" From where did you get to know about her? Did that witch come back again? Is she disturbing both of you?" Veena aunty said in pure anger.
" No....ummm...i..i myself didn't know about her until he mentioned her yesterday." I said fumbling as her eyes softened.
" When did he tell you? Like did he talk about her to you?" She asked she patted my head like a mother comforting her baby.
" No he had a panick attack there and he mentioned about her. I didn't talk or said anything on seeing his condition, but all this is just so overwhelming." I said as my tears flowed freely being reminded about the situation.
" Arya, she has nothing to do with his present and future, she was his past, she's gone, and she's no one to him now." She said.
" But, the way he cried, it felt like he loved her so much, why did she left him? He so innocent and pure, anyone would fall for him." I said sobbing.
" No arya, who said he loved her?" She said as her eyes widened
" I...i don't know....with everything that happened it felt like so, who is she aunty please tell me. After all this I feel I don't even know him properly."
" Arya, it's not what you are thinking, he never loved her."
" I don't know aunty please tell me everything."
" Okay, just don't discuss this with him he still get uncomfortable and gets panick attacks I guess." She said sighing.
" Ayan, he was always a shy and reserved boy. He just had us to talk, share and play with. Of course we sent him to school, but him being specially abled and slow in learning, he couldn't make friends. His mom used to be worried about him but eventually she became his everything. His mom and dad used to be around him always protecting and taking care of him. I came to him as a care taker, he used be a bit scared of me but slowly, he got comfortable and used to be with me always. He has been this soft, innocent and pure since start, nothing changed." She said smiling as I too felt good about hearing his childhood.
" He never had friends. He always tried to make some but nobody included him among themselves. He didn't used to like that. Soon he started with college as his dad wanted him to at least complete his graduation. There he found nikky who instantly made friends with him. He came home happily that day and couldn't stop blabbering about his new friend. All of us were happy that he got a friend at least." She said with some sadness.
" Then, what happened, isn't she his friend anymore?" I asked.
" We did want him to make friends and live normally as everyone does, but everyone isn't sweet as they seem aarya." She said as I furrowed my eyebrows asking what she meant by it as she sighed.
" Ayan, he made a friend for the first time and didn't wanted to lose her friendship. He used to be with her almost all the time. Picking her from her home, having lunch and breakfast in her favourite restaurants, from remembering her likes to dislikes, all the dates and everything."
" We didn't said much, seeing him enjoying her company, but soon it started getting too much. He used to take her where ever and whenever she wanted. His mom used to get worried but his dad said it's fine as it's his age to go out and have time with his friends. She use to come at home with all the other girls and guys and used to take him with them."
" Once a bill arrived from a bank which turned out to be his credit card bill and our mind just swung seeing such huge bill. He never used to spend so much except for buying his favourite superhero figures and soft toys. His mom checked the bill only to find the payments done on female clothing stores, movie halls and expensive restaurants. The dots connected as we realised that girl and her friends have been using him since start."
" We immediately called him and asked where he was, as he told they were partying. His mom and I reached there only to find those guys dancing and singing, while our baby sat in the corner watching them. He was always scared of loud music and used to disgust such places but went there for her. His mom's rage knew no bounds that day as we immediately took ayan from there. That girl was so shameless as she called aayan an hour later as his mom picked up the call only to hear her drunk voice asking him to come and pay the bill. His mom immediately cut the call and blocked all of them."
" Mom didn't do anything, if I would have known earlier, I would have made sure to wipe her existence itself." I said as my blood boiled.
" We couldn't do anything at that time keeping in mind that aayan believed her, we made sure to keep him away from them. But that girl still had the audacity to come home and ask him where he went all of a sudden and didn't pay his 'share' in the party. We tried to make aayan understand but he wasn't ready to listen. He wanted to keep his so-called-friends at any cost."
" They once then came and asked if they could go with him to an annual fair which was held in the city. His mom denied but aayan cried and was adamant to go with them. We couldn't say much as we let him go for a while. They went there, as so they started enjoying among themselves forgetting about him. He was just following them but soon got lost in the crowd and called out for help and cried, none of them tried to find him as at last he called us crying hysterically saying he is lost and isn't able to find them. We immediately reached there with bodyguards and found him almost unconscious near a lone corner mumbling her name and asking for help. Our blood boiled. Our baby was too innocent to understand such things, so we took the things in our hands then. That girl called us after almost mid night when we were taking care of aayan as his fever was on peak. She asked where he was as they tried to find him. His mom knew no control as she shouted at her and told her everything about how we found him.
That girl came home with her friends to meet aayan. Aayan held her hand and cried saying where did she go. He got scared as she left him alone. His mom found out as she brutally insulted that girl and showed her, her place. She asked her to get out and never show her face again. That girl in rage said ' who will stay with such a manchild you should be grateful at least I was there to tolerate him. Nobody will love him. Love him? If someone at least befriends him you should be thankful to them. He is worth nothing. I have too much work to spend my precious time on him. Don't come to me again. Fuck off!"
" WHAT!? DID SHE SAY THIS? I AM GOING TO SKIN HER ALIVE. I HAD ENOUGH!" I said with pure rage. How dare she even look at my baby let alone insult and disrespect him like that.
" She is not here arya. We made sure she doesn't pass the college. She got to know about this as she came home to argue with us. But his dad gave her the final statement to leave the country as soon as possible otherwise no one will get to know if she and her family existed. Now even we don't know where she is. His dad tracked her to find her doing odd jobs to earn a living now. Whatever it is. Aayan is safe. We were even unsure to let him meet you but you turned out to be an angel arya, we have never seen ayan so happy and joyful."
I nodded at her as she smiled and caressed my hair.
" I should say this, I am so lucky to have him. He is more than I ever expected." I said wiping my tears.
" Don't worry arya, it was just a phase in the past, he will be fine. He must have remembered this all of a sudden, that's why. Don't worry. He will forget things with time." She said as I sighed and nodded.
" Now go and wake up your panda, ask him to eat something and give him his medicines." She said chuckling.
" Thank you so much aunty, I would have died overthinking about this."
" No worries aarya, you both are very precious to me. I can do anything for both of my children to see them happy." She said as she hugged me as I hugged her back.
We talked for a while more as she comforted me. I got up wake aayan up as I was already too late.
I went in to find him yawning and stretching his arms as he rubbed his eyes.
Oh my baby love!
I went towards him and sat in front of him as he smiled at me but then frowned.
" Hey, your eyes are so puffy, did you cry?" He asked concerned I immediately hugged him as he patted my head and rubbed my back.
" Hey, it's okay, did you get scared again? See I am here, don't cry my sweet doll." He whispered softly shushing me and kissed my cheeks.
I broke the hug as cupped his cheeks,
" You are the best my baby love you deserve the world!"
" No I deserve a nice breakfast now your baby love is hungry." He said rubbing his tummy as we giggled.
" Okay baby love! Have a shower I'll get the things prepared. Then you have to take your medicines too." I said as he scrunched his nose while I pinched it as he giggled.
" Such a naughty panda!" i said dramatically as he laughed.
" Okay the good baby panda won't trouble the naughty doll" He said as he pinched my cheeks and ran towards the bathroom laughing as I ran behind him to catch him as we started with the bright new day!
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