Chapter
Chapter 14
Khushi eyes filled with tears, Arnav as he drove back home looked at her sitting on his left side staring outside the window. He was aware over and over again she will be only thinking whatever Payal said to her. He stopped the car and it was long time after she realized he had done so. She looked at him looking at her. There was a raw pain in his eyes that matched her own pain. She opened the window and hopped out of the car. Arnav shut his eyes and looked helplessly as her body shook with sobs, before he himself made his way out to follow her, to comfort her. He stood behind her and kept his hand on her shoulder.
"Khushi, it is okay," he said, as his this statement had made her cries stop. "Everything will be okay..."
This made her look in his eyes, questioningly. "You know what happened?" she asked, as her voice shook.
First he thought to say no, but that would have been wrong so he admitted it. "I did not want to come in between you both."
She looked away in disgust.
"You know what? She has gone crazy," she said, now more than anything she was mad. "I do not know what does she think of herself."
He rubbed her back and kissed her hair thoroughly. He did not make any kind of comments, who was wrong or who was right. "It happens, Khushi. Just do not think about it."
She tightly hugged him as saying it was the only thing in the world that she needed to feel any better. She was glad that atleast it was him by her side now; otherwise, god knows how she would have pulled herself. It was surprisingly with him on her side she was forgetting how to forget the pain on her own. He kissed her neck. "It is all good, Khushi."
He wiped her tears. "Do you want to go to the beach?" he asked.
"Right now?"
"What would be the best time other than now?"
"Everyone must be waiting for us for a dinner..."
"No worries, they won't mind...But tell me how are you feeling? Your stomach ache and dizziness?"
"It is okay right now, it was much more worst in the morning..."
"Khushi, stop taking stress..."
"From stress I realized that I have exam in three weeks..."
He softly laughed.
"Arnav, failing is the last thing that I want to do now..."
"Do not worry I won't let you fail...And remember no expectations but only do as best you can...Tonight, we can do some studying..."
"Okay, but you must be tired," she said. He looked in a mirror if any car was coming from behind, when there was none he pulled his car on a road and drove to the beach.
***
"If in this house anyone talked about that Khushi, I promise I will leave this house for forever..." Payal fumed.
Her grandma looked at her annoyed, and rolled her eyes, whereas her parents wondered what happened now.
"Payal, what is the matter?"
"What else will happen, that drama queen daughter of your's. Has to go everywhere I go. Had come to hospital. You know what god knows why he decided to make us both sisters. Where in no way, we have anything in common, I just hate her and promise today was the last time I talked to her."
"Payal, you cannot clap with one hand, remember that, if she is at fault you are equally as well. If you have decided not to talk to her, good for you. This might stop interfering in her life," dadi said.
"Who really want to?" she retorted, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Her grandma shook her head. "Shashi, son, can I have a little peace please...For a few days I would like to go to your sister's house.
"Ma, why are you saying this?"
"Please, I am tired of all this, I thought after Khushi's marriage somethings will be okay, I guess it was far way too much to ask for..."
"There we go favoritism again..." Payal taunted.
"Yes, just like your parents liked you over Khushi."
"Mom, why do you think we hate Khushi? She is our daughter, our own blood, she gets that treatment because the way she always behave..."
"Thus the results," Dadi said and didn't wait to say it. "She does not like none of you...You know what? Let us just close her chapter, and let her live peacefully and you can live peacefully as well.." She said and wheeled her wheel chair towards her room.
There was an air of tension when she left.
***
"Khushi, atleast try it..."
"Arnav forget it...I won't get it...I am just so dumb..."
"Khushi, stop underestimating yourself..."
"Arnav, for the past hour you are trying to explain this one thing, but I did not get it at all..."
He narrowed his eyes. "So what, Khushi? Okay, do one thing just read...You do not have to know all this...Just read the chapter, and then tomorrow reread it again and then see something makes sense."
"Okay, if you say so..." she said, and let out a loud cry of complain, "Arnav, this is boring..."
He laughed and put her books aside. "What are you doing?"
"You need a sleep, just go to sleep..."
"You want me to give up?" she pouted.
"No...All I want you to do right now is sleep...You need minimum eight hour sleep then you have to go to uni as well!"
"I am sorry, Arnav, I am failing you..."
He shook his head, "No, you are not failing me, okay? Just go to sleep..." He made her lie down and pulled comforter on top of her as she closed her eyes to sleep.
"Sleep!"
"Hmm..."
"But what are you going to do?" she asked, it seemed like he wasn't going to sleep immediately.
"I have some work to do, but I will be sleeping in few minutes...Okay?"
She nodded her head. "Good night, baby. I am right here, no need to be scared of anything."
She closed her eyes and Arnav picked her books and made his way out of the room, as he gave one glance at her.
***
When Khushi woke up in the morning, she was up with the same nauseous feeling, that she totally hated. She gulped and burped, that made her feel okay. Now she felt too tired to be out of the bed and get ready for the school, but she tried.
"Khushi, get up, you can't afford to fall sick..." she told herself. She placed her feet on a white soft mat. She was going to get up when on a night table she saw a papers. Her heart picked up a race, wondering what it could be, but all her worries died when she saw they were her notes, paraphrased by Arnav.
"Good morning, Khushi!" Arnav said, as he came out of the shower, his hair were wet, and he had his white towel wrapped around his waist.
"Arnav, you wrote all these notes?" she asked, out of curiosity.
"Uh-huh, read them, I hope it is easy for you to understand that concept now...I know I should have let you do it your own, but I promise this was the last time..."
She laughed.
"Okay, now, get up, I will drop you to uni..."
"Arnav, you need not to do this...You should have slept an extra hour..."
He dropped his head to a side and smiled at her. "It's okay, you are getting late, and I have to go to work..."
"Work? What's up with work?" she asked.
He looked at her lit up face. "Yes, officially I have decided to join dad's business and help him..."
Her mouth fell open in surprise, first he thought she didn't like an idea, but as he saw a huge smile on her face, and then she ran towards him and hugged him tightly. "Arnav..." She said, as she was out of words. She pulled away from a hug. "Did you tell this to dad?" she asked.
"No, not yet...But today I will!" he told her.
She embraced him back tight in her arms. He laughed momentarily, and rubbed her back, seeing her happy.
"Arnav, probably this would have been the last thing he wanted...He would be so happy."
"Are you happy?" he asked. She pulled back again from a hug, she couldn't understand why did he ask her this. She cupped his face. "I am proud of you...And dad really needs to relax down a bit. He has done hard work already!"
Mrs. Raizada, smiled as he looked at Mr. Raizada as they both heard their children saying this. Hearing their conversation was not something they wanted to do purposefully, but it was definitely worth it.
"You have sensible children, Mr. Raizada. I told you, didn't I?"
He smiled. As he squeezed her arm.
"Well, I guess it's my time to retire!" he said, with a shrug of his shoulder and lifted his eyebrows up in a guess. He pretended to be sad, Mrs. Raizada laughed.
***
"Hi, Arnav..."
"Hello, baby, what's up?"
"Nothing, had two hours break in between, so sitting at a coffee shop, deciding on what should I drink? It's pretty hot today..."
"Is it?."
"Hmm...Busy?"
"Since I have officially decided to join the business I guess it's much more busy than I had anticipated. It's tough!"
His last sentence was rather said as he had given up. "I realised dad didn't expose me to anything hard...He still hadn't but it makes me think if I could really do it...It makes me question my abilities."
"Let's meet at home, Arnav..." she said.
***
She walked to the balcony, Arnav was sitting in a chair, exhausted. He couldn't
tell she had come until she leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I am sorry, didn't realise you were already here, until Mom told me..."
He held her hand and she walked around him and he made her sit in his lap.
She searched his tired eyes, and ran her hand in his hair.
"What is making you question your abilities?"
He rubbed his eyes and exhaled a puff of air.
"Yesterday, it seemed all good, now I have stepped in, it looks like I don't belong here."
"First step is always difficult, Arnav..." she told him. "But the good thing is you don't have to learn or start from a scratch. You have the opportunity and you have to just make best of it. It's all what our dad worked hard for...You can't question your abilities when you know you can do it and you have to do it. I know you can do it. Our whole family know you can do it! It's not that dad has thrown you in this whole new world, he will always be around. You have the best teacher, probably that's the only thing you want."
She was talking some sense. He didn't know if she realised this, but she had nothing to talk negative here. He liked it. Yesterday he was supporting her, today she is.
"Let's go and eat dinner. I am hungry."
She giggled and kissed his forehead. "Let's go!"
"Oh, how was your day, though?" he asked.
"It was good!" she answered and he closed the balcony door.
***
"Bye, see you guys tomorrow," she waved her hand at her friends (Karan, and Anya) she started walking to cross the street, without realising the car to her left hadn't seen. She landed on the road and her head hit the pillar.
***
"You know what Mom, I just don't know why I feel nervous!" Anjali said.
"About what?"
"As if something bad going to happen?"
Her mother looked at her. "Anji, have some faith in God. I am sure everything will be good...It is just one of the those days when you are not feeling happy from inside.
She shrugged her shoulder, "could be."
"What's bothering you? Are you upset?"
She didn't say anything, in fact she didn't know what to say. "Go out with your friends!" Mrs. Raizada suggested.
"No mom, you know I can't do that...We have so much work to do! And I don't want you to do everything."
"Don't worry, Sweety, I will manage everything slowly..." She assured. "You can go and have little fresh air. I promise you will feel better."
She shook her head. "No, Mom. I guess more I will keep myself busy more I will be able to keep myself away from this negative feeling."
"Alright, whatever makes you happy..." She said.
Anjali looked thoughtfully worried at her mother as she left the office.
***
Arnav was in the meeting with his father as they discussed some paper work, and his phone rang. He looked at the screen and the number on it. "Who is it?" he wondered.
"Pick it up, son. It might be important..." Mr. Raizada said.
"Sorry dad, I will not take much longer."
"Sure..."
Arnav made his way out of the office. "Hello..." he wished.
"Hello, Arnav..."
"Khushi, you. From where are you calling me?"
"Arnav, I am at the hospital..."
"Hospital?" he shouted in fear. "What happened?"
"Arnav, I am okay, but can you please come as soon as possible?"
"Yes, I am coming in no time..." he said. Hearing her scared tone he couldn't have guessed anything good. He wished she was fine.
"Dad!" he hurried back inside the office. Mr. Raizada looked at his worried form. "Dad, Khushi is in the hospital..."
"What happened to her?" he asked matching his worried tone.
"I don't know...I need to go and find it out!"
"Okay, hurried to the hospital, me and your mom are coming as well..."
"Okay, dad..." he said, and rushed out of the office to make his way to the hospital.
***
"I am here for Khushi..." he said to the nurse.
"Oh yeah, she is in ward 500, from here straight then take left. Room number 500 is right there..."
"But what happened to her?"
"She is actually fine. Nothing serious..." Nurse told him. "I walk you to the ward."
"Thank you!" he said; and followed her.
"Here you go," she said; as they reached the ward. Arnav hurried inside. "Khushi?!" Seeing a bandage on her forehead his heart sunk in fear.
"Arnav," she said, and immediately sat straight on the bed. Arnav rushed to her and she hugged him.
"Khushi, how did you get in this mess?"
"Arnav!" she cried. "Khushi, what is it?"
"Arnav, I am fine, but..."
"But what?" he asked as he pulled away from a hug. When she didn't answer he asked again, "what is it, Khushi?"
"Mr. Raizada, she is fine, thanks to the person who saved her life!"
Arnav looked at the doctor, questioningly, but was ready to thank the person. "Saved her life, who? Who did?" he asked, and looked at Khushi.
"Shyam jiju!" Khushi answered.
"Shyam jiju?" he wondered. "Where is he?"
"Mr. Raizada, he is in the ICU. He is suffering a head injury, and broken arm. But we are expecting him to get fine..."
If one thing came in his mind was, it was, how Anjali had reacted to this.
"Khushi, you rest, I let Anjali di know this!" he said.
She nodded her head.
"Doctor, can I talk to you?" he said.
"Yes, sure!" she said and they both walked out of the ward. As soon as they were out, Arnav asked, "Doctor, is Khushi, okay?"
"Yes, your wife is completely fine, expect minor injury to a forehead, which will recover in no time. And you can take her home today..."
"And Shyam, can I see him?"
"Yes!"
***
Khushi tapped his shoulder. Arnav turned around. "Khushi, why did you come here? I was coming..." he said.
"Arnav, Shyam jiju is not well, right?" she asked, as she thought what they were telling about him was not the truth.
"No, Khushi, he is fine, doctor said he will be fine, they are expecting him to get well soon...they said it in front of us, right?"
She nodded. "Arnav."
She said as her voice sank in fear, "Anjali, di...Did you tell her about him? She will so hate me, because of me, he is in this condition..."
He kept his hands on her arms, "No, Khushi, it's not like that...I am going to tell her, I am not sure how she is going to react this...For over five years we didn't see him!"
"It's all because of me, if I were paying attention none of us would have been in this condition..." she again said.
"Khushi, don't blame yourself. It was suppose to happen, and the good thing is you are fine. Shyam jiju will be okay..."
"Arnav, what if Anjali di, thought it is all because of me..."
"No, she won't! I am telling you, you are overthinking..." he said, and looked away from her worried at Shyam.
"Did you talk to him?"
"Huh, no...Not yet...They are doing some tests on him...And he is unconscious as well."
He looked at her scared form and embraced her. "Khushi, everything will be okay..."
"Arnav, I was so scared!" she cried. He cupped back of her head.
He understood her fears, she had already been depressed and this another tragedy, and he didn't know what toll was this going to take on her.
***
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