Shadows Of The Stumps

Chapter - 144 - Avi

After a while, everything had quietened.

Athiya had drifted to sleep, curled around little Eva in the warmth of their room, the soft nightlight casting a golden halo over mother and child. The house, once alive with laughter and birthday chaos, now breathed in the hush of nightfall.

A few of them lingered in the dining room—those who never quite left when the world wound down. Meera sat cross-legged on the chair at the table, picking half-heartedly at her plate. Arjun was beside her, quietly scrolling through his phone. Ahan lounged in his seat, chin in hand, half-listening to a podcast. Beside her sat Hardik—messy-haired, a little too sleepy, but still wide-eyed in the way he always was around people he cared for.

Rahul entered, his steps slower now, his birthday shirt a little rumpled, the kind of tired that comes not from exhaustion but contentment. The kind of tired that says I'm home.

"I still can't believe Virat missed your birthday, dude," he said, shaking his head with mock offence. "He babies you all the time."

Rahul groaned, running a hand down his face. "He has a match today, Hardik. He called, okay? And, please cut the man some slack."

Meera, already smirking, added, "Yeah, some people actually take their careers seriously, Mr. Roams-The-Planet-For-Vibes."

Hardik leaned across the table, his voice low and playful. He pinched the tip of her nose with two fingers, making her squeak.

"Is this how you show your love to me? Constant sarcasm?"

Meera stilled for a heartbeat, surprised at how the chill of his touch lingered, like winter touching the edges of spring. Her pulse caught in her throat, but she was quick to recover. She blinked, her lips curling into a practised smirk.

"You wish," she whispered, the playfulness matching his, though her heart beat far louder than it should have.

Hardik laughed, his cheeks turning a shade too red as he leaned back, trying—and failing—not to glance at her again. Rahul, watching from the side with a spoon mid-air, shot them a mock glare.

"I'm right here, guys."

The table burst into laughter. Everyone chuckled, and the room shifted back into comfort.The boys got caught up in a discussion—Rahul passionately arguing over a recent dropped catch, Hardik giving him flak, and Ahan animatedly mimicking the umpire's expression. Meera sat half-listening, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the rim of her glass.

Arjun, meanwhile, leaned closer to Meera. His tone was low, matter-of-fact.

"You have to submit your consent forms for the next mission today."

Meera looked up from her plate, caught off guard by the switch in tone.

"I've filled it up for you," he added. "As usual. Apart from one section."

She raised a brow. "Let me guess. The one person I'd like to stay in contact with throughout the mission?"

Arjun nodded, his gaze steady. "That one."

Meera gave a light snort, trying to brush it off. "It'll be you or the Colonel. Like always."

"No, Noor," Arjun said gently. "Apart from us."

Meera looked down at her plate, tracing the edge of the spoon with her thumb. She had always written Ayan's name before—always. Especially on missions, they weren't together. It had been a habit, a reflex more than a choice.

She could write Rahul's name now. He was her anchor. But her eyes rose slowly, watching him throw his head back in laughter beside Ahan, his arm brushing Hardik's.