Chapter- 33

Ekansh exhaled sharply. He had been looking into the matter relentlessly. How did his father’s gun reach the incident site? Dead ends were all he had been hitting since the last three days. It was frustrating beyond limits. He didn’t know how to clear his father’s name when Virendra was already being called for cross-questioning for the second time in three days as the police had managed to gather a few pieces of evidence. The case was still buried under closed walls; however, if a single word leaked outside, it would create chaos for his father.

“Did you find out anything about this?” Ekansh asked his private detective Shantanu, sliding the image of their old business rival across the desk.

Shantanu nodded. “He is living in Singapore currently and hasn’t returned to India in years. So it’s impossible for him to do something like that. It’s been seven years since Mr. Seghal met him.”

Ekansh ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. Another dead end. The clients his father met on the day of incident were clean too, which meant it was someone they didn’t know about, and that unsettled him.

Eshita walked into the cabin unannounced.

Ekansh glanced at Shantanu. “Keep looking. I don’t care how, just find something. I want the name of the man who is behind this. Clear?”

Shantanu nodded before walking away. He had been working for the richy richers for over a decade now. Earlier, it was Virendra who had asked him to find his son, and now it was Ekansh asking him to find his father’s culprits. And like always, he refused to fail in his work. Last time was exceptional.

“What was that?” Eshita asked, taking her seat.

She had just arrived from home as her father wanted her to spend time with her brother. For the last few days, both of them had been playing their own tug of war.

Her brother was taking care of their father doing everything, but when it came to talking, the sharp cold words were the only thing exchanged between them. And her father was no different; he was behaving like an equally stubborn man. It was like looking at mirror reflections of the same person. The best thing was they kept her out of their issues, giving her the attention she had been craving for.

Ekansh shook his head. “Nothing. Tu bata yaha kyu ayi? You are supposed to prepare for your exams...”

“Which is going to be held next month,” Eshita cut him off, annoyed. Her brother was getting on her nerves. She had already applied for the first year again; the entrance assessment will take place after the semester begins, and if she passes, she could easily change her course in the middle of the year without any academic issues.

“I am confident enough that I will pass,” She added with sass.

Ekansh sighed. “I didn’t say you won’t, Eshu. I just don’t want you panicking in the last few days. Just stay focused.”

Eshita huffed, looking away. “That doesn’t mean you have to run behind me playing that cassette. ‘Study! Study! Study!’” She mimicked childishly.

Ekansh chuckled. “Okay, my bad. Ab tu muh fula krr mat baith ja. I have a lot of work to do.”

“Yeah yeah.” Eshita rolled her eyes dramatically. “Ab aap kyu hi mujhe maanoge. After all, work is more important than your cute little sister.”

Ekansh raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to compliment yourself? Not bad... just switch cute to devil. That goes well for you.”

Eshita glared at him, looking around for an object to throw at him.

“Sochna bhi mat!” Ekansh nearly yelped in shock as she picked up the paperweight. “Kya krr rahi hai? Thoda sa chidha diya toh kya direct meri jaan legi kya?”

Eshita frowned, following his gaze and realizing his misunderstanding. She kept the paperweight back in its place with a loud thud.

“I can’t believe this. How can your imagination cross such dangerous levels?” She whined in disbelief,  “Mein paper uthane rahi thi. For the papers kept under them. I want to make paper rockets.”

Ekansh shot her an incredulous look. “Just a few seconds ago you were angry, skulking like a cat, and now suddenly you want to make a paper rocket. You and your mood swings, Esha. Kuch nhi ho sakta tera.”

Eshita pouted, folding the paper carefully. “I was just getting bored. Isse accha toh khel hi lu.”

Ekansh kept down his pen, staring at her intently. “Office kyu ayi tu? Sacchi sacchi bata... Dad ne bheja tujhe?”

Eshita continued with her DIY, throwing the paper rocket in the air with a swoosh sound before making another one again.

“Aapko pata hai na Bhaiya. Seghal mens ka ego Himalaya parvat se bhi bada hai. They can die for each other, but saying sorry or having a decent man-to-man conversation...” She scoffed dramatically. “Impossible!”

“Tu mujhe sach bata rahi hai ya roast krr rahi hai?” Ekansh asked dryly.

Eshita spun in her chair carelessly. “Both!”

Silence filled the room. Ekansh looked away. It wasn’t about ego. It was about a son’s hurt. Despite everything that had happened, the way his father chose to get trapped in the game rather than choosing his children still hurt him. They had already lost five years together, and yet the first thing his father did was eliminate the danger even if it meant endangering himself. That was his cross to bear.

Egos ran in Seghal men’s veins. Esha was right. He had countless arguments with his father in his teenage years. He was hot-headed, and giving in easily wasn’t his way, while his father was the same; he refused to bow down first even when he was wrong.

So whenever they locked horns, his mother stepped in between to shake some sense into their thick brains. He missed his mother at times like this, when his heart felt heavy and he had nowhere to turn. He didn’t wish to behave like an overgrown toddler sticking to one matter, but some scars took time to heal, especially when you hadn’t truly begun healing them.

Eshita rose to her feet, rounded the table, and jumped on the hard wood beside him, her feet dangling freely. She reached out, taking Ekansh’s hand in hers. The shimmering eyes and lost look on his face, she hated seeing that. Just like her Bhaiya was there for her, she was there for him too. Nothing changed and never would.

“Mein aapke aur Dad ke beech nhi bolungi Bhaiya.” Eshita’s tone softened.

Ekansh held her gaze steadily.

“Aur na hi puchungi ki kya hua hai,” She continued. “I know you both won’t hurt each other without any reason. But I will say one thing. Hum jitna bhi ek dusre se dur jate hai, utni hi misunderstandings badhti hai. I know you and Dad will sort it out. But what if before that he gets hurt by your actions or words and takes things wrong? Or what if he does something unknowingly despite his good intentions but you fail to recognise them? Baat krne se rishton ke beech ke faasle khatam hote hai. Aur chup rehne se wahi dhaage asani se toot bhi jaate hai. Gussa ho, hurt ho ya naraz ho... just take it all out with Dad. I am sure the father I know today has changed drastically overnight. He will listen to you without a word, but if you give him the cold shoulder and indifference, then he won’t mind reminding you who the father is.”

Ekansh couldn’t help but smile at her sulking tone in the end. He knew that. Their father preferred conversations; their mother had instilled that in them. Talking could heal wounds that silence only deepened. Maybe he was looking for clarity or a reminder, and he was grateful that his sister provided him one just like his mother once used to.

He cupped her face lovingly. “Tu itni badi badi baate kab se krne lagi?”

Eshita flipped her hair. “The novels I read helped a lot. Dekha kitni intelligent hai aapki bhen.” She hopped down from the table. “Ab humari agaya ka palan kro balak! Aapka din shubh ho.” She raised her hand, blessing him dramatically.

Ekansh rose to his feet, shaking his head. He cradled her face gently, kissing her crown tenderly. “Thank you,” He whispered quietly, feeling the weight lifting off his chest.

Eshita wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his warmth. When young, she had seen her mother play the mediator for both her husband and son and always thought why she had to interfere and be so understanding. Why were men so dumb not to understand basic emotions? But her mother’s few choices of words stayed with her; she realized their meaning only when she grew up.

“Ek ladki ke kaafi saare rishte hote hai, baacha.” Anvita’s words echoed in her heart like a lullaby. “First, towards herself for who she is. And then her role in her family. If I am your father’s wife, then I am also a mother. No matter how much they fight or walk away in two different directions, at the end of the day it’s a woman’s heart that carries the burden of their silence, because she loves them too much to ignore and mind her own business. If you love the men in your life enough, then guiding them when they feel lost in emotional understanding isn’t wrong. After all, a happy family is what we all wish for in the end.”

Eshita smiled faintly. Just like her mother played two important roles in the family, Eshita too realized a few years back that she also played two important roles in her family. If she was the daughter, then she was also a sister. Even if she was angry at her father for upsetting her Bhaiya, she refused to be biased. She chose empathy, the very thing her mother always believed in.

Ekansh’s phone buzzed, cutting through the moment. He stepped back, glancing at the screen before picking up the car keys.

“Come with me. We will go pick Ekta up from school.”

“You have a meeting.” Eshita reminded him, confused. “Aapne apna schedule nahi check kiya aaj ka?”

Ekansh glanced back at his phone and realized he actually did have a meeting.

Eshita took the keys from his hands. “Don’t worry, main usse leke aa jaungi.”

Ekansh looked uncertain. “Are you sure? You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I will postpone the meeting…”

“No need for that, bhaiya.” Eshita cut him off gently. “Main yeh khud ke liye kar rahi hoon. Aapne hi kaha na I should try whether I want to take a step towards Ekta or not? I am doing just that. For now we both share nothing. Maybe we can start from friendship? So I will go and pick her up. Aap tab tak kaam karo aur jaldi aao. Shaam main mujhe football khelna hai.”

Ekansh nodded. If she was doing it willingly for herself, then he wouldn’t interfere.

Eshita reached toward the door, opening it. She turned to look at her brother with a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

“Aur haan, woh ek baar mere paper plans dekh lijiye ga before you throw them in the dustbin.” She scurried away before he could call her back. Served him right for teasing her earlier.

Ekansh frowned, picking up one of the papers and unfolding it. His eyes widened seeing the last presentation documents she used for her silly play.

“ESHITA!” He hissed, annoyed. His sister would never change! Shaking his head he accepted his fate, picking up the scattered papers from the floor, muttering under his breath.

✨✨✨

The car ride passed in complete silence, thick with unspoken thoughts and awkwardness neither of the girls knew how to break. Ekta glanced at Eshita every other second, trying to ask why she had come to receive her from school, but lost her courage each time.

Even though Ekansh had texted her that he had a meeting and would call once he got free, she still couldn’t bring herself to believe that out of everyone, Eshita had come to pick her up. She had been noticing since the past few weeks that Eshita’s attitude toward her had changed drastically. Not like the girl was ever cold or hated her, but she at least maintained a mutual distance. Nowadays, however, she joked around with her, partially dragged her into everything, and behaved as if Ekta belonged there naturally.

Ekta wanted to accept that it was all coming from genuine affection and not obligation, but her mind refused to believe it.

Everything Eshita did felt like pity or an act of compromise just because Ekansh called her his sister. And Eshita would never upset her brother; Ekta had seen that herself. Maybe she was only trying to accept an outsider like her rather than truly wanting her around.

Eshita parked the car on the deserted side of the beach. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she glanced at Ekta, who was already staring at her blankly.

Ekta flinched as Eshita snapped her fingers before her face. She looked at her and around in confusion. They were on the beach, but why?

“Chalo neeche utro. Ki muhurat nikalun abhi?” Eshita deadpanned opening the door.

Ekta followed quietly. Fortunately, it was a sports day at her school, so she was in her sportswear, T-shirt and track pants, otherwise walking on the beach in uniform would have felt uncomfortable. Beaches brought back memories she so wanted to avoid. Shaking her head, she looked on as Eshita gave instructions to the security guards following them. The Sehgal’s were indeed influential. Wherever they went, there was always a van of guards following behind. Even after a month of witnessing all that, it still felt unreal to her.

“Come!” Eshita held her hand, dragging her down the sand toward the emptier side of the shore.

The sun hid behind the clouds in the afternoon sky, dimming the brightness around them. The air felt unnaturally calm while the waves touched the shore before retreating back into their endless depths.

Eshita removed her sandals, looking at Ekta, who again stood stiffly in place. “Arre meri maa, apne shoes utaro. Warna kharab ho jayenge. Baad mein mujhe mat bolna ki maine bataya nahi.”

“Why are we here?” Ekta asked, unable to hold herself back anymore. Eshita was acting so naturally as if they had known each other for years, and that itself confused her the most.

Eshita glanced dramatically at her wristwatch. “Hmm… It took you thirty-one minutes and thirty seconds to finally ask that question. Quite impressive. Generally log pehle ek minute mein puch lete hai. Ya at least changed route notice karte hai. But you are literally a unique piece, girl.”

Ekta blinked at her in disbelief. “What are you even saying? Aap acche se batayengi ki hum yaha kya kar rahe hai?”

Eshita shrugged. “First play with me a little and I will answer your question. Aisa toh hai nahi ki paani mein le jaake tumhe waha dooba dungi main, I just....” She trailed off, noticing how Ekta stepped back instantly.

“What a pro in creating blunders,” Eshita complimented herself annoyed, running her hands through her hair.

She didn’t want to spook the girl while trying to form a bond. Ekta was a very sensitive girl. Maybe her humor was too much, or maybe Ekta was too scared from within to understand what was a joke and what was reality. Whatever it was, Eshita refused to build a bond on false pretenses. Honesty was her first and foremost priority.

“I am sorry,” Her tone softened, she met Ekta’s gaze steadily. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just joking, okay? Maine aisa kuch nahi karungi jisse tumhe takleef ho. Maine bas tumhare sath thoda time spend karna chahti thi. Tumhe jaana chahti thi. Let’s be practical here, okay… We both don’t know each other except for how we choose ourselves to show. And there is nothing wrong with that. We were strangers.”

She took a deep breath. “But now it has to change. We can’t always behave like outsiders with each other. After all, we have to live under the same roof, so all this distance and awkwardness… it’s too tacky for me. So how about we try to build a bond based on what we can choose for ourselves? Maybe not sisterhood… but friendship?”

Ekta stood silent, hearing every single word coming out of Eshita’s mouth. Her heart pounded hard against her chest as Eshita forwarded a hand toward her.

“So… will you be my friend, Ekta?” Eshita asked softly.

The air stilled around them, the sounds of crashing waves filling the silence in the background. Hope clashed with confusion. Doubts collided with shock. The clouds slowly parted, sunlight finally making its way through the grey sky. Its sharp golden rays fell over the girls standing before each other like the world itself had paused for their answer.

Eshita pressed her lips together, slowly lowering her hand when Ekta didn’t move even a little. Maybe she failed to make the girl feel comfortable around her. Maybe she simply wasn’t worthy of even simple friendship from anyone. Serves her right.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, she looked around to break the moment when she noticed the guards returning. She had purposely sent them to bring ice creams so she could talk to Ekta alone and maybe play around a little bit. Perhaps that wasn’t meant for today.

Quietly, she wore her sandals back on. Maybe she would play her favorite water-mountain game another day.

“Let’s go back. Bhaiya wait krr rahe honge,” She murmured lightly.

Ekta followed behind without a word. She took the ice cream Eshita offered and sat quietly beside her in the car as one of the guards entered and took his seat behind the wheel. Silence felt louder than their unsaid thoughts between them for the first time since they had met.

✨✨✨

The sun spilled softly across the sky, its golden rays falling over the backyard of Sehgal Mansion. The glass windows reflected the evening light beautifully, creating a warm shimmering glow around the entire place.

Eshita dragged a reluctant Ekta out of the house into the garden. The girl had stayed locked up in her room ever since they had come back, curling into herself like a frightened shadow. From the moment they had returned, Ekta had gone back to her distant self, and Eshita was determined to make her understand that whatever she had said earlier was the truth, there was no other way around it.

“Let’s help Bhaiya water the plants.” She squealed, picking up the pipe lying nearby. “Then we will play football.”

Ekta sighed, taking the pipe. Eshita was behaving like a clingy puppy. She acknowledged the girl’s kindness and honesty, but accepting it so quickly was not her cup of tea. She wanted to accept the friendship Eshita so casually offered, but couldn’t bring herself to say yes. Her own fears held her back.

Eshita was nothing like she had imagined. Eshita was nothing like the people she had compared her to. Yet...

Devil. “What if she has hidden motives?”

Heart. “She has always been kind to you.”

Devil. “What if it’s all a pretense?”

Heart. “A person can pretend for a day or a week, but sooner or later their true colors begin to show. But Eshita is different… she has always welcomed you.”

Devil. “That’s just compulsion, not acceptance.”

Heart. “Kindness forced out of compulsion never feels this warm. People can fake words… not the comfort their presence leaves behind.”

Between the war of her heart and mind, she felt trapped, as if one part of her wanted to trust while the other refused to let her lower the walls she had spent years building around herself.

She had started liking being around Eshita, seeing her in her sassy moods, sulking with Ekansh, and much more, still she felt terrified of getting attached. Maybe one day she would be able to trust this warmth completely. Or maybe Eshita deserved someone better than her, because it was not just friendship that would bind them if she accepted the hand offered toward her. It would also be a sisterhood, a bond far deeper than blood, and Ekta knew she didn’t deserve to be called anyone’s sister.

Eshita turned on the tap, water rushing out of the pipe instantly.

Ekta lazily sprayed the water over the delicate flowers. She glanced at Eshita, who nudged her. “What?”

Eshita pointed at Ekansh, who was busy talking on the phone. She pointed at him, then back at the pipe, and then him again.

Ekta’s eyes widened in realization. She shook her head vigorously. “Nhi. It’s not good…”

“Arre meri sanskari behna… kyun itna tension apne lena.” Eshita whispered dramatically. “Kuch nahi hoga, kar na.”

Ekta shot her a glare. “Bade bhai hai woh humare.”

Eshita raised an eyebrow. “Last time I checked, he is still under thirty. Not over fifty, babes. Come on yaar, kyun itni acchi bacchi ban rahi hai? He won’t bite. I swear.”

Ekta turned away. The girl had gone nuts. Who in the world ruffled a giant bear’s feathers? Not that Ekansh was known to get angry over such small things, but still she refused to take chances.

Eshita shook her head in disbelief. The girl was way too much of a good girl, and she was determined to break that image completely. Eshita Sehgal was officially on a mission to turn Ekta into a brat just like her.

She reached out, holding Ekta’s hand and turning the pipe toward Ekansh’s direction. Her grip tightened as Ekta tried pulling back. Folding the mouth of the pipe a little, she sprayed water straight at Ekansh, soaking his pants instantly.

Ekta gasped shock before suddenly letting herself give in, raising the pipe a little higher and drenching his shirt too while Eshita had been focused only on his pants. If they were doing something, shouldn’t they do it perfectly after all?

Eshita quietly pulled back, letting the girl take over. Her Bhaiya would definitely make her ears pay for this, but with Ekta a few scoldings here and there and she would be off the hook. Not that she minded, but she loved earnings a little too much to let her ears suffer.

Ekansh stared down at himself, drenched in water from head to toe. Hearing the giggles, he turned around only to find Eshita and Ekta laughing their hearts out.
“Tum dono toh ab gaye.”

“Pehle pakad toh lijiye, Bhaiya…” Ekta teased, running away with Eshita.

Suddenly, her feet stumbled, but before she could land flat on the ground, two pairs of hands caught her, breaking the fall. Her breath hitched, the smile wiped off instantly. She didn’t need to look up to realize who held her.

“You are living quite happily…”

Ekta’s eyes lifted unwillingly despite her inner self screaming no. Her golden orbs met familiar dark brown eyes. It was her brother. Suraj stood there right before her.

She pulled back abruptly, stepping away instinctively, her back colliding with a hard chest. It was Ekansh, she knew from the hand on her shoulder steadying her immediately.

“Theek hai tu?” Eshita asked, turning Ekta toward herself. Luckily the girl hadn’t fallen or her head might have hit the rock lying on the patio.

Eshita’s words were lost on Ekta. She stood there numb, frozen, breathless, terrified. Her hands felt sweaty, her heart beating loudly against her ribs. Her gaze looked past Suraj.

It was not just her brother but her father too, standing behind his son, dressed in his usual white kurta and dhoti, a small white pagadi wrapped around his head. She was seeing him after ten years. He looked aged now, the white beard and deep wrinkles on his face made him appear older than she remembered.

Unknown even to herself, she stepped back further between Ekansh and Eshita. Her mind mocked her for moving away from her own family, but her heart refused to acknowledge them or embrace the people standing before her.

“Sorry sir, yeh log inse milne aaye hai.” The head guard informed ponting at Ekta, before Ekansh could ask anything. “I was coming to ask you, but they just followed in.”

Ekansh frowned. He looked down at Ekta. The way she stood beside him staring at the man before them. He didn’t understand who they were, why they came to meet Ekta. Neither did the eyes of strangers on his sister sit well with him. He wrapped his hand around her shoulder protectively. Her trembling figure and pale face unsettled him deeply in ways he couldn’t explain.

“Kaun hai aap log?” Ekansh’s cold icy voice cut through the air like a whip.

Ekta flinched out of her trance, a short gasp escaping her lips. Ekansh’s voice pulled her out from her rewinding past back into the present brutally.

She met her father’s gaze, hoping to see tears, hope, happiness, or whatever she was desperately searching for, a yearning of acceptance that he had returned to meet his daughter after finding her.

But there was nothing. Just a blank stare, a clear disdain swirling in his eyes. She was a disgrace for him after all. Her heart stabbed painfully with humiliation. Like a desperate bitch, she had been trying to search for acceptance from the same people who never cared for her existence, who didn’t care whether she lived or died.

Like cold water splashing over her, realization dawned upon her. Why were they here? How did they find her? And did… did he know where she lived?

✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

Your thoughts on Ekansh and Eshita conversation?

Your thoughts on Ekta and Eshita conversation?

Was Ekta right in not accepting the hand?

✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

The main plot is going to begin... I hope I will hear more of your thoughts on it. Your feedback is the most important for me to improve my story.

Next Update: Friday!

Thanks for reading!!!

 

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