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Part 1
"Nani! Nani! Where is Arnav? A young girl of about nine was running towards Devyani with an anxious expression. "I am not able to find Arnav in his room. Where is he?"
Devyani had a loving expression at Khushi. "Chote has gone out with his friends Khushi."
"Kya?" Khushi's expression was horrified and it soon turned to anger. "How dare he go without taking me? And who are these friends now?" The nine year old was possessive about her Arnav. She always wanted to be the first for him for anything.
For the past three years Arnav had been everything. On that day Arnav had run with her and had managed to call a traffic police man who had been going by the highway inspecting vehicles. By the time they all came to the car it was too late. Both the sets of parents had been dead. The policeman had taken them safely to the station and had done the other formalities.
Khushi had no close relatives who were willing to take the responsibility of a young girl. Devyani had been devastated at the loss but she came for her grandson. And she had also taken Khushi under her wing. Arnav too had held to Khushi and refused to be parted with her.
They all had gone back to Delhi after disposing the properties and selling the business in Mumbai. Initially the shift and the loss of parents was extremely difficult for both the children. But it was Arnav who had been even more affected. Overnight he had turned serious and smiled rarely. Khushi who had been only five was not that impacted. She still bloomed under Nani's love and Arnav's protection.
Khushi was the only one who could make Arnav smile even during miserable situations when he remembered his parents, especially his mother. She would sit quietly by him and stroke his hand with her small hands. She would blow a kissy on his cheek and tell him everything will be alright. And strangely Arnav would feel better.
Arnav too would come to Khushi's room when she sometimes cried out during a nightmare. She still had them after that fated accident. Arnav would hold her and stay with her until she went back to sleep. The tragedy had forged an unnatural bond between the two of them.
Now three years later, Khushi was searching for Arnav who had turned fifteen by then. He was at a stage where his interests started shifting towards video games, cricket. And he was starting to feel Khushi's interests very childish and girlish. He had started forming his own gang with the neighborhood boys. Arnav had gone to play with the guy gang at one of the friend's house.
When he came back Khushi was pacing up and down. She had been waiting for him for the past half hour. She almost pounced on Arnav as soon as he came in. "Arnie where were you? Where did you leave me and go? And who are these friends? Am I not your best friend?" As usual she spoke non stop till she was out of breath. Many a times Arnav just lost track of what she was saying simply because of her non stop chatter.
"Khushi, I had been to Preetam's place. Of course you are my best friend. But I am also friends with other guys. I can't always be friend with a girl Khushi. Cmon." He was trying to gradually ease her into the fact that his interests were different.
Khushi was just perplexed. Why did he want others when she was there? She didn't want anyone else. Khushi searched for Arnav as soon as she got up till she went to school. And after she came back again she followed him like a hutch dog. At times Arnav was exasperated with her clinging but mostly he took her in his stride. He loved her too much to say anything to her.
Today she wanted him to help her with her science project. "Arnie I have to do an insect box. You have to get me three insects from the garden and we need to put it in this box." She held a small glass box. Arnav just rolled his eyes. As usual. He had to help her out. Sometimes, no make it most of the times, she was helpless without him.
Arnav went into the garden to get the insects while Khushi happily skipped along to eat the channas Nani had kept on the table. Now that she told Arnie he would take care of everything.
CID
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