SS: Unspoken part 19
After a week of relaxing most of his at home with his wife, Arnav finally had to get back to his daily duties of going around to make sure everything was running smoothly.
He got dressed in a pressed black shalwar kameez and caught his sleeping beauty's face in the mirror. He turned around and gazed at her with a small smile that he couldn't seem to control. He took quiet steps to her and pulled the sheets higher to completely cover her bare body before tenderly placing a kiss on her soft cheek. He smiled against her cheek when he felt her small hand curl around the front of his kameez. "Don't go," she said in her sleepy state.
He crouched by the bed so his face was right next to hers. "I have a lot to take care of - I'll be back for lunch." He took her hand that was still holding onto him and placed it by her head on the pillow.
*
"Is Akash home?" He asked Payal who was sweeping the front porch of her house. "Yes. I'll call him right now." She went inside and within a minute, Akash rushed out to answer the call of his best friend. "What's up?" He asked with a smile.
"Vijay pulled himself out of the monthly trips. Do you want to fill his space?"
Akash's brows popped up. "He just decided to quit? Just like that?"
Arnav let out a sigh. Akash was as skeptical about Vijay as he was. "Akash, he said himself he came this entire time just to irritate me. This is good - that he doesn't want to come anymore."
Akash pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. "Who's going to watch over your family?"
Arnav realized he was right. He could have asked almost anyone in the village to watch over his family but frankly, he didn't trust those people like he did Akash. "Right. Anyway, I'm taking one of the cars to drive up to the farm side. The crops have been coming in slowly this month so I'll go see if there's anything necessary to buy the next time we go into the city."
"Sure. I'm heading to my shop right now. Payal, I'm leaving," Akash called towards the door and got an, okay!' in return. As the two walked the way, Akash had some news to break to Arnav. "So you're going to be an uncle soon," he blurted out and Arnav's eyes darted to Akash. "What?" He exclaimed with a large grin appearing on his face. "Your wife's pregnant?" He asked to make sure and Akash nodded his head with a chuckle. Arnav stopped in his tracks and pulled Akash for a big bear hug. "Congratulations. It's beautiful news."
As they continued, Akash took occasional glances at Arnav. "She's really changed you. You've become softer with the people in your life and even the villagers."
"Yeah?" Arnav snickered then shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I have. It's hard to be mean to someone who's really innocent. I never wanted to be a bully anyways."
"I think everyone prefers you like this - not that they didn't like you before, but now it's easier to talk to you."
Arnav had a soft smile on his lips as he thought of just how he had indeed changed. He came to the conclusion that even he preferred this new him. All thanks to Khushi.
*
After speaking for nearly two hours to a middle aged man named Prabhu whom Arnav had set on the farm as manager, Arnav drove the tractor to the barn house. He stepped inside and pet all the horses on their muzzle until he got to his favorite named Pavan. It was his father's horse. "You've become an old lad but abba always said you were the best of the bunch."
Arnav opened the stall door and grabbed the saddle from the wooden walls as he securely placed it on the horse. He grabbed a hold of the reins and led him out into the field. He patted his mane, as the horse grew excited to be out. "A lot has changed, Pavan. I never found change good but maybe it is."
He pulled himself up on the horse and inhaled deeply to smell the fresh smell of grass, to feel the warm breeze from the shining sun, and to hear the sounds of nature and nothing else in his surroundings. If only you were here, abba,' Arnav wished and tapped the side of the horse with his heels to cue him to start his walk.
He enjoyed the slow movement for a while until he grew bored. Another couple heeltaps on the sides, and Pavan jumped to a gallop. Arnav felt exhilarated! He couldn't believe he'd neglected his father's horse for months on end. He poured out all his feelings with every hastening gallop. He let out his past feelings of loss, betrayal, and hate, and then his present feeling of just love. Pure and simple love.
*
Akash got out at noon to buy some food for himself but something else caught his interest as he found a man looking fairly suspicious. It was a man he'd never met or even seen around the place, especially because of the way he was dressed: in a grey shalwar kameez with a black shawl wrapped around his head, only to reveal to heavily kohl outlined eyes.
The man's eyes fell on Akash's curious ones and he quickly darted the other way. Akash's mouth curled in anger as he suddenly started to hastily walk after him. He tried not to make a scene in front of others so he tried to keep his pace measured. He saw him dashing behind the random clusters of trees and that's when he sprinted and finally threw himself at the guy's back. He turned him around and pulled the cover off to reveal a stranger he had never seen.
"Where are you from?" He demanded.
The man tried to fight him off but Akash's strangle hold on his neck made him freeze. "Answer me!" Akash shouted.
"Sadasya," the man answered and Akash's face showed shock. He got up and stood eye level to the man. "What are you doing here?"
"We're searching for someone."
"Who the hell are you searching for?" Akash inquired in a harsh tone.
"She's one of our people. She's been missing for over a month now. We've searched all the other areas. It's possible that she's here."
Akash's heart accelerated in his chest but he tried not to let it show in his expression. He had a very sick feeling that he knew who it was but he couldn't be sure until he asked. "What's her name?"
"Khushi Gupta," the man spoke and Akash's stomach dropped to the ground. His ears buzzed with a ringing and he desperately hoped his hard expression hadn't changed to tip the man off. It didn't. "I know everyone here and there's no one by that name."
"She could have changed her name," the man tried to reason but Akash shook his head. "She could have changed her name but don't you think we'd all know if there's someone new on the land? In any way, the laird does not allow a single outsider here."
"Well then where is she?!" The man yelled and Akash clenched his jaw to have someone shout in his face - especially a sick Sadasyan. "Maybe she's dead! Don't come here again because you are breaking the truce just by stepping inside. One word to Arnav and he'll be making a personal visit to Sadasya!" Akash grabbed the man's shirt to intimidate him and it worked as he tried to pull away.
"If you ever notice anything, do let us know," the man said innocently and backed away again.
"And if you ever come here again, I'll break your face myself. Get the hell out of here!"
Akash stood on his spot until he couldn't see the man anymore. He rubbed his hands over his face as he let out a trembling sigh. What was going on? Suddenly he was fighting a war within himself. Half his being was telling him to run and tell Arnav while the other was warning him against it. Arnav was at peace so why should he ruin that? But Khushi was a Sadasyan! How could she not tell Arnav?
He started walking back until he got to the crowd in the marketplace. He sat on a few rocks under a tree and his ears were both buzzing from the shock he received as well as all the noise going on around him. He looked up startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Who was that you ran after?" Vijay asked and the color drained from Akash's face.
"It was just a goddamn Sadasyan coming in as a spy," he lied and Vijay gave him a cynical look. "Are you hiding something? You look a little tense." He said and that did it for Akash. He stood up and got real close to Vijay. "I'm not hiding anything and how I look is none of your goddamn business so don't try to interrogate me! I don't know what trick you're playing on Arnav because he actually thinks you're a genuine person now."
Vijay stepped back and showed a defensive face. "It's not a trick! I'm sick and tired of fighting with him all the time! I just want peace - why is that so hard to believe?"
Akash snorted a laugh. "Everything you do is hard to believe, especially when it comes to Arnav's well being and happiness," he voiced through clenched teeth.
Vijay shook his head pitifully at Akash. "You've got it all wrong; I don't hate Arnav anymore. I don't want to die with hate - I don't want any of us to die with an ill feeling towards the other."
Akash stared at the conniving man and simply walked away from him. As if he didn't have a big problem on his chest already, he didn't want another.
*
Arnav snuck up on Khushi who hanging wet clothes on the clothes line in the backyard. He grabbed onto her waist and pulled her to his chest. She gasped and grabbed hold of Arnav's overlapping hands. "When did you return?" She asked as she turned to face him.
"Just now! I told you I'd be home for lunch."
Khushi pouted her lips to a frown. "You're an hour late."
"I was busy," he explained and she reluctantly gave in. She raised her arms to wrap them around his neck but he was too tall. "Arnav, some help please?"
He smirked as he bent forward until she securely wrapped her arms around him. She closed her eyes as she embraced him for as long as she could. She turned her head a bit to plant a long kiss on his cheek. "I really love you a lot, Arnav." She smiled when he straightened his back and held her close to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his back but couldn't stop the lump from forming in her throat or the tears from brimming her eyes. She blinked away her tears first before she looked up at him and cupped his face as she pulled him towards her again for a kiss on the lips that she hadn't felt since several hours.
They pulled apart when Arnav heard Akash's voice from the front of the house. He walked around the front with Khushi behind him and bobbed his eyebrows at his best friend. "What's up?"
Akash made eye contact with Khushi and couldn't look at her the same way as he did before. He looked back at Arnav. "We need to discuss something important."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey friends! Sorry for the late update. I was out of town since Monday and I returned just now. A few things to say:
For me, a horse is symbolic of bravery, love, loyalty, and power. It's everything Arnav is or feels so that's why I added it. Don't make fun. lol.
Next part is the big 20 so that means it's going to be a HUGE part - based on importance of the story. Arnav is going to learn of Khushi's identity and you guys will also learn something surprising.
Thank you so much for every single one of your readers who support this story. I appreciate it so so so much it's really hard to say it just in words. @chavvi - thank you so much for taking the time to read from the very beginning and actually commenting for every part. Can't thank you enough.🤗
Cricket
Hindi TV Shows
Kumkum Bhagya
59