Arshi FF: Destined To Love Link # 2 pg 151 - Page 37

Chapter 8

Khushi was totally engrossed in the film and why not, after all it was her all time favorite film 'Maine Pyar Kiya'. Working as a maid she'd often seen it in various homes and loved it every time she'd watched it, feeling all the emotions that the characters 'Prem' and 'Suman' experienced. She enjoyed their journey that started from being strangers to friends and then to lovers. She liked the arrogance and passion of Prem, the innocence and intelligence of suman. It was a simple and sweet love story, much like a fairy tale which always managed to bring a smile and tears in khushi's eyes. Even though she'd watched this film countless times still today she was totally immersed into it as if it was the first time.

She clutched the remote in frustration seeing suman being molested by the villain, waiting desperately for Prem to make an entry and thrash the villain black and blue, she clapped her hands in excitement just like a child when he got beaten up, her eyes became teary when people in the film questioned suman and prem's pure friendship by saying," a girl and a boy can never be friends." By now she'd by heart almost all the dialogues.

Finally the much awaited part came when both the protagonists confess their love and break into that romantic song,' dil deewana bin sajna ke maane na'.

khushi immediately got up from the sofa and started dancing to the song, coincidentally like the heroine even she was wearing a yellow sari. She tucked the edge of the sari around her waist and began moving her feet to the rhythm of the music.

She was enjoying every moment of it when the shrilling sound of the landline phone attempted to hamper her spirits. She looked around for someone to attend the call, nobody turned up, she slapped her head on remembering that there was no one at home. Shalini had gone to her dad's office to convene a political meeting for the upcoming elections and where was arnav, khushi had no clue. Biting her lower lip in irritation she switched off the tv and went to take up the call wondering in times of cell phones, who calls up on landline?

"hello" she said rudely. Her annoyed eyes turned wide in shock, almost on the verge of popping out of the sockets and her senses went numb,' ASR was in the hospital..he had been SHOT!' the receiver dropped from her hand and she remained rooted to her spot for a good amount of time before rushing out of the house. A driver took her to the hospital, the place was new to her so was the situation.

She didn't know how to react, what to do, who to approach, all she wanted was to see him. Looking around frantically she went to the receptionist.

" Arnav ji.i want to see him."

" arnav ji ? who arnav?" the receptionist asked frowning at her.

" arnav ji." She said again gritting her teeth, was this receptionist dumb? couldn't she understand who she was asking for?

Yeah she was dumb and stupid, khushi concluded seeing her confused expressions.

"he..has been shot." pragya gave her more information and waited with baited breath for her to respond. The receptionist nodded her head ever so slowly and asked," you mean.." khushi didn't allow her to complete, she was getting impatient with every passing second and said," I mean ..arnav singh raizada.."

" ohh so you're talking about ASR." Receptionist said as if she'd solved some difficult puzzle.

" yeah where is he?" Khushi inquired pressing her lips hard.

" but how are you related to him?" the question stunned khushi, she didn't know what to say. She thought for a few seconds before gulping the lump in her throat and parted her lips to speak but noting came out. What could she reply when she herself didn't know the answer. Her one hand went down to touch her belly and she replied glaring at her in frustration," how does it matter? Just tell me in which room is he?" the receptionist nodded a no before saying," sorry but I can't disclose information related to him to any random person."

She wasn't just anybody! She was ..she was ..she was carrying his child damn it!

" can't you understand I want to see him?" She screamed banging the table hard, her temper had reached its peak and she swore she would smash the lady in front of her if she didn't allow her to meet him.

" she's with me."

khushi heard a familiar voice from behind. She turned around and found shalini standing. After closing her eyes for a moment in relief, khushi held shalini's arm and said agitatedly," di, arnav ji is injured."

" I'm sorry ma'am I didn't know. He's being operated on the second floor." The receptionist finally informed about his whereabouts.

Shalini gave khushi a side hug to calm her down, she didn't wish khushi to create a scene here. Pressing her shoulder lightly, shalini said softly," relax. I've already had a word with the doctor." And directed her towards the elevator.

" but di what took you so long?" khushi asked drawing her brows together. Shalini blinked her eyes slowly and pressed the elevator button after replying," I was in the meeting so I had switched off the cellphone."

khushi fidgeted with the edge of her sari as the elevator was taking ages to reach the floor where they were standing.

" let's take the stairs." She suggested impatiently and before shalini could respond, khushi was already rushing towards the stairs.

Sitting outside the operation theatre, khushi held the bench firmly in her hands and rocked her upper body to and fro, nervously. Her eyes downcast stared the floor blankly as her mind couldn't rest in peace.

" yeah baba..that Raj is behind this attack ." Shalini spoke to her father, shekhawat.

" that bloody backstabber ..after taking money showed his true colors ..don't spare him." khushi's head turned towards shalini as slowly the conversation began to register in her mind. Her eyes were all inquisitive with several questions running in them.

Shalini pressed her hand softly and said," khushi, all this is very common in our field of work. This isn't happening for the first time."

All this was part and parcel of their profession, shalini was well accustomed to it but for khushi it was all new and scary. Shalini could understand khushi's anxiety she had seen her husband in this state earlier also so she wasn't that perturbed as khushi was.

" don't get tensed ..arnav would be fine." She didn't want khushi to take stress and affect her health because then it would harm the baby which she definitely didn't desire. The red light of the operation theatre turned off and the doctor came out.

" ASR was shot twice ..once on his back and the second time close to his heart." While Khushi's face lost color and she was left stunned, shalini's heart too missed a beat on hearing the doctor. He further informed that arnav had fallen hard on his left as a result his left arm had fractured .

" operation went off well but he has lost lot of blood so he'll have to stay in the hospital for few days."

Shalini sighed in relief and nodded her head slowly whereas khushi kept wondering how dangerous and unpredictable his life was. Just a few hours back everything was fine and now he was here, struggling to survive. Was all this money and power worth the risk involved?

She heard the door open and saw him being wheeled out of the operation theatre. A huge bandage covered the area where the bullet had hit him, it was indeed really close to his heart, what if it had pierced right through his heart? She shuddered at the thought and shut her eyes tightly clutching the end of her sari.

When she opened her eyes and raised her right leg to approach him she saw shalini already walking besides his stretcher. Something inside her stopped her from taking that step and soon he was shifted to his room.

Shalini sat close to him on the stool waiting for him to gain conscious and cursed that raj under her breath for cheating on him. She kept on pestering her dad on the phone to find and punish that ras*al. hours later she found his fingers moving and eyes fluttering to open up. She smiled and stood up seeing him gain conscious.

" arnav everything is fine..all is well..raj will be caught soon." She said running her fingers through his hair, as if he was scared of raj, as if he really cared that raj got caught.

Arnav turned his head to the other side and shut his eyes again in response.

" I'll go and call the doctor."

After a while when he opened his drowsy eyes and ran them across the room, they automatically halted on the glass window. A pair of hazel brown eyes were looking right back at him. khushi brought her hands up and pressed the glass with her palms. She didn't know whether to smile in relief or weep in distress on seeing him like this. She curled her fingers in an attempt to control her emotions but failed hopelessly. He saw a tear drop caress her eye for a while until it could no longer hold her gaze and trickled down her cheek. His face creased in surprise firstly on seeing here and secondly on seeing her react like this. Both of them simply stared at one another, unwilling to tear the gaze. Her lips quivered and whispered 'arnav ji' which his ears couldn't hear but his heart..did, felt and understood even before it escaped her lips.

The door opened and the nurse entered, breaking their ever so long eye lock. She checked his blood pressure, while khushi lowered her head and turned her back to him. When the nurse came out she asked her," arnav jii ..how's he?" to which nurse replied that his blood pressure was slightly low but there was no need to worry he would recover soon.

Shalini came up to khushi and told her to go home and rest, she'd stay with arnav here. khushi shook her head in agreement and turned to leave but not before looking back at him one more time. His gaze was still stuck on her, he didn't know why.

Late at night, shalini tossed and turned on the couch several times. It was not at all comfortable for her. she wondered how people slept on couches, especially him? For many weeks she'd seen him sleeping on the recliner in the bar or dozing off on the sofas in the hall.

" arnav how do you manage to sleep on a couch ? already my back is hurting."

he smirked inwardly on hearing her question, instead of caring to ask why he'd started sleeping on couches she wanted to know how he slept on them?

" maybe I find comfort in discomfort ." The honesty and sarcasm in his words didn't register in her otherwise sharp mind. She didn't bother to know the reason why they had stopped sharing a bed, maybe she thought it wasn't required anymore.

He closed his eyes to allow the sedatives have their effect on him however for some strange reason they were not working on him. Those wet innocent eyes were invading his sleep. The anxiety and concern in them were genuine yet uncalled for as per him, quite similar to her simple, honest and thoughtful words which she often shared with him. There was absolutely no need for her to make him feel better or relieve him off his guilt yet she always attempted to do so. Not only she but even he could not stop himself from worrying on seeing her sad and grim. Why were her emotions, her feelings affecting him ? What relationship did they share that made her shed tears for him? And when she did then why did his heart twist in pain? What was there between them that he was searching in her eyes? Why a small soundless 'arnav ji' turned so meaningful for him? He fisted the blanket in frustration, no there was nothing extraordinary about all this, she's here to give him a baby and would leave after doing so ..plain and simple as that..nothing more nothing less! His mind told him to which his heart promptly questioned, if everything was all so simple and straight then why the hell was he thinking about her so much? Lack of his daily doze of alcohol was making him over think, his mind replied and defended him.

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Awesome update soon they will fall in love