"Mom, Mahira kaha hain?" Abhaya shouted Mahira's name as she sat in her chair on the dining table without wishing anyone while Advit raised his eyes to look at her and she only nodded at him before staring at her mother.
"Mahi left for college early today." Milani said as she started eating glancing at Advit from time to time.
"Early? It's not even 9 yet, college khula bhi nahi hain abhi." Abhaya shook her head as she stood up to leave without eating when Milani stopped her and said, "Eat before you go, Mahi made kheer for you in the morning."
Abhaya looked at Milani and then at the kheer brought to her by the servants and tasted before nodding her head and sitting down to have her food with the kheer made by her best friend.
"And what's the reason for this?" Abhaya pointed at the kheer and Milani said with a smile, "Mahira is selected for the play, and it seems like she has got another friend who came to pick her up."
"Boy or girl?" Abhaya asked as she looked at Milani with a cross look in her eyes.
"A girl. If it was a boy, do you think our Mahi will go with him?" Abhaya shook her head at the question and said, "What girl?"
Slam! Advit suddenly thumped his hand on the table and wiped his hands with a tissue as Milani and Abhaya shuddered due to the sound, and he said "I hope we will have quieter morning next time. I don't think it's a good habit to keep making talks while eating." With that, he got up and left.
"..." Abhaya and Milani looked at his back before Abhaya too got up and said, "Guess we are not to speak while dining again."
Milani glared at her but smiled as she pocked out her tongue at Milani and left.
"Kab badi hogi yeh ladki." Milani said it more like a statement than a question and Rajeev shook his head before finishing his meal and leaving for the office.
-
"Mahira, the chief guest will be here in an hour, and you will hand this bouquet to him. Nitara, you will then guide him to his seat and after that the seminar will commence. Mahira, you can go for your classes and practice after the bouquet handover, alright?" Mahira nodded at the girl assigning their duties and soon they all got to their own work.
"Nitara, who is that girl who was told to give the bouquet?" a pretty girl wearing a kurti asked about Mahira and Nitara said, "You don't know her, she is the one who got the highest scholarship in the last two years and if you are asking about her identity, then she is the only daughter of Mr. Manish Mittal."
"Wow." The girl said before she looked at Mahira again and whispered, "Phir bhi kitni pyaari dikhti hain."
Nitara smiled at her and nodded before saying, "Ussey bhi pyaara bolti hain."
The girl smiled and everyone got back to their work.
Soon, a whole hour passed and all the students completely prepared were standing with the Aarti thaal and bouquet at the entrance of the hall when a huge car entered the college.
"Mahira, here's the bouquet. You give it after the Aarti is done." Mahira nodded and soon the man got down from the car.
From her view point she could only see a man's face half covered with sunglasses shining with sun rays and those rays getting reflected creating a white shadow on the man's face and with sun high in the sky, her eyes felt blurry.
Mahira lowered her head as her headache from last night came back but she endured and as soon as the welcome aarti was done, she handed the man bouquet before moving away from there when her hand was held and she in confidence that somebody held it in confusion just shrug that tight grip off before moving away from the crowd.
She looked at her hand that had the print of the hand that held hers and wondered why somebody would hold someone so tightly and left.
-
The man who was the chief guest kept looking for the girl who gave him bouquet and wondered where she went, looked at his bodyguard and his bodyguard nodded at him before going around to search for the girl.
"Mr. Goenka, please come in." The principal of the college invited Advit Goenka inside and soon Advit entered the hall that was filled with students who were excited to see the sensation that was causing huge waves since the moment he came back to India. Just the last day, the newspapers were going crazy over this exciting man who was still a bachelor at 25 and is a sensational news just by being there.
With that, Advit's speech started and every student from courses of business administration paid great attention to the details of interests mentioned by Advit and about an hour later, the seminar ended with Advit leaving and the principal announced that soon a campus drive will be done by Goenka Group of Industries and they all should work hard to get into it.
All students cheered while Advit left college grounds and his bodyguard came to him and shook his head.
Advit clenched his hands hard and got in the car slamming the door crudely.
"Mujhe uss ladki ki details chahiye. I don't care how!" Advit said looking outside the window as he remembered the face of that girl.
Because of the bouget held in her arms, he only saw half of her face, but her eyes looked exactly like his Mahi. If she was his Mahi, then why didn't she recognize him by his name?
Or did she forget him?
Advit wondered. His eyes hardened at the thought, and he whispered "Par pehla naam likhna jo sikha tha tumne, tum usey kaise bhool sakti ho?"
Advit looked out of the window while the bodyguard sitting in the front seat wondered what he will do if he did not find the girl.
Will his boss make him jump from the top of his building? Or directly shoot the top of his head?
He gulped his saliva and looked at his boss's reflection in the front mirror before letting his under-men look for a girl in red Anarkali and check for her from the camera footage captured in the event today. She handed his boss the bouquet.
-
"Mahi, come here." Advit called for Mahi who was sitting on the floor folding her hands around her knees and holding her knees close to her chest. "Why are you crying? Don't you know, your Adi doesn't like your tears?"
Advit said as he made sure to have no anger in his voice, but his clenched fists gave away his anger.
"..." Mahi still didn't speak, and this time didn't spare Advit a glance only for his anger to hike up. Advit was also a boy of age 13 only, you can't expect him to have the patience of an adult, but he kept his calm that this girl was intent on breaking.
"Mahi, Kya hua?" Advit asked softly sitting and wrapping his arms around his Mahi and Mahi finally looked at him with teary eyes and his eyes reddened due to the red mark that he could see on her forehead.
"How did it happen? Who hurt you?" Advit asked as his eyes narrowed with anger and Mahi held his hand and pointed to her throat and tried to speak a name.
Advit could hear little sounds being pronounced and he said, "Only speak my name, please."
It was as if the first word he wanted to hear from his Mahi was just his name. It was a different kind of possessiveness. There was nothing wrong with this possessiveness from both sides. Knowing and taking care of his Mahi has become a habit and if he did not see his Mahi for a day, he will feel insecure, and his Mahi felt the same.
Knowing and depending on this boy who took care of her clumsily but still the best he can. She brought him humanity and he brought her family. They were both each other's anchor and finally in a raspy and scratching voice, Mahi spoke.
"Adit."
Advit kept looking at his Mahi as she held her throat and she spoke his name again but even this time, it wasn't spoken perfectly while his smile widened. His Mahi can speak and soon, with proper medication her voice will come back, and she will be able to speak to him without problem.
"I am so happy for you Mahi!" Advit picked his little Mahi in his arms and twirled her jerking Mahi around.
Mahi who was crying before Advit came, started laughing and when he put her down and patted her forehead, Mahi said "Shiman..."
Advit nodded at Mahi and said, "I'll take care of it."
He touched her head and took her hand to take her to bed and let her sleep but before she fell asleep, he held her hand and said "Mahi, I'll do anything for you but just don't cry in front of me. Please."
Mahi in her sleep tightened her hold on his hand that held hers and fell asleep.
Soon, a new caretaker went missing because she tried to hurt several kids of the orphanage and Advit and his life while taking care of his Mahi continued.