Page 81 of Right Where I Belong
His heart softened instantly. “Hey, Ahaan. How are you?”
“Hello, Uncle,” Ahaan replied quietly. He looked away, then back at him, chewing his lip as though mustering courage. “Why… why have you stopped coming to meet us? Did I do something wrong?”
A sharp pinch gripped his chest, and sadness rolled through him. He quickly shook his head and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “No, Ahaan. You haven’t done anything wrong. Not at all.”
“Then why are you not coming to meet me?” Ahaan asked.
Aditya gently steered him a few steps aside, away from the others, and lowered his voice. “It’s not because of you. Don’t ever think that.”
He glanced up and saw Sabrina watching them from across the lawn, her face unreadable.
Ahaan’s voice wavered as he went on, “I’m mad at Mom. We haven’t really been talking the last few days. She didn’t let me watch the match… And when I asked her about you, she said you wouldn’t be coming over anymore.”
His throat tightened. The innocence on the boy’s face, the quiet hurt in his tone, all of it cut him deeply. Thanks to Sabrina, he’d lost this sweet boy too. Somewhere along the way, Ahaan had carved out a place in his heart, and now his chest squeezed with pain. Ahaan was watching him, a sad but hopeful expression on his face.
Sabrina and he had broken up, but he couldn’t burden this child with that truth. All he could do was ensure that Ahaan never doubted that he mattered— both to his mother and to him.
Aditya leaned down, keeping his voice gentle. “Hey, don’t be mad at your mom. She always does what’s best for you, even when it doesn’t feel that way. She loves you more than anything in this world, Ahaan. Every decision she makes is for you.”
Ahaan’s eyes searched his, uncertain. “Did you and Mom have a fight?”
For a moment, Aditya’s throat closed. God, this child was so intuitive. So mature already. One day, he would grow up to be an amazing man. It hurt that he wouldn’t be around to witness that and to guide him to be the best version of himself.
“Sometimes adults don’t agree on some things,” he explained. “But that doesn’t mean we stop caring about each other. And it certainly doesn’t mean you did anything wrong.”
Before Aditya could say more, Ahaan suddenly threw his arms around him, holding him tight. The boy’s voice came out small and muffled against his chest. “I miss you. Maya also misses you. Will you promise to come meet us soon?”
The words were a blow. Aditya wrapped his arms around the young boy, steadying him.
“I miss you too, buddy,” he said softly. He pulled back just enough to meet Ahaan’s earnest gaze. “And I promise, as soon as I can, I’ll come see you.”
Ahaan’s face eased with relief, and he nodded, as though the promise had lifted a weight off his shoulders. Aditya managed a smile, but inside, his chest clenched. Because he knew he meant every word. Whether or not Sabrina wanted him in her life, Ahaan already had a piece of his heart, and he wasn’t ready to let go of him, not like this. Even though it would hurt eventually, Aditya would have to wean him off slowly, in a manner that Ahaan never felt less of himself.
Ahaan darted past him. Reaching his mother, he tugged Sabrina down for a quick kiss on her cheek before racing toward the bouncy castle.
Sabrina approached him, her steps measured. Aditya stared at her. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days. There were faint shadows under her eyes, her skin looked pale, and her clothes seemed to flow loosely around her. It felt like she’d dropped weight in just a week. Anger flared hot in his chest. Not because she looked fragile, but because she’d done this to herself and to him. Because her stubbornness had dragged them both into this wreck. With Ahaan in the middle of all this.
Reaching him, she gave him a tentative smile. “Hi. How are you?”
“Fine,” he said, his tone sharp.
Her eyes raked over him, taking in all of him. “You don’t look fine.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “And why do you care?”
She shook her head. “I just wanted to thank you… for whatever you told Ahaan just now. It was the first time in a week that he kissed me and looked happy again.”
Aditya didn’t respond. He stood stiffly, anger simmering beneath his skin.
“He misses you,” she added.
He flicked his gaze to hers. “You didn’t just break my heart, Sabrina. You broke his too. And I’m not going to stand by and let him believe he did something wrong that made me stop visiting.”
She gasped. “Oh, God, is that what he told you?”
“Yes.”
Her lips quivered as she stared at her son, and then her expression tightened. “I’m so stupid. I knew you and I had no future. Yet I dragged him into this. I?—”
