Arshi FF: Jeene Laga Hoon (NOTE pg. 68) - Page 11

The following morning, the gang had woken up at the crack of dawn and taken a day-long hike up the mountains. It was similar to their first hike together, except Akash did not sustain any injuries this time around. The climb revealed to have so many different beautiful landscape views. The lake, which was once again reflecting its beautiful blue color, had come into full view by the time they had reached the top of one of the smaller mountains. The six of them took in the view, sighing deeply at the sight of it. The large trees looked like nothing more than a thick layer of moss overlaying the mountainsides. The soft-looking, white clouds seemed within their grasps. They watched as the breeze slowly pushed those clouds through the valleys, behind the taller mountains, and out of sight. It was a view that one definitely would not find in Delhi.

By the time they reached the campsite, the sun was beginning to recede. It had to be almost four o'clock, judging by the angle of the shadows on the ground. Neither tired or hungry, they sat around, at a loss about what to do next. Akash came up with a solution for this problem. He had gone inside his tent and came back a few seconds later with a soccer ball in his hand. Payal wasn't familiar with the game, but she was willing to give it a shot. Khushi and Lavanya, surprisingly, knew much about the sport. One of Lavanya's previous boyfriends had a serious addiction to it, and he had forced Lavanya and Khushi to watch the World Cup. Although, he and Lavanya were no longer together, soccer was something she and Khushi were unable to forget.

NK and Arnav busied themselves by building makeshift boundaries for a field. Akash was focused on teaching Payal the basics of the game. She tried to focus, she really did. But when Akash began positioning her to teach her moves, she felt a blush creep up on her face and her heart thud in her chest. Akash was no different. He was hesitant to touch her, and when he did he felt his heart beating in his ears. At times, he forgot what he had been saying. Khushi, who was busy helping NK make goal lines for a makeshift field, saw the scene and nudged him. He looked at her confused until she looked in the other direction. He turned and grinned from ear to ear seeing the sight, but looked back at Khushi, feeling like he was intruding on Akash and Payal's private moment.

"My little boy is growing up so fast!" NK whispered to her with a fake emotional face.

Khushi stifled her laughter and continued helping NK. A few minutes later, a field had been made. It wasn't long until they were split into two teams (boys versus girls, obviously) and playing soccer. Initially, the boys thought they would have a slight advantage. They were doing fairly well but then they actually had to put in some effort when going against the girls. Thanks to Akash's quick lessons, Payal managed to hold her own against them. In fact, she had managed to score the first goal by dodging Arnav and kicking it passed the marker for the goal. Lavanya and Khushi cheered. The victory, however, was short-lived. It was less than two minutes later that Akash managed to kick the ball into their goal, making it straight through Khushi's legs. The guys smiled cheekily.

The game continued for more than thirty minutes. As it progressed, the two teams became more and more competitive. They were shouting, screaming, teasing, and laughing with each other throughout. Sweat dripped down their foreheads as the evening heat settled down on the campsite. Because they refused to take a second to rest, everyone was constantly running and panting heavily. At one point, Payal had managed to get the ball passed Akash, but was immediately blocked by Arnav. He was about to steal the ball when, out of nowhere, Khushi ran forward and took the ball! Arnav looked at her shocked for a minute before he literally darted after her. Khushi didn't have a chance as suddenly, he pulled her back against his chest and lifted her away from the ball.

While Lavanya and Payal called foul and NK tried to defend his brother's actions, Akash actually observed the way Arnav and Khushi were acting with one another. He had been told by Arnav that he trusted Khushi and about the conversation they had had the night before (minus the details about her parents). Akash realized that Khushi's friendship with Arnav had become deeper than Lavanya and Payal's. He was unable to ponder the thought further as it was declared that Arnav's actions were, in fact, cheating. The game continued on. By the time they took a break, the score was 4-3 with boys leading. As NK made the fourth and final goal, he felt extremely proud. He turned back to look at everyone else, who were all trying to catch their breaths, just like him, and grinned.

"And that, ladies, is how we men redeem ourselves," NK gave a small bow.

Once Lavanya caught her breath, she said, "At least we didn't have to jump in a freezing cold lake."

"Oh? Well, I can change that if you have complaints, La."

NK leapt forward and picked up Lavanya, who screamed at the unforeseen action. Lavanya struggled in his grip, and he laughed.

"NK!" she shouted. "Don't you dare throw me in that lake!"

"And if I do?" NK challenged.

"You will have a raccoon in your sleeping bag! Or a snake!"

Khushi, who was standing in between Akash and Arnav, shouted, "Nanhe! She's serious. Let her go. La isn't your wife that you can sling her over your shoulder like that! This isn't Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge!"

NK laughed at the remark and put Lavanya down, "La isn't my type anyways, Chasmish!"

"And you're not mine," Lavanya said to NK with a smile.

"Exactly. And if we got married, you would probably kill me on our wedding night!"

Lavanya smacked his arm playfully.

Payal smiled, "I don't even think you would make it to the wedding NK."

NK looked at Lavanya for a moment and took a step away before looking at Payal, "You're probably right."

The six of them went to their bags and began drinking their canteens of water. Soon after, they washed off the cooling sweat by bathing in the lake, in turns. After that, they had changed into warmer clothing and headed back towards the campsite. They all took a seat and took a moment to relax.

Khushi looked over at NK a few minutes later and, as she pulled her wet hair to one side of her face, said, "So Nanhe, you have thought about getting married before?"

"When you know know Nanav's nani and Di, you can't escape the thought of marriage," NK said as he leaned back against the giant log.

"Yeah, you can," Arnav said as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Oh god ASR," Lavanya laughed. "Do you still have that allergy to marriage?"

"Allergy?" Khushi inquired.

"Oh, ASR is allergic to marriage and commitments."

"I'm not allergic to it!" Arnav defended. "I just don't see the point in it."

Akash was silently listening to Arnav, knowing the reason for his hesitation. He glanced over at NK, who gave him the same look. The air became tense for a moment. They weren't sure about what was going to happen as the silence filled the space. The smile faded from Arnav's face.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later." Arnav said. He got up from the log he had been sitting on and left.

Lavanya frowned, "What happened to him?"

"Yeah. Is he okay?" Payal asked.

"He'll be fine. Nanav just needs a little time alone," NK cleared his throat and changed the topic. "Forget that. Let's focus on making something to eat! I am starving!"

Khushi saw the tense lines on Arnav's forehead before he left and became concerned. She was about to get up and follow him to see if he was all right when she felt someone grab her arm. She looked over and found Akash holding her back, shaking his head.

"It's okay," he said. "Bhai just needs some time alone."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Akash looked over at NK, Payal, and Lavanya, who setting up the campfire to prepare dinner. They were a good distance away from him and Khushi, as they were trying to gut the fish that had been caught the evening before. He looked back at Khushi. Akash didn't know what it was about her, but he could see how worried she was about Arnav. He had also noticed the different behavior Arnav exhibited to Khushi; he already considered her a good friend. But there was something about their friendship that not even he would be able to understand. So, Akash knew that she should at least know what was wrong.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Akash said seriously.

"About what?" Khushi asked.

"You have to promise me that you won't say anything to Bhai. He usually doesn't like telling people about this."

"Why are you telling me then?"

"To be honest, Bhai considers you his really good friend."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and as his friend, you have a right to know why he's sensitive about the whole marriage topic."

"Do Payal and La know?"

"No. They haven't become as close to him as you have."

"Oh."

Akash sighed, "Bhai's parents passed away when he was nine. His mom was in an accident, a bad one. When his dad found out, he dropped everything and drove like a maniac to get to the hospital. Well, he became reckless and his car spun out and he lost control. He collided into a truck, and died on the scene. Bhai's mom died that very night at the hospital."

Khushi covered her mouth with her hand, completely shocked by what she was hearing. She glanced over at NK, Payal, and Lavanya and when she was saw that they were in their own world. She turned her attention back to Akash.

"That is the first reason Bhai doesn't believe in commitment. He couldn't imagine loving someone so much and losing them in an instant. It's a wonder how he manages to overcome that when it comes to me, NK, Di, and Nani. The other reason is Anjali."

"His Di?"

Akash nodded, "Anjali was nineteen when she married this guy named Shyam. He was a decent guy. We all liked him. Then we realized how much of a scoundrel he was. When she was pregnant, Shyam went out and had some extramarital affairs. Well, Di found out. She actually caught him in the act and the shock and betrayal she felt stressed her out so much that it caused her to miscarry. Shyam filed for divorce soon after, stating that she murdered their unborn child, and that there was nothing left between them."

"That's awful. How could someone be so cruel?"

"I know. Di was devastated. She was already a divorcee by the time she was twenty-one. It took time, but she learned to move on. Now, she is seeing this guy. Aman. He's some genius software company owner, but he is nothing like Shyam. Still, we are hesitant when it comes to him, especially Bhai. He doesn't want Di to go through that pain again. But Anjali has honestly never been happier."

"So, does Arnav not want to marry because he doesn't want to go through what Anjali went through?"

"Yeah. I guess, in a sense, Bhai is afraid to let someone in, so marriage and commitment and love...they're just not something he takes seriously."

Khushi felt a wide range of emotions run through her as she heard and took in everything that Akash had said. A part of her, unknowingly, felt saddened to hear that he didn't believe in such things. Her heart went out to Arnav. She couldn't believe he had gone through so much. What he had disclosed to her the previous night was barely scratching the surface. But it did give her a good explanation of why he had walked off. He mostly likely felt helpless as he recalled the incident with his parents and his Di. He was young, so he couldn't do anything about it, and that probably ate away at him in the beginning. A part of her wanted to explain that everything was okay to Arnav, but because of her word to Akash, she remained quiet and didn't say a thing.

Even at night, when Arnav returned, Khushi didn't say anything. He behaved like his usual self, which made her think that the walk helped. She handed him his plate of food as he took a seat on the ground next to her.

He took it and smiled, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she paused. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just needed to clear my head so I..."

"...You?"

Arnav looked at her thoughtfully and said, "I went to try to talk to my parents."

Khushi's eyes widened, "Talk to...you mean the..."

He nodded, "I didn't really talk to the stars, but sitting there knowing that my parents were watching over me...it was comforting."

"I'm glad," she smiled.

"Me too."

The usual banter between the six friends resumed around the campfire. They continued telling stories and jokes, while eating the delicious meal that NK had once again cooked. They had no idea when night had enveloped the world around them.

Payal was sitting and listening to a story that Lavanya was telling, when her focus drifted to the forest of trees on her left. She looked off in the distance, lost in the dark silhouettes, when she saw a small light blink. At first, Payal thought she was imagining it, but when she stared closely, she noticed that it was continuing. One small, flickering light turned into two...then three...until there were at least a dozen flickering lights floating amongst the trees. She shook Akash by his shoulder, who was sitting next to her. He looked at her and she pointed at the forest.

"What is that?" she asked him.

He, too, now stared at the tiny blinking lights floating through the trees and frowned, "I'm not sure."

By now, Lavanya had stopped telling her story noticing Akash and Payal looking off somewhere else. NK, Lavanya, Arnav, and Khushi all looked in the direction they were looking in and caught sight of the unusual lights. They all sat still for a moment, trying to figure out what it was. However, unlike the others, Khushi immediately knew what it was. She smiled, stood up, and began walking into the forest. Everyone watched her curiously.

"Khushi, what are you doing?" Lavanya asked.

"La, relax." Khushi assured as she looked back at them. "They're fireflies."

"Fireflies?" NK repeated. "Here? Are you sure?"

"It looks like there's a trail of them floating through the trees," Khushi observed. "Let's see where it goes."

"What if they light the forest on fire!" NK said.

Akash shook his head before he thwacked NK in the back of the head, "They're not going to do that NK."

"Khushi," Payal said. "Should we follow the trail? I mean, it is unusual to see-."

Arnav stood up and cut her off, "Why question it? Let's just see what happens."

There was some hesitation before they decided it wouldn't hurt to check it out. Arnav had quickly grabbed his camera from the tent, while the others grabbed their flashlights, in the event that the trail of fireflies ended and left them stranded in the forest. With Khushi in the lead, they treaded to the forest. More fireflies appeared as they got deeper into the forest, and this made them all the more curious to know where they were coming from. The answer came shortly.

In the middle of the forest, there was an opening that they had come across before during their hikes. Flashlights were no longer necessary as the opening was filled with fireflies, floating and flickering without a care in the world. They flew around like floating lanterns, slowly falling into the opening and some leaving, disappearing in the night sky. The six of them stood awestruck. No one dared to move. The sight seemed almost priceless, like something a child would only dream about but never experience. Arnav was clicking photos like a maniac, trying to capture the beauty of it. Slowly, they each stepped forward into the glowing array. The fireflies seemed to have noticed their presence, but made no rash movements. Instead, small paths were made as some would slowly swarm around the friends, like a ribbon flowing in the wind.

"This is amazing," Payal whispered.

"Amazing doesn't even begin to define this," Arnav stated. "It's just so-."

He stopped short of completing his sentence as something caught his attention...or should I say someone. Khushi, who was standing next to him, extended her hands out with her open palms facing up. He watched as a firefly slowly fluttered its way into her hand and sat down. The light from the small creature glowed against Khushi's skin, which managed to also reflect her hazel eyes, that were unhindered due to her lack of spectacles. Arnav raised his camera and aimed it at her. Khushi looked over and smiled. He clicked multiple photos of her. She watched him check the pictures carefully before looking back at her with a straight face. Khushi felt her cheeks warm up as his signature smirk appeared on his face. Arnav saw the red tint appear on her cheeks and waited a moment before he whispered one word, directly to her, for only her to hear. The word not only deepened Khushi's blush, but made her heart beat uncontrollably. Because that word not only described the scenery around them, but the pictures he had taken of her...and this moment.

"Perfect."

**********

Awww, wasn't that cute?! I would blush too if Arnav Singh Raizada said that! Haha, anyways, let me know what you thought by leaving your lovely comments and feedback below.

Next update (Maha update?): The final night in Manali. Arnav's surprise. The final goodbye.

Thanks for reading!