Destiny's Play!!

Chapter - 62

Manya wasn't happy. She had wanted to have a blast for her brother's birthday party today and he wasn't here. She had called him at midnight to wish him and they had talked. And she had explicitly told him how annoyed she was with him for not being here. And he had reassured her he would celebrate when he came back on Friday evening. Manya had a surprise planned for him on his return and she had taken her mother's permission too just in case the word reached her later and she gave her another lecture on how to keep out of other people's space. She hoped her brother won't throw a fit. She had already roped in Uday and Riddhima's help. But she had excluded Avni. She wasn't sure if Avni would be able to keep the secret in. Anyway it was her way to bring Karan and Avni closer. She had seen the expression on Avni's face on Saturday after the lesson. She had had adoration in her eyes and a look of wonder on her face. While Manya had chuckled, happy her plan had been successful, Uday hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary and Riddhima had only shaken her head attributing Avni's expression to her inexperience. But she had seen the expression in her brother's eyes as well. He had had tenderness in his gaze, a softness to his usually harsh angular features. In other words he had looked smitten. Manya had been so proud of herself.

She decided to peek in Avni's room and find out if she had wished Karan or if she had decided on a gift for him since Manya was still working on finding the perfect gift for her brother. With that she knocked on Avni's door.

"Come in," she heard Avni call out.

"Hey," Manya said as she poked her head in.

"Hey," Avni said with a smile, "come on in," she said.

"I hope I didn't disturb you," Manya said as she went in and sat on her bed. There were some worksheets around her. Avni must have been working on some work from school.

"No," Avni replied as she started gathering the sheets and arranging them in a folder neatly, "I had just finished my work," she told her, "so what has been up with you?" she asked.

"I am feeling down," Manya said morosely.

"What happened?" Avni asked concerned.

"Well," Manya said on a sigh, "it is bhai's birthday and he is not here. I had wanted to have a party but...it is such a bummer," she said dourly, "why does he have to work on his birthday," she said, "why does anybody? You know when I start working I will always take a leave on my birthday. Who wants to work on their birthdays?" she complained.

Avni smiled. She understood what Manya was saying. She hadn't been happy either that he wasn't here. But it was good in a way. The gift she had planned for him wasn't complete yet. She was working through the night to get it done on time. She had almost completed it. And tonight was crucial as she gave it final touches. She was keeping her fingers crossed. She wasn't sure if Karan would like it.

"I know what you mean," Avni said smiling, "you know it is amazing the bond you share with your brothers," she pointed out as she kept the folder near her bag.

"Yeah," Manya said proudly, "they would do anything for me and I would do anything for them," she chirped happily, "don't you have any siblings?" she asked.

Strange, how come she hadn't asked Avni this before? It was one of the most basic questions to ask. She did notice Avni's smile ebb away to be replaced by a sadder one. Maybe she didn't have any brothers or sisters. Or maybe she didn't have a great bond with them.

"I have younger sisters," Avni replied a bit cautiously and a bit ruefully, "but no, I don't share the kind of bond you have. We tell each other things but..." she said and shrugged.

It was dangerous territory. Talking about her family. Her mother and her sisters. She was sure Manya didn't know much about her so to open up a dialogue where she would need to talk about them wouldn't be right at this point.