yun hi tu mere saath rehna

Chapter Nine

“Armaan, tu udaas kyun ho raha hai? Yeh toh khushi ki baat haina?” Madhav asked gently. “Abhira apne Badi Maa aur Bade Papa ke saath bohot khush rahegi. Aur… Tu bhi toh yehi chaahta tha na… Ki woh outhouse se shift ho jaaye?”

Armaan sighed, nodding. “Haan, lekin ab woh jaa rahi hai toh mujhe bilkul achcha nahi lag raha. Par main nahi chaahta ki woh yahaan ruke. Badi Maa aur Bade Papa ke saath rehna hi uske liye best hai.”

Armaan had just told his parents that Abhira would be moving in with Abir & Mishti. After a lot of effort on all their parts, she had finally agreed. Armaan was extremely happy for her, yet he couldn't help but be a little sad. Yes, he had been repeatedly assured that he could meet Abhira whenever he wanted, but he knew that things would be a little different now. Abhira's attention would be divided. She would want to spend time with her family, wanting to get to know them better. And, knowing her, she probably wouldn't like it if he spent every waking moment there, only coming home to sleep. 

“But… Yeh sab hua kaise?” Vidya asked. “Humaare exhibition se nikalne ke baad? Wahaan itna tamasha hua tha humaare jaane se pehle… Sach kahun toh main darr gayi thi ki kahin kuch ooch-neech na ho jaaye.”

Armaan's face lit up at the question, his sadness completely forgotten, as he launched into the tale of just how it all happened.

4 Hours Ago…

The exhibit had been winding down after a successful night. Most of the guests had left. The Poddars had stuck around though they were merely spectators in the whole ordeal, Armaan & Abhira taking the lead. Kaveri was not stupid. By now, she had understood that Abhira was the key to it all. She didn't know what relationship she shared with the Rajvansh family, nor did she understand why all of them seemed to be so fond of her. But, it was clear that she was the thread that tied Armaan to the family. 

For the past few hours, she had seen every single member of the family come up to her with a wide smile and a tight hug. They all seemed to be enjoying her company immensely. And there was Armaan, who they all seemed to like a lot as well, especially Abir & Mishti Rajvansh. Kaveri hadn't even been aware that Abir Rajvansh was already a client for the firm. She was miffed that Armaan had seen it fit to hide such an important fact from her. 

“Armaan!” She called out, pulling him away from his conversation with Mishti. The two of them were smiling wide as they talked, and for some reason, it bothered Kaveri to see Armaan so comfortable with the woman. 

“Jee, Dadi Sa,” Armaan immediately came up to her. “Kahiye.”

“Tumne humein bataya kyun nahi ki Mr. Rajvansh humaari firm ke client hain?” Kaveri questioned.

“Dadi Sa… Mr. Rajvansh nahi, NGO humaare firm ki client hai. Aur woh bhi permanent nahi. Woh toh unhe Udaipur related dispute tha, isliye unhone humaari firm ko approach kiya tha,” Armaan explained.

“Lekin phir bhi… Tumhe humein batana toh chahiye tha!” Kaveri insisted.

“Sorry, Dadi Sa, but Mr. Rajvansh ne kaha tha ki woh yeh sab bohot secretly karna chaahte hain. Unki involvement se media ka dhyaan kuch zyada hi badh jaata, isliye unhone strictly kisi ko bhi bataane se mana kiya tha.

In fact, jab yeh case mere paas aaya tha, it was a proper pro-bono. Mr. & Mrs. Rajvansh ne apna khudka naam bhi use nahi kiya tha tab. They were working under an alias. Shuru ke 3-4 meetings bhi maine NGO ke volunteers ke saath ki thi, unke saath nahi. Main unse sirf tab mila jab woh sure the ki woh mujhpe trust kar sakte hain. Phir jab unhone yeh shart rakhi, toh main unka bharosa nahi todna chaahta tha. Mujhe laga maine kisi ko bata diya aur baat phail gayi, toh shayad woh kisi aur lawyer ke paas chale jaayenge.”