yun hi tu mere saath rehna

Chapter Forty One

The weekend saw Abhira in front of the Goenka Mansion, which was about the last place on earth that she wanted to be at. But, some things were more important. Such as her mother's memories, which were probably rotting away in some corner in this house. 

When she had expressed her wish to bring her mother's things back, Abir & Mishti had readily agreed. What's more, they had immediately announced their intention to accompany her on the excursion. Abhira had been delighted at the fact that she didn't even have to ask them to accompany her. They just assumed they would go with her too. There was no way Abhira would be able to do this alone. She would need her family by her side, but especially her Badi Maa and Bade Papa. They would be the strength she needed. And of course, her Khadoosmaan. Him being there would give Abhira the courage to do what she wanted to, what she needed to.

Apart from the four of them, Abhira was also accompanied by Keerti and Naksh. The couple hadn't set foot in the house for close to two decades now, but had decided to be there to support Abhira. A fact that gladdened her immensely. She had so many people around her now, to support her and love her, to be her family. The one thing she had always craved since she was a child had been a big, happy family, full of people who loved her just the way she was, and now, finally, she had it. 

Abir & Mishti had been with her, every step of the way, being supportive and kind. They understood her better than she could have ever hoped for, and did their best to be attentive and doting guardians. She couldn't believe that there had been a time when she felt skeptical about their love for her, when she felt that they might change their minds about her. It hadn't taken them very long to completely win her over and now she felt as if they had always been a part of her life. But most importantly, she knew that they always would be. They'd never leave her side. If she ever made a mistake, they would make her see the error of her ways. They might get disappointed, but they would never leave her because of it, would never say harsh or cutting words they wouldn't be able to take back. They'd never treat her like the Poddars had treated her. Like they still treated Armaan. And that made all the difference in the world.

“Ready?” Abir asked, bringing Abhira out of her thoughts. Abhira nodded, even though she felt anything but ready. She didn't think she would ever be ready for something like this.

“Don't be nervous,” Mishti advised, squeezing her hand in reassurance. “Hum sab yahin hain, tumhaare saath. Okay?”

“I love you, Badi Maa,” Abhira replied, hugging the elder woman.

“I love you too, meri Gudiya Rani,” Mishti answered, returning the embrace enthusiastically.

Armaan surged forward, taking the lead and guiding their party to the door. He rang the doorbell and they patiently waited for the door to open. A few minutes later, a sombre Surekha greeted them. “Namaste.”

“Namaste,” Abir replied, folding his hands in greeting. 

“Bas, ek minute,” Surekha requested. She turned and called out, “Didi! Woh log aa gaye hain.”

Abir had called ahead to let them know of their plans and Manish had been all too happy to do the needful. The Goenkas had painstakingly gone through all of Akshara's things and neatly packed them up in boxes for Abhira to take with her. She was right. She deserved to have those things much more than they did. 

What they were not prepared for, however, had been Keerti's presence at this meeting. When Surekha realized that Naksh & Keerti were standing at the tail end of their group, hidden behind Abir & Armaan's tall frames, she gasped out loud. “Ke— Keerti?” She whispered tentatively, unsure if it was just a figment of her imagination or whether Keerti was actually standing in front of her.