Arhi FF:Mirage #2 Next thread link on Pg 151 - Page 37

The three of them sat in the living room of the old house. Nana had served them some snacks, while she sat opposite to Arnav, staring at him intently, as if he would vanish any minute.

"Arnav, you should have come to me after your mother's death. You should have called me up. I would have taken you home with me." The old lady said after hearing the entire story from Arnav's mouth. It had been painful for both of them. Khushi had sat beside Arnav, providing him silent reassurance throughout all this.

She had never seen this side of him. He had cried like a little helpless kid, letting down all the barriers to his heart and opened up to that old lady.

"Nana, I didn't know where to go to. I was scared. They were after me."

"When you people didn't return back after a month, I was very worried. I tried contacting people in Delhi about your whereabouts. There, I came to know that Aarti was murdered. It was all over the news. When I tried searching for you, they said that no one had any idea about you, and presumed that you were dead too. I was too shocked to react for the next few months. I couldn't believe that you both were no more." The old lady whispered still reeling under the shock.

"But I'm so happy today Arnav. I'm really happy. I finally found you. The Lord heard my prayers." She exclaimed out wiping away her tears. "Wow, I cannot believe that you have grown so big. You were this small boy the last time I saw you. I must say, you have grown up into a very handsome man. And who is this pretty lady with you?" Nana asked raising her eyebrows with a teasing smile on her face.

"Nana, she's Khushi." He said placing his hand proudly over her shoulders and pulling her closer to himself, causing her to blush. She came towards them and after observing Khushi's face for a whole minute, replied back, "Aarti will be so proud of you Khushi. I'm sure she would want someone just like you to be in Arnav's life." She said kissing her forehead, while Khushi bent down to receive the old lady's blessings. "Be happy, both of you."

"Thank you Aunty." Khushi replied.

"Call me Nana. Arnav's Nana is your Nana too." The old lady replied. "Thank you Nana." Khushi replied back smilingly.

"You know, I still have some old photographs of you. Let me get them and show you, how naughty our Arnav was in his childhood." She said and went inside. Returning back, she handed over the big old albums to them. Khushi eagerly flipped it open, to discover a young boy and a lady, who she assumed to be Arnav and his mother, posing at a beach.

Khushi immediately looked up to see Arnav gazing at the photographs, running his fingers over his mother's photographs, trying to feel her. "Your mother was so beautiful." She said looking at the pretty woman, realising that Arnav had inherited his good looks from his mother. "You have her eyes." She added, while he looked up at her.

"Nana, can I ask you something?" Arnav asked suddenly remembering something. "Promise me, you will tell me the truth."

The old lady looked surprised at him, wondering about his question.

"Did you know that I was an illegitimate child?" Arnav asked seriously taking her quite aback.

"Arnav, who told...?" the old lady stammered back. "I... don't... yes..."

"Nana, please tell me. I need to know the truth. And you are the only one who can help me with this." He pleaded her. "You must know more about my mother and father."

Nana hesitated for a minute, letting out a sigh. But the desperation in his eyes was too much for her to remain silent.

"Yes, I knew it. It was winter of 1985. I was coming out from the church one evening, when I noticed this young girl, crying under a tree near the grotto of the church. She looked lonely and helpless. As if she was in some trouble. Since nobody was around her, I approached her to offer my help. She looked barely 22. When I asked her about her problems, she said she had no place to stay in Mumbai and that she was new to this place. She had left behind her family in Delhi and come over here, away from everyone to start a new life. That was Aarti, your mother. She was three months pregnant with you. When I asked her, why she had taken such a drastic step, she said that your father wasn't ready to accept you and her into his life, and since she was unmarried, she was ashamed that her family would be dishonoured by her deeds. In order to spare them from all this, she left all of them behind. Since I was looking for a tenant that time, I decided to take her into my house."

"Do you know my father?" Arnav instantly asked, pain stinging his heart.

"No, she didn't speak much about him. But during initial months, she used to cry a lot remembering him. She said she loved him but he never deserved it. In the mean time, to help her out of her misery, I found her a job in a bank. Your mother was a bright student in the college. She used to always tell me about her plans. How she had dreamt of a perfect job and family. But her one mistake, changed her life drastically."

Mistake.

The word echoed in his mind. He was a mistake of his mother's life. Nothing more than that.

"She used to tell me that initially, when your father had refused to accept you, she had decided to undergo abortion. But something held her back. She decided to have you in her life. She worked hard so that you would never realise a father's absence in your life. Arnav, she loved you more than anything else in this world. You were her world."

"But then one day, you came home and asked about your father. That day, she lied to you that he was away earning for the family. She had wept the entire night coz she couldn't bear to hide things from you. You were too small to understand the truth."

"So why did my father call us back to Delhi after eight long years?" Arnav asked furiously, anger stemming inside him.

"I don't know but one fine day, your mother came and told me that she had decided to go back to Delhi. When I asked her about this sudden decision, she said that she wasn't sure and would wish to take a chance and would let me know after a month. She wanted a better life for you. Arnav, this is it. I don't have anything more to tell you." The old lady ended their conversation.

The rest of the day was spent with lots of catching up on both sides. Memories were shared. Old times were dwelled over. Arnav had gone up to his bedroom. Everything was unrecognisable. Years had changed everything.

"I still have your old toys and clothes. I kept them for your memories. How could I part away both of you from my life? Aarti was like my own daughter and you were my grandson." She said handing over the old stuff from a large wooden box. He silently smiled remembering the old memories.

They stayed there until dinner after which they decided to leave back to their hotel room.

"Thank you so much Nana, for such a wonderful time here. But it's time for us to return back." Arnav said politely, taking her leave.

"You are leaving so fast? No, you have to stay here. I cannot let you go away so soon." Nana protested.

"I'm sorry Nana, but I can't. Please try to understand." He desperately pleaded her through his eyes. He had mustered up every ounce of his courage to return back to this place. But to stay here, amidst all those memories would be too much for him to handle. To face it all, which he had so carefully guarded all these years would be too devastating for him.

"If that makes you happy, then so be it." She said leading them to the door. "But please visit me more often. If at all you change your decision, you can permanently shift back here into this house with Khushi. You know that you are always welcomed here." She said hugging him. "Khushi," she called out when they were near the door. "I need to talk to you for a minute. Arnav, go and wait outside, will you?" He obliged and went outside leaving the two of them to themselves.

"I know Arnav has gone through so many worst phases in his life. I'm really happy that you have chosen to stay beside him. At times, he can get very difficult to handle. When he faces problems, he doesn't share it with anyone. Instead, he chooses to bury it inside him, thinking that he can solve it on his own. I'm sure by now, you are familiar with this quality. But the truth is, he can't. He only suffers silently, often not letting the other person know about the pain he is going through. He can become demanding or tough to handle, maybe even aggressive when he gets angry. But if you can still manage to hold on to him inspite of it all and forgive him, he will love you more than you can fathom. I can imagine how horrifying it would have been for him to witness his mother's death. That terror is still visible in his eyes. He might appear very tough on the exterior but deep inside, even you know that he is still a small kid who yearns for love. Just take care of him, Khushi. I know that you love him too. I can see it in your eyes. Now go, before he starts getting impatient and comes back searching for you." Nana said while Khushi nodded silently, embracing her. "I will. Thank you Nana. Take care of yourself." She said and walked out of the house, to join Arnav waiting for her outside.

o0o

They had reached their hotel room. All throughout the journey, Khushi observed that Arnav was absolutely silent, as if lost in his own world. He had sat down on the bed, silently staring at the wall ahead of him. Remembering Nana's words, Khushi decided to take charge and lighten up his mood a bit.

"Arnav," she said climbing on the bed, behind him while wrapping her arms over his shoulders. She bent forward and placed a long moist kiss near his ear, nuzzling her nose over his neck. "I loved Nana. She is a very sweet lady and it was very nice visiting that place. And you looked cute and adorable when you were small." She said, placing feathery kisses from his forehead to his jawline. But he continued to remain still.

"Maybe you need some rest. Let's get some sleep." She said getting up from the bed, going towards her bag to retrieve her night clothes. When she returned back from the washroom, she noticed that he was still sitting in the same position. Now she began to get worried for him.

"Is something bothering you?" she asked cupping his face, forcing him to look into her eyes. He finally spoke after gazing into her warm, kind eyes. "I don't get why did the men kill my mother? And why were they after me? They wanted to kill me. Why? Do you think my father wanted to kill me? He didn't want me when I was conceived. I was just a mistake." He paused to inhale a deep breath before he continued. "I have only brought anguish and sorrow in lives of people surrounding me, Khushi. It was because of me that my mother had to leave her family and start a new life. Do you think my father would have accepted my mother in his life if I were not in the equation? Maybe I should have died that day. I was never meant to live this life."

"Arnav, don't say like that. We cannot change the past. And you cannot blame yourself for anything. Certain things are beyond our control and we must just accept it. Don't dwell on the past. Enjoy the present and future. A week ago you said that you had no family. Now, look, you have Nana, Buaji and me as your family. And you were meant to live this life. We were meant to be." She said pecking him on his lips. "Why don't you change your clothes and get ready for bed?" she said and went to his suitcase to retrieve his clothes. Picking up a purple tshirt and checked white trousers, she was about to return back when suddenly, her eyes fell over a black file amidst all of it.

She picked it up and opened it, reading the title. "Evidence of Money Laundering against Goenka trading."

Maybe his work related file, she thought to herself and kept it back in the bag. He took the clothes handed over by her and went to the washroom while she went and lied down on the bed.

"I'll take the couch." He said returning back from the washroom. "You can sleep on the bed."

"Hello?" she waved her hand. "I insisted on one room for both of us thinking that it will be economical. But I didn't know you had so much issues with sharing a bed. Come on Arnav. Hop in. You yourself have taught me kick boxing moves right? I know very well how to defend myself when things spin of out control." She teased him pulling his leg, causing him to grin. Khushi was happy that she could finally bring a smile on his face.

"I thought you would have problems with it. I was just trying to be decent." He smirked and hopped on the bed. Instantly, he found her snuggling close to him, placing her head over his outstretched arm, while she cuddled him. "Oi! What is this?" he exclaimed at this unexpected move. The close feel of her soft body pressed against him, was somehow comforting and relaxed his tensed mind.

"This is perfect. Just like I had envisioned." She said, pulling the blanket over them. She could hear the slow rhythm of his heart beats that were soothing yet exciting to her ears. She stroked his neck with her soft slender fingers, as she buried her face into his chest, inhaling his musky masculine scent that made her head dizzy yet comfortable.

She immediately felt his other hand, slide inside her kameez, over her bare waist and caress it. "Thank you." He whispered into her ears, pulling her even more closer to himself.

"For what?" she asked softly amidst the darkness surrounding them.

"For everything." He replied as he closed his eyes to a deep slumber.

o0o

"How could you do this to me Arnav? How could you lie? I trusted you, but you didn't trust me."

"Khushi, please wait! I beg you. Please don't leave me."

"Arnav, I love you."

"I love you too, mumma!"

"Run Arnav, Run!"

Arnav suddenly woke up with a startle from his sleep after a disturbing nightmare. For a minute, he didn't know where he was. His t-shirt was wet while his whole body was drenched with sweat. He was panting for breath while his blood throbbed furiously through his veins.

"Arnav?" Khushi asked suddenly, started to find him sitting up on the bed in the middle of the night. His sudden jolt had awakened her up from her sleep. Hearing his gasps, she switched on the table lamp.

"Khushi," he said before he hugged her fiercely, stunning her completely with his actions. "Please don't leave me like my Mumma did." He continuously pleaded frantically.

"I won't leave you Arnav. " She replied surprised at the conversation at this hour. Feeling the sweat on his face, she realised that he must have probably had a nightmare.

All he remembered was pleading her to not leave him. He wasn't aware of anything else. And then he heard her asking him to lie down on her lap, as she caressed his face, running her fingers through his hair and putting him down to sleep.

"I'm right beside you. Ssshhh... calm down." These were the last words he heard as sleep overtook him.

o0o

In the morning, he awoke to find himself resting on Khushi's lap, while she slept uncomfortably, resting her head on the wooden frame of their bed. He quickly moved away from his position and pulled her down into a comfortable position, covering her up with the warm duvet. He could slightly remember the events of the earlier night. How he had woken up with a nightmare and how she had lulled him back to sleep.

Just when he thought that she had done enough for him, she would always amaze him with her concern and care. He could see her peaceful face while sleeping. She looked no less than an angel to him. So pure, innocent and loving. How he wished he could wake up next to her like this for the rest of his life. He bent down and placed a warm loving kiss on her forehead, when he suddenly heard his cellphone ringing. Wondering who could it be at this hour, he grabbed the phone, only to find Aman's name flashing the screen.

"Hello Aman?"

"Bhai! Where are you? I'm back home but it was locked. Don't worry, I have the spare key, but I was surprised to find you gone without any information." He heard Aman's voice on the other end.

"Actually, I'm in Mumbai for some work. Will be returning back this evening. How was your trip? Is everything fine?" Arnav asked curiously, wondering why it took so long for Aman to return.

"Everything is fine for the moment. Is Kashyap's mission successful? Do you have the file with you?"

"Yes." Arnav replied confusedly wondering at the sudden breach of topic. "Ok Bhai! I'll talk you later when you arrive at Delhi." He said and disconnected the call before Arnav could say anything. He knew something was wrong. Aman never spoke this differently before. He wasn't acting his normal self for the past few days. He was busy thinking about this, when he saw Khushi awaken up from her sleep.

"What time is it?" she asked yawning.

"Nine." He replied smiling, while she got up in a shock. "What? I slept for so long?"

"You look cute when you fret like that over such silly things." He said and bent forward to capture her lips. Suddenly she remembered last night. "How are you feeling right now?" she asked ruffling her fingers through his hair.

"I'm good. Now get up. We have a long day today until our flight at 5:00 pm."

"Why? Do we have any plans today?" she asked sitting up straight.

"A surprise for you." He said winking his eye and rushed into the bathroom before she could react.

o0o

"Arnav, can you atleast now open the blindfold on my eyes?" Khushi asked getting impatient by the minute.

"Just one more minute." He said picking her up in his arms, while she yelped out in surprise. "Arnav? What are you doing?" she struggled against his arms but then realised it was futile, as his grip got harder on her.

Suddenly, she felt cold breeze soothe her face, alternated with the warmth of the sun. Waves... Was she really hearing waves? As she became more aware of her surroundings, her nose picked up the salty flavour in the air.

"Arnav, are we at the...?" she asked him. "Yes." He said putting her down on her feet, while he carefully removed the blindfold from her eyes. For a minute, Khushi had some trouble adjusting her eyes to the brightness around her. But later, amazement struck her as she gasped out in happiness.

"Oh my!" she clutched her mouth, seeing the vast expanse of the blue water in front of her, while fine sand surrounded her feet. "It's so beautiful." She exclaimed realising her dream had come true. "This is even more beautiful than I had read in the books." she said turning to look at him smiling at her. To him, her reaction was priceless. From the time she had announced her intention to travel with him to Mumbai, he had decided he would fulfil her dream. Coz now, her dreams were a part of his and he felt happy in her happiness.

"Yes, it is. I used to come here with my mother every Sunday. This was our favourite place." He exclaimed as old memories rushed into his mind.

"But how did you? I mean how?" she asked too shocked to comprehend what was unfolding.

"Then what did you think was the purpose to stay at a beachside hotel?" he asked grinning.

"I didn't realise. I was too busy..." Khushi said, while he continued it for her. "Taking care of me? Go, live your dream." That day when she had first narrated her wish to him, he had decided that he would fulfil it at any cost. And today, seeing it being fulfilled brought him immense happiness.

He saw her walking ahead towards the water, unsure of her movements, turning back to look at him for some kind of assurance. He went towards her. "Remove your sandals and pull up your pants." He told her and followed the same, leading her into the water.

The cold water washed over her feet, making her jump up excitedly like a kid. She bent forward and let the water splash on her hands and arms. And then when the wave rolled back into the sea, she was startled by the sudden movement of the sand moving away from her feet, making her to lose her balance. "Arnav!" she called him out for help, but his arms were already wrapped on her waist from behind before she could ask.

And then she found herself being lifted, while he placed her feet on top of his, his arms covering hers. Moving aside her hair, he lingered his lips hungrily on the nape of her neck, tasting her soft creamy skin, sending shivers down her spine. She tilted her head sideways, as she captured his lips with hers, letting her fingers caress his neck and the nape.

She looked into those dark chocolate brown eyes that were longing for her. And then she knew what she wanted.

He was the one.

She wanted him.

She loved him.

Unconditionally.

Irrevocably.

Eternally.

Her heart was no longer hers. It belonged to Arnav.

o0o

She heard the phone ringing and wondered who was calling her at this hour. Rushing out from the kitchen, she picked up the phone receiver.

"Hello? Is this Khushi's Bua?" A low baritone voice was heard on the other end.

"Yes." The woman on this end replied.

"Tell your niece to stay away from Arnav. I'm sure she would after she comes to know that her Arnav whom she loves so much is a cold blooded murderer who kills for his living. I'm surprised how you have never enquired about his profession. Things aren't what they seem to be. Tell her to be wary of him."

"Who is this?" she asked furiously but was the call was disconnected before she could hear his reply.

Mudumati Mishra felt the floor beneath her feet slipping as his words echoed in her mind.

A cold blooded murderer.

Numerous images of Arnav flashed before her eyes.

He had always seemed calm, quiet, responsible and courteous gentleman.

Calculative, shrewd, opportunist too.

She tried recollecting about Khushi's first meeting with Arnav. She couldn't remember any story. But that day, she had unmistakeably seen his love for her in his eyes. Was she so wrong in judging him?

Panic gripped her mind as her breathing turned shallow. Beads of sweat streamed down her face, while the blood drained away from her face turning her pale white. Her pulse rate exceeded beyond permissible limits and then, she saw the room in front of her eyes blacken out.

A cold blooded murderer.

"Khushi!" she called out stretching her arms, before her knees gave in and she collapsed on the floor, her last signs of life escaping from her body. Her already weakened body couldn't take the stress of this horrifying news.

And now Khushi's only family was dead.

CHAPTER 27

And now I would like to dedicate this song to Arnav and Khushi in my story. I feel this song suits them the best. And because this song drives me crazy, when I hear it in the radio while driving the car.😆 I'm in love with this song. Give it a try!

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pEAuMSSq3M[/YOUTUBE]

So as many guessed, Buaji is dead. I had planned it from the very beginning and I remember someone even predicting this in the initial chapters of this FF. So congratulations to that person.

Now, for the main part. This is my last update for now. I'm going on a 20 day break. Chapter 27 will only be out on June 20th, coz I need to concentrate fully on my exams now and if I write a story, I cannot focus completely. So please bear with me. I will give you daily updates after june 20th.😃

So until then, I have decided to answer your queries. So if you have any doubts or want to ask me any questions regarding this FF, please post it in your comments and I will try to respond to it, without revealing the future plot. Shoot the questions peeps! It can be anything. Coz I want to know if you have any doubts regarding the plot coz this is the first time I'm writing a full fledged story. So there are chances that I might have missed out on something.