"Anji! Let go off him idiot! You are in a good position to suffocate him to death right on our front door" Aakash said slyly, rolling his eyes in his sockets, as Anjali let go immediately, and threw a heavy punch right at Aakash's chest.

"Shutup dork face! Its Paa! Its my Paa back at home, after 3 whole months! I have every every right to hug him, even if that means suffocating him!" she wailed out of excitement, as Arjun moved forward, his luggage all behind him and kept his arm around Anjali, passing a knowing look at Anita who was about to erupt any moment, at Anjali and Aakash's usually nonsense.

"I have to agree to that Monkey Boy. After all my Princess is the only lovely girl in my life who I love. (Anita shoots a knowing yet annoyed look at him, and he walks with Anjali still his arm around her and keeps the other around Anita) You are an eternity of love honey. My everything." Arjun said lovingly, hugging Anita tightly, as Aakash on the corner smiled jubiliantly to himself, and Arnav away from the limelight, rejoiced at the family moment that they had attained after a long time. Anita and Anjali detached themselves from Arjun, with him walking towards his two boys, and hugging them brightly. Once that was done, Arnav and Aakash brought in the luggage with them and placed them in the living room, all of the five Raizada's sitting on the couch.

"You should have told me you were here Arjun. I would have come to pick you up." Anita stated and Arjun explained how he knew it was so early in the morning, he didn't feel like disturbing anybody right now.

"Maa you knew! Its not fair! You should have told us!" Anjali complained, and Anita told her of how it was Arjun's wish to keep it a secret so he could surprise all of them.

"Danm Anjali danm! Paa's here! Remind me to tell Ms.Anita that we three wont be making the field trip. I mean two of us. (looking at Arnav) You weren't making the field trip Choote were you?" Aakash questioned him, and to Anjali and Aakash's surprise Arnav shook his head, not providing any more information about it. Both of them had been smart pants to think Arnav woudnt make it and all that had happened two days before was only Khushi's drama but now it seemed that it really wasn't after all a drama.

"Guys listen up! You all are making the field trip and I want no argument over it. You ALL are going and that's final. Its three days every year right? (All three of them nod) So that's fine. I am here for a good two months now, so relax people." Arjun said in a firm authoritative tone, and all of them knew, when he used this tone there was no denying that they all would have to obey. Anita snuggled closer to Arjun, bidding the three teen's goodbye to school, deciding that she would take her days off until the children were back from the field trip.

At Stanford High the day was a typical school morning, with people strolling away the campus grounds some making their way towards the classes others too indulged in finding corners without camera's so they could bunk boring lectures of the day there. However for the three Raizada's the morning was one full of surprises, all of their spirits soaring high, hearing the arrival of their father. Khushi walked in with Vivek who apparently was with her right now, since Vishaka was busy with her friends for the moment.

"That means he is coming. Chun relax then, he's coming that's what you wanted, if hes there you can sort things with him later." Vivek told her, keeping her hand around him comfortingly and she looked up in his eyes and nodded pursuing no more talk.

"So, you think Mr.Raizada is here in Stanford today?"

"Yeah. Atleast that's what Anita Aunty told me. Nobody knows this except me and her, and now you."

"Well, then how are you exactly planning to get your mother to meet him, considering that they haven't met in 10 years time now?" Vivek asked her conversationally the two still walking the campus grounds, when from the other side of the cooridor they saw the three Raizada's walking towards them, Anjali and Aakash already very bright with joy, however Arnav seemed a bit in foul mood seeing Khushi over there.

"OMG! Khushi! Khushi! Khushi! You know what? Paa's here! Isnt that effingly great news! And he's staying here for 2 whole months! Amazing na?" Anjali voice out in undenying happiness, holding Khushi by the shoulders and spinning her around along with herself, laughing her head off on on her silly antic.

"Yeah that is amazing news Di! Does that mean you wont be making the field trip now?" She said keeping up talk, her eyes drifting off to meet Arnav's which were eyeing her suspiciously all this while, but Anjali and Aakash were too happy to think anything.

"No actually. We are making the field trip. Paa say's we have to go. And when he says we have to go, then we have to go." Anjali said smiling, returning back to normal, instead of an over excited Anjali Singh Raizada.

"So all of you are coming?" Vivek asked them, and Aakash nodded, now his sight lingering off to looking at Arnav pretty suspiciously.

"I suppose so. Chotte .. (Arnav glares at Aakash) Arnav says he's coming to the field trip, I don't know how, but he's making it, so yeah we all are coming." Aakash said half mumbling, half chewing on his words, making Vivek and Khushi exchange knowing looks with eachother, with Anjali and Aakash dispersing away to their class, however for some odd reason Arnav had stayed behind.

"Raizada, actually, ..I wanted to..talk to you." Khushi stammered, trying her best to be steady which she attained by Vivek keeping a firm hand on her shoulder and after whispering all the best parted off in the other direction leaving the two of them alone.

"You knew about it didn't you? You knew about Paa coming?" he said in a firm tone, directing her to the cafeteria where they could sit and talk in peace, instead of here where people kept staring at them like lunatics as well as, in the high pitch voices of the students around them they could barely even hear themselves speaking, hearing eachother was a far off idea.

"I knew." She replied back truthfully, taking her seat on an empty table,t he other occupied by Arnav, who was staring at her with narrowed eyes now, waiting for her to go more about it but she didn't, she was waiting to be directed by him.

"That explains why you weren't surprised when Di told you. So, well have you changed your mind now Khushi, or do you want to go on about playing shady thieves?" he asked her in a non expressionless tone, his sight now wavering off her, and in a little while it was doing what it did to her every time- initiate that shivering effect.

"Look Raizada, it's not me who doesn't want to tell you. Your mom told me not to. Your dad coming was supposed to be a surprise for you people that is why I didn't say anything." She said defensively recalling her conversation with Anita that she had the last day she was staying at the Raizada house.

Kehte hain,Khuda ne iss jahaan mein
Sabhi ke liye kisi na kisi ko hai banaaya,Har kisi ke liye

(It is said, that in this world

God has made someone, for everyone of us)

"Khushi, seriously? You know I am not talking about why you didn't tell me that Paa was coming. I am talking about other things. Other things that you know. About our parents. Their relationship. Reasons about why you wanted me to make the field trip. " Arnav told her in a freezed tone, boring his eyes into hers which were now looking at him searchingly, and after what were quiet minutes he could see that she had finally let her guards down.

"Yesterday,when Maa came back, and all that drama I did. Everybody believed me, when I said you were coming to the field trip. Well, atleast if Di and Bhai didn't, your mother was sure about it. Before leaving she thanked me, that I convinced you to make the field trip, because erm.. she didn't want you or anyone else around during that time." She explained quietly, in her mind processing the next part of the story that was fairly unknown to Arnav.

"Why did she want me to go?" he questioned her, not showing the impending feeling of surprise that was growing within him.

"Because of your dad, and my mother. She wants the two of them to reconcile and restore back their lost friendship. Anita Aunty belives that they both miss eachother's presence in their life, as much as they have done all these years, and so she wants them to be together again." Khushi went on to tell, how the past of their parents were mixed up, and how Anita had asked for Khushi's help to bring their parents back together again.

"Why didn't she tell me?" Arnav wondered to himself, but a bit too loudly, lost in his thoughts unaware that Khushi had made it a point to answer his query.

"That isn't really a question I can answer, but if I have ever meant anything to you, don't ask her about it. Please don't. Not right now atleast, she wont like it." She advised him, deeply worries if he would do anything drastic right at the moment with her around and spoil the already devised plan that Anita had layed out for the two of them.

"I wont." He replied back shortly and got up from his seat, and walked away without waiting for her, leaving her alone on the table to rest her head buried inside a cross of her arms, a big pressure off her head. She didn't know why his mood swings affected her, but she knew she cared enough to have them affecting the way her life was going.

"And don't stress your self out, Gupta. You don't want to be looking like patient tomorrow. It would be bad news for your bad ass droolers" he whispered into her ears, as she raised up her head right at the moment to look into his eyes, which winked at her and in the next fleeting moment he was gone, but had left a shadowy smile behind on her face.

The rest of the day at school had passed really quickly, with everyone of them discussing about tomorrows field trip, and after what was the reporting time for all students was announced, the hype had grown just all the more now. After bidding goodbye to everyone Khushi went home, the day at home passing up pretty quickly, with all the packing and stuff that was to be kept, and her full time responsibility of taking care of Aparna.

It was decided amongst Anita and Aparna collectively that after the children were gone to the field trip, Anita would personally come to pick up Aparna so she could spent the rest of the two days with her. This news, as it was was kept in the dark to Arjun who was little aware of the developments that were taking place behind his back, but somewhere in his heart it ringed all the time, that in the same area was staying the bundle of memories which maybe he had come to take back with him.

************************************************

Arnav sat on his bed, his legs stretched out, back resting at the plank of the bed, his hand holding a smoothened yet frail piece of paper in his hand. He scrutinized the drawing on the sketch for the trillionth time now, tracing his fingers around the girls eyes, smudging the lead of the pencil and making it faded as he did so. Seeing the effect that his tracing was doing to the sketch, he fished out a pencil from the nearby side table drawer and retraced the lines, so that the sketch was back to being normal. He was done with all his packing and it was even late at night but he coudnt help but rethink over his status with Khushi. Looking at the lifeless eyes of the picture imagining her eyes in it, suddenly it looked as if the girl in the picture had come to life.

He flinched a bit, when he caught the girl looking straight into his eyes with an exasperated look. For an instance he thought it was for him, but upon seeing her ballerina white shoes draped in the green of the grass, he realized it was the grass that was irking her. Fluttering her eyelashes she kicked the grass away with her other shoe, smiling a pleased smile to herself, which much to his amusement was one of defeating the grass rather than realizing how she made her pure white shoes all muddy brown.

*************************************************************

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.

His mind reverted back to the present as he heard the door of his room creak a bit, being pushed away slightly to make space for his father to walk in. Arjun Raizada walked into his sons room, seeing him lost in thought staring at something on a faded piece of paper and smiled to himself making his way towards Arnav's bed, who for the moment seemed a bit flustered and in a quickened attempt hid the sketch paper under the pillow, standing up from his bed to let his father sit on it.

"Chotte its alright. Its only your Paa in here, not Mr.Barack Obama. (Arnav is still a bit rattled) You don't need to hide your stuff from me Choote, its fine to stare at a paper." Arjun said in a juvenile mood, seating himself on the far end of his bed, pulling Arnav's hand and making him sit next to him, who had his eyes popping out a bit hearing that his dad had already seen the paper in his hand.

"No Paa. It was nothing important" Arnav managed to answer back after some while, but Arjun all the same, picked up the sketch paper from under the pillow where Arnav had so skillfully tried to hide it. Colour flushed into Arnav's cheeks as he observed his father, staring at the sketch in confusion, looking in the bewildered eyes of his son when finally the strike of remembrance crossed his face, and he looked up for a last time at Arnav meeting his eyes straight with his.

"You still have this sketch don't you? Still waiting for that girl to come?" Arjun asked him teasingly, and Arnav gave a twisted expression trying to conceal the hidden rush of emotions going inside him.

"I know who she is." He said shortly, not giving any more information with Arjun continuously looking at him skeptically waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, he decided to probe questions on his own.

"Well that's great! Your eleven year wait did pay off didn't it?"

"I wasn't waiting for her" Arnav replied back gruffly, making a smug smile appear on his fathers face, lightening up his manly, handsome features.

nav_bat2012-12-16 08:50:07