Anika watched Shanaya feeling difficult to sleep from the doorstep but she didn't go inside. She knew her mental state wasn't stable due to the rejection of her school application. And the school where she got admission rejected her children's application in the first stage. Now, She wanted to reveal this to her children, especially to her daughter who suffered more because of her.

Keeping her hesitation aside, She went inside. Shanaya who sensed her arrival acted like sleeping, Turning around. Anika tugged her inside the blanket and slept next to her. Anika knew she was acting but didn't confront her. She hugged her back tightly and kissed her forehead.

"I am sorry, Baby! I didn't mean to hurt you! I know it's all because of me." - Anika said hugging her and kissing her cheeks.

"Leave, Mom. By saying sorry, Anything gonna change. I am ready to accept the offer. I and Shravan already decided on it. We are going to repeat the year. Now we can't do anything, Right." - She said holding anika's palm which was hugging her tightly.

"As I already said, You both are my weakness as well as my strength. I can let anything happened to me but not to you both. I spoke to my friend, He arranged your admissions, From tomorrow, You both will be going to school. There's no need for repeating the year." - Anika said kissing her forehead. Shanaya stood up in an instant and looked at her shockingly.

"What? How? Which school?" - Shanaya asked.

"The one you applied first." - Anika said.

"OMG. How?" - Shanaya asked.

"My friend helped me out." - Anika said to her.

"Anyone of your patients?" - Shanaya asked, She had no idea about shivaay since she was so busy in these 20 days on her school admission and moving into Mumbai.

"Nope, He's my actual friend!" - Anika said, Her facial expression changed into seriousness. Shanaya was equally confused as she knew every friend of anika and she knew about her mother. Her mother may talk to everyone so casually and friendly but never takes them inside her circle. When she said, She has a friend, Shanaya was surprised.

"Mom??" - Shanaya called her.

"I will tell everything." - Anika started.

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

"So, Shanaya and Shravan will be studying in my school with me?" - Anirudh asked shivaay when he shared the news with Anirudh. Anirudh was excited but when he sensed his father taking interest in her kids, He slightly felt left out but didn't share it with him. But shivaay sensed a slight change of facial expression in him.

"Mr. Anirudh Singh Oberoi! What happened to you, Suddenly?" - Shivaay asked him taking a seat opposite to him in the beanbag. Anirudh stayed silent for a while but decided to ask him directly soon.

"Dad! You won't take me wrong if I ask you anything." - Anirudh asked.

"Ask me!" - Shivaay said before he could end the sentence. But Anirudh takes time to ask.

"You know, Right, Dad! I genuinely want you to move on. And I am in love with your change. I want to see you like this rest of the life." - Anirudh said but he could able to ask the question so he stopped.

"Are you feeling insecure?" - Shivaay asked him directly. He raised his head and nodded no but when his eyes met with him, He stopped nodding.

"You're my only solace for the past 14 years, Anirudh. And I have no idea what would have happened to me if you're not there with me during that time. And out of all, You're my son, And I am your father, Do you still having insecurities in your mind?" - Shivaay asked him. He nodded no with teary eyes And hugged him tightly.

"Love you, dad! You're the best dad in the world!" - Anirudh said and hugged him tightly.

"You're the best son in the world." - He said and hugged him back.

"I know I don't have to say this. They might be studying in your class. And it will be a huge transition for them. You know about your school. So Take care of them." - Shivaay said to Anirudh.

"Yeah, I will take care of them, As a brother. Finger-crossed!" - Anirudh said. He wanted them to be his brother but he didn't want to think further about it thinking it may not come true. As his life always gave him more shock than surprises.

"Alright! I have to sleep! Should be there in school on time." - He said leaving his room. Shivaay nodded to him but his mind didn't stop thinking. He quite started to imagine his father's life if anika didn't forget him due to that accident. But didn't tell anything to his father as it hurt him and the smile in his face fade away.

********

"Your friend is too sweet, Ani. Invite him for dinner, We have to thank him personally!" - Meena, Anika's mother-in-law suggested to her.

"Yes, Mom. Yesterday, Because of happiness, I couldn't able to thank him properly. I will invite him for dinner for sure." - Anika said preparing Shanaya's brown bread toast the way she likes and Her son's coffee. More milk, With a mild addition of coffee in it. Most of the people who are tasting the coffee won't believe it's a coffee but it matters to her son. Anika can't see him disappointed in the early morning even though he didn't complain to her.

"Baby! Coffee." - Anika called Shravan who gave her a tight hug pecking her cheeks.

"Thanks, Mom." - Shravan said taking Shaniya's toast keeping it in the dining table.

"Where's shanaya?" - Anika asked Shravan.

"Upstairs." - Shravan said taking a huge sip of a coffee and immersed in the taste. While he felt a smack in his head. It was shanaya who takes a seat next to him.

"Good morning, Mommy's boy!" - Shanaya said taking a bite of her toast and got a glare from anika for saying so.

"Have you thanked Mr. Oberoi, Properly? Even though he's your friend, He did a huge help to us." - Shravan suggested.

"I don't think Mr. Oberoi would expect our thanks. There's a chance of taking back our school seats if we say thanks to him." - Shanaya chuckled while winking at anika. She smiled at her as she said everything to her daughter last night and Shravan got to know the headlines only in the morning. But shanaya knew everything.

"Did I miss anything?" - Shravan asked Anika.

  "A lot. First, get ready for school. Today they are doing covid tests for every student. I got the message from the school. You have to be there at school at 9.10 in the morning." - Shanaya hurried Shravan And stuffed the bread in her mouth running towards their room.

***********

"Dad! I am 16, Please don't drop me in the school and embarrass me." - Anirudh cried to his father when he got ready along with him, But he was adamant about coming to school with him.

"Anni. I am not only coming for dropping you, I have to thank my friend, Your school principal for the help. So shall we?" - He said opening the car door for Anirudh. Nodding in disbelief, He got inside the car. Shivaay drove on his own to the school. On the way, He come to know about the covid tests happening in the school batch-wise. Anirudh in 9.30 batch. And they reached the school by 9.20 in the morning.

"Dad, Will you stay with me? For the first time, I am feeling haunted in my school." - Anirudh said looking at the crowd with social distancing and masks on their faces.

"Even I feel haunted to stand here, Anni. Shall we leave? I will thank your principal by phone." - Shivaay said standing stuck in the parking lot looking at the Que. He has allergies to needles from the day he was born, Mere seeing someone treated in the needles will make him dizzy. He felt too dizzy when he tested himself for covid when he was quarantining.

"But, It's necessary to get tested." - He heard a teen female voice from his back which jerked him in a second. Both Anirudh and Shivaay got jerked. Shivaay was the first person to turn around. To his surprise, It was shanaya who was standing behind him with the smile of her mother. Both shivaay and Anirudh were stuck at the same place when they realized the girl's photo which they saw in Facebook came alive for true.

"Mr. Oberoi. What happened to you?" - Shanaya chuckled looking at their shocking face.

"Shanaya?" - Shivaay called her before saying 'hi' to her.

"You recognized me. Wow. Great, Mr. Oberoi" - Shanya exclaimed to him.

"Nice meeting you, Mr. Oberoi." - Shanaya forwarded her hand to him. Shivaay had no words with him other than smile, He shook her hands with a smile and wondered to see every feature of her matching with her mom, His love, Anika. And also started to love her part of life at the very next second he saw her directly. Some relationships are like that, It doesn't need DNA or Blood validation.

"Anirudh, Right? Mom told about you." - Shanaya shook her hands with Anirudh who welcomed her warmly with a smile indirectly invading her to the gate of his friendship.

"Hey! Shanaya. Dad told me about you. It's nice to see you finally!" - He greeted her shaking her hands.

"You came alone, Where is your brother?" - Shivaay asked her.

"Don't ask about that mommy's boy who scares for needles at the age of 16. Mom accompanied him for the support." - Shanaya said chuckling, Anirudh and shivaay exchanged guilty glances when they realized they are also equally scared for the needles like him. But didn't speak anything.

"Your mom came along with you?" - Shivaay asked her.

"Yup, There she's." - Shanaya said when she saw her arriving behind him. Shivaay turned behind at the very next second and saw her emerging with a light green saree matching mask in her mouth and her hair set free. His heart stopped beating for a while. She was busy typing the message in her phone and didn't recognize him who was watching her without blinking her eyes.

"Dad! She indeed so beautiful." - Anirudh whispered in his ears which made him come out of his dream world. After a whole month, He finally got to see her. Anika recognized him 10 meters away and waved at him with a vibrant smile.

"Oh my god, Shivaay! How. How are you?"- She asked when she felt blank in her mind about what to ask.

"Fine." - He replied bluntly by not giving her a chance to built up the conversation.

"You look so... so healthy." - Anika said and got a glare from her daughter.

"She meant you're looking so nice. It's a doctor's language. Sorry for that." - Shanaya matched it.

"Healthy means fat, Mom. Please learn how to speak mom." - Shanaya whispered to Anika.

"I look healthy because of the doctor's advice which I got from the plane." - Shivaay smiled, Anirudh was surprised to see him flirting when he was around. But suppressed his chuckle. When then they heard the announcement calling the next batch of students. Shivaay asked about Shravan to anika who said he's completing formalities in the office room

"Dad, I don't want to go. Please Let's go home." - Anirudh said urgently, Anika and shanaya looked shockingly at them.

"Okay, After meeting Shravan, We will go home, Relax." - Shivaay relaxed him.

"What's happening here?" - Anika asked both of them.

"It's nothing. We already took the test, Why another test, That's why! Nothing else!" - Anirudh said holding his hand. Anika understood he's afraid of needles in his tone. She looked at shivaay and then gazed back at him.

"In that case, Let's get tested again. Come with me, Anirudh!" - Anika offered.

"No, It's okay. I didn't want to get tested again." - Anirudh said holding shivaay's hand tighter. Shanaya was controlling her smile to the hell and played along with her mom.

"Yeah, Anirudh. It's best to get a second opinion, Come on." - Shanaya added. He tried to hide his fear when anika held his palm and started walking, He felt helpless.

"You, Wait here. Shivaay. I will come with him in a few minutes. I have to talk to you." - Anika said and left with Anirudh who was about to cry looking at shivaay.

"Careful." - Shivaay said.

"I am taking him for the blood test not for sending him mars." - Anika said with a fake smile and left.

"Have you ever sit in the lecture for 2 hours in a go?" - Shanaya asked after they left.

"No." - Shivaay replied to Shanaya.

"Today, You will." - Shanaya started laughing at him. Over then, Shanaya dropped the papers in her file in the ground. Shanaya and shivaay tried to pick it. Over then, Shivaay attempted to see her photocopy of the application. He was quite shocked to see her date of birth in the application form.

"20th January 2004?" - Shivaay asked her shockingly when he realized that her birthdate was just 7 months away from the date of anika's marriage to Marran. He was confused.

"That's my birthdate." - Shanaya said with a smile. Shivaay looked at her confusingly over then, Her vision went ahead and waved at Shravan calling his name. He turned around right then, He neither speak could react to anything.

"Shravan, This is Mr. Oberoi. Mumma's friend whom she mentioned in the morning." - Shanaya introduced Shivaay to Shravan. But Shivaay hardly reacts.

**********