Chapter 5

5. ONCE UPON DREAM.

Nani: you can't enter with the girl just like that chotte!

Arnav: what on earth nani! Cut the crap and please speak softly.

He made an attempt to walk in again but nani commanded him to stop there itself. He cursed under his breath but also noticed every one trying to hide their smiles.

Arnav: what is going on in here?

But before he could complete mami came forward and cautiously draped a red dupattta,

which he recognized as his mother's wedding veil, across her and then nani and Anjali

proceeded to do the arti. A familiar sense of being at home washed over him. He was

overwhelmed and so was the family. They saw how their chotte held her face across his

chest even closer while arti, shielding her as if the little smoke would burn her. They were

awed by the love arnav showered upon her. And vowed to shower her with the same.

He placed her on the extra' soft bed a though she would shatter any minute. Covering her

with his comforter he started at this angelic being who for him was a synonym for lifeline.

She was his and he was hers and they constantly reminded that to each other and that was

he believed the reason why he felt so depressed when she failed to reciprocate his love.

That apart, he knew his love for her was enough for both of them, enough to be passed

down to a couple of generations. Nut those generations would exist only when she loved

him back right?

Dropping a tender kiss on her forehead he moved ahead to bring his plan into action, which

he felt a bit too dramatic but drama came along with the khushi package' right? He was well

aware of what he signed up and now he wanted to sign her up for a lifetime and beyond. He

set the room just the way it was when in New York. He started hanging photo frames of all

size and shapes on the wall. Each picture nurturing a fond memory, some intimate, some

crazy, some happy and some in love. With one life sized portrait of them , standing close,

arms in arms , placed in the center of the wall, opposite to the bed, he set everything in a

manner which was too good to be ignored and proceeded to hide near the poolside. With

his finger crossed he sat in silence. Like a thief waiting for the right time to steal. But in his

case he was all set to steal her heart again. With his heart beat racing miles per seconds

he watched her wake up. Unexpectedly, he woke up to stare right into his eye. damn! He

thought. He giggled and called out "hey arnav! Why are you hiding..." her voice trailed off

when her eyes ran through the room, the entire feel of the room familiar to something that

happened once upon a dream. The fairy lights, the painted walls and memories. Still

confused she climbed out of the bed not caring once that she just saw arnav hiding

somewhere like a kid playing hide and seek (love those biscuits btw!) expressionless, she

walked towards the smallest frame not once sparing a glance at the huge one. Her fragile

form fondled that particular memory. It was an accidental click taken during their "stealing

glances" stage. It was an after party; both were standing in different groups talking, when

their gazes locked accidently for the 100^th time in an hour. But this time she had a shy

smile playing on her lips while his eye conveyed the same. But how did she remember

that? She frowned moving on to another frame and her cheek immediately tinted red. It was

a picture of a khushi no scratch! A drunken khushi who was wildly kissing a not o drunken

arnav quite publicly. But how did she remember that? Moving on it was a picture of them

dancing. She was a beauty in red while he was a charmer in black. She looked like a red

rose that bloomed on spring while he looked like the dark that engulfed the day. But the

universe has its own set of rules. Magnetism they say, a property of being attracted to

opposites. But how did he remember that? Did she know him before? Maybe she did. How

else could she recognize him? Back then she was not so unstable to just go ask a person

randomly "aap wohi ho na?" Or was she? Her mind buzzed with flashes of her being

someone she was not right now.

Hi! Am khushi gupta, the new recruit...

You must be ASR!...

Leave me alone!

You know nothing about me arnav! So stop judging me.

You bet! I never lose

It's the first time ever that I lost. Unbelievable!

stop chanting what the!...you've made my life hell with that!

Agree or not my ideas are always better

Well we could just agree to disagree..

You are right. Maybe we can call it truce.

You know what? It's fun working with you.

OMG! I never knew the great ASR cold cook!

Am proud of you.

Do you miss your maa.

Don't worry. It'll be alright.

You can cry in front of me. It's ok! I won't tell anyone.

You should laugh often it makes you look younger.

.

Yes! I mean no..i mean yes. I mean yes, I will go out with you.

I had fun tonight.

Everything is fair in love and war.

I can't imagine life with you either.

Yes! I will marry you!

I love you more!

Khushi gupta now no longer contained the child-like glint in her eye. they were now

expressionless but not for long. As soon as her mind started absorbing the vivid yet clear

images of her life the spark she once held returned. She smiled a full smile. And turned

around to find an arnav facing his back to her, lost in thoughts . she tip toed to the poolside

with guilt swallowing her. How could she be so ignorant? How could she let him suffer? How

could she not realize that she had too love him back! No it was not a compulsion but for her

loving him back was the only excuse of staying alive. He hugged him ever so reluctantly,

her hands sliding up his chest like those good old times. His eyes shot open as wide as

possible. This couldn't be happening but hello! It was. He turned around immediately

cupping her face. She had her eyes closed in an effort not to shed a tear. He noticed her

form. She was as fragile a ever what was difference was her mannerism.it was more sober,

more matured more like the khushi he knew once. And just how once upon a wishing star

he kissed her eyes upon, he did the same now. he looked at her and she looked at him.

With an ever so faint hum of rabba ve playing somewhere in the vacuum of their confusion,

illusion or hallucination they finally realized it was a reality. More like he realized it was not

a dream.

Khushi: arnav!

She uttered his name in a broken voice while he healed her with a kiss. A kiss of passion,

the kind they shared while they ignited passion. Just like the way the line rhymes, their

kiss was rhythmic, a melody. A melody with lyrics of silence, beats of the heart and a

background score of nature sighing deeply at the young love. The universe is deathless they

say and the e universe is created out of love. It was the god's love for u which made him

create us. The universe evolved through water. When water fell in love with chemistry it

created little water beings and the love floated throughout creating the most beautiful races.

Mankind was born out of love, you and I were, and arnav and khushi were. There are so

many arnav's and khushi's out there who die every minute for love, if not physically, they

wreck internally. But the universe even if it loves us , doesn't stop moving on for them

because it knows that true love always survives. It survives in the last breath of an old man

dying in the arms of his wife. It survives in the last smile of the young lover when he bids

good bye to his beloved. It survives in the tear drop of a mother who loses her husband. It

survives in the eyes of two getting married. It lives in the tinted cheeks of a honeymooning

couple. Its cherished with the symbol of a love. it survives in the goodbye of a soldiers when

he hugs his love for maybe the last time. It fights every odd and last but not the least

love survived when arnav looked into khushi's eyes and when they closed them together.

And their they lay together , feeling their heart beat stop, skin to skin, heart to heart, lips to

lips and breaths ebbing together after living life to the fullest and after passing on the love to

the generations already arrived, and generations yet to come but not before asking for the

last time " aap wohi hona?" in a croaked yet extremely happy voice and the usual answer

came as usual with a weak nod but a powerful kiss, kiss of love...a kiss for a life time and

beyond!...

THE END.

it was an amazing journey all along!😊 thank you all for holding up with me and my delayed

promises😃. Fatima ( devilindiguise) for being an honest critic all the while and shadan for

being an honest friend🤗, not that Fatima isn't! 😆. i dedicate this work of mine to all those

who are in love and believe it will survive . to all the girls out there inside whom, a khushi

kumari gupta lives to all those who are due falling in love. lets love and let people love! love

you all ❤️

regards,

heckwidif (hadiqua)😉