Arhi FF 'Sandcastle' #2 Reposted all parts - Page 45

Chapter 17

The brilliant orange hues splashed across the sky, the horizon clear than it had been in the days that he had been in the city. The sun, a fire ball that he had noticed for the first time in his life with his undivided attention, was making its way up from behind the huge thick trees that surrounded the whole area, giving it a sense of relief with its comfortable environment that brought the people in the area a step closer towards the nature in the metropolitan city. And he felt a strange energy fill his otherwise numb body and mind, soothing him in a way he hadn't experienced ever before. That was the moment he understood the power the religious Surya Namaskar held. Nothing but a science, he thought with a wry smile, that any living being would feel the energy with the first rays of sun that held vitamins the mankind needed.

He chuckled at the way his thoughts made their own path. He stood there, at the front edge of the terrace, his body straight. Rigid. The movement of his shoulder blades as he fisted his palms, jaw set in a tight line as lips pressed together, tracing the hard lines at his back visible from his shirt. Traces of last night's downpour had been very little, with the sun shining brightly, welcoming a new, warm day. It didn't make him feel good. The new day meant a lot of questions to be asked... to find out the answers that he would surely loath.

The day ahead, and the coming days, would be difficult to be handled. Though the fact that the girl he loved - the girl who reciprocated his feelings... his Shona - wasn't willing to meet him or have a life with him, for reasons unknown to him, he had seen through it. He had seen the reason being drastic and that his Shona might be placed in a position where she had no other choice than to stay away from him. And he had decided he would reach her at any cost. That he wouldn't let anything or anyone come between them. That he, even he had no idea how, would hunt her down, propose her, make her see sense, and then have a life with her.

However, that wasn't the only thing that bothered him. With the short span that he had stayed in this city, and with this family, he had liked the pampered daughter of the Yalavarti's. He had started treating her as his friend without knowing. He had fallen for her... in a way an artist would when he saw a painting. She had moved his heart, in a way a melody caresses a wounded heart with its gentle breeze. He had started loving her, in a way a man would love the nature. He wasn't inclined towards her romantically. He loved his Shona and there would be no other woman. But with Khushi, he loved her as a friend.

Megha

He shut his eyes, controlling the urge to bang his fist to the parapet wall in front of him. He had been trying not to think about the previous night, or the words said by the kid. Voice he had heard over the radio... forcing his mind to halt from dwelling further. He wanted to wipe the previous night off his memory. He wanted to change it. he wanted to escape. He wanted to believe that he hadn't met the kid. He wanted to be proved that he had been mistaken the voice to be hers. Yet... he couldn't help but let the small voice at the back of his mind whisper the cruel reality to him.

The voice he had heard was Khushi's

There was no mistaking of that voice. It was soft, musical with the edge of naughtiness in it. His mind flashed the images of the second night of his stay - the first time he had spoken with Khushi rationally. He remembered how she stood on the terrace, enjoying the rain with a chocolate. He remembered the way they had spent hours speaking about each other, about anything and everything under the sky.

"What are you interested in?"

"There are a lot of things I am interested in..."

"Like...?"

"Like... like wanting to understand philosophy, understanding human behavior, having a grip on all epics and relating it to our modern world. Like educate poor and children the importance of real life experiences that are beyond things that are taught in educational institutions. Like help people who are suffering from emotional breakdowns. There are a lot of things that interests me, Suriya. However, life is too short to fulfill them all."

It made sense - their conversation that night about their careers and her interests. Then, he hadn't understood the hidden emotion he had heard in her voice or the lost look in her hazel eyes. He had thought that she was too confused to choose a career path and too interested to learn all the things. Now, he understood what she meant. And just like that, he understood why she never bothered giving importance to having a successful career. He understood why she enjoyed every second to its fullest. He understood why the family pampered her. He understood why she was always cheerful. And he understood why she hadn't proposed to the man she loved.

If there was anything he wanted, Khushi to have a normal life. He would do everything to make sure she was safe and happy. He would protect her from the world, from whatever she was going through. He might not be the one to remove her pain, but he would help her find the way that could help her. She was his friend, a special one, and he was not going to let anything upset her. If she was indeed suffering from a life threatening disease, he would make sure she was being received the best treatment. Not that her family didn't... it was just, he wanted to be a part of it all.

His heart knew that there was the only person who could really help her - help her lead a happy life, help her remove all the pain, help her to be strong and help her to believe in herself. The person who would really provide her the love, warmth and security that she needed and rightfully deserved, was the one whom she loved and afraid to loss. With the knowledge he had, he could say that her whole family knew it, knew who the person was, and yet were doing nothing to approach him. That irked him - pure bile rose in the pit of his stomach that a strong itch to demand them all rooted in his mind. But he had much pressing matters to look into. And his priority was, to save his friend from whatever she was fighting against.

Arnav Suriyaprakash Raizada would help Khushi reach the man she loved - he promised himself.

The soft musical sound echoed the early morning with her each step and he opened his eyes only to be met with the bright orange sun in his position up in the sky, the leaves of the huge trees in front of him hiding him in a mysterious way, waiting to receive his morning prayers from the girl the heavens seemed to love the most that the god of all the gods want her to be with him. Or was it the cruelty of the gods that was trying to take the most beautiful heart, who was out there, wanting to help others, away from the human kind? He thought with rage. Taking a deep breath, he averted his gaze from the fire ball, letting his body relax, as he turned around to find her climbing the last steps, the copper vessel in her palms mocking at him.

He watched her, the yellow skirt with orange borders the perfect reflection of her sun's energy and the blue shawl that she wrapped around her radiated her smile as her eyes met his for a brief moment before she lowered her head, fixing her eyes on the copper vessel. Something snapped in him as he realized she had been avoiding looking in his eyes from the past few days - from the moment he had lost his patience and questioned Kiran regarding the man in her life. The pain and torture in her eyes shouted at him what she was going through, and the fool that he was, didn't understand her silence. He gulped almost noisily just as she reached to his side, to the place where she prayed.

"Sleepless night!"

He heard her before he could gather his scattered thoughts. It wasn't a question. It was a statement, as if she knew him enough to say his state of mind with a single glance. He nodded, his eyes never leaving the sight of hers, as she avoided looking at him efficiently and fixed on the fire ball. "You free today?" He asked the only thing he needed and wished to, clearly deciding that her answer, whatever it might be, wasn't going to stop him from spending a day with her... to watch her, to understand her, and simply, in hope to find signs that would prove him wrong about her health condition.

She turned her head in his direction, stunned at his sudden seriousness, and turned away before he could read her eyes. "Have a day out with friends," she informed plainly, "and then visiting Kiran's family. It's been ages since I met his mother. Most probably, I might stay with her as there are many things..."

"Can you not cancel them?" He asked her, silencing her reasons without much of any doubt. He noticed the way her brows arched at his demand, and the way her chest heaved with rugged breaths. "I am facing a difficult phase," he added after a measured pause, "and in need of a friend, Khushi. Can we have a ride or something?"

He waited for her reply as she, not uttering a word, turned her attention to the only thing that seemed to matter her the most. He watched her, the way she held her hands in front of her as she emptied her vessel, her eyes fixed on the sun. He watched the way she bent down to touch the water on the floor before pressing her fingers on her forehead. He watched the way she offered her last namaskar and waited for her to look at him. Instead, she took few steps away from him and replied plainly. "I will meet you in an hour at the super market down the street, Arnav."

And then, she was gone.

"Damn it!" He cursed aloud, a part of him wanting to follow her and demand for answers. It was strange, the way she felt at ease with him, and the way she said him that she would meet at a place. It felt so intense, on a note that he failed to understand. The blind faith she had on him frightened him. No woman could trust a man she meet not three weeks ago this blindly, the way Khushi felt for him.

"Arnav!"

His head snapped at his name being called, as he realized he wasn't alone on the terrace room. He turned around completely to find his friend-boss-brother-in-law walking towards him.

"Who is the girl you are talking to?" Aman asked as he watched the stairs even as there were none.

Arnav gathered his thoughts, taking a deep breath in order to check his emotions. "It's Khushi..." he informed, "Kiran's to-be sister-in-law."

"Oh!"

Arnav looked at his friend who seemed too lost in his thoughts. That irked him further."What?" He snapped at Aman with no particular reason, not knowing what to do or not understanding how to know the truth and make Khushi answer him without her knowing it."Out with it, Aman." He said, irritated, "what is it that you want to ask?"

Aman stared at Arnav, as if contemplating whether to share it or not before shaking his head. "I heard you asking her," he stated plainly and Arnav knew where it was going to lead. "And her reply... meeting you somewhere down the lane so that you both can have a ride. Arnav, what's going on..."

"Is it all?" Arnav demanded rudely, something he had never done with Aman from the time his sister married the man. "As you heard, I am in a mood to spend some time with a friend and she is what it is... a friend. What's wrong with it? And from when have you started enquiring about my personal life, Aman?"

Aman chuckled at his words with a shake. "When my friend is madly in love with a girl he had never met," Aman replied with a shrug, "and when he happened to let another girl hundred millimeter radius around him, who seemed to develop a blind faith on him that she is ready to go out with him without her family's knowledge, I am bound to be worried, Arnav, if not curious."

Arnav sighed helplessly; there was no way he could win against Aman when he was in no mood to have an argument. "She's a friend I need," he stated again, "someone who seems to understand me and who doesn't judge me or my feelings. And there's something I want to know about her, too."

"I haven't seen her yet to frame my opinion on her," Aman said casually as the men walked towards the room, "just from her behind, and all I saw was her jet black hair. So, I am not going to comment on her or judge the trust she and you seemed to have on each other. But from what I studied from her body language, though, is" Aman stopped, facing Arnav seriously in the eye and said, "she likes you, Suriya. As a friend, or beyond that, it is you to find out. But from what I know about women, I heard the same trust in her voice on you that I often heard from Anjali on us. I am not going to advice you but warn you... be very careful, Arnav. From what I sense, if not today, then tomorrow... or one day in your life... if Shona failed to make her way and if you are to make a decision and settle down for a woman who isn't your first love, I have no doubts and could say aloud that you will settle down for Khushi."

"Aman!" Arnav shouted with barely controlled anger, but Aman smiled at his friend softly while placing an arm on his shoulder.

"Yes, you don't love Khushi." Aman said what he truly felt. "I see no such love in your eyes for this girl. But there is, Arnav. You love her as a friend, and there is a thin line between friendship and love and I can see that you are standing on the line, Arnav. You can fall either on the friendship side, or the other one. There is a fair chance. Accept this much and react accordingly. I want you to be happy. With Shona or Khushi, I really don't care, as long as you are in love with your spouse and lead a happy life that you rightfully deserve. I will meet Khushi in the meanwhile; try to understand what it is that you made so attracted to her personality."

By saying that, Aman made his way downstairs in order to meet his wife and son, and in order to meet Khushi, who managed to get under his best friend's skin so much that he had heard enough about her from Arnav in the past three weeks that not only surprised Aman but also forced him to pay a visit so that he would be able to meet the girl.

"He's gone mad!" Arnav concluded as he ran a hand through his hair, annoyed that his friend had spoken about something which was ridiculous. He liked Khushi and it wasn't a hard thing to understand for Aman. Pushing unwanted thoughts aside, Arnav made his way to have a quick shower so that he could meet Khushi and seek answers without directly questioning her.

*******

"Bindu, can you boil the milk and make a strong coffee?" Khushi asked her sister as she stared her reflection, struggling to do her hair.

"Are you going somewhere early in the morning?"

She heard her sister question with a kind of finality in her voice that always held no position to drag the conversation or to entertain her silly reasons. Khushi sighed knowing well what was going to come in her way, and in a way, she was prepared for it. So, instead of whining as she always did whenever Bindu used such tone, Khushi simply turned to face her sister, her hands rested on her hips. "I know you are worried, Bindu." She said gently, yet firmly, ignoring the sharp pain that tugged in her heart as she watched her elder sister's worried look. "Listen, I will take care. Suriya is upset, it's clear the way he is depressed that he had read my message. I want to make sure he is okay."

"No!" Bindu hissed before walking up to her and pulling the comb away from her hands. "You are doing no such thing, Khushi." She ordered Khushi. She had had enough of her little sister's antics. She wasn't going to let her play with a man's emotions. "Either you go to your Suriya and confess that you are his Shona, or leave Arnav alone to deal with his love life if you are going to keep your identity in dark for the rest of your life. I am not going to allow you play this double game anymore, Khushi. You have no more other option. It's either a step towards him, or a step away from him. No more dancing in between."

"Bindu!" Khushi hissed back, hating her sister for ordering her in that way, even more so when her heart silently agreed with her. "Look, this is my personal issue, whether to settle down with him or not. I appreciate that you are concerned about me but don't you think you are invading my privacy? Did I ever ask or question you regarding your love life, Bindu?"

"I never provided an opportunity where you can question me regarding my love life, Khushi." Bindu replied, her voice calm but determined. "It's not you we are talking about. Enough is enough with you and your cries to get everything done in your way. It's Arnav we are talking about. He doesn't deserve all these things. I understand your need to keep your identity a secret, Khushi. I really do. That is why I haven't demanded or ordered you to do things against your will. But I think you are pushing him to the far edge and that is not acceptable. Can't you see, Khushi? He's suffering!"

Khushi shut her eyes as she gulped a lone sob. How can she come up with any reasons when she knew Bindu was right? How can she confess her love for him when she could never promise forever to him? She had thought about it, had been thinking from the moment she saw Arnav as the paying guest, but unable to make up her mind. She wanted to be with him, yet, she didn't want him to suffer the aftermaths if ever she couldn't be saved.

Being selfish for at least few days seemed good. Being with him as his friend, and hiding her identity was good enough, she had thought earlier. That was the reason for her to write the message. That was the reason for her to spend time with him. But the last day, she had enough time and peace to re-think over her actions. And she found hating herself with her every action that ended up hurting the only man she was trying to protect from the heart break. "Okay!" Khushi voiced her emotions truthfully, "you are right. I will stop this double game, Bindu. Give me one day with him and I will decide whether to confess or to hide it for the rest of my life. Today is the last day I will have this faade with him. I am tired of having this life. and the only hope that's keeping me alive is this incredible wish to have that life with my Suriya. As you said, not anymore."

"Khushi, I want you to be happy." Bindu whispered as she hugged her sister. "Sorry for shouting on you."

"That's okay, Pussy cat." Khushi replied, forcing the cheerfulness back in her voice. "Now, can I have my coffee, please?"

Bindu watched as Khushi laughed aloud and nodded. Before she could ask her how she really was, a soft knock on the door made her turn her head to see Anjali smiling at her."Oh, good morning, Anjali." Bindu greeted with a smile, "you up so early?"

"It's past 7, Bindu." Anjali said while stepping into the room, "and good morning to you too."

Khushi watched the woman just as Bindu laughed at the woman's words. "So, she's Khushi, right." She asked, surprising Khushi and smiled not wanting to be rude when the woman saw her. "Hi, I am Anjali," she introduced herself, "Arnav's sister."

Her smile dropped as Khushi blinked her eyes, too surprised to react. Her eyes searched for her sister but Bindu looked back confusedly. "Hi," Khushi greeted back with a forced smile, "nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too, Khushi." Anjali replied before adding, "come on, the kid is asking for you, Bindu. And also, Aman is with Kiran, the old buddies having a great time and the men demanded for their precious coffees." Anjali turned to Khushi as she said, "why don't we go to the men, Khushi? Arnav has been telling about you that it intrigued Aman and me and Kiran's silent approval only increased the curiosity. I will introduce you to him."

"Aman..." Khushi heard herself asking the woman, "is he your husband?"

Khushi stepped back a little, too shocked to accept it. Aman... Arnav's friend was here. The man who saw her and who had fair chanced to recognize her as Shona. The man whom she had asked about Arnav six months ago.

Aman

She had to make a decision and she had no time.

"Sorry, Anjali ji." She said hurried as she gathered her bag, "I have something to attend which is unavoidable," she explained yet another reason that held no truth. "I am in a hurry, actually. I will meet him later today and we will have some time together too. For now, you have to excuse me."

And without waiting for Anjali to reply, avoiding looking at Bindu, she dashed out of the room. And dashed out of the house from the back door.

*******