New developments

The next day:

As soon as Shubh saw his best friend, he ran to her shouting happily, “Diti!!! Ditiiiii!! Look! I am back!” He was too excited to even wait for his brothers to walk in with him. The two simply looked at each other and shook their heads.

There goes the gossip queen.

Aditi had been intently staring at a flower pot that had been kept just in front of the choir. It was a beautiful white rose plant, filled mostly with rose buds, and a few bloomed ones. White had, in general, always been Aditi’s favourite. It brought her a different feeling of peace and tranquility. She bent in front of a blooming flower, sniffed it, and smiled to herself. Hearing her best friend’s excited voice, she turned to her left, just in time to see him bumping into her classmate and dance class partner, Shruti. As the two fell down, both Agastya and Lakshya ran to help them up. Aditi, on the other hand, slowly walked up to the four and said In a calm voice, “Shubh, just how many times have I told you not to run like that? And do I need to remind you that your injury hasn’t recovered yet?” Hearing her, Shubh immediately tried to explain that it was only because he was excited that he ran like a baby cheetah, but one tiny glare from his Gundi of a friend was all that he needed to stop himself from opening his mouth. The two brothers simply enjoyed the scene, chuckling internally.

Turning to the cute, chubby girl with a cute haircut, Aditi asked concerned, “Shru, are you alright? Did you get hurt? Come let’s go to the medical room.” The girl dusted her skirt and replied with a smile, “Don’t worry Diti, I’m completely fine. I was so awestruck with that colorful butterfly flying around near the marigold flowers that I didn’t notice him coming from that side.” She then looked at Shubh and asked, “Hey, are you fine?” with concern written all over her face. Shubh immediately smiled and, scratching his head, said,” I should be asking you that…but yes, I am good. You?” Shruti smiled and replied quickly, “Me too.”

That’s when the bell rang and Agastya noticed that Jagruti was nowhere. He tapped Aditi's shoulder and asked, “Kiddo, where’s Jagruti? I didn’t see her yet…is she absent?” The little girl bobbed her head up and down. Puffing up her tiny face, she said, “You know bade bhaiyaa, Di’s got fever since this morning. Doctor uncle told her to stay at home for a couple of days….now I have to come to school alone for the time being.” She looked like she was about to cry. Agastya made a sad face and patted her head, knowing well enough how it feels if your siblings are not fine. After all, his Shubh kept on falling ill all the time.

(A/N: This boy, I tell you *shakes head*

Shubh: Now what have I done, miss writer?!

Me: nothing. Stop falling sick all the time I can’t see my poor babies being so sad for you.

Shubh:....Or is it that “you” are worried about me? *wriggles his eyebrows*

Me: Shubhhhhhh…..uggh! Go back to the story.

Shubh: whoa okay, easy there, woman.)

All day long, anybody who took a look at little Aditi’s face, could straightaway feel the sadness and gloom because of the absence of her sister. Shubh and Shruti, who had become good friends by then, tried their level best to cheer her up, but that didn’t help much.

During their recess break, when the two brothers came to meet Shubh, they found Aditi glumly sitting on the desk, her tiny feet dangling in the air, while an “about to have a crying fit” Shubh sat beside her, talking non stop. In front of them, sat a half-hearted Shruti, trying to indulge in the conversation from time to time.

Just as they were about to reach them, they saw Advik walking in the kids’ direction. He went to Shruti and said, “Princess, have you finished your food?” He then looked over at Aditi and Shubh, and jokingly said, “And what exactly are you two monkeys doing with my baby sister?” Shruti immediately poked him in the arm and said, “Bhaiyaaaa! They are not monkeys! See they are humans! In fact, they are my friends!”

A surprised Advik stared at his sister and muttered softly, a tiny smile at the corner of his lips, “…if you say so, princess.” By then, the two brothers had walked up to the group, and Shubh couldn’t help but jump immediately towards them like a flying frog. Agastya staggered a bit from the sudden force, then laughed and said, “whoa! Itna pyaar? Kya baat hai bachhe?” (So much love? What’s the matter kiddo?) The little guy looked up into his “superman’s” face and spoke in a low voice, “Dekhiye na bhaiyya Diti kitni sad hai. Aap isko happy bana dijiye please mujhe bohut bura lag raha hai.” (Bhaiyya look Diti is so upset. Please make her happy I feel really bad). A helpless Agastya looked at his second brother ,knowing fully well that he always had a way with his words, who sighed, ruffled his baby bro’s hair and went to sit beside a puffy-faced Aditi.

“Oye ladki, kya hua?” (Hey girl, what happened?)

Aditi looked up in the direction of the voice, her large eyes rimmed with tears. Lakshya immediately pulled the little bean in a hug, then rocking her sideways while he cradled her head in his hands, he spoke again, “Missing Jagruti, aren’t you? Bas kuchh hi der me toh ghar jayenge hum tab toh usi ke paas rahogi.” ( It’s just the matter of a while and then we’d be home, and then you would be staying with her.)

Hearing his soothing voice, Aditi sniffed a bit and said, “Lakshya , Di would be fine, right? She’s had a fever since the wee hours and she couldn’t even raise her head when I left. I feel so scared.”

Lakshya sighed, pulling her face up to have a look at her. She was just like his baby brother about how they got when their siblings got sick. Wiping the tears that fell silently, he spoke, “I know kiddo, I know how scared you are. Every time my siblings fall sick, I feel so helpless. But think about it, if you get so scared and then go home in tears, wouldn’t that make Jagruti upset?”

Aditi couldn’t stop her childish mind from pondering over what he said. He was right, she finally decided. After all, “Aditi Roy Choudhury” was famous for being “dabangg”. She slowly got out of the hug, stepped down from her place then spoke to the group, “Guys, I won’t cry anymore. Di’s sister is the smartest and strongest. I am going to stop crying and go back home quickly so I can take care of Di.”

Shubb ran to his second brother and hugged him tight, while Shruti followed suit. He spoke excitedly, “Yaay bhai! Aapne kar dikhaya!” (You did it!), to which everyone burst into laughter.

From that day onwards, Lakshya and Aditi’s bond took a new turn. They weren’t just friends because their siblings happened to be each other’s classmates. It was because they understood each other a lot, and could read each other’s minds so well it surprised everybody. Over time, the tiny friendship turned into a bond shared by best friends.