"Did I hurt you?" Kartik hugged Naira from behind.
"No you didn't." Naira smiled.
"Mumma Papa." Karna came running inside.
"Kya hua bacha?" Naira picked him in her arms.
"Mumma chalo na we are late. Party will finish." Karna huffed.
"Party will not finish. Let's go." Kartik picked him in his arms.
Naira was wearing a royal blue silk saree while Kartik was wearing a black suit. Karna was wearing a royal blue suit.
"Btw Naira if you want you can stay at Mumma Papa's place today." Kartik was driving.
"Kartik! Either we will come back or we all will stay there. I'm not leaving you alone at any cost. You mark these words in your mind." Naira warned.
"Okay okay. No one can win from you in argument." Kartik gave up.
Kartik stopped his car in front of a house with name plate of Basu House.
Karna went inside running. Party had just started.
"Nani! Nani!" Karna jumped on a lady of Akshara's age.
"Karna!" The lady picked him and swinged him in air.
"How's my grandson?" She kissed on his cheek.
"I'm very good Nani." He pulled her cheeks.
"PRERNA." A man of Naitik's age came there.
"Haan ANURAG." Prerna looked at him.
"Oh so this little notorious grand son of yours has come. Little monkey come here." Anurag picked Karna in his arms.
"Nani why you married Nanu? Aapko koi ache Nanu nahi mile kya?" Karna mocked.
Anurag was looking at him with his mouth wide open.
"Mumma." Naira hugged Prerna.
"Kaisi ho?" Prerna cupped her face.
"How can I be with this MENDEK?" Naira gave a pity look.
"What I did now?" Kartik looked at her in shock.
Kartik took Prerna and Anurag's blessings.
"Di Jiju." A young boy of around 23 years came running.
He jumped on Naira like a kid.
"Prem!!!" Naira smacked him.
"Mumma dekho na Di is beating me." Prem complained.
"Behave yourself Prem. It's party going on. Not match of Kung Fu." Anurag warned.
"Khadoos Baap." Prem murmured.
"Nani itne saare guests kyu?" Karna asked cutely.
"Party hai is liye!" Prerna smiled.
Naira looked around and was shocked to see Singhania's. She behaved as if she didn't see them.
"Kartik!" Akshara saw Kartik.
His one look told her who he was. But there was something else too. He wasn't that Kartik whom she knew. He wasn't that Kartik whom she raised. He was different. He was a man with a wife and a son. He was a man with his own priorities and living his own life. Something do changed in Kartik.
His smile wasn't that one which he always showed Akshara. Was that old smile fake? Is this smile fake?
No this smile isn't fake. This smile was the purest and truthful. That smile of years back can be fake. Why? Why he always showed Akshara a fake smile?
This all was going on in Akshara's mind.
"Akshara." Naitik shook her.
"Huh..." Akshara came back to reality.
"Where are you lost?" Naitik asked.
"No Nothing." Akshara looked away.
