Intertwined - Tangled series (Overprotective famous brothers)

A New Life

Alisha

"I rule in the favour of Mr. Salman Khan, who will continue to be Ms. Alisha Khan's legal guardian."

That was it. I didn't really care about what else he said, I didn't give a damn about what piece of evidence it was that got to him or what part of the constitution it was that was protecting me. All I knew was that I was going to be with my family, my real family. No man could snatch me away from them.

I looked at Salman, who was smiling wide, while big fat tears rolled down his cheeks. We maintained the dignity we were supposed to until he read out the entire judgement, and I held his hands under the table. So tight, tight like the bond we had. I was his sister, he was my brother, and nothing could change that.

The judge told us to get my birthdate fixed everywhere to the real one, which was on the 7th of June. It didn't matter to me, to be honest. I didn't care if I had to change my birthdate to a few weeks earlier. I knew my true birthday was when I found my family, when Salman adopted me, when I got a new life.

The judge also ordered us to make sure all legalities were completed when it came to new papers and what not, which I knew the legal team would take care of. My father had no choice but to give up. He could, of course, appeal higher. But I knew now that we would win, and from the look on his face, he knew as well.

The judge told us that as we petitioned, we got a restrictive order against that man, and he would not be able to be in a 100 yards radius unless specifically granted permission by my guardian. Salman smirked a little in the general direction of my father at that moment, and I knew exactly why - he would never let that man close to me. So he was out of my life.

He was out of my life.

I let that sink in as the judge rose and feet began shuffling.

"We won." Salman picked me off my feet, hugging me. I held on to him, and he didn't let go either. We won. Nobody would separate us.

"Love, it's okay. We're good." Arbaaz hugged me, followed by Sohail. He swirled me around like a baby and I cried out in joy, as well as a tad bit of fear. He kissed my forehead and told me he loved me, and that he would always stand up for me when it came to big men threatening me. I told him he was being sexist and I could protect myself, to which he laughed.

How I missed them.

"My baby!" Malaika squealed, hugging me the last. She rubbed my back and let me go, smiling wide.

"Let's go home then." Arbaaz asked and we all chorused a big yes. Thanking the team of lawyers, we stepped out of the court room and into the mayhem of paparazzi. They already knew the judgement, and the congratulated us, asked us to talk about how we felt. I doubt they needed words though. The tears mixed with grins was like an open book. My family was intact.

Safe love, no worries.

I woke up at 5 am in the morning knowing exactly what day it was. It was the day we celebrated Arhaan turning three years old.

My little nephew, who was the apple of my eye, was three years old. I remembered the first time I saw him, bundled up in sheets, smiling in his sleep. His skin was tender and his fingers so little, I was afraid to touch them. The first time he opened his eyes, my heart skipped a beat. Those blue eyes were the most beautiful thing in the world. I had sworn to love and protect him with everything I had in me. Three years on, that promise only got stronger. I could not imagine life without my little nephew, who so lovingly called me didi, his elder sister.

We were still in LA, and it had been just two days after the judgement. We had kept a low profile, just going out for movie screenings of Salman's next venture and getting food at drive thru's. I trained with Lauren, and Salman went for his shoot. Sohail hooked up with a stranger, as I knew well, and Malaika went shopping with Arhaan for his birthday while Arbaaz just stayed home to unwind. Life moved on just as it had been before, just as we wanted it to be so desperately. Never before had I been so grateful for the kind of lives we led than the past two days.