Rishton Ki Dor

11. Distance

Breakfast the next morning was a somber affair. No one said much, and Ayaan was uncharacteristically silent as he focused only on finishing his breakfast. It was puri, and while Ayaan would normally have complained about it as he didn't like it, today he said nothing.

Mihir observed how Ayaan didn't even look up as he ate. He watched as his brother quickly finished his breakfast and excused himself. The boy was obviously still very upset. Maybe he should've spoken to him again yesterday, but Mihir purposefully hadn't, wanting Ayaan to take some time alone to really reflect on his actions and understand what he had done wrong.

Last night's incident had not hushed down easily. Mr. Mehta had been furious with what had happened, and he'd even spoke of pressing charges of assault against Ayaan. Thankfully, though, his wife, Mrs. Mehta, had stopped them, saying that Ayaan was just a boy, and such things happen. Sagar also hadn't been that badly hurt, as the fight had been broken up pretty quickly. Mihir also suspected that Mr. Mehta did not want to lose their deal with Sehgal Industries after all, as it would be very beneficial to his struggling company. And while Mihir couldn't less about the deal-he was only going forward with it because Alisha was insisting-he was thankful that it had saved Ayaan.

"Ayaan!" Mihir called out now as he stepped out of the house. Ayaan, on his way to the car, stopped and turned.

Mihir walked up to him. "Abhi bhi upset hai kal ki baat to leke, Ayaan?" he asked.

Ayaan shook his head quickly. "Nahi bhaiya. Mai upset nahi hoo. I'm okay."

Mihir didn't believe him but he nodded. "Okay...chal, aaj mai tujhe college chod dunga. I'll talk to your principal also, make sure there's no problem."

To Mihir's surprise, Ayaan shook his head again. "Nahi, bhaiya, it's okay. Sir se baat karne ki zaroorat nahi hai. Agar wo kuch bole to I'll let you know. Aur aap late ho jaoge ab mujhe chod ne ae to, mai chala jaunga." He forced a smile on his face and turned to leave.

"Ruk, Ayaan," Mihir stopped him. He turned the boy back around. Something was bothering him, he could see that clearly. Something maybe even other than yesterday's incident.

"Ayaan," Mihir said, "Tu kisi cheez ko leke pareshaan hai?"

Ayaan-"Nahi bhaiya, aisa kuch nahi hai. Bas Kal jo hua use leke thoda bura lag raha hai. Aur kuch nahi. Aap tension mat lo."

Mihir frowned. "Dekh Ayaan, kal jo hua, it was wrong but it's over. There's no point in dwelling on it. Apni galti ko samajh and move on."

Ayaan nodded. "I get it, bhaiya. Aage se koi galti nahi karunga, I promise."

Mihir-"Good, lekin don't be too hard on yourself also, okay? Tu kabhi koi galti kare to I'm here, you won't have to deal with anything alone. Mai hamesha yahaan rahunga tujhe sambaalne ke liye, samjha?"

Ayaan felt his resolve wavering when he heard Mihir's words. All he wanted to do was tell Mihir everything that was going on in his mind. About how miserable he was feeling thinking that he was a bother to Mihir. He hated the thought of keeping his brother at a distance and wanted nothing more than to sort everything out.

But he couldn't. It was time he stopped acting like a child. He knew Mihir loved him very much, but he did not want his brother to be fed up of him. He would do what his brother wanted and not pester him anymore.

So instead, he forced himself to just smile again and said, "I know, bhaiya. Lekin iski zaroorat nahi padegi. I've learnt my lesson."

Mihir nodded. He knew Ayaan was still bothered, but he was sure the boy would either open up to him when he was ready ot get back to normal soon.