My Savior: Chapter 3
"Hey!"
A husky voice sent the greeting as soon as the door was opened.
Khushi's lips stretched, though not entirely, as she noticed the dapper man infront of her- his two hands hiding in the pocket of his black trouser, his lips curved into an ever-charming smile- the kind that makes your own lips stretch a little even in your worst mood, his day old stubble, and his hair perfectly gelled back.
"Hi!" said Khushi sheepishly, biting into her lower lip.
"Andar ane ki ijazaat hai, ya bahar se hi chali jaun?, finally popped the question as Arnav waited for Khushi's offer a little longer than expected, though thoroughly enjoying the checking out session he was showered with. He had to bite his inner cheeks to save himself from the chuckle he would usually let out when he finds himself in a situation where he is clueless about whether to be proud at himself for pulling off the suave look or embarrassed due the ogling, though today's case was entirely different.
"Oh I'm so sorry! Please come in."
As he entered, he looked around the house. The house had every bit of classiness, with polished furniture, elegant showcases and wall decors, canvas paintings, a huge quatrefoil black and white garland rug in the middle and most importantly, a floral touch in everything in the room.
"Wow, I'm quite impressed with the effort you put in, in decorating the house! Love it!"
Khushi looked at him incredulously. She wouldn't lie, she put her heart and soul in decorating this house when they moved in here with her buaji, garima, and payal. Buaji and Garima being busy with handling the business and Payal being her usual self, not giving a single hand in helping her with any work, Khushi had to do everything on her own. She never considered the house or anyone in the family as someone else's due to the fact that she has been ill-treated since the she entered this house. She had always told herself that regardless of how she is treated, she should always be grateful to this family for taking her at her lowest point, when she had no food, no money and no shelter. So no treatment can ever compensate for what they did for her when her parents passed away, and doing the household chores is the least she could do for this family and getting a bit of taunts in return for something she did wrong cannot be injustice, after all, it is them who is tolerating her, spending money on her for her accessories and academic studies when they always had the option to abandon her in the street or leave her at the orphanage.
But one thing Khushi had always urged for was a little gesture of appreciation, may not all the time, but once in a while wouldn't do any harm, will it? No matter how hard she worked to impress buaji, regardless of the extent she would go to make Garima slump that cold shoulder and turn to her to embrace her in her motherly hug, regardless of how many times she helped Payal with her homework or anything regarding her life, at the end of the day, all they gave her was taunts, and bitter words that would slice her heart into two.
So now that she did get that appreciation from this 1 week old counsellor of hers, she couldn't but get surprised and throw that look a mixture of shock, surprise and incredulity.
She was about to thank him when a question struck her, making her frown.
"Wait..How did you know I decorated all these?"
Stopping in his tracks, Arnav turned around before walking backwards until he was right infront of her. Turning around, he leaned in, too close for her own good.
Khushi's breath got hitched due to the proximity. Gulping she was about to straighten herself but Arnav flickered her nose whispering, "I can read minds!"
Rolling her eyes, she took a few steps backwards before crossing her arms.
Chuckling, Arnav answered, "C'mmon Khushi, Anyone would guess. You love flowers. From your outfit to your jewelry to your shoes, everything has a floral touch. So does this Living room. So I just made a smart guess."
Shrugging, Arnav went to the nearby table to put the bag he was holding.
"This is for you, put it in the fridge! It's already melting
Peeking into the bag, Khushi chirped, "Pistachio Ice cream!! Haven't had it in so long. I love Ice-cream
"I'm glad, Chuckled Arnav. "Oh and these are for you too, flower girl, said arnav as he took out a bunch of Orchids from the bag.
"They're beautiful!" , exclaimed khushi with her cheeks turning crimson at her new nickname. She took the flowers from Arnav. "I'll put'em in my room.
Arnav nodded smilingly. As khushi went to put the ice cream tub in the fridge, Arnav went around to see the living room, watching the photo frames hung on the wall. He saw a huge family photo hung of a girl of Khushi's age, a lady in chiffon saree hugging her, beside her was a man at the age, perhaps, 50, and on the left was another lady with long braid in salwar kameez. Another photo was of the same girl in her convocation day hugging the lady and the man. There were a couple of other random photos of them, the man probably trying to make something but it seemed he failed terribly as all the flour was on his face while he was holding a steel bowl, on the other hand, the girl was laughing her heart out. An automatic smile curved Arnav's lips and he just knew what a lively and happy family it is! Suddenly something struck him. Khushi was nowhere in the photos. It was just them. he checked the small frames beside the sofas but in vain. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"Shall we go to my room, Mr Raizada?, asked khushi from behind as she, coming back from the kitchen. Arnav turned around as she continued, "My books and laptop are there, I guess it would be more convenient instead of bringing everything in the living room. If that's fine with you that is!
"Yeah whichever works for you! I'm cool with anything"
"Alright, this way please.", said khushi as she turned around and gestured him to follow.
"Khushi, spare the Mr. Raizada, will you? I feel like a 50 years old man. Just call me Arnav.", offered Arnav, as indeed it sounded too weird, especially coming from her. Khushi stayed quite to which he decided to change the topic as he sensed discomfort.
"Looks like you have a great an great family! So you have a sister as well?"
"Ji. Payal jiji is two years older than me. And then there's buaji, and chachi. My chachu passed away." , Khushi stated as a matter of fact, as though she was only giving away information and nothing more. There was no emotion that naturally reflects on someone who genuinely loves her family.
Arnav looked at her intently as they walked up the stairs, "And what about your parents?"
Khushi knew that was coming. She wanted to avoid the topic, but now that it has come up, she didn't want to lie.
"They passed away in a car accident when I was 10", revealed khushi dryly as she kept walking up.
Arnav's feet came to a sudden halt as the divulgence of the matter threw a huge blow at him. His thrat felt extremely dry, and a bulge started forming, refraining any words. His heart constricted painfully as the mere thought of Khushi going through such a critical phase of her life, while not having the shadow of her parents dawned upon him. It threw him off balance as the boundless started hitting him hard about her wellbeing, how she managed all these years, whether she is getting what she needs in this house, whether she is claiming her rights properly, whether she is getting the care and love she rightfully deserves from a mother figure. Especially after what he witnessed in the living room, it made him more restless. A throbbing headache started building up all of a sudden.
"You okay, Mr. Raizada?"
Arnav moved his palm from his forehead and looked up to see khushi at the end of stairs, looking down at him, concerned.
"Oh, umm... yeah. Sorry!"
As they entered Khushi's room, Arnav had to blink his eyes few times to make sure he's in his sense and not hallucinating. Out of all the luxurious rooms in the Bungalow, Khushi's room was hardly the size of his spa bathroom in his mansion. There was just a single small fan on the ceiling, no air conditioner in the scorching heat, a single tube light, a small study desk with a broken chair, and a single sized bed that looked at least 15 years old.
Arnav started feeling suffocated, suffocated at the sessions of disclosure he has been a part of for the past couple of minutes. The pent up pressure in his heart started splintering him into fragments. He, for the next couple of painful seconds, wanted to provide this deprived soul with the much needed solace and the warmth of his cocoon, though he knew it wouldn't compensate for even one-fourth of what she needs or has been crying to get. Yet, his protective instinct was about to act upon when khushi called.
"Mr. Raizada, I think we should move to the living room. You're sweating. I'm sorry, it's pretty hot in here."
"Uh... n-no. No it's alright.", stuttered Arnav, still not being able to come to terms with the revelation
"You sure?", asked khushi concerned
"Definitely"
Nodding, khushi turned on her laptop. As she logged in, a picture of a beautiful lady in a sea green saree hugging an old man popped up. And without any explanation from anyone, he knew it was her parents. She was just a reflection of her mother, so pure and so beautiful. Their eyes and smile were just carbon copy of each other's.
"I'm sorry for your loss." , was all he could utter at that moment. The lump in his throat wasn't allowing him to speak any further.
"It's been a long time. I have got used to it. I hardly miss them anymore" , said khushi, not making any eye-contact
Arnav looked at him intently. He noticed every single move, from the little painful gulp she took before replying to the quick work up of her fingers to pull up the file, presumably, to get away from this conversation, to her limitless attempt she was making to stop the tremble of her lips by biting them and the formation of tears in her eyes.
Arnav shook his head as, for the first time, he realized what this girl had become. The deprivation of love, care, warmth while in need at the toughest phases of her life just left her build this unknown shell around herself. She hated to share. She just hated to let anyone touch the sensitive part of her life. Hell, she even feared to let anyone enter that shell, let alone share!
"This is my presentation. My topic is..."
And the next fifty minutes went by with Arnav explaining the different points of the subject khushi was having problems with, giving her ideas on which parts she should be focusing on as well as pointing out small loops here and there that the prof might deduct mark on. As complicated as the topic Khushi for her presentation might be, he had to admit, khushi had an Einstein's brain. She would catch the point in just a snap of the finger, she would point out the most crucial points of the topic and would ask questions that are so deep for the brain to comprehend for a general university student in third year that he was sure she was hell of a deserving student and much worthy for the topic that she chose to present on; the only thing she needed was the right direction and this girl would do wonders. And he was more than happy to provide her with anything she needed and beyond.
~~
khushi finished presenting for the 3rd time due to Arnav's demand as he wanted to make sure she's all set for tomorrow. Being the perfectionist he is, he wanted to everything to go smooth and nothing wrong, especially when he's the one in charge and when it is her in the subject.
"Perfect!", exclaimed Arnav proudly. "Just speak with the same level of confidence and make sure you make eye contact, as you are right now. Your presentation seems perfect, and I don't see anything missing in terms of information or explanation. You're all set to go!"
Khushi sighed worriedly, "I don't know! I always prepare myself but when I go to the class, I forget everything. 100 students will be looking at me as if I committed a crime. How do I make eye-contact in such situations?!"
"Who said you need to look at them. Just look at the wall or whatever abstract object behind the students. Don't worry, the teacher won't check with an instrument whether you're actually looking at the students or the wall. That much, I can guarantee!" , said arnav with utmost seriousness before chuckling at khushi's reaction.
"Very funny!" , khushi shook her head.
"Alright khushi, I should get going. I have to be in the hospital within the next hour. I have a late night shift.", spoke arnav as he stood up, checking his phone.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry for keeping you busy with my work. Did you have dinner?"
"I will grab something on my way. Don't worry!
"Oh no, that's not happening. You're gonna eat here and I want no argument on this."
Arnav smirked at the authority she spoke with, as if she owned him.
"Yes ma'am!"
Khushi finally smiled before exiting the room to arrange dinner in the kitchen.
~~
"Err..khushi? Is it alright if I look around the house? Like, could you show me the bedrooms and all? My cousin is actually planning to buy a bungalow and I'm pretty sure he'd love something like this one.", lied Arnav.
Truth to be told, he still couldn't believe how someone could just abandon a person as innocent as Khushi, physically as well as spiritually, despite living in the same house. Or is there something he doesn't know? May be there is some renovation going on and so khushi was given that room for just the time being? Or may be all the rooms are like that? he wished one of the assumptions is correct. It is better to live a poor life than a life where you have to bear inequality, and cruelness every single day, it is better to live a life where everyone is equally deprived and still living with love and care for each other than a life where the family is rich but the richness is only in terms of wealth and not in hearts, where isolating and discriminating someone is the power of living happily ever after.
"Sure!",
And as she opened the door pf Payal's bedroom, Arnav's hopes were shattered in a mere blink. The room so huge that 5 of khushi's "bedroom will fit within this unnecessarily luxurious four walls. The room had everything, from a huge king sized bed, to polished floor, to huge Almira to a fancy dressing table which had all kinds of cosmetics spilled up, to huge photo frames and wall decors, to a spa bathroom.
F*cking Assholes!
~~
"Wow you made so many things in such a short time. You really didn't need to do all these. Thank you!, said Arnav as his eyes fell on the paneer curry, vegetable and rice on the table.
"This is the least I could do for all the help today. I honestly wouldn't be able to do it without your support. Thank you! ", said Khushi timidly, stretching her lips.
"Pleasure is all mine!"
They both sat to eat, while khushi served him first, making sure she's serving the correct portion by making eye contact as he smiled and nodded each time she served.
Arnav closed his eyes as he let the delicacy of the paneer in his mouth sink in, the taste of the curry taking him to another world. He couldn't help admitting that this was the best Paneer dishes he had in a while.
"This is extremely delicious, my god! What did you put in this? I feel like I will eat away every last drop of this curry!"
Khushi didn't know how long she held her breath from time time she saw Arnav taking that morsel in his mouth till he finally commented on her cooking. She finally let out a breath of sigh. She didn't know why but she wanted him to like it. She had this sudden restlessness when she realized he would be tasting her food for the first time. And when he did like it and not just that but showered her with such a huge compliment, she couldn't but feel tear in her eyes. Never in her life had anyone compliment her for her cooking, or anything for that matter. She had been coking food for everyone in the family since she was 15, and never had her buaji, garima or payal said a word two about how good the food was. she never expected them to say something the this level , of course. But at least, appreciate her effort, especially when she's managing the entire kitchen on her own for her buaji, chachi and payal, making their breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as whatever they wish to eat, regardless of the time, the hope of some appreciate builds up naturally. And so, today, when Arnav said all those, she couldn't but choke in tears.
Although Arnav didn't know any of those, he made a fair guess behind the reason of Khushi's tears. Leaning in, he cupped her cheeks with his free hand as his thumbs automatically wiped away the tears that streamed down her cheeks. He didn't want to bring up her past or the topic of her family and ruin this beautiful moment between them.
"Okay?", asked Arnav
Khushi nodded and looked at him gratefully.
The next 20 minutes, they chatted away while eating, Discussing about various things, mostly Arnav talking and Khushi listening intently, cracking a joke or two once in a while as he ate, they both ate peacefully, with each other's company to their heart's content.
"Alright, I'm gonna leave. I have to be at the hospital in the next 20 minutes. Let's pray the traffic shows a little mercy today"
With that Arnav started texting away someone on his phone while getting up to leave, as khuhsi followed him.
"wait!"
As Arnav turned around, he almost staggered back in shock what happened in the matter of two seconds.
He found khushi taking two long strides and wrapping his left hand around his waist in a light hug before saying, "Thank you for everything today, Arnavji!"
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Phew! Finally done writing this chapter 🥳 Extremely sorry for the delay. But this might go on for the next 1 month due to Ramadan and my University. Please bear with me
But on another note, i don't know if it is good or bad for you guys, but I might make this FS into an SS (Short story) as something new popped up in my head and I decided to include it in this piece, hence the extension of the chapter. 😳
I'm so amazed to see y'all embracing this new Arnav, different than the usual arrogant, stone hearted character in most of my work or the show😉 And also, thank you for liking the previous chapters and for all the great feedback, Really means a lot ☺️
Anyway, Do let me know how you found this chapter, put a lot of effort in it, so please do comment.
New readers,
Please send me a buddy request if you wish to receivePMs for this SS or any of my future work on ArShi! However, please note that I will not be accepting any requests if you're a silent reader. Thank you for you cooperation!
Love,
Mushfika
Edited by Mushfika - 8 years ago
Anupamaa
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