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"I R E A L L Y D O N ' T W A N T to go to work today"

Razia brought a glass of water for a sulking Aaina dragging her feet to her room.

"Shashi didn't come today, so I came back early. She always informs if she is not coming though"

"She must have taken ill then"

"Perhaps. I'll go meet her tomorrow then. But I have to assist tomorrow's order as well" Aaina sat on the bed with a huff. Work has been keeping her too busy these days. Ever since Kaki had left for vyapaar, their warehouse had been piling up with new design orders for a new house, temples, and one was from overseas. As much as she was happy about them flourishing, she alone could not keep up with managing such big tasks. Especially when it also consumed her time that she had allocated for her errands at the Chakradhan Hill. But she realised that was more out of selfish desire than her duty. Hence, she had to weigh the priorities for the moment.

"Why don't you work from here today? I'll get the raw materials from the warehouse"

"Really? Thank you, Razia!" She fell on her for a hug.

It wasn't even half an hour, and Razia had already gotten the raw materials from their warehouse at the back. No sooner did it arrive than Aaina proceeded with her sculpture. There wasn't anything more interesting than art for her. She reveled in it like a swan did as it swam. Her focus and feelings were all directed just to the art afore her. The whole world faded when she did what she loved, and it ended up in her completing every task on time.

Mansingh's daunting footsteps echoed outside the room, and he knocked.

"Someone is here to meet chhoti maalkin"

"Who is it?"

"He says his name is Milan"

Aaina looked up from her hands immersed in mud, surprised. "Oh wait, I'll come downstairs"

It was a surprise to have Milan at the gates of Hira Ghar out of nowhere but it wouldn't be a surprise when Mansingh reports it all to Kaki in Jodhpur and she gets in trouble for mingling with firstly, any man from anywhere without kaki's supervision and secondly, someone from Chakradhan Hill which already held a bad reputation. But Aaina didn't want to care. A girl could have friends, and he was just a guard with no business in her personal life. Besides, Milan was a gem of a person. He called her 'Aaina behen' for God's sake.

She hurried downstairs as quickly as possible and found Milan standing outside the door, looking fresh in his beige shirt and dark trousers, ready to go out.

"Good morning, Aaina behen"

"Good morning, Milan. Tum yahaan?"

"You forgot your bag at the maka-"

"Oh, I didn't realise" She grabbed it from him a bit too restlessly, hoping Mansingh wasn't around to hear their conversation.

"It was lying somewhere in the kitchen, and I was headed this way, so I thought I'd return it"

"That's so sweet of you Milan"

Mansingh returned to his position outside the gate whilst giving them side-eye.

"Why don't you come inside?"

"Are you sure? You look busy" he glanced at the mud on her adma.

"Well, I'm in desperate need of a break, and you might as well not bore me then"

He chuckled. "Alright"

She welcomed him inside Hira Ghar, a first time for him. His eyes grew as he gazed at the tall ceiling with its colossal chandelier and somber walls falling alongside. They sat in the middle of the drawing room, and Aaina finally felt her back rest after what seemed like hours.

"So you're sculpting?" He figured.

"Yes. It's both my hobby and my work. What's yours?"

"Sleeping"

"That's not a hobby"

"Well, free time means sleep for me"

She rolled her eyes. "You're just lazy then"

"I know, and I'm proud of it"

Aaina hit the back of his head and chuckled.

His dimples highlighted his cheeks when he laughed, and he continued. "Other than that, bhaiya is already training me in vyapaar as well. So I guess that would be the only thing I'm doing right now"

Razia brought some snacks and sharbat for them from the kitchen, and Milan sported his youthful smile in gratitude.

"You want to join in the vyapaar of your bhaiya?"

He nodded. "The work is very interesting. By the way, what deal did you offer?"

Aaina's eyes narrowed. How does he know about the deal? "What?"

"As in you and bhaiya were discussing vyapaar that evening, right?"

She recalled the stormy evening a few weeks ago.

"Not exactly vyapaar" She rubbed her forehead lightly. "But, uh. . ."

Her mind fought the dilemma of whether to tell him about her parents or not. Aaina had not told anyone about it except Razia and her sahelis. Anyways, she wasn't going to be there for long, and telling it to Milan would not hurt anyone, right? He was like a little confidante to her, whom she felt comfortable with.

Milan's face turned red with realisation, and he muttered.

"Oh, sorry, I shouldn't ask, whatever business you and Amar bhaiya . . ."

Her eyes widened. "Huh?" and she too turned red with realisation of what he intended to say. "Milan, I will kill you" she bent forward to hit him on the head, and he recoiled, chortling, pulling away from her.

"Why is everyone suspicious about the same thing?" Aaina huffed as she sat back in the living room, not able to cope with feeling hot suddenly.

"Who else thinks the same?"

"Jaswanti"

Milan's lips curled. "Of course"

Aaina raised her eyebrows at his mischief filled face. She knew he had a thing for her chhoti saheli. "Haha, I can see your interests flashing on your face very clearly"

He shrugged. "Maybe. Just like you do when I say Amar bhaiya's name-"

Aaina didn't waste a minute throwing a pillow at his face.

Milan replied while laughing. "Okay okay, come to the point now, will you?"

Aaina started. "I only came to meet because I wanted to search up the old rooms at the makaan. Because I faintly remember playing at Chakradhan Hill when I was young and I've heard that my parents might have lived there for a brief period of time and I want to know about them. It kills me how come I'm so clueless. So I visited just so I could convince your bhaiya to let me spend time and search around the makaan. And I only have a few more weeks before we shift to the city, and then I can't even do anything even if I want to"

"You're leaving in a few weeks? That's terrible" Milan's voice dampened.

"Tell me about it. I love this town"

"You should talk to your kaki"

Aaina rolled her eyes. "Let's not start with that again. Leave it. But promise me you won't tell anyone about this?"

"Promise!"

"Not even your bhaiya"

He smiled. "I promise I won't, but why not?"

She shrugged. Why was she hiding it from him anyway? He wasn't a stranger anymore, and he was definitely not turning out to be the monster she once thought of him. Milan provided her with a friendly space just like her sahelis, but Amar was still a puzzle to be solved. She wanted to tell him, of course, but just not right away.

"I mean, I will tell him later"

"Okay"

"Is he at work right now?" She asked as she took a sip of the sharbat.

"Yes"

"Do you realise you've only been talking about him?" Milan pointed.

"No I'm not"

"You are"

Aaina took a deep breath. "Even if I am, it's because he's a closed book"

Milan asked. "So you want to know him?"

"What?"

"Do you mean you would like to know more about him?"

"Only whether he is human or not"

He shook his head and murmured. "You two are so similar and so different at the same time"

"I'm nothing like him, okay? I'm not rude to people I have never met before"

"He is not either, you know. But that's just his way of meeting new people"

"But he acted so guarded when I first entered the gates of the makaan as if I'd come only to run a dagger through his chest"

Something shifted in Milan's expression. "It's a possibility. Amar has had a life very different from what I've known, but he doesn't let it show"

Aaina pondered. Jaswanti said the same thing. He is good at hiding things.

He continued. "I haven't spent much time with him, but yes, he is very guarded, even with me. I have to go straight back to the makaan before sunset or if Amar bhaiya and I need to go out, we go together. He doesn't leave me alone. He is strict, but at the same time, there hasn't been a day where I've gone to bed on an empty stomach. He makes sure the dining table has more than five varieties of dishes, even if it's just us two eating. That's his way of showing affection"

Fond and familiar memories resurfaced, and Aaina's cheeks turned warm again. "By f-feeding you?"

"Yeah. He loves to eat and loves to feed people"

"Oh"

"Damn, why am I saying good things about him? It feels weird"

She laughed, trying to cover the fact that her heart just couldn't stop racing with his thoughts. What is wrong with me?

Why did he make her feel that way when he is not even around? That's what was always peculiar about him. Leave a mark on people's minds, and have them thinking about every little mystery his presence alone emanated.

But he'd have his reasons, right? Maybe all his encounters were threatening in a way that put up the walls of protectiveness around him. As if he is always cautious of trouble around his space. What happened to him? Aaina itched to know what made him, him.

And mostly why she wanted to know all that so bad?

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milan and aaina bonding hehe

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