And Then He Came (ATHC)

1. Your Father's Another Son

"Anirudh, wake up... It is already 8 am now... You will be late..."

Said Aaryan and removed the curtains so that sun light will directly fall on his sleeping brother's face.
Warmth of the morning rays broke Anirudh's sleep. He woke up with an unsatisfied face.

"Why did you do this Aaryan... " complained Ani while walking towards the washroom for fresh up.

"You are going to be late for your office today..." Replied Aaryan and placed a cup of coffee on the table for his brother.

"Thank you. But for your knowledge, today is Sunday... That means I have no work."

Aaryan bit his tongue. He didn't remember that.

"Sorry... I just forgot..."

Ani smiled at him. It was his habit to forget things, especially simple facts like this.

"I know... That is why I always suggest you to come out of your imaginary shell...Out of your pen and chemical equations, there is a world Aary... Everything in it is not bad..."

Aaryan never step out of his comfort zone usually, Ani and their home was his comfort zone. He had a perfectly arranged chemical laboratory in his house where he do his research works.

"Outer world may be good, but it will ask questions... And I have no answers."

Aaryan continuously blinked his eyes to stop the tears. He hates memories...

Anirudh's condition was not different. He also went through the same pain each and everyday. But unlike his brother he never chose to run away from it... He suffered it all silently, for his Aary.

Suddenly Anirudh's phone rang loudly. He took it and moved towards the balcony.

"Hello... Anirudh Thakur here..."

********************

"Ani... Who was in the phone?"

Asked Aaryan but he got no reply. So he walked upto his brother.

Anirudh looked directly into his brother's eyes.

"The call was from London "

Aaryan stared him with a confused mind.

"Who... I asked who was it?"

Anirudh was calm. But his face was pale, very pale...and that made Aaryan restless.

"Mr. Rajeev Thakur is no more"

Aaryan gasped. He felt his heart beats as thunder.

"You mean... Our father..."

"Yes. Our father is no more."

********************

Aaryan was sitting silent through out the journey, while Anirudh was busy in his phone answering to different medias. Rajeev Thakur, their father was a well-known scientist. His pharmaceutical company and business were very famous. Aaryan never shared any type of relation with his father. He was nowhere in his life. They both were living in Mumbai with their mother and after her death they shifted to Delhi,At his age of 18. Their father sent money for them in every month but his elder brother was not ready to even touch it.

Anirudh's relationship with his father was quite different from Aaryan's. He hated Rajeev to the core. He hated everything related to him, because once he used to love him that much... When love turns to hate, it becomes the worst.

Soon they reached the office where their lawyer Prakash Sreenivas was waiting for them. He was Rajeev's childhood friend and their mother's cousin also.

"Anirudh... Are you sure?"

"Yes, uncle. We have to finish it all by a single signature. We want nothing from his properties."

Replied Anirudh while Aaryan nodded in agreement. It was their decision.

"Well. I checked all the documents. His properties are equally divided into three. One for Anirudh Thakur, one for Aaryan Thakur and one for..."

"Enough uncle. I don't want to know anything about it. Let us sign on the paper. We don't want anything, that's it."

Prakash sighed. "But you should know about the third person, according to the documents and the law you are his guardian after Rajeev's death "

"Me?" Anirudh shook his head in disbelief. "But why?"

"Uncle, who is he? Did you know him before?" Asked Aaryan. His mind already sensed the upcoming answer, and that realisation gave him a great shock. It was terrible than his worst nightmare.

Prakash didn't look at Anirudh and Aaryan. He was unable to see them going through another breakdown, even though they were already broken.

"I didn't know him before. I knew nothing about him other than his identity... There wasn't even a single word about it in the papers. I am really sorry my boys... But He is Agasthya Thakur. Your father's another son... "