Bewitched

Chapter-5

Ishan was jolted awake by a vivid memory, a memory he had desperately tried to forget. It haunted him every night, depriving him of sleep. This memory had driven him to an unexpected decision: buying a sports franchise.

Raj, his identical twin, had been his anchor through their turbulent lives. Their parents died in a car crash when they were four, and their grandparents raised them. Though they were twins, their natures were poles apart. Raj was calm, mature, and oriented, while Ishan was the spoiled one. The number of times Ishan had messed up and Raj had cleaned up after him was countless.

"Where will you go if something happens to me? Who will cover up your messes from Grandpa then?" Raj had scolded him once.

"You love me too much to abandon me," Ishan had chuckled.

"I hate you!" Raj had retorted, though his eyes said otherwise.

"No you don’t "-Ishan would jump on his brother and both started to laugh and fight.

Everything changed when Grandpa decided to retire and hand over the family business to Raj. But suddenly Raj met a sportsman, fell deeply in love, and decided to move to India to be with him.

"You will leave us? Tell him to move here!" Grandpa demanded, his voice shaking with disbelief.

"He can't, Grandpa. He's on the national team and going through a tough time. He needs me," Raj explained, desperation in his eyes.

"And what about us? Your orphaned brother? Do we mean nothing to you? Is this how you repay us for raising you?" Grandpa's voice trembled with a mix of anger and sorrow.

"I will visit occasionally, Grandpa. I promise to handle everything online, and Chachu is here to help," Raj pleaded, his voice breaking.

"Dad, let the poor boy go. He's never had the chance to choose love in his life. Let's not stand in his way now," their uncle intervened, his tone soothing.

"You've all gone mad! It's too dangerous. Even here, he doesn't move without bodyguards. If someone knows our family’s net worth..."

"No one will know me there, Grandpa. Not even my boyfriend," Raj promised, his voice steady but his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"No, you can't go. Choose: us or him," Grandpa's voice was final, the ultimatum hanging in the air like a death sentence.

Raj stood there, torn between his love for his family and his love for the sportsman. Finally, with a heavy heart, he chose love. He left that night, vanishing without a trace, severing all contact. Ishan tried to find him, but he didn’t even know which sport Raj’s lover played. So, Ishan bought a franchise, hoping to stay connected with the sports world, thinking it might lead him to Raj.

Ishan wasn’t home when Raj left for good. If he had been, he might have stopped him or at least left with him. When he returned, he found that Raj had left his locket behind for Ishan and taken Ishan's as a memory.

"If you want to take over the property, you have to prove you're mature now and act like one," Grandpa declared, his eyes stern.

"I will be responsible, Grandpa," Ishan vowed, determination burning in his chest.

"Dad, maybe give him some time? He's still a kid, not responsible like Raj. How about I train him for a bit?" their uncle suggested, his voice gentle.