Oh, finally — I reached home after a long, tiring eight-hour flight. I was waiting outside the airport when...
Bhai came rushing toward me and hugged me tightly — practically crushing my bones.
"Bhai! Leave me! I'll die like this!" I groaned, squirming in his grip.
"I missed my little brother so much. The house was so lonely without you!" he said, squeezing me tighter.
"That's understandable, bhai — I missed you too. But this happiness of yours won't last long if you keep hugging me like this," I muttered.
"Oh, my bad, little brothy," he teased.
"No, bhai, please — not with this brothy thing again. I'm not a little kid anymore! I'm a grown man now, look at me!" I said, flexing my biceps dramatically.
"Okay, brothy, as you say," he smirked.
"Seriously." I huffed, dragging my luggage toward the car while he laughed behind me.
He'd always called me brothy when I was a kid. It was cute back then — now it was just plain embarrassing for a 22-year-old man.
Once I got comfortable in the car, I let out a loud sigh.
"Ugh, I'm so damn tired. Packing, the traffic, the airport chaos — I've been awake since yesterday. My body is screaming for rest."
Bhai loaded the luggage into the backseat and got in.
"So, how was your flight?"
"It was good, bhai. Just a little exhausting."
"Understandable. Let's get home. You can rest properly there."
"Hmm," I murmured, already drifting into sleep as he drove.
_________________________________________
I felt someone shaking me gently. When I opened my eyes, Bhai's face was right in front of me.
"Wake up, lazyhead. We're home," he said.
I hadn't even realized when I'd fallen asleep.
As I stepped out of the car, I saw Mom running toward me.
"My dear, lovely son!" she said, wrapping me in a hug.
"Mom!" I smiled, hugging her back and resting my chin on her shoulder.
I had missed her so much — she was my comfort place.
"Oh my... what have you done to yourself?" she said, cupping my face. "Look at you — so dull, and those eye bags under your eyes..."
"It's nothing, Mom. Just tired from the flight."
"Alright. Go freshen up, have something to eat, and then rest."
"Okay, Ma."
"Oh hello! Look who we have here — our psychologist!" Papa called out from the entrance.
I chuckled, walking up to hug him. "Hello, Papa. How are you?"
"I'm good, doc!" he laughed, giving me a pat on the back.
"You can catch up with your 'doc son' later," Mom said to Papa. "Let him rest first."
"Okay, Mrs., as you say. Though I'm more interested in you than your son," Papa grinned.
Mom glared at him while Bhai and I chuckled.
This. This is what I had missed — home.
_________________________________________
I walked into my room and smiled as I looked around.
Mom had kept everything the same. Nothing had changed — the books on the shelf, the curtains, even the small football trophy I had won in school.
It felt like a memory that had been waiting just for me.
I went to freshen up. As I returned, Mom entered with a food tray and smiled.
"My dear son," she whispered, stroking my hair.
Her love — gentle and warm — brought a smile to my face.
"Eat and rest, okay? You must be tired."
I nodded, quietly finishing my meal as she left the room.
Lying down on my bed, I whispered to myself,
"Ahh... what a tiring day. It feels good to be back."
A soft yawn escaped me.
"Let's see how my new college will be..."
And with that, sleep took over.
-----
The alarm rang — loud and annoying. I groaned, slapped it off, and buried my face into the pillow again.
Knock knock.
"Get up!" Bhai's voice came through the door. "You're not sleeping all day. Come down and eat something."
Still half-asleep, I dragged myself up and got ready.
I threw on a black t-shirt with black cargo pants — simple and comfortable — and headed downstairs.
Everyone was already at the breakfast table.
"Hi Mom. Hi Dad," I said, sliding into my chair.
"Hello, baby," Mom smiled, ruffling my hair.
Dad nodded at me with a quiet smile. Bhai just sat there grinning, clearly enjoying the little reunion.
"So," Papa said while sipping his tea, "how was your experience?"
"It was actually good, Papa. Studying psychology really opens up your mind. Makes you see things differently," I replied, meeting his eyes. "And about living there... not too bad, not too great. A mix. But overall, it was worth it."
Bhai leaned forward. "Have you thought about where you'll study next?"
"Not exactly," I said. "I'll check out some local colleges and see which one fits best."
Everyone nodded, and we finished breakfast with light chatter and smiles.
---
Later in my room, I sat on my laptop, scrolling through college websites.
To my surprise, there were quite a few good ones here.
After discussing it with Bhai, I finally picked one that stood out — Guru College of Science and Education.
We decided to visit it tomorrow.