Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

6. Story Time

We're all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?'

~ The Doctor, Season 5, Episode 13

Shaheen P.O.V.

'Well...' I looked at my nephew, at the big pleading eyes that were so much like my little sister's, and I found myself caving. 'Okay. We can try. But I'm warning you, nobody's heard from him in years.'

'That doesn't mean we can't try, right?' Raghu asked, persistent as ever.

'Of course we can. But I'm just saying, don't get your hopes up.' I warned.

'I won't.' he promised. 'But masi, where do we start?'

I thought for a moment, wondering who to ask first, sighing when I realised it would mean talking to somebody who I hadn't spoken to in ages. 'Well, I guess the first people to ask would be his family.'

'You sound like you're really looking forward to that.' my nephew deadpanned, just as sarcastic as me.

'It's not like that Raghu.' I sighed. 'It's just been a long time since I've spoken to them. I don't know how well they'll take it.'

'Masi, if this is going to be too difficult for you, then leave it. I just thought that ma looked really really happy in those pictures and she seems so down nowadays. And recently I've noticed that nothing really makes her smile; I mean, she tries to but it never looks... you know, how it does in those pictures. I just wanna be able to make her smile.' he told me, the expression on his face so utterly heartbroken that I couldn't tell him I wasn't going to do this for him.

'It's not going to be easy but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up just like that. You wait here, I have a phone call to make.' I said, getting up with a smile.

'Masi, would it be okay if I took a look at the albums again?' he asked, slightly hesitant.

I debated for a second but figured that the damage had already been done so I nodded, telling him to be gentle with them before I made my way to the study to make my phone call.

I got sent to voicemail the first time so I called again, fidgeting as I waited to hear either the voice of the person I was calling or the automated message telling me he couldn't come to the phone.

Thankfully, when the line finally connected, it was the former; I wasn't sure I'd have the courage to call again if I'd been sent to voicemail twice. 'Hello.' came the voice of Varun's brother.

'Hey Rohit, it's Shaheen, Shaheen Bhatt.'

'Oh, Shaheen, hi. It's been a while.' he said, sounding thoroughly shocked.

'Yeah I know. I um, this is really kinda awkward but well, I kinda got roped into something by a ten-year-old and I need your help.' I told him, silently cursing my little sister and her need for secrecy for landing me in this position.

'Right okay, this sounds like a story I gotta hear.' he laughed. 'What's going on?'

'I'm watching Raghu – Raghav – while Alia's out of town and, being that he's as curious as his mother, he decided he'd do exactly what she's always told him he's not allowed to do and look at those scrapbooks her and Varun made. Which lead to questions about who the man in the pictures is. And now he has more questions than I can answer and I'm kind of hoping that you'd maybe talk to him?' I tried to explain, unsure how else to phrase it.

'She's not told him anything?' he questioned.

'Alia doesn't talk about Varun, to anyone. She misses him and sometimes I catch her looking through those scrapbooks and watching his films but she's always quick to hide it.' I sighed. 'Raghu isn't even allowed to watch Student because she's so determined not to let him know about Varun.'