Arshi SS - Break Free - *NOTE* pg 24 - Page 4

"My...my name is Zarina..." she stammered, half in shock and half in amusement.

"No, it is not...you are someone else, who just like me, is not meant to be here..."

"Fine, Khushi Gupta and yeah I am NOT meant to be here..."

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Part 2

"Then why are you here Khushi...?"

"I am forced to..."

"Who has forced you?"

"Fate..."

"Fate...?" He looked at her quizzically.

"It takes a bad fate to have pimps as your adoptive parents..."

"But I thought you went to college..."

"I did go to college and got a degree, I stood third in the whole of Delhi University..." she paused and gulped... "I was 8 when my parents died, Begum Sahiba adopted me, educated me and now she and Abbu want me to become a..." her head hung down.

"Forget it...Khushi"

"They won't let me..."

"As in?"

"They forced me into this and till last week I was being trained by Begum Sahiba"

"What kind of training?"

"How to present myself, how to seduce... arouse them, how to..." she stopped at Arnav's touch on her hand... She sighed and said "You were my second customer..."

"Why don't you complain to the police?"

"Police...? She gave a sardonic laugh, "they are on Begum Sahiba's side..."

"How?"

"Saab, try to understand they are our customers..."

Arnav was flabbergasted. He uttered in shock... "customers...?"

"Mmm"

"Khushi did you try to reach out to the higher police officials...?"

"You need to cross many other people to reach out to them..." She said hopelessly

"I..." He was cut short in the middle by Khushi

"So tell me, why do I mean everything to you, Saab?"

"Arnav..."

"Hmm...Arnav..."

"Come with me Khushi, I'll give you a better life..."

"Arnav..."

"Don't worry, I won't do anything wrong with you..."

"But why, Arnav it's not possible for someone to fall in love just like that... you spoke to me just today..."

"Yup, it's true, that I have met you just twice... and this is also true that I have completely fallen in love with you... I want to give life a chance... and since the first day I have seen you I want to give the chance with you..."

"You wanted to do this, before you knew who what I was... but what about now...? What if after a few years you realise that this was a wrong decision...?"

"So you too have some feelings about me... huh?" he smirked...

"Umm... yes, I mean, no..." she looked away, as her eyes filled up...

"Khushi...!" he uttered in his husky voice...

Khushi looked at him...

"Why are you crying Khushi?" he asked...

"It's just that, after so many years I can see a ray of hope..."

Arnav wrapped his arms around her and Khushi broke down...

After a few joint heartbeats,

Arnav asked anxiously, "so, will you come with me...?"

Khushi stood up and walked out in the balcony... Arnav followed her, but was careful enough to stand behind the pillar, so that he was not visible to anyone, outside...

"Do you know what happens to the people, who die...?" She whispered...

Arnav turned to her and gestured a no with a slight movement of his head

"They become stars..." and she pointed up to the sky... "That one to the right is my dad and right next to it is my mum..." she looked at him with a sad smile...

Arnav looked up to the sky and thought about his parents... His parents were also dead.

"Khushi, if you are not sure about me, we can spend some time together and then you can decide..." He said softly.

Khushi looked at him and took his hand into hers, "Arnav, it's not that I don't trust you, if it would have been my parents I wouldn't have taken this much of time... but this is Begum Sahiba... She'll find me and then god only knows what she'll do to me..."

"Well, I'm going to London in a month; I can take you there with me..." he said with enthusiasm.

"What after that?" she asked.

"What, after that?" he asked back, he was confused...

"I mean, what happens after we return...? Begum Sahiba will surely find me again..."

"No, she won't, I guarantee you."

"And how are you going to make that possible...?"

"I am supposed to stay in London for minimum 2 years, my company, AR Designs, is setting up a new branch in London, and being the CEO; I am supposed to be there till it has been set up properly, because it's our 1st overseas branch... My brother, Aakash, he is going to look after the Indian branches in my absence."

"So?" Khushi was too scared to be convinced.

"I have planned Begum Sahiba's future..." He smirked

Khushi looked at him doubtfully...

Arnav gave her hand a little squeeze... "You don't think about that, just spend the 1 month with me... before we go to London..." he smiled.

"Mmm okkay..." she sighed

"Don't worry about your customers also; I'll take care of it..." He grinned...

"What are you going to do...?"

"Just leave that to me..." he assured...

Khushi and Arnav walked into the room and sat down on the bed...

"Arnav, thanks for doing so much for me..." She said looking at the floor...

"Khushi..." he uttered... "I love you... really..."

"But, why Arnav...?" she asked looking at him...

He looked away and took a deep breath. Finally, he started, but avoided looking at her.

"I don't know, I have never met someone like you... the first time when I saw you, I never thought your life is like this... I used to think; only my life is miserable... I bring out my anger on innocent employees of mine... I am rude to everyone... then I met you, I do not know what happened to me, I felt good hearing your theories... Then, today, I found out about your life, but still, look at you, you know how to make the best out of the worst, you know how to live life... I want to spend the rest of my life with someone like you, I want to be a better person, for you..." he paused to look at Khushi and saw her staring at him like a cute little puppy...

"What...? Why are you looking at me like that...?" he asked...

"You are adorable... you know that?" she uttered...

"What?" he was shocked with her reply.

Khushi moved forward and kissed him lightly on his cheek... "You are adorable...," she whispered in to his ears.

Arnav closed his eyes... she faintly smelt of rosewood and musk...

"Arnav, I would love to come with you...," she said before moving away from him...

Arnav could not believe his luck. He stared at her for a while and then slowly a smile crept on his lips...

"Thank you..."

"I should be the one thanking you," she said frowning...

Arnav kept quiet.

Khushi looked at him, "Arnav you are doing so much for me and yet you are thanking me... why?"

"Khushi, I have fallen in love with you, and above everything I don't want you to sleep with any man other than me...," he blurted...

Khushi's lips turned into an o'. Arnav looked at her and looked down...

Suddenly he heard Khushi giggle... He looked up in awe... Khushi's giggle increased in to laughter... Arnav kept on staring at her, "what a pretty smile..." he thought in his mind...

Khushi uttered in between her laughs "you seriously are, adorable..."

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2 days later

A man entered the house, looking for Zarina...

Begum Sahiba led him to her room.

Khushi was sitting inside. She had not heard from Arnav in the past 2 days. She was afraid that he must have changed his mind after knowing the truth about her. She heard the knock and got up to open the door. An unknown man stood in front of her, she looked at Begum Sahiba, puzzled.

Begum Sahiba led the man into the room and pulled Khushi out with her, "Listen, Zarina... I don't want he's not meant to be here' crap from you ok?"

Khushi simply nodded, she did not know what to do, she did not know this man and she too was actually in love with Arnav and after what Arnav had said that night about him being the only man, she was scared. She entered the room with a smile and closed the door behind her. Her eyes had welled up by the moment she went to the man. She looked at him as he stood up.

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Okkay guys, I had thought of this story after I had read an article on prostitution (where I cant remember now).

There are some parts in the above update that might offend some of you, but I just wanted to make it clear that I did not write this to hurt your feelings.