Arhi FF:Mirage Note pg 158 for next thread link - Page 12

The next morning, she rang the bell of her best friend's house. It was a Sunday morning and it was her routine to visit her closest friend every week.

A young girl of about 22, the same age as hers opened the door. She was still in her night gown and her hair was messy after the night's sleep. With half opened eyes and a big yawn, she murmured, "Khushi! You are early today."

"Lavanya! I'm not early. You are late. Do you know what time it is? It is 9:00 am." She said and forced herself into the house, pushing her best friend aside.

"Isn't anyone at home?" Khushi enquired noticing the silence prevailing in the house.

"No. Dad's gone to a business trip. And the servants are in their quarters. I sent them away for the morning." She said and led Khushi to her room upstairs.

Lavanya Kashyap was the daughter of the city's most influential businessman, Hari Kashyap. From the time her parents got divorced, when she was just 9, she lived with her Dad in a huge bungalow in one of the posh localities of Delhi city.

Khushi and Lavanya were two extreme opposites in their ideologies and thinking. The former being a simple middle class girl while the latter being a rich spoilt brat.

But theirs was a strong friendship. Khushi had first met Lavanya in her Grade 5 class. After the death of her parents, Khushi had moved in with her Bua who lived in Delhi. She had been admitted into one of the best convent schools in Delhi, the St. Andrew's. During such a traumatic stage of her life, Lavanya had been the one who had cheered up this little girl with her companionship.

Even though she belonged to a rich family, Lavanya was a gem at heart and could empathize with Khushi and her loss, after suffering from a traumatic divorce of her parents. So the two had grown to support and understand each other's problems and shared every single joy and sorrow with each other.

After their schooling, they had gone to separate colleges. While Khushi attended the local college of her area, Lavanya attended the prestigious and the famous, Stephen's college, where the elite kids of Delhi hanged out. But this distance didn't affect their friendship. They had made a point to visit each other or talk over the phone atleast twice a week and share their experiences with each other.

Maybe to the world, Lavanya was arrogant, uncaring and rude. But to Khushi she was her best friend in the whole world.

"Lavanya! Did you go to the night club yesterday night too?" Khushi asked looking at her groggy eyed friend. Lavanya went and lay lazily on her bed and pulled Khushi along with her to her side.

"Ofcourse! I went with Karthik to the night club. We had so much of fun partying all night. You know right how much Dad hates me going out with him to night clubs. I think he hates Karthik more than the night clubs. Tell me frankly Khushi, Is he really that bad?" Lavanya asked with sleep eyes. Both of them were staring at the ceiling and talking.

Karthik was Lavanya's latest muse and boyfriend in her long list of ex's. To say he was a complete douche bag would be an understatement. He was only hanging out with Lavanya for her money power. Afterall, every boyfriend of hers didn't have to spend even a single penny on her. She looked after every single expense, even of her boyfriend's. That was the benefit of being the only daughter of a rich businessman.

But Khushi couldn't understand what was so appealing about him to Lavanya that she had dumped her ex-boyfriend for him? Maybe he looked good. But that was it. He wasn't even fit to be called a human, coz Khushi couldn't remember a single event where he had spoken in a civilized manner to her.

"No, he isn't that bad. But I liked Raj, your tenth boyfriend. He was a nice guy. I think your Dad had liked him." Khushi replied diplomatically not wanting to hurt her friend's feelings. She knew Lavanya was a sensitive person, who would be offended or hurt too easily even at the slightest criticism.

"Yah! He was nice. I wonder why I dumped him." Lavanya agreed scratching her head lost in her past.

"And you should listen to your Dad you know. He loves you a lot and wants the best for you." Khushi added on.

"Forget about me. So what brought you here ? I can see that you are dying to tell something to me. Open up your secrets girl! I want some spicy gossip." Lavanya turned sideways to face her friend.

Khushi sat upright on the bed before starting to talk. She looked worried as she had no idea about how to begin this conversation. Lavanya noticed something was wrong and sat upright beside her and held her hand.

"You know, yesterday night while I returned back home from your place, I saw..." Khushi began to narrate the whole story about last night to her. Lavanya listened to her whole story eagerly till the very end. She was then lost in some distant world pondering over what her friend had just narrated. After a huge pause, she spoke.

"So this injured guy, his name was Arnav right? Do you think he was some criminal trying to escape?"

"I don't know Lavanya! I'm confused and scared. I haven't told this to Buaji. She had always warned me about this. Now I fear whether I will be entangled in this mess. What if he really was a criminal and I helped him? What if the police turn up at my door? Do you think I committed a mistake by helping him?" Khushi spoke in a frightened tone, unsure of what she had done.

"No Khushi! You did the right thing by helping him. You saved his life and that is more important than anything. But you said he was bleeding badly right? What if he didn't survive? Maybe he died on the way." Lavanya said consoling her friend.

"No! Don't say like that. He must have survived. He definitely has to survive." She said. Khushi had always been sensitive to issues relating to death, especially after the horrific death of her parents. She couldn't bear to see anyone around her die.

"And nothing is going to happen to you. If anything happens, don't worry. My Dad is there to help you out. He has contacts with everyone in the government. They won't put you in jail." Lavanya replied particularly smiling at the end, seeing the frightened face of Khushi.

"You are smiling in this tense moment. What kind of a friend you are!" Khushi said with a grumpy face.

"A friend who will cheer you up even in the worst moment of your life!" Lavanya said pulling Khushi's cheeks making her to smile back at her. She was always ready to lighten up Khushi's mood.

"So what shall we do today?" Khushi asked cheerfully again lying down on the soft bed.

"I have a party tonight to attend. Help me select a dress." Lavanya said lying down beside her.

"Not again! Another party?" Khushi asked raising her eyebrows.

"Yes! And I think you should come too. I can introduce you to Arjun. He's in my class. I'm sure you would like him instantly."

"Lavanya! You do know I'm not interested in any relationship or boyfriend. I will wait for that perfect man to enter my life. My prince charming. He will be my first and last boyfriend. And I shall only marry him."

"But what if Arjun is your prince charming?"

"Nah! He doesn't sound like one." She said shaking her head vigourously. " My prince charming will be the one who will come in my dreams every night and day. I will instantly recognize him as soon as he enters in my life. Everyday I shall only be talking or thinking about him. And that is when you will know that Khushi Kumari Gupta has fallen in love." Khushi said with a dramatic tone, causing both of them to burst out with laughter.

"We will see that." Lavanya said and hit her friend on her head with a pillow.

Little did Khushi know that he had already entered her life.

CHAPTER 4