Arshi FF: Entwined(T1) *Completed* - Page 11

You are a great writer! Keep writing! Can't wait to see where the story progresses and what surprises it has in store for us!

awesome update ...khushi's reaction was quite natural ...she had a bad experience, was freaked out and didn't know arnav's point of view either ..so it's natural..but I really felt bad for arnav...he was already feeling guilty and now it would bother him more ...angad was somewhat right though I feel irritated with him at first ...I guess time will right every MU /wrong

hope he comes back and listens to Khushi..

Entwined:

Chapter-9:

---

May 2007,

Delhi University-Convocation Day,

Batch 04-07.

It was the day for Arnav Singh Raizada. The day he had been waiting for ever since the first day of his term. He would finally have his much awaited degree in his hands and he would finally be ready to fly away to conquer his dreams. Even though his university begins a good 2 months later, he got his tickets booked for London the very next morning after the night of his convocation. Excited, is what he thought he would be, but instead he found himself bored. The boring prolonged speech, the lame people who seemed to be fully enjoying the day and then there were other set of weird people who were being emotional, the suffocating coat that he was wearing, the annoying hat which people around found it utterly amusing, the over-generous juniors of the term offering refreshments quite often, the fake smiles and rather fake compliments by the faculty and everything else merely added to his boredom.

Even as he noticed his surroundings registering his bored mind, the umpteenth yawn escaped his mouth and he sighed resting his head backwards in the chair that he was sitting amidst the thousands of pupils. May be it's the expectations to be excited is taking a toll over him"he concluded and glanced to his side to find the place that has been occupied by some geek, now empty. He rolled his eyes and tried shifting his attention to the speaker just when a lean rush of blue bounced into the empty seat beside him, making him instantly turn his head in that direction.

"Ah! Just the right person I wanted to see" She commented sarcastically exactly voicing his thoughts.

"Just about the right time--" he remarked and then noticed her tugging her head down as if hiding from someone. He rolled his eyes and thought of better than to be curious of what she was up to. He then looked on in horror when she literally stumbled down on the ground, supporting herself on her toes, turning around instantly facing him, perfectly placing herself comfortably in between the stack of chairs tugging her legs beneath and sighed looking up to meet his gaze. He looked on in astonishment suppressing the urge to smirk and then threw a glance around to check if anyone are throwing the look' at her and finally smirked in satisfaction when he found the whole of his row glancing down at her puzzled.

"I'm actually hiding from someone--" she said sheepishly as a response to his glances.

"Of course!" came his sarcastic response before he threw a narrowed glance at the people staring at her who finally shifted their attention back to the speaker.

"Thank you, actually--"

"No Thank you, I don't even want to know--"

"Really?" she was now supporting her chin in her arm and looked directly at him making it difficult for him to keep his gaze fixed to the stage. He left out a sigh as if giving up and turned his attention to face her completely. At least the blabber was better than the speech, he decided.

"Fine, spill" he stated.

"How rude! You thought that the speech was rather boring and listening to me would be better, dint you?"

"Wow! You aren't actually as dumb as I thought--"

"You don't really know me mister---" she smirked mischievously.

"I don't even want to--" he chuckled as he relaxed himself in the chair dragging his legs down and waited for her retort.

"Well good for you, but trust me you might really wanna know this--" she became all worked up instantly.

"Like I said, spill and I'm desperately waiting!"

"Thanks for the fake desperation well anyway, not that you asked, but just that I need to spill it out and you have to know this--"

"You make it sound as if you are going to talk about me--" he made a face.

"There, you are smart too exactly like I thought, yes, it's about you and your fan girls--"

"My what??"

"Fan girls! You don't even know them, do you?"

"Enlighten me please!" he was now bending forward in his place to reach down to her level and looked into her eyes lazily. To his bewilderment, her face broke into a wide grin representing a 3 year old getting a chance to recite her favorite story, as she shifted in the narrow place all worked up to talk.

"Okay, you do know that you are quite famous around don't you?"

He shrugged uncertainly. "Well you have good following in the girls too, specially there is this gang of four in the second year who are totally crazy about you, they like follow every move of you with utmost conviction and determination and they are dying for just one dance today in the ball with at least one of them, since technically it is your last day at college--"

"It looks like it's just the interval, go on, I'm listening--" none of what she said was new to his ears but his curiosity definitely held in the later part where he would know what she had to do about this.

"Yeah so, remember the other day you talked to me at the basket-ball court? One of them has seen you with me and was ridiculously envious of me. Oh and I totally forgot about the other part of this story. Actually I love the choir group of the college and I so wanted to be part of it. But I came to know that the auditions and everything for it will be taken care of certain group of girls who will only prefer the ones they like, and fortunately or unfortunately this girl"who saw me talking to you, was one of them. I was by then trying to be in good terms with her, but that day you ruined it for me and so I decided to punish you and lied to her that I was talking about her to you--" she paused to catch her breath and observed the puzzled look in his face. "Are you following me?" she asked sheepishly and he jerked his head as if coming out of a state of being lost and processed all that thoughtfully.

"So, you told her that you would set me up with her if she joins you in the choir group?" he asked uncertainly after a moment of thinking.

"Perfect!" she grinned and sighed in relief.

"So, I today I was supposed to set you up to dance with her---"

"Wait a minute, you sold me for a chance in choir group?" he asked incredulously his voice rising a bit as he tried to figure out, if he was amused or annoyed or both at what she just said.

"SOLD??" she laughed out loud. "It's not like I own you, I was just punishing you, plus don't worry, I have decided against it, I thought I should protect her from a monster like you, she did become a good friend after that you see, but her continues blabber about you is quite annoying I tell you--"

"Monster?--"

"Yeah and that's why I'm hiding from her tonight, I'll tell her later that you weren't interested, I should face her wrath, but it's okay, as long as she is safe from you--"

"As much as the monster thing about me is quite annoying, I'm glad you decided against setting us up, but don't you think she is using you?"

"And so was I, am I not?"

He then opened his mouth to retort but thought better of it. "You're mad" he muttered before looking away from her shifting his attention back to the now announcing names of the graduates on the stage.

"On second thoughts, do you think she would be up for a one-night stand with me?" he asked not shifting his attention from the stage and smirked profusely rolling his tongue inside his cheek. As expected he heard her loud gasp and he turned his head to find her eyes filling her face, her mouth dropping to the ground, her nose flickering and she looked positively funny. "You're a jerk more than a monster!" she exclaimed dramatically causing him to laugh out loud.

He sobered up in a few moments as he caught her staring right at him with same bewildered expression.

"You're staring""

"You're laughing" she said absent mindedly still staring at him representing a statue and they both fell into an awkward silence, his laugh dipping down and her eyes and mouth going from bewilderment to amusement. The announcement on the stage effectively broke their trance and he straightened in his place causing her to stand up and sit beside him.

"You aren't hiding anymore?"

"I just thought, if she would see me talking to you, she would trust me that I did ask you out--" She noticed her blabber as usual was going on deaf ears as his attention was now more fixed on someone else walking to the stage as she noticed his eye-brows ceased into a frown. "What's up?" she asked raising her eye-brows.

"I'm not a very patient person, but that guy walking up to the stage is really testing my patience--" he pointed out to the person and she turned around to look at the guy walking slowly in the path towards the stage with his one leg and the other supported by a stick. Khushi frowned deciding to give her piece of mind when she heard the next words.

"My name has just been announced, and I don't yet want to go running to the stage overtaking him and steal his time to receive his award, and waiting is so not my thing"

"Well, here is a solution, go running to him, help him to walk to the stage and wait in the background until he received his monument, that kind of helping really feels good you know and makes you smile--

The art of smiling is not any rocket science; it's just a reflex action to what you feel. Try making someone else smile by your actions, your lips would automatically curve up at the realization..."

"Stop please!" he said disinterestedly.

"What's with you and Smile philosophies?'--" he asked annoyingly meeting her eyes but something in the way she looked back at him made him decide to do exactly what she just suggested. He stood up, his legs already making a small run""I don't even know why am I even listening to you!" He called out running away from her.

"You will--" she uttered loud even as she walked away from him in the opposite direction, standing along with a group of students at the back and looked on as he kept his eye involuntarily at her every now and then, stopping by the person he went to help, walking alongside him in slow steady manner, making sure not offering any help in an effort not to embarrass him, allowed the person to climb up the stage ahead of him and stood waiting as the person received his degree. He smiled and even before he did his eyes flickered back to hers finding her almost immediately amidst the crowd.

"What's with you and your weird Smile philosophies?'--" he repeated again as he was really curious about this now while he walked straight towards her with his degree in hand looking like a perfect professional.

"Oh my god!!!!" she exclaimed as she lead him away from the crowd towards the exit.

"What?"

"You are no longer conscious of your image? You talked to me in front of everyone!" she said dramatically and he let out another loud chuckle and she just stared again. He crooked up his eye-brows catching her staring and she smiled stopping ad turning around to face him.

"As much as I'd like to escort you to your car to see my love one last time"your car I mean, I have to catch up with work back-stage, so Congratulations and all the best, if not for anything, for being the only stranger with whom you can have a civil conversation?" she smiled extending her hand for a shake-hand.

He smirked accepting her hand almost instantly and held it still smiling at her""thank you--"

"And you seem different today--"

"May be just a good day, I can at least just be myself, the pretence is over now, I have a flight to catch in a few hours and finally I can fly to reach--"

"Your dream, Harvard, yes, I know--"

"How the hell--"

"Ah! You're famous I told you already, as much annoying as it is for me, I get to hear a lot about you!"

He laughed again still holding her hand in place in their shake-hand""Well you remain mysterious to me, well kind of, I don't know anything about you except your name and college ofcourse, not that I want to know anything much anyway, Stranger--"

She laughed too, and narrowed her eyes as if remembering something""that's the biggest sentence you ever spoke to me!"

"Who measures sentences?" he chuckled.

"I do!"

"So, you dint answer my question--"

"What question?"

"About your philosophy lectures of smile, trust and stuff?"

"I'm good, am I not?" she grinned lifting her chin in air and he just used his eyes-brows, shrugging and nodding his head in a small tilt, that was too heavy to give a compliment. "I'll take that as yes" she added."I might have to think about a career in literature may be, what say?"

"You are so damn confused, kabhi dance, kabhi basket-ball, kabhi singing and now literature, would you ever figure out your interest?"

"I'm interested in mysterious people like you, and I like figuring them out, see you are actually talking human way with me finally" she said dramatically using her free hand.

"Speaking of which, did you ask that fan girl of me about the night, I can use a few hours of celebration"

"You still stuck there?"

"What can I say? hormones recently got rid of the v-card--"

"Bloody hell!" she exclaimed abruptly withdrawing her hand from his."You are brutal more than a monster and jerk!" she said rubbing her hand as if trying to remove the dirt, giving an impression that she was annoyed.

"And you're mad!" he said walking around her and away towards his car.

"All the best Stranger!"

"To you too weirdo!"

"And I was right about your smile!!!" she yelled behind his back, her voice reaching his ears through the chill breeze of the night. "baba Khushi kumara Das!" he commented as he finally turned at the bent in the exit door, her laugh lingering in his ears as he was finally out of the sight.

**

"So the main question Ms.Khushi, did you try to kill yourself that night?"

"NO!" came her immediate curt reply as Ajay Rathod adjusted his glasses on the tip of his nose and another officer quickly made some notes, the three of them including Angad standing opposite to her, while Lavanya stood beside Khushi's bed, holding her hand, wiping the droplets of sweat off her fore-head as Lavanya yet again registered her usual panic around the opposite gender.

Arnav observed her from the screen fixed in Angad's cabin as a camera fixed in her room secretly, made sure to capture the happenings of the room and present it onto the screen for him.

"Yes!" Arnav exclaimed a small victory yelp, satisfied with his instinct thought but frowned instantly as he registered the now familiar fear in her eyes. He looked around her, the three men and Lavanya alone helping her, she really did need time to settle down, he processed and the thought only felt hard on his chest.

"So did anyone push you Ms.Gupta?" Ajay asked his next question in his calm and composed way and Arnav could see Khushi flinch instantly closing her eyes, her lips trembling, he could see her gesturing for water and the nurse was called in for help as the next few moments were occupied.

**

Her hands were stretched across as she finally decided what she wants to do once she was out of the hospital...

Her lips adorned a smile, finally willing to let go off everything and live her life the way she wants..

She smiled at the sound heard from the stair-case, as she registered it as the foot-steps of the stranger, whose voice felt distantly familiar...

She adjusted her feet, ready to get down from the terrace wall, just when she caught the glimpse of those evil eyes, the sarcastic grin, the ridiculously fair skin, and before she could realize, two strong hands applied pressure on the little of her back and she was travelling in air, the very next instant...

**

Khushi jerked involuntarily as she gulped down the water from the glass and tried to compose her accelerating breathing.

"Are you alright Ms.Khushi?" Ajay asked and Lavanya caressed her hair trying to ease her nerves.

"Yes"I'm"I'm good--" Khushi managed to utter as Arnav observed her reactions keenly even as his insides spiked up with worry. "So did anyone push you, or"what happened? How did you fell from that building?" Ajay repeated his question and Khushi closed her eyes again for another brief moment before opening them back in a swift moment titling her head not meeting Ajay's eyes as a result fixing her glance unknowingly straight at the camera and thus at Arnav.

"I"I lost my balance while trying to get down--" she lied and he knew it instantly, as he looked right into her eyes processing every trigger of her faltering gaze. Uneasiness crept into his chest but he could also see how everything is affected her, how stressful it is proving for her, to answer a few simple questions, how traumatic she is at the moment and if escaping a few questions is what she wants to do, then be it, who was he to contradict anyway? But is she being safe? He dint know, he dint have any way to find that out either, and so he dint ponder on that pip of him who voiced his thoughts about her lie, he just let the thought go and thus the little worry as well"or so he thought.

"Are you sure Ms.Gupta?" Ajay stressed and Arnav could see her even flinching at the officer's voice, but he was truly amused by the way she was yet holding herself to get done with this.

"Yes--" khushi whispered with her trembling voice.

"Alright Khushi, just one last question and we will be done with this, alright?" Khushi just nodded and eve relaxed a bit when the officer dismissed further pushing with his previous question and this only added to Arnav's suspicion but yet again he dismissed the little nagging thought.

"Do you remember talking to anyone before you fell?"

Khushi this time, settled back a bit from her nervousness and her eye-brows shaped into a thoughtful frown; she then looked up once again straight into the hidden camera, her eyes showing a bit of a different emotion from fear for a change and they held a little vague inclination of a twitch of smile. Arnav's heart did a tiny flip-flop and he just looked on, amused by the effect she seemed to have on him, even by the little familiarity they shared in different instances of their journey of life in their different ways.

"Yeah--" he heard her say, her voice sounding a bit more relaxed than before and she continued to stare into the distance thoughtfully, but Arnav could feel she was staring right into his eyes.

"Yeah? Good, so could you please let me know how was the person who talked to you, is there any chance that he could be the reason you might have fallen or"or he--"

"NO, not at all!" she replied curtly even as a small smile made its way across Arnav's lips, his ears suddenly even more attentive awaiting for her next words. "He was some Stranger, he thought I was standing there to commit a suicide and he came all the way up to help me" she talked lost in the same memory of a night in which even Arnav found himself at the moment.

"He seemed really good and I"I felt good talking to him for those brief moments, it"it made me think and decide through certain things, the main purpose for which I was standing there--"

Arnav's smile only grew into a much warm one, his heart filling the entire place of his chest and he suddenly felt very content with it all. "Do you know who he was, do you recognize him?" Ajay asked breaking Arnav from his little trance.

"I don't know, but the voice did seem familiar, I somehow could only associate him with just the word Stranger--" Khushi said and Arnav exactly knew why.

"Well, he is--"

"Just let it be Ajay--" Arnav cut him off through the Bluetooth ear-piece he had been hearing. "You guys now know I dint push her, I think that should be enough, I request you not to put her through anymore investigation" he suddenly spoke in his cordial tone and could see Ajay nodding and acknowledging him.

"Well, that is it then Khushi, you are off from the police from now on, have a speed recovery Ms Khushi"

With that the men left the room leaving a slightly smiling khushi behind and a staring Arnav oblivious to her. It was then he have decided to let her go, for now. It was then he knew he would meet her someday, yet again and that would be a perfect timing for everything. It was then, yet again Arnav walked away from Khushi, being the Stranger in her life and yet felt content about it. It was then Arnav knew something started between them in that hospital walls, but he knew it was not the time or place it.

And yet again, Stranger Arnav walked away from Khushi Kumari gupta, carrying just her memories, because he knew life is too short for good-byes' and the world is too big for Never-meetings'.

**

Note: Hehe yeah if the last line seemed familiar-yes it is Hum-Tum inspiration :P :P and I shamelessly admit ;)

Chapter-10

seriously you've posted another chapter ..yaar every writer should be like you..bless you :D

lovvve it ...just read it in one day...

it's beautiful ..I loved loved loved the flashback ..they have this certain ease with each other, a comfortness and a certain understanding ...it's just amazing ...
so someone really pushed her..and she just lied !!! WHY.???
arnav decided to let her go..I would have appreciated it but khushi's not safe...her life is in danger ..and he can't simply leave her unprotected
well i'm sure you have your own way to unfold the story and I trust you ..just need to keep patience

Loved, hope to read the next update soon, you mention a monster who pushed her.

Just read chapter 9, it was awesome, but he is leaving her alone again?