Prologue
Destiny is something not to be desired and not to be avoided. A mystery not contrary to reason, for it implies that the world, and the course of human history, have meaning. -Dag Hammarskjold.
"Look over there Khushi." The tall, masculine figure pointed towards two sets of aurora in the night sky. "Those are our souls connecting... becoming one... forever and always." He explained staring at the night sky where two sets of natural lights displayed in the sky, similar to the northern lights.
"Like our souls was always looking for each other... wandering around... roaming freely... finally coming together... connecting forever. It's like we were meant for each other. Am I right?" Khushi smiled at the handsome man.
"Mm-hmm." He smiled back and then pulled Khushi into an embrace.
Khushi hugged him back and then looked at him lovingly. She liked what she saw in those deep caramel coloured expressive eyes. They reflected a lot of unspoken emotions... emotions that he could never convey into words. Khushi's eyes also mirrored the same amount of love as his.
He pulled Khushi closer, holding her tightly around the waist so there was no space for air to pass between them. Khushi put her arms around his neck and then the next moment came naturally to them as they moved their faces closer to each other, lips touching...
"Good morning everybody. I'm Stella and you are listening to Serene Station. Wow that's a lot of S's I used! And now we'll be listening to some soothing songs so that our mornings go nice and smoothly. Wow! I'm just a bucket load of alliterations today, aren't I?" He mouthed.
"What are you saying? S's? Loitering? I thought we were just...?" Khushi asked the man. She looked confused.
"I'm just kidding with you guys. Here's some music to listen to..."
Khushi woke up startled to the radio alarm. Her heart was pounding inside her chest that it could be heard from a mile away. She listened to the radio for a few moments longer and as usual, Khushi mouthed a few silent abuses at the radio and the host Stella and then turned off the alarm. Khushi sat up on her bed going into deep thinking mode. She was thinking of the frequent dreams she was having about this guy; how it became more intense with passing time and how it sometimes drained her all the energy out of her. The thought of it evoked many feelings inside her. She closed her eyes, wanting to go back to sleep again so that she could think about him again. There was something about him that she felt in connection with.
"Rathin..." Khushi sighed inaudibly. Rathin was the name she chose specifically for him. Rathin meant 'celestial': this guy felt like an otherworldly creature to her; he seemed so perfect, so magical. That is why she thought the name to be perfect.
Her memories of him were so vivid and it felt so real, as if he was with her. But then her dreams could come true, since that is what happens to her at times.
"Nah!" Khushi said shaking her head in disagreement to her own thoughts. "Men as good him are like the Sumatran tigers: on the brink of extinction... or are they like dinosaurs?" Khushi talked to herself. This was how Khushi's morning always went by. She then got a phone call from India. She smiled looking at the number. She shook the thoughts of the guy out of her head and answered her phone.
"Hello Jiji. Nervous about the wedding yet? No? Oh let me guess, you must be eager? Be patient my child. In a few days you'll be Mrs Akash Raizada." Khushi teased.
"Oh shut up Khushi. You know how nervous I am. And to top it off - you're not in the wedding with me." Payal said.
"I know. Even I'm missing you. But you know I got several huge orders from a number of clients. And then the Pandit said that there's no other auspicious time until a year and a half later." Khushi explained to a nervous Payal. "And I wouldn't be able to see the state of you and Jija Ji being separate for that long." Khushi joked.
"You're never going to stop being a badmaash are you? But still, it's weird without you." Payal said.
"Well I'm coming over in two weeks..."
"Then promise me this: when you come back you must stay at my in-laws with me for at least a week. Even Akash Ji would like to meet you and so would his family." Payal put forth the condition.
"Fine!" Khushi sighed a huge sigh jokingly.
"That's like my sister!" Payal laughed.
"Oh Jiji, I'm going to have to hang up now. I'm getting late for something. I wish I could talk for longer but I can't." Khushi said looking at the time.
"Take care of yourself. Oh and everyone at home said hi."
"Yeah, tell them I said the same. Got to go." Khushi rushed out of her bed.
"Bye pagli." Payal ended the call.
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After a long day at work, Arnav headed straight to the gym to de-stress. After his usual workout he always went for a swim. He preferred to use this time to reflect the whole day of work: he preferred silence.
Before entering the pool Arnav turned off his iPod, took off his shoes and every other accessory he had on. He then took off his t-shirt, revealing his perfectly chiselled abs. All he had was a pair of shorts on. No one ever saw him like this: he was always dressed in tailored suits, shirts and V-neck sweaters. His body was a work of art, like an artist that spent their lifetime carving out every inch of his chiselled, handsome face and his lean muscular body. That is why most fashion magazines named Arnav as one of the hottest business tycoon in India. Men wanted to be him: ladies wanted a piece of him.
He walked up to a set of steps that lead to a springboard and walked on until he was standing at the very edge of the platform. He stood for a moment going in to deep thoughts about the day which was meant to be the happiest day in his sister's life... the day where she looked the most beautiful person on the planet... the day that one gunshot ruined his family's life... that one gunshot which led to a spiral of sadness for him and his sister. "If only I knew about my powers back then, Di would've been happily married today. I could've stopped that incident taking place...I could've saved our mother..." Arnav could feel his eyes stinging, but he wasn't going to let emotions get the better of him. So he put on his swimming goggles and dived into the pool.
Arnav was swimming in the pool when he could hear loud crackling sounds and that came from somewhere above. Debris was scattering everywhere and some scattered material fell on Arnav. He looked up to see that he was directly beneath the springboard when all of a sudden the board snapped off its foundation and fell at a fast speed. The board was one metre above Arnav's head, when he stopped it mid-air with a motion of his hands. His pupils turned pure black, covering the whites of his eyes as well. He focused hard, using all his strength. With a gesture of his hands Arnav then propelled the board over to the other side of the pool.
Arnav felt weak so he stayed in the pool for a few minutes; he always felt exhausted whenever he used his powers fully.
A while later a young looking caretaker rushed in. "Are you okay sir?"
"What the hell have you been doing all this time? Is this why I employed you? You were supposed to take care of this gym and this pool. Then how come this fell off?" Arnav pointed to the collapsed springboard.
"But-"
"Shut up! I'm not finished yet. I hate irresponsible and careless people. This negligence of yours could have cost my life. Do you get that? You're fired. Now get out." Arnav ended.
"I'm sorry sir." The caretaker apologised.
"You're lucky I only fired you. Because if I died today, my lawyers would've ruined you completely. I want you out of here in ten seconds. OUT!" and the caretaker ran out of the building.
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The Gupta family were enjoying themselves in the party at the Raizada mansion. Guests were spread all around the house. Children were running around, giggling; the men were indulged in business talks; and the ladies were busy gossiping and showing off their saris and jewellery to each other. The Gupta and Raizada elders were gathered together, engrossed in wedding conversations. But Khushi didn't see Payal anywhere. She couldn't see the rest of the Raizada family members Payal told her about. Why was she in a lehenga? Khushi thought to herself. But then she liked her outfit: she was dressed in an elegant but simple rosy pink lehenga and the whole outfit accentuated her curves in the right place. The skirt heightened her already long legs and her blouse stopped just above her belly button. But the blouse had a fairly wide neckline and backline, which drew attention to her chest and showed her bare back. She only had a thin dupatta covering herself.
Khushi walked around the big mansion and came to a halt when she heard Payal's laughter. She entered a room which looked like a library and saw Payal in there with a few other people. She couldn't see the other people's faces, so she decided to take a closer look. As Khushi took a step forward, she heard a clatter. She looked up to see the chandelier loosening from the ceiling. She looked to see Payal directly underneath it.
"Jiji!" Khushi ran as fast as she could in the heavy lehenga and high heels. "Move Jiji!" She ran and pushed Payal out of the way, when the chandelier gave way and started to fall off.
Just then Khushi was swept away effortlessly by a stranger. The chandelier collapsed onto the floor, making a huge commotion. But Khushi was focused on the tall, dark figure that helped her.
"Rathin?" She couldn't believe her eyes. She blinked several times, almost as if it would help her see much more clearly. They still held onto to each other... not letting go. His touch made her senses heighten with each contact. He had big warm hands that were placed on her upper and lower back. Each movement of his made her breath hitch, yet make her heart beat all the more erratically. Khushi moved her hand forward to his face, when she was distracted by all the people that came rushing in. She looked around feeling annoyed that this moment between her and Rathin was being spoilt. So she turned to face him, only to find him gone.
Khushi woke up in an alarmed state. "Roma, I have to go to India now. I have a feeling something bad is going to happen there." Khushi explained to her best friend.
"What did you dream of?" Roma asked.
Khushi told Roma about the dream she had.
"Well, it might have been a bad dream babe." Roma said.
"In these five years, have you not understood me properly? Your sister had a few complications conceiving a child. And I had dream of her being pregnant weeks before she knew. I told you about it remember? And now your sister's a happy mother. And remember that time I dreamt of my bedroom ceiling cracking open and water coming in: a week later there was a huge wind and rain period, which caused the ceiling to crack and rainwater ruined the whole bedroom. And then the time..." Khushi sighed loudly "I can feel it when something bad is going to happen. The dreams tend to be a lot stronger and it just doesn't get out of my head. I need to go. Steve can manage everything here." Steve was the manager at Khushi's business.
"Okay fine. If you're going, I'm coming with you." Roma came to a conclusion.
"You're the best." Khushi hugged Roma.
"Now let's book the flights and get packing. We're going to Delhi!" Roma said ecstatically.
Khushi just nodded and went to a trail of thoughts. She didn't know what she'd expect in Delhi, but had a strange feeling that life wouldn't be the same ever again. What fate had in store for her... who knew?
Bigg Boss 19
