yun hi tu mere saath rehna

Chapter Thirty Three

The morning sun cast a bright glow over Armaan's room, bathing it in golden light. Armaan woke with the sun, a skip in his step. It was finally here. His first official day at Asha Kiran. He was extremely excited about it. He had spent the past few days familiarizing himself with his new workplace. Hours had been spent in Abir & Mishti's glorious company, pouring over documents. They'd been extremely patient with him, explaining multiple things multiple times till Armaan felt like he understood what was happening. He had not realized that running an NGO meant so much legalise, but of course, he had never had to, before now. 

Earlier, he'd felt his main job would be taking on cases to help the underprivileged who could not afford legal aid, or maybe, fight against greedy landlords who illegally occupied lands belonging to the NGO, but now he was realizing, his job actually was to ensure that the NGO would actually stay on top of everything. There were a million laws they needed to follow and a slight deviation in even one might be detrimental to their work. On top of that, he would be filing applications for grants and subsidies. He would also be in-charge of making sure that the place ran smoothly and all necessary labour laws were being followed. It was new and exciting. So many new avenues for him to explore and Armaan was extremely eager to start working. 

Finally, today would be the day. He was so thrilled. Armaan took a thorough shower, wanting to start his day right. He spent way too long selecting his outfit for the day before he decided on a red blazer that he knew Abhira was partial to, pairing it with a white henley, and dark jeans. He debated for a bit before giving in and putting on the funky sneakers that Krish had gifted him a few months ago. He had not found an opportunity to wear them yet, but it seemed like a good day to wear them. The atmosphere at the NGO was nowhere as formal as the firm, wanting to make everyone who came there feel comfortable. Everyone dressed semi-casually and Armaan was glad to be rid of his stuffy suits. 

He took too long setting his hair just right and then even more debating his perfume choices before settling on one that he'd gotten a few weeks ago on a shopping excursion with Abir. He'd wanted to buy new clothes to fit in at the NGO and Abir had been too happy to help. That had been an extremely fun day. They'd gotten all the essentials that Armaan would need and had then found time to buy things for Mishti & Abhira, after which they got food at Armaan's favourite restaurant. They'd also gone book shopping, but had instead ended up spending their entire time admiring the romance aisle that was full of Prajakta's books. They'd taken a bunch of photos and sent them to her, each one goofier than the last. A great day that Armaan would always remember fondly. 

Once he was ready, Armaan practically skipped down the stairs, giddy with anticipation. Despite waking up early, he'd taken too long to get ready and by the time he left his room, the rest of the family was already seated for breakfast. Armaan walked to the dining table, shrugging off the sombre atmosphere that surrounded him. 

Ever since he had announced his decision to leave the firm, there had been tension in the air whenever he was in the same space as Kaveri. It seemed like the entire family was anticipating an outburst from her at any given point and were bracing themselves for it. Armaan, too, had been waiting for it, but was instead focusing on taking it one day at a time. 

Armaan noticed Krish's eyes stuck on his shoes and made a show of it, tapping his leg just so, alerting the boy. Krish looked up at him, tears shining in his eyes. Armaan grinned back and mouthed a quick thank you to his brother. He was rewarded with a brilliant smile which made Armaan's heart rest easier. 

Krish couldn't help but rub his chest as he watched Armaan sit down to eat. He'd gotten those shoes with a lot of love, and while he had seen how appreciative Armaan was of them, had never seen his brother wear them again after that day when he'd bent down and pushed his feet into the shoes himself.