"Y-You...?" Shrey's voice trembled.
"What's the matter? You recognized me already..."Kunwar's voice had that same familiar sarcasm and sharpness that always made Shrey uncomfortable.
"Kunwar, please give me the phone,"Prakhar now stepped in firmly, his face completely hardened.
"I will... I will... Let me congratulate Cutie Pie first..."Kunwar rolled his eyes and smirked,"After all, he's the one who won today, right?"
Then he spoke into the phone —"Congratulations on the win, Cutie Pie..."
"Ahh... th-thank you..."Shrey replied hesitantly. His voice held confusion and awkward restraint.
Just then, Prakhar lunged and firmly grabbed Kunwar's hand,and without a second thought, snatched the phone away.
"Shrey... sorry. I'll call you later."He disconnected the call.
The only thing echoing in Shrey's ears now was the beep of the call ending.He stared at the screen for a moment.
Meanwhile, Kunwar was glaring at Prakhar with fury.
"So now you've grown that bold...? You'll cut me off right in front of me?"
He yanked Prakhar closer — gripping his wrist tightly.
"Stay in your limits, Kunwar..."Prakhar locked eyes with him and gently pulled his hand free.
Kunwar stared at him for a moment.
Silence again fell over the room...
Kunwar was just about to say something when suddenly the ward door opened —Raja Saheb entered, followed by Advait.
Kunwar didn't take long to understand who brought Raja Saheb there.
His eyes settled briefly on Advait.
"How are you, Abhyavat?"Raja Saheb asked in a calm tone.
Kunwar turned his face away and cut him off —"Alive..."
Raja Saheb remained silent for a moment.Everyone in the room could feel the tension that now hung heavy in the air.
"Abhyavat!"Raja Saheb's voice trembled with anger,
But Kunwar didn't even flinch. He lay there as if nothing in the world could affect him.
"How did this happen? Where was your security?"Now his voice was laced with concern.
Kunwar remained silent.His eyes were fixed on the ceiling.
Raja Saheb took a deep breath and turned to Prakhar —"Prakhar... you're here?"
"I came to check on Kunwar, Raja Saheb."Prakhar responded respectfully with a slight bow of his head.
Raja Saheb was about to pat his back with a faint smile when —Kunwar suddenly knocked everything off the side table.
Crash!Glass, medicines, water bottle — everything fell to the floor.
Raja Saheb's smile vanished.He gave Kunwar one cold look and said only one sentence —
"Take care of him..."
And then, without another word, he walked out of the room.
The moment he left, Kunwar shot a crooked glance at Prakhar —"Once again, you became their favorite obedient child, huh? Proved I'm the rude, stubborn one. Right?"
"That's your interpretation, Kunwar,"Prakhar responded calmly."I just did my duty."
Saying this, he turned and began to walk away.
Kunwar called from behind —"Where are you going?"
"To get something for you to eat..."Prakhar replied in a neutral tone without looking back and stepped out.
As soon as he reached the hospital corridor, he pulled out his phone and immediately dialed Shrey.
"Y-you..."Shrey could only say that much; the rest of his words stuck in his throat.
"Kunwar had an accident. I had to come..."Prakhar replied calmly, already sensing Shrey's emotional state.
"Oh..."Shrey responded softly. Just then, Pranay quickly snatched the phone from his hand —
"Hey Prakhar! We won the match, man!"
Prakhar's soft voice came from the other side —"Congratulations..."
Shrey's heart fluttered with warmth.He felt like all his effort, all his training, everything he had done—was for that one word.
"So we're partying tonight!"Pranay said excitedly,"You should come too!"
"No..."Prakhar's tone now had a hint of hesitation,"I might not be comfortable around your other friends... sorry. You all enjoy."
"Okay... but tonight, just the five of us will party."Shrey said quickly.
"Five?"Prakhar asked, a little surprised.
"Yeah... the three brothers, you... and your 'royal brat'..."Shrey added with a smile.
Prakhar laughed — and the sound of it made a smile bloom on Shrey's face too.
"Alright... see you tonight."
After that, Prakhar asked Advait to arrange some simple khichdi (porridge) for Kunwar—he knew well that Kunwar wouldn't touch hospital food.
Soon, Advait sent the food exactly as requested.Prakhar opened the tiffin and placed it before Kunwar.
"This isn't from the hospital kitchen, is it...?"Kunwar asked immediately.
"Advait made it,"Prakhar replied flatly, then set the food on the table and pushed it toward Kunwar.
But Kunwar didn't start eating.He just kept scrolling on his phone.
After a while, Prakhar said —"The food will get cold, Kunwar..."
"My hand hurts... I can't eat by myself..."Kunwar replied casually.
"Didn't seem to hurt while scrolling your phone,"Prakhar muttered sarcastically.
"You're getting more insolent by the day..."Kunwar growled.
Prakhar just shrugged, silently took a spoonful of khichdi, and held it near Kunwar's mouth.Kunwar stared at him for a moment... then quietly opened his mouth.
"The cook's quite good... might have to promote him from security to head chef,"Kunwar said while chewing, clearly satisfied.
"I refuse,"came Advait's voice from behind, who had entered with a glass of water in hand.
"Why?"Kunwar asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm too lazy... I can't do something as exhausting as cooking every day."Advait replied bluntly.
"I'll double your salary,"Kunwar raised his brow.
Advait replied nonchalantly —"I'm not earning money to buy the Taj Mahal, Kunwar."
Kunwar shot him a burning glare —because Advait was the only one who never bowed to him.