06

“Bhai, this is so bad of you,” Yuvi said as he pulled the brake at the airport.

“What can I do, Yuvi?” Avyaan replied, exasperated with his brother, who was either silent or accusing him of upsetting Varahi.

“Bhabhi was upset.”

“I know, but how am I supposed to ignore the meeting for our upcoming project? I’ll make it up to her,” Avyaan said, feeling overwhelmed by everything in his life for nearly a year.

“Why do I feel you’re ignorant toward her?” Yuvaan said, his face unusually serious.

“I’m not,” Avyaan defended quickly, though he knew he was.

“Yo–”

“Stop it already,” Avyaan exclaimed, cutting off his brother, who seemed ready to volunteer to go in his place.

“Bhai, I’ll go,” Yuvi tried again.

“No, Yuvi, don’t make me repeat myself,” Avyaan said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Yuvi sighed as they stepped out of the car, handing Avyaan his bag.

“Be safe, bhai,” Yuvi said, hugging him. Avyaan reciprocated.

Avyaan settled comfortably in his seat as the flight took off for Lucknow.

° A V Y A A N °

“Bhabhi was upset,” Yuvi’s words echoed in my mind as I closed my eyes, only to open them immediately.

Everything was messed up. I could feel she was upset, yet she didn’t say a word.

I wanted to tell her how sorry I was, how guilty I felt for being so ignorant toward her.

I wanted to tell her how thankful I was for her being the best wife and daughter-in-law.

I wanted to apologize for the questions her family had asked her.

I wanted to tell her I never ignored her efforts toward me and the family.

I wanted to say sorry for acting like a jerk every time she tried to make us better.

“Hello, Uncle,” a soft, cute voice interrupted my thoughts, accompanied by a small touch on my wrist.

“Hello, what’s your name?” I smiled at a boy, about four years old, looking at me.

“Aayu Khurana,” he replied, smiling at his mother.

“Mumma and Dadda are sleeping. I’m not sleepy,” he whispered, glancing at his parents.

“That’s okay, you can talk to me,” I whispered back, smiling at his toothy grin.

“Where are you going?”

“My Nani’s house.”

“Oh, are you excited?”

“I am. You know, I love being there, it’s so fun,” he said, closing his eyes with a big smile.

“I’ve seen you somewhere,” Aayu said, thinking hard.

“Where?” I asked.

“I don’t remember. I’ll tell you when I do.”

“Okay, tell me.”

“What’s your name, Uncle?”

“Avyaan Singhania.”

“Wow, A-A we are!”

“Yeaaa,” I exclaimed, and we high-fived.

“Let’s play a game?” Aayu suggested, and I raised my eyebrows.

“My Nisha mam taught me the first five tables. You ask me randomly, like what’s 5 times 3, and I’ll answer 15,” he explained.

“What if I don’t know the tables?” I teased.

“You’re big, you must know,” he said, squinting. I chuckled.

“So, what’s 3 times 4?” I asked.

“12,” he answered, flashing his toothy smile. I hummed, and he clapped softly.

“8 times 4?”

“Thirty—two,” he said after a pause.

“Yes, thirty-two,” I smiled. He yawned, rubbing his eyes.

“Sleepy?” I asked. He nodded, resting his head on his father’s chest.

“Good night.”

“Good night, Uncle,” Aayu whispered, closing his eyes.

“Finally, it’s been an hour since I was waiting,” Arsh, my secretary, said, standing in front of me, bundled in gloves, thick pajamas, a fur jacket, and a cap.

“You’re so packed,” I commented.

“Of course, not everyone’s hot like you, Boss,” he teased, chuckling.

“Seriously?”

“Just step out of the airport and see,” Arsh shrugged, heading toward the exit.

“Uncle,” a familiar voice called.

“Aayu?” I whispered, seeing him run toward me. I crouched down.

“Good morning! I’ve seen you in my Bua’s phone,” he said excitedly, explaining he remembered after waking but couldn’t find me.

“Really?” I smiled. He nodded.

“Aayu, where are you?” a voice called.

“Oh, Mumma-Dadda calling. I’ll go,” Aayu said, hugging me and kissing my cheek.

“Uncle, I hope we meet again. Bye.”

“Wait, I’ll take you to your parents. Where are they? I hope so too,” I said, feeling warmed by the little boy.

“No, I’ll run. They’re there,” he said, pointing to his parents, who faced away, and ran off.

After ensuring he reached them, we waved before I moved on.

“Who was the kid?”

“Met him yesterday. We talked since he wasn’t sleepy.”

“I hope he didn’t cry talking to a grumpy man and wake the plane.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not everyone’s annoying like you.”

“What about the Bua thing?” Arsh asked, changing the topic.

“He said he saw me somewhere but couldn’t recall then,” I explained.

“So, you’re on his Bua’s phone?”

“Hmm, according to him.”

“Fuck,” I cursed as the cold wind hit me outside.

Arsh chuckled. “Let’s get you a beanie. The temperature’s way different out here.” I pulled out a beanie and muffler.

V A R A H I

“Yuvi, can you get the cup from the upper shelf?”

“Of course, Bhabhi,” Yuvi said, grabbing it easily.

“Chote reh gaye aap,” he teased, reaching the shelf effortlessly. (You stayed short.)

“Chup karo tum. I’m just vertically adorable,” I said, pursing my lips to stifle a laugh.

“Lmao, Bhabhi,” he laughed loudly, making me smile.

“Ll-maa-o, seriously, Yuvi?” I chuckled at his odd pronunciation.

“Wait, you lover boy, you seem down these days,” I said, noting his recent withdrawal. He barely interacted, ate breakfast silently, skipped lunch, and came home late.

“I’m not, Bhabhi. Just workload since Bhai’s handling project meetings and deals. I manage the office—so exhausting,” Yuvi sighed, avoiding my gaze. I sensed he was lying, troubled by something deeper.

“Tell me, Yuvi, what’s bothering you?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Kia,” Yuvi whispered, staring into nothing, leaving me confused.