Mirage #3 Check note on pg 149 for next thread! - Page 8

"Oh, it's nothing." He said getting up from the bed and went towards the pile of clothes lying on the floor and wore his boxers. He was about to wear his t-shirt and cover up his back, when suddenly he found her standing beside him, holding his wrists from proceeding further.

"It cannot be nothing. That is a huge scar." She exclaimed out in a shock. "What happened Arnav?" she asked, cupping his face in her palms, forcing him to look at her. "Tell me, please." She begged, but he was adamant to remain silent.

"Come here." She pulled his arm, when he seemed to not relent and led him back to the bed, asking him to sit down. Entwining her fingers with his, she held his shoulder with the other hand and noticed the scar of his recent gunshot etched on his skin. This was gruesome. But that huge scar on his back was much worse than this.

"If I can trust my entire self to you, can't you trust me a little bit? Have I ever let you down?" she questioned him and finally saw him gazing at her.

"Khushi, some things are best left unknown." He replied in a hoarse voice. Could he really tell her how exactly he had got it, when he himself feared to venture out into that dark territory?

"Why Arnav?" she instantly shot back, and climbed behind him, re-examining the scar again, this time taking note of minute details about it.

"Because I..." he stopped midway, turning around to face her, unable to frame any words for what he wanted to express.

Khushi saw the helplessness in his eyes and suddenly, she felt sympathy for him. She could clearly see how he was struggling with it.

"It always helps if you share it with someone. And you know that I would never judge you Arnav. Tell me." She replied hugging him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder.

Arnav hesitated for a minute. Was this it? No. He wasn't ready to share the entire truth with her. But maybe he could give a subtle start to it. Maybe she would understand him. Khushi was the only person in the world who understood him. So maybe he could indeed share his dark past with her.

Khushi saw him turn around and silently ask for a promise and reassurance from her about what he was going to disclose next. She nodded firmly, placing a kiss on his jaw and shifted slightly to the side, so that she could see his face.

Holding her hand, he began.

"Do you remember what I had told you about the day my mother was shot? About how I ran away from that house fearing that those people would kill me next? Do you remember how Nana said she tried to find me, but I wasn't to be found anywhere?" he paused and seeing her nod affirmatively, he continued. "I have never really told this to anyone."

Khushi felt his grip tighten around her, the pressure building up on her arm. But if this would help to ease out his burden, she wouldn't mind this little pain for him.

"I spent the rest of my childhood on the streets of Delhi." He spoke looking down. "Actually, it wasn't even fit to be described as a childhood anymore, coz what followed it was the worst nightmare of my life." He continued, feeling the same old lump form in his throat that occurred everytime he remembered about those days.

"I was just eight years old. I didn't know anyone in this city and I was very scared. What could a small eight year old boy do? I was hungry, homeless and just had the pair of clothes that I had escaped with. I was lost and couldn't even find my way back to that place where I had been living." He paused for what seemed to be an eternity. Khushi glanced at his face and noticed that he was submerged in those past painful memories.

She always knew that Arnav must have suffered a lot in his life to be so indifferent and cold to anyone. There were deep, haunting and dark secrets still hidden inside him. She was absolutely sure about it. But she never had the courage to make him open up about it.

There was no doubt that at some level, both had endured similar sufferings in their lives. But Arnav's sorrow and grief seemed much worse than hers. Atleast she had had Buaji's support after her parents had passed away. But Arnav had waged a lone battle without anyone to help him.

Not anymore. Khushi Gupta had made up her mind to be there for him. If he could take up her responsibility and take care of her, even she would fulfil her duty in their relationship.

"So how did you manage to survive?" she asked in a soft voice, dreading what he must have gone through.

"Survival instincts." He replied, looking up at her face. "When you are about to die, you will do anything to survive. Anything. I came to know that there were many places in Delhi, where they would give you food if you work for them. They don't pay you money because child labour is illegal. But they employ young children because children don't revolt against the hell that they make them go through. Because children who are hungry are ready to do anything to fill their empty stomachs. Since the authorities come for inspection, they don't employ any child for more than few days. So I had to move from place to place every few days."

He paused once again, to inhale a deep breath and closed his eyes. Suddenly, snapping them open widely, he continued. "You know Khushi, in Mumbai, I had never done any kind of work. Even though we weren't rich enough, I was a pampered kid and my Mumma loved me a lot. She used to do everything for me."

"One day was all it took. In one day, my whole life was turned upside down. I was forced to do work which I had never done. I didn't really mind working, but they were not happy with me. Those people who employed me were sadists and they felt sadistic pleasure in torturing the children like me." He growled with a sudden rage and loathing in his mind.

He had taken revenge on every single one of them. All of them were dead. But that didn't stop the same fury from unleashing within him whenever he thought about them.

"They tortured you?" Khushi's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Khushi didn't know what was happening to her, but her eyes had suddenly turned moist and were brimming with tears, imagining how gruesomely he must have been tortured to get scars like that on his back.

"As I said, I was inexperienced. I couldn't do all the tasks assigned properly. So they would be enraged with me. I used to beg them, telling that I would not repeat the same mistake again. I even promised to rectify my mistake and work overtime for the same amount of wage. But they didn't listen to my pleas. They said if I received these blows, I would remember the pain very well the next time I was about to commit a mistake." He gritted through his teeth, feeling that familiar shiver run down his spine.

"Day and night, they beat me up, with anything that they could get their hands on. Belts, logs, rods, canes. I lost count of it. They would beat me up until I was about to die. Why? Because they knew I was helpless and would never revolt it. I was too naive to know that I could escape it."

Khushi moved closer to his back and observed carefully. She had read that most scars disappeared after some period of time. But if these scars on his back had managed to survive all through these years, she couldn't imagine how they would have looked when they were new.

"And this big one?" she asked quietly, curious and dreading at the same time to know about it.

"That was the last one before I escaped from that hell. I still don't know what weapon did they use, but it simply tore into my skin when I was trying to run away from them. And that day I had really thought that it would be my last one."

"They chased and tried to kill you?"

"Yeah, they were a bunch of crazy people." Arnav could still remember that day clearly, as if it had been just yesterday.

It was the same day he had first killed someone. It was unintentional. He had only attacked as self defence. But at the end of the day, he had committed a crime. He was a criminal in everyone's eyes.

He had run away from the small restaurant's kitchen, away from the scene of crime coz he knew the other men behind would catch up. He had been trembling with fear and his legs and hands felt heavy and weak. With a paralysed mind, he hadn't known where he could escape. All his did was run without turning back.

As tears stormed down his face, he had collapsed with the sheer exhaustion. He may have been a thirteen year old, but with the physical and mental torture that had been inflicted upon him, he wasn't strong enough. Hoping that they had lost track of him, he had paused and rested in a dark alley, thinking that no one would find him here.

But they did. And they were brutal. Within few minutes they had surrounded him. There were too many of them for a single boy to defend himself. They had lashed out, tortured, assaulted and nearly killed him, until his bones were shattered and he was bleeding to death. That weapon, which he had never seen had simply cut through his skin on his back, killing all hopes of survival in him.

That was the first time when Arnav had really thought to be the last day of his life. He had fully embraced death to finally provide him with some peace in his life. He had nearly seen his mother's arms outstretched to welcome him.

But strangely his very own destiny had completely different plans for him. He survived.

"So how did you...?" Khushi gulped down, feeling sick to her stomach as to how cruel sometimes people would be to innocent children.

"Survive that?" he completed for her.

"Khalid Malik." He answered back. "The man who saved my life that day."

"Like how I saved yours that day?" Khushi asked him instantly.

"Kind of like that. Except that I was in a much worse condition. I was barely alive. He said I was unconscious for the next two weeks following that. I don't even remember seeing his face. As I said, I was barely alive. The only thing I know is that one fine day, when I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital. And that stranger had taken care of me. If I'm alive today, it is because of him. He took me into his house and I lived with him for several years. Whatever I am today, I owe it to him."

"Maybe he was an angel sent to your help by your mother? Isn't that what you call me too? An Angel?" Khushi looked into his eyes. It was just a matter of few seconds and his expressions changed from rage, pain and then serenity, at the mention of that man's name, who had helped Arnav that day.

"Maybe he was. Maybe Mumma had sent him to help me out, just like she sent you." He pondered over what she said. He had never really thought about Khalid Bhai this way. And there were very good reasons for it.

Khalid Malik was the head of the biggest Mafia in Delhi. So how a man of his stature could be looked upon as an Angel? The whole idea itself seemed ridiculous.

But on the other side, he couldn't deny the role of Khalid Bhai in his life. That man had given him protection and shelter when he was left all alone to die. He had taught him how to survive in this cruel world, how to take revenge on everyone who hurt him. He had trained him to be the best sharpshooter in the whole of Delhi. And somewhere, deep down, Arnav had always revered him as a fatherly figure in his life even though there were no emotions attached to whatever relationship they shared.

And for that one day of his help, Arnav had surrendered his entire life to his service, promising his steadfast loyalty to him.

"Does it still pain?" he snapped from his thoughts, hearing Khushi's voice. "Do these scars still pain?" She repeated.

"No, they don't." He replied back. Although, the truth was that even though those scars didn't hurt him physically, those memories of pain inflicted on him still remained with him and haunted his dreams every night.

"Wait, what is this?" Khushi suddenly asked, noticing a different type of scar on his lower back. "This looks different from the rest. Actually, this looks like the one on your shoulder and your thigh. Wait! Were you shot previously too?" she panicked with wide eyes.

"Yeah." He replied in an agitated manner and stood up. "Now if you are done with this, can I go now? I need to take a shower."

"Wait, so you were physically tortured in your childhood, you were recently shot in crossfire and now, you have a scar of another previous gunshot? When did this happen? And why do you always end up in the wrong places? Are you so careless about your life? Someone would be mistaken that you are working for the Army and have just returned from a war. You seriously better take care of yourself coz henceforth, your life is accountable to me." And I would never be able to bear if something like this happened to you anymore, she reminded herself in her mind.

I work for the Mafia and this gunshot was from a Gang war. He wanted to say this aloud but stopped short of saying it. Could he really say this to her? Maybe he would eventually. Someday. But definitely not today. He simply didn't have the strength to continue.

Arnav silently stormed into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and stood under the shower, allowing the cold water to stream down his head and body. Squeezing his eyes tightly, he felt them burn as numbed tears struggled to rush out of them. It was simply painful for him to deal with his past. He tried to let out all those painful memories. But he couldn't. They were like demons who never left his soul to rest in peace. And it was in situations like these, he was confirmed that he was destined for hell. Maybe there was no heaven written in his fate afterall.

How was he ever going to tell her the truth? Could he ever tell her and see her shatter completely?

As Khushi stared at the closed bathroom door ahead of her, she felt sorry for the man behind the door. He had suffered so much in his life, carrying all that pain, all through these years, all by himself. Was there nothing that she could do to ease his pain? Would he ever make peace with his past and move on?

Maybe there was nothing she could do with his past. But she could definitely strive to make a better future for him. Maybe her love would one day finally, heal those scars and vanish away all that pain.

o0o

As Khushi sat at the breakfast table along with Arnav, she suddenly noticed Aman coming down the stairs and taking a place on the couch, finally putting an end to his self imposed exile. Seeing his dishevelled state, she inferred that he had been holed up inside his room all throughout yesterday and this was his first appearance outside his room.

"I'll go talk to him." She whispered in a voice only audible to Arnav and got up from her chair. She had no idea why, but she was sure that she was the reason for him being upset. Not wanting to carry any guilt in her heart, she decided to go and apologise to him.

"You know, it's not necessary." Arnav held back her arm, ushering her to sit back. But Khushi was adamant.

"Arnav, now I'm an member of this house and even he is and I don't want a tense atmosphere to surround between us." She replied and made her way towards Aman before Arnav could stop her.

Stopping a metre away from where he was seated, she called him in a soft voice, feeling a bit apprehensive about how he would react. "Aman, listen, I'm really sorry. I don't know the reason why you are so upset, but I'm assuming it is related to me or my words. I don't know you very well, but I wouldn't want us to start off like this. I never meant to hurt you in any way and if I did, I sincerely apologise coz that was not my intent at all. I hope we can make a fresh start." Khushi spoke out, letting out a huge sigh at the end of her long apology statement.

She curiously gazed into his face, careful to not miss out even the slightest change of his expressions. He wasn't looking at her. His eyes were focussed on the window ahead of him.

Khushi waited for something, anything actually that would give her any hint that he had been actually listening to her and not turning a deaf ear to her. But he continued to remain unresponsive.

Disappointed with her attempt, she was about to turn around, when suddenly, she heard his low hoarse voice.

"I shouldn't have reacted like that." She heard him say and quickly spun around, unable to believe whether she had heard him properly.

"I'm sorry Khushi. It's not your fault. I was upset." Aman finally looked at her face with what seemed to be genuine remorse in his eyes. After locking up himself in his room for the entire night, he had realised that Khushi was an innocent party to this and that she didn't deserve his outburst in any way. She had no idea at all about anything happening around her. So, it would be unfair on his part to treat her like this. Afterall, she had only been trying to get familiar with him.

"Oh, its alright. I understand you know." Khushi replied, feeling a bit weird and embarrassed as well as relieved at his reaction. She had never really expected him to apologise to her like this and now that he did, she didn't know how to react to it. All she could do was smile back sheepishly at him. "Ok, I guess we are back to normal then." She was about to go back, when she instantly remembered something.

"You know, I was wondering. Are you sure you both are not blood brothers?" she asked turning to face Arnav, who was curiously staring at both of them. "You both seem to have serious issues with yourselves. Yeah, I'm serious." She recollected, amused at the strong similarities between both the men. But she instantly dismissed the idea coz appearance wise, Arnav and Aman were nowhere similar to each other. "Oh! I know. Maybe you both work together right? And your boss is making your life miserable giving you all so much of work related stress. I suggest that you find a new job for yourselves, coz right now, whatever you are doing doesn't seem the right thing for you both. And poor myself, I'm getting targeted for all this frustration." She replied laughing nervously.

What she failed to notice was the look that passed between the eyes of the two men on either sides of the room, hearing her words. They were quite stunned actually at how her naive words were so close to home.

"Want sandwich?" Khushi asked Aman, oblivious to the tense atmosphere around her, and seeing him nod, she went to the table and brought a plate along with her and offered it to him. As she turned around and took her place beside Arnav, Aman noted down one thing about her. Khushi was someone who spread cheer to the people around her. Just by her mere words, the room would instantly be brighter and happier. It was so infectious that he himself had felt it whenever she had been around him.

He noticed that Arnav too was affected in the same way.

And then he realised that this was reason why he was so much affected by her. Men like him had no place for cheer and happiness in their lives. The hopes that her eyes promised were simply a mirage. And they would be the biggest fools in the world if they believed it to be possible.

But there was another thing that was disturbing him. Arnav's eyes had slowly begun to reflect the same hopes in them and for that, he felt truly sorry for his friend coz there was nothing worse than living a fool's life, filled with false promises and hopes.

CHAPTER 40

If you are wondering, why was this chapter like this, because I'm still working on the revelation part. I still haven't decided who will do it. So many possibilities--- Lavanya, Akash, Aman, Abbas, Arnav himself.😎 I need to have a completely shattered Khushi. That's my aim and I'm figuring out the best way to do it. Buaha ha ha!

And oh, if you are still wondering about what I mentioned at the top of this update, I tend to get sarcastic at 2:00 am.🤪