Arshi FF #2 - My Imperfect Mr Perfect (Chapter 34 on next thread) - Page 18

My Imperfect Mr. Perfect - Chapter 25 (Part II)

He softly pecked her lips and said, "As much as I want to devour your lips right now," Khushi blushed with his words which were filled with so much raw passion, "you deserve to know about this case. And if we get distracted now, we will be distracted all day..."

And Khushi knew what he meant so she simply nodded, but her blush still didn't fade one bit.

"So... where were we? Before we got... umm... distracted?" he asked.

"Karanji..."

Arnav's eyes hardened at hearing the name. "Right. That bast***."

"Arnavji!" Khushi exclaimed defensively.

But this time, instead of getting angry, Arnav's eyes softened as he looked at Khushi's outraged expression.

"You're so innocent Khushi," he said, tenderly stroking her cheek with his hand.

Khushi looked so confused in that moment that she looked just like a lost child in Arnav's eyes. And that's what she was - innocent, and unaware of the cruelties around her...

Looking at her perplexed face Arnav just felt like hiding her in his arms, away from the world and all the brutality that was following her...

And that's what he will do. He will protect her from everything out there. Anything that wanted to get to Khushi, had to get through him first, he decided.

"Not everyone's heart is as pure as yours Khushi," he said softly. "And everything is not always what it looks..."

Khushi was just getting more and more confused with his words. "I don't understand... Can you stop speaking in riddles and just come to the point?"

Arnav took a deep breath before saying, "Khushi, Karan is not what he looks."

Seeing her still in confusion he continued, "Neither is his name Karan, and neither does he have an ill mother."

Khushi was rooted to the spot at hearing what he'd just said.

But why would Karan do that?' she thought. Why would anyone need to lie about their name? And why would he have to make up a lie about his mother?

She was finding it hard to take in what Arnav had just told her... But then Arnav would never lie to her and she knew that.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why did he lie to me? Why would he need to lie about his name? What did he get out of that?"

This is it,' Arnav thought. Time to tell her the full story.

"Khushi, his actual name is Shyam Manohar Jha. He has a huge illegal drug dealing business. And he has many goons working for him too. He is one of the most wanted criminals within the police. The thing with Shyam is that all the police officers know what he's doing, but we are yet to find strong evidence against him. There is someone within the police force who is working in his favour - because every time we have found some form of evidence in the past, it has gone missing. The police have been trying to catch him for almost a year now with no luck. And that's when they decided to hand the case over to me."

"But why you in particular?" she interrupted.

"Because I always handle the dangerous cases," he said simply.

Khushi's eyebrows furrowed.

"Khushi, for years I didn't have anyone to call as mine.' And there was no one to consider me as theirs."

Though Arnav didn't show any pain on his face while saying those words, Khushi knew that he must be hurting inside.

She wanted to crush him in her arms and take away all his pain, but she refrained herself from doing so as she wanted him to finish saying what he needed to. She needed him to get everything off his chest.

"I had nothing to live for Khushi. And no one to live for. So when I became a police officer, I gave myself something to live for. My only aim in life was to fight for the innocent and to destroy the criminals. Being ASR has its perks and I used that to my advantage in my police life too. The difference between me and other police officers is that I don't value my life as much. I take risks that no one would take because, in a mission, I don't care whether I live or die-"

Khushi placed her palm over his mouth, stopping him from speaking further.

"Don't you dare say that again!" Khushi said, angrily.

Arnav calmly took her hand off his mouth and said, "Khushi that's the truth-"

"Don't you dare Mr Arnav Singh Raizada! Don't. You. DARE!" she warned, her eyes spitting fire.

Khushi shifted in his lap so that she was straddling Arnav, and she clutched his collar tight, her eyes threatening.

"Your life belongs to ME! And no one has the right to destroy it! Not even you!" she said fiercely. She pulled him by the collar so that their noses were almost touching. "You. Are. Mine," she said, punctuating each word, just the way he had, not too long ago.

"Who said you don't having anyone to live for?" She cupped Arnav's face tenderly and said firmly, "You have ME to live for. Don't you DARE speak about dying EVER again!" She shook him by the collar and said, "Do you hear me? You have ME now. YOUR Khushi. Always yours."

Arnav's throat constricted with emotion as he watched Khushi imposing her rights on him. After so many years, he finally felt like he belonged somewhere - or shall I say, to someone.'

His eyes thirstily took in her angry frame with so much possessiveness - all for him. Tears stung his eyes as he realised that he was finally wanted. Not for his power. Not for his wealth. But just for him. Just Arnav.

"Where were you all these days Khushi?" he asked, his voice breaking with emotion.

The way he asked that question just melted Khushi's insides.

She pulled him into her arms, while he buried his head between her breasts, snuggling up to her warmth like a little baby does with its mother.

"Shhh," she soothed him, running her fingers through his hair. "I'm here now right? I'm not going anywhere. Now I will always stay with you," she assured him in a soft voice.

"Promise?" he asked, like a lost little child.

"Did you not hear me that night? I can't breathe without you Arnavji. Without you I have no life. So yes, I promise to never leave you. Now smile for me and give me a promise," she said.

Arnav lifted up his head with a full-fledged smile on his face, and said, "I will give you whatever you want."

"Really? Then promise me that you will never speak of your death again and you will never talk about leaving me again."

"I promise," he said, smiling. And Khushi returned the smile, feeling content now.

They were both just gazing into each other's eyes happily when Khushi came back to her senses.

"Oh we got distracted again!" she sighed, her shoulders slumping.

But then within a fraction of a second she sat straight again and almost jumped up and down in his lap like an excited child, saying, "Ok now carry on with the story!"

Arnav was feeling uncomfortable with the way Khushi was moving against him, that too while she was straddling him...

Desire shot through his veins and it took everything in him to stop himself from touching her.

Khushi only noticed his expression a few moments later and realised what position they were in.

She started to get up from his lap, embarrassed by her own actions. She forgets all her morals and restrictions when she's with Arnav.

But then Arnav stopped her by wrapping his arms around her back, pulling her back to her previous position.

"It's fine Khushi," he said trying to make her feel at ease.

But Khushi just shifted uncomfortably, still not able to forget her embarrassment.

Seeing his attempt not working, Arnav decided to carry on with the case details, to divert her mind.

"So I took up Shyam's case," started Arnav, as though they hadn't had any breaks since he'd started with the details.

"I managed to go into his den one day for just a few hours, disguised as one of his goons. And that's when I found out that drug dealing wasn't the only crime that he was involved in. I found out that he had killed a few rival dealers to clear his own path. And... I also found out that he had a huge weakness for women..."

Khushi by now was engrossed in what Arnav was saying, everything else forgotten. And the second she heard the last sentence, her eyes widened with a mixture of fear and disgust.

"He had kidnapped many women and... used them for his needs while drugging them. Some of them got killed while others were sent back home with a lost memory..." he said, his teeth clenching at the thought of the state of those innocent victims.

"I don't understand... How did they all go home with a lost memory...?"

"Khushi I don't think you would want to know the details..." he said, wanting to spare her from the gory details.

"No Arnavji, I want to know. I need to know," she said firmly, even though inside she was quivering, knowing that she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

Arnav closed his eyes in disgust before he gave her the dreaded answer. "If..." Arnav gulped. "If... he uses them more than once, then he kills them... And if he uses them once, then he gives them a drug that makes them completely unaware of what happens to them... He gives them a heavy dose for a good few days after he... and then he dumps them near their homes... Their lives may be spared but their dignity is lost after that. Even though their memories were taken away, society automatically assumes the worst, and their lives are ruined."

Khushi was hiding her face in the crook of neck, letting her tears run free as she cried for all those innocent girls who were sacrificed for the lust of a disgusting man.

And to think that she had been treating this man as a friend and defending him in front of Arnavji... she felt disgusted with herself.

Arnav's eyes were red with unshed tears as he stroked Khushi's back, offering her the comfort she needed.

"Why Arnavji? Why do girls have to go through so much? Is it such a sin to be born as a girl? Are we not humans? Do we not have feelings? Why do girls get treated as if they are just a piece of meat? Why do these people think that it's ok to torture girls just for some momentary pleasure? Why???"

"The fault is not in the women Khushi. It's the men. A man who sees a girl as just a piece of flesh is not human; he is worse than animals. And Shyam is one of those beasts Khushi, feeding off of the vulnerability of nave girls."

"I can't believe I've actually interacted with such a man, Arnavji. I've talked to this man, laughed with him... It disgusts me to think that I've let this person become a part of my life - even if it was a small insignificant part but still... I even defended that man over you... I'm so sorry Arnavji... I just feel repulsed by myself," she said, as the guilt weighed down on her.

"Shhh, Khushi it's not your fault. You didn't know - and there was no way you would have found out if not for me. So don't you dare feel bad about yourself," Arnav tried to make her feel better as best as he could.

"But Arnavji... I still don't understand where I come into all this?"

"Don't you get it Khushi? His next target was you. He wants you Khushi," Arnav said, while tightening his arms around her as though trying to keep her from the trouble that was and is heading her way.

Khushi shivered in Arnav's arms when the information sank into her.

"But he's not getting you. Ever. And I will make sure of it," he said confidently, pulling her close to him, placing a kiss on her temple.

"But Arnavji, you said you've been following me for months. So...?"

"Haan Khushi, Shyam has been following you for the same amount of time. And before you ask why he spent so much time following one girl, let me tell you that he seems to be taken with you... I myself witnessed his obsession with you and he was mad for you...," he said, clenching his jaws.

"But why didn't he just kidnap me as soon as he wanted me like all those other girls?" she asked, even though she feared the answer.

"That bast*** was is some kind of delusion that if you accepted him as a good friend at first, then you will let him..." Arnav couldn't say get himself to say it. "You would let him... without any fuss..."

Khushi still didn't understand why she would be treated differently to the rest of the girls in this case.

"Don't you get it Khushi? He wanted to capture you... and never set you free..."

Khushi was shaking uncontrollably by now, her fear taking over. Khushi shuddered a she thought about what would have happened if Arnav hadn't come to save her from those goons that day. She would have been in a living hell every day, minute and second of her life.

"Khushi," he called, but Khushi was just lost in her thoughts, still shivering in fear.

Arnav cupped her face firmly and said, "Khushi look at me," tilting her head up so that he could meet her eyes.

When Khushi finally looked up into his eyes, he asked, "Bharosa hai mujh pe? (Do you trust me?)"

Khushi didn't answer but let herself get lost in the depth of those molten caramel eyes that had always attracted her.

"Bharosa hai mujh pe? (Do you trust me?)" he repeated.

This time Khushi nodded, still mesmerised by his soulful eyes.

"Jab tak mein zinda hoon, koi bhi tumhe choo nahi saktha. Yeh waada hai mera tumse. (Until I'm alive, no one can touch you. This is my promise to you.)" he said with conviction.

And Khushi believed him.

The fear that had taken over a few minutes ago was now gone, as though it was never there in the first place.

Khushi just hugged him, taking refuge in his warmth, wanting to just feel his presence around her.

And Arnav just held her, offering her the support she wanted.

After a while, Khushi pulled back and said out of the blue, "What is L75's part in this?"

Arnav sighed. "This is what we don't know yet. I only started following you to ensure your protection from Shyam. But it was only the day that you got abducted that I realised that Shyam wasn't the only one who was after you..."

"We still don't know who this L75 is... We tried to get something out of those goons we caught, but it seems that he has some sort of hierarchy within his goons. The ones we caught get given instructions by an unknown person who works for L75... But we couldn't find him, so we came to a dead end..."

Khushi's brows furrowed at the information.

"But don't worry. The ASR always has a solution to everything," he said smirking proudly.

Khushi just shook her head, smiling at him the way she would at a child boasting about getting 10 out of 10 on a class test.

Arnav carried on, "I realised that L75 is a very experienced and reasonably old man - definitely over his 30's. The hierarchy system within his force shows how experienced and cunning he is. And I realised that he was connected to your past too - after all, he seemed to have been after your whole family. So all this only added up to one thing. He is from your father's generation. So that means that he must be over his 40's at the least."

"This also means that he is likely to be one of your father's enemies. And that explains the file. I wanted to have an overview of Shashi's dealings and his possible enemies. As for the check on you, that was just to look for any new information that I might have missed at first," he finished.

"Oh..." Khushi didn't know what to say in reply. She had a million questions about who this L75 was.

Knowing what was running in her head, Arnav cupped her cheek tenderly and said, "Khushi you don't need to worry about ANY of this okay? That's my job. And I'll handle it. Khushi, all this is going to be over very soon - I promise. But until then I don't want you to worry about a single thing. Okay? I'm here for you."

Khushi nodded in response, with a faint smile on her face. With that she hugged Arnav tight, thanking Devi Maiyya for bringing him into her life. She felt so lucky to have a man who cared so much about her, who made her feel so protected and loved. In that moment, she decided that she needed to go to the Mandir and give Devi Maiyya a huge offering of jalebis.

After a few moments of silence, Arnav murmured, "Mujhe bhoog lagrahi hai Khushi. Khaana milega? (I'm hungry Khushi. Can I get some food?)"

Khushi pulled away immediately with a big smile on her face and said, "Abhi banaathi hoon (I'll go make it now)"

Khushi was so happy - for the first time, Arnav asked her to make him food, using his rights on her. Before, it was always an unsaid thing between them that she makes the food, and it was just done as a routine. But for the first time ever Arnav actually asked her with rights. It just felt so intimate - it made her feel good, and she wanted to make the best food for him today.

She went to the kitchen with an extra skip in her step.

Arnav on the other hand was going to take that time to read the file.

And this is where the real mission begins...

Hey guys I'm really sorry this is a late update. For those who don't know, my aunt passed away around 2 weeks ago so I had to make a trip to Canada real quick. I only came back three days ago and my university started, so I couldn't update. I will be more regular with updates from now on. Once again I'm sorry.

But I hope this update cleared a few doubts and I hope you enjoyed the update. Please do let me know how it was by liking/commenting.

Awesome update.👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved it.❤️

I am glad that Arnav told the truth and reality of Shyam and how much danger Khushi was in.

I can't wait to read more.