No translation! Sorry guys...
Dialogues: Naina & Khushi: Pink, ASR: Blue, Bunny: Green, Aman: Orange
All thoughts – in italic
MAHA-UPDATE
Chapter 5B
A Friend Like You, A Love Like
Her
Naina disconnected the call and placed her mobile back on the
desk.. She shifted her eyes to her laptop and looked disappointedly at the
google page.
Your search – Khushi Kumari
Gupta – did not match any documents
She signed irritatingly and pushed on the backspace button of the
keyboard... and then she typed again..
Disappearance of girl in
Dehradun year 2007
She pushed on enter and a short list of results appeared on the
screen..
Disappearance of a 16 year
old orphan
Dead or alive.. no
answer...
Girl from hope orphanage
not yet found
The disappeared girl
presumed to be dead
Mayor Aarav Singh Raizada
expresses his regrets to the head of Hope orphanage
Her fingers
on the mini mouse, Naina clicked on one of the results and scrolled down
through the page. “Mayor Aarav Singh
Raizada expresses his regrets to the head of Hope orphanage – Our reporters
spotted the mayor and his good friend cum business partner, Mr Shyam Manohar
Jha, at the airport. Both big personalities having expressed their regrets, they
also offered their help to the orphanage for any support.” She raised her
eyebrows in consternation, “What a coincidence,
Shyam Manohar Jha, he is the same celebrity whose event I’m going with Adi.”.
She signed irritatingly as she clicked back to google results. “What rubbish man, a girl had disappeared and it seems
like they already declared her dead without proper search.” Closing her
laptop brusquely, she shook her head. “ASR is
right! I don’t believe that Khushi is dead.” She turned her gaze to the
window. Standing on her feet, she walked to the open windows and looked at the
sky. She sat on the edge, clutching her arms to herself. It was rather a calm
night except for the cool breeze which caused her a few shivers. The sky was
starless and she remembered the old saying of her grand-parents. “If it’s calm
today, then remember to carry your coat tomorrow. The storm is just around the
corner.” She signed in desperation. She wanted to help Arnav. She
believed she can but only if he helps her to help him. “Grandma,
grandpa! An advice will be the most welcome at this moment.” Suddenly, a
message alert broke her thoughts and she rushed to her desk. Grabbing her
mobile, she read, “Day after tomorrow, it’s almost 3, better say tomorrow, 8 p.m. sharp, Hotel Clington.. Do not be late,
else I’ll kick your cute ass, TC... Aditi!”. Her eyes popped out, a 100 watt
smile curved on her lips and she yelled out victoriously. “That’s it... the
party! It’s going to be crowded and Dehradun is such a small town. Someone must
know something.” That night, Naina climbed onto her bed and fell into a
deep sleep at around 3 in the morning with the belief that she won’t let this
love story down.
High up in
the sky, the rays of the sun were burning hot on Arnav’s face. He rolled over
his bed, sleeping on his tummy as he buried his face into the pillow with a
terrible headache. At last when he opened his eyelids, his face slightly turned
towards the floor, his eyes laid on a pair of nike shoes. “Bunny, get lost!”, he
mumbled out in his sleepy voice. He turned his face to the other side. Bunny
placed the glass of water and aspirin on the bed side table without a single
word and walked away.
Arnav was in
a light slumber, or better say half consciousness. He wanted to wake up and get
rid of this damn hangover. He knew if he turned to the other side, he’ll
definitely find water with pills which his friend must have put down for him as
usual. But something was stopping him! Was it his imagination? Khushi was here! In her favorite long red
princess gown, running through the woods. Her laughter echoed into the dense
forest. At several times, she turned and waved at him but when Arnav was almost
reaching her, she ran away again. She was no more in his sights, yet he kept
running after her laughter till the only way to reach her disappeared. No more
laughter, no more echoes... All of a sudden it looks like she was never here.
It was his imagination all over again. He shook his head in defeat and turned
to walk away. His steps rooted when the beautiful princess in red emerged out
of nowhere. She approached him and cupped his face. Arnav was lost into her
eyes. He was hypnotized. His sense stopped working and he could only understand
the language of Khushi’s heart. Her lips mumbled a few words which reached his
heart. “We’ll be together again Arnav, very soon.”
But her hands pulled back and he felt torn from her warmth. He called out her
name again and again. Feeling incapable to move, he watched her floating away
like an angel. His voice was lost furthermore into the whirlwind. The more she
drifted apart, the more this creaking noise was exploding into his head. The
noise turned intolerable and he finally got thrown back to reality.
“Mayor Aarav
Singh Raizada reached the airport of Dehradun this morning to welcome his good
friend Shyam Manohar Jha. The reputed businessman landed at 10 this morning and
he was accompanied by a young girl who supposedly is his girlfriend. Reporter,
Ashima Kapoor, live from the airport, NNN Flash!”
His eyes
shot wide open. News channel was on and at its maximum volume. He clenched his
fists into the bed sheets. Still laid onto his tummy, he hissed a sound of
dismay. A freaking headache which seems to be more than just a hangover, a
friend who seems determine to turn his morning into hell by the schedules of a
certain mayor, and a dream which for the first time in these 7 years seems to
be more real than just an imagination. He in took a deep breath and in a swift
he rolled over himself. A nanosecond later, Arnav Singh Raizada was on his
feet. “You Win!”.
Without sparing Bunny a glance or taking a glimpse at the tv screen, he walked
away towards the bathroom. After the bang of the door, a victorious smile
quirked up on Bunny’s lips and his fingers pushed on the remote’s button. The
sound muted, he took off his ear buds. “I know,
this always works!”, and he walked out of the room.
An hour
later, Arnav strode out of his room. In his no-nonsense look, the businessman
was all set for his 1 pm meeting. He walked through the corridors in a classic
black pant and white shirt. His vest on his arms, he stepped into the dining
room and his eyes popped out in surprise. “What the!”. He turned his eyes from the dining
table to the direction of Bunny. “Toast, scrambled
eggs and fresh salads with yummy mushroom creamy sauce.” A big grin on
his face, Bunny proudly presented him the breakfast of the day. Arnav observed
him from top to toe, speechless. Bunny was his usual self, except with a white
apron covering his cool torn jeans and Armani t-shirt. Arnav shook his head as
he stared at Bunny. “Even in
my worst nightmare, you’ll never be my wife, Bunny!”. His jaw dropped
down, his eyes didn’t blink when Arnav ignored his efforts and turned away. He
was definitely waiting for one of the ASR sarcasms but this guy always spell-bounds
him with his unexpected one-liners. Arnav was walking towards the main door
when suddenly his steps stopped half way. “Aman”. His P.A entered into the house smilingly.
Trying to get over the visual of Bunny in the apron can be quite not so
difficult knowing the fact that the boy can do craziest things at times, but
what if the perfect A to Z dictionary of his business, his personal assistant,
Aman -disciplined, well mannered, looking always in his best state- enters his house in a t-shirt which looks
like anything but not worthy of a man who works for AK designs. His jeans or
classic pant has been transformed into shorts. And if Arnav didn’t know his
staffs at all, he could have thought that his P.A is a football amateur. “Hey ASR, all
set! Don’t tell me you are playing the match in a suit!”, his thoughts
broke by the words of Aman and he turned, staring at Bunny from the corners of
his eyes. “You got to be
kidding me”. Bunny grimaced and approached Arnav enthusiastically. “Good News, your 1 pm meeting has been temporarily
postponed due to the wedding of your client’s daughter. So I thought why not a
football match... It’s your favorite sport.” Arnav clenched his fists and
gazed at Bunny in disgust. “Was
I looking so defeated last night that you thought Arnav Singh Raizada is a lost
case and he needs distraction?” The smile of Bunny disappeared instantly
while Aman stood guilty. Arnav shifted his gaze to Aman causing him to lower
his eyes. “Or do you think
that your boss needs to re-think of his priorities?”. Aman lifted his
eyes to Bunny with an I-told-you-so expression. He was extremely irked at Bunny
for bringing him into this. Since the last few years, he never saw ASR really
socialize with anyone. So imagine him into a team sport. He began shaking his
head trying to deny the allegations but... “You can
never be a lost case...”, the two men turned to Bunny who seemed to be
in his cool attitude. If one could play with words, then there’s no better
person than Bunny. “Drama King!”, Arnav
thought. “...and Of course there’s no doubt that
you got all your senses intact in your genius brain! But I thought it’s been
long we didn’t really get out and enjoy... I’m missing my best friend, you see”.
His innocent sad puppy face and his shattered voice seemed almost real but do
it to someone else. “Not to
Arnav Singh Raizada!”. Arnav crossed his arms to his chest and fixed at
Bunny. The latter signed in defeat. “Fine! All I
wanted is that you forget this routine life for once and have some fun.. what’s
wrong in it.. A football match.. & maybe a boys night out, yaa phir some
nice action movies?”, he questioned him irritatingly. “I got a business to run and so do
Aman.”, and he turned his what-are-you-still-waiting-for expression to
Aman. He looked back to Bunny, “...and
by the way, don’t you have a date with your reporter friend?”. Aman on
his side raised his eyebrows at the mention of a new character in Bunny’s life.
“Reporter friend, Interesting!”, he
thought. Bunny and Aman shared a very unique relationship. At times, partners
in crimes and sometimes worst enemies. But the fights of these two happened to
be quite an entertainment for Arnav. While Aman was the one who took the right
yet longest way, Bunny was off for shortcuts. Thus, the do’s and don’ts of
these two often clashed. “Are yaar, aab maaf bhi
kardo... and she’s not a reporter... she’s a writer!”. Arnav signed, “Whatever! I got to go...”
and he began stepping forward. “Soch lo, football
match ache cause ke liye hai.. it’s a charity match.. and I’m sure if you are
in the team, we’ll surely win. Hundreds of kids and their parents need this
money to rebuild a new life after the recent floods.” Arnav turned
towards Bunny. His eyes full of concern for the victims of the floods. “Then go for it! You and Aman have
to win this match.. Not for the money but for the hope of these people.. Yeh
sab log apni jaan iss match mein hai. So win it!”. His words were more like
orders. “It can be difficult”, Bunny’s gaze
was fixed into the eyes of Arnav. “Why? You doubt your skills Bunny, kind of unusual!”, his tone
was ironic. “No.. but I doubt that anyone else
other than you can beat a match against Ayaan Singh Raizada!”. Shell-shocked
for a moment, Arnav stayed blank of words. He then lowered his eyes, lost in
his thoughts. If one side there was his ego, the other side, there were the
victims and their hope. This was not about money. Because money he had loads.
And donations he could give more than the victims will benefit from the charity
match. But this was a question of faith! To start life from nothing all over
again is very hard.. But if these people win, their will and their courage won’t
be shattered!
“Floods in the
various areas of India have certainly destroyed hundreds lives. It’s a whole
lifetime they lost behind. The government is still trying their best to be of
help to those victims. But this is not so easy to reconstruct years of hard
works. Rumors say that this football match is to raise the confidence of the
victims while others think that this is just a publicity stunt of a new private
firm. Nevertheless among the players there are many well-known faces, notably
Ayaan Singh Raizada, the youngest son of Mayor Raizada. Reporter Neha Sharma,
live from Dehradhun stadium, NNN Flash!”
His smirk
was evil, his walk was confident, and at his arms was a hot blond while he
climbed down his chopper a few hours ago. He was the youngest son of the
Raizada. He was arrogant and a charmer. His father doted on him and his every
mistake was as if it never existed. He was a true bastard and he was proud of
it.
The perfect
slim body of the blond was crushed against the lockers. Her fingers were
entwined with those of the sexy man she just met one day before. The latter
pushed his erection into the core of her femininity while two bodyguards were
standing at the door waiting for him to finish what he started. As they heard
the last cries of pleasure of the girl, the bodyguards looked at each other,
“finally”. Both took a straight position, and a few seconds later, Ayaan Singh
Raizada walked out of the changing room with a satisfied expression. He strode
to the football ground followed by his guards. At his arrival, he smirked
seeing the crowd. He turned his head slightly to the left towards one of the
bodyguard, “why this mourning expression on our dear public’s faces.” The
bodyguard cleared his throat and replied hesitantly, “You are playing against
the cause sir”. Ayaan looked at the bodyguard from the corners of his eyes, “So
what?”. “But sir you are the mayor’s son”, said the other bodyguard at his
right side. “I think government has done enough! agar aisa hi chalta raha to
yeh log government ke saar par nachoge! It’s time to put these people into
their places. Victims Victims chilane se, they want to win our sympathies and
rule over us.” Ayaan lifted his eyes when the crowd began clapping. He smirked,
“See! Bloody ass-kissers!”. He stared at the crowd with a wide smile playing on
his lips while the applause and whistles’ pitch grew higher. “Sir!”, the right
side bodyguard called out in a low tone. “What?”, Ayaan asked without looking
at him as he didn’t want to miss a single moment of the attention the dehradhun
population was offering him. “Sir”, but a second call and he turned towards the
bodyguard irritatingly, “remind me to fire you after the match”. The bodyguard
looked at him with anxiety and pointed out discreetly towards the other side of
the ground. He shifted his gaze to what seemed to attract the population’s
attention more than he did. His fists clenched but his smile was still
plastered to his face. As always evil, he stood straight, fixing his eyes on
the three men in their sports attire walking towards him. The guys passed by
him focusing on the huge welcome of the public. “Arnav Singh Raizada and his
two wives”, Ayaan’s comment didn’t went unnoticed yet neither ASR, Bunny nor
Aman spared him their attention. The speaker presented both team as well as a
long 15 minutes speech on the victims of the floods and then the referee
announced the beginning of the match.
The first
half match was led by Ayaan’s team, the RedEvils. No wonder how! He had been
playing off the track since the beginning. He was one of the midfielders of the team and
he knew exactly how to get hold of the ball by hook or by crook. Even the
speakers of the match were dumbfounded by the referee who seemed to be in favor
of Ayaan. By then, Bunny had stopped shouting out “foul” as he knew it was of
no use. And when he looked towards Arnav, he was even more irritated by his
cool dude look. “Go for it! You and Aman have to win the
match, my foot! These bastards are knocking down our players
one by one, lekin yeh to Arnav Singh Raizada hai, rules kabhi nahin torega!”,
Ayaan shook his head desperately while Aman who was at the goalkeeper’s post,
was unable to stop another strike of the RedEvils. By the end of the first
period, RedEvils were leading over BlackHorses by 1 score.
After the 15
minutes half-time break, the players regained the field. The score board was 2
for RedEvils and 1 for Blackhorses. It seemed that the 15 minutes torture with
Bunny had worked on Arnav’s brain as the latter began to be more abrupt in his
moves. While Bunny was the midfielder, Arnav was a striker of his team. A few
times, both almost had an encounter with Ayaan but they kept in mind that they
got to be fair play. Arnav completely ignored him, just the way he had always
been with since he became his step brother. And as Bunny is concerned he found
it much harder. “If only I could get a chance to kick-off his ass”, he thought.
The second half was being more favorable to BlackHorses. Its defenders had been
playing their best as well as one of the strikers who finally scored one goal bringing
the two teams to a tie. It was almost reaching the end of the match and both
teams were struggling for that last goal. Ayaan had become more violent on the
field and he wanted to knock down Arnav at any cost but the latter was a better
player than him. He had always been. Though they hated each other, they were in
the same college. Fortunately they were never in the same team during
intercollege matches as Arnav was his senior but they almost ended up into a
huge fight during a practice match. They were running out of time and the ball
was in Bunny’s possession. He had two or three players of the opposite team
surrounding him while he tried to pass the ball to Arnav. The latter was being
blocked by Ayaan, yet he succeeded into getting hold of the ball. He was only a
few seconds to the score as well as to the end of the match. He had to do it.
The midfielders of RedEvils were running to him. Ayaan was blocking his way to the
goal line. “Go
Win Arnav, I love you!”, her words were still tingling into his ears
as if she was in the public cheering for him, just like during college matches.
“Bunny”, he called
out and in a nanosecond he kicked the ball hard to the other side. Bunny
reached the ball and ran to the goal line as fast as he could. The players of
the RedEvils were after him and when he finally kicked the ball forward, Arnav
reached and stroke the winning score. Bunny came running to Arnav followed by
the other players of their team while Ayaan tapped furiously his foot into the
green. The referee announced the end of the match and the RedEvils walked out
in anger. The public stood, singing and hugging each other emotionally. They
looked at Arnav and lowered their eyes in respect to him. BlackHorses were
congratulated by the match organizer and the victims’ association were rewarded
a 7 lakhs cheque from the organizer as well as a 10 crore cheque from Arnav
Singh Raizada.
A few hours
later, the boys fell into the sofa in front of Arnav’s wide led tv screen.
Bunny & Aman spent their time on the playstation while eating their Maggie
noodles. Arnav was sitting on the side completely non-interested into the
games. This day was supposed to be a day of chilling out for Arnav. That’s what
his friends decided for him but as soon as these two guys got a need-for-speed
game into their hands, they completely forgot about the presence of a bored
Arnav sitting by their side. When the rain began knocking at the window panes,
Arnav turned his eyes towards the window. He got up and walked to the window.
In his white pants and casual white shirt, he looked all fresh and
irresistible. He stood by the window observing the drops of rain on the panes. Bringing
his hand forward, he touched the cold window, a smile forming on his lips.
FLASHBACK
Her hands on
the window panes, Khushi stared outside. The night was quite stormy and it was
raining heavily. It was during the exams season. Khushi was done with her last
paper but Arnav was 1 year her senior, thus he still had his last paper the
next day. His father was at a party with his wicked wife and his bastard son.
In their absence, Arnav brought Khushi in Raizada mansion. Though she was not the
most welcome by the Raizada family, she loved this mansion. For her, it was the
castle of some fairy tale and she was fully mesmerized by its beauty. A wide
smile on her innocent face, she turned away from the window and rushed to
Arnav. The latter was sitting on the floor, his back resting against a pole
with 3 or 4 books around him and 1 book into his hands. Suddenly Khushi grabbed
the book from him and without sparing him a second to react, she sat into his
lap. “Khushi baby, this is
no time for romance, I need to study!”, Arnav said to her in a soft
tone. Khushi looked at him with her glowing eyes as she pouted, “Akhri baar please, I want to read something to you, it’s
a poem”. Arnav looked at her with full of love, “last time, you promise?”. Khushi nodded
excitedly and turned her back to rest onto Arnav’s chest. He passed his arms
around her waist and dug his nose into her long black hairs. Khushi caressed
Arnav’s arms and cleared her throat.
“Yeh
pyar, iss zindagi ki dastaan hai yeh...
Tune chuha, tu jeenay lagi zindagi jayse...
Jab thama mera haath, to ankh bandh kar urdne laghi ..
Pyar hay pyar hay, yeh vaada hai mera ke kabhi na choroongi tera
saath...
yeh hawain gawa hai meri, iss pyaar ki dastaan har janam
zinda hogi...”
(This
love, it’s the saga of this life...
You’ve
touched me, and I felt like living life...
When you
held my hand, then I closed my eyes and began flying...
It’s love,
it’s love, that’s my promise that I’ll never leave your side...
This breeze
is my witness, that this saga of love will be alive in every birth..)
FLASHBACK
ENDS
Arnav’s
thoughts broke with the sudden shouts of the boys. He hissed a sound of
desperation while his two friends were fighting for this damn virtual trophy. “Let’s get Out of here”, he
said out loud. It took a few seconds for Bunny and Aman to react but when
realization struck them, they shifted their gaze to Arnav. Their eyes popped
out, they stared at Arnav in shock. Aman finally broke the silence as he
uttered, “are you sure?”. Arnav raised his
eyebrows as he crossed his arms to his chest, “I thought this was your idea, wasn’t it?”. Bunny
and Aman turned to each other and jumped off the sofa excitedly. “8 p.m sharp
at Zenith Disc”, both shouted out in unison surprising Arnav. “Ok”, replied Arnav in his
casual tone. “8 pm Zenith
Pub! Meet you guys there”, and Arnav walked away to his room leaving
them dumb-founded!
It was
almost reaching 9. The pub was crowded and the music was loud. Bunny and Aman
were at the bar counter sipping into their punch. Bunny was wearing a simple
tshirt with a classy jacket and black pants. Aman was into his usual 2 piece
attire but instead of the formal black coat he was wearing a light brown
blazer. Bunny looked one more time towards the door and then turned his gaze
back to Aman. “We both are such fools! He duped us!
I should have guessed it. Let’s go!”, Bunny said as he threw some cash
on the counter. He was getting off the bar stool when suddenly, “Bartender, one more round”,
said Arnav as he laid his hands on Bunny’s shoulders. The two guys turned to
him surprisingly while Arnav looked at them with his confident smirk. “I thought... I mean..”, Bunny rambled but finally
Aman took over, “we said 8 sharp ASR... you are always punctual! What happened today?”.
Arnav grabbed a stool and climbed on it. In his cool jeans, baby blue shirt and
the dark blue blazer, Arnav looked nothing close to the uncool workaholic
businessman. “Oh I still am!
I though a disc is so boring so early, so why not giving you time to warm up on
the dance floor”, Arnav replied with a smirk. Bunny raised his eyebrows
towards Aman and both shook their head. “Or you
just wanted to see our faces when we’ll think you’ve dumped us”, said
Bunny sarcastically. “Yeah
that also”, Arnav replied in an amused sarcasm.
The guys
spent a very fun moment, talking and laughing. A few drinks later, Bunny and
Aman tried to drag Arnav to the dance floor but at last, the two boys gave up
and they ended up on the dance floor without him. As Arnav stared at his two
friends dancing funnily on the floor, he shook his head, “mad people! god
knows what would happen if they had brought dates with them”. He then
shifted his gaze to the barman, “1 diet coke please, and no more drinks for my friends! They’re already
high...”, ordered Arnav. The barman nodded and walked away towards the
soft drink dispenser. He filled the glass and lifted his eyes towards the
surroundings. Discreetly he took out a paper from his pocket and opened it,
revealing a pinch of white powder. Immediately, he poured it into the glass and
brought it to Arnav. “Here you go sir, your soft drink!”, he said as he handed
the drink to Arnav. He waited for Arnav to take a sip and once he was
satisfied, he walked away to the other side of the bar counter. He smirked and
lifted his eyelids, “ it’s done sir”, he told the customer who was enjoying his
beer. The latter extended his hand with a thousand rupee note saying, “here’s
your tip”. The bar man instantly took the cash and with his evil smirk, Ayaan
Singh Raizada walked away through the back side exit door.
His back
facing the dancing crowd, Arnav was lost in his thoughts. He remembered
promising an adamant Khushi to bring her to a nightclub once she’s old enough.
As he turned his gaze towards the surroundings, his heart ached on his failed
promises. “I’m sorry Khushi,
I couldn’t bring you here on your 18th birthday like I’ve promised!”.
Suddenly he felt a slight dizziness. His eyesight was blurred at times and he
felt very high. He shook his head and took a deep breath thinking that maybe he
had more drinks than enough. “I need some fresh air”,
he thought as he climbed off the bar stool and walked through the crowd till he
reached the main door. He finally stepped out, into the torrential rain. His
head was heavy and he felt the ground slipping under his feet. A few cars were
passing by splashing water on him as he tried hard to stand straight. He was
completely drenched and he noticed a bench in a kiosk at the opposite side of
the road.
“He was sitting here only, how can you say you don’t know?”,
shouted Bunny angrily at the barman. “Sorry sir, but I have no idea, maybe you
should check the washroom”, replied back the barman when Aman reached them
hurriedly as he said out with worry, “Bunny he’s not in the washroom either”. The
two boys looked at each other worryingly and then stepped forward. They rushed
to the main door and as soon as they stepped outside, their eyes popped out in
shock. From far, they spotted Arnav crossing the road. His steps were slow and
he seemed far from being in a well conscious state. Their heart almost stopped
when they noticed the head light of a car nearing. Arnav was oblivious of the
speeding car into him when the two boys called out in fear, “ASR watch out”,
but he was too far to hear them. They began running to him as fast as they
could, but reaching him on time was impossible. A nanosecond later, the car
almost crashed into him when suddenly, a pair of protective arms sneaked around
his body and he was dragged off the way.
The car passed by them while their feet swirled onto the ground in full tilt. Arnav’s arms went unconsciously around the waist of his savior. The kind hearted soul who saved him was thin and soft. Her waist was naked while her saree was flying into the air. The speed she caught him made them spun again and again till both fell onto the ground. Lying on the rough ground, Arnav stayed still. He felt a sense of reluctance to let go of the girl who had her face buried into his chest. His breath loud, his heartbeats thumping and he fought with his inner self to stay conscious. They both were drenched to the bones and the girl trembled into his arms. As she began raising her face hesitantly, Arnav lowered his chin till his eyes met her big almond eyes. His heart stopped beating at the moment he pierced into this familiar caramel gaze. The same innocence, the same naughtiness, the same gaze eager to love and to be loved...
The car passed by them while their feet swirled onto the ground in full tilt. Arnav’s arms went unconsciously around the waist of his savior. The kind hearted soul who saved him was thin and soft. Her waist was naked while her saree was flying into the air. The speed she caught him made them spun again and again till both fell onto the ground. Lying on the rough ground, Arnav stayed still. He felt a sense of reluctance to let go of the girl who had her face buried into his chest. His breath loud, his heartbeats thumping and he fought with his inner self to stay conscious. They both were drenched to the bones and the girl trembled into his arms. As she began raising her face hesitantly, Arnav lowered his chin till his eyes met her big almond eyes. His heart stopped beating at the moment he pierced into this familiar caramel gaze. The same innocence, the same naughtiness, the same gaze eager to love and to be loved...
“Khushi.. agar kabhi bi.. mujhe kuch
hojaye.. shayad uss waqt meri saanse ruk jaayega.. aur mera dil kamzor hoga..
lekin yeh jo tumhara dil heina.. jo hamesha zor se darakta hain.. jo mere naam
zor se pukarta hai.. wo mujhe vapas le ayega.. wo mujhe marne nahin dega.”
