Swati Sandeep- Vachan- Oberoi Series [Green Eyes, Sticky Fingers, Broken Pride: The Ring Toss Redemption]

Adi had never seen a fair before. He stood at the entrance, wide-eyed as flickering lanterns and bursts of laughter danced through the evening air. The chaos was beautiful. Just like his Bhaiyu’s studio. Vibrant, colorful and above all mesmerizing.

“Do you like it?” Abeer spoke softly.

Adi nodded. When Abeer invited him and Ayu to the fair, Adi was not interested. It was his Big-B who was hyped up about the whole thing. Adi had agreed to please him, but right on the day of the fair, Ayu fell sick. Adi wanted to stay back at home with him, but his Bhaiya did not agree. Abeer had already rearranged his schedule to take them to the fair. He did not wish to let his efforts go to waste.

“Do you want to try cotton candy?”

Adi shrugged. Why not? He loved cotton candy. Since the day his Bhabhi introduced him to the delight, he could not stay away. Every time they went to the beach he made it a point to get some. His brothers always indulge him. Even his Bhaiyu.

Abeer paid for the cotton candy and handed him a packet. “How is school coming along?”

Adi shrugged again. There was nothing much to say about school. Hours and hours of endless lectures, books, exams, the same old routine. 

“Music?”

Adi nodded. That was the only thing he lived for.

“Did you compose any new songs? You have uploaded nothing for a week.”

“I got grounded.” Adi said under his breath.

“What?” Abeer’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why?”

Adi let out an exasperated sigh. He and his Big-B were having harmless fun in his Bhaiya’s study and accidentally messed up some important papers. That earned him a good lecture and a week’s grounding.

“Silence is a complicated language, Adi. Kuch bol bhi. (Why don’t you talk?)”

Adi shrugged again and then sighed. He was not comfortable with Abeer. The man saved his Bhaiya’s life, but he was also the witch’s son. He would rather not think about his witch aunt. She was one Massi from hell. Adi was sure of it.

“Want to try some games?”

Adi nodded. They needed to kill some time. Conversation was already proving to be a challenge. Games would at least distract them. 

Two hours later, Adi was laughing as Abeer took him to the ring toss booth. The bottles gleamed under the colorful lights, daring him to try. The vendor grinned, calling out, “One ring on the bottle wins the prize!”

Adi shook his head. His one hand was still in a sling. Aiming was out of the question. Abeer handed him the colorful rings.

“No, Bhai. Aap khelo. (You play.) I suck at it anyway.”

“Arey! Try to kar. (Hey! Atleast try.) You should not give up without trying.”

Adi was about to protest when his phone buzzed. He saw Anirudh’s number and answered quickly. “Aa gaye aap, Bhaiyu? (Are you here, Bhaiyu?)”

“Haan. Car bohot door park keya hai. Kahan hai tu? (Yes, I had to park at a distance. Where are you?) I will come there and get you myself.”

Adi could hear the frustration in his voice. “Location bhej doon? (Shall I share the location?)”

Anirudh agreed and disconnected the call.

“Is he here?”

Adi nodded.

“Then let’s finish the game quickly.”

Adi flung a ring towards the bottle, and it missed. He sighed and handed the rings to Abeer. “I suck. You play.”

Abeer flung the ring, and it landed right on the bottle. Adi’s eyes widened in shock. The vendor got him a fluffy bunny. Abeer handed it to Adi. 

“What should I do with this?” Adi looked at the funny bunny and smiled. It looked a little dumb but cute.

“Put it in the car. They look good on the dashboard.” Abeer handed him the rings. “Now your turn.”

Adi gave the ring a doubtful look, but took it. He wanted to score. Adi narrowed his eyes and flung another ring toward the bottle. It clanged against the edge, wobbled, and fell away.

Abeer gave him a gentle pat on his back. “Try. You can do it. You have five more left.”

Adi tried and missed again. Abeer encouraged. After the fourth try, Adi was frustrated.

“Seriously?” he muttered, wiping his palms on his jeans. “Five tries, zero wins. I’m cursed.”

Anirudh cleared his throat to make his presence known. He had reached a good three minutes ago, but the boy was yet to notice him. He was busy playing with his Bhai.

“Bhaiyu!” Adi smiled the minute he saw him. “Kab aye aap? (When did you come?)”

“When you were busy missing the bottles.” Anirudh’s voice was filled with annoyance, and greeted Abeer. Abeer had his arm wrapped around Adi, which did not sit well with him. He had nothing against Abeer, but the man was Shanti Rathod’s son. And anyone who was related to her did not earn any brownie points with him. 

Adi huffed. “I was trying to win.” He insisted. “See, Bhai won this for me.” Adi showed him the crooked bunny. 

“Cute hai na? (It’s cute right?) Bhai has an awesome aim.”

“Ofcouse! I am sure our surgeon with golden hands can do anything he wants. Multi talented!” Anirudh said with a tight smile, but he felt annoyed. The boy had been ranting to him the whole morning that he had to go with Abeer. Now he was full of praise. The tide turned fast.

“Are you done?”

Adi’s smile slightly faded at the blunt question. He nodded and handed Abeer the rings back.

“You finish it, Bhai. I am useless anyway.”

Abeer shook his head. “You have two tries left, Adi. Koshish to kar. (At least try.)”

Adi nodded and tossed the ring, and it missed again.

“Nahi ho payenga. (I can’t do it.)” Adi’s face fell.

“Your wrist flicks like you’re swatting mosquitoes,” Anirudh said in an annoyed tone. “Hold it steady.”

“How?” Adi frowned.

Anirudh stepped behind Adi, gently guiding his arm. 

“Now, eyes on the prize,” Anirudh whispered.

Adi looked at the bottle. It looked like a distant prize.

“Focus, Adi. It’s not rocket science.”

Adi tossed the ring. It sailed through the air, smooth and precise. A soft gasp escaped Adi’s lips as it slid perfectly onto the neck of the bottle.

The vendor clapped. A cheer rang out. Adi froze, then broke into a grin so wide it practically lit up the booth.

“I did it!” he laughed, turning to Anirudh. “Did you see that, Bhaiyu?”

Anirudh shrugged. “That was not VoN, Aditya.”

Adi huffed. “Ek baar ke leye congratulations nahi bol saktey kya? (Can’t you just cheer for me once?)”

“Chale? (Can we leave now?)”

Adi shook his head and pointed to a stall. “Mughe woh kharida hai. (I want to buy that.)”

Anirudh followed his gaze. It was a beautiful floral kurta. Anirudh smiled. “Bhabhi ke leye? (For Bhabhi?)”

Adi nodded.

“Go get it.”

“Paise nahi hai. (I don’t have money.)” Adi whispered, so only Anirudh could catch it.

“Sare kharch kar deye? (Did you spend it all?)” Anirudh was surprised. He had seen Arnav had him cash, even though the boy had his own pocket money. Arnav never sent the boys anywhere without cash.

Adi shook his head. “Wallet ghar pe bhool gaya. (I forgot my wallet at home.)”

Anirudh gave him a hard glare. The boy needed a good lecture about taking care of his things. “Toh apne Bhai se pooch leta na paise? (Then you should have asked your Bhai for the money.)”

Adi’s face fell.

Anirudh handed him the wallet. “Go get it quickly.”

The smile was back on Adi’s face. “Can I get a few more things?”

The smile on Adi’s face rendered Anirudh’s sarcasm useless. “Get the whole damn fair if you want, but make it quick. We don’t have the whole night.”

Abeer saw him rush to the stall and sighed. “He has been eyeing the dress the whole evening.” He looked at Anirudh. “He never said he wanted it.”

“He forgot his wallet.” Anirudh clarified. “Otherwise he would have gotten it by now. Did he give you any trouble?”

Abeer shook his head. “He is a sweet boy. I wish we could do this often.”

“Adi’s boards are coming up. He won’t have much time.”

“Do they have boards in eleventh grade?”

Anirudh’s jaw tightened. He wished Abeer were not so smart. He did not want Adi hanging out with him. What Anirudh refused to acknowledge was that he did not like the way Adi smiled at Abeer. That smile that said You are my hero. “I meant his exams are coming up. Bhaiya is strict about studies.”

Abeer nodded. “Of course, studies are very important.”

Adi came back with the purchase, a happy smile on his face.

“Now can we leave?” Anirudh asked again with an exaggerated sigh.

“One minute.” Adi handed Abeer a shopping bag. “Yeh aapke leye. (This is for you.) Thank you for bringing me here.”

Abeer saw the ornamental vase and smiled. “Thank you, Adi. I love it.”

Anirudh had to look away. The boy never got him anything, but Abeer was already getting gifts. Something twisted in his gut. Something that felt like jealousy. Anirudh refused to accept it.

“We are getting late.” He snapped instead.

“Can we get Biriyani on the way?”

Anirudh glared, Adi pleaded, and he gave in. Abeer handed Adi the bag containing the trinkets he had won in the other games. Adi beamed again and thanked Abeer, bid his goodbyes and turned to Anirudh. 

“Aapko pata hai main kitne games jeeta, Bhaiyu? Aap na believe he nahi karoge. (Do you know how many games I won tonight, Bhaiyu? You won’t believe me.)  I won the lottery, And I…..” The voice trailed off as Anirudh gently steered the boy towards the fair exit.

Abeer smiled. The boy who stumbled through silence with Abeer now let his emotions flow freely with Anirudh. That’s the quiet wonder of a sibling bond. It knows when to listen, when to wait, and when to open the floodgates. Anirudh did not know how lucky he was. Abeer wished that one day Anirudh would accept the boy as his own.

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Once they reached home, Adi quietly sneaked into Anirudh’s room and left a gift bag. He did not have the courage to give it himself. Could not handle the rejection if Anirudh refused to take it. He took a lot of liberties with Anirudh in the hope that one day his Bhaiyu would accept him, but did not have the courage to risk an open conversation. One day his Bhaiyu would look at him as Adi and not as the child of the ‘other woman’. Until that day came, Adi would have to wait. And he would. Adi refused to give up on his Bhaiyu.

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Anirudh stepped out of the shower and noticed the bag. He had seen the bag in Adi’s hand. A part of him wanted to toss it aside, but the bigger part that was burning up in jealousy opened to check what Adi got him. If it were a dumb vase, he would toss it away. But his breath caught when he saw the black kurta. The boy knew his preferences well. 

The harder he tried to pull away, the harder Adi tried to hold on. How could he ignore such innocence? Why did the boy have to be so damn persistent? 

Anirudh wanted to put the kurta away, but a note slipped from the folds. 

Bhai was awesome, but my Bhaiyu is the best. Thank you for teaching me to aim. That was the highlight of the evening.

PS

I borrowed your charger. I can’t find mine. Don’t tell Bhaiya. 

Love

Adi 

Anirudh sat down. He had to. How could he brace his heart against innocence? How could he honor the promise he had made to his mother? It was a war between love and loyalty. And Anirudh did not know which side to choose. Not yet!