Needless to say, the paragraphs in light blue is the past.
ArHi FF: Yeh Saali Zindagi
Chapter 28-C
10th August, 2004
"Remind me again, why do I need to go with you?" Lavanya grumbled, running brush through her hairs before tying them into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Dressed in a simple yellow kurta with big red motifs carved at the hem and black leggings, she looked beautiful.
Busy in her perusal of slipping on her sandals, Khushi glanced up, looking cute in a similar yellow kurta and black leggings with a red scarf wrapped around her neck. She smiled, flipping her open hairs nonchalantly, staring at her back "Because you are my best friend. And I need you."
"Try again, sweetheart." Lavanya ordered loudly, pressing her lips together to hide her pleased smile.
Letting out a chuckle, Khushi stood up and walked toward her. Circling her hands around her best friend's neck, she leaned onto her shoulder and stared at their reflection in the mirror "Please Lav. When Kartik first asked me out, I thought I can handle it. But after listening to him talking about it all the time in college, I am nervous. What if I screwed up? It's my first date after all."
Tugging at her hands, Lavanya broke out of her embrace and turned to face her, fixing her with a stern glare "First, you won't screw up. You are way too perfect for it. Second, it was your decision to not date anyone in high school and that's why it's your first date. Clearly you need to go out more. Third, that guy should be grateful to you for agreeing to all this. You are too good for him."
"Got it, Mom." Khushi mocked her, sarcasm dripping from each word.
Ignoring her reply, Lavanya picked up her purse and turned to Khushi, linking their arms together "Let's go, then."
Stepping out of the room together, they approached the stairs when Khushi asked anxiously "What if he didn't like the fact that you are coming with us?"
"Then we will kick his ass out of the house. We can have our usual sleepover. We will watch a movie, eat lots of ice cream and gossip a bit. Coming to think of it, it's a much better idea. Are you sure you want to go out?" Lavanya replied sassily, wiggling her eyebrows at her suggestively.
Khushi looked away, biting her lower lip in worry. Lavanya laughed.
"Don't worry, yaar. I am sure he won't mind." She replied, assuring her silly, romantic-at-heart friend at once.
Khushi smiled.
Just then the doorbell rang making them look at each other. Lavanya smirked "Let's see who can get to the door first. Shall we?"
Khushi gasped. Together, they ran down the stairs, elbowing each other to race ahead and reach to the door first, laughing loudly at their silliness.
Not knowing that it was their last time together in the house.
"I don't get you. All I have read about that particular incident is that you two went out together with a friend of yours. How is it about you?" Shaking his head, Arnav asked curiously.
Khushi smiled, her eyes filled with regret and torment. Looking down at her feet, she whispered "Ten years ago, I started for college along with my best friend, Lavanya. She had been my best friend since kindergarten. We did everything together. Unlike others, she always understood the pressure I was in as my father is a politician. We always understood each other."
She stopped abruptly as if gathering courage to utter more words while Arnav looked on, not saying anything at all. He knew the inner battle waging inside her mind and heart.
With a sigh, she continued "The moment I entered into college, I found myself being pursued by students for friendship, favors, everything you can imagine. Apparently, they knew about my family. Everyone there tried to be my friend. No surprises there. I never liked this kind of attention though and would have quit the college altogether hadn't it been for Lavanya. She was studying there on scholarship. She wanted to work and earn her identity. She wanted to be independent. If I had quit, she would left with me as well. I never wanted that. So I stayed. In a week, I managed to make peace with everything and started to enjoy my college life as much as I can. There was a guy in the final year of political science. His name was Kartik."
"You were attracted to him." Arnav concluded, looking uneasy.
Khushi nodded "Yeah. Since the first day, I kept bumping into him. We would stare at each other whenever we met. I could tell he liked me as well. Lavanya said that I will have a boyfriend soon but I never thought about it. After a week, he asked me out on a date and I agreed. He made plans of taking me out for dinner and then movie. I started feeling nervous and asked Lavanya to come along with me. Sensing my distress, she agreed. Kartik too acted like he didn't have any problem with it."
She smiled, "We three went out together, ate dinner, watched a movie and had fun. It was the best night of my life."
Hesitating for a moment, she added with resentment burning in her eyes, her lips wobbling in grief "And worst night of my life as well."
"God we had so much fun together. Didn't we, Khushi?" Lavanya exclaimed, laughing as she leaned onto the back of the passenger seat, staring at her best friend. Khushi turned her head, looking over her shoulder and laughed in assent.
"Yeah we did." Kartik replied, staring at the pair of them through the rear view mirror.
Turning her body sideway, Khushi pressed her hand on his shoulder and whispered softly "Thanks for tonight, Kartik. We really enjoyed it very much."
"Yeah, thank you, Kartik." Lavanya sang from the back seat, giggling softly as Khushi turned to glare at her.
"Pleasure is all mine ladies." Kartik drawled, grinning.
"Oh I wish this night could go on." Khushi and Lavanya moaned together in disapproval, looking unhappy as they knew that they were heading to home.
An awkward silence hung inside the car after that while Khushi and Lavanya looked out of the window.
"Then it doesn't have to end." Kartik murmured softly to himself, his eyes lighting up suddenly. He smirked, a strange expression settling over his face, making him look cold and evil.
Lavanya turned to look at Kartik, frowning "Umm, Kartik, where are we going exactly? Our car is on the highway. This is not the way to home at all."
Khushi turned to look at him as well, frowning. They watched carefully as he scanned the rear view mirror once again and spotted something which pleased him very much and made him smile. His feet pressed the breaks as Khushi exchanged a doubtful, worried glance with Lavanya.
As two bikes pulled up on the either side of the car, he turned towards them and spat "Hell."
"We were heading home in his car when it all happened. Lavanya and I were so lost in the euphoria of our first outing since college started that we didn't notice the signs until it was too late. Kartik drove the car on the highway, opposite the way to our home. He pulled up the car at the end of it when two bikes stopped along with it." Khushi said, lost in past memories.
Arnav gripped the mug tight, restraining himself from crushing it into pieces in his hand as anger spiked in his mind realizing where this was going.
"Kartik, what's all this?" Khushi demanded, looking panicked. She watched as he pulled out the key after switching off the engine. Pushing the door open, he stepped out at once, auto locking the doors behind him when Lavanya and Khushi tried to do the same.
Pressed against the closed windows of the car, Khushi and Lavanya watched as two guys on the bike stepped down and walked to him. They conversed with Kartik quietly, gesturing in their direction once in a while.
"I don't think we are going to like where it is going, Khushi." Lavanya whispered, her earlier happiness and contentment nowhere to be seen.
"What are we going to do, Lavanya?" Khushi wondered aloud, sensing danger at once.
"I don't know, Khushi. But whatever it is, maintain a steady eye contact with me. Okay?" Lavanya ordered, already plotting something in her mind. Khushi nodded quickly.
As the guys turned to look at them, Lavanya froze while Khushi whimpered in fright. Feeling numb, they watched the distance between them closing off slowly. They gasped as the door flew open at once, hands grabbing their body and pulling them out at once forcefully.
Hands groped their body without any shame and hesitation, eyes leering down at them.
Recovering quickly, Lavanya pushed the guy off her roughly before proceeding to do the same with the guy holding Khushi. Hugging her sideway, she glared at the three of them and snapped rudely "What the hell do you all think you are doing?"
She turned to Kartik at once "What the f**k, Kartik? I didn't expect this from you."
Kartik grinned, looking more like a stranger "I am sure you and your friend didn't have any idea about what to expect from me, sweetheart. You weren't even included in the plan. But who am I to protest when your friend wanted to bring you along? "
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lavanya roared, not showing the fear creeping inside her at all.
"You think I tried to woo Khushi because I liked her? Not a chance in hell. If Shashi Gupta wouldn't have been her father, I wouldn't have looked at her twice." He sneered, settling his dark gaze on a petrified Khushi, breaking her heart at once.
"You bas***d!!!!" Lavanya swore, trembling in rage.
Kartik laughed humorlessly, joined quickly by other two guys "You can call me that as well, sweetheart. You see, Shashi Gupta refused to give me the ticket to his youth party few months ago and I don't take no for answer. I wanted that ticket very much. I had been looking to find a way for it when you and your friend joined the college. And I saw my opportunity."
"If you think you can enter into Shashi Uncle's youth party by terrifying Khushi like this, you are sadly mistaken, you bas***d. He is going to tear you into pieces, you asshole." Lavanya threatened.
Kartik scowled "You think I am a fool? I know that already. But it isn't what I had planned for tonight as entertainment."
Pointing his finger at Khushi, he continued "I am going to enjoy that little, sweet body of hers while my friends here will snap pictures of it. With those pictures in my hand, I will force Shashi Gupta into making me the leader of the youth party, while publicly announcing me as his successor and future husband of his only daughter."
"You are sick, Kartik." Lavanya ground out, hugging Khushi tight.
He grinned coldly "Don't worry sweetheart. You are going down the same way. Sad you aren't his daughter. You are exactly my type. Feisty, beautiful and sassy. I would have enjoyed it more if it were you."
Letting out a groan, Lavanya glared at him in disdain and hate. As he reached to touch her, she slapped him hard, pushing him back.
He staggered, falling to the ground while the other two rushed to help him, "You bitch."
Lavanya turned to Khushi at once, silently urging them forward, commanding her friend with her eyes to run for her life.
Together, they ran not looking back at once, ignoring the wolf-whistle and catcalls coming from behind them.
"It was all for my father's party. That night, I hated him and myself more than ever. All I wanted was a normal life. But I never had that because of him." Khushi revealed, her eyes blazing fire.
Arnav nodded, understanding the emotion very well.
"We ran together on the road, away from them, trying to stop any car which passed by us. But no one stopped, wary of the little scene we were creating with three guys chasing us. No one wanted to get involved in it. Soon, we realized that we aren't going to get any help from the passing by cars and that the guys were getting close to us. We turned and ran inside the forest at the side of the road at once, hoping to gain some distance between us and deviate them. We continued running, not caring about the wild shrubs, trees tearing into our clothes and skin. Soon, we managed to disappear from their peripheral vision."
Hiding behind a huge rock, Lavanya and Khushi leaned against it, panting. Keeping a hand on her chest, Lavanya looked out and whispered "We lost them."
"Thank god." Khushi murmured, breathlessly.
Shooting her a concerned look, Lavanya replied "But I don't think we can hide here for the rest of the night. They will manage to find us. We need a plan. Where is your phone?"
Cursing out loudly, Khushi spat "When they yanked us out of the car, my phone fell to the ground, breaking into pieces."
Lavanya closed her eyes in regret and anger before quickly opening them and looking down at her.
Khushi watched silently as Lavanya uncoiled her bun, letting her hairs fall free on her back. Walking to her, she yanked the scarf away from her neck before throwing it on the ground.
"There we look alike now. Even if they managed to find us, they will not be able to tell which one is you from behind. Now, hear me carefully, if they come here, we are going to separate and run in different directions and we are going to get help. You hear me?" Lavanya instructed sternly.
"But..."
"There is no scope for objections in this situation, Khushi. That bas***d won't blink twice before raping both of us. He is sick. At least, this way one of us will be able to survive from all this. God, how could I not see how manipulative he is before? I could have saved both of us from this situation." Lavanya hissed, looking furious.
Khushi sobbed "It's all my fault, Lav. I shouldn't have dragged you here. I am so sorry. I can't..."
Lavanya hugged her quickly, her eyes softening with love "Don't you dare apologize, Khushi Gupta. You just wanted your best friend with you. You and I, both didn't know this was going to happen tonight. So don't."
Khushi cried harder.
Clearing her throat, Lavanya stared at her with glossy eyes "Listen, if I didn't manage to make out of it alive, please tell my family I love them. You remember my dream don't you? Graduating as a lawyer and then helping others. Will you live that dream for me, Khushi?"
"You aren't going anywhere." Khushi hissed stubbornly, denying the possibility at once.
Shaking her head, Lavanya smiled sadly "We don't know the future, Khushi. If I made out of this situation alive while you didn't, I will live your dream of becoming an interior designer and being a part of a family. A real family. Promise this to our friendship, will you?"
Letting out a cry, Khushi nodded, hugging her tightly as if she didn't want to let Lavanya go, ever. Rubbing her back, Lavanya croaked, her voice choking with emotions "I love you, Khushi. "
"I love you too, Lavanya."
With a final squeezed, Lavanya pushed her away and shouted "Run."
They ran away from each together, looking back for a last glimpse at each other, their eyes full of regret and pain. Of losing this special bond.
True to what Lavanya had said, one of the bike guy started chasing her while the other two ran behind Lavanya in the opposite direction mistaking her for Khushi.
Closing her eyes, Khushi forced herself to run faster, knowing that she doesn't have much time if she wants to help her friend. She wouldn't let her friend go, Khushi vowed.
With the guy chasing her falling behind before stopping altogether, Khushi ran towards the road, waving her hands wildly to stop a car passing by when she heard the wild cheer, followed by a shriek, full of protest before she heard few slaps.
She froze, hearing as the cries rang in the air, inhuman and full of pain.
"No.No.No.NO!!!" Khushi turned around, ready to run back to help her friend. This wasn't supposed to happen to her. It was her fate. She won't let it happen.
"Run, Khushi. RUN. DON'T COME BACK." She heard another shout, directed at her, as if sensing what she was about to do.
Covering her mouth, she sobbed uncontrollably and turned back to the road, throwing herself in front of an upcoming car, waving and begging it to stop, looking desperate. But it drove ahead, throwing her to the side with a sickening crunch.
Her forehead banged against the ground, followed by the overwhelming pain emanating from her broken leg. Resting her palms on the ground, she tried to pull herself up to get help for her friend.
But she couldn't. She lay there watching as cars drove past her, tears falling as her ears registered every cry full of pain, defeat and mercy before it stopped altogether.
On her hands and knees, she crawled off the road, towards the side when the surface beneath her gave away, her body falling into a pit of dust dug specifically to trap wild animals.
And she closed her eyes, not caring anymore.
"I woke up in the hospital after 2 days, only to receive the news that they stabbed her to death after raping her repeatedly. My family was relieved to see me alive but I wasn't. I begged my father to make those bas***ds pay for what they did but all he did was releasing a statement according to which, the incident happened after I went home. I wasn't there. When reporters asked about me, he said that he sent me away as I was very much disturbed by the news. It broke my every hope." Khushi said blankly, looking too much calm.
"God, it was..." Arnav struggled to find words, stunned after hearing everything.
"I know." Khushi smiled sadly.
"What happened to them?" Arnav asked quietly.
"They got out of the jail on temporary bail after a month. The case was eventually closed because there was no witness to it. The families of those bas***ds managed to buy every other evidence. My family didn't let me go to the hearings at all. I was trapped." She answered, looking angry.
"What about Lavanya's family?" Arnav asked curiously.
Khushi's shoulders drooped a bit "I went to her funeral but her mother threw me out immediately, blaming me for everything. She said that I killed her."
"But you didn't." Arnav protested.
Not paying any heed to his words, she continued "Somehow I was responsible for it, Arnav. Anyway, my father might have managed to keep me out of everything, hiring doctors for my recovery and therapy. But he didn't manage to buy peace for my mind. Soon, I walked out of the house, staying at a hostel while studying for LLB, determined to keep my promise."
"And what you did about Kartik and other two boys?" Arnav asked, raising his brows quizzically.
Turning her head to look at him, Khushi asked "Why do you think I must have done something with them?"
Shrugging his shoulders, he shot back "I know you."
Khushi smiled "After 6 months, I bought my first pistol mentioning some security issues as my father is a politician. I got permission for it soon. I started practicing. Soon, I got a hang of it."
"Now I know how you managed to shoot that man efficiently in the club back then." Arnav butted in his words light and teasing.
Khushi flushed, spluttering "I was just trying to save you."
Arnav smirked "I know. Continue the story by all means."
With her eyes turning dark, she met his gaze "You know, I was doing all this because I was angry. I was angry over how they managed to live free while my best friend died. I was angry over how their horrendous act ruined my whole life. Back then, I got to know about them appearing in court together for some character certification or something. I was planning on shooting all of them that day. I was standing right there when they all came out, with my pistol in hand."
"Oh tell me, you didn't..." Arnav murmured, looking strangely pleased about it.
"But before I could shoot them, someone else did. Apparently my father had hired some professional shooter finally heeding to my pleadings. With a bullet lodged straight between their eyes, they died on the spot." Khushi answered with a smile.
"Did seeing all this made you happy then?"
Khushi stood straight, stepping away from the railing. With a sigh, she collapsed in the wicker chair behind her. Clasping her hands together, she looked at them "I didn't feel happy. I felt sad."
"Why?" Resting his back against the wall, Arnav whispered his question.
"Because I felt that it was too easy. They died so quickly. I wanted them to feel the pain and struggle when life leaves your body, just like Lavanya must have felt. Even if I had shot them, I couldn't have been satisfied with it. I wanted them to pay for their crimes for the rest of their lives but they didn't. This is the only regret I have." Khushi revealed, saying words she carried in her heart out for the first time.
Squatting down in front of her, Arnav grabbed her hands, rubbing his fingers soothingly over the back of her palms, peering up at her grief stricken eyes as he said "That's life, Khushi. We can't determine the after effects and emotions of our decision. We just have to move on."
Squeezing his hand, she blinked as tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision "That's what I fear the most, Arnav. Moving on in my life feels like a curse to me. What if I screw up? What if I make another mistake?"
Smiling gently at her, he raised her hands, brushing his lips against them patiently "Then you will have to get up and try once again to move on."
Shaking her head, Khushi whispered looking broken "I can't do it, Arnav. You don't know why exactly I would have stayed back, if you would have left with Manyata. Whenever I look at Manyata, I see a girl full of love and life. I fear that someday I will ruin that as well. I feel that maybe I hadn't been friends with Lavanya, she might have lived. I feel cursed, ruining everything I love. I breathe and live this fear. And I don't want that to affect her as well. She is so pure and innocent."
Tugging at her hand, Arnav pulled her close with a breath distance between them. Looking into her eyes as if stripping and knocking down every wall, apprehension she had always built her choices on, he spoke slowly as if gluing pieces of her broken heart together "You won't ruin anything Khushi. Trust me when I say this. Manyata is everything to me and I trust you with her. You know what that means right? That I know you have love for her in your heart, you will always decide what's best for her. That if I die tomorrow, you are the person I want to look after her."
"Don't put so much faith in me, Arnav." Khushi begged, touched by his words and belief shining in his eyes.
Arnav smiled "I believe in your abilities, Khushi. You and I went through so much but we managed to grow out of it. I know you. I trust you. I like you and someday I will sure be in love with you."
Khushi stopped breathing, her eyes widening in shock.
Smiling at her widely, Arnav looked down at his watch and exclaimed "Dammit, it's past midnight already. Come on, we should go to sleep now."
He stood up, his hand outstretched in front of her, waiting patiently. Still sitting, Khushi stared at it, thinking.
With a sigh, she grabbed it, getting up, knowing that they have taken one step ahead. She smiled as he kissed her forehead before pulling her into the room.
She was looking forward to moving on, this time without fear.
Because she knew, he will be there to catch her if she fell.
Okay, I am shivering in fear and nervousness. Do tell me your opinions,
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