The road stretched ahead, quiet and golden under the evening sun. The tension that had wrapped around them like a storm cloud was slowly lifting. The sun dipped low, casting long shadows as Bhairava and Aarya rolled their cycles beside Shivani, who walked quietly between them.
Aarya glanced at Bhairava, her expression soft but concerned. Shivani, next to him, began tapping his arm repeatedly. Bhairava turned and saw the worry in her eyes.
Aarya glanced at them and sighed, half amused, half exasperated. "Your brother and sister's affection is becoming limitless. You made us all worried."
He smiled gently and patted Shivani's head. "Were you scared? I'm sorry. I won't do anything like that again."
Mano walked beside them, grinning. He threw an arm around Bhairava's shoulder. "Man, I never thought you'd fight like that."
Bhairava shook his head. "I never intended to. But when he said that about Shivani… I don't know what happened. Everything went blank."
Mano laughed. "Well, it was awesome. When you punched his face, you looked so cool."
Aarya rolled her eyes and bumped her cycle into the back of Mano's. "Shut up."
She then moved ahead, her voice softer. "Bhairava… is everything okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I'm totally fine. He never touched me."
Aarya sighed. "I didn't ask about that… never mind."
Mano leaned forward, still smiling. "That's enough. Let's talk about something else."
Aarya glanced at him, her tone dry but curious. "What do you want to talk about?"
Mano paused, thinking for a moment. "Okay, let's plan for the weekend. How about a movie tomorrow?"
Aarya perked up. "Movie? What movie?"
Mano grinned. "There's a rom-com getting great reviews. We could go for that."
Bhairava shook his head. "Count me out."
Mano raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Bhairava replied, "No one will be home tomorrow. I can't leave Shivani alone."
Mano shrugged. "Then bring Shivani with us."
Shivani signed something quickly, and Bhairava translated with a soft smile. "She has her music show coming up. She needs to practice."
Aarya tried to reason. "It's just three hours."
Shivani signed again, more gently this time. "Sorry, I have to practice." Then she added with a small smile, "You can take Bhairava. He'll come."
Mano clapped his hands. "That settles it. Bhairava, You're coming. Tomorrow morning, 11 AM—we leave. Bye!"
Bhairava frowned. "No, I can't."
But Mano was already walking away, waving without looking back. Leaving the trio to walk the rest of the way.
As they reached the gate, Aarya turned to Shivani, her voice gentle. "Forget everything about today. Just focus on your music."
Shivani smiled, nodded, and gave a bright thumbs-up.
As dusk deepened, Bhairava accompanied Shivani to her music class, then set off for his part-time job at the supermarket.
By the time he returned home that night, the house was quiet. Bhairava stepped in, the familiar scent of dinner lingering in the air. Something felt off—too still, too heavy. He walked toward the dining table and saw Shivani sitting there, her shoulders hunched, tears silently streaming down her cheeks.
Geetha stood nearby, arms folded, her expression unreadable.
Bhairava rushed to Shivani, crouched beside her. "What happened?" he asked, voice low.
Geetha answered instead, her tone sharp. "Her school principal called me. She's suspended for two weeks."
He was speechless. The weight of Shivani's tears, the silence in the house—it all pressed against him.
Geetha stepped closer, folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. "So, do you care to explain what you did there?"
Bhairava finally spoke, his voice low. "But Mom, I didn't do anything wrong. They're the ones—"
Geetha cut him off. "Whatever they did, how can you go to the school campus and beat them? For a long time, things were peaceful. No complaints. And today I get a call—Shivani is suspended."
She didn't stop. "You started to cause trouble again. Including Shivani, her friend, that boy—everyone got suspended , and it's because of you."
Bhairava's voice was steady, but his eyes burned. "I didn't cause any trouble. They're the ones who misbehaved with her."
Geetha stepped forward, her tone rising. "If they did something wrong, raise a complaint in school. There are rules everyone must follow. Who are you to take action?"
Bhairava didn't flinch. "I'm her brother. And I don't trust your rules, your law, your justice. They're the ones who are wrong—not me."
Beside him, Shivani tugged at his arm, her silent gestures pleading for calm. But Bhairava didn't stop.
Geetha's face darkened. "Do you even know who you beat? He's the minister's son. What if they retaliate?"
Bhairava's reply came without hesitation. "I don't care."
Shivani kept pulling his hand, desperate to ground him. But then—he jolted away, his voice rising. "What do you want?"
Shivani froze, her eyes wide with shock. Tears welled up and spilled over as she stepped back, trembling.
Bhairava's anger cracked. He whispered, regret already blooming. "Shivani?"
Geetha's voice cut through again, quieter but heavy. "Listen to me. This anger of yours… it will make you suffer the most."
That was the moment Shivani broke. She pushed back her chair, tears streaming, and ran up the stairs to her room. Her sobs echoed faintly, like a wound no one could reach.
"Shivani, stop!" Bhairava called, but she didn't look back.
He turned to Geetha, his voice low and bitter. "You're not even ready to hear our side. You've already decided and speaking. It's pointless to argue with you on this."
He stepped away from the table, his footsteps slow but deliberate. "But if anything happens to her… I won't stand there and watch. No matter who it is—I'll make them pay. In my own way."
And with that, he left the room.
Shivani's room was dim inside, quiet except for the soft hum of the ceiling fan and Shivani's muffled sobs.
Bhairava knocked gently, then slowly pushed the door open, leaning his head inside. "Shivani, I'm coming in."
She lay curled on the bed, her face buried in the pillow. At the sound of his voice, she sat up, eyes red, gaze lowered, refusing to meet his eyes.
Bhairava walked over and sat beside her, his voice soft. "Why are you crying now?"
Shivani's tears fell silently as she looked up at him. Then, with trembling hands, she held her ears—her silent gesture of apology.
Bhairava gently took her hands in his. "Why are you saying sorry?"
She signed slowly, her fingers hesitant. "Because of me… Mom scolded you."
Bhairava smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Don't worry about it. This isn't the first time. She's always like that."
Shivani's face softened, the tension melting just enough for the tears to flow freely. She leaned forward and hugged him tightly, in the form of Thank you gesture.
Bhairava held her close, his arms wrapped around her like a shield.
With Bhairava beside her, the storm inside began to settle. She lay back down, her breathing slower now. Bhairava pulled the bedsheet over her and smiled. "Sleep well."
But Shivani shook her head, eyes still wide, and signed with a small smile: Tell me a story.
Bhairava chuckled and settled beside her. "Alright… hmm. What story should I tell today?"
He paused, then looked at her with a playful glint. "A long time ago, in a peaceful village surrounded by forests, lakes, and birds that sang all day, lived a brother and sister. The sister was adorable—just like you." He tapped her nose playfully, and Shivani giggled.
"They did everything together—farming, cooking, laughing. But one day, a demon from another world appeared and took the sister away. The brother tried to stop him, but he was just human. He couldn't fight the demon. When he woke up, she was gone. He searched everywhere, but no one believed him. Some said he imagined her. Others said she never existed. But he never gave up."
"One day, he found a way into the demon's world. He fought through every shadow, every monster, until he reached the demon lord who had taken her."
"The demon asked, 'Do you love her that much?' The brother said yes, without hesitation. The demon said, 'Your time together is over. But your love moved me. I'll give you a choice: take your own life and she will live… or take hers and walk free.'"
Bhairava paused dramatically. "He looked at the knife…"
Just then, he heard a soft snore.
He turned and saw Shivani, fast asleep, her face peaceful, unworried, wrapped in the safety of his voice.
Bhairava blinked, then whispered with a faint smile, "Slept already? Was my story that boring?"
He leaned down, pulled the bedsheet up to her chin, and whispered, "Sweet dreams."
Then he quietly left the room, the story unfinished, but the night complete. In his own room, he lay down and started to sleep.