Nakshatra, Delhi

**The Vermas have named their home as Nakshatra.**

Writer's POV :-

Krishna Verma is a soft hearted woman, and it really pains her to see his only son slowly slipping into loneliness. She tried many times and it resulted into nothing.
All she wants is just to see Aakarsh happy in his life, again.

She huffed and threw her phone on bed. She sat there for a while, pressing her head with two fingers, she kept her head on bedpost and went down the memory lane.

*Flashback*

"Maa.."

"Maa.."

She heard his 17 years old son, Aakarsh,  whining for her attention, while she was giggling silently and stirring the curry, ignoring him.

"Maa, listen na" he again whined shaking her hands.

"Hmm bolo sun rahi hoon main...(Speak up, I'm listening.)" She answered sounding uninterested intentionally and continued stirring the curry.

"Main nahi bol raha, aap dhyan nhi de rahi hain ...(I'm not telling anything, you're not paying attention.)" He complained and crossed his arms on his chest, puffing his cheeks he made a sad pout with scrunched eyebrows.

"Acha baba, ab sun rahi hoon dhyaannn se, bolo....(Okay baby, now I'm listening with full ATTENTION, say.)" Exaggerating the word 'Attention' she replied and finally turned towards him giggling.

He got happy again getting his mother's undivided attention on him.

"Maa, Wo mere friend ka na birthday hai iss Sunday ko, to main use kuch unique gift dene ka soch raha tha, par meri samjh nhi aa rha kya doon? (Mom, my friend's birthday is on upcoming Sunday, so I was thinking to gift something unique, but I don't know what to gift?)" He said innocently.

Being a mumma's boy, Aakarsh, was always too attached to his mother.

He always shared all his happiness, sorrow, confusion, conflict, every minute details with her.

She was not just his mother but his best friend also.

"Kiska birthday hai...(whose birthday is it?)" She asked, teasingly.

Though she knew already but still she was asking to tease him.

"You already know Maa" he replied as the red colour appeared on his cheeks.

She laughed playfully and seeing her laugh he also smiled shyly and hid his face in her hair while hugging her.

*Flashback ends*

She startled and came out of her thoughts due to sudden interruption.

It was Mrinal Verma, her husband and Aakarsh's father standing in front of her.

"Where are you lost Krishna I'm calling you from past 5 minutes. What happened and why these tears?" He asked wiping the tears from her face.

"Main kitni bhi koshish kar loon kuch theek nahi kar pa rahi Mrinal. Humara bacha andhere ki taraf hi badhta chala ja rha hai.
(I'm unable to fix everything no matter how much I try, Mrinal. Our kid is leading towards darkness.)" She sobbed.

"You're again thinking about that?" He asked taking her in his embrace.

She said nothing just kept her head on his chest and sobbed softly.

"Agar sab humare hath me hota to hum kab ka theek kar chuke hote Krishna, par sachai yahi hai ki humare hath me Kuch bhi nahi. Tumhe kya lagta hai mujhe bura nahi lagta apne ek laute bache ko aisa bante dekh kar par main majboor hoon jaan, main kuch nahi kar pa rha...(If it was in our hands, we would have fixed it long ago, Krishna, but this is the harsh reality that not everything is in our control. What do you think, don't I feel bad seeing our only child becoming like this! But I'm helpless love, I'm unable to do anything.)"
He said ruffling her hair lovingly.

"Humein dekh kar bura lag rha hai par ye baat to tum bhi ache se janti ho ki Aakarsh ki help hum tabhi kar payenge jab wo khud help lena chahega. Par usne to apne aap ko sabse door kar liya hai. Bas machine ki taraf kaam karta hai taki kisi se baat ya mulaqat na karna pade."
(We are definitely feeling bad for all this but you too know it very well that we can help Aakarsh, only when he is willing to take our help. But he had just made himself distant from everyone. He works like a machine, complete workaholic, so that he doesn't have to talk or meet anyone unnecessarily.)" He added further.

"To kya humesha aise hi rahega sab, Mrinal. Mera bacha....Mera bacha aise hi akele ghutan me jiyega kya....?(So is this the way everything gonna be forever, Mrinal? My child...my child will live his life in such a suffocation.?)"She asked him in a painful tone.

Her heart pained at the mere thought of such situation.

"Nahi, waqt pr chhod do sab, waqt har dard ki dawa ban jata hai. Aaj bhale humein andhera nazar aa rha hai par kya pata kal isi andhere me se koi raushni nikal aaye, jo humare bache ko phir se hasta khelta zindadil bana de...(No, leave everything on time, time is the ultimate relief of every pain. Who knows from, the darkness we are today looking at, comes a light which will make our son happy, contented and lively again.)" He said with a hope.

She wiped her tears and nodded. They pulled apart from each other.

"Sab theek ho jayega...hmm!!... chaliye ab apni pyari si muskan de kar humare dil ko thandak dijiye...(Everything will be all right...hmm!!...now give my heart some relief by your lovely smile.)" He said with a hope and flirted a bit to change her gloomy mood.

She shyly smiled hearing his words.

"Offo...Yar main jis kaam se dhundh rha tha tumhe wo to tumne bhula hi diya.
(Ohh woman...you made me forget the work which I was looking you for.)" He said playfully.

"Kya (what)?" She asked.

"Dekho na mausam kitna acha hai, Kitna romantic hai, main soch raha tha tum aur main yaha humare bedroom mein....
(See, how lovely today's weather is!! How romantic!! I was thinking that you and me here in our bedroom.....)" Before he could say further she cut his words.

"Besharam insan, bilkul sharam nahi aati hai na, beta 24 ka hone ja rha hai aur aapko abhi romantic mausam hi soojh rha hai...(Shameless man, you don't have even an ounce of shame in you, no! Your Son is going to be 24 and you're still thinking about romantic weather.)"

She slapped his shoulders lightly and scolded him rather lovingly, as she herself, was trying to hide the emerging constant blush on her slightly wrinkled face.

He laughed on her reaction and held her hands in his with some mischievous glint playing in his eyes.

"Mera beta 24 ka ho ya 60 ka mujhe koi farq nahi padta, aur aapse romantic hone k liye mujhe kisi bahane ki zarurat nahi hai.
Ab itni khubsurat biwi ho to aadmi romantic kaise na ho bhala?...(I don't mind whether my son is going to be 24 or 60, it doesn't effect me okay? And I don't need any excuses to be romantic with you, love. How a person wouldn't be romantic if he has such a beauty for a wife?)." He teased her with a wink.

She blushed and looked down with a shy smile. Even in this age their love is still afresh like the first ray of sun — rejuvenating their lives.

"Aur main ye nahi bol raha tha. Main to ye keh raha tha ki mausam itna acha hai to aaj humdono wo humari favourite movie dekhte hai. Kitna time ho gya ek sath sukoon se bithe hue. Sare din to humdono busy hi rehte hai aaj free hain aur mausam bhi acha hai to we should have our 'we' time. Nahi?...(And I wasn't saying this. What I was actually saying that since it's an amazing weather, why not we watch our favourite movie? It's been too long since we sat together feeling each other's warmth. We both usually be so busy everyday, today as we are free moreover the weather is also nice, we should have our 'we' time.. what say?)" He said lovingly, pinching her crimson cheeks.

"To pehle clear bolna chahiye tha na aise baat kyu ghuma rahe the...(Then you should have told this earlier. Why were you twisting the words?)" She said, hitting his hands away from her cheeks.

" Are meri Jaan, tumhe tang karne me kitna maza aata tumhe kya maloom. Aur jab aap aise blush karti hai ye gaal gulab se kam nahi lagte...(Ohh my life, you don't know how much fun it is to tease you. And when you blush like this, you're cheeks don't look any less than a fresh rose.)" " He said in a flirty tone.

"Hattt, badmashiyan nahi ja rahi aapki...(You're teasing never stops.)" She replied blushingly as his words were doing nothing but increasing the redness of her already crimson face.

"Anhaan kabhi nahi yahi to maza hai zindagi ka...(No, never, this is the fun & taste of life.)" He said wiggling his eyebrows. Both of them burst into laughter after a few good seconds.

"Acha abhi aap movie dhundhiye main aapki chai aur pakode le Kar aati hoon...
(Okay, now you search the movie, I'll be back with you tea and fries.)" She told him moving away from his grip.

He nodded at her before she went out of the room.

"Kaash main sab kuch theek Kar pata Krishna, tumhe aise bar bar rota hua dekh mera dil hazar baar rota hai. Mera bacha bhi aaj khush hota apni zindagi me agar uss din wo sab na hua hota...(Wish I could make everything all right, Krishna, my hurt cries a thousands time seeing you in tears. My child too would have been happy today in his life, if all that never had happened, that day.)"

He said these words to himself remembering the past. Little did he know the past is all set to become the present, soon.

Very soon!

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

KV Technologies

Aakarsh was checking some mails on his laptop when his phone started ringing.

"Hello"

"Hello baby boo" someone said from another line.

His eyes widened.

"Tum...(You!!)" He said in shocked.

🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺🌼🌺

Hope you like the chapter

Do vote and  give your valuable response in the comment box.

😃😃😃😃😃