Chapter 17

Arnav

I was a little surprised at Akash's cheerful side after he returned from Gupta house this morning. I had honestly never seen him this happy. He seemed happier since his marriage. Maybe Payal wasn't that bad of a choice for him.

I checked my mails while sitting in the living room at night after everyone fell asleep. As I checked the forwarded mails from my assistant for some sponsorship requests, partnership requests and some other. I checked one by one then replied to the ones that matched our requirements for the current AR season.

I didn't realize when Akash came downstairs, until he spoke to me.

"Bhai?" I looked up and saw him walking to the sitting area where I sat on a single seater sofa. "Why are you awake?" He glanced at the clock. It was 12:34 in the night. "It's quite late."

I nodded and looked down at mt laptop on the coffee table and tipped my chin at my laptop as I resumed typing on the keyboard. "Just replying to some mails."

He didn't comment. Instead, he sat down on the double seater on my left quietly. I also didn't say anything and focused on my work.

A minute or two passed in silence, before Akash finally broke it, saying, "I need to talk to you, Bhai. It's important."

I looked up hearing his serious tone.

"What is it?" I asked, then glanced back at my laptop screen. My fingers flying over the keyboard.

"It's about Khushi." He said simply.

My hands stopped and hovered over the keyboard. I could feel the weight of his eyes on me, but I didn't look at him. Instead, I resumed typing and replying to the mail I was currently replying to.

"What about her?" I asked in a controlled voice.

"Stay away from here." He answered.

This made me stop again and I looked at him.

"Excuse me?" I asked. My brows tugged together lightly in a tight frown. How is he to tell me this? Did Khushi tell him anything? Did she tried to turn us against each other? Did she succeed? It looks like she did.

Akash exhaled softly. "Bhai, I know what happened between you two. Everything. From Lucknow to the day you dropped me and Payal at Bua ji's place." He looked at me with a look that pissed me off. He looked disappointed.

"Did she told you that?" I asked instead, holding his gaze as I interlaced my fingers lazily, with my elbows on my knees.

He didn't answer at first. But then he shook his head and said, "She should have."

That made my frown deepen.

Akash continued, "You are blaming her for no reason. You shouldn't hold Shyam's fault against Khushi or the Guptas." He shook his head lightly while he pulled his glasses off and shifted his gaze down at something. "Especially not when Di has forgiven them."

I wasn't liking him telling me what to do.

"If she can forgive and move on, we should too do the same." He added. "And not torment others or hold grudge."

I clenched my jaws as I kept my gaze lowered. "Di forgave because that's what she does. She has always been forgiving to even those who never deserved them. If possible, she might've as well forgiven Shyam. So, don't tell me what to do and what not to do." I looked up. "The world is not as naive as you are Akash, and neither is it that unforgiving."

Akash nodded at my words. Then sat up straight and put on his glasses. "You're right, Bhai. The world is not forgiving and selfless." He looked at me. "You know why?"

I didn't ask but I maintained our gazes. I couldn't comprehend what he was thinking for the first time. I couldn't read the look in his eyes because it was different from what I always saw.

He told me anyway, "Because of people like you." A tense silence fell between us. "Because of people like you, I am called naive, Di is called weak, and Khushi is tormented."

I honestly was surprised. But soon that surprise turned into anger. "Akash, don't forget who you are talking to." I warned, my voice grave and raw and I glared at him. He didn't had the right to talk to me like that. I was older than him. And no one, no one, ever talked to me like that.

His gaze didn't waver as he held mine. "You don't get to make our lives hard and live with it like you did right." Pause. "Stay away from Khushi and the Guptas. This is my first and last warning." And he left.

I stared ahead into the dark corner of the living room. He wasn't like this before. But he is now. After his marriage with Payal. And his visit at Gupta house. The Gupta family is more cunning than I anticipated, it seems.

I nod to myself.

Fine.

You want to play dirty?

Let's play.