Silent Downfall

Chapter Thirty-Six

Aanvik sat still on the sofa with the magazine held upside down. His mind hovered around the couple of curious eyes that were observing him through a small gap between the door and the frame of the balcony. The slit closed as he threw a glance, hiding the owner of the eyes just in time. Aanvik shifted on his seat; it was getting monotonous, even for him. He put the magazine down as Waseef walked in from the kitchen with two cups of coffee. The latter was also aware of the hide-and-seek game that was going on between Aanvik and his cousin, but he pretended to pay no mind.

"How's it?" asked Waseef as he observed him taking his first sip.

"Awful."

"You could have at least lied."

Aanvik shrugged. "Is Nayif coming?"

"Nope. I have called my driver, and I will accompany you. Nayif is off to Cox's Bazar with his dad. That old man has the energy of a toddler."

"Aye, already? It's a good thing that he brought my bag along today. I would have to leave without my stuff if he hadn't."

"You could have stayed for a few more days, you know."

"Boy, I wouldn't have come in the first place. I have left half of my soul behind. And mom is fed up with all the flies buzzing around our house. And, of course, with those exasperating phone calls. Roy is burying me alive. I have to go and face it. Shranav had a hard time leaving today."

"Mayank... is still there, right?"

Aanvik laughed. "Of course. Ma will kill him if he thinks of going home anytime soon."

"So we are leaving around six?"

"Yup. Be quick, it's five-forty already."

All of a sudden, the balcony door burst open. Fayzan hopped out, making a beeline to Waseef's room. The two captains exchanged confused glances, not knowing what to make of the child's bizarre action. They nevertheless thought it best to leave him alone; the last thing they needed at the eleventh hour was a tantrum, which, given the circumstances, would unfortunately be justified to a fair extent.

Aanvik directed his gaze upstairs with a somber look on his face, responding to a twist in his heart. More than anything, he wanted to hold the child—his brother—for once. More than anything, he wanted to tell Lucian how much he loved him.

Ten minutes went by in silence. Fayzan furtively headed out of his cousin's room and sneaked into another.

"Hurry up. I am afraid it's time for us to go," said Waseef as he finished his cup. 

Aanvik nodded and took the final sip before getting up.

Another ten minutes later, the two men walked down the stairs. Aanvik was followed closely by Waseef, who was on his phone with his driver. The former peeked into the shoebox, trying to locate his shoes amidst the collection.

"Waseef?" called Aanvik. "Where are my shoes?"

"Must be inside the box. I saw the maid putting them in there."

"Sure? I can't find it."

Waseef walked to the shoebox and carefully brushed his eyes across the contents. "Strange," he commented. "They can't just disappear."

He checked the space outside the door, but in vain. The shoes were nowhere to be seen.

"Um, Waseef?"

The addressed one turned to his friend. Aanvik's eyes were locked on the child, who stood at the bottom of the stairs, hugging the newel. The exceedingly innocuous look on his face was bad news.