Chapter One
"Love is like air.. You never know it is there until you feel it... and you never know it is gone until you need it"-- UNKNOWN
She sat on the couch, eyes closed, her lips moving in silent prayer hoping her family would return home safely. After a moment her kohl lined eyes snapped open and she glanced at the clock, her beautiful face filled with worry. The clock said it was six in the evening but a quick look at the window told different. Everything was ominously dark and the grey clouds settled across the sky bordered with occasional sparks of lightening. She could see the trees swaying dangerously as the wind roared in fury, all set for destruction. She flinched as she heard another crash above the howl of the wind. A window rattled, the noise reverberating off the room before it swung open, swinging back and forth, crashing against the walls.
"Mamma, do you want me to shut the window." Her three year old daughter asked sweetly as she cuddled to her mother's side resting her head on Khushi's arm.
"No baby the wind is very strong.. you will hurt yourself." Khushi answered softly trying to sound normal.
"I'm stronger than the wind." Her daughter replied stubbornly as she jumped off the couch up and ran towards the window.
"Jiya, come back here." Khushi said making her voice as stern as she could hoping her daughter would comply but her daughter gave her an evil smirk and climbed up the chair beside the window. Of all the things she could have inherited from Arnav, she had to inherit his temper and stubbornness Khushi thought irritably and as the image of her ex-husband erupted in her mind, once again the doors of her memories rattled desperate to be released causing the dull ache in her heart to intensify. Khushi closed her eyes struggling to keep the doors of the past firmly closed. She had more pressing matters on her mind right now she thought nervously, looking at the clock. There was another crash at a distance, which sounded horribly like a tree falling down. The crash scared jiya, who jumped off the chair and ran to her mother and buried her head in Khushi's lap. Khushi stroked her hair and tried calling up Ma again, groaning in frustration as her phone came unreachable.
Arnav let out a string of colorful curses and hit his fist angrily against the steering wheel. He had put both his and di's life at risk because of his stubbornness to leave for Delhi that very evening. Now they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, in the most secluded part of dehradun caught in the worst cyclone he had ever seen. He watched the gusts of winds blowing in fury against the tops of the trees. He could hear the scream of the wind till its sound was lost in the occasional crash of thunder.
"Chote , look at the cyclonic winds outside. They will bring the trees crashing down anytime. We just cannot sit here.." Anjali's voice trailed off as fear took over and she looked desperately at her brother, her eyes pleading him to suggest something.
"Di, this is our only chance... The damn car is broken down and there is no house in sight and its too risky searching for shelter... there is dust, debris and a lot more flying in the wind. There..." Whatever he was about to say went unheard as his sister let out a scream and the next moment a huge tree collapsed right next to the car, missing them by inches. Arnav hugged his sister protectively, his heart racing in fear for her life. He could see the storm getting worse with every passing second. This could be our last his mind told him and yet the thought of dying didn't fill him with fear, just regret that he could never tell Khushi how much he had loved her. Regret for the mistakes he did, for the love he couldn't show, for the pain he had given her.
He watched di, silently wriggle out of his arms. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat and he knew their thoughts were running on the same lines knowing they might not see another day again..
Arnav turned around and took his bag from the backseat, pulling out a small note book. He ran his hands lovingly on its smooth surface. It was one of the few precious things he had. Her scent had left the book now just the way Khushi had.. Silently... leaving behind nothing but the memory of her passing.
He opened the book, running his fingers over her neat scrawl...
'100 ways to irritate Mr Arnav Singh Raizada.'
If he had found this book when Khushi had been around, he would have laughed out aloud remembering all the tricks which she had tried on him to annoy him. Now the memories brought only tears and a hollow ache that her absence had created. He lifted the book to his face and pressed his lips to the pages where her fingertips once brushed. If only he could see her just one more time...
A sharp knock on the glass window had Arnav jumping in his seat. He was taken aback to see a lady, in a blue kurti, looking scared and worried. He looked around heaving a sigh of relief as he saw her car right behind theirs. He quickly stepped out of the car almost welcoming the damp gutsy wind hit him with full force.
"Our car is broken down. Can you please give us a lift." He said, raising his voice above the roar of the nature.
"Yes sure, the road is blocked. We will have to push your car to make way." She replied back loudly to make herself heard, pointing towards the tree which was lying perilously close to their vehicle.
Arnav opened the door of the car once again and asked Anjali to get behind the wheel. He then pushed his car, making way for the other. Lightening struck once again, illuminating the place for seconds before darkness descended again... It and was followed by the sound of thunder which lasted for an instant and left an ominous silence behind... It would be raining anytime now he thought gesturing the lady to drive past them. He helped his sister out of their vehicle and led her towards the other waiting car before going back to get the luggage. He sent a prayer of thanks to god once again for sparing their lives.
"I stay quiet close by so you needn't worry. We will be safe." She reassured. "I'm Mrs Jayashree Ahuja by the way." She said warmly giving them a bright smile.
"Arnav Singh Raizada and that is my sister Anjali" he told her
"Thank you so much... if you had not been there..." Anjali whispered tearfully, the lump in her throat not allowing her to complete the sentence.
"Di calm down. " Arnav said soothingly as the engine roared to life and the car made its way through a secluded road surrounded by bushes.
"I can understand what you must be going through" Mrs Ahuja continued. "My daughter in law is alone at home and she must be worried too." They were quite for a moment reviewing a situation which could have taken a drastic turn had fate not been with them. Within minutes Mrs Ahuja was pulling the car to a stop in a narrow driveway of a small cottage. They stepped out of the car and Arnav was taking out their luggage from the back seat when the door of the cottage opened and a small skinny girl yelled 'dadi' before running towards Mrs Ahuja and putting her arms around her legs into a hug. Her face was hidden in a curtain of uncombed waist length hair. As her grandmother lifted her up, she buried her face in her shoulder peeking secretly at the guests her grandmother had brought along. Anjali smiled affectionately and pinched the girl's cheek asking her name.
"Jiya." The girl replied shyly.
Arnav felt a strange flutter in his chest accompanied by the ever present ache as he looked at the kid.. Though he couldn't see her face, she reminded him of Khushi. The thought of his wife had his heart thudding fast as it always had. He closed his eyes against the waves of pain that followed. He took a step towards the door when a familiar voice from the house caused him to freeze in his tracks.
"Jiya you will catch cold... come inside right now... Ma, is that you?"
It was the voice he had died to hear after she had left him.. the same voice that was recorded over his phone that he played and replayed which instead of reducing the pain increased it tenfold. The same voice he could have given ten years of his life happily to hear again...
Arnav's grip on the bags loosened and the bags fell on the ground with a thud..
Khushi...
let me respond to some common questions here,,,, This will not be a love triangle...(i have done that before)... Neither Arnav nor Khushi think the other is dead (i have done that before too..lol)
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