Kyon Nahi ✓ || (neirohi)

11. Someone for Aarohi

11. Someone for Aarohi

"Ye wala?"

Aarohi looked at the band-aid, playing with the end of it and brushing her fingers in the way Neil's fingers had brushed against her hand, and she fought the urge of a smile that was threatening to play on her lips

"Aaru!" Akshara asked for her sister again, "where are you lost? Help me choose the ring, baba."

Aarohi nodded, dropping her hands to the side and faced the  set of rings, all of them were super gorgeous. "You know Abhimanyu better," Aarohi said, holding a ring in her hand, "you should pick something that you think will suit him well."

"I know, but what if my choice is wrong?" Akshara asked, softly and nervous, she took a ring in her hand, "what if it is really wrong for him, and..."

Aarohi looked at her sister, the insecurities were once again resurfacing and she held Akshara's hand, "your choice is perfect, Akshu. And Abhimanyu will like any ring you pick for him." She made her sister understand, "in fact, ring or no ring, he will always love and respect you and your choices. So this time, just let it all go, huh?"

Akshara nodded, teary eyed and took the ring she liked from the start, "ye kaisa hai?"

"Perfect," Aarohi did not even have to look at the ring, because Akshara's happy eyes told her everything, "just like you."

"no," Akshara pulled Aarohi's cheek, "just like us."

"Man, now I want a sister too!"

Aarohi and Akshara turned behind to see Nishta eyeing them, and they chuckled, "You have two now," Aarohi winked stretching her hand towards the kid, and Nishta smiled, side-hugging Aarohi.

Akshara smiled seeing the two bond, Aarohi always had a way with kids, there was no doubt about that and after all she was kids' doctor, that was her job, but in all this, Akshara realised that Aarohi had never embraced the inner kid within her.

They all grew up so fast.

Or were forced to grow up.

"Please, God," Akshara whispered a prayer in her mind, "like you sent Abhi for me, can you send someone for Aarohi too? My sister deserves to be loved too. I promise, I won't ask you for anything for atleast a year." She joined her hands and shut her eyes while Aarohi smiled.

She did not have a good relationship with God like her sister did, but she did pray for the Almighty to grant everything Akshara just wished for.

_

"Ye waali pretty hai," Abhimanyu said pulling another ring out of the box, "aur ye waali toh usse bhi zyaada,"

Neil shook his head, "bhai, ek kaam kar lo, ye saari le lo, aur har din nayi pehnate rehna bhabhi ko."

To that Abhimanyu held his neck from behind, "yaha main pagal ho raha hu, aur tujhe mazak karna hai?"

"Sorry, sorry," Neil apologised after which Abhimanyu left him and focused on the rings. "I think Akshu bhabhi will love anything you pick, after all, she does love you."

"I know, but I do not want to leave any stone unturned in this. She is the only girl I am so crazy for and after what she has been through, I want her to be only happy for the rest of our lives."

Neil smiled at his brother's pure love towards Akshara and nodded in agreement. He had a faint idea of Akshara's past, how she was affected by their parents' death, her anxieties and panic attacks, her addiction to pills and her suicidal tendencies and now even though she had come out of it, there was a still a long way to go and Neil always had great respect for Akshara. He knew it was not easy to get out of trauma, because he has seen his brother suffer after Arjun's suicide, and if a best friend's death could affect his brother so much, the death of both parents must have taken a toll on the girl.

Both Abhimanyu and Akshara deserved the happiness they had been craving for since their childhood and Neil only wanted them to be happy.

But now, there was another person whose happiness mattered to him and the more he kept thinking about her, the more confused he was.

Aarohi Goenka was surely not what she presented to others, he thought, she acted like she was this bad-ass person who did not care about anyone, wanted to live a chilled life, having fun with all the casual hook-ups and to an outsider, she'd seem like a very self-centered person who gave no fucks about and that was his first impression about her too.

Ever since he started observing her, especially those dark eyes, he realised how much she was affected by things around her but never let it be expressed in words or actions.

"Bhai, aap se kuch puch sakta hu?"

"Haan, bol."

"Is there any way that PTSD can be hidden?"

Abhimanyu thought Neil would as usual ask something random or funny, but the mere word made Abhimanyu to place the ring down and face his brother, "matlab?"

"I mean, I have never had any trauma before, you know that, by God's grace, I have had a very happy life," Neil was hesitant to open past wounds, but he had to, "but you suffered a lot bhai and you detached from everyone post that incident, right?"

On the mention of Arjun's death, Abhimanyu sighed, "yes."

"And Akshara got depressed and resorted to different things after her trauma, right?"

"Right,"

"So is it possible that PTSD can also cause people to pretend to live happily and care-free?" He asked, the burning question which his mind wanted answers from.

Abhimanyu thought for a minute, "I mean, it could be, I am not sure. Why do you ask?"

"Nahi, aise hi."

"Dekh Neil, tu aise hi aise topic pe baat toh nahi karega," Abhimanyu placed his hand on Neil's shoulder, "but, I understand if you do not want to share it with me," Abhimanyu smiled at his brother, "you have to share it with Tai-ji though, only she can help you here."

Mahima Birla, Abhimanyu and Neil's Tai-ji was a well-known psychiatrist and someone who could guide him well in this case.

"You are right, I'll ask her."

"You sure everything is okay right?" Neil looked at his brother, worried for him, "because I can take care of everything for you, yes?"

"Of course bhai," Neil smiled, thankful for an elder brother, "sab theek hai. Also, I think the ring you selected first, that one is really pretty."

That diverted Abhimanyu's attention and Neil sat back in the seat, wondering why he was so intrigued by a girl he had just met. And everything about her was a question mark for him.

And his answer was a kyon nahi rather than a kyon.

_

A/N

Vote, comment, share.

This story is a slow-burn, so it takes time for the characters to fall for each other.

Also, keep your inputs coming, i may not reply but I love reading them.