Mahi looked at Advit feeding her and shook her head as he touched her lip with the piece of roti in his hand and he sighed.

"Mahi don't irritate me, khalo ab!" with anger always on his nose, this time even Mahi wasn't spared.

11-year-old Mahi looked at Advit and turned her to face the other side and puffed up her cheeks.

Advit looked at her face by leaning down watching how she was making faces and smiled. "what?"

"Hm..." Mahi just hummed and said nothing.

"Mahi," His hand held her chin and the 16-year-old Advit kneeled on the ground in front of Mahi and asked, "what happened? Gussa ho?"

Mahi sighed and shook her head. She inhaled deeply and said, "Aaj jaa rahe ho tum? Don't go na..."

Advit smiled at her and touched her cheeks with his callused hands. His flicked her nose with his finger and said, "don't think too much. I will meet you tomorrow."

Mahi looked at his face for a while before she looked down and whispered, "Promise?"

"Pakka promise."

With a smile, Advit gave a promise he will never fulfill and probably, for the first time denying his Mahi's request will give his and her story a completely new beginning.

-

Mahira looked at Advit smiling at his mother and eating whatever she was serving him and thought. samajh ke parey hain yeh bhi, kabhi dua lagtey hain, toh kabhi daga kartey hain...

"Mahi Khao na, I know I don't make kheer like yours but phir bhi, this isn't cooked badly." Mahira smiled and nodded her head before eating a spoonful of kheer and said, "Auntie, nobody can make kheer like yours, because isme aapka itna sara pyaar jo hai."

"Haaye, bas tu aise hi tareef kiya kar meri, mera din toh vaise hi accha ho jayega." Milani said and Mahira smiled.

Abhaya looked at her mother and Mahira before sighing. "kya hua?" Mahira asked as she looked at her.

"Nothing, just wondering if you are her real daughter and I, a fake." Abhaya said while feigning a sigh.

"Why are you wondering about this, beta?" Rajeev said as he fed Abhaya a bite after which he touched her head and Mahira smiled looking at then when Milani fed her and Advit in turn.

"Exactly, sochna kya hain isme," Milani fed another bite to Mahira and touched her chin and looked at Abhaya. "sach hi toh hain."

With that Rajeev started laughing and said, "True."

"Seriously dad? And you, why are you laughing? Take my side right now!" Abhaya pointed at Mahira who was laughing and finally she stopped laughing. Her eyes were shining as she said, "I am always on your side. Dekh teri side par bethi hun and even agreed with your wondering, kyun Auntie?"

With that, another round of laughter continued and soon, the family wrapped up and left for their work while Advit dropped Abhaya and Mahira who were completely in denial of him dropping them off to college.

"Bhai, you don't need to pick us up." Abhaya said as she got off the car wearing her sunglasses while Mahira who also got off looked at Abhaya and didn't say anything.

Advit looked at his sister, then his soon-to-be lover and said, "why?"

His hand wrapped around Mahira's to pull her towards him and with a proper distance, he kissed her forehead and then Abhaya's forehead to which Abhaya lowered her head and said, "We will go shopping today."

Advit nodded and looked at the guard standing right next to the car behind them and said, "Stay with them and drive them wherever they want to go."

Abhaya looked at Mahira before looking back at her brother saying, "no need, we will go with our friends."

"They can go with you in this car as well." Advit said as he opened the car door but, Abhaya stood in front of him and said, "Please bhai."

Advit stared at her before sitting on his seat and soon drove away not changing his orders.

Abhaya and Mahira looked at each other before turning to enter the gate when Abhaya stopped and told the guards who were following them to keep away from their sight.

"Ab kya karenge?" Mahira whispered to Abhaya in depression and Abhaya shrugged her shoulders while saying, "Kuch toh karenge, par kya abhi socha nahi hain."

"Toh kuch soch na." Mahira whispered in tension as they both reached their class.

"I know, don't rush me. I am thinking." Abhaya said and Mahira looked at her before pulling out her books and started checking out her pen set as well as the drawings that she will submit today.

"After this, you will go to the computer graphic class, right?" Abhaya asked and Mahira nodded.

"How about this, you go meet Dr. Ankita alone while I get the guards away from you?" Abhaya asked and Mahira shook her head.

"Even if you take the guards that are left by your brother, I will have to tackle Dad's guards. I don't mind them following me but if your brother knows..." Mahira looked at Abhaya and chipped her nail.

"There's no if, he will know." Abhaya said as she bit her pencil almost as if she would get an idea if she broke it off.

"Yaar, sometimes I feel like we belong to some Mafia family, I mean all we ever think is how to run away from our guards." Mahira mumbled.

"Arey, now-a-days, even business families are like that." Abhaya said.

"Hm..." Mahira twisted her lips before focusing on her class.

"Idea!" Abhaya suddenly shouted. "Shit..." she whispered as she saw their teacher looking at them in anger.

"Miss. Abhaya, Miss. Mahira, how about you guys continue your conversation outside the class?"

"Sorry sir." They said but today their teacher didn't want to let them off like that. He said, "No, you should complete your conversation outside the class today."

"But sir—" Mahira tried to speak but he didn't allow them to.

He pointed to the door and they both left with their heads hung down.

"Sorry." Abhaya said as Mahira didn't look up for a while when Mahira suddenly looked at her with a smile and Abhaya said, "Tu theek hain?"

Mahira looked at her in confusion when Abhaya said, "Sir kicked you out and you are smiling, where's my Mahi? Who are you?"

"Shut up. I got an idea too." Mahira said with a smile and Abhaya also smiled at her.

"Seminar hall!" They both shouted and smiled at each other.