♡ 3 ♡ Bachpan Ka Pyaar

*Krish's Pov*

We left the garden the instant Mom's call came. "One minute late, and we are dead," I muttered, already racing towards the nearby market.

The market was buzzing with activity. People were busy bargaining with sellers, their voices rising and falling in a never-ending chorus. Vendors shouted loudly to attract customers, holding up crisp vegetables and juicy fruits. Street dogs wandered through the crowds, sniffing.

We pushed through the people, apologizing as we bumped into shoppers and vendors alike. We dodged a speeding bicycle, its bellringing out, and sidestepped a stack of colourful fabrics.

We spotted Mom and Kabir amidst the chaos. Mom's bright saree stood out among the crowds, and Kabir's tall frame towered above the surrounding shoppers. They smiled as they saw us, and we ran towards them.

As we reached Mom and Kabir Bhaiya, Mom glared at us. "Kaha pe the tum dono" Mom exclaimed, her voice laced with relief. "What took you so long?"

[Where were you both?]

Parth bhaiya grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Mo. We got held up at the garden."

Kabir's eyes crinkled at the corners. "Garden, huh? Akele akele kya kar rahe the tum dono."

[Garden, huh? Where were you both doing there alone?]

Mom playfully rolled her eyes. "Kabir, baad mein puchna yeh sab. We have to hurry. Tumhare papa ka call aagaya hain guest aane hi wale 8 baje aur abhi khana bhi banana baki hain."

[Kabir, ask all this thing later. We have to hurry. Your dad called me to inform that guests are arriving by 8 p.m. and dinner is yet to be made.]

We fell into step beside Mom and Kabir, navigating the crowded market streets. The sounds and smells swirled around us - vendors calling out, spices wafting, and bicycles ringing their bells.

As we walked, Kabir bhaiya slung an arm around my shoulders. "So, Itne saal kya kiya tune mere bina idhar aur sun ne mein aaya hain ki koi wapas aa gaya hain aur voh aap ke hi school mein hain."

[So, what did you do all these years without me and I got to know that someones back and that person is in your school only.]

One second inko kese pata chala? yeh toh kal hi India wapas aaye but before I could respond, Mom intervened.

[One second how does he knows? He arrived yesterday only.]

"Later, Kabir. First, let's get the vegetables. We can't afford to be late."

We quickened our pace, weaving through the people. Suddenly, Kabir stopped.

"Mom, yeh loo phudina mil gaya." Kabir bhaiya pointed at one stall.

[Mom, look I found the Mint leaves.]

"Pagal, voh Methi hain." Parth bhaiya corrected.

[Stupid, that's fenugreek.]

Huh? He was wrong, yeh na hi phudina hain na hi Methi so I corrected them both. "Arey mere pagal bhaiyo tum dono galat ho. Yeh phudina aur Methi nahi hain, yeh toh dhaniya hain." I felt proud for correcting them.

[This are not mint leaves nor fenugreek.]

[My dumb brothers, you both are wrong. This are not mint leaves not fenugreek, they are coriander.]

Mom glared at us, her expression a mix of frustration and amusement. "Seriously, boys?" She lightly tapped each of us on the head, as if to know some sense into us.

I rubbed my head. "Oww, mom."

"Sab ke sab andpadh gawar hain, palak hain voh mere nalayako."

[Everyone is uneducated. They are spinach, my good-for-nothing sons.]

We chuckled at her response.

Her expression softened. "You three are something else. Let's go before we get late." She started walking ahead of us.

We stopped at a few stalls to buy veggies, and after some time, we were done.

"Alright, got everything." Mom said, nodding. "Let's head home now."

We paid for the veggies and exited the market.

_______________________________

As soon as we reached home, Mom disappeared into the kitchen, leaving us to collapse on the sofa, exhausted. Kabir bhaiya scooted in beside me, his shoulder brushing against mine. He looked at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Oyee Chasmish!"

"Kya Hain?" I looked at Parth bhaiya who was busy on his phone, and I am pretty sure his ears are over here.

[What?]

"Tujhe pata hain main kya puchne wala hu." He smirked. Yes, I know what he wants to ask.

[You already know what I am going to ask.]

I shifted my gaze from Parth bhaiya to him. "I just met her today, and she doesn't even remember me." I sighed Sadly.

*flashback*

I was waiting for Yash outside his classroom with Jay when Karan walked towards us.

"Yash abhi tak class se bahar nahi nikla?" Karan asked us; we shook our heads in denial. He leaned against the wall of the classroom.

[Yash is still inside the class?]

I looked inside the classroom, finding various familiar faces who smiled at me, and there he was, asking questions to Raj sir. "Yeh Raj sir konsa subject padhte hain?" Karan asked as he peeked inside the classroom.

[Which subject does Raj sir teaches?]

"Physics," Jay answered, playing with the light brown lunchbox, which had a dog drawn on it with his tongue out.

It was Kritika's lunchbox, which was taken in the morning; nah, we stole it.

I mean who wouldn't she cooks food so good and on top of that it was panner Tikka that she made.

She made it for someone else but when Jay got to know about it, he made a plan with us to steal it.

"She will kill you for this," I said pointing at the lunchbox.

"Don't worry, I will handle her." He continued playing the box. "And that idiot doesn't deserve this food made by her."

"Why don't you tell her you like her," Karan spoke in between with a low making sure no one heard him apart from us two.

Jay opened his mouth to speak but when no words came out from his mouth, he closed his mouth and pressed his lips in a single line.

From what I know, he just enjoys teasing her.

Yash walked out of the classroom. "Kya baatein kar rahe ho?" He asked but got no answer as Karan threw another question at him.

[What are you all talking about?]

"Kitna time lagata hain tu?"

[How much time do you take?]

"Arey doubt tha," He said in defence.

[It was a doubt.]

"Chalo abhi Varna break khatam ho jaye ga." Jay interrupted.

[Let's go now or else break will end.]

We walked towards the canteen, throughout the walk, Karan was scolding Yash for coming late, always listening quietly, and when he tried to speak, Karan would shut him up.

"Yeh dono miya-biwi ki tarah kyu ladte hain?" I whispered to Jay, who was walking beside me, and then I glanced back to look at Karan and Yash.

[Why do they both fight like husband-wife?]

Jay shrugged his shoulder.

"Bas karoge tum dono, sab tum dono ko dekh rahe hain." Jay stopped at his track and looked at them. I looked around to see if people were watching, and uhh... yes, they were.

[Both of you stop, everyone is looking at you both.]

Karan stopped when Jay's voice reached his ears.

When we entered the canteen, my eyes fell on Kriti and Rhea, who were sitting with another girl, and Anaya was missing.

As Kriti's eyes fell on us, she muttered something and I am sure she must have cursed us.

As we approached them, Anaya arrived at the same time and took her seat, greeting us and her greeting was followed by Rhea's. On the other, Kritika rolled her eyes, which, of course didn't go unnoticed by Jay.

"Not a nice way to greet, Kriti." He teased.

"Yeh loo aapka dabba." Now that doggie lunchbox was in her hand. She again muttered something under her breath.

[Here, your tiffin box.]

Jay was quick enough to hear it and he gave her a witty reply. And now their bickering starts.

My eyes fell on the new girl whose head was moving from Jay to Kriti and Kriti to Jay. "We seemed to have a new face over here." I chimed.

"Yeah, she is Ishanvi Kapoor." My eyebrows frowned upon hearing the familiar name but changing the expression, I quickly smiled.

Ishanvi Kapoor, it's herrrrrrrrrrr. I hope so, she does look like her. The same face which looks mature now. The same mole under her right eye.

I introduced myself, took a seat, and looked into her eyes, but her eyes showed no emotion of remembering me.

My heart sank, she didn't remember me.

The atmosphere around our table was filled with laughter, giggles and some stupid conversation. I noticed Karan and Ishu, I mean Ishanvi, talking with each other ever since the start.

I furrowed my brows while looking at them, she's my childhood friend yet talking to him like they both know each other forever and not remembering me.

"Do you guys know each other?" Yash asked them, thankfully I wasn't the only one who noticed their interaction.

"She is my cousin." Karan's reply was enough to give me the shock of 440 volts.

"What's with your Pikachu shock face?" Jay whispered in my ears.

"Nothing." I looked at him.

*flashback ends*

Kabir bhaiya's laugh was heard when I told him that Karan was her cousin. "So are you sure it's her?" The same question did come to my mind before.

"Yeah, I asked Karan about her and from what he told me about her. It's her." I sighed.

"You were near her at that same time you were far from her."

"You are an idiot. tu Yash aur Jay ke bhai-behen, cousin, unke pure khandan ko janta hain par tujhe Karan ka pata nahi tha." Parth bhaiya meddle. See, I told you all he is listening, but yeah, he is right.

[You are an idiot. You know siblings and cousins of Yash's and Jay's but you didn't knew about Karan.]

What he said is true, I know almost every member of Jay and Yash's family but not Karan's. I rarely met his parents.

I did know that he had a cousin's sister, but never in my lifetime did I think I would be her.

"Toh ab kya karne ka vichar hain?" Parth bhaiya's voice bring me back to reality.

[So now what's your plan?]

"She must have remembered you." Kabir bhaiya's eye softened. "She wasn't even that young that she must have forgotten you."

Right, she was eight or nine at that time.

"How old was she?" Parth bhaiya kept his phone aside.

"Maybe eight or nine."

"See!! She was old enough to remember everything now. Especially her first love." Kabir bhaiya teased.

"First Love? Pagal ho gaye ho aap. We were kids and were just friends." I stood up from the sofa.

[First Love? You have gone crazy. We were kids and were just friends.]

"Maa aapko koi help chahiye." I shouted.

[Mom, do you need any help]

"She needs my help," I told them then made my way towards the kitchen.

Their laughter and teasing vanished once I entered the kitchen.

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That's it for chapter 3. I hope you all enjoyed it.

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