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The morning sunlight lit up the Poddar mansion, casting golden hues over the furniture and gleaming floors. Ruhi stood in the corner of the living room, watching the other occupants from a distance. Her P-Nanu and P-Nani hovered around Abhira, who had her newborn cradled in her arms.
"Look at him, Manish. He is holding my finger!" Swarna cooed with excitement, her voice soft with affection.
Manish chuckled, bending closer to the baby and caressing his cheek, "He's such a charming boy!"
Abhira smiled smugly, basking in the adoration, while the rest of the family buzzed around her, showering her and baby Daksh with love and compliments. The atmosphere was filled with joy, but Ruhi felt a pang of bitterness cut through her chest.
Her grip tightened on the box of pineapple cake in her hands that she had baked early this morning. The weight of it anchoring her, keeping her from storming into the middle of the cheerful gathering and shouting at them for forgetting what day was today.
'How could they all forget?' she seethed internally.
The thought that they forgot that it was Abhir's birthday today burned in Ruhi's mind as she clutched the cake box tighter, her nails digging into the cardboard.
'They forgot. Of-course they did, after all they have the golden child Abhira now.' she thought, feeling pained that Manish, Swarna and Surekha forgot that today was Abhir's birthday - their great-grandson and her Billa Boy, her brother.
She couldn't believe that there were the same people who had once doted on Abhir and spoiled him with love. But now? It was as if they had erased him from their lives and only Abhira matters to them now.
Watching them fuss over Abhira and the baby, unbidden bitterness surged inside her. A lump formed in her throat and she blinked back the tears that threatened to spill.
Taking a few deep breaths, Ruhi controlled herself and was about to leave when her mother-in-law, Vidya appeared beside her, "Ruhi, are you okay?"
She hated the pity that was clearly evident on Vidya's face and forced a smile, "I am fine, Maa. Just heading out for some personal work."
Vidya's brows furrowed but she did not press further believing that Ruhi needed some personal space after the tragedy that she suffered, "Alright, but don't be late, okay." she smiled and patted Ruhi's head lovingly before walking over where Abhira was seated on the couch with Daksh.
Walking out of the mansion, Ruhi sat on the backseat of the car with the cake in her lap as the driver drove them to the park behind her old school where she and Abhir used to spend hours playing before going back home.
As the driver drove through the familiar route, Ruhi's mind replayed the moments of her childhood, her memories of her Matashree and Poppy, of Abhir - her Billa Boy, and of Shivansh - her Shivu bhaiya but mostly Abhir's. His laughter, his mischievous grin, the way he would always call her "Ruhi Chuhi" with that cheeky tone, every moment that she spent with her brother flashed before her eyes.
By the time she reached the park, the ache in her chest had already intensified to the point that it had become unbearable. Stepping out of the car, Ruhi walked over to the old banyan tree, the one they used to climb as children, and sat down on the bench beneath it.
Placing the box beside her, she took the cake out and began placing the "2" and "9" candles and lit them up. "Happy birthday, Billa Boy." she whispered, with a wide smile curved upon her lips, her voice trembling slightly.
Tears slid down her cheeks as she blew out the candles. For a moment, she let herself grieve - not just for her brother but for the family that she had lost and for the family that had forgotten him and her as well as they had found the new center of their universe.
"You turned 29 today," she chuckled wiping away her tears, "just one more year and you will turn 30, you old man." she snorted thinking about how when they were kids they used to think that anyone over 30 was ancient, that thirty was the endgame.
"So many years have passed and you still haven't come back. I miss you so much, Billa Boy, more than I can every say." her chest ached as she uttered those words.
She sniffed, tears trailing down her cheeks unabashed, "How could you?! How could you and Poppy leave me alone like that? I don't even know if whether you two are alive or -" she could not finish the sentence.
Sobbing, she clutched at her chest, "Abhira doesn't even know about you two. I don't know what exactly happened but didn't you and Poppy leave me to be with Akshara maasi? Then why doesn't Abhira know anything about you both?"
"I want to ask her about you but I can't. I won't." Ruhi shook her head and cried harder. She had once thought of asking Abhira about Abhir and Abhimanyu but her P-Nanu strictly advised her against it because he did not want his favorite Abhira to get hurt by talking about the past. They had an argument over it and Ruhi had left the Goenka mansion cutting off all ties with them.
"You know, the Private Investigator that I hired suggested to look into death records. He thinks that you and Poppy -" her sobs grew louder, "But I don't believe it."
Unlocking her cell phone, Ruhi opened the scanned photograph of herself with Abhir and Aarohi and zoomed in on Abhir's face, "It feels as if you're right here, just a few feet away from me, but it feels like you are slipping further and further into the background." she whispered to herself.
The last memory that she had of Abhir, of them fighting, of him saying that he hates her flashed before her eyes, "Please come back, Billa Boy. I promise that I would never fight with you again."
"Please come back, I miss you so much. I feel so alone without you, Billa Boy." she whispered to the breeze, hoping that it would carry her heartfelt wish to her brother.
Wiping away her tears, she cut the cake while singing the happy birthday song. She cut the cake into multiple slices and placed each slice on the paper plates that she had brought along. Turning towards a group of children playing nearby, she offered them the slices. She worked her way through the little crowd until there was only one piece left.
That was when she noticed him.
Standing at a short distance away, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie. His eyes, dark and deep and fixed on her. There was something about him that made her want to approach him despite the weird way he was staring at her.
There was something that she couldn't quite place, something that made him seem both - a stranger and someone she had known forever.
Ruhi hesitated at first but nonetheless approached him, then extended the last slice to him, "Here," she said softly and with a smile on her face, "it's for my brother's birthday."
The man took a step closer, his movements slow and held similar hesitation as his hand brushed hers while accepting the cake slice, "Thank you." he said, his voice low and steady.
She smiled faintly despite her heart beating like crazy for reasons unknown, "I hope you like it. He used to love pineapple cake like crazy."
The man chuckled and nodded, taking a smiled bite, "Used to? Is he?"
Ruhi understood the question and was quick to say, "No! He just -" she cleared her throat, "he just lives away."
Ruhi turned her head sideways, avoiding to look at the stranger. But had she maintained the eye contact, she would have seen his eyes getting misty after hearing her response, "Seems like you love him a lot." she heard him murmur with something akin to hope in his voice.
Nodding, she replied, "I do. I always will." before walking away. She could not stay there for another second because her heart was beating too fast that she feared she was either suffering a panic attack or was having a stroke.
She rushed towards where her car was parked. Once there, she turned around to look back at the strange man she had just encountered who left her overwhelmed with emotions after such a short encounter.
Ruhi could not shake off the feeling that she knew him from somewhere but she the uncertainty of it made her feel afraid.
Taking a few calming breaths, she sat in the backseat and after another glance at the strange but familiar man, Ruhi told the driver to drive back to the Poddar mansion.
Meanwhile, the man continued to stare until the car vanished from his sight. Tears fell down his cheeks as he stuffed his mouth with the delicious pineapple cake.
His heart hurt, his mind replaying the whole interaction in loop, over and over again. The child inside him—the one who had survived the landslide, the coma, the orphanage, and the years of loneliness—longed for that love and affection.
After 23 years, Abhir had convinced himself that he didn't need anybody, didn't need that love and affection, but after meeting Ruhi and hearing her, he realized just how much he craved it.
"I miss you too, Ruhi Chuhi." he smiled through tears, relishing the cake she had brought to celebrate his birthday.
wow this was sooo good 
please continue writing 🥺 
that was so sweet she celebrates abhirs bday and refuse to think hes dead.
CID
Health and Fitness
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