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This is an unedited draft of the book, meaning there will be several grammatical errors, name mismatches, plot discrepancies, and other sematic errors. If that is something you find offence, please do not proceed further.

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Good day,

Swati Sandeep

The early morning rays seeped through the window, eager to greet the sleeping boys. Dheer groaned in protest as the rays disturbed his sleep. He was not ready to wake up.

"Close the damn blinds, Alexa." He yelled in sleep as he pulled the blanket back on his face. Dhruv woke up with a start. He looked at the sleeping boy and gently pulled the blanket down. Dheer was running a fever the night before. Dhrti assured him that the boy would be fine by the morning. Dheer groaned again as the light disturbed his sleep. He opened his eyes, annoyed, ready to yell at the staff for being so careless, but the anger died down as soon as he felt Dhruv's gentle touch.

For a second his fuzzy brain did not make any sense. He was sure he was dreaming. It could not be his Bhaiya in his room. He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes, but Dhruv gently held his hand and stopped him. Dheer's eyes were already bloodshot. He had dry eyes, a side effect of the medicines he was taking. Any kind of rubbing would only aggravate the irritation.

"Don't, bachcha. You will hurt yourself more."

At that moment Dheer knew he was not dreaming. The reality came crashing down. His eyes widened in panic as he recalled the evening's incidents. His Mamaji had come to visit them. If Dhruv saw him there the game was up. He would....

"Aab kaise tabeyat hai? (How are you feeling now?)" Dhruv gently caressed his face. Dheer gulped but nodded his head. He waited for the anger, for the accusations, but Dhruv's demeanor only showed kindness.

"You still have a mild fever." Dhruv helped Dheer to sit up. The boy was struggling to do the same. His body was too weak to support itself. "Get ready, you need to eat something."

Dheer nodded his head. He felt exhausted and drained. He rarely ever fell sick, but when he did it left him drained. His condition often made it difficult for his body to recover on its own. That is why he was always so careful with his health. He wished he had his gammy by his side. Her presence always soothed him.

Dhruv noticed the shadows behind his eyes and gently pushed the hair back from his face. The boy's hair had grown a bit over the past few days. The rugged look suited his boyish face, but he definitely needed a haircut. "You need a haircut."

Dheer's eyes narrowed in distaste. He loved his hair. There was no way he was letting a local stylist even touch it. He would have to wait until he had officially won the bet to get the darn haircut.

Dhruv pushed the hair back again, waiting to see those eyes. Dheer was always careful with his emotions. He wanted to see what the boy was trying so hard to hide. Dheer looked up and their eyes met. For a second Dhruv could see the emotions swirling in the boy's eyes before they turned blank again.

"I am fine, Sir." Dheer gave a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I will come down for breakfast in ten minutes. What are you doing here?"

Dhruv did not answer. Dheer was suffering through nightmares the night before. Even unconscious he was having a hard time settling down. Dhruv was only wanting to comfort Dheer when the boy cuddled into him and drowsed off. Dhruv did not realize when he drifted off to sleep holding the boy.

"I came to check on you."

Dheer nodded his head. Dhruv's kindness never failed to amaze him. The amount of concern he was showing a stranger was unbelievable. But the same man left you to suffer. The devil whispered in Dheer's ears. Dheer wanted to block his ears. He hated the voice in his head that refused to stay shut. He needed a break from it. He was not desperate for Dhruv's love. He was no longer the desperate, scared child. He did not need frequent remainders.

"Are you okay?"

Dheer nodded his head. He needed a hot shower and some distraction. The restaurant kept him busy. The sooner they left for work, the sooner he would get some peace. He got down from the bed and almost lost his balance. Dhruv was right there, holding him, helping him sit back.

"Your body is still recovering, bacha. You need to rest. Let me help you."

Dheer wanted to protest but he was not dumb. He knew he needed help. Dhruv was the only one he could take it from. Despite what happened between them, the familiarity was still there. He may be a stranger to everyone but Dhruv never treated him like a stranger. That was the only blessing he had.

Dhruv helped him to the washroom and waited outside. The bedsheets were crumpled. The boy had a restless night. Dhruv quickly stripped the bed of the used sheets and put on fresh ones. He was changing the pillow covers when Dev walked inside with a coffee tray. The brothers' eyes met. They had not spoken after the Alisha incident. Dheer's condition took precedence. Dev was dreading the confrontation.

Dhruv set the pillow down and motioned for the boy to come inside. He could see the hesitation in the boy's eyes. Never before had they left anything unresolved. Dev had never had to wait for Dhruv's reaction. Dhruv always made sure to resolve all issues before they went to bed. He wished he had done the same the night before, but Dheer kept them all occupied.

Even Dhriti had stayed with the boy all night. Dhruv had sent her back to rest, knowing well that she would rush back to work in the morning. Dev had barely slept the night before, waking every two hours to check on Dheer. The boy had very quickly made his way into all their hearts. Dhruv was startled out of his thoughts when he felt Dev bury his face into his chest.

Dhruv looked down at his boy and gently wrapped his arms around him. He was upset with his carelessness, but that was not something that could not be addressed with a simple conversation. Dhruv was glad he had not let his temper get the better of him.

"Sorry." Dev whispered against his chest. Dhruv gently patted the boys back. "I know bacha." His voice was filled with understanding. "Sit, we need to talk."

Dev sat down and handed Dhruv his coffee. He knew his brother had already taken a shower. He had seen him go to the temple in the early morning hours. The next time he opened his eyes, Dhruv was sitting next to Dheer holding his hand and sleeping. Exhaustion had finally caught up. So Dev let his Bhaiya rest and went down to prepare coffee. He was glad he could help with a few things in the kitchen. Though it was Dhruv who largely took care of the cooking, Dev had picked up a few skills. He could whip up a decent breakfast and prep everything.

Dhruv was glad for the coffee. He could feel his head pounding. Usually when he fasted he made it a point to have a good meal afterwards, but the night before he was too preoccupied with Dheer to think about a meal. Now that he was in better control of his emotions he realized that none of them had eaten anything.

"Bhaiya...."

"When we got the phone, I told you to be careful, beta. You know the reason why you cannot be careless with the phone."

Dev lowered his head but nodded in agreement.

"It's not that we cannot afford another one. By god's grace we are over that phase, but that doesn't mean we can take things for granted."

"I am sorry...."

"You are, but you need to be more careful. Maybe a little reminder will help." Dev paled, if he got grounded again he would have to miss all his lessons. The VoN classes would start in a few days. He would have to miss them.

"You are grounding me?" Dev dared to look up, pleading with his brother to change his decision.

Dhruv shook his head. "You have classes, so grounding is out of the question."

Dev sighed in relief, but it was short lived as Dhruv asked him to handover the phone. "But you said you will not ground me."

"I am not grounding you, kiddo." Dhruv ruffled his hair. "I am only cutting off your privileges. Until I am confident that you have learned your lesson, your i-phone will stay with me. You can use Dhriti's old phone. It's a decent model. You will not have any problem using it."

Dev grimaced, it was a decent model but it was an android version. He loved his i-phone better, but he knew arguments would only get him into more trouble. Dhruv was letting him off the hook easily, he was not a fool to buy trouble for himself and quietly handed the phone.

"You will be on dish duty for the next 30 days."

Dev's head shot up in shock. "You already punished me."

"You call that punishment?" Dhruv shook his head. The kid was deluding himself.

"Yes! You took my phone away."

"I swapped your phone, the same phone that you almost lost."

"Come on, Bhaiya. We have a decent dishwasher. Why do I have to wash the dishes? Di is already doing it...."

"And you will also do the laundry this month"

"Now you are being mean on purpose." Annoyance sparked in Dev's eyes. Household chores were his least favourite. He would rather be grounded.

"Do you want me to vacuuming to the list?"

"Ek kaam karo Bhaiya sare he kaam karwa lo. Raghu ko bhi ek mahine break de do. Main he ka dunga sare kaam. (Do one thing Bhaiya, give Raghu a month off. I will do all the housework.)"

"Idea itna bura bhi nahi hai. (That's not a bad idea.) Maybe I should do it."

"Karo! Whae karo aap! Hitler ke hitler rahoge, kabhi nahi sudhroge. ( Do it! You will never change Bhaiya. You will always remain the hitler.) I am not doing the dishes Bhaiya. I am not doing any of those damn things. Suna aapne. (Did you hear?) I am not doing it.)"

Dhruv did not pay heed and continued to have his coffee. Dev marched out angrily, closing the door with a resounding thud. The kid rarely lost his cool, when he did everyone could feel the heat. Dhruv smiled once the door shut behind Dev. He had missed that rebellion very much. The obedient kid was a treat to have around, but he was missing his Dev. He was glad the boy was slowly coming back.

"That went smoothly." Dheer drawlled as he leaned against the wall for support. He had come out when Dhruv was dishing out the punishment. He was almost about to protest when Dev shot back. For the first time Dheer felt proud of his younger brother. If the kid had taken the punishment laying low he would have given up on him. Now he knew his brother was not a lost cause and that filled him with irrational happiness.

"Yes, It did." Dhruv set the coffee down and got up to help Dheer back to the bed. The boy needed to rest all day. Dheer looked a lot better after the shower.

"Dish duty? Really?" Dheer could not hold back his disdain. "For misplacing a phone? Isn't that a little too cruel?"

"He did not misplace the phone, Dheer. He lost it. Aisha is an honest woman, so she gave the phone back. Anyone else in her place would not have kept it, then what would have happened?" Dhruv pulled the blankets up, making sure the boy was well covered.

"But he did not do it on purpose...."

"No one does anything on purpose, Dheer. The boy needs to learn to be careful. Once he faces the consequences of his actions he will know not to be careless."

"It's still cruel." Dheer inisted.

"Were you never punished before?"

Dheer bobbed his head. He was punished, but never so harshly. He could always wriggle his way out of a punishment. His grandmother loved him too much to be strict with him. Dheer really felt sorry for Dev. Before he could defend Dev again the door opened and Dhriti walked inside, her eyes sizzling with anger.

"What did you say that upset Dev?" She hissed at Dhruv, not bothering with the trivial fact that she was weaning a peach pink facemask. Dhruv could not hold back the chuckle. Her anger and appearance were in stark contrast to each other.

"What is so funny Dhruv Singh Randhawa?" Dhriti's eyes glinted in anger. Dev sounded upset and her moron twin did not seem to care. That did not sit well with her.

"At least get rid of the mask, Riti. Who are you planning to scare?"

Dhrti pulled the mask from her face annoyed and trashed it in the bin nearby. That was a ruined mask. She had only put it on when Dev walked into her room with complaints. Her twin did not know where to draw a line.

"Dish duty, really? Can you be any more cruel?"

Dhruv looked at Dheer, the boy had said the same thing a few minutes before. He shook his head in amusement. "Did he not tell you about the Laundry duty?"

"Does he look like a slave to you?"

Dhruv shook his head again. "If Mumma was here he would have gotten a lot worse. Stop mollycoddling him. He needs to take responsibility for his actions."

Dhriti glared at him. Their mother was never that strict. It was their father who was the disciplinarian in the family. After he took the road to despair, the responsibility fell on their mother. She tried her best to deal with two rampant teens, but it was no easy task.

"Dev is not a moron like you." Dhriti shot back, completely forgetting Dheer's presence. "He did not do it on purpose. You already took his phone away. You don't have to act mean."

"Mean is my middle name, angel. There will be no negotiation." Dhruv got up and looked at his watch. He needed to leave for the restaurant. "Unless you want to take over the duties the kid will do what I say. Let him learn the hard way. I will go prepare breakfast. Why don't you give Dheer some company until then?"

Dhriti looked at Dheer and realized he was witnessing their argument. The amused smile playing on his lips said it all. She looked like a witch with her hair all over the place and her mask still smeared on her face. That was not how she wanted to face Dheer, and immediately felt at a disadvantage.

"Ek baar use check karlo. (Examine him again.) He is still feeling dizzy."

Dhriti was not happy to hear about it. The boy should be recovering, but his condition was delaying the recovery. She put her apprehensions aside and reached for the boy's hand. The pulse was steady but she could feel the fever.

"You need to take your medication. Why did you stop taking the iron supplement?" Dhriti asked as she reached for medical supplies she kept stashed in the bedside drawer. Dheer remained silent. He hated those iron supplements and did everything to skip them. At home his grandmother made sure he had them, now he was free to skip them on will.

"Your hemoglobin took a hit." Driti shook her head as she filled a syringe with the required dose of medicine. "Your platelet count is down. That is the reason for dizziness. You cannot skip even a single dose. Are you getting my point?"

Dheer nodded his head. He understood that, but that did not mean he had to like it. He was a healthy person, the medication made him feel like an old man.

"Roll up your t-shirt"

Dhruv saw the syringe and cringed. He was not a fan of needles. "Can't you give him some medicine?"

Dheer could not hold back his smile. He remembered a time when his Bhaiya was terrified of needles. The memories hit him like a flash. He could see his Bhaiya protesting as his mother coaxed him to stay still.

"Nahi, Chachi. (No, Chachi). I am fine. I don't need that stupid injection." Dhruv whined as the doctor approached him with a needle. It had been two days since Dhruv was down with a cold and fever. His mother called for the doctor when the fever showed no signs of easing. Dhruv was not thrilled with the prospect and made his displeasure known.

"Tujhe bahut bukhar hai, bacha. (You are suffering from a high fever, bacha.) Please let the doctor help you."

"I am fine." Dhruv insisted.

"Abey fine hota to doctor ko bulana he nahi padta. (If you were fine, there would be no need for the doctor.)" Dhriti gave him a gentle whack. "Stop whining and let the doctor do his job."

"I said I am fine." Dhruv pulled the blanket tight around himself. Dhruv suffered from trypanophobia or what was commonly known as fear of needles. He barely flinched when he nicked himself with a knife in the kitchen, but the minute he saw a needle he panicked.

"Dhruv, beta. Please mere baat maan. (Please listen to me.) I promised your mother to take care of you in her absence. I need to make sure you are fine."

"Aap bekar me fekar kar rahe ho, chachi. (You are worrying for no reason, chachi.) It's a normal cold. It will go away in the morning." Dhruv succumbed to a fit of sneezing right after. Anjali shook her head, her eyes clouding with worry.

Little Dheer walked up to Dhruv and settled beside his Bhaiya. He hated seeing him sick. His Bhaiya was always active. He had been looking forward to spending time with his Bhaiya during the vacations. They had come back in summer to spend time with his cousins. Though he stayed over at their place often, his cousins never visited their home before. It was the first time that Dhriti and Dhruv had come over. He wished they got Dev along too but the kid was too young to stay away from his parents. His mother made him understand that. He was okay with it but he still missed little Dev. Though his Bhaiya and Dhrti were very cool, Dev was a cutie pie.

Dhruv gently nudged Dheer away. "Door reh bacha. Tujhe bhi sardi lag lajege. (Stay away from me, bacha. I don't want you to catch a cold."

Dheer snuggled closer. He hated staying away from his Bhaiya. "Mujhe aapke paas rehna hai. (I want to stay with you.)"

"Bacha...."

"Please, Bhaiya. I miss you so much. You promised to take me to the park."

"Dheer" Anjali chastised. "Dhruv is not well, beta. Yeh koi waqt hai zidh karney hai? (Is this the time to make demands?)"

Dheer's face fell.

"Kya yaar, chachi. Kyun daat rahe ho bache ko? Maine he kaha tha ke park leke jaunga. Uske galti nahi hai. (Why are you scolding him, chachi? I told him that I will take him to the park. It is not his mistake.)" Dhruv pulled Dheer closer. "Once I get well we will go to the park. I will teach you how to skate."

"Promise?"

"Pakka promise."

"Par aap to bemar ho. Dawai ke bena aap kasie theek hoge? Aap to bas ek hafte ke liye aaye ho. Do din to aise be beet gaye. Aab aap injectection nahi loge to aur bemar pad jaoge. Phir kaise sakhoge mujhe skating? (But you are sick. How will you get well without the injection? You are here only for a week and have been sick for two days already. If you don't take the injection you will not get well. Then how will you teach me?)"

"Arey Riti hai na, woh sekha dege. (Don't worry, Riti will teach you.)"

"Dhriti ko theek se skating nahi ate. (Dhriti does not know how to skate properly.)" Dheer huffed. Dhruv gave him a gentle whack on the back.

"Di bol, yeh Driti Driti kya laga rakha hai? Bade behen ko koi naam se bulata hai? (Call her Di. Why do you keep calling her with her name? Is that how you address your older sister?)

Dheer fell silent. Dhriti always kept him at a distance. She was his sister, but he felt nothing for. Even when he tried to approach her she stayed aloof. He could not shrug off the feeling that she did not like him much. So he stayed away from her.

"Let the kid call me however he wants to Dhruv. And he is right. I suck at staking. Since you so generously made the promise to teach him to skate, honor the promise now. For that you need to get well. Take that injection."

Dhruv glared at her. Dheer held his hand and gave him a pleading look. "Please, Bhaiya. Mughe aapko aise dekhke acha nahi lag raha. (I don't like seeing you sick.) I want to play with you." His eyes misted.

"Arey, itne chote se baat pe ansoo? (Why the tears?)"

Dheer wrapped his arms around Dhruv and buried his face in his warmth. He wanted him to get well. Anjali tried to pull the boy away but Dheer held more tightly.

"It's okay, chachi. Let him be with me." Dhruv sighed. "Call the doctor inside. I will take the injection."

Dhriti's eyes widened in shock. Dheer pulled back and looked at Dhruv. "Sache? (really?)"

Dhruv gently caressed his face, "Tere leye to kuch bhi, bacha. Yhe injection to kuch bhi hai. (I can do anything for you, bacha. This injection means nothing.)"

Dheer hissed as he felt the pinch of the needle. The memories faded before the sting.

"Aram se yaar, Dhrti. Use lage hai. (Be gentle, Dhrti. It hurt him.)"

"If he took his iron supplements he would not have to suffer this." Dhri transed the needle away. "I will draw his blood in the evening. If the hemoglobin levels are not up, we would have to do this daily."

"You would love that, won't you?" Dheer hissed under his breath.

"Right! That is all I live for." Dhriti stepped back, her eyes flashing with annoyance. "Make sure you dump a lot of greens in his soup. That should help."

Dheer palmed his face. The woman knew how to extract revenge. He needed to get out of there before she gave Dhruv more ideas. Dheer tried to step down from the bed but Dhrti stopped him right away.

"Kya kar raha hai? (What are you doing?)"

"I have to go to work." Dheer shot her an annoyed look. He was still mad at her for calling his uncle. Now he had to go over to his uncle's place and beg for his silence. He knew how the conversation would go and hated it already.

"You are not going anywhere, youngman." Dhruv spoke in a firm voice. Dheer looked startled. He knew the voice well, but that voice was only reserved for the brat Dheeren. He was Dheer, the intern.

"But, Sir..."

"You will rest until the doctors give you the all clear." Dhruv's voice left no room for argument.

"But, sir. I am here to learn cooking. How will I learn if I don't come to work? We only have a few months. Each day counts. I need to...."

"Argue once again and I will fire you on spot."

Dheer's eyes widened in disbelief. "You promised, Aman. You will lose business...."

"Not everything is a business deal, Dheer." Dhruv's eyes glinted, but then he smiled. "And it's my business, so let me worry about it. If you really want to learn, then do as I tell you. Rest and get well. Only then you are welcome back in my kitchen. Got it?"

Dheer wanted to argue but Dhriti held his hand and silenced him. She knew the tone very well. Once Dhruv said something he did not go back on it. It would be best to shut up and agree. It was less painful. Dheer fell silent. He did not understand why his cousins had to be so stubborn. Now he had to come up with some other plan and that did not sit well with him!

1- Best part of the episode.

2- How should Dev's truth be revealed to the Dhruv?

3-Do you like reading flashbacks?

The next few chapters will have a lot of emotional outbursts. The readers who feel uncomfortable reading emotional dramas are advised to skip the next few chapters until the disturbance between Dev and Dhruv will be resolved. I will not post any more warnings. Dhruv will learn the truth in the next episode. 

Teaser for chapter 23 will be posted after 250 comments.