Mumbai, St, Claret School.

Author's POV,

Priti came running towards the hall where the competition was held.

She didn't waste her time and dashed inside the competition hall.

She just wanted to capture every moment of being around him and cherish them for her whole life.

She was only four years old when her mom and she came to the city of dreams~ Mumbai.

The man whom she is calling Paa isn't her biological father she doesn't even know who is her biological father and she doesn't want to know about him also, her Paa is enough for her.

Ashwath is her mother's friend he had a wife who died because of breast cancer then he again married Piyush's biological mother but she also died after giving birth to Piyush.

Priti loves him more than anyone. When they came here he gave them a roof to live in, her mom used to work in Singhaniya's house as a maid, that's what she remembers.

She never went there but it was her fifth birthday and she wanted to spend her time with her mother but her mother refused to take her with herself So when her mother went to work.

Taking that as a chance she insisted on a gardener who was also working there, she urged him to take her there with him and at last the poor man agreed to take her with him. 

When he agreed to take her there, she was too much happy, but she never thought she wouldn't be able to see her mother for the last time also, her mom died that day the reason was still unknown to her and whenever she insisted Ashwath to tell her the reason he always declined it.

It was the same day when she first time met him, Her Prince charming.

************

Flashback.

Little Priti was looking at the Singhaniya house with Aww.

She had never seen a lavish house like this, She was looking everywhere like a lost puppy, but suddenly her eyes caught the sight of a beautiful boy around 19 years old, who was playing in the garden alone with a football, She glanced at the boy curiously.

Gardner didn't notice when she left his hand and started to walk in that boy's direction.

She stopped at a safe distance from him and smiled looking at him, He was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen in her life.

He was sweating because of the hot summer but still, it didn't affect his beauty, he was glowing more and was shining like the sun, Slowly her feet moved towards him but she quickly stopped herself when a boy of the same age as him called his name.

"Ayaan Badima is calling you, please go inside, there is too much hot outside."

She understood his name was Ayaan, and she tried to speak that name but failed miserably So, she again tried but again failed, she giggled at her failure while taking the attention of two boys.

Hearing the sound of the little child's giggling both boys turned their heads and glanced at the little girl standing behind them.

Ayaan's eyes moved to her, she was wearing a baby pink colour summer frock printed with the small flower of Lillis, and her hair was long and tied in two ponytails, she was exceptionally cute. but what caught his eye was her skin colour, In simple words she was unique, he had never seen a girl with that colour.

He slowly forwarded his feet towards her, and her eyes widened in horror, she was ready to run away but her leg got tripped and she fell on the small stones scratching her knees and thigh in the process, tears welled up in her eyes and a yelped escaped from her mouth.

But suddenly She felt herself hanging in the air, she looked at the person who was holding her and her heart bounced looking at the boy whose name she tried to pronounce earlier and failed miserably.

Ayaan held her tightly in his embrace and saw her tears, he didn't like it, he didn't know what to say to stop her from crying so he said what came to his mind, "Shhhh...... baby Don't cry."

She glanced at him with her teary eyes and pointed at her knees, Ayaan glanced at her knees, and his heart pained seeing the blood oozing out of it, he kept her down and glanced at Vivek and ordered,

"Go and bring a first aid box."

To lighten up her mood he glanced at her and asked her lovingly while stroking her chubby cheeks, "What were you doing here sweety?"

But when she didn't reply and kept staring at him, he again tried, "Don't get scared of me, I will not harm you."

The words he uttered gave her a secure feeling, she wiped her tears with the back of her palm and replied while hiccuping a little, "I... was.... searching....for Mom"

Ayaan smiled hearing her childish voice, and asked, "Your mom works here?"

She nodded her head, and at the same time, Vivek came with a First aid kit in his hand.

Ayaan took that from him and opened it, he told her to sit straight while spreading her legs and she did it obediently.

All this time Vivek was looking at Ayaan with a shocked expression he had never seen him talking with anyone this nice,

They were brothers but he never heard any nice word from his mouth, but here he was talking all good with that little girl, he felt envious of her.

Ayaan lifted her frock to her thigh to check how many injuries she had but Priti quickly held his hand and said in her childish voice, "Don't look there you are boy, Mumma said it's bad."

"Hahahaa."

Vivek busted into laughter seeing Ayaan's flushed face, but Ayaan glared at him, and said to Priti, "I will not look there........ I.....I..mean....I... I will just wash those wounds with Dettol."

She looked at him with confused eyes but nodded her head.

Ayaan quickly did his work and went inside the house to wash his hands.

When he came back, the sight in front of him left him infuriated.

He saw that Priti was sitting on Vivek's tummy and was laughing with him while he was tickling her, he didn't like that thing, so without thinking too much, he dashed towards them and quickly held her in his arms.

Vivek glanced at the boy who interrupted them and said, "I was just playing with her Ayaan, Why the hell did you lift her?"

Ayaan ignored him and said to Priti while stroking her cheeks, "Let's find your Mom."

She clapped her hand excitedly and nodded her head happily.

Ayaan smiled and asked, "What's your name baby?"

She was about to answer him when Gardner came towards them and held Priti's hand.

"Ayaan baba sorry, she is my neighbour's daughter who works here, Sorry, if she did anything wrong."

Saying this the gardener took Priti in his arms and was ready to walk away with her,

"Rukiye Kaka."

Ayaan stopped him and bent down to Priti's level, he took out chocolate from his pant pocket and kept it in Priti's hand.

He kissed her cheek and got up and without uttering a single word left with Vivek.

Priti was looking at him with a smile on her face, But 15 minutes after that incident her whole world shattered listening to the news of her mother's demise.

**************

That day she saw him in front of her eyes for the first time, After that, she never met him.

But She never forgot that boy and when she started to understand everything she started to follow every piece of news about him.

She didn't forget him because she met him that day when she lost someone so much dear to her heart, But if she knew that it was just the start of losing everything precious to her heart.

When she entered inside, The Competition was already going on, and the guest was giving a speech but he was nowhere to be seen.

She searched for Shreya and saw her sitting in the corner of the hall where all the participants were sitting, so she quickly strolled in that direction.

When she caught her she quickly asked, "Isn't Ayaan coming here?"

Shreya glanced at her and replied uninterestingly, "His health is not good that's why he didn't come here."

Priti felt disheartened thinking she lost the chance of meeting him.

She thought that she couldn't meet him in this life, and leaving that thought in her mind she focused on the competition, which was going on.......