🌸🥀हर काज की स्वस्थी तुझसे,

त्योहार की रौनक तुझसे,

एक डोर में बांधे सबको,

रिश्ते की हिफाजत तुझसे,

ओ बहना बहना मेरी,

तू ही मेरा सम्मान है!🥀🌸

Happy reading ❤️‍🔥

_______________<<<>>>>_______________

Aria stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, the cool glass doing little to calm the frantic thrum beneath her skin. School had been over for hours, but the echoes of the day still bounced in her head-Mr. Prakash's mocking tone, Saavi's silent tears, Avni's blazing anger, and the satisfying splash as Preeti's smirk dissolved into humiliation.

She had felt it then, a strange sense of belonging, a quiet thrill of being one of them. But now, alone in the silence of her home, that feeling twisted into something else. Fear. Every new connection was a new vulnerability.

Every shared moment, a new piece of her heart to be potentially shattered. The walls she had built for years, so sturdy and high, now felt cracked, letting in not just warmth, but also the terrifying possibility of pain.

Her hands began to tremble.

She clenched them, forcing them still, but the tremors spread up her arms, a cold wave washing over her. The silence in the house, usually a comfort, now felt oppressive, pressing in on her, amplifying the frantic beat of her heart.

Too many people. Too many eyes. Too close. The words echoed in her mind, a familiar mantra from a past she desperately tried to outrun.

A small, choked sound escaped her lips. She pressed her palms hard against her ears, trying to block out the invading thoughts, the phantom laughter, the imagined judgment.

But it was no use. Her breath hitched, ragged and shallow. Her vision blurred, not with tears, but with a sudden, overwhelming darkness. The room began to spin.

She squeezed her eyes shut, desperate to anchor herself, but the ground seemed to tilt beneath her. A wave of nausea hit, sharp and sudden.

The control she clung to so fiercely was slipping, dissolving into fragments. She gasped, a ragged, desperate sound, as her knees buckled. Darkness swirled at the edges of her vision, pulling her down, down...

"Mumma" she whispered

But no one came.

________

At Rawat's

Shivansh reached home and hurriedly ran to Saavi's room and found it locked.

He knocked..Once...twice..

No answer.

"Saavi please open the door. Please choti." He pleaded.

"Jao yrr bhaiya mujhe baat nahi karni sach mei. Jao aap."

[Go away, brother, I really don't want to talk. Just go.]

"Saavi-" he tried again..but saavi cut him off.

"Leave." She said.

Shivansh heart clenched and he decided to giver her some time.

"I am sorry Saavi." He said and leave for his room.

Shivansh quietly walked away from Saavi's door, the soft sound of her sniffles haunting him as he shut himself inside his room.

Inside, Saavi sat curled on her bed-angry, hurt, and eyes brimming with unshed tears.

---

At the Singhanias'...

Akshat raced up the stairs toward Avni's room, already expecting trouble. He paused outside her door, knowing she would've locked it-and thankfully, he had brought the spare key.

He knocked twice, hoping for mercy. No answer.

He took a deep breath... and turned the key.

SMACK!

A slipper flew across the room and smacked him right in the face.

"Kutta! Nikal jao yahan se! Before I kill you!" Avni roared.

[Dog! Get out of here! Before I kill you!]

Akshat stumbled back, rubbing his stinging cheek. "Avni, sun toh yaar-"

[Avni, just listen-]

"Mujhe nahi sunna! Jao yahan se!"

[I don't want to listen! Get out of here!]

She grabbed another slipper like a grenade.

"Avni, ek baar toh-"

[Avni, at least once-]

She flung it. This time, he ducked just in time.

"Why should I listen, huh? Bataya tha na kal ki aana history class mein! Aaye? Nahi!"

[Why should I listen, huh? I told you yesterday to come to history class! Did you come? No!]

Her voice shook-not just with rage, but hurt. And that stung more than the slipper.

Akshat's eyes dropped, guilt crawling up his spine.

"Avni, bhai hoon main-"

[Avni, I'm your brother-]

"Galti kar di tumpe trust karke. Jaao Akshat bhai, jaao!"

[It was my mistake to trust you. Go, Akshat bhai, go!]

She pushed him back toward the door, fury in every word.

He stood there a second longer. "Avni... sorry, meri behen. Please-"

[Avni... sorry, my sister. Please-]

SLAM.

The door shut in his face.

Avni sat by her window, aggressively cleaning her hockey stick as if it had personally betrayed her.

"Kutta kahi ka... mazak samajh rakha hai sab," she muttered under her breath, her voice cracking slightly at the edges.

[Stupid dog... thinks everything is a joke.]

With an irritated sigh, she snatched her phone and hit call-Saavi.

---

Saavi (picking up): "Hello?"

Avni: "Main maar dungi tere hone waale dhani ko."

[I will kill your soon-to-be groom.]

Saavi (instantly): "Bhai! Aisa mat kar, teri hi bestfriend hoon. Abhi widow banaogi kya?"

[Brother! Don't do that, I'm your best friend. Do you want to make me a widow already?]

Avni: "Aaya tha abhi room mein. Ghusa bhi."

[He just came into my room. Even barged in.]

Saavi: "Ansh bhaiya bhi aaye the... maine andar nahi aane diya."

[Ansh bhaiya also came... I didn't let him in.]

Avni: "Yeh toh aa gaya. Aur aate hi muh pe chappal khayi usne."

[He came in. And the moment he did, he got hit in the face with a slipper.]

Saavi (mock shock): "Aisa kiya tune mere hone waale ke saath? Aisa sila diya meri dosti ka?"

[You did that to my soon-to-be? Is this how you repay my friendship?]

Avni (rolling her eyes): "Chup kar na. Chugli band kar. Aur paani pi... rona band kar."

[Shut up. Stop gossiping. And drink water... stop crying.]

Saavi (softly): "Hmm."

[Hmm.]

Avni: "Chhor iss baat ko. Ye bata, Aria ka number hai tere paas?"

[Forget this matter. Tell me, do you have Aria's number?]

Saavi: "Haan haan, le liya tha. Work complete karna tha na usa uss din toh mena online send kr dia tha."

[Yes yes, I took it. I had to complete some work that day, so I sent it online.]

Avni: "Toh add kar le use group mein."

[Then add her to the group.]

Saavi: "Abhi nahi. Jab sab thoda theek ho jaye tab. Tab tak ek naya group bana lete hain. Sirf hum teen ka."

[Not now. When everything calms down, then. Until then, let's make a new group. Just the three of us.]

Avni: "Haan haan, theek hai. Bechari do din mein kitna drama dekh chuki hai."

[Yes yes, okay. Poor thing has already seen so much drama in two days.]

Saavi: "Sahi mein. Par tune dekha? Kitni reserved aur guarded hai na... par kal se zyada boli aaj. Smile bhi ki, kal se zyada."

[Really. But did you see? She's so reserved and guarded... but she spoke more today than yesterday. She even smiled more than yesterday.]

Avni: "Dekha maine bhi." A small smile played on her lips.

[I saw too.]

Saavi: "Uncle-aunty ghar pe nahi hain kya?"

[Uncle-aunty aren't home?]

Avni: "Nahi... Papa office gaye hain, aur Mumma college. Aur tere parents?"

[No... Papa went to the office, and Mumma to college. And your parents?]

Saavi: "Office mein. Chachu-chachi bhi."

[At the office. Chachu and Chachi too.]

Avni: "Acha."

[Okay.]

There's a soft pause as both sit with the quiet comfort of knowing they're not alone in their silence.

Saavi: "Oye... baad mein call karti hoon. Bahar koi aaya hai shayad."

[Hey... I'll call later. I think someone came outside.]

Avni: "Thik hai jaa. Bye."

[Alright, go. Bye.]

Saavi: "Bye

_____

At same time

Shivansh lay back on his bed, one hand over his eyes, the guilt still eating at him. He couldn't stop thinking about Saavi's locked door... and her voice when she said: "Leave."

He opened his eyes suddenly and grabbed his phone.

Shivansh: "Bas, Akshat se baat karta hoon."

(Enough, I'll talk to Akshat.)

---

[Akshat's Room - Same Time]

Akshat had thrown his slippers across the room, both literally and emotionally. His cheek still stung, and his heart even more.

Akshat muttering to himself "Kya soch ke doubt kar liya Avni par? Idiot hu kya? Shivansh ko call karta hoon..."

(What was I thinking, doubting Avni? Am I an idiot? I'll call Shivansh...)

He picked up his phone.

---

[Both tap on the contact at the exact same time and call.]

Busy tone.

Shivansh & Akshat (together): "Abe... busy? Kis se baat kar raha hai ab?" (Hey... busy? Who is he talking to now?)

They both try again-still busy.

Beat of silence.

Then suddenly, both get each other's incoming call at the same time.

Shivansh: "Oye tu mujhe call kar raha tha?" (Hey, you were calling me?)

Akshat: "Tu mujhe call kar raha tha?" (You were calling me?)

Both (at once): "Same time bro." They both laugh for a second-just enough to ease the tension.

Akshat: "Saavi abhi bhi gussa hai?"

(Is Saavi still angry?)

Shivansh (sighing): "Hmm... gaya tha baat karne. Door tak open nahi kiya."

(Yeah... I went to talk. She didn't even open the door.)

Akshat: "Main bhi gaya tha. Spare key le gaya... gussa mein muh pe chappal maar di."

(I went too. Took the spare key... she got angry and threw a slipper at my face.)

Shivansh chuckled.

Shivansh: "We messed up, bro."

Akshat: "Sach mein yaar... how did we even believe Preeti over our own sisters?"

(Seriously man... how did we even believe Preeti over our own sisters?)

Shivansh: "Same, yaar... stupid move." (Same, man... stupid move.)

Akshat: "Ab kya karein?"

(What do we do now?)

Shivansh: "Matlab kya karein? Fix karna padega. Aur agar Saavi ne Aditya Bhaiya ko bata diya na... UP se seedha vaapas aa jayenge. Subah jaate waqt bola tha - 'Choti ka dhyan rakhiyo.'"

(What do you mean, what do we do? We have to fix it. And if Saavi tells Aditya Bhaiya... he'll come straight back from UP. When he left this morning, he said - 'Take care of little sister.')

Akshat: "Bro... Avni chahe jitna strong bane, andar se woh bhi emotional hi hai."

(Bro... no matter how strong Avni pretends to be, inside she's still emotional.)

Shivansh: "Sahi keh raha hai tu..."

(You're right...)

Shivansh: "Oye, main baad mein baat karta hoon. Bahar kuch awaaz aayi. Mummy-papa ghar pe nahi hain. Saavi akeli kahin chali na jaye... check karta hoon."

(Hey, I'll talk later. I heard some noise outside. Mom and Dad aren't home. Saavi better not be going out alone... I'll check.)

Akshat: "Haan haan, chal dekh. Call kar baad mein. Bye."

(Yeah yeah, go check. Call me later. Bye.)

Shivansh: "Bye."

---

Both Saavi and Shivansh stepped out of their rooms at the same time, drawn by voices drifting up from downstairs.

They paused for a second - their eyes met - but Saavi quickly looked away and walked ahead, ignoring him.

Shivansh sighed and followed.

As soon as they reached the living room, Saavi's face lit up, and Shivansh's smile returned the second he saw who was standing there.

"Daduuuu Saa!"

Both yelled in unison, their earlier emotions forgotten as they ran to hug their grandfather - Raja Rawat.

Raja turned with open arms, chuckling as he embraced both his grandchildren tightly.

"Kaisa ho mere bachho?" (How are you, my children?) he asked warmly, pressing kisses to their foreheads.

Both smiled wide.

Shivansh replied: "Achhe hain, Dadu Saa. Aap kaise ho? Aur achanak aa gaye? Bataya bhi nahi? Hum lene aa jaate!"

(We're good, Dadu Saa. How are you? And you came suddenly? Didn't even tell us? We would have come to pick you up!)

Raja chuckled deeply. "Aree, surprise dena tha tum dono ko. Aur yeh batao - mera nalayak Alaud aur pyaari bahu kahan hain?"

(Oh, I wanted to surprise you both. And tell me - where is my useless sons and my dear daughter-in-laws?)

He settled onto the sofa comfortably as he asked.

Saavi smiled: "Office gaye hain sab, Dadu."

(Everyone's gone to the office, Dadu.)

Raja nodded: "Acchi baat hai... kaam kar rahe hain."

(That's good... they're working.)

Then he looked at Shivansh.

"Aur Tanya beta, Aditya?"

(And Tanya dear, Aditya?)

Shivansh replied: "Dadu, woh dono subah hi UP gaye hain. Ek case ke silsile mein."

(Dadu, they both went to UP this morning. For a case.)

Raja sighed, smiling with pride.

"Achha hai... duty pe hain. Par tum dono ki shakal dekh kar toh thakaan bhi nikal gayi."

(That's good... they're on duty. But just seeing your faces has taken away my tiredness.)

Shivansh and Saavi glanced at each other - just for a split second. The tension still lingered... but for now, Dadu Saa was home.

And that made everything feel lighter.

He paused for a second longer than usual. His eyes moved between Shivansh and Saavi - the way they stood at opposite ends of the sofa, not speaking, not teasing each other like always.

His smile remained gentle, but something in his gaze sharpened. He noticed the silence. The stiffness. The missing ease between them.

But he said nothing.

Instead, he simply patted the space beside him.

"Chalo, baitho. Aur mujhe batao kya chal raha hai school mein."

(Come, sit. And tell me what's going on at school.)

Both of them sat-Shivansh on one side, Saavi on the other, with a cautious gap in between. And just like that, for a while, things felt normal.

They shared stories, laughed at old memories, updated him on school, teachers, tournaments, and classmates. Dadu Saa listened with patient warmth, nodding at every word like he'd been waiting months to hear their voices.

But behind his soft chuckles and gentle questions, his eyes watched them closely.

He felt it in the unsaid.

---

Later that evening, Raja settled into his room to rest, his heart a little lighter from the reunion-but his thoughts slightly heavier.

And as the house quieted again, Shivansh and Saavi returned to their rooms.

The air between them still carried silence.

But for the first time that day... it was softer.

---

In the evening, the house buzzed with soft laughter and warm greetings as Rajveer, Sonali, Raghav, and Anjali returned from office - all of them coming home earlier than usual after hearing about Raja sa's sudden return.

After meeting him and catching up briefly, Sonali called out from the kitchen,

"Shivansh, Saavi! Aa jao beta, dinner ready hai."

(Shivansh, Saavi! Come, children, dinner is ready.)

The dining table slowly filled with the familiar clatter of plates and steel tumblers.

Rajveer glanced at his father as he sat down, "Papa sa, bataya toh hota aap aa rahe ho. Hum lene aa jaate."

(Papa sa, you should've told us you were coming. We would have come to get you.)

"Haan papa sa," Raghav added, taking the seat beside him, "Thoda inform kar dete, safar mein dikkat na hoti aapko."

(Yes papa sa, if you'd informed us, you wouldn't have had trouble travelling.)

Raja sa waved his hand dismissively, "Aree chup raho. Khud aa sakta hoon main. Buzurg ho gaya hoon, bebas nahi."

(Oh be quiet. I can come myself. I've grown old, not helpless.)

That made everyone chuckle.

Anjali brought out a bowl, smiling, "Papa sa, yeh daal Sonali didi ne aapke liye banayi hai."

(Papa sa, this dal was made for you by Sonali didi.)

"And yeh aalu ki sabzi Anjali bana ke layi hai," Sonali added, serving it lovingly.

(And Anjali made this potato curry.)

Raja sa looked at them both, fondness softening his features, "Arre beta, tum dono baitho, main le loonga. Waise bhi, ghar ka khana aur tum dono ka pyar-iss se achha kuch nahi."

(Oh children, you both sit, I'll take it myself. Anyway, home-cooked food and your love-nothing is better than this.)

Plates were passed around. Warm rotis reached every hand. There were snippets of chatter, clinks of katoris, soft laughter at half-funny jokes.

But through it all...

There was something missing.

Shivansh and Saavi - usually the loudest voices at the table - were silent.

No teasing.

No nudges.

No fighting over the last piece of papad.

Nothing.

Shivansh sat eating quietly, barely touching his sabzi.

Saavi, too, didn't say a word, just focused on her plate.

The grown-ups shared quiet glances.

Sonali looked at Rajveer briefly. Raghav frowned a little. Anjali blinked between the two siblings.

Even Raja sa noticed it - how the energy around those two had shifted.

But he said nothing.

Just kept eating, letting the silence hang.

Shivansh and Saavi quietly excused themselves after dinner, both heading back to their rooms without a word.

The silence they left behind was louder than anything they could've said.

Anjali glanced toward the hallway, then turned to the table, brows furrowed.

"In dono ko kya hua?"

(What happened to these two?)

Everyone shared the same look - confusion, concern.

Raja sa wiped his hands slowly, his gaze still resting on the now-empty hallway.

"Ladai hui hai."

(They've had a fight.) His voice was calm, but sure.

All heads turned to him.

He leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable but knowing.

"Dekha hai maine... apne bachchon mein bhi, aur ab inmein bhi. Chehre sab keh jaate hain."

(I've seen it... in my own children, and now in them too. Faces say everything.)

The table fell silent.

A fight?

Between Shivansh and Saavi?

That had never happened. Not once. Not like this.

Sonali sat up straighter, her motherly instinct kicking in.

"Main jaake baat karti hoon. Dono ache se samajhte hain mujhse-"

(I'll go talk to them. They both listen to me well-)

But Raja sa raised his hand gently, stopping her.

"Nahi, beta." (No, dear.)

His voice was soft, but firm.

"Dono bade ho gaye hain. Thoda samay lagta hai, par suljha lenge. Apne rishte khud sambhalne chahiye. Agar hum beech mein aaye, toh shayad aur bigad jaaye."

(They've grown up. It takes some time, but they'll sort it out. Relationships should be handled by the people in them. If we step in, it might get worse.)

The room stayed quiet for a long moment.

Then, slowly, Sonali nodded.

Raghav followed.

Rajveer exhaled and leaned back in his chair.

No one said anything more.

The laughter from earlier had faded... but a quiet respect settled in its place.

Sometimes... even love needed space.