It was two days since Khushi had
last seen Arnav. Even today, he hadn't arrived at the clinic, to give her a
ride home. And now Khushi began to get worried for him. She had tried calling
his cell phone since morning, but he wasn't picking it up. She indirectly tried
finding out any information about him from Akash. But there seemed to be no
word about him.
It was 9:30 pm and Khushi retired
back to her bedroom after finishing all the kitchen chores. She picked up her
phone for the nth time, wondering if she should try calling him once again,
hoping that this time he would pick the phone. Somehow, her instincts were
telling her to not quit trying. She dialled his number, but all she could here
was the caller tone which stopped after a whole minute.
She had enough of this. It was
fine if he was ignoring her. But what she feared was his safety. Was he
alright?
Maybe she could try sending him a
message. She took her phone and furiously typed into it, hoping that he would
atleast read it and reply.
o0o
Arnav sat quietly on the edge of
his bed. His hands were holding her white dupatta that she had used to tie up
his wound that very first time he had met her. He looked lost in some distant
world, in his own thoughts, when he was suddenly interrupted by his phone
ringing.
He saw Khushi's name flash on the
screen. He chose to ignore it like he had been doing since yesterday. He wanted
to get away from her. But everytime his resolve would strengthen, she would
call once again, making it very difficult for him to forget her. He would be
reminded about the wonderful memories that they had shared recently. He
couldn't deny it that those were truly one of the best days of his life.
But he was scared to admit this to
himself. He was scared to let him go near her just thinking about her reaction
when she would know his true identity. He was scared to be heartbroken and
rejected.
But this was becoming impossible
for him. Every step he took further away from her, he felt some kind of
magnetic pull, bringing him even more closer to her. Just when he thought he
was going lose it completely, he heard the message tone beep on his phone.
He picked up the phone and read
it.
"It's fine if you don't want to talk to me. But alteast let me know
that you are alright." It was from Khushi.
He closed his eyes, feeling guilty
for what he was about to do. But he knew exactly what was to be done.
o0o
It was 10:00 pm and Khushi decided
to switch off the lights and sleep. She had been in no mood to read a book as
per her daily routine. She kept glancing at her phone again and again, hoping
he would reply. But there was absolute silence. Just when she was about to give
up, her phone suddenly sprang up to life, flashing the name of the person whom
she was longing to see.
Khushi jumped up on her bed,
sitting up straight and lifted the phone.
"Khushi." She heard him call out
her name and she felt a huge relief knowing that he was alright.
"Arnav?" she asked still not sure
whether this was for real or not.
"Don't panic, but can you come
towards the window?" she heard him on the other end.
"What?" she asked completely
puzzled at his request. She relented and went towards the window and what she
saw left her completely stunned.
"Arnav?!" she exclaimed out loudly
seeing him standing inside her compound. Her eyes went the widest ever possible,
as panic started to grip her. She immediately realized how loud she had
shouted. "What are you doing here at
this hour of the night?" she tried whispering, straining her throat in the
process.
Arnav quickly strode towards her,
making his way through the shrubs near the window.
"I wanted to meet you." He replied
calmly. "Can I come in? It's cold out here and I don't want to alarm people in
your house of my presence."
"Exactly! Buaji will kill both of
us if she knows you are here. And what's up with the drama about you not
picking up my calls?" she glared at him with furious eyes.
"I'll explain. Just let me in." He
replied.
Khushi thought about it for a
minute. If she opened the front door, Buaji would definitely be alerted as her
room was just beside the living room. Maybe she should try getting him in
through the back door. Yes, that would be the safest option.
"Wait! I'm coming." She said and
slowly tip toed to the back door, praying that her Buaji was sound asleep in
her own dreamland. As she reached outside, she saw him staring at her in the
darkness.
"Come. And stop staring at me like
that." She said pulling his hand and leading him inside. On their way in, they
heard loud snoring from Buaji's room. Arnav knew that he was going to burst out
into laughter any moment hearing the strange noises from the room. Khushi saw
this and punched him lightly in his abdomen, hushing him to be quiet. Once
inside the safety of her room, she closed behind the door and switched on the
lights, and turned around to face him. She could feel her face reddening with
fury.
"Now tell me. Why have you not
been picking up my calls? Do you know how much I was worried for the past two
days? Even Akash didn't know anything about you. That night when I called you,
you sounded angry. Did I do something to hurt you? Then why are you avoiding
me? And why do your eyes look so tired
and puffy? Is everything alright? And all of a sudden, you decide to show up at
my house at this hour. I don't get any of this." Khushi blasted out at him,
taking out all the tension that had been nagging her. But all she could see was
him smiling calmly at her, with his hands folded on his chest.
"Done?" he asked with the same
calm tone that made her even more furious.
"So you missed me?" he asked
taking a step closer to her.
"Yes!" she exclaimed before she
snapped back to her senses. "No!" she retorted. "I'm really angry with you."
And she went and sat down on her bed, completely ignoring him.
She missed him. Arnav felt a warm feeling ride up through his
chest.
"Tell me something. Did I do
anything wrong?" she asked silently not looking at him.
How could he tell her that he was to be blamed for everything. With
a heavy heart he made his way towards her bed and sat down beside her."No you
didn't. I was busy with some work."
"Then why didn't you call me
back?" she asked in a calmer tone than before, to which she was only responded
with silence.
"Arnav, is everything alright?"
she asked turning to face him, gently cupping his face with her one hand. "I
think atleast now you can trust me with your problems."
He closed his eyes with anguish.
She wouldn't be sitting beside him if she knew his truth. He opened his eyes
and in front of him, found a photo frame kept on the table. A couple in their
thirties were posed with a small girl in between them.
"Is that you and your parents?" he
said instantly trying to divert the topic.
"Yes, and I know you are trying to
change the topic. See, this is your biggest problem. You don't want to share
anything with me. As if I'm gonna eat you up." She said annoyingly.
"So I wonder what Mr. Gupta would
do if he found out that I'm in your bedroom at this hour of the night, while he
is in the other room sleeping like a bear." he said letting out a chuckle.
"He would have strangled both of
us." She paused before continuing, "If he were alive." Khushi whispered in a
sad voice, finding her throat choke with pain remembering her parents. Arnav
suddenly looked up at Khushi, completely shocked at what he had just heard.
"What?" he asked unsure of whether he heard the right thing.
"My parents died in a car accident
when I was ten years old." She replied quietly. Arnav felt like the biggest
idiot for joking about her parents. He knew what was going on in her mind
because he knew what it felt like to be orphaned. Something which people never
understood unless they faced the same situation. He slowly entwined his hand
with hers, assuring her silently that he was there was for her.
Khushi continued. "They had
planned to go for a marriage that night. Since I had exams for the next day,
they left me back at my neighbour's house. Two hours later, we got the news
that some drunk driver had crashed his car into ours, killing both my parents
instantly on the spot. After their death, I moved in with Buaji. And now, she
is the only family that I have." Khushi concluded sadly.
"Hey, is that you in that photos?" Arnav
interrupted suddenly, not wanting her to dwell on the sad memories anymore. He
got up and went to the wall, where lay a large collage of photos.
"Why are you standing half naked
in your shorts and wearing a cape made of towel?" he asked chuckling.
"Arnav!" she protested. "You were
not supposed to see it. And I was only five years old in that and I was
pretending to be a superman." Khushi laughed remembering her childhood days.
Arnav felt glad hearing her laughter. Somehow he didn't like seeing her sad and
gloomy.
"I have to admit, you were cute in
your childhood. But look at what have you turned out to be?" he joked pulling
her leg. Khushi went and pretended to strangle his neck, but she found herself
suddenly pulled ahead, in front of him, her hands locked tightly in his, while
he pulled her closer to him.
"You have a very neat room." he
said sarcastically, pointing to the clothes and books lying around scattered in
her room.
"You were not supposed to come
here uninvited. So now you have to bear all this mess. And I can bet you, your
room will be even messier than mine." She huffed at him, trying to free her
hands from his grip.
"Khushi, I hope you realize that
the more you struggle against my grip, the harder will my grip be." He said
tilting his head sideways enjoying her struggling against him. Khushi tried
harder and harder and then realized it was futile. As soon as she started
relaxing, he slowly loosened his grip and let go of her hands.
"Thanks!" she replied
sarcastically and went and sat back on her bed. Then as if suddenly remembering
something, she got up. "Hey, there is something I want to show you." She went
and slowly switched off the lights, letting darkness completely engulf the
room.
"I like your sense of humour
Khushi. How am I supposed to see anything in the dark?" he asked trying to
adjust his eyes to the darkness.
"See the ceiling!" he heard her
chuckle out from somewhere in the room. He raised his eyes above him and what
he saw left his amazed. Tiny stars glowing a faintish green and yellow were
scattered all over the ceiling. There were definitely alteast about a hundred
of them. The glow gave the room an ethereal look.
"It's beautiful!" he exclaimed
out.
"I had to take up a summer job to
earn all that money to buy that stuff in sixth grade. But it turned out to be
absolutely worth the effort. Whenever I'm tensed and agitated, I look at these
stars and sleep. They give me peace of mind and make me relax." She said and
went towards her bed, lying on it. "But most of all, I believe that my parents
have turned into stars after their death. Hence, these stars make me feel that
they are present always beside me, watching over me."
Arnav noticed how her voice
changed when she spoke out these words. He went and sat beside her, bending
forward. He cupped her cheeks with his hands, wiping away the silent tears from
her eyes with his thumbs. He had clearly known that she was crying.
Khushi was startled to find his
hands on her face. But she felt comforted. She somehow knew that he understood
her. She concluded that she would never be able to understand this man. At one
minute, he seemed so distant and indifferent, but in moments like these, he
felt like he was the closest thing ever to her heart.
"What do you think you are doing?"
she said trying to change the subject matter. For a minute, Arnav was
completely confused at her statement.
"Just because I'm a girl and lying
on the bed, doesn't mean you can do 'you know what' things to me." She giggled.
"Oh really! And what are those 'I
know what' things?" Arnav asked in an innocent tone as it dawned upon him what
she was referring to. He climbed on top of her, supported by his hands and
knees on either sides of her body.
"I know moves huh! That will hurt
you in places you never knew existed." She said trying to suppress her
laughter. He immediately grasped her hands with his and pinned her legs,
locking her body beneath his weight. "I'm eager to see your moves." He growled
into her ears, as his lips traced her jawline.
Khushi felt heat rising over her
body and face, feeling him pressed against her. Even in the dark, she could see
him gazing at her with a slight playful smile on his lips. "You know it's late.
Do you want to wake up in the morning in my bedroom?"
"Do you want me to?" he questioned
back, releasing her hands, while she brushed away the strands of hair on his
forehead.
"You look tired. Go and get some
sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." She said, while he got up from top of her.
As she led him out of the house,
near the gate outside, she pulled his hand, holding it between both her hands. "Arnav,
remember, I'll be there for you whenever you need me."
Arnav silently nodded and went out
of the gate, while she returned back to her room. As he started his bike, he
realized that she was someone he couldn't stay apart from, how much ever he
tried. He knew he would have heavy price
to pay for this. But he was fine with it if it meant he could spend such time
with her. He knew that he had made the
right choice.
It was all worth it!
CHAPTER 19
Hey ppl! I have something to say to you all. As you know, I am a writer who doesn't expect any comments nor any likes for my writings. I basically don't ask anything from my faithful readers. But today, I'm asking you all for something.
If I'm here writing stuff for you, it is because of my mother who is responsible for my existence. But today she is fighting a losing battle of life. Her health is deteriorating rapidly and luck doesn't seem to be on her side. So I ask you to just remember her once atleast in your prayers and pray that she continues to live as long as possible. I believe that nothing is impossible and miracles do happen. And I would continue to believe it till the very end.
I don't know when will my next update be. But it is getting difficult for me to focus on writing anything in this frame of mind. But I'll try my best to give you updates as fast as possible. plz bear with me if it gets delayed.
Thank you so much for being with me till here. U ppl mean a lot to me🤗
comment:
p_commentcount