The Intern

Part 19

This is a mature story. Only read if you are comfortable.

Akshara Goenka:

Akshu got ready quickly and waited for Abhi to wake up. He had promised to take her home and she was desperate to see her baby. It had only been one night but it was already proving to be unbearable to stay away from him.  The last few weeks once she agreed to get married, Aarav spent all his time with Akshu. He even slept with Akshu. Something which was not allowed before. Waking up the morning after her wedding and not having Aarav with her broke Akshu's heart.

She loved Abhi but she thought of Aarav, she resented Abhi. Why did he have to be this way? Why did he put the fear in her that he would not let her keep their baby? If she had never feared that, she would have stayed with Abhi and they could have been a happy family now.  But she also hated herself. Why did she think it was a good idea to come see her family? She just wanted to say bye to them before she went away forever.  She didn't know all this would have happened.  She could still run away from Delhi when she lived with her Bua and Mamu but by then, the pregnancy wasn't easy and it made her so weak. She was scared of something happening and her being alone and something happening to her baby.  Akshu closed her eyes and took a few long breaths. Whatever happened, there was no way to change it. She had to focus on the steps she needed to take now. No point dwelling about the past.

Akshu got up and stood by the window wondering where she could go where nobody will find them. She was still deep in her thoughts when she felt two strong arms being wrapped around her. She smiled. Abhi was hugging from behind and he kissed her cheek. "Good morning, my gorgeous wife!" Akshu gulped. It was going to be harder to leave him now. She could tell he had changed from before. He was a lot more gentle and patient with her now.  Maybe she could tell him about their baby boy. Aarav belonged to Abhi as much as he belonged to her.  No, no. She could not take any risks. She needed to learn from her past experiences. She won't take even the tiniest risk now.
"Good morning." Akshu turned around and Abhi put his hand on her cheek. "Abhi, can we go now? Can we go to my house, please?"
"We will go. Wait, na? Let's have breakfast then we will go, okay?" He kissed her forehead before leaving to her go get ready.

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Abhimanyu Birla:

When Abhi informed his family of their plan, his grandmother got furious. "No way! There are so many rituals to follow and your wife wants to run to her grandfather's home? It hasn't been a day yet. There is no way.  Her Pag Pehra is tomorrow when her brother will come to pick her up and she can go then. She's not going anywhere today."
Abhi looked at Akshu whose eyes were filled with tears but she didn't say anything and quietly sat down at the dining table. Abhi reached out and grabbed her hand under the table but she stared at her plate and silently ate with a tear falling off her eyes every few seconds.  Abhi felt bad that he couldn't keep his promise but more than that, he was upset to see Akshu so upset.

Yet he didn't get it. When in Mumbai, Akshu barely visited her family.  She always talked about how much she loved them but she told Abhi, they were not that close. Her grandfather was very strict and she was always so busy with studying that she never really formed a strong bond with anyone.  So how was she so upset about not seeing her family for just one day?

That night when Abhi went near Akshu, she told him she was exhausted and turned around and went to bed.  Abhi could understand. His family had her follow ritual after ritual. Anyone would be exhausted.  He wanted her but he wasn't the same Abhi anymore. Now he would go by what she wanted and respect her wishes.  He went to her and kissed her forehead and went to sleep as well without any idea that she spent the whole night looking at a picture on her phone and silently crying.

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Abhi kept looking at his watch and at 6:30 pm, he left his home and drove to pick up Akshu. Kairav had come to pick her up earlier in the day and he had been counting minutes until he could go pick her up. Now that he had her again, he couldn't bear to stay away from her. He decided he would take her for dinner that night and they could finally talk.

He opened the front gate of the Goenkas house and right away heard the most beautiful sound of his Akshu laughing.  She was in the front garden, twirling the kid around. Abhi stopped by the gate to just look at her. She looked the happiest Abhi had seen her in the last two days and was laughing away playing with the little boy. Abhi walked toward her and she looked at his direction and smiled.
"Hi baby!" She greeted him.
"No Bua! I'm your baby!" The little boy looked at Abhi and said to Akshu grumpily. That made Akshu laugh.
"Sorry my Chanda! You are my one and only baby!" She picked the little kid up and kissed his cheek.
"Really, baby?" Now it was Abhi's turn to be grumpy. Thad kid needed to stop hogging his Akshu. Akshu looked at the kid and then Abhi and bursted out laughing.  She kissed Abhi's cheek as well.
"Happy? Both of you? I love both of my boys! My big boy and my baby boy." While still holding the kid, she hugged Abhi. Abhi kissed her head.
"You always need to be this happy, my precious girl." Abhi caressed her cheek.
"I'll be happy as long as I have the two of you." Akshu whispered. "Okay, let's go inside now."
Akshu walked inside carrying the kid but Abhi stood behind. There was something going on and Abhi was starting to think it had to do with the kid. He was starting to notice how Akshu had a strange attachment to her nephew.  Granted, she loved the kid. His own mother adored Neil. But his mother would never put Neil above her husband or Abhi. But for Akshu, nobody else seemed to matter when the kid was around her, not even Abhi.  After everyone mentioned how the kid looked like him, he tried to study his face but in all honesty, he saw more of Akshu than anyone else. He himself looked like his late Mamu so that wasn't even strange that Akshu's nephew looked a little like her. But he loved his girl so much, he would seek her in everything and everyone. 

Abhi shook his head. What was he even thinking? Akshu loved all kids. Even in Mumbai and the hospital, she always had a way with kids. This boy was her own nephew and they lived together, of course they will have a bond. If it was anything else, he would have known. Akshu would have told him. What he was thinking was not even a possibility. His Akshu used to tell him even the tiniest thing about herself before. She would never not tell him such a big thing. He needed to stop feeling insecure about a little kid. His Akshu was his only. The kid belonged to his parents.

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