Khushi stared at her jiji's words and closed her eyes, finally letting the tears fall down her cheeks. It has been 1 whole month since she had a letter from her Jiji. It was send two months back and she knew it got delayed to reach her because of her transfer and all. She wiped her face clean as she heard footsteps nearing the kitchen.
She hurriedly put the letter back into the envelope and stood up instantly. She opened one of the drawers and pretended to be searching for something inside, while Cammy stood near the door, watching her mother closely. Khushi faked a smile at her and walked outside the kitchen holding the envelopes closer to her heart.
"Mumma, what are you hiding? You know that there is no secrets between us? We are best friends, right?"
Cammy asked in a hurt voice and Khushi halted in her steps. She closed her eyes and turned to look at her daughter. Who missed nothing, not a detail not an emotion on her face. Khushi sometimes had doubt that Cammy indeed read her mind and her eyes pierced right through her to get the details.
Just like...
Her heart went to that certain figure, who's eyes had been haunting her since he had seen him at the deck with Cammy sitting right next to him. they looked perfect together. Khushi covered her mouth with her palm at the thought and sighed heavily. She was not suppose to think about that.
Cammy was still standing there, leaving her movie marathon aside, she had to find out as whats wrong with her mother at first.
"Nothing, it's a letter from your Payal maasi and there's a picture of Khushboo.."
Before Khushi could complete her sentence Cammy had snatched away that envelope and ran inside her room, smiling widely. Khushi followed her to the room and stood right next to the door while Cammy read the letter with difficulty, her eyes moving towards the photograph of Khushboo every now and then.
"There is nothing wrong to be upset in this letter.. and Khusboo is really beautiful..."
Cammy said shoving the envelope right back into Khushi's hands and tapped her feet on the floor indicating Khushi to talk about the matter. Khushi sighed and shook her head before lifting Cammy in her arms and put her on the bed. She frowned and slipped inside the duvet, sulking a bit at her mother's silence.
"Which one?"
Khushi asked searching through the collection of her bedtime stories one by one.
"I am good Mumma... I will just go to sleep.."
Cammy said and covered her face with the duvet. Khushi felt bad for hiding it from her daughter. But how was she to share the fact that she had seen him with her at the deck in the evening.
Khushi sat on the edge of the bed, too lost in her thoughts and sensed Cammy's tiny hands clasping around her slightly trembling ones. Khushi met her piercing gaze and sighed heavily as she sat up on the bed, a serious look on her face. Khushi was stunned to see her growing into an understanding daughter she always prayed for. But Cammy was beyond her imagination, failing her every aspects.
"You saw him, don't you? It was him at the deck with me, was not he? He is my father indeed and you know what Mumma, his nickname is "Chottey" and a certain girl used to call him as "Laad Governor" he himself told me.
Khushi withdrew her hands from her daughter's tight hold and stood up to leave making any excuse.
"Mumma, answer me, he is my father, right?"
"Get some sleep Cammy, Mumma has got so much work to finish with...and no more discussions about this matter from now on..."
Cammy watched her mother leave for the living room and sighed heavily. Tears were already pooling inside her eyes but she hated crying. She was not weak and if her mother does not want her to meet or talk about her father, she will just agree with her. Because as per Khushi, her mother, father her everything was her mother.
"Good night Mumma..."
Cammy said in a hurt voice and Khushi slumped onto the couch sobbing bitterly.
____________
Arnav was restless, more than any other night. He just could not believe the game of his fate. He was this close to Khushi and could not stop her from going away from him. the thought itself pierced him like thousand needles at a time.
He had met with Khushi's friend La in the evening after Khushi had left from there. He had thought that she would help him pursue Khushi but what she said surprised him further.
How dare she to ask him to keep away from Khushi?
He knows that Khushi craved for him as much as he craved for her all these years. But the little girl, Chaahat who was she? Lavanya had said that Chaahat is Khushi's daughter but Arnav could not digest the fact that she has a daughter. The conversation with Lavanya had confused him further. He even started thinking that she married someone else and Chaahat is that man's daughter.
Would that be true?
Arnav's phone buzzed with a new incoming message and he almost jumped onto the phone to look into the same. it was from Aman and he knew he have got some useful news about Khushi.
"Techno Park, Kochi and St. Teresa's.. Will let you know the personal address as soon as I track that..."
Arnav felt like hugging Aman that instant and covered his face in is palms, smiling like a fool. He just wanted her back and he will do anything to get her back. He smiled again and searched for the contact numbers and other details on the website of the Techno Park and the school.
He felt a sudden jolt of excitement ran through him as he finally got the contact number of the school. May be that's were Chaahat studied and Techno Park is the place where she worked. He could not control his happiness as he thought of meeting her in the morning. He wanted to share his happiness with someone, someone who really cared not like his di who never had understood him and his connection with Khushi. cant they just see that what she means to him?
He dialed the number of NK, the person whom he used to hate, well not literally hate but he never had liked him or his presence especially when there was Khushi with him. he remembered that night when he had realized that whatever he felt for Khushi was not any kind of infatuation but pure love.
The night of Havan, the night when Khushi had left with NK to bring Ghee from the house that they had forgotten to bring. He remembered pacing around the stairs while Payal and Akash sat in front of the havan waiting for it to be performed. He had straight went searching for Khushi and NK while he encountered with an accident sight and mistook the victims as NK and Khushi. the whole air from his lungs had knocked out at the mere thought of her getting hurt. He had almost shouted at her that night. But unfortunately or fortunately he could not finish his words, like every time he backed away that night from responding to her threatening questions as if
"Aapko Farak Kyun Padhta Hai?"
He smiled as NK greeted him from the other side and he heard him sigh in contentment when he shared the news about Khushi being found in Kochi.
"I am so happy for you both... did you met her?"
He enquired feeling a relief wash over him at the news.
"Not yet.. I am going to meet them in the morning... NK, you don't know how happy I am right now...I just cant believe this, its really happening, right?"
He asked more to himself while NK let out a chuckle at his words.
"Did you say "them"?
"Ye...Yes.. Wo...Khushi..Khushi has a daughter..."
NK was confused beyond words as Arnav finally shared everything with him, from the first meeting with Chaahat and then seeing Khushi with her in the evening.
"She has a daughter?"
"But, that does not make any difference, right? Does it?"
"Of course, it will.. she has a daughter Arnav, what if she got married after leaving Delhi, what if she lives with her husband and daughter?"
"NK, you are just scaring the hell out of me... I just want some rest, I can sense my migraine coming back in full force. I will talk to you later.."
"Bye Arnav, and take care... I will try to reach there ASAP.."
______________
Khushi asked the auto driver to hurry, as they were already late to leave the house. It always happened when Khushi could not get enough sleep in the night.
"Mumma, I forgot my water bottle..."
Cammy exclaimed as she climbed out of the vehicle and checked her small bag. Khushi patted her cheeks and removed the same from her bag. Cammy smiled at her mother and kissed her both cheeks one by one.
"Mumma, you promised that we will be going to Oberon Mall today, and Ice Age 4?"
Cammy asked waggling her eyebrows at Khushi and Khushi could not help but kiss her chubby cheeks one by one.
"I had crossed my heart baby, will pick you at 1pm.. be a good girl and take down the music notes with the help of Athira, she is in your violin class, right?"
"Yes she is.. love you Mumma... I will be waiting for you.."
"Bye honey.."
Khushi exclaimed and got inside the auto.
"Church alle?" [ Church, right?]
The driver asked turning the vehicle and her eyes caught the familiar dark brown eyes staring at her through the rearview mirror. He was walking towards the auto and Khushi felt the whole air getting knocked out of her lungs. What was he doing here? How does he find out? Khushi clutched onto her handbag and asked the driver to stop the vehicle.
"I forgot something, you can leave Ganessh.."
She said politely and got outside the vehicle before he could create any drama in front of the auto driver. He was the one driver who regularly dropped her and Chaahat in the morning.
"Okay, so I will see you tomorrow morning..."
The driver said and drove away from there, before giving a brief look at Arnav's face. Khushi stood the ground clutching onto her bag, too lost to respond. She looked at Cammy's retreating back and sighed. at least she did not see him there.
"Khushi"
His voice held so much emotions that Khushi felt her whole being responding to his one call and before she could do anything to stop the urge to look at him, she turned around and their eyes met after 7long years of separation.
Arnav stood there too lost to even move away from there, while Khushi's condition was not less. Her knuckles turned white as she clutched onto her bag almost crushing the leather with her tiny hands. arnav looked at her with so much need in his eyes. she had changed a lot. The bubbly Khushi Kumari Gupta was been changed to a grown up woman now. There was no glittering pom-poms hanging onto her sleeves. No earring dangled on her ears, no bindi adorned her forehead neither the crimson that she always wore in her parting.
Her hands were bare, no sign of bangles, not even a ring in her fingers. The only thing screamed at him that it was indeed her, was her soulful eyes. that he worshipped.
"Kaisi ho tum?"
Khushi looked at him in disbelief and faked a smile down casting her eyes.
"Zinda hoon..." [Alive]
"Khushi, main wohh.."
" Aapne kya socha, ki aapke na hone se hum marr jayenge?"
[What do you thought, that I would have died with out you?]
___________
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