Chapter 31

"I would give anything to have that right taken from you."

She remarked snidely at her blazing with anger who instantly hearing this flashed a color of red and orange hue on his cheeks which was slowly replaced by a blood red color, his smile slowly turning into an uncanny, cunning look.

"Nobody wants your anything darling. It doesn't matter if you accept or deny it, my name will always be next to yours in this life" he told her with a shrewd look on his face, making the sensation of ripping his skin off ignite inside Arnav and Vivek. They looked at him with steely eyes, and then at Khushi who had a far off look on her face, as if she was mentally cursing her fate, but it was not like she was moved, she was standing in act, straight, gripping on to the two of them, looking yet again straight into her father's eyes.

"That is actually why I hate my surname." She said gritting her teeth, locking eyes directly with him, the intensity of it shaking Aryan Gupta, who moved back letting his sight linger, on his daughters fierce attempt, her eyes not moving, that streak of victory passing her eyes, the line glittering through all the dullness in them.

For a split second Arnav felt as if he hadn't done a bigger mistake in his life. That second, was the worst moment of his life, the worst realization of his life, he regretted his mistakes but never like this. He let his eyes study her, that arrogance, that ferocity but behind all that the hurt, the helplessness that she was masking away, but he could see it all, he could see what he didn't want to be reminded off, maybe that is what struck him towards her when he had first seen her enter that class.

It was a poke from his best friend, who sat next to him, that brought him back to the class, and amazingly a bit too early that he realized that the class seemed unknowingly quiet. His eyes opened to full length, for the first time in the last 45 minutes as his eyes eyed the girl that everybody seemed to be eyeing standing on the door, her bag on her shoulder, throwing a most annoying expression at the ultimate stare party of his class. He wanted to giggle a bit, at the girl's odd reaction, but chose to subside that for the time being, as the girl told the teacher of whom and where she had come from. He tried to get his eyes off the silly girl, but somehow his vision kept hooked in her direction, and for some reason or the other, he already knew, this girl was someone he couldn't get his eyes off from.

But now that he thought about it, that equation had changed so dramatically he hadn't even realized when it all had happened. He kept staring at her, his eyes soft, regret all over them. It was in his nature to be rude, but he never called anyone with names, he knew how to respect it didn't matter if he would ridicule people, but he never ever called names, he never called anyone with their SURNAME. Now that he thought of it, he had done that with her, and her last dialogue was shaking him to what knew no limits. He could see what he couldn't back then, behind that anger back then when she had fallen, there was a burning rage, and un kept hatred when he had called her with her surname. That had been the moment when he had laid the grounds of hatred, and maybe that was why things had been so rigid, so edgy between them until only yesterday.

"How dare you call me a duck!" Khushi got up to her feet, her eyes burning with fury. What irritated her most was his calm reaction to all of it. Where did he come from? Directly out of the zoo or something?

" I can call you whatever I like Gupta, my tongue, my words" Arnav replied back non chalant and saying that turned around and walked his way out of the corridor, leaving a threatening Khushi behind who kept mumbling all kind of names between gritted teeth. How could he refer to her with her last name? Did his mother not teach any manner to him, or was he born eating crows?

Recalling that moment, he felt giddy and a bit weak on his knees, letting that hold around her shoulder loosen, which did not fail to go out of her notice, who had been till then looking at her father menacingly. She arched an eyebrow at him, seeing the dullness in his face her own worry lines creasing her forehead, noticing his face carefully, until he had turned it away and was looking back in the front at her father, leaving her back in confusion. The silence between them was broken by Aakash's sturdy voice that was moving in closer with every second, Anjali by his side munching onto an apple pie, he himself holding a burger and a drink in his hand.

"Chotte! Why did you run from the canteen in such a hurry? (looking at Aryan Gupta, now next to the teen trio) Who is this?" he asked skeptically looking at Aryan Gupta curiously, Anjali who had stopped eating sharing the same look that Aakash was sporting on his face. Vivek, Khushi, and Arnav exchanged looks with each other, none knowing what to give as a short reasonable reason to Aakash and Anjali who were both in unison searching the three of them for answers. But before anyone of the three could say anything else, Aryan Gupta had spoken up grimly.

"You are Arjun and Anita's children aren't you? (looking at Arnav) and you the younger one of the them isn't it? I can see where you get that arrogance in you from. Arjun couldn't have given anything else to you to inherit" he questioned coyly, his eyes moving from Aakash to Anjali the familiarity the two held with their parents facial features making it very easy for Aryan to decipher whose children they were. Arnav looked at Aryan Gupta with a confused look at first, but slowly his look had hardened, seeing the man in front commenting about his dad. His father. He did not stand a word against his family, family was everything to him, and this man had dared to tread on unknown grounds. Khushi could feel his hand shaking on her shoulder, and she craned her neck see him going all red, hot blooded color flushing his cheeks, while Anjali and Aakash were looking in utter puzzlement at her and Aryan and then slightly taken aback with the kind of reaction Arnav was portraying.

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Anita Singh Raizada, picked up her statoscope from where she had by mistake left it on the side table in the room where Aparna had been kept, her eyes closed the wrinkled line of worry on her forehead very evident even in her sleep. Anita took her time to look at her old friend for a second, recollecting all those memories, her face going down as sadness and sorrow of the end took over her, and shaking her head slowly, she turned on her heels, but stopped before she had even taken a step towards the exit door, by a weak hand that had gripped her wrist. She turned around stunned, to see a medicated wary looking Aparna, stopping her that light which Anita so well knew gone from her eyes, she could see them only mirroring endless misery and nothing else.

"Anita, (trying to get up, but Anita moves towards her hurriedly and motions her to rest) how are you? *pause* (her eyes sparkling with tears) How is he? Does he still remember me?" Aparna Gupta asked in a low, weak voice, her eyes dropping low but she was trying her best to force them open not wanting this conversation to end.

"He does. Do you?" Anita asked her softly, taking her seat next to Aparna, keeping her hand on Aparna's frilly hand, looking at her tenderly, but with a hint of disappointment showing in it.

"I don't need to. I never forgot him, I never can." She said in a shaky voice, recalling the face of her best friend, those merry blue eyes of his, perfectly chiseled face, with a look of comic in it, wheatish skin, a well-built manly body, his flattened jet black hair, that use to come to his face when he was still young, and a boy, the way she use to ruffle them, pull at them when irritated, and he use to only laugh his head off because that was the only thing he did to her. But those were all memories, it was all gone, she had destroyed it, she had chosen the wrong person.

"I am sorry for everything Anita. I am. Maybe that's why today I am here, paying for all the bad I did to someone who genuinely cared for me, I chose the wrong man Anita, I chose the wrong man" Aparna voiced out closing her eyes for a brief second, tears rolling down her cheeks making them glow bringing angelic light to her pale face.

"Aparna, we can talk later alright? Right now, you need to rest, okay?" Anita said comfortingly, keeping both her hands on Aparna's frail hands assuringly, smiling at her light hear tingly, giving her a last soulful look and then moving out of the room, walking towards her cabin only to see her eyes greeted by a very startling sight. From the distance she was at, she could see Anjali and Aakash by the look on their faces astounded about something, Arnav seething in anger, Khushi looking extremely worried while Vivek seemed to have lost himself somewhere in all the mess. But what caught her eye was Aryan Gupta towering over all of them, though Vivek was only a few inches shorter and Aakash and Arnav could easily level his height too, the girls seemed petrified, just like Anita herself was.

"Guys, Aparna Aunty wants to meet all of you, (looking at Khushi) Khushi you know the ward right? take everyone to your mother, now go" Anita hopped inside the situation, letting all eyes now looking at her in a discreetly odd fashion, her eyes blazing with fury when she locked eyes with Aryan, but she removed the look quickly, urging the fivesome to go to Aparna's room.

"But Maa.." Aakash started but was cut short by a sharp look from Anjali making him go numb, and he abided by what she said taking Anjali hand's while everyone else followed until only Arnav was standing stiff in his place, causing Khushi to turn back.

"Arnav go." Anita Raizada said sternly, almost pushing him towards the ward, but Khushi directing Vivek to where the ward was, just came in time, and started pulling Arnav's hand dragging him with much difficulty out of that spot his eyes not even for a second leaving Aryan Gupta, in a very good mood to show some kind of physical violence subjected on him.

Once the kids were out of sight Anita pulled Aryan to a side away from the middle of the hall, letting go of his hand and looking at him in an utterly furious manner.

"Don't drag the kids into this you understand? Sign the papers in my office and just get lost from here!" Anita lashed out at him, her entire form rattling in fury, Aryan Gupta looking at her fishly, his eyes arched upwards. Before he had to pass another rude comment, or a snide remark, she had already dragged him to her office and had pushed the papers in his face that he had to sign looking at him in intense irritation all that while.

"When can we meet next?" he asked her, in a soothing voice, deliberately trying to sound pleasing but she wasn't in for games, she knew him better than he knew himself.

"Never." She threw it on his face straight, no roundabouts nothing, just the truth, walking out of her cabin to attend to something that she had too not until he had disturbed her mental status and have her sorting out personal differences in her work place. Highly annoyed by her disagreeing attitude, and Khushi's monotonic ferocity, he briskly walked out of the cabin, and then out of the hospital having no wish to meet his wife, now that he had been subjected to so much insult.

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"You were not supposed to drag me out of there. Who is he to say anything about Paa? How does he know Paa? How dare he!" Arnav let out his fury on her, roughly freeing his hand from her grip almost having her stepping backwards due to the effect of it. She continued to walk with him, not at all minding the off handed mood he was in, he wasn't to blame, he had been led into being like this, that danmed father of hers was no use other than creating problems in her sort out life.

Not uttering a word, having nothing concrete to say in defense, she let him ramble until they were in Aparna Gupta's room, her lovingly moving her hands on Aakash and Anjali's cheeks looking at the two of them gratefully, and then at Vivek, who understanding the situation had taken the task of introducing everyone even himself to Aparna Gupta, who as a matter of fact seeing the resemblance Anjali and Aakash held with their parents need no introduction. Arnav had fairly tried to calm himself down, and quietly made his way with Khushi by his side towards an enervated Aparna Gupta.

"Arnav, come here." She said in soft yet, exhausted tone, having Arnav making his way forward out through the crowd of people, Mrs.Gupta keeping her hand on his cheek and urging him to sit on the seat.

"You have been a sweet heart dear. Thank you so much for everything you have done for Khushi and me, (looking at Anjali, Aakash and Arnav) Anita is blessed to have children like you." She commented kind heartedly, making Anjali nearly breaking into tears, Aakash and Arnav both going sober but Aakash being Aakash couldn't contain himself seeing Anjali's melodramatic activity.

"Anji, now don't pour out your River Nile here, none of us wants to die drowning this soon" Aakash whispered in her ear, poking his elbow in her side, having her shooting him a deadly glare, and slamming her shoe right into his joggers, having his eyes filled with tears of pain which he had to quickly blink because of the comical way Vivek was looking at the two of them.

"Khushi, you look tired. You should go home. *pause* But wait, you can't stay alone, what are you.."

"She will be staying with us Aunty. Don't worry about her, take care of yourself." Anjali offered immediately, before either Arnav or Khushi had a chance to speak, Vivek looking at her open mouthed for a while then closed it back, Khushi having that fond thankful look on her face, as Aakash kept his hand on Anjali's which was on Aparna's in agreement, her love for the siblings only growing. Vivek noticed the way she was looking at them, and no doubt as she had told him, there was no foul play here, they were genuinely concerned for her, she had been right to grow familiar with them.

"Have you asked your mother? She doesn't have any problems does she?" Aparna asked them timidly, but they brushed off the question smiling widely, saying that Anita loved guests, especially those like Khushi and so there was no chance that she would have any problem with her staying over. Khushi protested on staying over with her mother, but with the combined effort put in by Aakash, Anjali, Vivek and a silent one by Arnav she was forced to retreat and go back since she needed the rest more than any of them did. Kissing her mother good bye, she obliged and walked out of the ward, Vivek and Arnav still by her side, Anjali and Aakash walking in front.

"Chun, you will need your clothes right? You and me can go pick them up from your house, and then I'll drop you off to their house" Vivek told her and she nodded, her face still searching Arnav's face which was now a whole lot calmer than before but still very lost.

They were almost at the end of the corridor that led to the exit of the hospital, when Aakash and Vivek took the lead out towards the car in order to bring them out from the place they had previously parked it in. Anjali was in a good mood to stay behind and avoid Aakash, but apparently guessing the strained situation between Arnav and Khushi she decided against it and went along with Aakash towards the car, leaving the two alone to stroll until the car arrived at the door way.

"I am..erm..erm..so..ryy..Kh..ushii.." he stammered a bit, breaking the unusual silence that had prevailed between the two of them, not making direct contact with her as she looked at him with wide saucer shaped eye balls, and if there was a bit of extension to it they were definitely going to bulge out.

"Excuse me? What did you just call me?" she spluttered out, still not believing what she had just heard him say to her, the way he had addressed her was most astounding, he had never done that, never with her first name, she almost felt like she was day dreaming.

"Stop bring so dramatic Khushi" he said with ease this time, still a bit fidgety but this time was a lot better as if he was trying to get use to of saying her first name now.

Khushi blinked her eyes in a peculiar way and without any warning at all, kept her palm on her forehead, moving them all over her face as if checking his temperature. With one good swift move he removed it away, her expression going all the more comical, gulping like a fish out of water.

"Are you in your senses? What with all the theatrical effect? I didn't propose you did I?" he spat out at her in a non chalant manner, her eye balls shooting up all the more.

"Why are you calling me with my first name?" she asked him directly, still not removing that look of surprise from him face, her face thrilling with excitement seeing that flush of color on his cheeks, looking down on their shoes and then back again at her.

"Don't you like it?" he questioned back astounded, and for a split second that it was she wasted it searching his face in confusion, when finally she answered him back.

"No..I mean..I have gotten use to of you calling me 'Gupta' all the time, it's like a signature action of your's for me. I like it that way, you saying Khushi..feellss..erm..really weird" she told him honestly, locking his eyes with her, that were still portraying a very confused reaction, deciding on his next words.

"But I am..sorry for calling you that..I don't usually call anyone..with their surnames..I don't know why..I did it with you..back then..I didn't know that you hated your last name..so much..but now that I do.." he said sheepishly, finding the exact words to express himself, but she didn't need any more words, she was smiling so brightly, he felt mad at himself for saying sorry in the first place. But as much as it was unexpected, she pulled his cheeks cutely now having his eyes blasting out.

"You know, you are so adorable..Raizadaa (he looks at her annoyed, she stops pulling) I know..I know..you don't like it..sorry..but well just so you know..call me with my last name..I love it when you do that okay? You don't need to go with Khushi, and honestly saying I don't think I hate my last name so much when you say it" she told him smiling largely at him, winking at him, leaving the poor him dumbfounded, as she went towards Vivek's honking car, and sat on the front seat next to the driver's seat, still amused at his reaction. Arnav made a lousy face seeing Vivek's car speed away, Aakash honking away impatiently for him to come, and shaking hi hand he took his place on the next seat, both Aakash and Anjali looking at him in amusement.

"Did cupid strike?" Anjali asked craning her neck backwards seeing the lost look on his face, both her and Aakash laughing at him cheekily, as he gave them a threatening look and gave a punch through the seat to Aakash, having him rolling with laughter and then back to driving out of the hospital parking lot.

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Khushi unlocked the door of their house and the two of them entered the silent Gupta house, her directly leading him to her room thoroughly exhausted. Vivek looked wide eyed at her, seeing the streak resemblance it had with Arnav's room that he had seen last night, the color was the same, the textures were the same, even the furniture type was the same, what only differed was the addition of two purple and black coloured beam bags, a Winnie the pooh clock, and the position of the furniture, not to forget the placement of pictures a bit more than his room.

"Your room holds a lot of of resemblance to Arnav's room" he commented in awe, entering inside, Khushi bustling about her cupboards, for a travel bag, dragging a beam bag towards him to where he could sit.

"Yeah actually. When I went to his room the first time the same thing had crossed my mind" she told him notably, busy taking out her clothes from the cupboard, while he instead of taking his place on the beam back surveyed the room, stopping in front of the study paper seeing a yellow stick on paper hanging to the side. He read the note with a curious look and then looked at her oddly, walking up to her and tapping her shoulder. When she looked at him he pointed his finger at the study table, arching his eyebrows at her.

"Oh that, I forgot to remove it, Raizada left it for me when he came over for the project" she explained, smiling at him in a lost manner, recollecting the blissful memories of that day, while he continued to look at her in a coy manner.

"You went to sleep on HIS SHOULDER? Didn't he say anything to you?" he asked her astonished, and she shook her head sideways, sporting a puzzled look herself, rolling her eyes balls in their sockets.

"I don't know how really, you know I feel so embarrassed I went to sleep while watching his favorite show, he loves Desperate Housewives, Di told me" she told him her cheeks reddening up and he gently smiled at her, shaking his head, leaving her get back to packing, when suddenly after what was like 15 minutes he saw her packing everything, but one thing her most beloved thing.

" Arent you going to take your black diary?" Vivek asked her causally, looking at the interior of her room as she stuffed her things in a small bag, but halted right when he said these words, her expressions going dim, and then suddenly freezing the thought of him knowing about her diary making her shiver with guilt yet again.

"How do you know about it?" she questioned him back, standing straight in front of the bag that was on her bed, him turning around just a little bit so their eyes met each other, their was an uncanny uneasiness in his eyes, their was that lack of faith flashing in them.

"Not everything that you have hid has been hidden from me" he commented stoutly, looking at her for a brief second and then, turned away looking back again at the mish mash of blue and black in her room, sending her into collecting back the flashbacks of that day.

Hearing Vivek's step approaching her, she hurriedly closed the diary half way in between her account of endless words, and immediately propped it into her bad just in time, as he took his seat next to her, offering her the glass of water, that she had asked him to get, to briefly get him out of her way, finding some time with her diary. Alone.

She felt guilty all over again for not telling him about that, she could see his back had slumped up slightly, that lack of faith, lack of confident and trust, very evidently showing in his physical appearance. Leaving her bag on the bed, she turned him around by her two hands holding him by his shoulders to have him meet her eyes.

"Don't say sorry to me now. I respect your privacy, I know there are some thing that re not to be shared, and I truly alright with that okay?" he told her soothingly, but what was meant to be assurance had turned out to be the exact opposite, she was just feeling all the more guilty.

"There is nothing like privacy between us Vivek. The truth is back then, I didn't know you so well, I trusted you but just not enough. It had just been a week of our friendship I didn't want to find myself in an insecure position later, so..I hid itt (leaving his shoulders and rummaging through the drawer) but now I know you, and I fully trust you, with everything, (handing him over her black diary) here take it, you can read it but just a little disclaimer it's got way too depressing accounts, if you feel cored don't blame me then" she chuckled at him, but his eyes were still not sparkling like she had wanted to, and little did she know that he had no wish of reading her diary, he just didn't like the fact that she hadn't told him about it her self. But now that she had an explanation he found it pretty reasonable, maybe because of all the things she had been through she was just extra careful in choosing her companions, male companions that he assumed, so every step she took was calculated, she thought of much later than of the present like most people.

"No I don't want to read it. (seeing her face going down) No, no, I trust you with your words Chun. You are my best friend you always will be, nothing's change between us, be assured about that from my side." He assured her comfortingly, keeping her hand on his shoulder, and she smiled at him, but let her eyes off from his face, and pulled his hand to make him sit on the bed, herself sitting next to him.

"You know, this diary is really unique, very special in terms of what it is to me and what it is as a whole some. Maa gifted it to me on my last birthday, she said she wanted to give it to me on my 19^th birthday, but then she thought it was better if I got it at 16. This diary it's not bought it was made I think, for someone else, Maa said, but she never got the chance to give it to that someone, so since I share the same birth date with that person I should have it. (opening it to the first page) Look at this." She told him pointing at the date on the first page, him seeing it and looking at her stupefied, she grinning at him knowingly.

"16^th April? This diary starts from you birth date?" he asked her in bewilderment, curiously looking at the diary, the black and blue and shaded pages catching his sight, something as he read skipping the lines, very depressing written on it.