Taking a deep breath I opened the door and got inside...

Baba was leaning on the rocking chair and his eyes were closed

I took small baby steps towards him and sat on the floor in front of him and touched my forehead to his knees

I felt his hand on my head and my tears wetted his feet...

"Champ" his voice reached my ears and in no time I balanced myself on my knees and buried my head on his shoulder....

"You are too big to be carried on my shoulders champ"

My sobs become louder and louder while my hold on him tightened...

Years of pain of separation was oozing out from my heart

Bottling up yourself is too difficult...

I cried and cried till tears were no more left while Baba kept caressing my head and back

"I wish I could go back to the old days and carry you on my shoulders and make you sleep like always"

He said caressing my head and I kissed his cheek like I used to do in childhood and again stuffed my face in his neck

I felt like I am still the old 5year champ sleeping on his Baba's shoulder

After a while, I moved my head out of his neck and Baba signalled me to lower my gaze

Lowering my lashes I found his shirt in my fist and a smile blossomed my face thinking back of my childhood while Baba said "Some habits never change"

I crouched on the floor and again laid my head on his lap while tears never stopped...

Only I know how much I craved for this...

My eyes kept pouring while his hand on my head kept giving me the warmth that I craved for years...

After a while, Baba asked, "You want to say something champ??"

Lifting my head I wiped my tears and kept mum

"Do you want to LEAVE AGAIN??"

I continued my silence while he went on

"Or do you want ME to leave AGAIN??"

And quickly I clasped his hands in mine "Noo...Please...Baba don't...just don't say that"

"But this is what you want na champ...this is what you do all the time...

Running away from your pain"

"I didn't run" I looked somewhere else and answered back

"Well in that case let's have an open talk now," he said and I looked at him

"See champ...you were too small to understand the things and to vanish the trauma that you had faced it was necessary to destroy all your mother's memories...if I wouldn't have done it then you would have still sunk into that event and surrounded by tragic vibes

Sometimes vanishing the memories is good for us because if we are willing for a bright future then we need to erase the tints of some good memories too...because sometimes good memories are dangerous for life

After Arundathi I had only you with me...and to save you I can go to any extent

Keeping a stone on my heart I sent you to your Mama's place because your little mind needed a change...

Then where you were matured enough you decided to stay at the hostel so that you can study without any distractions and I respected your dedication towards your dream

Post finishing your education you came back to me...stayed for some while and decided to leave

You said you need some space...

But that wasn't true...

You didn't leave because you were angry with me

You left me because you were scared...am I right??"

"How..how...do you

"I heard you when you were crying in the hospital"

And my eyes went wide

Flashback from Arun's POV:

Last year back I got a heart attack and underwent angioplasty...

I was in the hospital laying on the bed...

Arjun thought I was unconscious and cried his fear out...

He was never vocal about his emotions and I grabbed the opportunity to know whats going on in my champ's head

Clutching my hand tightly in his he placed it at his chest and began sobbing...

"It's all because of me na Baba...till I was away from you...you were safe and sound... All this while nothing happened to you and now when I am with you...you got hurt...you are on this bloody bed just like Maa only because of me...I am not a good son na Baba...

I am a demon...

But don't worry Baba...your champ will protect you from the demon...I promised Maa that I'll take care of you...I'll never let anything happen to you...

I'll do one thing...I'll go away from you...then you'll be fine...totally fine

To protect you is to stay away from you...

And I'll do it...

I can't lose you Baba

I can't take one more trauma...

So I have to go away from you"

Laying his head on my shoulder my baby cried and cried

"Don't leave me Baba... please don't leave me... I have only you and I can't survive without you...I need you Baba...I need you"

Flashback ends

"See champ...I am still with you" referring to our intertwined hands Baba declared and I was numb

"You feel that if you are hanging around with your loved ones or you are being close to them...ultimately they will get hurt because of you...just because of your presence in their lives they will get hurt...how can you even think of such nonsensical things champ??

But you being my blood are stubborn as hell

So it needed to show you the reality in your way...

I got you married to your Jasmine"

And I was shocked again

"I was your hidden shadow champ...I had each and every piece of information about my son...be it your extra pocket money for her birthday present or be it your demand for a cycle to visit her...everything was fulfilled by me

Though initially, I was hesitant for this marriage Raghav put on  some courage in me and I executed my plan"

"Plan??" It came out of a confusion

"You love her the most right??"

I nodded a yes

"For how long she is staying with you??"

"More than 10 months" I answered without any delay

"During these 10 months did something major happen to her??"

I nodded a no

"Got your answer"

And again I was dumbfounded

Baba cupped my face "Look champ...you are the only one who creates your own reality...

It's only you who is developing nonsensical beliefs within you...

And because of your beliefs all the time you keep running away and see now finally you are ended into a deep loop...

Don't run away from your pain champ...

Survive your pain and get out of it as a fighter"

"I have tried Baba but I failed"

"Then try it again

Just because you failed once that doesn't mean you are going to fail at every attempt"

"But Baba...

"Listen champ...this is life...No matter what it's going to mess up sometimes

There are many things that life takes away from us and many of them we can never get back...

When someone leaves we keep stressing ourselves over the situation... we keep stressing over the things that we can't change and sometimes we stress over the things that don't even exist which ultimately leads to nothing but harming ourselves

And this is what you are doing champ...

But there's always a hope

Hope to look forward

And for that, you must open your heart and mind both and look forward to new beginnings

Even there is darkness and pain around you...you should look forward towards a new light

And you have do it on your own champ...we all can give you moral support but no one can help you than you help yourself...no matter what how many helping hands you have..at a point, there will be something that no one can help you"

As I was staring at him with a blank expression again he wiped my tears

"A person is a prisoner of his own fear

Don't be that prisoner champ...

FIGHT FOR YOURSELF

FIGHT WITH YOURSELF"

And as words were taking time to come out of my throat Maa came with a small container and handed it to Baba and she too sat on the chair next to Baba

I was still rooted in front of him and I felt something lukewarm on my head and Baba exclaimed "it's champi time for champ"

As I was enjoying the soothing champi  Aaru who was my sleeping partner for the last 4 days disturbed us "Bhai if you are done then chalo let's sleep"

Damn...I am tired of his snoring

That lazy pig lays his hands and legs on me...and I don't like it because that's my habit when I sleep on HER chest...

I don't want to sleep next to him...

I want HER

Then go get her

No I won't...saying to myself I came out of my thoughts and I heard Baba

"No he will be sleeping with me today"

And I don't know why I smiled like a maniac...I felt happy with the thought of sleeping next to my hero after many years

Aaru crouched in front of Maa and she gave him a champi and said

"No one is going anywhere now...all of us are staying in the same house" while Baba added

"Till now I gave everything that you wanted but this time I won't do anything according to you...I'll do what I want and that's final"

************************************

I was feeling like I am back to my childhood...

Maa feeding me and Baba making me sleep by patting my head...

I have everyone with me but still I am incomplete without HER

And no one is talking about her...

Why???

Am I making it difficult on my own??

For the past half-hour, I was just flipping my sides on the bed

I wasn't getting my own emotions...

I wasn't getting myself...

I was scared to be with Baba and HER

But now when I am with Baba... I am feeling safe and secured...I am not getting scared at all...

I am feeling immense strength with him

But what about HER???

"It's up to you champ"

I heard Baba and I looked at him...his eyes were still closed and he said again

"It's all up to you"

************************************

Next day:

For the first time, I was hating my brother...

He was stuck to me like a piece of chewing gum...

We were on the way to Baba's friend's house for a family function

I was not at all interested but Baba insisted me to join them

We reached the venue and everyone got busy with their friends and chats

I was hell bored and closing my eyes I began rubbing my temples while a soothing familiar scent hit my nostrils

I inhaled more of it into my lungs realising to whom the scent belongs...

And when I opened my eyes...it was already pooled up with heavy tears

My eyes were dying to see that view from the past 4 days 7 hours 38 minutes 16 seconds...

But it was blurry....

I rubbed my eyes and cleared the tears and again looked in the same direction....

I had a 360-degree smile on my face with gleaming eyes and a horse speed beating energetic heart...

My legs began moving towards the direction and in no time I was standing right in front of my love❤

My life❤

Sona❤

My heart bursts out and my eyes began pouring like crazy while my trembling hands got lifted and were just a mere inches away from her cheeks...

Her beautiful shiny black eyes were fixed at me with a thin line curled against her lips...My hands were about to cup her cheeks and just then I felt a strong hand on my shoulder and I was swirled back

And it was HIM

What the hell is HE doing here??

************************************

Whom do you think is HE???