"Now, why are you standing there? Go and call Lavnaya quickly." Dadi ordered her.
She immediately looked at me then lowered her gaze and slid her hand inside her pocket to take her phone out. For the first time, I couldn't read her and it unnerved me.

Gritted my teeth I spoke, "Dadi, nothing has happened to me. And stop being so fussy all the time. I am not a kid anymore."

I was about to get up when dadi spoke in a shrilled voice, "Oh my God Aditya bituwa, you are bleeding."

"What's going on?" Dadi and I looked towards the voice in unison. It was Pooja who was standing near the door.

"Arrey Pooja bitiya, achha huya tum aagai" (its good that you have come)

"See, what has happened."

"Oh, Aditya! You are like bleeding you know," she made a very uncomfortable face. "You should call a doctor." She gestured Zoya. "How can you guys be so casual?"

Zoya gave a sad smile and was about to leave, "Pooja, when you don't know anything you should first try to know then comment."

"Nahi Aditya beta, Pooja sahi kehe rahi hai" (what she is saying is right)

"Nani, mujhe itni bhi chot nahi lagi hai ki mujhe doctor ko bulana pare".

"But then you should at least clean your wound and dress it up," Pooja said while checking her phone.

"You are right Pooja, let me get you the first aid box it is better you do the dressing. Probably Zoya's manicured nails might get spoiled that's why she is still standing there and looking at us without doing anything. And after all, you have to take care of him tomorrow onwards isn't it?"

What the hell is wrong with dadi I wondered? She is behaving in a weird manner. Zoya's tears did not go unnoticed by me. She quickly brushed them off so that no one can see it. But aisa kabhi nahi hua hai ki Zoya roye aur mujhe pata na chale. (there has been no instance where her tears gone unnoticed by me.)

"Eww Dadi. I will faint if I see blood. It makes me uneasy. I think Aditya should call a doctor to do all these things. It isn't my cup of tea. And moreover, when he is saying that it is not that critical I think he can handle it himself. Anyway, I came to drop Zoya's engagement outfit. I went to collect mine so thought of dropping hers. "Erm! I have to leave right now love got an appointment in the parlour. Please take care of yourself". She came near and I kissed on my cheeks and left.

I got up from the sofa and went to my room, angry. Dadi tried to call me so many times but I was in no mood to listen. I slammed the door shut after entering my room.

**
A few minutes later

I was resting my head on the headboard of the bed when Dadi entered. Now not again, I thought. "Dadi, please don't disturb me now", keeping my eyes closed.

"Zoya bitiya?", she called her in anger.

I opened my eyes sensing her presence. She was standing near the door keeping her head bowed. I rolled my eyes. Here I was bleeding and there she was counting tiles.

"Zoya bitiya har baar ki tarha aaj bhi tu hi karde iska dressing" (let always even today you do the dressing) I didn't want to look at her to I continued to look outside the window.

"Kya huya? Tu wahan khari kyun hai? Bula rahi hoon na tujhe?" (What happened? I am asking you to come here and you are still standing there?)

And then she spoke. "Dadi, before I enter this room, you need to ask him whether he wants me to tend his wound or not".

Attitude haan? "I told you dadi that I don't want anybody to tend me."

My words were enough to turn her back but dady stopped her, "Zoya, just look at his state. Tu to janti hai issey chahe kitna bhi dard ho yeh kabhi nahi bolega. Aur isse tera hi tending humesha se pasand hai". (you know it very well that no matter how much pain he is having he will never say it to anybody and he prefers your dressing)

She stole a glance towards me "but dadi he used to prefer he might not prefer now right? People changes in due course of time and so does their likings".

"dadi please ask her to leave. I can't bear it anymore" I winced. "And if she is having so much of a problem coming inside my room because once I have asked her not to I have nothing to say. It's her choice what she wants to".

"tum log dono apna cat fight kab band karoge? Waise bhi kal to yeh jaa hi rahi hai to bhagwan ke liye tumlog do din bina jhagra karke thoda ghul milke reh nehe sakte? (when will you both stop fighting? In any case, she will be leaving tomorrow. Cant you guys stay without fighting with each other). Dadi left the room frustrated.

I just gave up at that very moment. "Bohot dard ho raha hai" (its paining a lot). Strangely I didn't know what I meant, the wound or my heart.

~Zoya~

I took my first unsure step inside his room. It was the room, which I loved to spent my time. It was the same bed where I slept on dadi's lap whenever he was unwell. I was the one who took care of him. He always succumbs to my stubborn attitude whenever he was ill. I looked at the cupboard and my eyes teared up thinking how I used to steal his money to have golgappas. The same recliner placed near the poolside where sometimes he fell asleep with his mouth open.
Pushing away my nostalgic thoughts I went towards him. "First Aid Boz?"

"Jahan tum rakhti thi" he replied looking at me trying to gauge my mood.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Everything in his room is kept just like the way I wanted. I opened the drawer and took out the box.
Finally, I looked at him directly in his eyes. He was having a horrible bruise and then I couldn't control anymore. I touched her wound with my finger and he gasped. That's it. All my control was gone.

"Dekh ke nahi chal sakte ho? Why can't you take care of yourself and you say you are a grown up and you can take care of yourself? aise rakkhoge apna khayal? And what kind of people you have got? Can't they see and then get in? "Kitna khoo..'" I chocked seeing the blood still "oon nikal raha hai." (so much blood is coming out).

I took some gauge and cleaned the clotted blood and applied an antiseptic cream. I could make out that he was looking at me all the time without uttering a single word. Strangely he didn't even protest, unlike other times. He must be thinking that how all the time I am the one who felt pain when he was in pain and how he never left an opportunity to give me pain. I was so aware of his intense gaze that the hair at my back stood up. But I ignored it totally.

I put a small bandage on his cleaned wound and declared that it's done.

Taking the box I was about to get up when he held my hand to stop.
"No, it's not done yet."

I frowned. What do you mean? Before I could snatch my hand from his he pulled me so strongly that I fell on his lap.

"Abhi tak pura nahi huya hai," (It is still not completed) he said looking at my lips and I understood his meaning. I craned my neck and kissed lightly on his forehead. Is he kidding me? He wants my kiss after what he has done? "Take Care," I whispered against his skin. He fisted my hair and levelled my face with his. The intensity of his emotions made me gulp my anticipation. I am not naïve to not understand what was coming next. It scared the shit out of me.