Chapter 48

"Chun? What happened? You don't want to go to your tent?" he asked a distorted Khushi who still apparently confused as to what was going an looked at him with a big question mark printed on her face.

"Tenntt? Huh teenntt? Whatt tent? I..I mean Mr. Irani didn't tell which tent am I supposed to go in" she said struggling for wards, as Vivek arched his eyebrows at her his eye balls going wide enough, hitting his hand on her forehead to get her back to reality.

"He did. Come with me I'll leave you there. *pause* Mind telling me what happened in the bus that has sent you to fairy land?" he asked her still gripping her hand, fearing that she might stray away somewhere else if he let go of her.

"Nothing did. Take me to the tent I guess I need some sleep" she said her voice showing the variness in it, which made Vive doubt if it really was sleep taking over her or was her mind too consumed up with something else. Apparently figuring out that it was no use asking her right now, he took her to the tent which she was assigned to, being greeted by a jovial crowd of girls from her own class, Priyanka, Vishaka and two from the other Grade 10 section. Khushi smiled an uneasy smile at all of them, stepping inside, took of her picnic bag from her shoulders and kept it to the side of the tent directly skipping on to the top most bed after she had thrown of her shoes to a corner much to the other girls surprise.

"We'll wake you up when its lunch time" they informed her as she groggily nodded at them, the four of them walking out of the tent leaving her alone to ponder over her wishful thinking. Her mind was in bad a state currently and though she thought she was feeling sleepy the moment she realized she was alone, she just couldn't help but feel alerted to think about him for once, just in peace, without anybody interfering in between.

She looked up at the yellow parachute tent the top of it almost bumping into her head when she made a sitting position, for the first time making her realize how cramped up the place was. The yellow walls of the tent seemed to haunt her just now, only to think minutes earlier she had been partying that people had left her alone. Burying her face in the pillow lying on her front, her back up she closed her eyes in a feeble attempt to go to sleep, but only 10 minutes later she had already changed position turning around, and rubbing her eyes, reverting back to another memory. The early afternoon sun was penetrating through the translucent walls of the tent having the tent shine in an inhumanly manner, making her feel like she was captivated in a yellow castle of some sort. She remembered earlier in the week opening her eyes into his room, after what she remembered was a blissful sleep on his shoulders.

"Well then, the best way to do that is, close your eyes tight, and go to sleep. Right now. Right here." He said in a calm manner, as she briefly met his eyes, and contentedly nodded at him keeping her head back on his shoulder, closing her eyes shut she dozed off to sleep.

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Khushi opened her eyes to the morning sunlight penetrating in full force from the open window, making her squint her eyes as she got up from bed and sat on it upright rubbing her eyes furiously to track down where was she exactly. She let her eyes wander about for a few minutes in the room, the familiarity of it striking her as she realized the blend of colors, which could not be found any where in Raizada's house, accept for the one and only- Arnav Singh Raizada's room. Opening her eyes to full extent for the first time she noticed that apart from herself there was someone else in the room, his back turned to her, leaning over the iron stand as far as she could make out in her hazy state.

Thinking that if she thought even one more second about him, she would completely lose it, she jumped off the so called bed, it flimsily creaking away with that pressure she had applied on it to get down, hitting her bum on the hard ground, which was a lot harder than she had expected. Rubbing her bum, groaning to herself in an awful mood, she flung the cover of the tent to one side and stepped out, the entire jungle which when she had walked into it extremely devoid of activity was now suddenly alive with teenager groups hustling around. She walked away aimlessly, victim to the stares of a lot of boys who seemed to have fallen completely for her open hair avatar with only a band keeping it intact. Pushing away the strands of hair behind she walked away from the crowd of the boys tent, and into the lush green jungle of trees, trotting away in her hiker boots. She admired the scenic beauty of the area, momentarily stopping again and again to examine a number of species that were coming in her way. Feeling a bit drained out she sat on the mud, resting her back against a tree, her chests going up and down in uniform manner.

She closed her eyes for brief moment and opened then again to see her surrounding darkened, but quickly it struck to her that it was only a shadow of someone that was over coming the light of the sun around her and in a giffy she was on her feet, turning around swiftly, only to find Karan and Arnav leaning towards her looking at her with an odd expression.

Once the sound was over he turned around only to feel someone touching his body, and punching him hard on his chest. By assumption, he stopped those hand in mid way, and spinned whoever's body it was to the end of the cupboard, successfully pinning whoever was this mystery attacker.

"Leave me alone, who are you?" Khushi cried out in a muffled tone, finding hard to get over her fear and at the same time find a bold voice to face this unknown intruder.

"Gupta is that you?" He asked annoyed, at the resemblance of the voices of that one girl who had disrupted his life, and of this merry victim of his show of power.

"Raizada! What the hell are you doing here?" she asked back in horror, rising up her pitch, so that now it was echoing in that enclosed space they were trapped in, causing Arnav's ear to ring, and his hand immediately from her shoulder, clasped over her struggling mouth.

"You two! You nearly knocked the breathe out of me!" she said irritated, wiping the beads of sweat off her forehead, as the two boys exchanged looks with each other, looking back at her who was too self indulged in wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Gupta, what are you doing here?" Arnav asked her his voice laced with concern, as she wondered for the best answer to give him, since apparently she herself did not know what was she doing in the middle of the jungle right now.

"Erm, I don't know. I didn't feel sleepy so I just came out." She said honestly, not really good with making up answers, even though her mother frequently called her a drama queen, but then that was definitely an over estimation of her abilities. Even though the boys hadn't bought her explanation they told her to come along with them for the lunch table, and she happily nodded, walking beside Arnav, but somehow now she was seeing things with a completely different eye, something in her was definitely changing about him, it was only a matter of time when the feeling would get a name.

They had almost reached the campsite when she felt something was wriggling on her legs and she bent down to examine a long centipede camouflaging it self in the murky mud. Removing it away from her skin she got up and walked away with them only to be stopped again this time with a large gash of blood flowing out of her leg. She stopped back wincing in pain trying to wipe the blood off, which kept oozing out without any mercy.

Arnav realizing that he couldn't feel the crunchiness of the branches underneath her when she walked by his side, looked forward to see Karan way ahead of them, and then turned back seeing her leaning on the ground towards her left leg which was covered with red blood, mercilessly coming out. Making a sprint towards her he bent down just right by her side touching her leg as she met his eyes looking at him slightly ashamed of herself.

"Never are going to watch your step are you?" he grumbled madly at her, examining the gruesome cut on her calf, and racked the pockets of his bermudas for any cloth but most disappointingly, other than his cell phone there was nothing in there. He helped her get up from the ground as she still looking lost looked at him allowing him to carry her out. It was the same history was repeating itself, this time again she was walking however he was in too much of a hurry what so ever and picked her up in his arms, making her yet into collecting memories mood.

"Can you walk?", he asked back worried, his sight stuck on from where her blood was coming out non stop. She nodded her head her face pale, the color drained out of it due to the pain that she felt, and she tried to take a step forward but couldn't without his help, being forced by physical circumstances, slid her hand around his waist clutching onto it as he kept his arm around her, helping her to walk. After a few steps or so, she just couldn't let go of the pain it becoming unbearable for her to bear, as tears trickled down her eyes, with every painful step that she took. Not being able to take in her pain, he bent down keeping his hand under her knees and one around her back lifting her up in his arms much to her surprise who looked in confusion into his eyes, which were looking straight ahead at the road.

"At this rate, we would never be able to reach your home today", he said grimly, her hands winded tightly around his neck, she looking at his face in what was an emotion of affection, embarrassment, and another one which was fairly unknown to her. He kept his sight fixed ahead well aware of the fact that her eyes were on him, but he was trying his best to not maintain eye contact, which would only result in the worst for the two of them.

"Let me on the ground Raizada, you can't carry me off like this!" She struggled in his arm causing him to tighten his grip more on her waist, as he met his eyes angrily, full of annoyment for her childish actions. Khushi gazed into them with a fiery look her self, trying to make him realize that this time they were not alone he couldn't put up such a public act in front of everyone, as if things between them were not very complicated already.

"Don't act like I am carrying you for the first time. We both know this had happened before" he replied back to her in a straight face as she stared blankly with at his face, surprised at his audacity to commit to things without even flinching for a second.

"What? Are you mad? Why don't you understand this time it's different, we are in a public place, not alone" she said her eyes still holding that look of importance which he wasn't even paying attention to anymore.

"Who told you I am taking you from the main route? Me and Karan just earlier discovered a hidden route to the camp which is completely isolated" he sighed ridiculously at her stupidness, as for the first time she turned her eyes away from him to see the path they were taking and realized it was not the same one which she come from earlier. Looking down in embarrassment, she stopped moving now and let him carry her for the rest of the period without saying anything. It was 10 minutes later that she saw the yellow and orange colors of the tent being seen and her heart raced to see if he was even right about no spotlight, or if anybody would see them like this. She tightened her hold on his neck moving upwards in his arms as he looked down his eyes on her, searching her curiously.

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Aparna Gupta hustled about the living room, getting all the necessary things that she would need for the two days,that she was to stay at the Raizada house. Their was a hollowness in her that grew every time she thought of the surname Raizada, and the long lost memories that she had associated with people of this surname all her life. People like him. People who deserved so much better than her, and yet they had chosen her over everything. Too bad she couldn't return the favour, she had always chosen wrong.

Shaking her head in despair, trying to knock out that nauseous feeling off her self, she gathered up all her medicine checking the doctor's prescription yet again, to see if she had taken all her medicines correctly. Feeling a bit weak and feeble she moved towards the couch to take a moment of rest, but at that very instance the door bell rang, and she shaking her head admiring the work of destiny proceeded towards opening it.

Outside Anita and Arjun stood at the Gupta doorstep, Arjun still unaware of the presence of what lay beyond the closed door that he was right now standing in front off. Shifting his sight to admire the small garden, he noticed the similarity in the flower pattern to that which he very closely related too. It was the same one. The same one which she had in her house, back then. At New York. This was Aparna's way of gardening. His mind blurred with memories, he looked around some more, to see the ragged wooden sign which he upon entering had completely not noticed now, the word carved in black that registered to his sight, caused him to turn his neck sharply to see Anita tapping her legs in anxiety.

"Ani..ta..this is.." Arjun began, his voice extremely cold. But before he could even get the chance to complete his sentence, the white washed door before him flung open and in front of him stood her, the women, the female that made his life mater all the more, her, Aparna Malhontra. His senses seemed to have gone numb seeing her standing there, as her eyes mirrored the same shock that he had absorbed himself into, taking two steps back at a time, her entire body shuddering with the effect of what stood on her front door.

Aparna could feel her breathe constricting, and heart almost stop breathe, when her eyes wandered around him, the same meery blue eyes, perfectly chiseled face, now a a lot more mature then she had last seen, flexes that showed that he was in the military, however that feeling of fondness about his bold persona could not be neglected in any case.

Anita looked at the two of them, and it felt like something had crashed upon the two of them, leaving them to both succumb to a shock that they were hardly prepared for. Tears started streaming down Aparna's eyes as a whole bundle of joy, sorrow, guilt and memories consumed her up, the similar feelings of going through so much wrath being portrayed on Arjun's face.

"Aparna." He murmured to himself, his eyes locked with hers, as together a number of dialogues invaded their minds.

"Arjunnn! It's not fair give it back to me! I can't roam about with my hair open!"

"You'll need a bit of hard work sweetheart to get that one from me."

"Nautanki!"

"Don't give me shit like that, you understand? Don't."

"Because you told me to. You needed another second and I intended to give you that. After all its not a lot of times that you ask something from me."

"What would I have done with another second, if it meant you not being with me in it?"

"I cant be in your every second Arjun. I dread to say this, but there could be a time where you would have years without me, and you'd still be living, living a life without me"

"Are you going to choose our 19 year old friendship over that pervert's 2 year old drama?"

"Yes"

"Arjun." She said out loud, her words unsteady due to the way she was quivering with the multiple number of feelings that were running wild inside her. He was standing right in front of her, and yet it felt so unreal, so un true, she didn't know if it was the guilt talking or her, but one things was clear- things weren't the same anymore.

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nav_bat2012-12-17 05:52:19