Rooh (Book 2 - Singhania Brothers)

Part 11 : Home

Guys, I'm really sorry for the repeated notifications. Wattpad is playing a number I don't know why. Every time I open the story, the chapter gets unpublished. I'm really sorry. Bear with it for now!

And please leave some comments! Pretty please!

Happy reading ~

When Ayaansh came back from Rihaan's house, he found Ashi standing in the hall. He smiled and rushed to hug her from back.

"Bhabhi!"

Ashi instantly turned to him with a smile on her face. "Aa gya tu?"

"Bhabhi," Ayaansh's expressions changed when he saw the tear drop shining in the corner of Ashi's eyes. "Aap ro rhi ho?"

"Nhi, bachcha!" Ashi quickly wiped away her eyes and smiled. "Bas aise hi..."

"Kya hua, Bhabhi..." Ayaansh stopped when his gaze fell on what Ashi was staring at, the shrine like wall, their family wall, full of contagious smiles and faces radiating happiness.

The picture right in front of him was the answer to his question, the reason behind tears in Ashi's eyes. Atharva's smiling face was staring back at him.

His heart went numb for a moment. It was inexplicably strange how he could feel the pain of demise of someone whom he had hardly ever known. The unknown deceased stirred more emotions in his heart than his own parents'. The thought of his parents only carried emptiness alongside it for Ayaansh. He felt neither grief nor anything else about it. He just felt hollow whenever he thought about his parents. If not for his family, he would have lost himself in those unknown arrays of emptiness long back!

He looked back at his Bhabhi.

The love in her eyes that he could see for himself outshone her own pain and grief. In that moment, Ayaansh felt paralysed with love and respect for the woman in front of him.

How could she blink away her tears and smile for their sake—and the smile was never the one that was forced out of obligation, her smile was the one that filled their hearts with joy—how could she do that just like it was the most normal thing to do?

Looking back, before meeting Ashi, he had lost his mother. But in his heart, he had found a mother after meeting Ashi. Ashi had taken the place in his heart and his life that his mother could never take. She had made him feel something that no one else had. It hurt him to even refer to anyone else as his mother other than Ashi. She was the only one who deserved that honorific. He will always remember the words that his Bhaiya had told him once.

Khoon ke rishte apne hote honge, par dil aur dhadkan se jude rishte sachche hote hai!

Nothing could make him believe otherwise. Ashi had always known Aryan, probably even loved him like her own child. She didn't have to do the same for him, but she chose to! She showered him with every ounce of love and affection she had. And he could never repay her for that!

"Kahan kho gya, bachcha?" Ashi's soft voice broke his trail of thoughts and he looked back at Ashi, shaking his head. "Kuch nhi, Bhabhi."

Ashi smiled. "Tu fresh hoke aa ja. Mai dinner laga deti hoon!"

Ayaansh nodded with a smile as Ashi walked away from there. She was startled when Ayaansh came back and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back. "Ayu?"

"I love you, Bhabhi!" Ayaansh whispered softly against her hair, showered in the bliss of her motherly love. "I love you so much!"

"I love you too, bachcha!" Ashi cupped his face and kissed his forehead with a smile. Her heart warmed up every time he said those words to her just like it had for the first time.