ArHi FF: Kya pata kahaan hum Chale(Part 25last 112 - Page 20

lovely update... armaan is smart, he wanted arnav to see khushi:-)

Arnav stood outside Sanjeevani Hospital and looked around to see what the place was like. He had decided to get over with Mr. Malik's request and meet Armaan asap. Taking stock of the hospital's sleek interior, he walked towards the reception desk. No one stood there and he looked here and there to see if anyone was around to guide him.

"Yes, Sir, how may I help you?", he heard a voice behind him ask and he turned around to look into a pair of eyes that held no recognition for him, totally professional and estranged.

"I am looking for Dr. Armaan Malik, can you please ask him to meet me?" Arnav said clearing his throat.

"Sure, I'll page him, please take a seat," the receptionist said in an official tone while pointing at the sofas placed nearby for visitors.

Within minutes Armaan was at the desk but he stood shocked when he saw who was sitting over there. He turned sharply towards the desk to see who was standing there. He let out his breath gratefully when he saw Sister Lovely with her head buried in files. He quickly went to her and asked in hushed tone, "Where Ms Gupta?"

"She had to go outside for sometime so I am standing in her place," Sister Lovely told, "and boy am I thankful that she had to go away!" she continued while staring at ASR openly and unashamedly.

"Sister Lovely you are incorrigible," Armaan laughed as he went towards Armaan.

"Hey, surprise surprise, what brings the mighty Raizada to Mumbai?" he asked shaking hands with Arnav.

"ummm business as usual, how are you doing?" Arnav asked, "Uncle Malik had asked me to meet you, so I am here, anyplace where we can sit and talk?" Arnav went straight to the task.

"Dad!" grimaced Armaan, "yea yea lets go to the cafeteria."

He saw Riddhimma on their way and excused himself for a while to talk with her.

"Ridhimma don't ask for explanations right now, but please do whatever you can to keep Khushi away from the cafeteria until I give you a call, she is out of the hospital right now, haunt the front gate to make sure she reaches her desk without any detour to the caf! Thanks a bunch in advance!" he turned hurriedly towards Arnav leaving an open mouthed Ridhimma in the corridor.

"Weirdo!" thought Ridhimma.

"Hottie!" thought Armaan smiling despite the state of emergency he was in. He wasn't prepared for ASR, he had been emailing him but never thought he'll be meeting him anytime soon. One thing he knew for sure was that Khushi wasn't ready to meet him just as yet.

'So what brings you to Sanjeevani, as far as I know you run a fashion house, are hospitals your new found business interest?" Armaan jibed at Arnav. Armaan had a deep seated dislike hovering on the boundaries of hatred for businessmen. In his opinions they all were arrogant, manipulative, conceited, deceitful, calculating people who only cared about numbers and only those that showed profits. He was in a state of perpetual battle of wills with his father since his teenage years. His father was amongst the top names in India, but he disgusted Armaan by the way he and people of his clan manipulated the country's politics and other affairs.

"Ouch! You aren't exactly sweet talking as Doctors are generally thought of!" Arnav said surprised by the acidity in Armaan's voice, "Anyways, Uncle Malik has asked me to talk to you, although in my opinion you have the freedom to make your own choices in life, but he feels, being his only child you must look after the business he has set up with so much effort."

Armaan snorted disdainfully as he said, "yeah effort! I am sorry the kind of effort he wants me to make, I am not ready to stoop so low! I am not a conceited bas**rd who can play havoc with people's lives to make my own!"

"Woah! What do you mean? As far as I know your Dad has worked hard for his business empire!" Arnav said.

"Working hard does not lift off the evil from someone's actions. Its what you are working hard for, that matters!" said Armaan dismissing Arnav's argument, "you are new in the business world but eventually you'll come to know and if you aren't lucky enough you'll go sucked into the spiral. I have watched my father closely for years and I have worked in this hospital long enough to loathe what goes on. How the bl**dy capitalists run the country's policies," Armaan was talking like Simran now, "I have seen people suffer from the side effects of medicines that are prescribed by physicians to unsuspecting people. Physicians, who then go for foreign tours on conferences arranged by these MNCs. Think Halliburton!" he finished most acridly.

Arnav understood what Armaan was saying, him running a Fashion House had kept him away from this dirt game but it hadn't been clean all the way thorough. They had finished their coffee so Arnav stood up and extended his hand towards Armaan, "Good Luck."

Armaan gave a small smile and said, "I am sorry but I can never stop myself when someone talks to me about giving up my profession and taking up my father's business." He took a deep breath and continued, "Why don't you come over some day for dinner, how long are you in Mumbai?" he asked carefully.

Sadness and anxiety was written all over Arnav's face as he said, "I don't know yet, let's see. Ok then see you" he finished and left, quickly being overtaken by Armaan who wanted to make sure the coast was clear and thankfully it was.

They were all gathered in Armaan's house for Armaan's birthday. They had given him a surprise and Khushi had taken an early off to arrange and decorate his house for the party. Feeling grand they had opted to keep the dress code formal so everyone was dressed to kill. Khushi had opted to wear a sari, white with matching beaded embroidery and edged with red satin. Her hair was loosely gathered in a stylish bun while wisps of hair surrounded her face. Rahul couldn't take his eyes off her, while Armaan didn't let him go anywhere near her.

"Armaan I am her co-worker like you, let me just have one dance with her, I promise I will not lay bare my feelings for her, it will be totally platonic!" he almost pleaded, "and I already know she will not reciprocate my feelings so you need not fret like a mother hen!"

Looking thoughtfully at him Armaan just said, "be careful! Do not hurt her."

After the cake had been cut, everyone started to eat and dance, Atul had taken up the job of the party Dj and was putting one mushy song after another. He hoped to get some attention from Anjali but he was failing.

"Anjali, for god's sake ask him for one dance and rid us all of his taste in music," Armaan said going crazy after listening to over the top sugary love songs.

"You know what, I'll be a good friend and actually do that!" said Anjali moving towards Atul.

"Ridhimma get up now and dance with me!" Armaan jumped up excitedly holding her hand and changed the music to a faster track. Rahul had also asked Khushi for a dance.

In the next however, Armaan danced with Khushi on a slower number. Being friends they were comfortable with each other as he held her close in a somewhat intimate embrace. "You know Rahul is totally head over heels for you? Interested?" Armaan asked nonchalantly.

"Since when have you become a love guru?" khushi said in a teasing tone.

"Oh come on, tell me what do you think? If not him, then what kind of a guy will catch your fancy?" he continued unabated.

"No one!" said Khushi with a tone of finality.

Arnav had tried unsuccessfully for two days to try and find Khushi's whereabouts but nothing came up, even the emails had stopped. The only thing he could think of was taking Armaan's help. Finding out his address wasn't difficult so he headed for his home. As he approached his flat he could hear music being played and people talking and laughing. He was almost at the open door when he decided to go back and come later. he caught sight of her as he turned to leave, her whose face had haunted him while awake and while sleeping, whose voice he had been dying to hear, whose eyes he had been missing and she was right now in another man's arms, held close, held lovingly, she looked comfortable as she looked into this man's eyes as she answered something, sadness etched in her eyes. Just then they twirled around and Arnav saw the face of the man she was with. "Armaan! Backstabber!" Arnav clenched his fists as he tried to control himself, "Armaan knew who Khushi was, he had met him 2 days ago only and he hadn't said a word!" Arnav wanted to storm inside and take Khushi with her but he knew she wouldn't just come with him but he couldn't stop himself from going in.

Armaan felt someone's hand on his shoulder, he turned his head to look into two rage filled eyes and heard, "let me take it from here," as Arnav took hold of Khushi's hands and locked her in a tight embrace and began dancing. Khushi was too shocked to say anything for some time and that time was enough for Arman to quietly signal everyone to leave, he looked at Ridhimma as if to say that he'll explain everything to her.

Khushi controlled her reeling senses with some difficulty and pushed hard at Arnav. When he didn't budge even a little bit, she extricated herself from his arms and looked at Armaan.

"What is the meaning of all this Armaan?" demanded Khushi, her anger rising steadily.

"I'll explain everything Khushi, but just know that I didn't invite him here today!" he went to her to try and comfort her.

"Don't!" she said raising her hand, "Don't come near me! Just tell me why is he here?" She asked pointing to Arnav.

"Listen Khushi''" Arnav tried to say something but stopped when Khushi glared at him.

Sighing inwardly, Armaan knew there were three rounds of explanations he had to go through, he decided to go through Round-Khushi first, "Arnav, I think you better leave right now, Khushi is in no mood to listen to you." He went near Arnav and continued in a muter tone, 'please I'll explain everything, just leave right now!"

Arnav turned around and gave one last look to khushi, who stood with her back to him, before he went out.

"Please drop me home," was all khushi had said when Armaan had told her that he had recognized her when she had introduced herself. He was one of the guests at Akaash's wedding and had also witnessed Khushi and Arnav's dramatic arrival as a married couple. He had later on found how she had left through the many ads that had been placed in papers to find her. He had been in delhi at that time for a month. When he saw her in Sanjeevani he couldn't stop himself from befriending her as he had developed a lot of sympathy for her unknowingly. The fact that she was in Sanjeevani as a receptionist was itself a testimony to the struggle she must have gone thorough after leaving Delhi.

In her room Khushi sat still on her bed, in a numb state, she couldn't scrape off the memory of his face looking into her eyes earlier that day. She could still fell his arms around her, his heart beating under her palm as it rested on his coat's lapel. She remembered how her heart had stopped beating or had it started to beat uncontrollably? She had wanted to hurt him and love him at the same time. What she saw in his eyes was no longer the hatred she remembered from the last time they had been together in his room. Why was he there? Slowly she started to cry, she let go of the control she had been exercising, tears started to fall down one by one until she was sobbing hysterically.

In his room he stood still in front of the window looking out at the dark sky. He remembered how Khushi had pushed him away as if it was unbearable for her to touch him. How she had glared at him, not willing to listen to anything. Armaan did explain to him over the phone that what he had seen were two friends dancing, that's that. Armaan had informed that he had been emailing him to put him at ease, but he didn't give any details for he knew that would have been betraying her. He had been looking after her and told him that he was lucky Khushi was able to survive the catastrophe unscathed, she was one of the luckier ones who are able to find shelter in cities like delhi and Mumbai. And Arnav had seen Priya to know how right Armaan was. He couldn't sleep that night as well.

In his apartment Armaan sat on his couch with his head held in his hands. He had no idea what to do now. What will the new day bring with it? Ridhimma had told him to keep faith and pray, she had listened with concern and agreed to keep it to herself only. He paced his room for a long time and went to Sanjeevani for night duty in place of Rahul, over there he could think straight.

Thank you for the PM