Muddat

3. The meet

The whole ride, Advait was giving Reyansh accusing glares. The weight of the unspoken question hung between them like a storm ready to break.

Why did you hide that you were in contact with Aadrika

Reyansh sighed. He knew he had no right to keep this from Advait. If anyone had a claim to know about Aadrika’s whereabouts, it was him—the brother who had practically raised her, more like a father than a sibling. But what could reyansh do, he himself was bound by Aadrika's words. He averted his gaze from Advait, this could wait. Right now, they had to be there for Aadrika.

They reached the location Aadrika told Reyansh, Advait sighed, looking at the house. It looked nothing like a home—no warmth, no sense of comfort. Everything about it screamed gloom and despair.

"Andar chalein Adi?" Aastha said and held his hand, knowing that he needed someone. He nodded and walked towards the porch as Reyansh rang the bell. They waited in silence, Advait's heart was thumping, he's about to see his sister after six years. Six years of not hearing dada from her, she was the one who insisted on calling him dada. Advik calls him bhaiya, the twins followed their didi and started calling him dada as well.

The door creaked open revealing Aadrika. She looked so fragile, so pale, as if she might crumble at any moment. Advait's breath caught in his throat. This wasn’t the sister he remembered. She had grown into a woman, yes, but she looked like she had been through hell.

Her eyes widened when she saw her family, she looked at Reyansh who gave her a nod that it was him who told them. He did the right thing- they deserved to know, she was their mother after all.

Aadrika didn’t know how to react. She stepped back, opening the door wider, and walked back to the corner from which she had risen. Their mother’s body lay on the floor. Reyansh quickly went and reached out for her, she gave him a broken look before breaking down entirely. Reyansh hugged her tightly.

"Bss baba, your bhai is here na shush sab theek ho jayega bacha, it's okay" he said so lovingly that Aadrika couldn't help but sob.

But it wasn’t okay. Everyone thought she was crying because of their mother’s death, but in reality, she was crying because she was finally free. Free from the torment, the abuse. Free to go back to her family. No one knew the truth, and she had no intention of telling them.

Advik, meanwhile, couldn't ignore the pang of jealousy twisting in his gut as he watched Reyansh and Aadrika so close. He didn’t care about their mother—she had been anything but a mother to him. He had come only to see Aadrika, but her sobs were hurting him. He assumed she was grieving their mother, who had been closer to Aadrika since she spent more time with her.

Avik looked at her with longing eyes, he craved for her sister to call him champ. He missed her bear hugs, her hair ruffles. She was more of a mother to him than his own mother who was lying lifeless on the floor.

Avin, however, stood frozen with fury. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides as he stared down at their mother’s lifeless body. He felt nothing—no grief, no sadness. Only disgust. The tears that had fallen earlier were more from shock than sorrow. His heart had hardened long ago. He glanced at Aadrika in Reyansh’s arms, and a bitter pang struck his chest. Rey bhai was still so close to her, even after all these years, while he had been left behind.

Advait looked at Aadrika, his heart clenched. He slowly moved towards her, Reyansh saw him and took a step back. Aadrika looked at Advait, she doesn't know how to react. The past came haunting her, how rude she was the last time they spoke. How disrespectful she was towards her brother, does she have any right to look him in the eye after everything she has done?