"Tum samajhti kya ho apne aap ko? Tumhe lagta ha mein tumhari vajay se gussa hu? Ke mein jo karta hoon tumhari vajay se karta hoon?Agar tumhe yeh lata hai ke tumhare hone ya na hone se mujhe koi faraq padta hai THEN FORGET IT! You don't even exist for me. DO you understand?"
He closed his fist tight around the shard of bangle and let it cut deep into his palm. He closed his eyes not feeling the pain in his palm as the pain in his heart was far greater. He struggled to take in air. His knees gave way as he collapsed to the ground. She did exist for him, and his every action was directly or indeirectly attributed to her. If only he could get one more chance, he would tell her that. He wouldn't let her go. Never.
His mind went through a series of flashbacks, each of how he had always let her down. Even tonight, why did he let NK accompany her. Why didn't he step in. Why was his ego always in the way . How was she, where was she, NO she had to be fine. He looked at his hand and cradled the shard of her bangle. It was a part of her, so it meant the world to him. That's when he heard a voice he would have recognised anywhere. His heard jerked back and he lifted himself off the ground with lightening speed.
"DUS RUPIAH!! Bhaiyya aap khule aam chori kar rahe ho! Hume sirf paanch rupiah dene haan!" Arnav ran towards the high pitched voice that had now become music in life.
"KHUSHI!" she spun around at his hoarse voice. She could recognise that voice anywhere
"AAP? AAP yeha kya kar rahe? Aur yeh kya haal banna ke.."
"MAIN YEHA KYA KAR RAHA HOON? He interjected before she could finish. He inched closer to her, the cone of fried channa in her hands turned over the contents spilling to the ground as she started at him. The man looked deranged. Like he had been to hell and back. His eyes bloodshot, the vein on his temple throbbing, jaws clenched and every muscle on his body tensed.
"TUM YEH KHADE HOKAR CHANNE KE PRICE KI LIYE BARGAINING KAR RAHI HO AUR TUMHE KOI KHABAR HAI KE MUJH PER KYA BEETA? KYA SAMAJHTI HO TUM APNE AAP KO? TUMHARA PHONE GHAR PER HAI. TUMHE TO GHEE LEKE GHAR POUCHNA THA? " She had never before seen Arnav so furious. Even though she had often been at the receiving end of his wrath, but the way he faced her now, she trembled slightly. She looked into his eyes briefly and hidden behind the flashes of anger she couldn't help but notice the relief.
"NK kidhar hai?"
"ghar gaye hai, ghee lane. Auto ka accident hogaya chota sa, aur humari heel toot gayi. Toh humne socha yeha baith ke unka intezaar kar lenge." She tried to be as calm as possible to pacify his fury.
"I WAS RIGHT. DIMAAG HAI NAHI TUMHARE PAAS. AUTO KYU LIYA? NK DRIVE KAR SAKTA HAI?"
"Who unko delhi ka auto mein sehr karna tha. To humne socha."
"That's where the problem is. TUMNE SOCHA. JAO GADI MEIN BAITHO." He would deal with NK later on. The idiot, left Khushi in the dark by the road with all sorts of shady characters looming around. He glanced around.
"Hello? Hume aapke saat kahi nahi jaana. Hum Nanheji ka intezaar karenge."
"KHUSHI, GADI MEIN BAITHO. ABHI. ISSI WAQT." He was not in the mood to get into this argument with her. She found new ways to infuriate him every day.
"AAP HUME KOUNSI HAQ KE SAAT BOL RAHE HAI AISE? KAHA NA NAHI JAANA?"
"HAQ? AB MUJHE HAQ KI ZAROORAT PADEGI TUMSE BAAT KARNE KI LIYE? TUM BHOOL RAHI HO KE MAIN KOUN HOON?"
"Ji nahi. AAP ARNAV SINGH RAIZADA HAI. NA AAP HUMARI RISHTEDAAR HAI,, NAA AAP HUMARI DOST HAI, APKA AUR HUMARA KOI RISHTA NAHI HAI, HUM JO CHAHE WHO KARENGE. NAHI JAYENGE AAP KE SAATH. JAB DEKHO DAAT TE REHTE HAI. AGAR AAPKO HUMARI HONE YA NA HONE SE KOI FARQ NAHI PADTA TO KYU? BUS AUR NAHI." Her eyes were glowing with fury ' a passion, a challenge, finally she had said all those things to him.
"KHUSHI GET INT THE CAR" He said this with so much precision and in such a dangerously low voice,
"Oye Chamak challo, apne aashiq ke saat jhagda hua hai to humare paas ajao." A bunch of boys leered at her laughing at the obvious lovers tiff that the two were having
Arnav clenched his fists and jerked his head around ' a look from him was enough to make the boys retreat.
Khushi looked around at the few people around the dark street and decided he was probably the better of the two evils. She quietly made her way to the car, walking past him lopsided as she was still wearing only one heel.
Arnav relaxed his clenched jaw and fists when he realised she was giving in. The sight of her comical walk on one heel engulfing him with a flood of emotion, affection, love a slow smile playing on his lips as he sent out a silent prayer to anyone listening, thanking them for keeping her safe and bringing her back to him.
He let her reach the car and then started to walk when the channe wallah called out "BHaiyya mera paisa!" He shook his head and tossed a Rs1000 note to him. He had heard her becauase she was haggling with him. He had no idea what hell he had saved Arnav from. "Yeh Rakhlo." He walked off and the channe walla called out "Bhaiyya, roothi hai, aap fikr na karo, aapse zyaada der rooth ke nahi reh payegi."
"No Shit Sherlock." He shot the channewalla a playful glance. Jayegi kaha kabootri, wapas meri hi baho mein ayegi. He chuckled and walked to the car.
Khushi sat in the car in a huff fumbling with her seat belt buckle. Arnav sighed and made his way to her side of the car. He leaned in "Nahi, hum 'hum kar" before she could strin her words together Arnav had leant in and fastened the belt for her. As he was easing out his eye caught the drop of dry blood on her wrist was was grabbing the seat belt tightly across her heaving chest.
He slowly too her hand to inspect the wound. A piece of glass was stuck to her wrist. He knew brushing them off might only aggravate the wound as there were some fine fragments of glass.
He bent down to her wrist ggently removing the glass fragments by running his tongue lihtly over her wrist. She closed her eyes shut. Haye Devi Maiyya. What was he doing.
He watched her worried that he had hurt her, he blew out the fragments from his mouth "Tum theek ho?" he asked her and she nodded, not sure she would be able to speak if she opened her mouth. "Don't ever do that to me again Khushi Kumari Gupta. Samjhi tum?" There was no fury in his words this time. Just pure unadulterated love. He meant it. And she knew it. He wiped away her slick wound with his handkerchief, caressing her hand tenderly, not ready to give it up.
"Arnavji, aapki haat me khoon" She took his hand and looked up to his eyes, searching for answers. She took it in her own and a tear spilled over as she saw a shard of her own bangle attached to the centre of his palm just where the line of his heart lay. She gently pulled out the piece and took his handkerchief, wrapping it tenderly over the wound.
The drove the rest of the way home in silence. Each lost in the others thoughts.
"Chotey! Yeh kya!" Anjali came rushing as she saw her dishevelled brother walk in with a hobbling Khushi, who still hadn't thought to remove her one shoe.
"DI, Nani mujhe Khushi se shaadi karna hai." He announced.
"KYA?" Khushi, Anjali and Nani shouted in unison.
"Kya kya? Abhi abhi Khushi ne kaha ke mujhe uski zindagi per koi haq nahi hai ' bus issiliye shaadi karna hai." He said this so calmly that Anjalli had to pinch herself. Khushi's jaw remained loose. He was so unpredictable. Only he could jump to such a conclusion ' most normal people would have tried to be friends. Marriage? To a Laad Governor?
"Kyu Khushi, bangaya na haq?" he moved closer to her, closing her mouth shut with one finger bending down to kiss her cheek. Then he swiftly turned around and walked away.
Another drama was brewing with Akash and Payal, but Nani and Anjali would deal with that in a bit. Why ruin the moment for the two lovebirds.
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
Advocate Anjali Awasthi
