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He lets out a tortured breath. “And I don’t want that to change. I have always considered you as my granddaughter, and I want to see you often, not only when such emergencies arise.”
“I am sorry for not being here sooner but I promise I will not turn my back again,” I vow.
“Please don’t let Ranveer scare you away. If you want, I will ask him not to set foot in the house till you are here but I want you here, Alisha.” He really needs me here to be with him. I make a mental note to let Mom and Dad know that I’m going to stay here for a few days and spend some quality time with him till he doesn’t feel like himself again.
“You don’t have to do that, Granddad. I’m here to help you get better and am not going away anytime soon,” I assure him.
“Thank God.” He closes his eyes.
“Why don’t you rest for some time?”
“You will be here when I wake up, right?”
“I will,” I nod and stay there for a couple of minutes. A smile lights up his wrinkled face, which seems to have aged overnight. The serenity in his eyes makes me feel good for making this decision, at least for his sake. Within no time, his eyelids start drooping. I stay there till he falls asleep. Once I am sure he is in deep sleep, with a heavy sigh, I leave him to rest.
Nostalgia grips me as I step out of the room. Granddad looked so dull and worn out, and although some of it is due to his illness, the rest of it lies on my shoulders. I should have kept a check on him, I should have… The list of what I should have done can be endless. I might as well concentrate on how I can help him recover at the earliest and vow to make it up to him in the coming days.
Chapter 15
Ranveer
The sudden turn of events shouldn’t shock me. No seer was needed to foreshadow that this was due to happen. My grandpa can be devious when he wants to get things his way. ‘Never sit in silence and never accept defeat happily. Always go to achieve what your heart desires.’is something which he always abides by, this time being no exception. I too happen to have inherited this trait from him.
It’s been three months, and Grandpa has been all over me about bringing Alisha back home. I agree I want that too, more than anything else in the world. Alisha is the one person I would never want to lose, no matter what. I love her with all my heart, and she makes my life worth living every day. There is no one else in this world that I would rather spend the rest of my life with than her. She is my everything, my entire world. I love her beyond words. But over time, I have come to realise that if I have to bring Alisha back into my life, I need to take each step carefully. I just can’t do things in the heat of the moment. However, Grandpa didn’t share the same thinking. He was done waiting for time to take its course. I did tell him that it would take tons of hard work and patience, something which my grandpa lacks. At times, his restlessness gets on my nerves. Don’t get me wrong; I adore my grandpa. He truly has a big golden heart and always wants the best for the people he really loves and cares for.
“Are you listening to me, Mr Ranveer Seth?” I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Something tells me I can’t ignore him; he never addresses me like that unless he wants my complete attention.
“Heart attack? Seriously, Grandpa?” I ask in an irritated tone. How can I have no fucking clue?
“You can’t be upset with me.” He huffs.
“I am not exactly upset with you. But do you really think this is wise of you?” I can’t recall if there has ever been a day in my life when I have actually been upset or angry with him. Irritated? Most likely, but it’s obvious that whatever he does when it comes to me is always with good intentions. His heart is in the right place, though the same can’t be said about his mind. Sometimes he goes over the top and doesn’t even think about what’s right or wrong, keeping his entire focus on my happiness.
“All I want is things to get back to how they were with Alisha and you. And you are taking an awful amount of time to make that happen. That’s when I thought you must have got a bit rusted in twisting your arm, which left me with no choice but to lend a helping hand. Son, you need to know that I am not getting any younger. I wish to see my grandchildren before I die. So, I don’t care if I manipulated the situation to my advantage.”
I let out a long sigh and shut the file on my desk. Remorse mingles in his words. I know he is not at fault here, and his intentions are genuine. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean what he did was right. But I can’t turn a blind eye to his wrongdoing. And this is wrong. It’s a gut feeling, the one I choose to believe since it has never proved me wrong in the past. Hell, I made that mistake once of ignoring it and going against my gut feeling, but I won’t repeat the same mistake twice.
“Really? And you think lying about it will help the situation? What if Alisha finds out that you lied to her about your heart attack? You know she is still not over the fact that I have hidden my past from her. And now you have added this to it. I don’t even see how you find this helpful to me in any way. For all you know, this will only add fuel to the fire.”
There is a lengthy pause at the other end of the call, but this conversation with Grandpa was much needed. I had to make him understand the gravity of the situation. Alisha is my life. Something about lying to her doesn’t work for me. I did that once and saw the outcome, still bearing the burns from it. I can’t worsen that. Also, I know how upset Alisha will be if she learns that we are tricking her and playing with her emotions. Her beautiful face with tears comes to my mind. Playing fair and being honest to the women in the past have never been on my list. Before Alisha came into my life, my only focus was on my business, Grandpa, and Mili; everything else didn’t matter. But that has changed now. Alisha has radiated something inside me, something that wants me to be a better person.
“I thought this could be the best option.”
“Is that so?” My eyebrows are threatening to touch the roof as I challenge him.
“Fine. Maybe I am wrong here, but what’s done is done. And whether you are happy about it or not, we can’t change it. Alisha can’t know that I lied to her about my heart attack. She agreed to stay here with me, and that is all that matters.”
“But Grandpa….” I begin to argue with him but he cuts me off.
“No, you won’t make me change my mind. If I am being selfish, I don’t care. Why can’t you get it that I am ageing, Son, and I deserve a bit of happiness for myself? I don’t know if things will improve for Alisha and you, but I really do take her as my granddaughter and love her with all my heart,” he states unequivocally as he continues, his tone getting louder by the second. “I hate to be cut off from her life. And having her here at home with me gives me the happiness and helps me forget my loneliness. So, sorry, Son, if you find your grandpa crafty. You made your choice of hiding the truth and you are bearing the after-effects. Now this is my choice which I expect you to respect.”
Damn, I didn’t anticipate this conversation to be so exhausting. As such, I am not at all surprised by Grandpa’s outburst. I know how much Alisha and my separation has affected him. He really does take Alisha as his own; there is no doubt about that. Somewhere down in my heart, I am not angry with him for what he has done. If anything, I am glad that he loves and cares for Alisha as much as I do. Not that it shocks me. Alisha is the kind of person who has the magical powers in her to win anyone’s heart.
“Your secret is safe with me. I understand why you did what you did. I am with you andrespectyour decision,” I say in a firm voice.
He lets out a breath of relief and then utters, “I’m sorry I didn’t discuss this with you first. But I hate to see Alisha or you in pain. I just wanted to do whatever it takes to make you both happy again. That is all I wish for.”
“Nothing for you to apologise for. And I still love you.”
