Arhi FF: Destiny Games (upd note on pg 1) - Page 22

From the author's desk: Hello people... Bringing you all the next update for this series... Warning- this could be considered to be a filler update...

As Kushi followed Arnav who had been taking two steps at a time, and Anjali who tried hard to keep up with the steps of her brother, she suddenly felt out of place. Would they feel that she was being snoopy? How much does she know about Akaash? He got introduced to her only today. And she didn't even know the other girl. Should she interfere?

She stopped on her tracks.

"Kushi?"

She turned back to see Nani standing there

"Naniji?"

"What happened?"

"No..Nothing"

"Do you feel lonely here? Not getting sleep? "

"NO.. its not that' I am' I am fine"

"You can come to my room if you want to speak to some one" Nani offered

"Thanks Naniji, I will keep that in mind"

"You will get used to the house- give it sometime'" Kushi nodded as she saw the elderly lady going to her room.

She still contemplated if she should go up or not'But this was not her college or her friends circle' how far can she go with this? May be she should go and check out how she can help them' Her inputs could be useful- it was not for nothing she was called as 'Love Guru' at her college. But what if they ask her to leave them alone? What if they needed their privacy?  She turned back to go to her room. May be she could take something to eat for Akaash. She remembered that he had started his dinner when he got a call and then he never came back' May be that was the call' She decided to prepare some tea for him' Tea always felt good when one needs consolation. She then took the stairs down to the kitchen.

***

When Arnav reached the second floor landing he saw Akaash looking devastated and NK sitting next to him in the couch by the fish tanks trying to console him.

"What happened?"

"Bhai" Akaash got up "Payal' I don't know what got into her. She called me' She' She"

"Relax Akaash" Arnav said as he saw that Akaash was stuck with his emotions and was not able to talk coherently "Anjali told me everything"

By that time Anjali reached there too.

"Did you try to reach her again?" Arnav asked NK and Anjali

"We have been trying all the time- from when he told us- Switched off" Anjali offered

"How did she sound"

"She was pretty serious" Akaash told him "She has never ever spoken like that to me"

"Looks like Sharad is starting to drop his bomb shells around her.  If it had shaken Payal's will, then it has to be a pretty strong one- I am wondering what it could be"

"Did she say why?" NK asked Akaash

"Nothing- she plainly spoke ' said that everything was over between us " Akaash told him and then got up

"And she called only once?"

"I don't know- I 'My mobile slipped off my hand-hit on the floor- I don't know if it is working anymore" Akaash told his brother

"The display is gone, I put it back together- I don't know if it will work again- needs to be serviced" NK told Arnav pointing to the broken IPhone lying on the side table.

"I am going to meet her- This is killing me- I need to know the reason"

"Now?" Anjali asked Akaash

"Akaash, did you realize that there could a possibility that she might have done this to keep her parents off the tracks?"

"NO Bhai- I am telling you- She sounded pretty serious"

 Right then, Arnav got a call. It was from an unknown number. He cut the call but still the caller kept calling him persistently

He picked it up out of irritation

"Hello who is this?" He barked into the phone

"Finally.. you picked up" Payal's whisper came through the mobile from the other end

"PAYAL" Arnav nearly shouted

The others became stiff suddenly, everyone trying to speak at the same time.

Akaash wanted to speak to her so badly that he would have flicked the phone of his brother's hand, But Arnav raised his hand asking them all to remain quiet as Payal was only whispering and it was very difficult for him to hear what she says.

"What Happened?"

"Is Akaash very upset?"

Arnav looked at Akaash who was looking very anxious and then took in the lighter note in Payal's tone

" terribly!" Arnav told her

"Does he look like a Beardless Devadas now?"

Arnav smiled.

"Nearly'"

"Any other casualties?"

"His IPhone is dead' He has been bugging us for sometime' Tell me did you joke around with him?" Arnav asked "that burger is not capable of picking up Jokes from seriousness"

"No, I Didn't" Payal whispered back "I mean, I was lying but I had to be serious- I need to talk to you Arnav- will you be able to come and meet me now?"

"Hey Payal" Arnav told his tone becoming serious too, While the others who had been observing his facial expressions and listening to his replies, were pitifully left to alternate between smiling and looking grim.

"Ok, tell me where you are now?"

"At my house"

"Whose mobile is this? What happened to your mobile?"

"Mine got snatched by my mother'"

"So you would have this number temporarily?"

"No No' this is my chef's' Can you imagine? Love is making me steal'"

Arnav smiled

"Good for you" Arnav told her "So should I come to your House now?"

"NO..Dont' I mean bring your car and wait near the corner bend, You will take some 20 minutes to reach right? "

"Yeah.. How long should I wait?"

"I will be there in 5 minutes?"

"If you are not able to make it?"

"Wait for another 5 minutes, I mean- wait until I come- I will come somehow'"

"Alright! But I don't understand secrecy and Payal together"

"There have been certain developments Arnav ' I will tell you when we meet" Payal told urgently "and you will be bringing Akaash won't you?"

"You bet!" Arnav told "he might die if I don't"

"Hmm' Tell him that I am sorry.. and I love him so much and I wouldn't dream of breaking up with---
"

"Wait- I am not sure if I want to hear all that- talk to him" Arnav told her chuckling and gave his mobile to Akaash, the moble then went for quick rounds amongst others who wanted to make sure of their friend's stand on this.

As Arnav and Akaash finally got ready to go down on their way to Payal's place, they saw Kushi coming up with some soup.

"Hi, Hmm'" Kushi faltered looking at the cheerful faces around. All the four looked at her curiously.

"Whats that?" Anjali asked Kushi

"Hmm'I made some soup for Akaash- I thought he was ' I mean'" Kushi kicked herself for thinking that the man might need some consolation

"Hungry?" NK offered sympathetically

Kushi felt so out of place as all the four stared at her.

"I am not hungry- I need to go somewhere urgently' I mean thanks but ' Some other time?" Akaash told her finally crossed her.

Arnav kept staring at her until her crossed her and followed Akaash. He would have told something nice to make her feel alright, he knew she was feeling quiet discomfited trying to help and not knowing what to do'

"Actually I am hungry, I think I will have that soup" NK offered suddenly taking the soup from her.

Kushi smiled at him. Arnav smiled too, trust NK to rescue such situations' then he hurried downstairs.

Kushi turned to look at the receding figure of Arnav. "Idiot, she thought, can't he even tell something to make her feel ok?"

"When do you normally sleep?" NK's question jolted her

NK looked at her as he blew on his soup

"When I get sleepy- That's different everynight" she said

"WOW!" NK exclaimed "This is tasty' Not definitely Hariprakash's- you made it?"

Kushi nodded

"Simply Wow!" he said again, as Anjali came near him as she got tempted to taste it'

"If you don't feel sleepy today, maybe we should sit and talk for some time" NK told Kushi gesturing her towards the couch

Anjali raised her eyebrows at this and then shook her head at him'

"Australian ladies get pregnant so soon.. Do you know that?" Anjali asked kushi confusing her further

"What?" Kushi asked as NK started to cough violently, as he accidentally tried to swallow a spoon full of very hot soup

"The statistics says so" Anjali explained to a confused Kushi , confusing her further. NK glared at Anjali who seemed to smirk evilly at him.

Kushi nodded not understanding why this cropped up so suddenly

"By the way the soup tastes so good indeed- So sad of Akaash to have missed this" Anjali told her again'

Normalcy seemed to peep into the conversation between the three

***

The duo waited nearly for half an hour before they saw Payal walking towards their car. She promptly got into the back side of the car which Akaash held open as soon as he saw her coming out and Arnav started to drive the car soon after Akaash got into the back side after her.

"This should be a safe place to talk" Arnav told her as he parked the car the lay side of an overhead flyover.

All the three got out and leaned on the cold railing watching the traffic lights below and the night lights spanned across the city.

"What happened?" Arnav asked her atlast

"Are you dealing with someone called Mithun for your fashion business?"

"Mithun Basu?" Arnav asked surprised "From DreaMine Enterprises?"

"yes that's the one"

"How do you know him?"

"He is Vinod's cousin from his maternal side"

"Oh'so what?"

"That's the hold that my father has got on us' "Payal told him

"I don't get this" Arnav confessed as he looked at an equally confused Akaash

"You told me that Dad should have some hold- some bomb shell for he is moving things so fast right?" Payal asked him "this is the one' Today he caught me chatting with Anjali' I had called landline and He thought I was chatting with Akaash- I didn't mind anyway.. But he was kind of furious. We had a huge fight' He knew almost everytime I met Akaash or came to your house, they have been acting as if they didn't know"

"Ok?"

"Then he told me that they know that they know that you have been in talks with Mithun for some financial support and they can easily make you crumble if Mithun denies this deal and you would be in a far more worser position'They wanted me to call Akaash in front on them and say everything was over between us"

"And you complied?" Arnav asked her incredulously

"What else can I do?" Payal asked him "I would have told him to go and hang himself if it had been an emotional blackmail. This was far more than that Arnav- with all that financial crisis that you are handling right now' I don't want to burden you further' "

Arnav who had been listening to her attentively broke into a grin

"Why the hell are you grinning like a fool?" Payal asked him

Then he started laughing that Payal stood staring at him with her hands on her hips and Akaash glared at him.

"That's enough Arnav, she has been trying to take so much stress for us and you laugh at her"

"I am sorry" Arnav told her as he controlled himself..

"Payal, Look we can afford to say no to Mithun- I am not very keen on that deal anymore' I have got some fund from my father's savings' there is some catch on that' But I intend to bring it out smooth- which means- you can actually ask your father to go and hang himself"

Payal smiled at him

"You are not saying this for our sake"

"Why 'no" Arnav told her "I am serious"

"wicked man" Payal mouthed "that was seriously wicked"

"Hey, you don't know how much I appreciate that you care so much for us'" Arnav told her "Akaash is really fortunate and thanks for putting my family's welfare before you and Akaash' but you actually don't have to stress out so much Payal'we will plan something so soon to take you out of that hell" Arnav promised her

"thanks' but what do you have in mind?" Payal asked him

"Register Marriage"

Payal jumped from the railing where she rested her back and hugged Arnav who moved a little back on the impact as he had not expected her impulsiveness.

"I love you man"

"What the hell" Akaash cursed standing there alone as he saw his girlfriend hugging his brother

"She means like a brother" Arnav explained him as he patted her head affectionately

"yes ofcourse" Payal said as she got out of the hug "when are we going to the registerar's office then?"

"I will let you know- that's the bomb shell that we will drop on your father- so play along" He winked at her

"Okies" she rubbed her hand gleefully

Akaash stood looking at Payal lovingly as Payal smiled at Arnav

"Alright guys, I will be in the car- make it quick ok?"

"What?" Akaash asked his brother who raised his eyebrows

"Dumbo" Payal muttered

"Why? I am was sure that you both would need some time alone" Arnav commented

"to share some good night kisses" Payal completed' making already reddened ears of Akaash more redder by the street light.

"I will not wait for more than 15 minutes Akaash" Arnav told an embarassed looking Akaash as the Payal broke into merriment again.

Oho... finally I tried and tried and tried but couldnt come up with a cliff hanger ending... All of you must be very happy now... 😆

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