Chapter 5B - A Friend Like You, A Love Like Her

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 18^th 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...

“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.”