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SEEING Raghav at the door was the very least thing she was expecting. Although, yes, she has been hoping he return, everyone has, but seeing him right now, that hot afternoon, right there at the door, still looking all dreamy and sweet was the least of her expectations.
She couldn’t even move a limb as she just stood there with her mouth and eyes wide opened in astonishment and shock.
Then he cracked his voice, jolting her back to reality and that was when she sprang up, screamed and ran up to him.
“Big bro!” She squealed and jumped on him, almost falling him down.
“Hey”, he mouthed and held her, wrapping his arms around the squealing girl.
“Oh my gee! Welcome back Maharana, welcome”, she said and disengaged from the hug.
He smiled wryly, revealing his perfect set of white teeth, and she laughed, hugging him again.
“Welcome back”, she said.
“Mm”, he replied shortly and walked out of the doorway, further into the room. Then she locked up the door, chuckling.
“Wow Maharana, I’m so so excited to see you”, she said walking up to him, he was already seated on the couch in the room.
He said nothing, but only stared at her. She waved it away and continued.
“But my gee! You look good, so good, more handsome. You don’t even look like someone who is mourning, or should I say, missing his woman. Are you sure you didn’t even went to have some fun?” She asked sarcastically, laughing and winking at him.
He snorted, and looked away.
Prisha wasn’t tired, she kept talking. This was her brother, who had gone into exile, he was back, and that was a good thing, too good to be ignored.
“Hold on, when did you arrive? Like I didn’t even notice a sign or something, there was no announcement”, she said and walked over to the window, glancing outside.
He still kept her mute. Like, he wasn’t even in the mood to talk yet, he had only returned because his aunt, had sent a text that there was something so serious that needed him back home, and she had called as well, to also deliver it orally. Only then he knew it was something really serious.
He had been far away in Marudai, trying his best to live with the fact that his Rina was no more, no longer with him. So, Prisha saying he looked more good, wasn’t something he expected at all, he had been living hell.
“Thank goodness you are finally back, a lot has happened in your absence, a whole lot”, she said. He turned his gaze to her, using his eyes to tell her to continue.
She ignored it, and instead digressed.
“You have been away for like how many months now? Eight to nine months thereabout”, she asked and replied herself.
“Yeah”, his cold, deep husky voice finally said.
She froze. What? He had become cold again? Cold back to his old self? No wonder he really wasn’t saying anything since he entered the room. She shrugged.
“But how did you know I was here, in Kuru?” She asked.
“I just want to see Aunt who had called me, and the last time I checked, she isn’t in Shimla”, he replied.
“Oh!” She mouthed.
“I think I would leave you here then, do you need anything? I can ring the maids”, she asked.
“I know how to ring the maids too”, he said and she cringed, jeez! Was he really going to start his cold attitude with her?
Nevertheless, she was so happy to see him. He was gonna come back to the new self of him which Rina had created when he had found love in her, he knew it.
Well, they had all already decided to let Aarti tell the real matter to Raghav herself, but before she knew it, she gushed over it.
“I was actually going to spend some time with baby when you arrived, I will just rush now and…”, she paused as soon as she saw his reactions at her outburst.
He sat up, his eyes widened in curiosity, oops, she realized she has just mentioned ‘baby’, gosh! It was already late.
“Baby? Whose baby?” He asked, “Did Zashil and Zaina had a baby while I was away?” He asked, stupidly.
It was after dropping the question that he realized how stupid it was of him to ask that. Even if Zashil and Zaina were to have a baby together, Zaina would have been pregnant, and he would have known and seen her bump before going into exile.
He hit his head and cussed under his breath, then turned to Prisha who just stood there with her lips, wobbling.
“Speak, say something”, he propelled her, and she knew she couldn’t hide it anymore from him.
“Your baby Maharana, your son”, she let out the bombshell.
He said nothing, but just sat up straight with a start, staring hard at her for some minutes. Finally, he found his voice.
“What! How? When? Whose son?” He asked, suddenly coming out of his cold shell.
“You have a son My Prince, a son with Rina”, she finished it.
“What!” He got up, “Holy Moly!” He exclaimed.
Prisha immediately went closer to him, covering the little distance between them, she held his hands, trying her best to calm him down.
“Calm down Maharana, just calm down okay”, she said. He was vibrating, she could feel it.
“How… how come she was pregnant, and… and I didn’t know? How?” He asked, stuttering.
He was totally astounded, and shocked to the marrows. You mean his woman had been pregnant, and he wasn’t there when she needed him the most? Goodness!NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
“I… I think Aunt is in the best position to answer that question”, she said.
He was speechless, dumbfounded and thunderstruck. His mouth just stood ajar, and Prisha feared if a fly or something gonna fly in.
“I just hope she is back, or… let me place a call across to her”, she said, still reluctant to let go of him, for she feared he might do something.
Still letting the words sank into him, he freed himself from her grip and sank into the couch. All over him, were written surprises.
Prisha watched him sink into the couch and sighed, then she turned to go check if Aarti was back, at this juncture, the door flew open, revealing Aarti at the door.
Prisha heaved a sigh of relief.
“Oh dear me! Thank you Aunt for showing up at the right time, my brother is here”, she said, and glanced at him.
“I know”, she shortly replied and walked further into the room, closing the door behind her.
She had already been informed by the guards that he was back, and waiting for her. Exact reasons why she had to rush back from work, in order to see him.
“Teddy?” She softly called and walked up to him, taking a seat beside him.
“You are back”, she said and pecked him on the cheek.
He didn’t even react to her greetings, neither did he greet her, he only gazed at her so hard, still trying to assimilate the info he just heard.
Aarti immediately understood he had been told, judging from his looks and reactions, she sighed and turned to Prisha, who shrugged her shoulders.
“It was a mistake”, she said to save her head.
She looked away from her and back to him.
“Tell me what I’m hearing isn’t true Aunt, just tell me”, he finally found his words.
She twisted her lips.
“It is Teddy, I don’t know how you gonna take it, but it is. Rina was pregnant, she has a son for you”, she said.
“Jeez!” He exclaimed, and she nodded.
“How? Just how? When? How come I didn’t know?” He kept asking.
Just then, the door opened again and Rudra entered. Aarti saw him and heaved a sigh of relief, he was gonna help them relay the incidents to him.
“Hey man, you are back”, he said, walking up to him.