Arnav fell on the bench with a thud. It had all suddenly come down to him. Everything was suddenly making sense. Khushi's sudden indifference with him had gotten an answer.
He now knew what was happening and what he had to do about it.
He would be damned if he let her go through this alone. She was doing everything for him and now it was his turn. Pulling himself together he walked out of the park towards the hotel.
Taking out his phone he called the one person who he knew he could trust with every matter. The phone had just rung when he heard a voice on the other side,
"Yes sir?"
"Aman, I want you to..." he went on for 5 minutes, telling Aman what his plan was.
"It will be done sir."
"Good, it should be done in the latest." He quickly said and was just going to keep the phone when he heard Aman speaking again.
"Sir, can I ask you something?" Aman asked instantly before Arnav could keep the phone.
"Yes?" asked an impatient Arnav.
"Um... its just that... I don't know how to say this..." he hesitated.
"Will you just spit it out?" came an angry retort making Aman scared and say it all at once without taking a breath.
"Is There Something Going On Between Khushi And You?"
"What the?" came an amused yet emotionless answer.
"I... I... Just think like I never said that. I'm sorry sir." He said hoping his job was not in sudden danger.
"Just do your work Aman." He said with a smile on his face but in a way that could scare anyone.
"Yes sir. I'm sorry again." And the call was cut.
******
Arnav had just walked through the doors of the hotel and was instantly shot with questions by two absolutely crazy people.
"Arnav, how did it go?" Came the first question from NK.
"Did you find out anything?" followed La.
"Any clues at all?"
"Did you see where she went?"
"Did you loose her on the way?"
"Oh yah, the place is getting very crowded these days. Are you sure you followed the correct person?"
"And did you make sure to hide-" and this was never completed because a sudden high volume voice had already stopped the couple.
"STOP." Arnav yelled.
"Whaa-" they began again when Arnav brought his hand up to show them once again that their nonsense was not welcomed.
"Stop it guys. Breathe, will you?" he said, amused by their antics.
"Now, to answer all your questions. This is not the place or time. We need to work on the show right now, its hardly 2 days away. I will meet you guys in your room at 8 tonight. We would need privacy, I don't want people eavesdropping on us, okay?" he completed as NK and La obediently nodded their heads.
"Good, see you in the evening then." And he walked away to get his work done.
*****
The day passed by as the usual. There was no change in the way Khushi behaved, except Khushi's uncanny behavior had taken a new level all together.
She had not only acted detached but had been disturbed as well. But for a change, Arnav knew why. He was not clueless for once regarding Khushi in almost a week.
He had kept an eye on her all day, not wanting her to go out of his sight and get into any sort of trouble. He had been around her like a shadow, yet he had stayed hidden from her eyes.
He would often see her eyes searching for something, rather someone with restlessness and would immediately know that she was looking for him.
Those were the only times he would come in front of her with some kind of work that he would hand over to her. He wanted to make sure she was safe and there was nothing bothering her.
Night had fallen too soon with most of the residents of the hotel falling into a peaceful slumber dreaming about the upcoming show.
There were only 4 people who were fidgety that night. Arnav was in NK and Lavanya's room, filling them up about everything that had taken place that day in the park.
He told them about everything he heard and saw and how he had already informed Aman to do his part of the work. He had further told them about his plan and what roles they had to play in it.
NK and Lavanya were only too eager to join him. They wanted to see the love birds together again. They wanted to see the lively and joyful Khushi along with the all time arrogant Arnav.
The plan was set. They were ready for anything to hit them, because they knew, there was nothing that could break them, that could tear them apart. They were now waiting for them to play their cards before they could start doing their own work.
*****
Khushi was lying on the middle of the bed trying to snuggle in her blanket. She wanted to feel a little bit of the warmth that she felt in his arms, but found none.
She kept falling deeper and deeper into the soft bed wanting to fall asleep but it never came. Finally loosing hope of getting any warmth or sleep, she sat up with her head resting on the backrest and sighed.
What had her life come to? She wanted to cry, but the tears never came. She wanted to run away, but her feet had stopped listening to her. She was loosing hope and faith. Hope of her happily ever after and faith in herself.
She looked ahead blankly, lost in her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. She felt a chill run up her spine. She was scared, what if he had reached her? What if that guy was on the other side of the door, waiting for her to open the door so he could give her one more heart-breaking task.
She didn't know what to expect but she got off the bed in a clumsy manner, looking as if she hadn't cleaned herself in weeks.
She was wearing a hello kitty' night suit that consisted of a t-shirt and shorts that hardly reached her lower thighs. Her hair was messy and reached her mid-back. Her eyes were puffy and swollen while her lips looked completely eaten up.
She walked up to the door and looked through the peephole to see who it was. Seeing the person on the other side, she felt a sudden relief wash through her whole being.
Immediately opening the door she looked at him with a sober look on her face while he gave her a small smile. Their eyes spoke for them. The loneliness, the love, the hurt, the warmth, they were all being conveyed through their eyes.
Breaking the eye contact, Arnav looked at her hopefully, asking her if he could come in and was instantly given permission.
He walked in and helped Khushi sit on the bed and sat in front of her. Khushi saw he was hiding something behind his back and questioned him what it was. She was instantly rewarded with a breathtaking smile that she had been yearning for since days now.
"I have something for you." He said while bringing his hands in front to reveal what it was.
She gasped as she saw a light brown teddy bear in his hand. A pillow and blanket were stuck to both hands of the teddy as if it was going to bed.
This was something unexpected. She looked at him with a question in her eyes, asking him for an explanation which she was instantly given.
He gently took her hands in his and rubbed her palms with his thumb, trying to provide her with some warmth which she instantly took in.
"Khushi, I know theres something bothering you and you aren't ready to tell that to me. I wont ask you what it is, hoping you would tell me yourself. You need to trust me Khushi, I wont let anything go wrong. I don't know why you're hiding things from me but I promise to make things right, weather you tell me or not. For now, this teddy will be your support and my love. Keep it with you." And he handed it over to her.
She quietly took it in her hand and hugged it to herself. As she took a deep breath she felt her whole body fill with his smell.
The smell of his perfume was overpowering all her senses, making her want to smell more of it. She looked up at him with innocent eyes as if a 5 year old was asking her mother for a candy.
In a low yet audible voice she asked,
"Can you hug me please?"
"What?" he asked, checking if what he heard was right.
"I asked if you could hug-" she never got to complete it because she was already in his arms.
Her face was hidden in his chest, taking in the smell of his cologne mixed with that of his aftershave. She slowly moved more towards him and stuck herself to his body. Snaking her arms behind his check, she tried to pull him closer but that never happened.
Arnav had already moved back and was looking at her. He got up from the bed and walked out.
This was not the time or place. He had to get things in order right now. Everything else could wait.
***********************
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Bigg Boss 19
Real Estate
267