they were both jumping with happiness. All excited they hugged each other. As they drifted apart they high fived leaving their parents all puzzled.

"Al..aljun, I am..am afraid!" she stammered. Their idea of staying back at school so that their parents wouldn't send them school again seemed perfect at that moment. But now, getting locked in the dark library wasn't a perfect thing at all ! Not even near perfect. Even though Arjun wanted to be the brave Boy and assure Arohi, he was still a kid anyway ! Last night, when their parents came around asking why they sound so excited, they replied that they were excited to go to school had thrilled everyone. But, their parents were too straight to understand their not-so-straight plans. They had been happy instead. They thought, may be their company to each other helped it !

"Alohi, don't worry !" Mom dad will come here soon ! And we will tell them, the school was so careless that we had to get locked here !"

"But but aljun, when are they coming? It's so dalk in here. And and I am scared of dalkness."

"I am here na Alohi, so why are you worrying. And you are scared of dalk? Eww, I thought you are brave!" he gave a mocking laugh. He had to change her attention to something else.

"Wha? Whatt do you mean huhh huhh?"

"No nothing"

"You said I am not brave?"

"Uhh "

"I am brave okay !" she said twisting her lips.

Instead he laughed it off which annoyed the girl next to him more than ever. She stood up leaving his hands that she had holded. She stood right before me with her hands on her hips, lips twisted, eyes frowning !

"See, I will go around the library alone ! This big library you see?"

"Alohi, this is a big library and I am sure, you won't be able to do this. Leave it okay?"

"No, I will show you I am brave. Wait and watch!" And she moved her feet forward to make tour at the library leaving a stunned Arjun behind. Yeah, he wanted to change the topic but uh, this way ?

She wouldn't let him follow her but she was actually scared. Scared of the darkness ! Girls are always said to have more ego, be it the 7 yr old ! She started walking but was afraid of moving ahead ! She wanted to walk ahead leaving him behind but she wanted to stay back with him!

After few mins, Arjun heard a voice screaming. It was no one else than Arohi. Without wasting a second, Arjun went towards the voice. It came from the extreme corner of the library which was very dark. Arjun reached there in a matter of seconds to find Arohi on the ground with her face covered with her tiny hands and breathing hardly.

"Alohii" he screamed and bent down on his knees.
"Alohii, look at me ! Tell me what happened ?" He tried to raise her chin. But in failure ! He couldn't think of anything, so he hugged her .

"Alohii, see don't cry. Mereko hindi nope aati, but look at me, main tumhari liye try kar raha hain. Please, smile. "

She slightly looked up with a smile on her face. His hindi was indeed funny. His accent made it more funnier. The tears were still visible on her face. Arjun looked at her worried and cupped her face "Look Alohi, I m sorry. I didn't want to see you cry!" He said pouting.

"No, actually I saw a cockroach and and it jumped over my foot !" she started sobbing again.

"Oh ho Arohi. You said na you're brave ?" he spoke up hugging her.

"Yeah Yaa, I am brave!" she managed to say between her sobs.

"So, brave people don't cry over a small cockroach !"

"But but, it could bite me na?"

"No, I wouldn't let it bite you. I would bite it instead. And why are you afraid ! main hoon na, I will protect you from everything. I am a superman after all !"

She giggled into that staring to his eyes.

..

"Arohii Aluwahliaa, get the hell out !"

"2 mins Arjun !"

"Your two mins ? huh ! I've been waiting here since 1 an half hour. And you're not even ready !"

"As if ! I told you na, go and stay in the living room. When you are so interested to be my guard then what do I do ?"

"Oye hello , you are 20 already ! And you still behave like you used to when we met for the first time !"

"Our first meeting !" She sighed and giggled.

He smiled remembering how they planned of staying back at school and their parents came up. Everything worked according to their plan except the fact that, they had to go to a school, another one though !

"Yeah, it was my great idea !"

"That's why it was ridiculous !"

"Shut up, at least we didn't go to school for the next 2 days !"

"Yeah, right ! So that we could go to a next school !"

"Whatever !! GET OUT or I am coming in ! Damn, its already 8:0 Arohi ! Its our senior year ! Last YEAR man ! And you are not yet ready ! The first day of last year and we will be late ! How cool is that !" He rolled his eyes leaning towards the door.

"No no..We are never late !" she said opening the door which caused him to trip. He rolled his eyes and took a glance at his best friend. And then, sparks flew, world stopped and stood for a while, their heart beats got racing and their eyes met ! NO, nothing like that happened ! Instead he glared at her and twisted his nose and gave a YUCK look to her !

"You took this long to dress up to look like this?"

"I hate you ! This is my new dress, I brought it from Paris ! And its designed by the best designer ever !" And then she hit him in his arms and hence, started their regular fights of kicks and pillows and so on.

No, they were not the kind of best friends to fall for each other. They were only best friends. No eye locks, no jealousy, no sparks, no heart beats racing ! They loved each other, in every possible way but as best friends. They were always together, but to have fun. They cared for each other but weren't possessive about each other. Yeah, Arjun Singhania and Arohi Aluwahlia were Not Lovers !

...

This is it !
Reviews Please ? :)