The Most Unromantic Romance: A FF
Part 5:
Being the first day, there were no full-fledged lectures. After being introduced to the subjects, syllabus, the scope of the course and the faculty who would be dealing with those subjects, the students were left free for the day. Khushi reached her bike when she was surprised to find Payal waiting for her.
Khushi pinched herself to see whether what she saw was real. Payal floundered with her words, "I---I—don't know h----h--------how to start what I wanted to say. I know you'd understand me."
Khushi saw that Payal was really disturbed. She asked her in a concerned manner, "If it's something I can do, I surely will try. What's the problem?" Payal explained in brief everything that had happened in the class. She also told Khushi how she didn't want to be the butt of ridicule a second time. But at the same time, how would Krithika aunty react if she wore clothes like the ones Akaash suggested?
Khushi had a brainwave, "Aunty , I mean Mother India will have a problem if she sees you in that dress. You wear your old clothes when we start from home and change yourself into new ones which we are going to shop today in the girl's dressing room. Again while returning home; you get back into your old clothes. Howzat?
"Sounds good but-----" Payal, a little bit hesitant. Khushi encouraged her, "No! Sounds excellent! Let's not waste any time. Sit on the back seat. We're in this together, baby!"
At the other end, Arnav had just waved a goodbye to Lavanya. His heart was beating erratically even though it was just the first day. Why was he unable to watch her going farther and farther from him? He had to do something about it. He called up Akaash, "Hi, Aks don't wait for me. You go alone. I've some work."
"What man? This is the first day and work already?" Akaash sounding little bit suspicious. But he knew his friend enough to tell if he was determined you couldn't argue with him.
Arnav blessed his lucky stars that Akaash had not questioned what work he had. It would be a little bit delicate for him to share his real motives. And what a day it was! He had said "I LOVE YOU" to a girl whom he had hated and even got slapped by her.
After attending the class, he had discovered one more reason to hate her. She was the Khushi Bajaj who had secured the first rank in the entrance test and snatched the scholarship from beneath his nose.
But when he thought back, it was also the most memorable day in his life. He had met Lavanya who resembled his ideal dream girl. He would give her a surprise tomorrow. He would buy her a gift.
Arnav had just finished selecting his gift. It was a beautiful glass globe with a boy and girl dancing to the music. He was climbing down the stairs of the shopping mall when it slipped from his hands and fell down shattering into a thousand pieces. Why did anything right never happen in his life? Why was he in for disappointment every single time? He had selected this gift for Lavanya with so much love. Why did it have to break?
While he was thinking like this his eyes fell on a chart holder beside the broken globe. He opened the lid of the chart holder and found three paintings in it. He kept them back in the holder. That night after Akaash had gone to bed, he spread those paintings before him and pondered.
They were pieces of the same puzzle. Or so he felt! He looked beneath the painting to see if there was any name or address. It was just signed THE FIREBIRD with an E-mail ID having the same username given beneath each painting.
In the first painting, there was dark room in which a large and brilliant firebird with majestic plumage glowing brightly with feathers of multitudinous shades like red, orange, pink and yellow is imprisoned. A small shining feather of this bird is detached from its body and flown away by the west wind to the distant lands into the hands of a handsome prince.
In the second painting, the prince is holding the feather in his hand and battling a severe thunder storm full of gale and fury which prevents him from moving forward and reaching the firebird that is his ultimate destination.
In the third painting, the prince has released the firebird from its captivity and holds it as carefully as one would hold the most valuable treasure of this world. In his arms the bird gradually begins transforming into a beautiful and soulful girl.
Truly Arnav had never seen anything to equal this. He was sure that the painter was a girl and she had summed up her entire life in these paintings. Very interesting! He mailed the username he saw in the paintings--------
The same night, Khushi was frantically searching her room. Payal asked her, "Why are you turning this whole room upside down? Have you misplaced something?"
Khushi replied, "Looks like it. My chart holder in not there in my bag. I've searched the entire room also."
Payal asked, "Is it important? What's there in it?"
Khushi answered, "Just a few paintings!" Though she appeared nonchalant before Payal, those were not just a few paintings to her.
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Hindi TV Shows
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
293