Dear readers,Here is your new chapter after a very long time.Don't be angry with your writer for late update, okay?😅

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The next day I was on my heel,jumpy and excited for the tour from the morning.I don't know why ,I was just excited about it.
All of us got ready in time and met Aabir and Akash in the lobby just like the previous day.I was afraid that Misha would throw a fit if Aabir join us .To my surprise, she didn't oppose.Even last night when she spotted Aabir in the group photographs that Simi had taken with her camera,Misha didn't react that much seeing him.

Yes,She wasn't looking happy by his presence but she didn't voice it out .I guess she has decided to simply ignore his presence and I felt this was for the best.

When we reached to the parking lot and opened the door of the car to get in..... Misha,Simi,Khusbu and I;the four of us got surprised seeing Kabeer and Umang sitting inside the car.

"Hello, friends!"Umang waved at us, grinning widely.

Kabeer who was sitting beside him waved his hand at us with a huge smile on his face.

"How come you two are here?Weren't the two of you supposed to come tomorrow?"Misha asked,beaming with happiness .

"Yeah,That was the plan.But you all were missing us so badly that we were getting hiccups time and again.So we had to change our plan and came up early."Kabeer said with a smug smile.

"Huh?Who told you that we were missing you two?"Misha asked,raising her eyebrow."Don't flatter yourself.None of us were missing you and him.We were having a lot of fun without you two."

"And for your kind information ,your hiccups may result from eating too much or too quickly.It can also occurs due to an excitement or an abrupt change in atmosphere such as by taking a cold shower.There are many reasons.It has nothing to do with us.So, don't stay in delusion that we were missing you or something."I said with a smug smile, wrapping my right arm with Misha's left arm.

Kabeer and Umang whined and then pouted at our words.Their pouting faces sent the rest of us into a fit of laughing.

"Well....Guys,Why don't you carry on your talks on the way to our destination?We should move if you don't want to get stuck in Mumbai traffic."Akash said and we nodded in agreement and hopped in the car.

Misha sat in the second row with Kabeer and Umang whereas Khusbu,Simi and I took seats in the third row.Akash took the passenger seat and Aabir,the driver seat obviously.

Once we all got in,Aabir ignited the engine and pulled the car out of the parking spot.Meanwhile Akash turned up the radio which played new bollywood songs.

"Where are we going today by the way?"I asked curiously on the way.

"We are going to an amusement park."Akash replied from the front.

"Awesome!"Misha screamed with excitement.

"It has been a long time since I'd gone to an amusement park."I commented excitedly.

Then the rest of the ride, we made a list of rides on which we wanted to ride.

It took one and an half hour to reach to our destination.When the car came to an halt in front of an amusement park , all of us got off the car,pretty much excited.

Aabir had bought entrance tickets for us already ,so we didn't need to stand in a long line to buy tickets.We easily entered into the park and explored the place.

The amusement park was very large in size and full of exciting rides.It was packed with hundreds of people , strangers rushing past us to get in line for their rides.The busy atmosphere and the excitement on everyone's face as they queue up for each ride was joyful to watch.

We all wandered around this eventful atmosphere for about half an hour and then we started our adventure.

The first ride we took was pirate ship,it was scary ,all of us were screaming and crying.Then we went for two more rides- top spin and space roller, which also took a toll on us.We also went for shot-n-drop, disco tagada and bumper car ride.The bumping car was really fun to be in.We dashed eachother's car.

I loved the excitement and anxiety I got just before getting on the rides and the adrenaline rush received when the rides was over.

Around 3 pm ,we decided to have our lunch .We stopped at a refreshment spot and each of us brought some foods to eat like sandwiches,pasta, burgers,fruit juice etc.

After lunch,we rode on a few more rides.Among the girls,Misha and I rode on every ride so far whereas Khusbu and Simi went on just a few.They get motion sickness so they were limited to what ride they could go without getting sick.

Then we decided to watch a 5d movie .While we were on our way to the theatre , a little girl caught my attention.

The girl was around 4/5 years old,dressed in a red frock.She was standing in the middle of the walkway and just bawling her eyes out.No one was looking at her,people just kept passing her without giving her a glance.

How ruthless people can be!

I couldn't ignore this little kid like those heartless people .So,I walked over and knelt down on one knee in front of her.

"Hey,kid!Are you okay?Why are you crying?"I asked her but she didn't answer me.

"Where are your guardian?"I questioned but she didn't response again.

"Are you lost?"I asked her dubiously as I didn't see anybody else around who she could belong to.

Again I got no response from her.Rather she began to cry harder.

I got panicked and glanced around frantically to see if anyone paying attention to us.The way that little girl was crying,I was afraid that people might mistaken me as a child theft and beat me up to death.Thankfully no one was paying attention to us till then but how long?

"Baby,please don't cry."I begged her."You'll lend me in trouble."I wishpered this part.

The girl didn't hear my plea and I huffed in frustation, closing my eyes.

"What are you doing here?"A familiar voice spoke just then and I opened my eyes and turned around with a smile as I knew who it was.

"Aabir!"I whispered,getting up.

I glanced over his shoulder , hoping to see my other friends.But they were no where to be seen.He was all alone.

Of all my friends did he only notice my disappearance and come back for me?

This sudden thought crossed my mind and made my heart flatter.

"Who is she?"His next question snapped me out of my trance and I focused on the reality of the troubling situation I was wedged in.

"Aabir,Thankfully you're here."I breathed in relief"I need your help."

"Actually I saw this little girl standing alone here and crying her eyes out.I think she is lost.I'm trying to help her.But she doesn't give answer to any of my questions.I don't know what to do now."I explained everything to him in one go and waited for him to give me a solution.

After listening everything,he casted his gaze on the little girl and observed her for a minute and then he scanned the whole park,gazing his eyes around .

"Wait for me."He said then and turned his back on me.

"Hey,Where are you going?"I called out but he didn't response.He just walked away from there.

"He'll come back,right?He asked me to wait for him so he won't leave me alone to deal with this situation."I murmured to myself while staring at his retreating figure.

Keeping my trust on his words,I focused on the girl again.

I asked her some questions about her name, her parents name and their numbers but she didn't say anything.She just kept sobbing and weeping.

I groaned quietly being clueless about what to do at that moment .Neither could I leave that child alone to dodge between and around the hundreds of strangers nor able to do anything to help her.

"Wow,Look at these colorful ballons!"Aabir's voice reached to my ear just at the moment and I turned around to see him standing with a bunch of colorful ballons in his hands.

My lips automatically smiled seeing him back.

He walked past me and squatted down in front of the girl .I could see the girl's sparkling eyes ,looking at those ballons.

"You want these ballons?"He asked the girl in a soft voice.

The girl gazed between those ballons and him for a minute and then finally gave him a slight nod .

"Okay,I'll give you these ballons only if you stop crying and give me a sweet smile."He said in a honey sweet voice.

The girl listened to him and wiped her tears with her small palms.

"Now give me a smile."He said and the girl did.She gave him a small smile.

But Aabir shook his head, making a 'Not satisfied' face.

"I want a big one."He demanded .

The girl smiled again.This time a broad one.

"That's like a good girl."He caressed her hair and handed her those ballons.

A relief sigh escaped my mouth seeing her smiling .Aabir kept trying to be friendly with her and I used that time to admire him.

I was really stunned by the way he was handling that kid .Aabir always seemed cold.He always has that unfriendly vibe.But he was so friendly with this little girl.The way he was talking to her lovingly, smiling at her sweetly ,making efforts to cheer her up ,I was surprised seeing this warm side of his.

"So,little friend,what is your name?"Aabir asked the little girl when she seemed comfortable with him.

For the first time the girl answered to our question but in a different way.

She made a beak shape with her index finger and thumb and by bringing those two fingers together, while making a mini-fist with the rest of her fingers. Then tweeted like a bird, by bringing her fingers together and apart.

"What did she mean by that?"Aabir frowned , glancing at me and meeting my eyes for a fraction of second before looking back at her.

I got what she meant.

"Pakhi? Is that your name?"I asked and she nodded instantly with a beaming smile.

I was happy getting to know her name finally.However her method of answering us concerned me.

"I think she can't speak."I whispered to Aabir .

"What?"He got astonished"That'll be a problem then .If she can't speak,how will we get information from her and help her to find her guardian?"He added worriedly.

"Let me try talk to her."I said and he nodded.

I leaned down slightly, looking carefully into Pakhi's face.

"Pakhi,You don't need to worry.We're here to help you find your parents.Can you tell us,Where are your parents?"I asked "Who brought you here?"

As expected Pakhi replied ,using sign language.

I glanced up at Aabir who has a confused look on his face.I bet he didn't understand a single thing that she said through sign language.

"She said that she'd come here with her elder brother but then she got separated from him in the crowd."I told him .

"How do you know?"Aabir looked at me in surprise."Do you understand sign language?"He asked.

"Yeah,a little bit."I answered and focused on Pakhi again.

"Pakhi,Do you have the number of your brother or your parents ?"I asked her.

She shook her head, pursing her lips.

"Do you live closeby?"

She shook her head.

"Do you remember where were you when you left your brother hand?"

She looked around ,then at us.Her eyes started tearing up .

"No,no,don't cry.It's okay.We'll find him."I said, trying to consoling her.

It took a while for us to calm her down.

"What should we do now?"I asked Aabir being clueless.

"I think we should take her to the 'lost and found' .They will help her to find her brother."Aabir suggested.

"That'll be the best."I agreed with him.

"Pakhi,We can help you find your brother.You wanna come with us?"Aabir asked her,offering his hand to hold.

Pakhi's answering smile was dazzling.She gave him a nod and held his hand.

Aabir smiled warmly at her,then shifted his eyes to me.

"Let's go."He said and I nodded my head and followed him as he took the lead.

Halfway through,Aabir's phone rang and he was quick to pull his phone out of his Jean's pocket and answering the call.

"Yes,Kabeer."He spoke.

There was some very short reply, a request for more information it seemed.

"Yes,She is with me."He added, glancing at me.

"We're busy into something important.It'll take a while to finish."He said after a short pause"It's a long story. I'll tell you later when we meet."He added."Alright.We'll join you there in a while.Bye."saying this he cut the call and pocketed his phone.

"They might be worrying about us as we went missing from the group all of a sudden ,is it?"I asked and he nodded.

"They asked us to meet them in front of the ferries wheel ride after half an hour.They'll be waiting for us there."He notified me.

I nodded in acknowledgement and looked down at Pakhi.

"Pakhi, let's -"I paused as I found her looking intently at somewhere .

I followed her gaze and noticed a colorful and well placed candy floss stand.I nudged Aabir and gestured to follow her gaze and he did.

"Pakhi,You want candy floss?"Aabir asked her and she looked up at him.

She pursed her lips and thinking for a moment,She nodded with a shy and meek smile.

"I am also craving for candy floss. Let's go and eat some ."saying this I pulled Pakhi's hand towards the candy stand.Aabir followed us leisurely.

"Make two candy floss for them."Aabir said to the candy floss seller man .

"Why two? Aren't we three?"I questioned , narrowing my eyes at him.

"I won't eat."Aabir answered.

"Why?"

"It's too sweet."

I rolled my eyes "So what?Eating one candy floss won't cause you cavity."

"I know but it's not about that. I just don't like sweets that much."He said.

"Aabir,please.Just one."I requested .

Pakhi also requested him through sign language to eat candyfloss with us.

"See,even Pakhi is requesting you."I pouted.

He flickered his eyes between Pakhi and me and then sighed defeatedly "Fine."He agreed whereas Pakhi and I grinned widely.

"Make three."I told the man.

The candy seller nodded , immediately getting to his work and soon he handed us our candy floss.

While eating our candy floss ,a thought crossed my mind.I fished out my phone and snapped a few candid photographs of Aabir and pakhi who were busy in eating their candyfloss.

"What are you doing?"Aabir asked covering his face with his free hand when he noticed me clicking their photographs.

"Keeping a memory of us with Pakhi."I said and clicked a selfie,keeping them in the frame.

Aabir didn't throw a fit further and let me continue clicking our photographs .Infact,he himself clicked a couple of photographs of us.All the photographs turned out really good.

Just as we finished eating and Aabir was busy paying for the candy floss,we heard an announcement on a mike about a missing kid and hearing the description, Aabir and I didn't take a second to understand that they were talking about Pakhi.

We hurried to reach our destination and reaching there,we noticed a teenager boy having a serious conversation with two security man.Judging by the way he was looking worried, I could say he was Pakhi's brother.

"Excuse me!"Aabir called out for their attention and the three of them turned their head towards us .

As soon as the boy noticed Pakhi,he ran to us and scoop Pakhi up in his arms.

"Pakhi, Are you okay?Did you get hurt anywhere?"The boy asked, pulling away and checking her from head to toe.

Pakhi told him that she was fine ,ofcourse she communicated with him through sign language.

I saw a relief washed over his face, getting assure that his sister was safe and sound.

"I am so sorry,Pakhi.I should have been more careful.I shouldn't have left your hand .Please forgive me,sister."He said in tears,pulling her into another hug.

Pakhi wiped his tears and kissed him on the cheek that brought a smile on his brother's face.He kissed her back,on the top of her head.

Then her brother finally graced us with his attention and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Who are they?"He asked her and Pakhi told him that we were the one who helped her to reach to him.

Knowing everything from Pakhi,Her brother thanked us for thousand times for taking care of his sister and bringing her back to him.

After that we bid goodbye to Pakhi and her brother,Rishi and headed to the place where our friends were supposedly waiting for us.

"Pakhi is really a cute little girl with a beautiful smile."I murmured while admiring the photographs that I took with her."I'm gonna miss her a lot.No,I am already missing her."I added, glumly.

"Me too."Aabir said, letting out a deep sigh.

"But I am glad I could help her finding her brother.Ofcourse it wasn't possible without you."I acknowledged his help."I must say you're really good at dealing with kids.The way you handled Pakhi is commendable.If it weren't for you,I couldn't calm her down."

"You're also really good at understanding sign language.Where did you learn it from?"He asked curiously.

"I learned it last year when I was in Kolkata medical college."I answered."I was assigned to observe a lukomia patient.The patient was deaf and mute.So,To communicate with him,I'd learned sign language .I never thought this knowledge gonna come in handy one day.Now I get why my father always says'Learning never go waste.Everything we learn serve us at some point of our life'."

Aabir nodded with a smile,silently walking by my side.

"Aabir,Do you think Pakhi will mis-"my voice trailed off as he suddenly gripped my arm and yanked me against his chest.

I froze.My breathe hitched and my heart skipped a beat.