Another day, another pakau episode, prompting me to escape into my own little AU and hoping to entice you to it too! Enjoy my dear Arylians.
As always, don't forget to leave me a comment, your thoughts and feedback.
Love, M
Previously,
"Yes, Mr. Tripathi. I came to Delhi looking for retribution for what happened to Arvind Jiju." he bit out.
"So you married her without telling her the truth?"
"No, Mr.Tripathi. I made sure she knew the most important facts of all. I loved her, unconditionally. I accepted her the way she was and freed her to be what she wanted to be." Aryan looked up at Imlie, who returned his gaze with a small smile, her eyes shining with pride.
"Wow! I mean just look at you two. He manipulated you just like Malini manipulated me and you fell for it." Aditya said derisively.
"No, Babusaheb. There is a key difference. Malini didi trapped you with her manipulations and Aryan set me free." Imlie turned to look at Aditya, the small smile still playing on her lips, as Aryan covered the hand on his shoulder and slowly brought it to his lips.
"You have got to believe, Aryan. I meant your brother-in-law no harm. I would never.... I could never, ever dream of inflicting such agony on another human being." Aditya looked desperate, " I am not a murderer. You can think what you want of me, but not that. NOT that!" Aditya's eyes filled with tears.
"Why, Mr. Tripathi? Why does it matter that I believe you?"
"Because I would never knowingly widow a woman, Aryan, you must believe that. That is not the man my mother brought me up to be."
"Have you made a decision about entering rehab?" Imlie asked him point-blank.
"I never thought it was a choice. Was it, Imlie?" Aditya asked.
Imlie shook her head.
Chapter 14:
"Imlie maasi!!! Aryan Chaachu!!!"
Aryan sat bolt upright, running a hand through his hair as Imlie startled awake. The insistent thumping on their door was getting louder. Aryan squinted at the clock and groaned. 0600AM. What kind of kid didn't like to sleep in? Usually they could not get him to move out of bed to save their lives, but today, of course, he had to be up before the everyone.
Imlie slid out of bed and hurried to the closet, picking up her clothes on the way, while Aryan pulled on his sweats.
"Chaaaachu!!! Maasi! Open the door! Wake up, the sun is rising, so should you!"
They could hear Maa speaking in a hushed tone. "What Neel!? Let them sleep na! Is it necessary to wake them and entire household?"
"Give me a minute!" Aryan called back, muttering under his breath as he walked to the door, "Makes one want to stay on birth control forever, walking talking contraception ad!"
As soon as he unlocked the door, Neel bounded in and jumped on the unkempt bed. Narmada smiled apologetically at him. "I tried to stop him." she offered by way of apology.
Aryan sighed rubbing a hand across his tired face, "It's okay, Maa. He has an excuse. He is 5.” Narmada grinned and hurried away to finish her early morning chores.
He looked back at Neel who was already treating their bed like a trampoline.
"You are going to break the bed, dude! It's not a trampoline." Aryan reminded him, as he scooped him off the bed.
"Okay, I won't jump but will you tickle me, Chachu? Or better yet, can we wrestle?"
Aryan was not sure at what point Neel had chosen to promote him from a formal Aryan uncle to Chachu, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind it one bit. Aryan rubbed the back of his neck, unable to believe the amount of energy packed into this little bundle. It was hard to resist his infectious grin though.
He mock wrestled Neel to the bed and tickled him till he was out of breath. "Alright, stop, Chachu! Stop! I ....need to ....breathe" he giggled some more. They both lay beside each other as Neel caught his breath. A minute later, Neel perched himself on Aryan's chest.
"I don't want to go to school today," he announced just as Imlie came out dressed in her t-shirt and sweats. Imlie watched the two on the bed. Aryan looked like a giant in contrast to Neel. But Neel had no fear whatsoever, as he sat on Aryan's chest. What had Neel just said? her brain kickstarted from its lack of sleep.
Aryan saw her look up at the ceiling and close her eyes. It was fun to see her reigning in her temper. He would bet his bottom dollar, she was asking Sita Maiyya for patience as Neel started their daily morning dialog. He decided to give her a break today, after all, she deserved one after last night.
Aryan caught her eye, grinning at her irritated face and he winked at her.
"Well, kiddo, how about we brush our teeth, first? You could put Shrek to shame, right now, you stink so bad." He sat up, hoisting Neel effortlessly to his side, as he swung his feet to the floor and stood up.
"No I do not! Was it Shrek or Donkey though that smelled bad?" Neel asked as Aryan headed to the bathroom.
"I think it was Shrek."
"Nahhh, it was Donkey. Maybe we can watch it again and decide, Chaachu. He he he he....do you remember the part where Shrek farts and ...." Aryan covered Neel's mouth looking back at Imlie with a raised brow. He remembered Imlie in the early days of their acquaintance. No filter.
"Dude, be a gentleman would you? There is a lady in the room."
"Who? Oh! Imlie maasi? Nah! she is not a lady, Chaachu."
"What did you just say, young man?" Imlie looked at him with her eyes wide, looking mildly offended.
"I mean, you are not a lady, you are maasi, na?." Neel immediately made amends and grinned at her.
"Did anybody teach you to floss yet?" Aryan changed the subject and asked Neel as they stood beside the sink.
"Uh-uh" Neel looked at his uncle expectantly.
Imlie listened, thoroughly entertained by this side of Aryan as she walked to their desk and decided to take this opportunity to look through her emails quickly, while they were busy discussing dental hygiene.
She pulled up emails on her iPad, scrolling down until one caught her attention.
It was from the rehab center. She quickly tapped on it to see what it was about. The counsellor they had talked to at the rehab had replied to their query about enrollment to let them know, they had an immediate opening today. They could check in at 2 PM so Aditya could attend his first therapy session today.
She looked up from her iPad to see Aryan piggybacking Neel out of the bathroom, both chatting animatedly about cricket.
"Aryan?"
"Hmmmm?" he smiled at her.
"They have an opening today and would like us to be there by 2 o'clock."
"Well that was quick." he remarked, immediately alert. He walked to stand beside her and peered at the email, realizing that Neel was watching them curiously.
Aryan looked at the clock. 0630. He looked back at Imlie who raised her brows at him in question. They had planned on taking Aditya to his apartment to pack a few clothes and other necessities anyway.
"I'll take him. Maybe you can drop off Neel." she volunteered. Clearly, Neel was enamored with his "Chaachu" today.
"Take who, Imlie maasi? Who are you talking about? Chaachu are you going to take me to school today? Say yes, please!"
"Okay, fine. I think the center opens at 9 AM, you will need to call them to confirm that we are coming."
"Where are we going?" Neel asked again looking from Imlie to Aryan and back.
"You, my friend, are going to school. Imlie maasi and I have to take another one of our friends someplace today." Aryan started walking toward the closet. "Hey, Imlie? Can you bathe this little stinker? And then, Shrek, we eat." he teased Neel.
"I am not a stinker!" Neel giggled. "But I am Shrek hungry. Maasi, can I have pancakes?" he asked Imlie who picked out his clothes and a towel for him.
"Malpua! Or Cheela! It is called a malpua or you can call it cheela!"
"Chhheee, Maasi! Cheela!!" Neel made a face, " And not malpua, they are called pancakes!"
Imlie rolled her eyes. "No pancakes. All this processed food is so bad for you. How about paratha?"
"Yuck! And how can malpua be healthy? Mumma says fried food is bad. Aren't those fried?" Neel challenged Imlie. Aryan watched the exchange, amused. Imlie had finally met her match, he laughed inwardly as he left them to sort out breakfast, while he went to get showered and dressed. They had a long day ahead of them today. He needed to think quietly about all that needed to get done.
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Aditya Kumar Tripathi, looked at himself in the mirror, his hands stilling on the cuffs of his shirt as someone knocked on the door. Continuing to roll up his sleeves as he walked up the door and opened it to find Imlie on the other side.
"Babusaheb. I need to talk to you." Imlie got straight to the point before pausing and glancing around the room.
"What is it, Imlie?" Aditya asked her a little impatiently, noting that every time Aryan or Imlie came to the room they scanned it as though looking for hidden bottles of alcohol.
"We received an email from the rehab center this morning. Aryan had called their director last night and they have an opening. They would like you to be there as soon as possible."
Aditya took a deep breath and swallowed. Then with his hands on his hips, he asked "How soon?"
"2 o'clock." she said simply.
"Today?" he asked in surprise, looking around his room. "But..."
Imlie interrupted him before he could continue. "Babusaheb, they said that they would prefer if you detox in their facility because it is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by experienced staff."
Aditya ran a shaky hand through his hair. "I need to pack, don't I? I need to go home, Imlie."
Imlie nodded, "Aryan is going to drop off Neel at school. I can take you to the apartment and you can pack."
"Will Neel notice, if I am not around when he comes home today?" Aditya sounded unsure.
Imlie caught the inside of her lip as she mulled it over. Aditya had a point. Neel would notice and ask questions. He was already going through so many changes in his life. She was not sure how to handle this.
"Imlie. I was thinking maybe he could skip school, just for today."
Imlie looked up at Aditya and nodded her head slowly. "I think that is a very good idea. We can talk to him together and he can spend some more time with you. Maybe, he can come with us to drop you at the rehab center."
"You think that's a good idea?" Aditya looked doubtful.
Imlie nodded more confidently this time. "Yes. Yes, I think this will be good for him, Babusaheb."
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"Do I have to go to school?" Neel whined as Aryan dressed him.
Aryan looked at his pouting nephew. He was going to have to be careful with this cute-faced imp or he'd have him dancing to his tune in no time.
Imlie walked in just then, saving him from having to say, YES, for the umpteenth time.
"Aryan, can I talk to you for a minute? Neel, I think Nemo dadi was asking for you. She is getting ready to offer bhog to Krishna and wants you to do it." she smiled at him as she ushered him out with a house help to guide him to Maa.
"Everything okay?" Aryan asked as he watched Neel leave the room. He looked back at Imlie knowing she had just been talking to Aditya about their plans for the day.
She looked serious. Shaking her head, she quickly closed the distance between them and hugged him tight.
"Imlie?" Aryan felt his pulse pick up as he heard her sniffle softly. Shit, what had happened? If Aditya had said anything to her....
He rubbed her back, frowning. "Imlie, talk to me, please?" He gently pulled her away from him.
Imlie quickly wiped her tears. "Its nothing, Aryan. I just needed to let it out. These past few days....Everything is okay, honestly." she reassured him.
Aryan looked unconvinced.
"Aryan. I am just sad with all of this and while I know there is nothing we can do to change it, I just wish sometimes that none of us were in this position. You know what I mean?" she asked earnestly.
Aryan nodded, relieved. He pulled her back into his arms and Imlie sank into his warmth. She felt so slight. He frowned, she felt thinner. Had she lost weight? How had he not noticed before? His frown deepened. He would have to make sure she did not neglect herself while caring for everyone and their mother.
Imlie gently pushed him away and smoothed a hand over her hair.
"Can we let Neel stay at home today? I was thinking, he will get some time to spend with his father before he has to leave for rehab this afternoon. It will also give us a chance to talk to him about why his father is leaving."
Aryan nodded. Ah, so the kid was going to get his wish after all. Oh well, for a good reason.
This was going to be another important day in his life. His mother was ill and his father who had just come home after being missing for 2 days, was going to leave again. He could imagine Neel's anxiety when he found out.
Imlie walked away from him, looking for her tote. "I am going to take Babusaheb to the apartment, so he can pack. Are you planning to go to work for a couple of hours before you meet us back here? I want Neel to come with us to drop Babusaheb at rehab."
Aryan raised a brow.
"I think, it might help him to see that his father was going to a real place to get help and not just seem to disappear into a void."
Aryan nodded. She had a point. She always did, he thought as he smiled fondly at her.
She had his heart, all of it. Sometimes he wondered if all men felt like this when they looked at their wives. He had never pegged himself to be a sentimental guy, laughing at his "senti" friends, calling them schmaltzes.
He grinned as he picked up his leather briefcase and slung his jacket over his arm, glancing again at her. Here he was, still completely bowled over by her, more in love with her with each passing day. He shook his head, yeah, he was completely besotted and he didn't mind.
"Shall we go?" she was at his side, smiling at him. He smiled back as she slipped her hand through the crook of his arm.
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Arpita was in the garden, watering her plants early in the morning. It was promising to be a sunny day today and she had some meetings about the new NGO she wished to open for underprivileged children later today.
Aditya watched her quietly from a window in the library. He had to admit, this was the sunniest house he had ever been to. Every room seemed to have an abundance of sunlight streaming in, making it a cheerful place full of life and peace to be in. He turned his attention back to Arpita, recalling Aryan's words of accusation. Did she feel, he had wronged her too?
Before he realized it, he had opened the door to the library and walked out into the courtyard adjacent to the garden, his feet moving towards Arpita on their own volition. Aditya stopped in his tracks a few feet away from her and looked back to the library. What had he been thinking? What was he going to say to her?
Arpita turned around and spotted Aditya standing uncertainly, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, a few feet from her. He looks nervous, she thought.
Aditya offered Arpita an awkward smile. "It is so serene here. Did you plant these?" He said pointing to the roses.
Arpita smiled back at him. "Yes, I did. My husband loved roses. You are right though. There is something quite calming about this place. I always thought that only I felt it, but I am glad you do too."
Aditya was disarmed momentarily by the sweetness of her face, that smile.
He didn't answer her immediately, but looked away, unsure at the twinge he had just felt in his chest. Was it guilt? She had every reason to be upset with him, but there was no guile whatsoever in her face, her manner.
"What do you do in your down time, Mr. Tripathi?" Arpita asked to make small talk.
The question was so innocent, Aditya thought. Only, his answer would probably shock her, because for the past 5 odd years he had spent all his "down" time drinking.
As if realizing her folly, Arpita amended her question as she looked away. "I meant to ask if you had any hobbies, Mr Tripathi."
"Please, if you would not mind, call me Aditya. I think we are of similar age. No formalities are necessary."
Arpita smiled at him again. "Okay. You will also have to call me Arpita though."
That smile, Aditya thought. It was going to haunt him for the rest of the day.
"Arpita.' he said softly, knowing he needed to talk about what had happened all those years ago.
She looked at him with her big, expressive eyes, as though looking straight through his external façade. He swallowed a lump in his throat. No, he couldn't do it. Not right now, not today.
"Well, I think I need to get going." he said and they chuckled awkwardly, "I will see you around, Arpita."
Arpita tilted her head in acknowledgement, "Goodbye, Aditya."
She quietly watched his retreating form. What was it about those haunted eyes that made her want to get to know him more? She remembered well, how he had treated Imlie.
But today, she had seen a vulnerable man, a man who was struggling with.....his demons? There was a story behind his behavior. She wished she knew what it was. She had known that there had been bad blood between the sisters over Malini's pregnancy. But that was not all, she was sure of it. She shook her head to snap herself out of her train of thought.
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Aditya and Aryan quietly made their way to where Imlie and Neel were sitting at the gazebo in the garden. Neel was over the moon that he had been excused from school and looking forward to what he thought was some playtime with his father, maasi and his new favorite adult, Aryan uncle.
He watched as both men walked up to them. They were soooooo tall!! His eyes moving upward and neck craning to look at their faces as they drew close. Aryan smiled at him first and crouched down to face level "Hey, bud! Happy?" he asked as he ruffled his hair.
"Yes! Yes! This is going to be an awesome day!" he chortled happily. "Can we play cricket first? Maasi, do you know how to play cricket?" he turned to Imlie, looking doubtful of her abilities.
"Actually, Neel. We needed to talk with you about something." Imlie started, carefully watching his face.
Aditya took a seat quietly and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He wondered how they were going to explain his going away to his son.
Neel's smile faded slowly. "We are not playing?"
"Not right this minute, bud. But we can play later, I promise." Aryan said softly.
"Am I in trouble?" he asked, his big dark eyes full of worry.
Aditya moved from his seat and crouched beside Aryan.
"You are not the one in trouble, Neel." he said quietly. Neel turned to look at his father, his eyes searching.
"Who is?" he asked simply.
"I am." Aditya said, his adam's apple bobbing as he gulped, not knowing how to talk to his own son.
"What happened, Papa? Are you going to be punished?" Aditya winced and closed his eyes.
Imlie kneeled behind Neel and gently turned him toward her.
"Neel. You know Papa has not felt well of late, right?"
Neel looked confused. "I actually think he is getting better, Imlie maasi."
Imlie met Aryan's eyes over Neel's head and then Aditya's.
"Actually, I am not feeling as well as I was hoping I would.' Aditya said, his voice hoarse from trying to control his tears. Neel turned back to him.
"Are you going to the hospital too? Like Mumma?" Now Neel's eyes were starting to tear up.
Aditya gently pulled him in for a hug. His son was afraid and it was his job to assure him, it was going to be okay. But he didn't know if it was ever going to be okay. Could he lie to his son?
"I am not going to the hospital, Neel. But I am going to a place that helps people that have the kind of problems I have."
"I don't understand? Can't you see a doctor here?"
"Oh Neel. If I could, then I would. But this problem I have, is much bigger and going to a doctor here will not help."
"Is it that bad? Are you hurt?" Neel put his small hands on his father's cheeks. "If I kiss you, will it make it better, Papa?"
Aditya closed his eyes. How had he missed out on this sweet, sweet child? Drawing in a ragged breath, he replied, "It won't make it all better, Neel. But I imagine it will make it feel better for the moment."
Neel smiled through his tears and gently kissed his father, probably for the first time, on his cheeks and then on his forehead.
Aryan swallowed a lump in his throat and looked at Imlie whose tears were flowing freely. Dear Lord! Why do hearts have to break like this? he asked silently.
Aditya basked in the feeling, his son's innocent love felt like a soothing balm to his troubled soul. He wished he could just hold on to this moment for ever.
It was bittersweet. He felt a connection, a real connection for the first time to his son and he was going to have to leave him for a few weeks at least, if not more.
"Do you have to go, Papa?"
"I do, my son. I do, so I can get stronger and come back to you, stronger and healthier. You would want that, right?"
"Papa, you are not leaving because of me, are you? Did I do anything wrong?" Neel asked tremulously.
"No! No, my son! Absolutely not!" Aditya's voice was fierce and he cupped his son's little cheeks with his big hands.
"You will absolutely never think that you had ANYTHING to do with what is happening to me or Mumma. Do you understand that, Neel? Never, EVER. You are the best thing that happened to us and I don't ever want you to doubt that." he finished.
He pulled his son back into his arms, holding his small body close to his chest. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he held on for as long as he could.
"I love you, Neel. I just didn't realize how much!" Aditya said between sobs.
"Please don't cry, Papa. It will be okay, I promise."
Imlie could not wait anymore. She shuffled up to Aryan and hugged him from the side. Aryan put an arm around his wife, his own eyes damp with tears. They quietly got up and left, leaving the father and son alone for a little bit.
Narmada watched with concern as Aryan and Imlie walked in through the front door, Aryan leading a very somber Imlie to the library. The door closed behind them, all was quiet. She prayed that all was well. These children, they never let on how much they were hurting for each other, but she knew. She knew because their eyes spoke volumes.
As soon as the door closed, Imlie turned and buried her head in Aryan's chest needing his strength, her arms slipping around his waist. Aryan enveloped her body and held her, feeling her fingers dig into his back as the tears finally came. They felt it all - heartbreak, anxiety, fear of the future, sadness. How were they going to get through the next few weeks? The next few months? With so much sadness in their hearts, how were they going to keep it together?
"We will always be strong for Neel, Imlie. But here in this space between us, you and I are allowed to breakdown, right?" he gently pushed her and tipped her chin. Wiping her tears. "I have you and you have me. There will be lots of challenges. But as always, we will meet them with a calm head on our shoulders, right? When I am weak, you be my strength and when you are weak, I will be yours."
"But no fights, Aryan. We will always make decisions together. Just like we always do. We will always trust each other. Never going to bed angry at each other, right?"
"Always!" Aryan said as he kissed her forehead. They held each other's gaze a few more moments, re-affirming promises that had always existed between them, never needing words before. But today, in this moment, they both needed to hear them, validate them. Promises that anchored them as they weathered this storm in their lives.
Slowly, Aryan stepped back. "I will be back by noon. Check in is at 2 pm at the rehab facility."
He cupped her cheeks and kissed her quickly on the lips. "I will see you soon. Drive carefully, Imlie."
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Edited by mltr16 - 3 years ago
CID
