A light in the flame

Chapter 15 : It's Time - Part II

" Betu, we need to have a conversation."

His eyes widened. I glance between him and Abhimanyu, their expressions nearly identical. Worried.

"I didn't do anything," Abhir says, shaking his head.

"I know," she says, pointing to the couch. "Sit."

He sits, finally letting go of Abhimanyu.

He carefully sits down on the edge of the couch beside her.

"I, uh..." Akshara has no idea how to even begin. "I mean, we..."

"Maybe I should..." Abhimanyu starts, pausing, waiting for her approval.

"It's fine," She said. "I got it."

"Got what, Mommy?" Abhir asks.

"We wanted to talk to you about something," She told him. "About why Abhimanyu is here."

"To play with me ?" he asks.

"No," she says, shaking her head. "Well, I mean, sure you can play together. But right now we want to explain something to you."

Abhir nodded.

"You see, I've known him for a long time, since before you came into my life, sweetheart."

"Oh." He stares at me. "So he's gonna play with you, then ? "

"What ? No." She scoffs, making a face. She can feel her cheeks heating.

"It's nothing like that. It's just... look, do you remember your friend Anjali ? You remember how she went away, and I explained that her parents decided not to live together anymore, because some parents don't live together, so she had to go stay at a different house ? "

His eyes widened again. "Do I have to go away ? "

"What ? No ! You don't have to go anywhere."

"You promise ? " He pouted.

"I promise. It's not like that. I'm just saying, you know, sometimes parents don't live together, and that's okay, and it doesn't make them any less of a family. Everyone has a mom and a dad."

He shakes her head. "Not everyone."

"Yes, sweetheart. Everyone. Everyone has two parents."

"But mommy my friend Rohit doesn't have two parents. He got three, because his dad got married, so he has another different kind of mommy, right ? "

Akshara was speechless while Abhimanyu was amused by the back and forth between the mom and son duo.

"Right." I'm screwing this all up. sighted Akshara.

"But she still has her dad, too, so what I'm saying is—"

"I'm your dad."

Abhimanyu's voice is quiet as he cuts in, but it still packs enough of a punch to make Akshara inhale sharply.

Abhir looks at him. "You wanna be my dad?"

"I do," he says. "I already am."

His mouth falls open in shock. "Did you get married to Mommy?"

He blinks rapidly, while Akshara choke on thin air, coughing at that question.

"Yes, we did. We still are..." His eyes cut my way before he continues. "Something happened that made us live far away from each other. But, I have always been your dad Betu."

"How ? "

"How ? " he repeats. "Well, I fell in love with your mommy, we got married and we got you. Your mother, she's your mom, and I'm your dad."

" But how ? " Asked Abhir again.

Abhir looked at him as if he was seeing him for the very first time. He then looked at Akshara as if he was looking for help, like he's not sure what he's even asking. So Akshara decided to take over before Abhimanyu takes that "how" literal and starts spilling about the birds and the bees.

" Moms and Dads aren't always together, remember? So he's still your dad even if he wasn't around. " She explained while stroking his hair.

"But where was he at ? "

He's asking me, not Abhimanyu directly.

Akshara knows it's because he trusts her more implicitly, and as much as Abhir adores what he believes Abhimanyu is, he still doesn't know him yet ...

But Akshara doesn't know how to answer that, or if  she even should. She doesn't know if she should be the one to explain his absence, to make his excuses ...

"I wasn't where I should've been," Abhi chimes in. "I should've been with you, but I was..."

"Sick." Akshara says when he struggles for words.

"Sick..." he says.

"Did you have the tummy bug ? " Abhir asks, looking at his dad.

"No, it was worse than that," he admits, "and I'm to blame, nobody else. I made some really bad choices. I—"

"Did you disappear ? " He asks.

"I messed up," he says. "I know I haven't been here for you, but I want to be here now, if you'll let me."

Abhir sits in silence for a moment, thinking that over.

"Okay."

Abhimanyu looks stunned. "Okay?"

"Okay," He says again, standing up from the couch as he grabs his hand to pull him along with him again. "But you have to sleep in Mommy's bed, 'cuz mine can't fit you."

"Uh..." He laughs awkwardly as he follows him. " Thanks ? "

Abhimanyu smirked at Akshara while she rolled her eyes at him.

"But can he play now, Mommy? Please ? "

"Of course," Akshara says, giving her baby boy a smile. "He can stay and play as long as he wants."

Abhir drags Abhimanyu away before Akshara can say anything else.

Relief took her over her whole body. She crashed on the sofa, trying to relax after this stressful few hours...

She faintly hears Abhir rambling about something from his bedroom. Abhimanyu must be enjoying every second with him, she taught with a smile on her face. She still can't believe that HE was the reason why Abhir and herself were happy today.

However she reminded herself to never be weak again in front of him. So she gets up trying to busy herself again to keep from fixating on his presence. She  cleaned some more. She listened to music and  watched a bit of television with Kiara and Kairi.

Hours pass.

Long, long hours, some of the longest hours of her life. She doesn't know what they're doing, not wanting to interrupt, but she can hear Abhir laughing, and she  can hear HIM talking, the two of them playing.

                                                    -

Near dusk, Kiara was putting Kairi to bed, reading to her her favorite fairytale story. Akshara was in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Things grow quiet.

She heard footsteps behind her, restrained on the wooden floor, heading in her direction.

It's him.

Abhimanyu pauses right inside the doorway. "He fell asleep."

"Not surprised," She replied. "He's been playing all day long."

Abhir ate breakfast, and he ate lunch, but Akshu now knows dinner is a bust. Even when she  wakes him up, she doubts he will eat much. She sighted.

"Yes," he says, leaning against the doorframe. "I wish I had even half of his energy. Bottle it up and take it with me for those night shifts."

He smiled at her.

She smiled back at him.

To be continued ...

As promised here is part two ! Isn't Abhir the cutest ?? <3

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