An upadte on my birthday (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥ love yaa lovelies for being with me

*Warning, triggering confrontation

Smiling widely at the old woman, Mishika thanked her again for the box of Kaju Katli. Meanwhile the woman stroked her hair lovingly, knowing well that the girl in front of her must be feeling giddy since it's her favourite sweets.

"Kaki why don't you come inside ?" Shanti, who lives across Mishika's apartment, shook her head in refusal before casting a small smile at the man behind Mishika. Sensing Shanti's gaze at Aarav, Mishika looked over her shoulder at him and sensing her gaze, inadvertently his lips tugged at the elderly woman. Both of them then let out a sigh in chorus.

(Aunt)

As Mishika opened her mouth to insist further, a manly voice, familiar to her and unfamiliar to her husband, echoed through the corridor. "Mummy, it's your time for medicines."

His features softened further as he reciprocated Mishika's polite smile. However Aarav's posture turned more stoic witnessing the look of admiration that swam through his wife's eyes upon the sight of the unfamiliar man. On instinct his arms fell on his wife's waist, who stiffened at his move, and he ventured himself closer to her to make his presence more evident.

A few pleasantries later, Shanti and the man retreated to their apartment and as the door closed, thickness in the air from before gauzed back in the surroundings. Moving in the kitchen to keep the box of sweets, she intentionally avoided his eyes, her insides still clenching by his words from prior.

The moment she turned around, she flinched back with a loud gasp, finding him standing too close for her poor heart. "That man is a creep."

At first confusion appeared on her face which subsided instantly on cognition that caused her eyes to narrow. "He is not." She snapped in disbelief. "Men like Mr. Subham are rare. In the world where people abandon their own parents, he is taking care of his dead wife's mother like his own."

She doesn't personally know Shubham a lot but she does share a sweet bond with Shanti. And when Shanti told about her daughter who died too early, and about her loving son-in-law, Mishika instantly found herself growing a respectable place for him.

Living in a conservative society and being the only child, Mishika did wish for a life partner who will treat her parents as his own. Though now she could only spot herself far from being in that position.

Raking a hand through his hair, Aarav's eyes narrowed into slits, subconsciously glaring as he watched his wife praising that unknown man with so much adoration.

"Let's shift your parents with us in the mansion." With face morphed with disbelief and jaw dropped, she stared at him. But he only let out a humming sound, satisfied with his words, his eyebrows raised as he stared at his wife's mortified form.

Though she shook her head, casting her eyes away from his, stifling the sudden giddiness in her tummy, reminding herself that he is only toying with her emotions with his manipulative words. "Your jokes are not humorous Aarav."

Amusement flickers through his eyes before a sardonic smile twitched at the corner of his lips. "Only if you can catch when I'm actually joking, little wife."
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Another month passed by Mishika and Aarav's marriage and as everyone says, time doesn't fly in a blink. The more days Mishika spent with Aarav, she found herself entangled in spiralling emotions. Her struggles to look past his contrasting self to get the real him only becomes more complicated since she couldn't pinpoint which shade of his is the actual him. Or was he weaved by all those epitome shades of his ?

Standing closely by her mother-in-law, Mishika had her hands joined as they flashed small smiles and bid farewell to the guests. Yami patted Mishika's shoulder, ushering her towards her parents with a smile. Exchanging pleasantries with Mishika's parents, Yami retreated back to the mansion to check on her upset husband.

"He didn't care to come in his own mother's death anniversary. How can I trust him with my daughter's feelings ?" Exclaiming with distaste, Kabir pinched the space between his brows, a habit of him that Mishika shares.

Poking her tongue onto her inner cheek, Mishika tried to pull an assuring smile on her lips. "He must be stuck at work."

She looked away as her father narrowed his eyes at her when she fumbled with words. She knew lying to her parents isn't an easy play for her but she did try, so that they don't stress themselves out because of her not-so-dear husband.

"Just trust me, Papa. I can take care of myself." she assured, her arms wrapping around her father as she sighs in his warming embrace.

"Take care of yourself and everyone." Smiling under the tenderness of her mother's kiss above her forehead, Mishika waited till her parents sat inside the car Anubhav assigned for them and they finally left.

When Mishika reached in the living hall, the sight of her father-in-law's crestfallen face clenched her heart.

"Just what's wrong with that boy ? I asked one thing from him and he can't even do that ?" Gritting through his teeth, Anubhav clenched his fist tight to curb the anger bubbling inside him.

Silence fell in the surrounding while Mishika sat stiff in her place, trying to constrain the urge to shift uncomfortably. Meanwhile Yami held her husband's hands in hers, trying to coax his anger down.

Even the slightest sound felt ear splitting in the eerie tranquillity so when Aarav loitered inside, coolly whistling to himself, everyone around felt the piercing tension that raised in the ambiance.

"Where the hell were you ?" Anubhav's voice thundered, tearing through the heaviness in the air. Halting on his steps, Aarav squeezes his eyes, his nonchalant stance flatters for a moment before he pulls it back and flashes a sardonic smile.

"Dad, arguing on the same topic doesn't make sense to me now."

"When I told you I want your presence here then it meant something." Anubhav pinned Aarav with a glare but Aarav remained unfazed. "It was your mother's death anniversary_"

"Your wife's death anniversary to be precise." Aarav interjected in a tone of malice earning another glare. "You wanted me to show I care, which I don't. And pretence prick through my skin unless I see an optimistic leverage behind it. So no thanks I wasn't interested."

Anubhav's shoulders slouched at the hurtful words of his son but he was quick to gain his composure, something which Aarav took from his father. "You are not a kid anymore, Aarav. Grow up."

"Too absurd dad. I don't feel anything for your late wife. I don't consider her my mother either." The smile on his lips turned more melancholic, the doleful-ness in his dad's demeanour was overlooked by him. "The woman once said her life is better off without me, too bad, I would say the same."

"Aarav" Anubhav roared and sensing the encumbrance of the situation, Yami instantly pulled her raging husband back. Rounding his eyes around, Aarav ignored his mother and wife's disappointed gaze and marched upstairs to his room.
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"How is Papa ji ?" Seeing Yami coming out of her room, Mishika was quick to sprint in her direction.

"Wo abhi so rahe hain." Yami smiled to ease down Mishika's worry. "This day has always been tough for Anubhav ji. No matter how much time goes by, Aarti was his first love, his first wife."

(He is asleep for now.)

Usually women get jealous, which is their right though, whenever their husbands talk about another woman. But seeing Yami respecting the love her husband has for his first wife was something too beautiful Mishika witnessed.

Mishika has adored the love of her parents-in-law since the initial days of her staying with them but now coming across with the type of love they share, she could only find herself growing strongly fond of it.

"Why does Aarav hate his mother ?" Fidgeting with the corner of the pastel green shibori saree she wore, Mishika lifted her gaze to her mother-in-law in hope to get some answers.

"From what Anubhav ji has told me, things in business were going tough for months and that was taking a toll on Aarti." Sitting on the cane weave chairs in the terrace like balcony, both the women picked up the cups of fresh lemon tea the servant just served. "With a six year old child at the age of twenty-six, Aarati was having rough days and in frustration she said that she wished she had planned the baby on time and given her priority to her work first."

Mishika's lips parted, feeling bad that no child deserves to hear that. "Aarti was wrong to say so but she loved Aarav a lot. We are all humans and sometimes in circumstances we say things which we don't really mean." Nodding her head in understanding, Mishika came to a pact with her previous prejudice.

"Aarav was always a loner child and Aarti being engrossed in her work, was taken as neglectance by him and he misconceived it all. Aarti was brassed off when they learnt about her tumour and wanted to spend much time with her husband and son. However the rift created between her and Aarav was too long to bridge." Letting out a sigh, Yami placed the empty cup back on the table. "Or could say Aarav didn't allow her to do that."

Realising that the air around them has already taken a heavy turn, Yami smartly diverted the topic. An hour later, both of them retreated back to their room.
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It's rare to see Aarav Oberoi devoting his time in work so intently. So either it's the sun that has risen in the west or the devil is thriving for some mind distractions. His callous fingers danced furiously on the keyboard, almost like assaulting the keyboard and his fingers simultaneously.

Moving a frustrated hand down his face, his hand grasped the glass of water before throwing it across the room, his shoulders stiff in frustration. With a screeching noise the glass shattered into pieces, the sound mingled with a very familiar loud gasp that instantly caught his attention.

"Fuck" cursing loudly, his feet involuntarily steps down on the floor and with long strides marches to her, kicking the glass pieces away from his slippers cladded feet without giving much care. Widening her eyes on his reckless behaviour, Mishika looks up to retort, however let out a squeak as his arms secure around her waist, lifting her up away from those piercing pieces effortlessly.

"Aarav" she whispered shakily, her arms instinctively hooking around his neck, making a satisfied smirk spread on his lips. She waited for him to uncage her from his clutch, however it only reinforced, venturing her readily close to his body. His actions vented out another gasp off her parted lips, their eyes collided next and she visibly shuddered finding his dark pupils settled on her lips.

As her mind flashed back to his tremor wrenching confession and the moment he briefly kissed her in her apartment, it caused her body to thrash with struggles.

Amused and laid-back, he let her try on her futile attempts and when her arms fell limp, his face crouched down in the dip of her neck, sniffing. The intoxicating coco-honey fragrance of hers instantly calmed the devils lurking in his mind.

"Stop hurting your father, Aarav. Your mother_"

"Shut up, Mish." Growling, his hold around her bare waist stiffened.

Biting on her lower lips, Mishika inhaled a needed intake of air, preparing herself to not flinch back by his barbaric behaviour. "What a hypocrite, ain't you ? Keeping grudges against your mother for the words she regretted to say till her last breath whereas you don't even have an ounce of remorse for your sins."

Craning his face away, he let his charcoal orbs filled with incendiary to lock with her sweet honey pools. "Don't"

She royally ignored his warning, fighting her fears and looked straight into his eyes. "Why not ?"

"It was past Mishika, get over it." His eyes were anywhere but at her as he let those words out through gnashed teeth.

In a tone of retort, she let out a hum on his words. "Seriously a hypocrite." He clenched his fingers which trembled as she ventured out a pained chuckle.

Gathering all her strength, she pushed him off, her skin crawling with burning sensation with his touch as the painful memories surfaced in her mind. "You can't let go of her words and want me to forget how brutally you crushed me, my self respect, my dignity."

He gulped as his throat parched and turned around to leave; however she was quick to lunge at him and held his wrist, not letting him run away. "You made me a laughing stock back then Aarav and you still treat me so worthless. No matter how alluring your words sound, Asmodeus like you only plays through the charms of manipulation."

"Did I ever say I'm a saint ?" He snarled, his insides clenching with the blaze that has once burned her and since then he is burning in it incessantly.

"You filmed me Aarav. Didn't you ? Why ? To please your lust or because I dejected you ,your highness."

He couldn't even bring himself to look straight into her eyes, the tenderness in her eyes was stormed away by so much bitterness that it was hard to recognise them.

"I_ not_ the video was blurry." He gritted his teeth so that the quiver in his voice doesn't get evident.

"I was changing." She lashed, the pent up emotions blasted inside her like a volcanic eruption, and he knew he was the one to provoke the lava.

"Mostly your back was vissible_"

"For God's sake, you are reasoning with your sins Aarav. How more remorseless can you be ?" Her breathing raged and so did his. In frantic attempt to hold on to herself from collapsing, she grasped whatever reached her hands for support. "You broke me two times straight. I hate you."

Chapter Word- 2360

Now now, pent down your emotions here ━⁠☞

Happy Diwali in advance my Support System family ♡ festive season is here and my preboards are knocking so please be patient with next update....

Signing off
~T.R