Arnav stirred in his
sleep as nightmares haunted his mind. He had flashbacks of being shot
repeatedly on his back. He then saw the burning pyre of his dead mother and
wailed out for her to come back to him.
"Ma!" he screamed out and suddenly sat upright on his bed.
He was profusely sweating and his chest was heaving with fright. He looked all
around him to grasp where he was presently lying. It was then he saw Aman and
the Doctor sitting on his bedside.
"Arnav! Relax. You are safe in your house. You were shot. Do
you remember that?" the doctor asked him.
"I... I... don't... I remember something. But it isn't clear.
How did I end up here?" he asked back wiping the sweat on his forehead.
"It's ok Arnav. Just relax and lie down. It is the side
effects of the medicines. Tell me, how is the pain in your shoulder and leg?"
The doctor asked holding his hand and trying to move it.
"It's hurts a bit, but it's fine. I can bear this pain." He
replied softly. The Doctor proceeded to check his gunshot wounds and injected
some antibiotics and painkillers to help him recover faster. He then helped
Arnav lie down on the bed.
"Doctor, Thanks for taking care of me. I must be definitely
surviving now only because of you. Isn't it always like this? I get wounded and
you are the one who saves this dying soul." Arnav murmured in a low voice.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Doctor!
Call me Akash. And don't thank me. If I'm alive it is because of you. If that
day five years ago, you hadn't risked your life and saved me from the goons, I
would have been partying in my graveyard." Akash replied sarcastically, letting
out a chuckle.
He could still clearly recollect that incident in his mind.
It had been late at night and he had been walking back home from the hospital,
after a tiring day of internship. And all of a sudden, he had found himself
being pinned against a street light pole, held at ransom with a knife pointing
to his throat. He had miserably begged the goons to let him free, giving them
all the cash he had in his pocket. But they hadn't been satisfied with it. Then
had pushed him down on the floor and kicked and beat him up mercilessly all
over his body.
It was then, Arnav who had been passing nearby, had come to
the rescue of this helpless man. With one thrust kick on each of the three
men's faces, he had knocked them down unconscious on the ground. That was when
Akash had discovered this kick boxing talent who had saved his life. From that
day onwards, he had revered this man.
It was months later that he had by chance discovered the
secret identity of his friend when Arnav had called him up for help with a
bullet on his back. But to him the identity of a person didn't matter. He had
seen the good side of him. A humane side and that was enough for him to help
his friend out in times of distress.
He snapped back to reality hearing Arnav's voice.
"Sorry, Akash! I won't thank you." Arnav said rolling his
eyes. "It looks like now I owe you thrice for saving my life."
"I guess so." He said smiling at him. "I've got to go to the
hospital. If at all you feel any discomfort please tell Aman to call me. I will
be available immediately at your service. Bye Arnav!" he said and left the
room, leaving behind Aman and Arnav.
Aman was continuously staring at Arnav's face.
"What?" Arnav asked puckering his eyebrows.
"Nothing!" Aman replied grumpily.
"Oh! You can start your complain. I won't say a word today
to interrupt you. Go on! Tell!" Arnav said understanding what exactly was going
to follow.
"See! I told you!" Aman started, "I knew something was going
to happen to you. See! My intuition is always right. That was why I was
insisting Khalid Bhai to send me along with you. Imagine what would have
happened if I hadn't given you the revolver at the last minute."
"I would have been in heaven with my Ma." Arnav interjected,
"Or maybe in hell. Not sure I would be allowed in heaven." He couldn't stop
from smiling seeing Aman's reaction.
"Shut Up Arnav Bhai! You clearly know you are like a family
to me. I consider you as my blood brother just like my other siblings. And
don't forget, you have my mother also to account to. She would be devastated if
something happened to you. She considers
you as her another son." Aman said getting a bit emotional.
Arnav sighed remembering Aman's mother. She was actually the
closest thing to a mother for him. Even though he wasn't very close to her, he
knew she loved him just like her own son. Every festival, she would specially
invite both of them to their village in Haryana.
Aman hailed from a poor family of a small village in
Haryana. Poverty had forced him to come to Delhi and lead this life at a very
tender age. It was in such a circumstance that he had found Arnav, an orphan
roaming about in the streets. From their very first meeting itself, they had
decided to team up and fight for their survival. And this strong friendship of
theirs had successfully stood strong for the past ten years.
In a world full of crime and deception, this was indeed a
rare sight to be witnessed.
"And Bhai don't forget! You still have to teach me how to
shoot a target from 500 metres away, just like you do. Ultimate perfection. I
won't let you die until you teach me." Aman said glaring at his face.
"And that would be what? Forever? Cause you clearly know
that I'm the best sharp shooter in the whole of Delhi. No one can compete with
me." Arnav proclaimed out loudly trying to lighten up his friend's mood.
"That is true Bhai!" Aman said nodding his head. "But
seriously, you have to promise me that whenever you go out on any mission, you
will take me along with you."
"I promise you, Aman Singh." Arnav said in a sarcastic tone.
He used to rarely refer to him using his full name. It was reserved only when
he was annoyed, furious or wanted to pull his friend's leg.
"Arnav Bhai! I'm serious here. Do you still think this is a
joke? You could have died!" Aman said exasperatedly.
"Oh Aman! Please spare me your lecture. You are not my
mother!" Arnav said blocking his ears.
"OK! Fine! I'll shut my mouth. But just to let you know,
Khalid Bhai and others will be visiting you tomorrow. He returned back from his
trip to Bangkok, yesterday night. He said he had something important to talk to
you." Aman said before leaving the room. "I think we have a new mission in our
hands." He said excited winking at his friend and left the room.
New missions were something that was always exciting for
them. It either involved killing someone or recovering something from a certain
party. Either way it was good news. They would be offered a huge bounty for it.
And for Arnav and Aman , the whole world revolved around money.
So I'm sure by now you have understood, I love Aman.😆 That's why he has been featuring in my past few OS's.
And Oh! I love kickboxing too. 😈
CHAPTER 5
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