Kabir's POV

I remembered what I had done few minutes back and realized the way I shouted at her and jerked her hands away from my shoulder.

I am so stupid. I had not realized that I had hurt her so much.

She was looking at me, no, she was shooting daggers at me.

'Kavya, I am so sorry. I didn't realize it,' I apologized.

'I was just trying to help you, Kabir,' she said and started crying.

'Hey, hey, why are you crying?' I went and kneeled in front of her and held her hand in mine.

'You got so scared and started panicking so I was just trying to help you but you shouted at me,' she said and was still crying.

'I am so sorry. I don't know what to say other than sorry.' I apologized, again.

'It's not your fault. It's my fault. I think, I am getting too involved in your life. Maybe, that's why I thought I had the rights to help you, but I don't have that rights,' she said as she pulled her hand out of my grip.

'What are you even saying? You have all the rights over me,' I said and she looked at me.

'I mean... we are friends so you have all the rights,' I corrected my previous statement.

'You didn't answer my question. Would you have done the same thing with your princess?' she asked again and by now she had stopped crying. Thank god.

'I don't know, Kavya. But, then again she doesn't even know that I got panic attacks when it rains but you know it,' I told her.

'I know about it accidently,' she argued making me chuckle.

'Yes. But, you are the only one who will know that I was kidnapped when I was ten years old,' I told her and she gasped.

'What?' I said.

'Yes,' I said.

'Sit on the bed,' she ordered and that time I realized that I was on my knees in front of her.

'First tell me, you have forgiven me,' I said.

'If I don't forgive you, you will kneel down in front of me like this,' she asked.

'Yes,' I said and she smiled.

'Okay, I have forgiven you but please, think before you speak. I have always asked you to think before you speak,' she said.

'I am sorry. I will try to change myself,' I said.

'It's okay. We can't change anybody. Either we have to accept them as they are or leave them. I am not asking you to change yourself. I am asking you to control your anger, and that too, just a little bit,' she said and I just wanted to hug her tightly.

How can she be so nice?

'Now come and sit beside me,' I got up and sat beside her.

'The rooms in both my houses are soundproof, my car, cabin in my office, everything is soundproof, and I always have an umbrella in my car. Whenever it rains, I feel like I am in some other zone. I remember the day, that kidnapper made me stand in the rain the whole night while he was sleeping peacefully.

'How did he kidnap you?' she asked.

'Wait! I will go to the washroom,' I went in the washroom and closed my eyes as I remembered that dreadful day.

Flashback

'Uncle, this is not the route to my house,' I said to my driver uncle.

'Yes,beta. Today some accident happened there so we are going by different route,' he said and I got relaxed.

Today I got 90 out of 100. I wanted to tell mom but yesterday she has gone out with Harsh uncle and will come after two days. She told dad that she is going to grandma's house as she is ill but I heard them talking on the phone and came to know that they are going somewhere.

She is always busy with Harsh uncle and spends time with him. She even sleeps with him when dad is in the hotel. Some days back when I saw mom kissing Harsh uncle, mom saw me she closed the door on my face and I heard some weird sounds from the room and ran to my room.

After some time, mom came to me and told that if I tell anybody about this, she will leave the house.

Uncle stopped the car and got out.

'I will be back in a second,' she said and left hurriedly.

After some time another uncle came, sat in the car and started driving hurriedly.

'Who are you? Where are you taking me? Where is driver uncle?' I started crying but he was not listening to me.

I started crying loudly. After some time he stopped the car, got out of the car, came and opened the passenger door and put a handkerchief on my mouth.

After I woke up, I found myself in a dark room.

'Mom, dad,' I started crying.

'You are finally awake,' that man came and stood in front of me.

'Please, I want to go to my mom and dad,' I cried.

'I will call your dad and ask him for fifty lakhs. The day he will give me the money, I will leave you,' he called my dad and put it on speaker. Dad's mobile was switched off.

'Now, I will call your mom and let's see if she will pick up,' he called my mom.

'Hello,' it's Harsh uncle's voice.

'Hello, is this Kabir's dad speaking?' The kidnapper asked.

'Who are you?' Harsh uncle asked.

'I have kidnapped your son. If you give me 50 lakhs, I will let him go,' he said.

'Nonsense,' he said.

'Who is it, babe?' It's mom's voice.

'Some stupid guy,' he said and then I heard some sounds.

The sounds which I heard the day, I saw them kissing.

'Your mom is enjoying with your dad without worrying about you. Your parents doesn't even love you,' he cut the call and came towards me.

He is not my dad. He is Harsh uncle.

He removed his belt and started beating me. I started crying  and screaming more loudly due to the pain. He beat me continuously and then he threw the belt. He took a bunch of my hair in his hands and started pulling me which made me cry more loudly.

'Please. I want to go to my home. Please, I want to go to my mom and dad.'

'Don't pull my hair. Please, it's hurting a lot.'

He opened the door and threw me out in the lawn.

'Now, you will stay here till I get the money,' he said, went inside and closed the door.

The rain and thunder increased and I started crying more and more but he didnt came back. I was so hungry and thirsty.

I looked at the sky, opened my mouth and drank the rain water and felt little bit better after drinking the water.

The thunder increased and I kneeled on the ground and shut my ears tightly.

The thunder and rain increased more and I was just praying to god to stop the rain but he didnt listen to me and it started raining more heavily.

Next, I found myself in the hospital.

Dad was beside me and when I opened my eyes, he hugged me and told me that driver uncle and kidnapper had been caught.

Driver uncle was also behind this?

'Mom?' I asked.

'I have not told her anything. Her mom is in the hospital so she is already worried,' he said.

No, mom is lying. She is enjoying with Harsh. But, I didn't say anything as I was scared that mom will leave me if I tell dad anything.

Flashback ends.

That day, I was shocked that driver uncle was also behind this.

I got to know that I was unconscious for forty-eight hours.

From that day, I stopped giving respect to anybody by calling them 'uncle' or 'aunty' and started calling them by their name but slowly I started calling 'Shalini' as 'Shalini Aunty' as she took care of us like a guardian.

She came as a nanny of Raj but took care of me and our house too.

And, that's why I am scared of anybody kidnapping Raj.

I got out of the washroom.

'Are you okay?' Kavya asked.

'Yes,' I said and sat beside her.

'You don't have to tell anything,' she said.

'I want to tell you.' I told her everything except for the fact that mom was with that Harsh, my dad's best friend who ruined our family.

I lied to Kavya that mom's mobile was also switched off because I cannot tell her, my mom and Harsh were having sex, while I was alone in the dark and rainy night. I hate Harsh, but I hate mom more for breaking our family.

'I cannot imagine that you spend the whole night alone. You were just ten years old. You must be so scared. I can't imagine what was going in the mind of that ten year old boy?' she holds my hand in her.

'When will the rain stop? When will the sun come? Will I ever get out of here? Will my parents ever get to know that I am kidnapped or will I die here? I am feeling very hungry. Can I eat the leaves? Can I eat the grass of the lawn?' I said and suddenly she hugged me.

'I am feeling so sad for that ten year old, kabir,' she said and I hugged her back tightly and closed my eyes.

What is my mom doing? Is she kissing Harsh? Will she ever come to know that her son got kidnapped? Is what the kidnapper said is true? My parent don't love me? My mom is always busy with kissing him and doing something weird in her room. My dad is always busy with the hotel. Will they forget that I am their son and will I die here?

All these thoughts were also running in my mind that day but I could not tell that to Kavya because I don't want to tell her that mom and dad fell in love and got married and yet mom was cheating my dad with his best friend.

'Now I understand why you are so protective about Raj,' she broke our hug and kissed my forehead, which surprised me.

'I know that friends don't kiss each other but this kiss is not for my friend, Kabir. This kiss is for that ten year old boy, Kabir,' she said and I wanted to do something today which I wanted to do the day I was kidnapped.

'Kavya?'

'Hmm?'

'Can I lay on your lap?' I asked and she sat in Indian style and patted her lap. I laid on her lap.

'Can you please caress my hair?' I asked and she started caressing my hair. I closed my eyes.

'You have not even told this to your princess?' she asked after some time.

'No.'

'Thank you for trusting me,' she said and was still caressing my hair.

That day, I wanted to sleep on my mom's lap but mom came a week after I got released from the hospital and dad asked me not to tell mom anything as she will get worried unnecessarily.

According to dad, she was already upset because of grandma's health but I know that she was enjoying with Harsh.

'What if I fall asleep like this?' I asked her.

'Then, it's okay. I will stay like this whole night,' she said so casually as if it's the most common thing to say. She was ready to give up on her sleep and my mom was not even ready to give up her romantic time with Harsh and come to pick me up from school till dad find a new driver for me.

My nanny used to come to pick me up and when I used to reach the house, I used to see mom and Harsh laying in each others arms and enjoying their coffee. From the day I caught them kissing, they were not afraid of me looking at them as mom threatened me that she will leave the house if I tell anybody and specially dad.

'You will sacrifice your sleep for me?' I asked.

'Yes, I will go home and sleep tomorrow,' she said with a shrug.

But, sacrificing her sleep is small thing for Kavya, as she has even sacrificed her mangalsutra for me. I was lucky that I found her.

I closed my eyes and told myself that I will wake up in ten minutes.

After some time, I woke up and looked at the time.

Shit! I slept for two hours. I realized that Kavya was still caressing my hair. I suddenly got up and looked at her.

'I am sorry. I told myself that I will wake up in ten minutes,' I said.

'It's okay, Kabir,' she said with a smile on her face.

'Now, you sleep,' I said and she laid down on the bed.

'Where will you sleep?' she asked.

'What do you mean?' I became confused.

'Will we sleep on the same bed?' she asked.

'Other than Sohum, you have never slept with anybody, right? And you have never even slept on anyone else's bed right? That's why you slept on the floor in my house even though I had given the bed to you and went downstairs to sleep on sofa,' I asked.

'Yes,' she replied.

'There's no mat here,' I said.

'Let's sleep on the bed,' she said.

'Together?'

'Yes, we have no option,' she said and lied on the bed.

'The pillow and bed sheep is reeking of tobacco,' she said.

'Really? My head was on your lap so I didn't realize,' I said and smelled the pillow and bedsheet. She was right. I started removing my shirt.

'What are you doing?' she asked quickly. I removed the shirt, asked her to get up and placed my shirt on the bed and pillow and asked her to lay on it.

'You will get cold and bedsheet is also not clean. You will get dirty,' she said.

'Don't worry about me. I have slept for two hours and for the first time, I slept so peacefully while hearing the sound of rain. Sleep on my shirt. I will clean myself after I reach home,' I said and we both sat on the bed.

The smell was so strong that I felt like puking. How can that shopkeeper sleep here? The rain has not stopped and I was feeling very cold.

I felt a hand on my stomach and realized that she has snuggled closer to me in my sleep. She kept her head on the pillow and in a second fell asleep. She was so sleepy, yet, for me, she stayed awake.

In the next second, she turned around and as the bed was very small for two people, she was about to fall but I pulled her closer to me and wrapped my hands around her stomach tightly to save her from falling.

As I hugged her, once again she wrapped her hands around my stomach and pulled me so close that there was not even an inch of gap between us.

I looked at her thanked all my stars for giving me the opportunity to look so closely at her.

I caressed her cheek and then I looked at her lips.

I want to touch her lips with my fingers but then I stopped myself. It's not right but if it's not right, why I want to do it so badly?

It seems like, she is not Sohum's wife. She is just Kavya. Once again my eyes went towards her lips, but before I could do anything stupid like kissing her without her consent when she is sound asleep, I turned around and closed my eyes. I don't want to ruin something beautiful just because I couldn't control myself.

I heard a sound and turned around to see that Kavya has again turned around and her hands has fallen down. Once again, I pulled her towards me and made her turn towards me, wrapped my hands around her waist, pulled her towards me and hold her tightly so that she could sleep peacefully. I looked at her and quickly closed my eyes, before I get some stupid thoughts.

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I hope you liked the chapter.

What do you think of ten year old Kabir?

What do you think of his mom and dad?

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