True Colors New Thread 3-Chapter 51 Updated - Page 50

On their way back home, Khushi made him stop the car at an ice cream shop.

"I want Ice cream," she said like a baby.

"No way! No ice cream. You may have a cold" Arnav said sternly.

"Please," she made her baby face at him and he melted.

They pulled up in front of the ice cream shop.

"Ok only one," he said sternly.

"Done!" she said and grinned wickedly as she went to the counter to place the order.

When the ice cream came, Arnav was stunned. It was one ice cream she had ordered all right. But it was called 'Rainbow' and consisted of seven scoops of ice-cream in rainbow colors.

He gave Khushi an exasperated glace and she laughed like a child.

"See I ordered only one. They gave me seven," she grinned mischievously. Arnav was so caught up in her delighted innocence that he did not notice the waiter placing another smaller scoop of ice cream in front of him.

"Sugar free ice-cream especially for diabetic people," Khushi smiled at him.

"Khushi you know I don't eat all this. I gave it up at 15," he said.

"Like the many things you have given up in life Arnav'.Today have it for me," she said and began feeding him a spoon.

As she fed him ice cream and gulped her own big set of scoops, Arnav felt a strange peace in his heart. He felt the boyish joy of life again. Watching her have the ice cream made him feel a special joy in life. And as he ate the ice cream she fed so lovingly, he felt the delight of the simple joys of life he had forgotten'He felt young and carefree again.

As he wiped her mouth with a tissue after her ice cream gluttony, he suddenly realized how much he loved the child that Khushi was as much as he loved the woman'

As Khushi wiped his mouth with a tissue, her eyes flooded with the tenderness for the little boy in Arnav who had relished the ice cream despite all the protests'

Lavanya was panting as she ran with NK.

It had been his bizarre idea of enjoying the 'true' India by running behind a bus and boarding it.

Anjali di had asked both of them to help her buy a list of things for God Bharai and NK had given the nod.

Lavanya had been apprehensive about going with him. But she had agreed for Di's sake and because she herself was not very familiar with many of the roads in Delhi.

Then NK had suggested that they should enjoy the true India.

Lavanya had never dreamt it would mean running behind a bus. She should have known better when he refused to take the car Anjali di had offered, saying he would take the Delhi metro.

And then he had challenged Lavanya with this weird plan and she had taken the bait.

"Come on La. You can do it. Bhago," NK said as he slowed down to keep pace with her. She glared at him with all the fire she could put into her eyes.

The audacity of the guy. He had not even asked her if he could call her La.

NK got into the bus first as it pulled into the stop and he put forward his hand and dragged Lavanya into the bus.

Lavanya looked helplessly at the crowd in the bus and turned to glare at NK, who was dragging her across the crowd.

"There! A seat is getting empty see!" he said and went and stood near the seat.

The moment the lady got up NK threw a hanky on the seat and screamed, "Come on fast! You will lose the seat otherwise."

Lavanya rolled her eyes at his antics. The guy was really crazy! She sat in the seat and NK stood next to the seat protectively shielding her from the crowd.

Surprised Lavanya looked up at him and he grinned his wide cheerful grin. She felt touched by his protectiveness'.something new to her.

When they got off the bus, NK grinned at her, "Did you love your first experience of the true India?"

Lavanya gave him a glare and shrugged, "Hmm no! But it was a new experience."

"Now through the day I am going to give you more true 'India' experiences," NK said grinning widely.

"No. I am not going to be a part of your crazy ideas," she refuted.

"Chicken hearted? Scared? Or are you just an NRI with airs," NK challenged.

"I am none of those," Lavanya protested.

"Then prove it," NK baited her.

"Ok. I will, now let's finish the shopping," Lavanya said.

She had to admit she did have fun in the crazy bus ride'more fun than she had the fortune of having in a long time'.

Anjali counted all the items she had purchased for the god bharai ritual. She still needed some things and hopefully NK and Lavanya would get them.

She felt tired. She had got home very late after helping Dr. Karan with the kids of the girl who had attempted suicide at the woman's home.

Her mind went back to the night with a slight nostalgia.

Karan had given her the responsibility of the two small children'one a 6 year old girl and the other an eight month old infant.

Karan had disappeared to help the girl for all the medical formalities.

Anjali had fed the children and had put the girl to sleep.

She had rocked the baby after that, with tears in her eyes for the baby's plight.

"God is cruel isn't he little one? You want a mother and she is trying to go away from you and I want to have a little angel like you or your sister and I can never have one'But never mind sweetie. I can't have an angel, but your guardian angel will protect your mom and get her back," she spoke to the child.

Karan had come in then and had stood watching her.

"Your life is not over you know," Karan told her.

Anjali had looked up startled to see him leaning against the door.

"I 'mmm'well no it 's not. I will live. But for marriage and baby and love'my life is over," Anjali said, fighting hard to stop the tears. She changed the topic to stop her tears," How is the children's mother? Will she survive?"

"Yes. The doctors did a complete stomach wash. She is under observation and she is likely to be out of danger. She did not have too much of the poison, thankfully," Karan said wearily rubbing his forehead.

"You work too much Dr. Karan. Are you running away from yourself, life or thoughts?" Anjali asked, one of her most direct and personal questions to him.

"Analyzing a psychiatrist are you Anjali?" Karan smiled slightly. Then he said, "A bit of everything Anjali. It is not just for you for whom dreams of love, marriage and children are over. It's for me too'" he said looking away.

"You can't say that. You are so young. You are a nice person. You will find someone," Anjali said forgetting she had said the same.

"So are you. You are young and pretty enough to marry again and nice enough to be loved again," he said and stopped himself suddenly realizing he had said too much.

For a moment both stared at each other, realizing they both wanted the same thing in life' a second chance!

Back at home in their room, Arnav put Khushi to bed, asking her to rest. He opened his closet and got a jewel box and gave it to her.

"Open it Khushi," he said.

"You have already spent too much and I don't want jewels 'I am fine just as I am'.Oh my god!" Khushi gulped.

Inside the box was the same set of jewels she had once admired that Arnav had cruelly gifted to Lavanya and taunted her with 'faraq padta hai".

She looked up with tears in her eyes, "Is that for me? Did Lavanyaji give it back?" she asked.

"No. Right after you cried, I had ordered for a similar set to be made for you. I had planned to give it to you when you got married to your fianc'I am not that cruel Khushi," he said holding her hands tenderly.

She flung her hands around him and cried like a child. "I was so hurt Arnav'so hurt'.not because of the jewels but because you deliberately gave it to Lavanyaji just to hurt me. You made her wear it in front of me. I'. I did not know it was jealousy then'but I cried a lot for days thinking of it," she sobbed into his chest as he hushed her with his characteristic 'Shhh'it's ok."

"You are not cruel at all Arnav. You're just so different and complex," she said. She wished he wasn't like that. But he was and she loved him still. She realized that even about her father's issue, he had not intended to be cruel. But he would never be dishonest and tell her it was fine if it was not fine with him'But she still yearned for that unconditional admission from him'But his honesty had always been one of the reasons she had admired'though it hurt sometimes.