Arhi FF:Never Gone, Never Far. link to thd 2 pg.1 - Page 81

Khushi's Apartment, London

Khushi woke up to a gentle touch on her cheek. She stretched and yawned, and opened her eyes to look at a smiling Arnav. "Good morning, Khushi. . ." he murmured, and Khushi's smile widened as she beckoned to her Arnav, who came to her readily. As he sat behind her, his arms enveloping her in a warm embrace. Khushi leaned onto him, as she remembered what Aditya had told her. That she was imagining Arnav everywhere. "He's right, you know?" Arnav murmured. Khushi simply nodded. "If you're not ready to let go of me mentally, why put such a huge distance in between us, jaan??" Arnav questioned. "You betrayed my trust. . . ." Khushi answered meekly. "And you betrayed me too. . . ." Arnav murmured against her neck. Khushi turned around as she stared at him with disbelief, as she sputtered, "Me?! How?!!"

"Think, Khushi. . . All this would never have happened if you had told me about Shyam, the day you came to know his truth. . ." Arnav replied in a soft voice, and Khushi huffed with annoyance. "That's your argument about this?! Exhaling?!" Arnav asked in a wry voice. 'I've had enough of this discussion!!' Khushi thought as she got up and started to get ready to go to work. "Huff all you want. But we both are at fault!" Arnav yelled behind her.

Aditya's apartment, West Hampstead, London


Aditya had a plan now. It had been quite obvious to him that Khushi would return back to normalcy once she let Arnav back in her life. All he now had to find out, was whether Arnav wanted Khushi or not. For Khushi, Arnav was the basic necessity of life, just like air. Was it the same on Arnav's side too? When he voiced this to Lavanya, she had been pretty sure that whatever was wrong between them, it'd have been one, huge misunderstanding, and she had cited numerous incidents where the usually adamant ASR was putty in the efficient hands of Khushi.

"I want to know it for sure. . . ." Aditya said, and braced himself to know the truth. If Arnav, was, by any chance, fine with not having Khushi in his life, curing Khushi off her schizophrenia would be tough. "I could call ASR's elder sister. She'd know about this. . ." Lavanya murmured thoughtfully.

"I think its better you call her up. . . ." Aditya said, and Lavanya replied, "I won't simply tell her that Khushi is with us. . . Let me first know how ASR is taking all this. . ." Aditya nodded and watched Lavanya take her phone and dial a number. Lavanya's face lit up with a smile as she answered the person on the phone, "Hello, Di??"

Anjali smiled when she saw Lavanya was calling her. Soon they were catching up, and after a while, Lavanya asked in a soft voice, "How is ASR, Di?? And Khushi??" Anjali Singh Raizada went silent for a whole minute, before she started crying and started narrating to Lavanya, what had happened after the former had left. Lavanya, in turn, put her phone on speaker, so that Aditya could listen too.

---flashback---

The day Anjali had found out about the infidelity of her husband, she had come to know the truth about the sham marriage of her brother to Khushi too. To say that Anjali had been thunderstruck would be an understatement. Poor Khushi had suffered from all sides. Anjali sat at the wide window in her room, wondering where she had gone wrong. Had she been so overwhelmed that a person had accepted her with her disability, that she had sat back and paved the way for his indiscretion? Did she have no self respect at all, then? At the moment, she felt pathetic about herself.

As she sat chewing on these matters, she felt a hand cover her mouth, and the other pressing hard against her stomach. She fought with all her might, but her opponent was too strong. Anjali had immediately recognized the touch to be her husband's. She was thrown to the floor, and she felt a stinging pain as the edge of the table collided with her lower belly. She curled into the fetal position as she felt the pain, and she immediately knew what had happened. Tears unshed from her eyes, made them burn. But she lay there, dead to everything around her. Even to the raging monstrous husband of hers. Shyam had fled at the sound of footsteps, and it had been Khushi who had found Anjali in this state, and rushed her to the hospital.

A whole day had been spent by all the Raizadas, running in and out of the hospital, before Anjali was declared fit to be taken home. The same night, she had dreamed of Khushi crying and saying her goodbye. It was the next morning when she saw her Chotay scream for Khushi, she realized that it wasn't a dream she had seen last night.

The anger she had for her brother had melted the instant she saw her younger brother enter her room, crying like a child. He had cried his heart out, lying his head in her lap. Cried for the loss of his wife. Maybe they were cursed to lose the ones they loved, Anjali had thought as she hugged her brother tight and let him cry.

It was after a few moments that she had seen the determined look on her brother's face, and she knew he'd be punishing himself thoroughly for making his wife suffer for on mistake of hers.

---end of flashback---

Anjali explained how Arnav was in pain, even now. And the fact that he hadn't come home yesterday night, and was not even picking up any calls.

Aditya shook his head at the most dramatic story he had ever heard. So much of misunderstandings?! Maybe Arnav wasn't a man comfortable with words. But Khushi was good at it, and he knew it very well. Then why had she let so many things come in between?

His train of thoughts were broken when he heard Lavanya say, "Di? Bring Arnav here. . . Khushi is with me. . . . Its time we ended all this, once and for all!!" Anjali had grown silent at this revelation, and now she exclaimed, "Really?! But how is Khushi? Can I talk to her??!" Anjali asked, her voice barely hiding her excitement.

Aditya pursed his lips as he shook his head, indicating Lavanya that Khushi's Schizophrenia mustn't be revealed to anybody yet. Lavanya nodded once as she replied, "Khushi is fine Di. She stays in one of my own apartment in London. And she is not here with me. . ." A disappointed "Oh!!" was all the response from the other side.

Anjali had grown tense when she heard Lavanya speaking about Khushi and Arnav's marriage. After all, the woman had feelings for her brother. But she seemed okay now. And she genuinely meant what she had said right now. Anjali smiled, thankful that finally everything was falling into proper places. "Don't worry, Lavanyaji. . . . We can still make them both get together. They love each other too much to let a misunderstanding to take away what they have in between them. If they did, they would be the biggest idiots. And we won't let them do this to each other."

"But Di. . . . Please don't tell this to ASR! And even I won't tell anything about this to Khushi. Let them see each other first, and even after that, if things don't turn out well, we'll interfere." Lavanya explained, and Anjali agreed whole-heartedly.

"Par Lavanyaji, I'll tell this to Payal. She has been missing Khushi too much, you know. So, I'll get her and Arnav with me to London as soon as possible. . . . I'll call you with further details, okay? Thank you very much, Lavanyaji! You have no idea how happy you have made by giving this news to me." Anjali said, her eyes filling up with tears of gratitude.

"Don't mention it, Di!! It was my duty to get Khushi back with the man she loves so much. . . Bye, Di. . . . Call me soon!" Lavanya softly said, and hung up. As she looked up at Aditya, he said with a sad smile, "I have to say one thing though. This ASR doesn't know how to handle love. First he broke your heart, and now Khushi's. I could easily hate him, without even seeing him, just for this reason."

"Don't be biased, Adi!! And he had never broken my heart. I was just in love with the idea of love! How naive I had been! To think that ASR would fall in love with me!!" Lavanya snorted.

Aditya nodded once, and thought of the voice he had heard in the phone right now. As the woman had cried, he had found himself going restless. Was it just because of the heartbreaking incident the woman was narrating or something else, he didn't know. But he had felt himself smile as Lavanya and Anjali planned to get Khushi and Arnav together. Again, that voice seemed to control his emotions.

He brushed away the thought, as Lavanya tugged him to his feet, and to her car, citing that she wanted to go shopping, and she needed a luggage-carrier. Rolling his eyes, Aditya sighed exasperatedly, and called Khushi to invite her too. 'As long as I'm the brother-on-duty, let me do it for both of them!'

Khushi, who refused to join them initially, gave in to Lavanya's goading, and joined them.

Shantivan, New Delhi

"Payal!" Anjali exclaimed as she entered Payal's room, and Payal looked at her surprised with the sudden excitement. " Khushi is in London!!" Anjali said, and Payal's face fell a little as she said, "I knew that. . . Aapke Bhai ne kaha tha humse. . ."

"Chotay??!! He knows??!!" Anjali frowned as she thought why he may have not told her this. Payal, confused as to how Anjali had come to know if Arnav hadn't told her asked, "Unhone nahi bataaya tho, aapko pata kaise chala??"

"Lavanyaji had called me!! Khushi is with her! Safe and sound!" Anjali beamed at Payal, and Payal's eyes immediately welled up. She sighed a breath of relief and hugged Anjali and they rejoiced the moment, before Anjali told the plans she and Lavanya had made over the phone.

Payal grew a little apprehensive about this. After all her sister had suffered so much because of Arnav. Did she really want her sister to get back with him again? 'Well, it'll be her choice. . . .' Payal decided, and smiled again, hoping to see her sister soon. . . . . . . .