Seven Colors of Our Love

.23-

VANITY VAN:

Abhishek checked his cell phone umpteen times since morning but there was not even a single message from home. He roughly placed his phone on a table with a loud thud and groaned softly in annoyance.

"Aesa kya ghuma hai jo mil nahi raha?", asked his friend Jasus with narrowed eyes who was carefully observing him for more than an hour.

"Afsa", Abhishek muttered inaudibly and fetched a breath.

It's been more than a week since he started leaving Afsa at home. These days are the hardest for both Afsa and Abhishek. He was used to Afsa's 24/7 presence around him. Everyday Manisha and Prerna bring Afsa to meet him during his break, video calls him, or used to message him frequently about Afsa's whereabouts or if they had to ask anything. He was always connected to Afsa throughout the day but today neither they came to the shoot spot during break nor Prerna has contacted him, not even a single message.

"Let's go for lunch together", Jasus said.

"Sorry I won't be able to join you, I've to go home", Abhishek said while standing up from his place.

"Oh so the workaholic Abhishek Malhan is going home early these days, Am I dreaming?", Jasus teased him.

"Isn't this our pack up time already?", Abhishek cross-questioned him.

"It is indeed, but what about your overtime working hours?", Jasus said with a smirk.

"Bye", Abhishek said. He put the mobile in his pocket and left his vanity Van hastily.

MALHAN HOUSE:

"Aren't we messy?" Manisha said with a pout looking at the mess around her. Poster colors, markers, different types of sheets, and papers spread around them. Her gaze stopped on Afsa who was sitting in front of her playing with the things, with her back attached to the pillow on the floor with Manisha. Afsa's clothes and face had patches of different colors of paints.

"Very messy indeed!" Manisha shook her head with an amused smile on her face. She picked up the scattered mess around her and organized them.

Knock!!..... knock!!

"Come in", Manisha said non chalantly still engrossed in her work.

"Beta, I'm free now.", Babita ji said.

"Thank God you are here, I was about to call you again. We have a lot of work to do now", Manisha said pointing at Afsa who was playing with her toys.

"We surely have", Babita ji said with an ear to ear grin after looking at Afsa's condition.

"I'll go and ready her bathtub", babita ji stated.

"No babita ji, I'll do everything. You just have to stand beside me and tell me if I'm doing it right or not", Manisha said politely to which babita ji nodded her head.

"I like doing everything for Afsa by myself", Manisha added with a tight-lipped smile.

For the past few days, Manisha has learned a lot of things. Abhishek has instructed and taught her about various things related to Afsa. In the initial days' mom also stayed home to guide Manisha on how to handle Afsa. Babita ji has also helped her a lot during this time.

Abhishek has started coming home on his usual pack up time because of Afsa. Today for the first time Afsa has behaved quite normally at home without her daddy, which was great progress.

Manisha went to the bathroom, mixed some hot water in the cold tap water to normalize the temperature of the water exactly the way Abhishek has told her, "The water temperature should be roughly the same temperature as the human body, 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit."