It's been a month since Kartik had come to Goa for his project. His friendship with Lisa had also grown a bit. He had gone for two more fights with her. She had started accompanying him for his fights and had put bets on him. As Kartik won both the fights, lisa also made a good sum of money. Kartik had even given her number to Naksh after taking her permission after Naksh had asked him.

Kartik still remembered Naksh's words when he had asked Naksh the reason.

Naksh :- Kartik agar by chance ya koi emergency mein mughe tumhe phone karna ho aur tum busy ho toh phir kisi na kisi ka toh no. hona chahiye na, tumhe contact karne ke liye.

Kartik knew that Naksh was lying to him. He needed the number to keep tabs on Kartik. He couldn't blame Naksh for that thought. After all, his habits would cause anyone to take such steps.

Kartik was coming back from the office as his meeting had gotten cancelled. Normally he would be lost in the thoughts of Naira but right now he was thinking about someone else. He was waiting. For a call. Not of any client, or from udaipur. But the call of a child.

A child whose voice called out to his heart. A child whose voice would lift his mood. A child whose voice he could listen 24 hours. A child whose voice caused him to feel joy. A joy which he hadn't felt in five years. A child whose voice was slowly reviving his dead soul. A soul which had died five years ago. He couldn't even express how he felt talking to that child.

There was something in that child's voice which called out to him. He didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the innocence or maybe the love he had in his voice or maybe the lisp in his words. Kartik didn't know. All he knew was that he needed to hear his voice. A voice which for first time in years brought peace to him. A feeling which he had forgotten.

He only had talked to the child just four times.

The first call had come a week ago. Kartik had been on the roof of his house and had been so lost in Naira's memories that he hadn't even realised that he was on the edge of the roof. One more step and he would have fallen over. But then suddenly his phone had rung. And when he had picked up, an innocent voice had called him. A child calling him papa and asking him where was he. A child who kept on babbling and had then asked Kartik to put the phone on hold while he went to call his mother but his phone battery died so it got cut.

The second call had come sometime later, asking him to Goa because his mother was in trouble as some goons were troubling her. Kartik had become very angry when he had heard that. The child had revealed that they were in Goa. For a moment he had thought of asking the address, to solve the matter himself but had then decided not to get involved. Kartik had given the child an idea on how to help his mother. The child had then called him mendak. That word had hit Kartik on his heart.

The third call had come to thank him, as due to Kartik's idea, the problem of his mother was solved. The child had then asked where he was ? Kartik had almost said Goa but then decided against it. He knew if he said Goa then it would create problem, so he had told the child that he was in udaipur. But before he could talk much the call had suddenly disconnected.

After that he himself had called that number but no one had picked it up.

Yesterday the child had called him again, Asking him to come to his school for father's Day. Kartik hadn't known what to do and after a while he had refused which led to the child getting angry with him and disconnecting the call.

Today was Father's day. He was coming back in his car, when his phone rang. He picked it up.

Child :- Happy father's day papa.

Kartik smiled when he heard the voice.

Kartik :- thank you beta.

Child :- i love you papa.

Kartik :- i love you too beta.

Child :- i love you too. Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

Kartik : wow, itna saara pyaar.

Child :- haa papa.

Kartik :- acha, ye batao, kahan the subah se, maine itne phone kiye aapko ?

Child :- sorry papa, vo phone bag mein tha, maine abhi dekha.

Kartik :- haa, aur main pareshan ho raha tha.

Child:- sorry papa, par abhi pareshan hona Stop, abhi main bus main baith ke udaipur aa raha hoon.

Kartik immediately stopped the car.

Kartik :- kya, kyun ? I mean aise achanak se ?

Child :- haa papa, maine bus ka ticket bhi le liya hai.

Kartik was horrified.

Kartik :- beta, kon hai aapke saath, aapki mummy kahan hai ?

Child :- aap kitne budhu ho papa, main akele aa raha hoon aapko lene, ye toh mumma ke liye surprise.......

Kartik :- hello ? Hello.....???

Kartik looked at his phone, the battery had died.

No, no, no, no, this couldn't be happening. The child was alone, who knows where. If something happened to the child......, no, no, no, he didn't even want to imagine that scenario. He quickly took the power bank out of his bag, and started charging his phone.

Kartik :- come on, come on, come on...... Issey bhi isi time dead hona tha, Agar mughe pata hota ki ye baccha aisa kuch kar dega, toh main baat itni aage badhne hi nahi deta. Mughe iss bacche ko dhoondhna hi hoga, agar Issey kuch ho gaya toh........ Nahi, ek aur guilt nahi le sakta main, mughe mein itni himmat nahi hai. Chahe kuch bhi ho jaaye, main Issey kuch nahi hone dunga.

It was ten minutes later when his phone came back to life. As the phone started, Kartik called his friend instead of calling the child. His friend picked it up.

Kartik :- Hello, Deepak.

Deepak :- yaa, Hi Kartik. Kaisa hai ?

Kartik :- main thik hoon. Acha Deepak, i need your help, It's an emergency.

Deepak :- haa bol.

Kartik :- Deepak, main tughe ek no. Bhej raha hoon, uss no. Ko please immediately track karo, ki kahan par hai, aur uski live location mughe bhejo, ASAP.

Deepak:- thik hai, main karta hoon, but kya hua, koi problem toh nahi hai na ?

Kartik :- problem toh hai, aur agar Issey abhi solve nahi kiya toh kuch bahut bura ho jaega.

Deepak :- acha ruk, mughe no. Bhej, main jitni jaldi ho sake uski live location nikalta.

Kartik :- haa, thanks yaar.

Kartik disconnected the call and sent Deepak the no. He called on the child's number but it was unreachable. It was after fifteen minutes later, when he received a message from Deepak. It was a location and it seemed it was moving. Kartik opened navigation to see the distance between him and the child. Thankfully, it was not much, only 5 kms.

Kartik immediately started the car, but before he could press the pedal, the car suddenly jerked and stopped. Kartik tried to start the car again but it didn't.

Kartik :- damm it, Issey bhi abhi kharab hona tha.

He got out of the car, and decided to run to the location.

Kartik ran, as fast as he could. He looked at his phone, it seemed that the child was moving. He had to get to the child as soon as possible. Kartik kept running. He didn't even notice his surroundings, all he could think of was that innocent child.

Finally he came to a place. It seemed that there was carnival going on. Kartik looked at his phone, the child was inside, not more than 500 meters away. He called him.

Child :- hello papa.

Kartik :- beta, aap kahan ho abhi ?

Child :- papa, main bench pe baitha hoon, uncle mughe bench pe bitha kar gaye hai.

Kartik :- kon, konse uncle ?

Child :- bus wale uncle ne mughe daat kar bhaga diya, jab ki mere pass ticket bhi tha. Phir ek uncle Miley, unhone kaha ki vo aapke friend hai, aur aapse milwane mughe leke aa rahe hai.

Kartik :- beta, aapko pata nahi ki strangers se baat nahi karte ?

Child :- pata hai papa, lekin saare strangers bure nahi hote, kuch kuch ache bhi hote hai.

Kartik :- beta, aap meri baat suno-

Child :- nahi, aap please Goa aayo na papa, main uske baad hi aapki baat sununga.

Kartik :- haa beta, main Goa mein hi hoon.

Child:- yay, papa aap Goa mein hai.

Kartik :- acha, ab aap meri baat suno. Aap abhi wahan se thoda dur jao, unn uncle se dur. Main bas aapse milne aa raha hoon.

Child :- yay, thik hai Papa. Main wait kar raha.

Kartik looked at his phone and thankfully the child started moving. Kartik started following him as fast as he could. Finally he saw that the child has stopped at a place. Kartik ran and finally reached his destination. And there he saw.

The child.

He was looking at the fun swing in front of him. Kartik noticed a van moving backwards in the child's direction. Kartik ran and before the Van could hit, Kartik pulled the child towards him and both of them fell down.

And that's how both of them glanced at each other for the first time. Kartik's heart screamed with joy as he looked at the child. He felt like he knew the child somehow, like he had some unknown relation with the child. Kartik made the child stand and remained on his knees. Both of them looked at each other and suddenly they hugged.

Kartik didn't know why, but tears started to fall from his eyes. This hug was giving him the same level of love and comfort which Naira's hugs used to give him. For some unknown reason, Kartik felt as if he knew the child somehow.

Both of them separated from each other. The child seeing his tears wiped them.

Child :- aap ro kyu rahe ho Papa ?

Kartik :- vo, aapse milkar itna khush hoon ki rona aa gaya.

The child gently wiped his tears.

Child :- koi baat nahi papa, ab toh main mil gaya hoon na aapko, thank you for coming Papa.

Kartik hugged the child again. He didn't know why but he just wanted to take the child in his arms and not let him go.

The child wanted to take him to his school, but it must have closed by now, so they decided to go to the child's home. The child didn't know exactly where his home was but he knew that a James game parlour was near his house, which Kartik found online. After some time both were walking back towards the child's home, when Kartik accidentally asked the child's name. Kartik didn't know the name but he forgot that him asking would hurt the child's feelings.

Child :- papa, aapko mera naam bhi nahi pata ? Aap gande ho. Bhul gaye na aap mughe aur mumma ko, bas hum hi aapko yaad karte hai. Aap toh karte hi nahi.

Kartik :- nahi beta, aisa nahi hai, vo toh bas maine aise hi puch liya.

Child :- toh phir mera naam batao.

Kartik didn't know what to say.

Child :- dekha, aapko yaad nahi.

Kartik thoughts :- ye kya kar diya, bahut hurt ho gaya baccha.

Kartik :- nahi beta, aisa ho sakta ki main aapko aur aapki mumma ko bhool jaao.

Child :- toh phir bolo mera naam.

Kartik closed his eyes. And only one name came in his mind. The name which he and Naira decided to keep if they had a son.

Kartik :- Kairav.

Kairav :- yay, sahi jawab.

Kartik looked at Kairav in shock.

Kairav :- iska matlab pata hai aapko ?

Kartik :- Lotus, pure aur sundar sa.

Kairav :- yay, thank you Papa. Mughe yaad rakhne ke liye.

Saying that Kairav hugged Kartik who was frozen. The name brought back so many memories. He couldn't help but imagine, if Naira would have been alive and if they would have had a son, he would exactly like be the child in his arms.

When they reached Kairav's home, he didn't know why but old feelings started resurfacing in his heart. Feelings which he had not felt since the past 5 years. The house had a homely feeling to it, which for some reason was attracting him.

He looked around the house. The house wasn't decorated much but it was still beautiful, just like how Naira would have done.

Kartik thoughts:- bas kar Kartik. Bas kar, Naira nahi hai ab, vo bahut dur chali gayi, hamesha ke liye.

Kairav's mother was not there, so Kartik decided to wait for her. Kairav was hungry, so Kartik decided to make bread pakoda for him. He was going to cook after 5 years. Last time he had made bread pakoda was for Naira. After feeding Kairav with his own hands, both of them played football, hide and seek in which Kairav got tired and slept in his hiding spot. Kartik picked him up and laid him on the sofa, and covered him with his jacket.

Kartik couldn't help contain his smile when he looked at the child. He was really cute and there was such innocence in him. The way he talked and his lisps of words. Anyone would fall in love with this child.

Suddenly his phone rang. He looked at it, it was the manager of there office of Goa branch. He picked it up.

Manager:- sir aap iss waqt office aa sakte hai kya ?

Kartik :- kyu, kya hua achanak se ?

Manager:- sir, vo jo meeting subah cancel ho gayi thi, vo client abhi karna chahte hai.

Kartik :- par achanak se-

Manager:- haa, sir please aap aa jaiye. Agar aaj meeting nahi hui, toh agle 2-3 hafte Tak nahi ho paegi.

Kartik :- thik hai. Mughe thoda time do, aata hoon.

Kartik cut the call and looked at the child. He didn't want to leave Kairav alone right now but he had no other option. Kartik kissed his forehead and went outside. He walked quiet a distance before he turned back. He couldn't do it. There was no way he was going to leave Kairav alone. To hell with the meeting. He turned back.

When Kartik reached the house, he saw a lady who was on her knees beside Kairav. Probably his mother. Her back was facing him, so Kartik couldn't see her face. Her shoulders were shaking slightly, probably from crying or relief, he didn't know. He decided to leave for now. Now that he knew where Kairav's house was. He was going to come back later and would then explain everything and would apologise to Kairav's mother.

Unknown to him the coming few days were going to bring a storm in his life.

A/N :- Hey guys, I hope you liked the chapter, Please vote and tell me in the comments.

Kairav meeting Kartik is almost as same as in the show. Only minute changes are there.

For those who want to see the phone conversation of Kartik Kairav can see it on season 65 episode 360, 361, 362, 364 on Hotstar app in that order.

And if you have any idea please do tell me. I'll see what I can do.