Part 7
Arnav entered Khushi's room. Closing the door, he looked at Khushi who was seated on the bed. Walking towards the bed, he went and sat near her.
"Khushi?"
"He knows bengali, Arnav ji"
Arnav's brows furrowed in confusion as he heard that. "Khushi?" putting his arm around her shoulder, he brought her close.
Khushi rested her heavy head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. " I had heard Aryan's Mother is Bengali, Arnavi ji. ...and he knows the language"
"So what's bothering you, Khushi? ..His Mother is Bengali, and so he knows the language " Arnav replied, unable to fathom what was bothering her so much.
" No Arnav ji...he was just two when his Mother left him...then how? ...how he know her language? It may be because he. ..he. .he miss her. ..that's why he learned. .."
"HP..."
Khushi stopped and moved back. "What?"
"HP, Khushi. .my servant...the one who has taken care of Aryan since his Mother left him. ...he is bengali too... And I have heard them conversing in that weird language"
"Ohh" All the worry left her body in a whoosh, leaving her light. "And it's not a any weird language. ." Khushi smacked his shoulder lightly and again rested her head on his shoulder, her arms around his waist. " My father was bengali, Arnav ji ... But after his death, Amma misses him so much that I have no heart to utter a word in bengali and remind her of dad. .. But I do when I get mad at her, and regret it so much later. ... And today while talking to Aryan, seeing him so sad, so bothered, I can't help but use the same soothing and sweet language my Dad use to speak in to vanish my all worries. .." Khushi said, her voice heavy with tears.
Arnav rested his cheek against her hair. " It's OK, Khushi.. .. Give time. ..don't stress yourself so much over it. .. Aryan. ...he. .he ...I dont know how to describe him ... I just don't know him. .." Arnav confessed.
" That's the problem, Arnav ji ... Try to know him, understand him.. .don't abandon him. ... If he asks you to leave alone, do not leave him alone. ..enough of leaving him alone. .. If we will not barge-in in his space, he will never come out of his cocoon"
Arnav hummed in reply, still not sure how to do that.
" Don't worry, we will work together on this "
Arnav heard her say and smiled. "Thank you " he kissed her hair.
Khushi relaxed in her chair and closed the book in front of her. It was lunch break, and the staff room was almost empty. She looked at her handbag, her lunch box resting inside. Should she or shouldn't she? - - that was the question at war in her mind from hours now. After talking with Arnav ji last night, she came to know Aryan studies in the same school her university adjoins. She wants to spend as much time as she can with Aryan before she marries his Father, but seeing his attitude towards her, she don't know how to do that. In the vulnerable condition she had seen him in her room, she knows he needs someone in his life, someone with whom he can share his nightmares - the nightmares which he tries to fight all by himself. And the same nightmare which conquers him at the end, leaving him bitter against everyone. It will not be any easy task, she knows that. She will have to work hard, follow him, follow him till he get tires and stops running away from her. He needs to be assured that he has a family, a family who will stay with him through thick and thin, and there's no way they will leave him.
Khushi stood up from the chair, and taking her handbag, exited the room.
Khushi entered the premises of the school. Students playing, roaming, chatting around. Passing them, her eyes searched for Aryan. The big building stood proud in front of her. Her eyes roamed all over the campus, but he was nowhere to be seen. She neared the large building and was about to take the stairs when her eyes caught the familiar figure it was searching for.
Clad in a white shirt and a blue trouser, he came out of the small building which stood besides the school building. And not looking at anything or anyone, he walked behind the school building.
Khushi' s brows furrowed in confusion. Changing her direction, she followed his path.
As she went behind the building, she saw large trees scattered in the large area. A lone figure, away from the entire world, sat under the shed of one tree. Her heart clenched inside her chest. She has always been a social person, always surrounded by friends in school and college, by relations at functions, and by her Amma at home all the time. And now seeing a boy alone, detached from the entire world, away from everyone, pricked her fragile heart. She saw him unwrapping a packet and revealing a sandwich. She stood their looking at him as he ate his sandwich. All alone!
Composing herself, she started towards him.
"Hi, how are you?"
Aryan gritted his teeth as he heard that voice. Opening his eyes, he sat straight. " What are you doing here?"
"Hi there too. .. If you don't know, I am a lecturer in the adjoin university, and as it was your lunch break, and mine too, so I came here." Khushi smiled and replied.
" How many times? How many times to tell you leave me alone? " The sharp line of his jaw throbbing dangerously.
"I don't know. ... But I am not leaving you alone." Khushi sat beside him, not giving a heed to his glare. "Come on, now without wasting our time, lets have lunch"
" I had my lunch, you can leave now." he stood up, ready to leave. But fell back again. "What the f**k" He swore loudly and jerked away Khushi 's hand from his wrist.
" No swearing please... And you can't leave. ... I saw what you had for your lunch . . a sandwich is called a lunch? Not cool OK. "
"I said. .."
" See, my Amma makes the best food. You will regret not having it. Come" shifting close to him, she opened the lunch box to reveal delicious looking sabzi and puri. " Have it. "
Aryan looked at the food in front of him, the deliciously aroma hitting home. Suddenly feeling very hungry.
"Come on" Taking a morsel, Khushi pushed it between his lips. "It's very tasty, I know you will like it" Khushi smiled as she saw him chewing, eyes lowered, embarrassed at giving in. She stifled back her chuckle, lest she offends him. Her smile widened as she saw him lifting his hand hesitantly, tearing the puri, dipping in the sabzi and eating it. As a sense of joy overwhelmed her at her small achievement, she too started having her lunch.
"Don't you have friends? " Khushi asked after few seconds.
"I have, but they have their other friends too, and I hate crowd."
"Hmm ... That means you don't have friends. . A friend won't leave you alone. " She wiped some crumbs from the corner of his lips, looking in his molten eyes. " Aryan, try to make real and good friends... Someone who won't leave you alone to have your lunch. ... Someone who. ..."
"Stop with the lecture, OK.. I am not here to listen to your lecture. ..I had your lunch that doesn't mean you will start clinging " He stood up, more embarrassed that he gave in her demands and ate with her, than her lecture.
Khushi too stood up. "OK, today we shared a lunch, lecture some other time. . one step at a time. ." Khushi pinched his chin."Babu" She chuckled.
"See" Aryan lifted his index finger.
"Uh" intertwining her finger with his, she pulled him towards her. "If you think you are stubborn. ...stubborn enough to push me out of your life, then I would like you to go and know few things about me from your father, OK... " Khushi winked. "Lunch tomorrow same time, same place. .. Akhon jacchi, love , ar tomar chul ektu choto koro , eta summer, babu (Bye now, love you. ...and cut your hair a little, it's summer, sweetheart) " Collecting her handbag, she smiled at him and started moving away.
Aryan clenched his teeth. "There will be no lunch tomorrow... I will not cut my hair. .. Stop calling me as you please. .. tumi ki amar kotha shuncho?!!(Are you listening to me?!!)"
Khushi turned from a distance and waved at him, followed by a flying kiss.
" No lunch! No hair cut! No meeting tomorrow! " he cried frustrated as he kept hitting the tree with his feet.
Hope you all liked it. @itsflora, I am not bengali, my friend helps me with the bengali part :)
Edited by -Zesty- - 10 years ago
Cricket
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