Sanyukta tried calling Ranvijay as it was past 7 p.m., but he had not yet arrived to pick them up, and his phone was not reachable either.
“Mummaaa… Ghalll kab jayengeee…” Avu asked with a pout, clearly unhappy and missing everyone back home.
“Avuuuu… bache, Nani ke saath ruk jaao aaj,” Sudhesh Ji suggested gently, but Avu shook his head in refusal.
“Noooo, Naniii… Dadyyy will come, and we’ll go homeeee… Daduuu, Dadiii, Bayii Dadiiii… Bayee Papa, Bayiii Mumma… Aviiii Diduuu… Buaaaa… Vidaa Dadiiiii… Dadyyyy will miss meee… and I miss tooo,” Avu said cutely, making Sanyukta smile wholeheartedly at his adorable chatter.
“Kya kar diya hai aisa unn logo ne jo Avu mujhe bhool gaya hai,” Sudhesh Ji chuckled.
“Everyone loves him aur saara din shararat karta rehta hai… If I scold him, then he has so many people to complain to… Aur Ranvijay ka toh puchhiye hi mat… The moment he steps inside, the first thing he wants is to see Avu… Hume raat ko rukne bhi nahi de rahe vo, kyunki he can't sleep without Avu now…
“Aarvi ka bhi mann nahi lagta iske bina… She must be waiting for us… Uske school jaane ke baad aaye the hum nahi,” Sanyukta said with a fond smile.
She had also called Anjali Bhabhi to ask about Ranvijay’s whereabouts. Anjali had assured her that he was likely busy somewhere and that Ranveer would come to pick them up.
Sanyukta freshened up and changed Avu’s clothes as Ranveer might arrive any time now to pick them up.
After half an hour, Ranveer arrived and had tea with her family members. Avu, however, was reluctant to leave his Bade Papa and clung to Ranveer from the moment he arrived.
“Shall we go home now?” Ranveer asked Avu, who nodded in excitement.
Sanyukta hugged her mother and brother before heading outside, as her Bhabhi and kids had gone to visit their Nani.
Sudhir insisted that Ranveer stay for dinner, but he politely declined.
“Bhaiya, hum kahi aur jaa rahe hain kya?” Sanyukta asked Ranveer as he took a different route.
“Ranvijay ke office jaa rahe hain,” Ranveer replied, making Sanyukta frown. He then narrated the situation to her, shocking her to the core.
“He’s angry with everyone at home, and vo kisi ki nahi sunega… You need to deal with him patiently, Sanyukta…
“Abhi usse kuch mat samajhna… We’ll talk to him later about what’s right and what’s wrong… For now, you need to be with him. He will feel better with you and Avu by his side… Dadi ko kuch pata nahi hai iss baare mein,” Ranveer said, and she nodded, still trying to process everything.
She sighed, looking out of the window and thinking about him. She knew he needed to control his temper; he couldn’t be this impulsive.
But she also understood that he wouldn’t listen right now, and she needed to be very patient with him and handle things according to his preferences.
They reached his office, which was empty except for a night guard and Ranvijay.
Entering his cabin, they found him typing aggressively on his laptop.
“Dadyyyyyyyyyyy!” Avu squealed excitedly as Ranveer put him down from his arms.
Ranvijay looked up, surprised, and immediately stood to scoop Avu into his arms.
He showered Avu’s face with kisses, making the little one giggle adorably.
“Achaaaaaa?” Ranvijay asked, and Avu bobbed his head, making him smile.
“Aap wait kar rahe the, tabhi maine aapke Bade Papa ko bheja aur bola ki ‘Bring my Avu to me,’” Ranvijay said, kissing Avu’s cheek. Avu smiled and clung to his neck.
“Is it? Mujhe kyu nahi pata phir iss baare mei?” Ranveer asked, looking at Ranvijay, who ignored his brother.
Sanyukta glanced at Ranvijay and gave him a small smile, which he reciprocated.
Ranvijay sat on his chair, letting Avu tickle him, while Sanyukta and Ranveer took seats across from him.
“Ghar chal ab,” Ranveer said as Avu wandered around the office room.
“Main nahi aaunga,” Ranvijay said, gulping water.
“What about Sanyukta and Avu, then?” Ranveer asked.
“We will shift to my penthouse by tomorrow evening. For now, take them home,” Ranvijay replied, making Sanyukta look at him, stunned.
“Ghar chhod raha hai tu?” Ranveer asked, shaking his head at his antics.
“What about Dadi, Anu, Aarvi… haan?” Ranveer pressed.
“They can shift with me too,” Ranvijay said, making Ranveer roll his eyes.
“Ek thapad mujhse bhi khayega ab tu,” Ranveer said, frustrated with his younger brother’s antics.
“Bhaiyaaa… let me talk to him,” Sanyukta whispered, and Ranveer nodded with a sigh.
“Avuuuu… let’s go, bacha. Aapko Aarvi Didi se nahi milna kya?” Ranveer asked, and Avu nodded, instantly excited.
Ranveer took him away, talking about how they’d get ice cream and balloons on the way home. Avu happily accompanied him, completely unbothered about leaving his parents behind.
As they left, Sanyukta stood up and approached Ranvijay, who was fiddling with a paperweight while gazing out of the glass wall.
“Come,” she said softly, holding his palm. He sighed but got up, letting her lead him.
She guided him to the balcony, where they settled on the couch. She patted her lap and said, “Lay down.”
He smiled faintly and rested his head on her lap, making himself comfortable.
She unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and gently combed her fingers through his hair.
“You want to talk about it?” she asked.
He shook his head, closing his eyes.
“It’s okay… You can share whenever you feel like it. Just relax for now,” she said, massaging his scalp. He exhaled deeply, visibly relaxing.
After a moment, he turned in her arms, burying his face in her stomach and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.
She smiled and began soothingly caressing his back, her other hand still massaging his scalp.
“He’s just a big baby, but when he bursts, it’s like a volcano,” she thought, gazing at him fondly.
“Maa ne maara mujhe,” he muttered after a while, sounding like a child complaining, making her chuckle.
“Because her boy misbehaved with her husband, isn’t it?” Sanyukta teased gently, and he groaned in response.
“I just stated facts,” he defended himself.
“Whatever it was, you don’t talk to your father like that, na? Vo bade hain… He thinks differently.
“Kal ko Avu bada hoke aapse aise baat karega, I would also do the same,” Sanyukta said, caressing his face.
“So you think Maa did the right thing? You’re on their side only. Mujhe pehle hi samajh jana chahiye tha,” he said, sitting up abruptly, making her sigh.
She tried to hold him back, but he swatted her hands away and walked back inside.
“I’m calling the driver to pick you up. You should leave,” he said as she followed him.
“Main kahin nahi jaa rahi. I’ll stay with you,” she said, taking the phone from his hand.
“Koi zarurat nahi hai. I don’t need you,” he said, lighting a cigarette.
“Zarurat hai, and I know it. Samjhe aap?” she retorted, pulling the cigarette from his lips.
He glared at her, but she remained unbothered.
“Sanyukta, you’re irritating me now. It’ll be better if you leave,” he warned, but she smiled.
“You know I’m not going anywhere,” she shrugged, wrapping her arms around his waist and placing a soft kiss near his mouth.
“Cool down, my angry old man,” she teased, placing another kiss on his chest, just above his heart.
“Old man?!” he asked, rolling his eyes.
“Abhi main prove karne pe aaya na ki main kitna old hoon… You’ll end up screaming the whole night,” he said, pinching her waist.
She hissed, her cheeks turning red as she tried to hide her blush.
“Acha… ye sab chhodiye. I’m really hungry. Kuch khaa lete hain. Waise bhi, bhooke pet aapka dimaag kam chalta hai,” Sanyukta teased, making Ranvijay narrow his eyes at her.
“Kuch zyada nahi bol rahi ho aaj?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Toh kya zyada bolne pe aapka copyright hai?” she retorted mischievously, hiding her smile.
“Zyada bolne pe nahi, but kisi aur pe hai. Shall I use my rights today?” he asked, his gaze intense, making her blush.
“Main kuch order kar deti hoon,” she said quickly, turning away to hide her flushed face.
Ranvijay settled back into his chair, resuming his work, while Sanyukta ordered his favorite food from his favorite restaurant to lighten his mood.
She cleared her throat to catch his attention, but he didn’t look up from his file, making her sigh.
“Kuch help kar doon aapki?” she asked, leaning on his table. He glanced at her briefly before returning to his case study.
“I’m serious!” she insisted.
He shut his file and said, “Chup baithogi kuch time ke liye? That would be a great help.”
Sanyukta pouted and sat silently on the couch, glaring at him as he talked on the phone with a client.
Her phone pinged, signaling that the delivery boy had arrived. She got up to leave.
“Kahaan?” Ranvijay asked, ending his call.
“Khaana!” she replied plainly.
“Main le aata hoon. Stay here,” he said, and she nodded, giving him the OTP.
He returned with the food, and they ate in silence. Ranvijay felt a flicker of happiness seeing all his favorite dishes but knew why she was doing it.
“Ghar chalein?” Sanyukta asked as she wrapped up the food containers and cleaned the table.
“You can leave with the driver,” he said casually, walking to the attached room to get changed.
Sanyukta groaned, following him, and sat on the bed with her arms crossed.
“You’re being unreasonable, Ranvijay! It’s normal to have arguments, and she’s your mother. She did that because you misbehaved with Papa,” Sanyukta said seriously.
“You even know what he said? He was preaching me about reputation and bullshit. Jab maine sach bola, toh sabko bura lag raha hai. You’re also one of them. You don’t need to waste your time here—I don’t need you.”
“Main akela theek hoon,” Ranvijay scoffed, making her sigh.
“Aap galat samajh rahe hain,” she began, but he suddenly threw a vase at the wall, shattering it.
“You’re absolutely right—I’m galat samajh raha hoon. Aur maine galat kiya hai! I like doing wrong things, and main wahi karunga. Aaj bhi, aage bhi. If you have an issue, I don’t f***ing care! You all can think whatever you want—I know what I did and why I did it. Samjhi?” he said angrily, pointing his finger at her.
Sanyukta remained silent, knowing there was no point in arguing with him in this state. She sat on the bed with a pillow in her lap while he went to the bathroom to freshen up.
She stepped out onto the balcony to take a call from Anjali.
“Abhi gusse mein hi hai. I don’t think it’s the right time to say anything,” she told Anjali.
After inquiring about Avu, she ended the call and returned to the room, where Ranvijay was already present.
Grabbing a pair of his shorts and a t-shirt, she went to the washroom to change, as she didn’t have her own clothes there.
When she emerged, looking cute in his oversized clothes, Ranvijay couldn’t help but admire her despite his anger.
She climbed onto the bed beside him, spread his arm forcefully, and lay down.
“Zyada gussa karne ki zarurat nahi hai, samjhe aap?” she said, squeezing his cheek playfully.
He rolled his eyes, and she snatched his phone away.
“Kya kar rahi ho?” he asked seriously.
“Talk to me,” she said cutely, melting his anger a little. He sighed, closing his eyes.
“What do you think? Main maan jaaunga ye sab karne se?” he asked, resting his head on his folded arm.
“Pata nahi, but try karne mein kya jaata hai?” she said, making him smirk.
“Getting bold day by day, haan!” he mused, wrapping his arm around her waist. She giggled.
“Just trying to school a brat man!” she teased.
He pinched her waist, making her hiss, and she bit his shoulder in retaliation. He tightened his grip around her neck playfully, and she shrieked, hitting his arm.
“Ranvijayyyyy!!!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide as he pinned her wrists above her head and started tickling her.
“Ahhhh, I’m sorry! Pleaseeee, nooo! Hahaha!” she laughed, squirming under his hold, her giggles filling the room.
After their playful banter, they eventually fell asleep, cuddled together, forgetting their tensions for the moment.
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