Lesson Learned - ArHi SS | Completed - Page 11

Chapter 7 - I am Home

Arnav felt a funny sensation at the pit of his stomach, while Dean continued to curse at Castiel as the surroundings changed. Ignoring them Arnav looked around and brimmed with joy- he was finally Home!

'Great now where are we?' Dean asked.

'Di! Khushi!' Arnav yelled calling for them.

'His home?' Dean asked exasperated

'Khushi! Nani, Mami!!' he yelled leaving Dean and Castiel's side.

Relief spread through his entire being as Khushi came running towards him, Arnav raised his hands welcoming her into a hug as he noticed her tear-streaked face, she looked like she hadn't slept for days.

'Pretty chick' Dean remarked. 'and you treated her this bad the entire time'

Khushi came to an abrupt halt and continued to look at him with searching eyes. She stepped towards him lost in some other world, her eyes were looking at him, yet didn't see him. Arnav felt she was in some sort of stupor and had really suffered in his absence. It seared his heart to see his Khushi like that- broken, withered.

'Khushi' he whispered beckoning her to come and hug him, assuring her that it was him indeed.

Khushi broke into fresh tears as she hid her face in her palms and turned away.

'Khushi!' he called.

'Arnav' Castiel began 'She can't see you, we haven't traveled back in time, m just showing you what happened' he explained.

'Okay' Dean interrupted 'How about you drop me home, and have fun in this lala trip. Sam must be worried'.

'Sam's not a kid Dean, and you need to stop behaving like one.'

Shyam entered the scenario, and grinned gleefully as he stared at the house 'Finally! Finally It's mine!' he gloated holding some papers in his hand. 'Now it's time to show the Raizada's their proper place'

'What the hell?'

The surroundings around them changed once again and Arnav along with Castiel and Dean stood at the terrace of some building, there at the corner stood Khushi staring down with tears settled in her pearly eyes.

'She's not gonna jump, is she?' Dean muttered his body tensed as he was met with the urge to save her.

'Arnav you left' she began 'How could you do this to us? To Di? Why wouldn't you believe me?' she cried. 'Di hates me just like you Arnav. Nobody believes me' I would never - I would rather die than-' she stopped not completing her sentence 'It's all my fault' she wiped her tears bracing herself as she stepped closer to the edge. 'I tolerated your hate Arnav, but I can't make do with your absence'

Arnav ran towards her and stretched his arms to hold her back, and watched with disbelief as his hands passed right through her and she fell, her hair flying, her dupatta in the air whiffed away by the wind. The last chime of her anklet echoed and the last tear made it's way from her eyes as a loud thud echoed around the lane and his Khushi hit the ground breathing her last.

'No KHUSHI!' Arnav yelled grief overpowering his being as he watched with moist eyes the growing patch of red around his Khushi.

The surroundings around him changed once again.

'You haven't lost everything Arnav' Castiel spoke in a business-like tone.

Arnav gave him a loathful glance as he sunk to the ground, not having the energy to carry his own weight.

'Cass' Dean began with hopeful eyes 'You can get her back, you can bring her back to life'

'I can't Dean' Cass replied 'It's too late'

'Why didn't you save them when you could!?' Arnav yelled. 'You heard Khushi! They needed me! None of this would have happened if I had been there! It was because of you! Because of the stupid lesson! It was your responsibility to look after my family damnit!'

'It was not my job to look after your family' Castiel reinforced his words 'My Job was to teach you your lesson'.

'Cass since when did you stick to your job rules? I thought you were different!' Dean argued.

'Dean even you know it. One way or the other, this is Destiny! No matter what choices you make this is where you stand at the end of it all' he emphasized.

'This cliff point!?' Arnav asked incredulously. 'Back in this stupid world?'

Castiel nodded 'You have a family. Alive. You can stay here forever. It's your choice'

Arnav charged towards Castiel in anger with the urge to plummet him into a ball, he didn't care how much power the angel had, or what possible damage he could do to him. All he cared about was to hurt him.

Arnav felt a blow at the side of his face and went tumbling back. 'What the?'

'You should thank me dude' Dean barked 'What the hell are you thinking charging at him like that?'

'You don't interfere-' Arnav growled.

'You stop trying to hurt my friend' Dean retorted 'It's your fault jerk, All of this happened because of you, I heard her alright, you didn't believe her at the first place. She would have never wished for any of this if you hadn't been such a jerk to her!'

'Why do I always deal with Kids?' Castiel sighed as he tore the two apart, restraining them from ripping each other's throats off.

'Arnav, decide now, You want to stay or go back to your world?'

'I would rather die while trying to kill you'

'Oh really! I would like to see you try' Dean mocked.

'Let's not talk about what you aren't capable of' Castiel directed his words at Arnav.

'You asked me why I had no faith, this is the damn reason. What happened to the lesson Castiel? This is what I get! My family ruined in my absence? Ofcourse I want to go back! Hell living here would be an insult to my family. I am not selfish alright!'

'Great so now that it's decided, Cass let's end this' Dean announced.

Castiel nodded.

Arnav blinked his eyes twice as he found himself standing all alone outside his house. Anger pulsed through him as he heard Shyam's boisterous laughter echo through the front doors. Arnav barged in and blasted the door open, shock and disbelief rippled across his body as he saw his family, his Khushi by the dining table smiling while Anjali held her protruding belly. Her eyes amazed with a comical 'O' forming in her mouth.

All eyes turned towards him and like a herd trained to react in a similar fashion, they all came running towards him with worry etched in their features.

'Chhote!' Anjali cried 'Chhote where were you? We missed you. We were so scared!'

Within a moment his family stood around him, throwing questions at him one after the other. None making any sense, nor wishing to; they were just glad their Chhote was back. Arnav hugged his Di with one hand placed on her protruding belly, her child ready to come into this world. His heart swelled with newfound joy, as he felt the baby kick. He looked around to see his family gushing out happy tears.

'It kicked again!' Anjali squeeled, and everyone broke into a fit of giggles.

'Did you feel that Chhote?' Anjali asked. Arnav nodded as he looked around at his family. Khushi stood among them wiping her tears as they continued to fall.

'We were worried Arnav, you have been gone for days, No calls, nothing..' Akash sighed.

'Relax guys' Arnav muttered, his voice gone hoarse from all the yelling earlier.

'Let him sit first' Someone remarked

'Get him a glass of water'

The entire family fussed around him for over an hour with Anjali not leaving his side for a second as she complained about his never-ending absence.

'Chhote you didn't take the flight to London, where were you all this while?'

'Di please relax, I will tell you everything later' Arnav sighed as he held her next to him.

Khushi got him some food laden in a tray and Anjali spoon-fed him with her hands. He didn't protest smiling at her caring nature.

Anjali's smile dropped as she noticed Khushi standing at the side with a painful smile. 'Khushiji, take Arnav with you, he needs to freshen up first'

Arnav immediately took the cue and headed upstairs feeling Khushi's soft footsteps as she walked behind him. He gazed at her sideways and held her hand in the process, maintaining a firm grip. He felt her eyes on him, and looked back at her passing a smile as she visibly tremored at his actions.

Once they entered their room Arnav clung onto Khushi as if his life depended on it. 'I am sorry Khushi, I am so sorry' he sighed, his heart pounding hard. 'Please forgive me'

Khushi froze. She hadn't expected him to react like that, nonetheless it was his discomfort, his anguish that made it hard for her to just stand there.

True she had been worried like hell about his whereabouts, she had imagine the worst of the worst and spent many sleepless nights, but all of them seemed to be nothing compared to the solace she now found in his arms. She hugged him back and tried to assure him.

'It's okay Arnav Ji, It's okay'

Arnav sighed as he heard the prefix 'ji' added to his name. How dearly he had missed her. This was his Khushi.

'I believe you Khushi, I Love you, trust me'

Khushi's back went iron rod as her hands froze detaching themselves from him. What was he saying? Was it really him?

'I am sorry Khushi, I will take care of everything now, I will Kill that Shyam. I will make it alright Khushi, I promise, Please forgive me Khushi, please'

Khushi felt Arnav's tears against her skin as he maintained his steely grip on her.

'Arnav jji-' she stammered.

'I am really Sorry Khushi, please forgive me'

Forgive? Him? She had never held a grudge all her life. She felt life was too short to keep them, but Arnav had hurt her a million times over and over again. It was tough to embrace him, yet she didn't know what she could say? Now, when he was so vulnerable, when he was seeking her forgiveness. What could she possibly say?

Arnav broke the hug and stared at her questioning eyes 'I know you have many questions, many doubts, but right now I need to know one thing Khushi, Do you truly forgive me?'

Khushi felt her insides eating her up, he had sensed her hesitancy in forgiving him. Hell even she didn't know as to why she couldn't do that. It was this voice inside her, the distraught Khushi who had been stabbed at again and again by this one man whom she had loved. Yet today here he stood seeking her forgiveness, why? How? All those questions he had kept aside, he wanted an answer from her first. How was it fair?

'Khushi please, do you forgive me?' Arnav asked again, hope leaving him.

But then he was assuring her of all that he had never given her. Trust, Love, Care, Respect, all that she had only dreamed of until this day.

'I do, I truly do' she sighed finding it easy to breath as all knots inside her untied themselves, as she let the past become a blurred image. Important was not what had passed between them, it was all that which had changed between them.

Arnav once again embraced her into a hug satisfied, overwhelmed, while a puzzled Khushi closed her eyes as she took a deep breathe in, keeping all the questions aside for later, and silently listened to Arnav's heart taking a steady pace, a rhythmic humn. A beautiful one mingled with hers.

--

'What the hell was that Cass?' Dean asked as he stood by his baby, his Impala.

'Welcome Back!' Sam muttered shutting the door of the Impala a little too loud, his frustration evident.

'Dude! Be gentle with my baby' Dean reprimanded.

'Cass? What the hell?' Sam asked.

'It was Arnav Sam' Dean sighed 'poor bloke lost everything'

'What?' Sam asked surprised 'Cass you said it was a lesson, what happened?'

'Arnav is fine and good to go, Nothing happened to his family' Cass declared

'What?' Dean asked surprised.

'That was his last lesson, he could either live in that illusion I had created or he could go back to an already ruined live as I wished him to see'

'Okay come again?' said Dean.

'He chose whatever was left of his family Dean. He made the right choice. His family is perfectly fine, but what I made him see was the fate his family would have gone through, if he hadn't learned his lesson.'

'Okay why did you take Dean along then?' Sam asked.

'Because that was a lesson for Dean as well' Castiel remarked.

'Oh come on Cass, For me? In that chick flick?' Dean laughed.

Yeah for you Dean' Cass emphasized.

'Really and what's that, huh?' Dean sighed

'That's for you to find out'

That said Castiel was gone.

'What was that about?' Sam asked.

'No idea' Dean shrugged taking a bottle of beer from the container in the car and that ended the discussion.

Dean knew what lesson Cass was talking about. And hell he didn't need any lessons. He knew there was no future with Lisa and Ben. When he walked out the door that night, he had ended everything. But Cass had questioned his inner thoughts, feelings he had never wished to share with anyone. Anger that his life had to be like that, disappointment at his father's upbringing, worry for his brother who had just gotten his mutilated soul back and jealousy from everyone who lived a perfectly normal life Unlike him. He hated the mess he had as a family, but he was happy with whatever he had left of his family. Lisa and Ben had parted ways with him, It was the bitter truth that had come his way. And all Cass was saying was that Family mattered. It was only right to have let them go, they would be safe without him in their lives. And Sam, his younger brother, he had to be with him, look after him, have his back because that's what Big brothers are supposed to do.

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A/N: Sooo How was it? Boring? 🥱 Lengthy? 😕 Crappy?

No chappal's please 😛

Thanks for reading 🤗

Love Zee :)