9. ArVi

Chapter-9

Author's POV

" He will be fine Aryan....just don't give him any cold items" Doctor Lakshmi scribbled the prescriptions on the notepad and passed it to Aryan.

He looked at his son, who was snuggling her arms.

Since the fever was quite high, the doctor gave him an injection and Manav cried throughout the process.

Parul cooed him and somehow, Manav stopped crying. Aryan was kinda shocked seeing this. If he started crying, he wouldn't stop for at least an hour. Especially in such cases, it was really hard to console him.

But today, he only cried, when the needle pierced through his skin and when Parul started consoling him, he stopped crying, immediately.

He felt two different emotions altogether. He was happy and sad at the time. Happy that Manav isn't crying and sad that he is getting attached to Parul.

Happy that Manav is trying to understand the gravity of the situation, but sad that he has to undergo such cruel things at a very small age. Happy that Manav has someone who could give that affection that he has been missing out his whole life. Sad that he became the reason for this fucked up situation.

While Aryan went to buy medicines, Doctor Lakshmi spoke with Parul. She appreciated Parul for being such a caring mentor.

Well, Parul knew the gravity of the situation that she was putting herself into. She knew Manav was getting attached to her and this shouldn't have happened in the first place.

She is a clinical psychologist and she is here to mentor the kids.

But I am a human after all....the voice in her mind argued every time she thought of ethics.

The kid needed the care and affection of a mother. She didn't know anything about Manav's mother.

She didn't have it in her heart to avoid the kid. It doesn't matter if she sounds/looks unprofessional or unethical, she is gonna do what she feels is right. And that is, giving the kid whatever love he craves from her. Being Manav's best friend.

Aryan came back with medicines and what he saw made his heart swell in happiness and pain.

Manav was asleep in her arms, she was tapping the kid's back softly.

Aryan didn't wanna disturb his son. So, he silently walked inside the cabin and Doctor Lakshmi, gave him the timeline to give tablets and syrup.

Aryan thanked the lady, and so did Parul.

As they made their way out of the cabin, two nurses saw the duo and started talking about them, rather loudly.

" They are such a cute couple!!"

" Exactly... beautiful genes" both the nurse complimented, behind their back.

Except for Parul and Aryan, another pair of ears also heard this. He followed the duo from school to the hospital, clicking their pictures every now and then.

Aryan felt a tinge of pain in his chest. He fisted his knuckles and dashed out from the hospital.

Parul understood that he was not angry, rather he was hurt.

So she didn't bother him.

" I'll drop you home Parul..." he said as they settled inside the car.

Parul nodded and the rest of the ride went in awkward silence.

" Uhhhh...Pap..ppa...." Manav started crying woken up by the screeching sound as the car came to a halt in front of Aditi's house.

" Manu....stop it" Aryan tried to hold him but Manav grabbed Parul's neck and cried even louder.

Aryan looked at Parul and then looked at Manav, who was crying loudly now.

" Arya..i.."

" No...Manav, stop this now. Come to Papa...come here baby" Aryan sounded desperate by the end. His voice wavered as he said the last part.

Although he didn't say anything directly, his hesitation and sudden temper spoke what his lips didn't dare to speak.

She understood it.

" Manav...listen to your pappa... You are a good boy, right? Hm?" Parul rubbed his back gently.

Manav nodded, licking his lips.

" Okay...now good boys listen to their papa? Right?" She asked, in a cooing tone. Manav nodded, he had stopped crying now.

" Manav is a very good boy!" She chirped, cupping his cheeks and Manav joined her.

" Yaayy! Mishh" he chirped, throwing his hands in the air.

"Now...your mish needs to go home...and you will be a good boy and listen to your Papa? Okay?" She asked, looking at him. Manav looked at Aryan and then at Parul and then shook his head slowly.

" No mishh pleash..." he pouted, giving her the best puppy eyes.

Aryan was about to say something but Parul interrupted him.

" I'll stay with you tonight..are you happy now?"  She said earning a joyous squeal from Manav.

Aryan looked at her with knitted brows. Parul blinked her eyes and then,

" Fine Manu you win!!" he sighed and started the car.

Both of them giggled looking at Aryan. He cannot stay mad at his little bundle of joy for so long. 

" I am staying at Aryan's place. Manav is not feeling well so :(

Gonna be home tomorrow, bye, love you, Adi."

After sending the text, she placed the phone inside her bag and engaged in a cute conversation with Manav.

They were talking about Manav's favourite cartoon characters. He was blabbering so much.

Aryan was happy. His son never spoke so much when he had a fever. He was fussy and would cry about little things. Even feeding him was a difficult task.

But now, Manav looked happy and even energetic.

Indeed Parul was a great influence on Manav.

The car came to a halt in front of a two-story penthouse. The car passed through the elegant black gate, exuding both security and sophistication.

As the car passed through the gate, a beautiful garden unfolded before her, meticulously gardened with vibrant flowers, lush greenery, and manicured hedges.

Amongst the garden pathways, she spotted the vigilant guards patrolling the premises, dressed in black uniforms. Their presence added a sort of confusion in her mind, but she didn't ponder much upon it. The bulky men were patrolling the penthouse with their watchful eyes and professional demeanour.

Aryan stopped the car in front of the penthouse and both Manav and Parul got down from the car.

Manav held Parul's hands and jumped looking at his home.

It was a two-storied penthouse. Aryan led her the way inside the house. Before stepping in, she looked at the golden tree nameplate. ArVi was written on the nameplate in bold letters.

Aryan cleared his throat and that's when Parul looked at him. He signalled her to get in, and she did.

Upon entering the penthouse, she was greeted by a grand foyer leading to the living space. The penthouse had high ceilings, elegant lighting fixtures, and exquisite flooring materials.

The living room provided ample space for comfortable seating arrangements, a fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Adjacent to the living room, was a dining area. It looked perfect for hosting lavish dinner parties.

Aryan walked inside the kitchen to get some water for her.

The kitchen included a central island with bar seating, a breakfast nook, and other cooking equipment. The kitchen and dining area were linked providing a seamless flow for convenience.

" Uhm..there is a spare room upstairs, I'll show you" Aryan said, hesitation laced his voice.

Parul smiled and then nodded her head.

Aryan led her the way upstairs, there were two rooms on the first floor.

One of the rooms that was on the left side was locked. She noticed the lock and then looked at Aryan. He gulped, sighed and then,

" Here..." he said, his voice heavy. She walked inside the room and then, " Arya...don't worry I won't ask you anything" she said, looking around the spare room. Aryan gulped again, this time his jaws were clenched. Inhaling sharply, he nodded.

" You can freshen up. I'll send some comfortable dress" With that said, he carried Manav in his arms and walked out of the room, closing it behind him.

Parul watched his disappearing back and then sighed.

The walls were painted in purple colour, and the colour theme was purple mixed with black and tan gold.

Throwing her bag on the bed, she opened the door to the bathroom. It was a spacious bathroom with a shower, and bathtub and the tiles were cold greyish. It looked luxurious.

Stripping out of her clothes, she stood under the shower and took a quick bath.

Many things looked suspicious. She was curious but she decided not to ask him anything.

When she looked at the locked bedroom, Aryan looked vulnerable as if he was trying to control himself from something. He looked really sad too. She didn't wanna pressurise him by asking something sensitive to him.

By the time she was done showering, a pair of blue tee shirt and track pants were neatly placed on the bed.

She wore the dress and walked down the stairs, after drying her hair.

It was quite late already. By the time they came home from the hospital, it was evening.

Manav's nanny was preparing dinner. Parul asked her where the kid was and she said, he was sleeping. She didn't know where Manav's room was, so she didn't bother going up and looking into every room.

Instead of creating unwanted fuss, she settled on the couch and turned on the TV.

The living area lacked something. Everything was there, except Aryan's photos and his wife's photos.

Only Manav's photos were hanging on the wall.

She knew something was wrong.

Her concentration was long lost. There was some film running in the background and she was thinking about certain things.

Who is Aryan??

I've never asked him about his job, his wife, his family...

Who is Manav's mother?

Is Aryan Manav's real dad?

Or is he Manav's adoptive father?

Is he even married?

Does he have a bad past?

If he is married, where is his wife?

Are they divorced?

Why is that room locked??

Why is Aryan acting strange today?

" Mishhh" His chirpy voice brought her out of the trance.

She looked towards her right and there he was, jumping towards her from his father's hold.

She looked at Aryan for a brief minute. He also looked at her. Aryan read the suspicions running in her eyes. He looked aside, and,

" Dinner is ready...let's eat," He said, looking towards the dining area.

Parul nodded and they walked towards the dining area.

Parul and Manav ate together. Parul fed him since Manav was being fussy about drinking Ragi malt. It was doctor's advice so his nanny prepared Ragi malt for him.

So Parul fed him and surprisingly he didn't complain when she fed him the malt.

The dinner went in silence. Aryan gave her the tablets and Syrup. Manav was reluctant to take the tablets but Parul promised to tell him a story and so he swallowed the liquid, with extreme difficulty.

Manav demanded her to tell the story and even dragged her to their room. It was quite a big room. There was a photo of Aryan and little Manav hung on the wall and a photo of a small baby, which she guessed was a girl on the bed stand.

Parul was reluctant when Manav dragged him to his father's room. But Manav was stubborn.

She sat on the bed beside Manav who was lying on the bed. She started narrating a story of her childhood memories and soon Manav felt drowsy. Running her fingers in his curly locks, she kissed him on the forehead.

" Good Night Manav" she whispered, caressing his cheeks.

Slowly, very carefully she got up from the bed. A faint cry escaped Manav's lips.

Manav was mumbling please in his sleep. She felt a tug in her heart looking at the poor kid.

" Oh god!" she sighed, looking around.

Aryan was standing near the corner, beside the door. He gave her a small smile and nodded, leaving the room quietly.

" uff" she sighed, getting on the bed.

She pulled Manav closer to her and the boy snuggled in her warm embrace.

A lone tear drop escaped her eyes as she caressed Manav's cheeks.

" I miss you..." she whispered, closing her eyes shut.

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How's the chapter?

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What's the full form of ArVi?

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