Chapter 14

Batool Imran

@nav_bat

Her mind in a terrible mess, she threw the blanket to the side, wondering how in the world had she been covered in it, and walked around her room trying to see if their was anything out of place. She opened the secretive drawer where she kept her black diary and opened up the yesterdays date finding the page empty her eyes turned into big 'O's. No diary entry? She never missed it, how come yesterday then?

The last she knew it had been a terrible mess, but then, this was not happening. Had he done this? Had he cleared up the mess, tucked her in bed? No. No. She discarded the thought he would never do that, he was as cranky as possible, him being so considerate was something that she would not be imagining even in her wildest dreams. That to considerate to her, well that could be accounted as the joke of the century.

Mind wandering off into nothingness, she walked over to her study table, everything kept in perfect place, except for she noted, her paints. They were resting to the corner of the table, making her re think everything. Ma, didn't do this, she knew that too well, they had just shifted two weeks earlier, Ma still hadn't learned off all the places she kept her things in, and without knowing that she would never trample about with her stuff. Then who did this?

Lost in her reverie, she roamed her hands aimlessly at the study table, and stopped her eyes widening with shock as her sensory neurons registered the touch of glossy yellow paper. She peered down on to it, retracing it back from her sticky note pad. Their was something written on it too, scribbled in uniform writing. Without wasting any more time, her anticipation growing to no limits now, she plucked the note from the oak wood of the study table, and began to read it, the words as they registered bringing an enchanting smile spreading all over her face.

Well Gupta you should certainly stop watching Desperate Housewives from now on, since while watching it you dozed off to sleep on my shoulder. You are a heavy sleeper I must say, did not even raise up an eye when I was clearing up the awful mess in the room. And your side was the messiest btw, you should really get into being a bit more organized now. Just to let you know, I haven't completed the diagrams I was assigned, so if you could complete them, it would save time for us. Come to my place at 12:00, since it's a weekend, we can work till night if you have no problems with it. Call me fifteen minutes earlier from when you are leaving; I didn't take the materials home, we can take it together back to my place.

Arnav.

My Number: 18312380802

P.S: I have tied the incomplete diagrams in red ribbon.

She read the note, her face sparkling with happiness, and kept it down on the study table, a big smile playing on her face. He is genuinely really nice. She remarked to herself, not only had he been considerate enough to clear her mess, but had tucked her into bed, without as much even taking advantage of the fact the two of them would be alone at home. Everything of hers had been clear as crystal in front her, and yet he had done nothing out of the box, he really was of a exceptionally standardized character she told herself, as a frown came over her face. She had been wrong in judging him after all, he wasn't as rude and downright obnoxious as she thought he was.

Just as she was thinking to herself, admiring his personality, the door of her room creaked open, and her mother barged in, shakily yet a small smile still on her face. Khushi turned around snapping out of her thoughts, and looked at her mother's devastated face, the shaky way she was looking a distant look all over her face, as if she was engrossed into deep thinking.

"Khushi get ready quick, your father is going to have breakfast with us today", her mother told her, that affectionate look gone from her face, as Khushi's eyes turned into chips of burnt metal, a burning rage rose in her heart, all her beautiful teenage features hardening away instantly. The last thing she wanted today early in the morning, was to see that no good father of hers. She was rattling with anger, but looking at her mother's worried face, she kept her hand on her shoulder, as her mother looked into her with horrifying, sympathetic eyes.

"Why is he coming here?" she asked in a steely tone, almost trying to keep herself controlled as her mother looked at her in bewilderment, shaking her head uneasily, and without saying a word went out of her room, still in a baffled way, losing her steps twice and Khushi almost felt for a moment that her mother had lost her mental state, and she saw her retreating back as it disappeared into the living room. Khushi could feel herself seething in anger, every part of her had hardened hearing the arrival, of the one person she hated most in this world. She hated him, more than anything else in the world, because he had done something that he could never be forgiven for, he had destroyed their family life, every single thing that her mother had worked hard to keep together, he had destroyed in that moment of truth.

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Anjali fluttered her eyes opening, stretching her body, as she remembered what she had last seen before going to bed. Her younger brother acting in that strange way. She looked up at the clock it was 9:30 right now, she had been sleeping way too late out of her normal schedule, Ma was most certainly gone to the hospital, and to the best she knew Aakash would be sleeping like a horse still after the events they had witnessed last night, both of them had faced the urgent need of sleep to rest the events which did not appear anything short of horrifying hallucinations.

"What?", Anjali asked him back exasperated, as he without replying grabbed her hand and dragged her to Arnav's room, creaking it open, as a sight of perfect surprise met their eyes, their jaw dropping as low as the lock itself that they were leaning on.

Inside a sight of perfect amazement met their eyes, seeing Arnav sitting on his bed, moving his hand through his hair a bright sunny smile pulled up on his face. His eyes seem to be holding a different kind of spark, a different kind of charisma, as he fetched his clothes from his cupboard, and dazed around almost as if twirling in mid air, disappearing into the washroom with the same dazed expression and soulful smile on his lips.

Outside, Anjali and Aakash looked at each other, with saucer shaped eyes, both shaking their heads, and pinching each other to see if this was the reality or not. Anjali could feel her glasses going all the way down the length of her nose, hanging lose on the edge of it, as she tried to catch her breath with the odd way they had just seen their brother acting like.

"What the hell was that?!", they both asked together, their voice echoing in the empty corridor, which if had happened in normal circumstances both of them would be in a fit of laughter, but right now they were under the trance of some kind of summoning spell that had kept them entranced.

"Anji! Was..was..that Choote I just saw, or am I seeing things?", he said to Anjali in a shocked tone, finding it difficult to string a perfectly grammatical sentence.

"I..I..dont know..he..he..what..wass..", she couldn't even complete her sentence, as the images of what they had witnessed earlier played in her mind, all the remaining sense in her being knocked down.

"I think he is drunk", Aakash finally told her, happily agreeing to it himself, as if it was the most logical explanation in the world.

"Don't be silly, he went to Khushi's house, not to a bar", Anjali said shaking her head, poking her finger in Aakash's chest, receiving a death stare from him.

"Then how do you explain those twirls and that giant smile?" he questioned her back annoyed, as she gave him a confused expression, her eyes wandering away up on the ceiling, trying to think of a rational explanation.

Aakash pursed open his mouth, but she cut him shot in between, "Don't say he is cupid struck, we both know its Arnav we are talking about here", she told him firmly, as he closed his mouth shut, looking at her irritated, but she had not much to react too, as they both sticking, to each other, pressed inside to see through the small gap in the door and inside the room, seeing Arnav coming out of the bathroom, still holding that wild smile on his face. Much to their astonishment, he directly walked over to the bed, picked up the baseball bat for a brief moment from under his bed, smiled at it and kept it back, switching off his night lamp and dozed off to sleep, unaware of his two prying siblings still at the door.

"He didn't write his diary!", Aakash whispered to Anjali startled, who furiously bobbed her head up and down, as they both moved away from the door, still looking at each other in complete incredulity, the color drained out of their faces.

"Good Night Anji",Aakash said, In between a huge yawn, and walked away from the place, to his own room. For a moment Anjali thought he was being sarcastic, but seeing the sleepy red eyes of his that were fighting to fall into sleep she knew he figuratively and literally was implying on the meaning.

"I hope its good enough", she remarked to him, as he gave her a tight grin, and disappeared inside the premises of his room, while Anjali doing the same went to her room, jumped on the bed, and gave into the slumber that took over her.

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The door bell rang of the house as Khushi and her mother were inside the kitchen preparing food for their unwanted guest. Both of them consequently freeze-d to their spot, hearing the door bell their heart beats beating away at a rapid pace, as they looked into each other eyes both pairs mirroring the same thought.

"Khushi, go open", her mother told her in a strained voice, fighting back the urge to cry, Khushi despite all the anger waiting to burst out of her, obliged to her mothers command, and walked out of the kitchen, taking her time reaching the door in an attempt to mentally prepare herself for the disaster waiting for them at their doorstep now. Her hands shaked with fury, as she turned the lock of the house, the cold metal stinging on the skin on her palm, turning it 360 and opening the door open. Gradually, it opened and stood before her, her 6 foot 3 inches tall father, grimly smiling at her dressed in a crisp blue cotton shirt, with black designer pants and finely pressed coat.

He moved inside the house and pulled her into a hug, as she struggled free from his tight grip, giving him a icy stare, and opened one of the chairs at the front of the dining table for him, which he promptly took, his face showing the displeasure of receiving such a cold welcome by his family, after what was about 4 months of last meeting them.

Khushi hurried away once he had taken his seat, back into the kitchen, unnerved by the scene that has just happened to her, his warm embrace, seeing his perfectly shaped military body, number of vital memories rushed in her brain remembering her childhood, hadn't it been for that unfateful day, she would still be living that perfect life of hers. Aparna Gupta handed Khushi the tray of breakfast, and told her to come with it, after she went, her mother taking in the lead. She went over to her husband, who was looking at her with a hard expression, and she placed her duppata on her head, bowing down to touch his feet, as tears streamed down Khushi's eyes.

What had her mother done to go through such treachery, such hard times, to get such a despised fate? Keeping her head way down, she laid down the dishes for breakfast, and went inside the kitchen to get another serving with her mother, who was tring hard to choke her tears down her throat but without any success.

"He never should have come here in the first place", Khushi said in a murderous tone, as her mother had caught her in a quick hug looking away as to not meet her daughters worried gaze. Life had been hard for her, it had been increasingly difficult to be the single parent to her only daughter, which had been the reason why she had never considered the prospect of getting a divorce from her husband. She knew well, to ensure a lively future for her child she had to sacrifice, because for happiness, they needed money which they could only have till the time she was continued to be refereed as Mrs.Aparna Gupta, and not as Ms.Aparna Shukla.

The daughter and mother came out, carrying trays and set the dished on the table taking their place on the dining table, Mrs.Gupta being the last one to sit after she had served the both of them. Breakfast was a silent affair, as they all fed on their food, random talk striving in, which Khushi failed to be a part off, either nodding or staying silent. It had taken her all her control to keep her eyes focused on the plate, and avoid the piercing gaze of her father which was constantly boring into her.

Breakfast having been done, the mother daughter cleared the dining table away, as Mr.Aryan Gupta sat on the couch impatiently waiting to be attended. The two females took their time to attend him, both hesitant to come out and decided upon coming out to sit together. Aparna Gupta sat on the single couch, Khushi sat on the one opposite while the male member occupied the middle 4 seater couch.

"So Khushi how are your studies going?", Aryan Gupta said in a robotic tone, causing Khushi to briefly glare at him, but she instantly looked away, and replied back in a chilly tone, "Better than you would want them to be".

Her father looked at her with a complex expression, obviously not pleased with the ruthless manner she was behaving with him. He shot an angry stare at his wife, who flinched under his menacing gaze, but looked away, keeping her gaze now fixed at Khushi.

"Khushi that is no way to talk to your dad" Aparna Gupta told her in a slightly flustered, capturing Khushi in a mother-daughter eye lock, as Khushi pleaded through her eyes, in want of escaping the torture. Her eyes drifted, to the wall clock in the living room, and seeing it say 10:00, her mind reverted back to the note she had found early in the morning by Raizada, and the instruction's on them. He had done a lot for her, out of his way, and she wouldn't let him down because of this boisterous father of hers.

"Maa, I have to go to my friends house at 12:00 and right now have a little work to complete." She stated in a matter of fact tone, realizing the thunderous way her father was looking at her, but she did not flinch, and kept her fist clenched, signs of unfaltering determination.

"Khushi, but your dad is here, all other things can wait.", her mother said, pleading before her daughter to understand but she stood fixed on her idea of escaping.

"This cannot wait. I cannot risk losing important marks, for some two timer dad", she said mockingly, and firmly walked out of the living and to her room slamming the door behind nearly rocking the poor piece of furniture off its hinges.

"Aparna! Is that what you have taught that daughter of yours! Did you see the mocking tone she was referring me with? Is this what I came here for?" Aryan Gupta shouted out loud, his steely voice echoing all over the hall, and he stood up from his seat on the couch, causing an obviously disheveled Aparna Gupta to be scared out of her wits.

"I am leaving right now. The two of you just deserve my financial assistance and nothing from my emotional side", his voice thundered as Aparna Gupta part of her relieved, part of her disgusted saw her husband walking out of the house, and in a giffy he was in the military car driving away to God knows where. She closed the door as he left, pressing her body against the closed door, silently weeping away to herself, the family she had once held into small bounds was now broken, what held them as one just by name was money and only that, her daughter had lost all affection for her father, not that she blamed her for it, but she had worked her entire life to maintain this bond, which in front of her eyes was falling apart.

Inside Khushi was having a hard time keeping her concentration in one place rubbing away furiously as she just couldn't get the diagram drawn perfectly accurate. Struggling for control, she shaked her body all around still seething in anger and of the humiliation she had un wanted put her mother to go through. A part of her wanted to go out, and help her mom out of he emotional turmoil she was going through but she thought better of it, she would lose her self in between sorting out her mother, and then the consequences would be disastrous as always. No, she had a favor to repay right now by completing his work, and getting promptly ready to complete the project. She wouldn't let her personal life cause problems for others, after all under current circumstance she and Raizada were one single force.

Feeling more like herself now, she started out fresh all over again, and in no time, as the click ticked away one by one she had completed all the diagrams after when she looked back at her Winnie The Pooh clock, it was 11:30. Just half an hour, she mused over to herself, and clearing up the mess she had made, she smiled to herself while doing it remembering what he had written to her in his note. 'And your side was the messiest btw, you should really get into being a bit more organized now.'

Having tidied her room, she went over to her wardrobe, picked out a fresh new pair of skin fitted light blue denim jeans and a quarter sleeve body fitting, navy blue plain t-shirt. Wasting no more time, she went off to the washroom, still not pretty much herself, a bit disheveled and teary eyed, fought back the tears that were waiting to come out, she changed her clothes, and stood in front of the mirror blankly staring at her reflection as unknowingly crystalline tears rolled down her cheeks. She could see her plump cheeks reddening, her hazel eyes dilating from the effect, as she sat on the dressing stool burying her face in her palms. Life was not a dream, it was difficult perfect didn't exist, memories always flooded back, because nightmares always came true. Earlier at the breakfast table, she had felt her stomach churn, and not even eaten properly literally forcing the chunks of bacon and egg, down her throat, it taking her all her effort to avoid the food from going into her epiglottis rather than the esophagus.

Clearing away her blurry vision, she made a symmetrical puff out the bangs cut of her hair, and the remaining struggling for sanity was tied up in a neat braid by her. She checked the time once again, it was 15 minutes to 12:00, and just like he had told her, she picked up her cell phone and punched in his number from the note he had left it written on. Three rings went by, when after finally she heard his voice, plummeting her with some unknown kind of relief.

"Raizada, it's Khushi." She said, trying her best from having the choke in her voice being identified by him, not that she thought that he would be concerned about it anyway.

"I was expecting your call. Should I come over", he asked, much to her relief being unavoidably polite, as she answered him in the affirmative and line disconnected. Once it did, she was left into deep thinking once again, thinking of a way he could avoid meeting her brother, she was in devastated state right now, and had even refused to seek assistance from her daughter. She wanted her time alone, and Khushi was glad to give it to her. Then it occurred to her of the back door in her room that led to the garden through which he could come without having to meet her mother at the main door. Yes! She agreed to the idea of it, and fetched the keys from her secretive drawer where her diary too was kept, looking at her black book fondly, then shoving it lightly aside to retrieve the small key of the back door. Unlocking the door, she kept the key in the pocket of her jeans, and walked out in the well maintained blossomy garden, taking in the smell of the beautiful flowers, relieving her mind of the turbulence inside it.

She waited for him standing by the fence and finally after what was about ten minutes, she saw him dressed in a red and white stripped hoody and black jeans walking towards her house, particularly astonished to see her waiting for him outside the house. The expression was quickly replaced by a his usual grim expression as he approached her, and gave her a small smile, her giving back that to him, and beckoned him through the back door directly inside the house, much to his surprise.

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