The afternoon sun peeked lazily through the curtains as the house buzzed with its usual chaos. In one corner of the living room, Haseena - now a spirited 3-year-old - sat cross-legged on the floor, aggressively combing her doll Guddu Baba's hair with a fork she'd stolen from the kitchen.
"Baby!" Vansh called out, panicking, "Phir se Guddu Baba ka baal tod diye kya?"
"Arey toh kya hua? Yeh toh waise bhi ganda tha," she said, proudly holding up the clump of doll hair like a trophy.
Veer, now a wise 9-year-old, looked up from his homework and sighed, "Kya main ek din shaanti se school ka kaam kar sakta hoon?"
Just then, Guddu Baba went flying - not by accident, but thanks to Haseena's latest experiment with a bedsheet-turned-parachute. It landed on Abbu's head, who had just walked in with a tray of fruits.
"Yeh kya ho raha hai yahaan?" Abbu asked, holding the limp doll in confusion.
"Guddu Baba udna chahta tha, Abbu!" Haseena replied proudly.
"Par beta, is umar mein Guddu Baba se zyada udne ki koshish tum kar rahi ho," Abbu chuckled, placing the doll back.
Dadi entered the room just in time to catch the tail end of the chaos. She looked at Veer and Vansh with a warm smile, "Mere sheron ne kuch khaaya?"
Veer nodded, "Dadi, Ammi ne halwa banaya tha."
"Waah, toh aap dono ne meri thali bhi sambhali hogi?" Dadi ruffled their hair lovingly, then looked over at Haseena with a faint sigh.
Haseena, sensing the vibe, made a face and muttered, "Mujhe toh koi kuch nahi poochhta."
Vansh noticed and tiptoed to her with a banana, "Aapko bhi chahiye? Main laya..."
She snatched it quickly, "Pehle kyun nahi laaye?"
"Kyunki aap Guddu Baba ko gira rahi thi," he giggled.
Ammi called from the kitchen, "Bachon! Nahaane ka waqt ho gaya!"
The bathroom scene was nothing short of a battlefield. Haseena splashed water everywhere, dropped the soap three times, and then tried to bathe Guddu Baba in the same bucket.
"Allah re, yeh ladki!" Ammi held her forehead.
"Ammi! Paani thanda hai!" Haseena screamed, despite it being lukewarm.
"Nautanki kam karo aur shampoo mat khaana iss baar!"
Later that evening, the family gathered in the courtyard for some fresh air. Haseena quietly leaned against Veer, her energy finally dipping.
"Veer bhaiya," she whispered, "aap sabse ache ho."
Veer smiled, wrapping an arm around her, "Aur tu sabse zyada pareshaan."
"Main Haseena hoon!" she declared with her sleepy pride, "Baby sirf Vansh aur Veer bhaiya ke liye hoon."
Everyone chuckled.
As the stars began to appear in the sky, Haseena slowly dozed off on Veer's lap, still clutching Guddu Baba tightly. Dadi smiled - a rare, genuine smile - seeing the siblings together.
The house, for once, was peaceful.
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
[Author's Note - A Soft Teaser for Phase 2:]
Kahani ka pehla panna yahi tak tha...
Aangan mein khelti Haseena, bhaiyon ka pyaar, aur parivaar ki halke-phalke jhagde.
Lekin waqt har muskaan ke peeche ek saya chhod jaata hai.
Agla hissa sirf mohabbat ka nahi, uss mohabbat ke khilaaf khadi duniya ka hai...
"Ishq Ka Pehla Saya - Hearts and Hurdles" jald hi.
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༺ 𒆜Ishq Ka Pehla Saya 𒆜 ༻
Fanfiction✧ Phase One: A childhood full of mischief, secrets, and survival. ✧ Phase Two: A college girl's battle between forbidden love and family duty. Haseena was born into rejection. But she was also born to fight. With two brothers who love her, a grandmo...
