Chapter 47

Stepping out of the bus, he followed after her, her not even looking back once, because despite the fact that he had consciously went off to sleep with her, it was awkward waking up, and being subjected to countless stares and murmurs from the other students. She kept walking away in front, but she had to turn back and when she did, there eyes met, she was beginning to feel something new, something grow within her it was different, it was an unknown feeling that was creeping up on her. She saw him turn and fade away in the trees making his way towards the campsite not looking back yet again at her, and she herself turned her around, blushing a deep crimson, unknown of the feelings that were rushing into her.

"Then we two shall get along well" Khushi half smiled to her self, she loved competition, and that too with a boy, who to her by the look of him seemed a bit hoarse to her, would be interesting. She knew exactly what she was to do this year, let this class know, that her brain worked even more faster than his.

"Well, you wont" Vivek piped in a confident manner, that actually startled Khushi, as in their 30 minute talk she hadn't seen him getting all that serious.

"Why not?" she questioned him back, wanting to know more of her competitor.

"Obviously you don't know, but he is the crankiest guy on earth. And I really mean cranky, he's super rude with everybody, even his siblings, and usually keeps to himself. He doesn't have all that talking issues, but he's keeps a distance, and you see that guy next to him, that's his best friend Karan, and probably the only person he gets along well with."

"Hmm.You have no idea; I know really well how to handle such people. He's competition and good or bad, I'll live through it, what's his name btw?" Khushi replied back confidently, she had learned just too well in life how to handle such people, only that she was mistaken in thinking he was the same, he was not.

"Arnav Singh Raizada."

Arnav Singh Raizada, she murmured to herself, and she had no idea when had she started to say, My Raizada after it. Smiling to herself, she shook her head violently, when Vivek looked at her sheepishly, waving his hand in front of her quickly, to get her attention to which she snapped out of her dream mood looking at him in confusion.

"When did you come?" she asked baffled, to which he looked at her with wide eyes, and stared in empty space around the two of them seeing nobody was around.

"Just now, you weren't with the first group so I thought of checking out on you. *pause* And btw what are you doing here, everybody's at the camp ages ago" he told her, and she looked as stunned as he did, looking around herself seeing no one but she and him in sight.

"Oh, I didn't realize, I was just walking to it" she said embarrassingly, her cheeks flushed with red color making Vivek look at her more weirdly.

"Well you weren't walking Chun, You were just standing, and grinning like a fool at that tree. (shaking her) Are you even fine, I am beginning to think there is some problem in your brain." He told her worriedly, seeing her going more red, and then suddenly an expression of non chalance came to her face, shoving his hand away from her shoulder.

"I am fine. Let's go, they must be waiting for us" she snapped at him angrily, still a bit flustered, and he nodded almost instantly, walking by her side still carefully noting down her facial features which were as lost as they had never been before or atleast he knew just once, when she had for the first time came back from Arnav's home.

Khushi walked in a daze towards the campsite, utterly confused as to what she was even thinking, and that too about whom, the last guy she would expect to take in that stature. No, she shook her head, no this cannot this is impossible, Haye Devi Maiyan, now what is happening to me? She took a step forward and almost tripped, but she felt him holding her firmly by her shoulder, smiling at her joyfully that small lopsided smile of his, her face now clouded with intense surprise.

"Raizada? What are you doing here, I thought you were at the camp." She said smiling back at him, her question more of a way to keep up conversation then a query, getting lost in his molten bronze eyes, when once again she felt herself being shaken badly, and that is when she saw instead of Arnav it was Vivek who was holding her by her shoulder, his face holding the biggest question mark ever.

"This is Vivek Chun, not your Raizada. Whats happening to you?" he questioned her mystified seeing her expression tightly flinch, that ecstatic look form her eyes fading, her smile being replaced by puzzlement.

"Huh? Vivek? Where..I mean..I swear I saw Raizada, he was here, trust me I saw him", she said impatiently, letting her eyes wander around the fleet of trees that surrounded that, not even a single living soul other than the two of them anywhere in sight.

"Chun Stop! There was nobody here, just you and me. You are just seeing things. (making her stand up) Now c'mon, we have to get to the camp quick before you start day dreaming about Arnav again" he retorted, shaking his head in puzzlement at the odd way she was reacting, a fierce punch that he had just by chance ducked from Khushi, her eyes blazing in fury but somewhere behind them he knew he could see that familiar spark, that feeling to be with him, Arnav, the feeling that he, Vivek knew came to people when they were in love.

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Arjun and Anita Raizada lay on bed, the lady figure of hers resting against Arjun's hard body, that being supported by the wooden planks of the table. Anita looks up in the loving eyes of her husband which our staring right down at her, and smiles, breaking the eye lock, her mind getting lost in thinking about how she would put her plan into action.

"Arjun. I have a friend to visit. Will you come with me?" she suddenly asked, causing Arjun to make an odd expression but he quickly removed it, nodded cheerfully at her.

"Sure. When do you have to go?"

"Right now." She said silently, and for a moment she felt his hand that were around her waist loosen up a bit in apprehension, but anyways, removing all possible doubts from his mind he agreed to accompany her, and the two getting out of bed, took their time to get ready. Amazingly enough, since Anita was used to of a rushed up dress up that is why she didn't take long, and waited for Arjun outside. Staring into blank space of the living hall, all their teenage memories rushed into her brain, as she smiled a small smile to herself, happy at the task that she was soon to achieve. They would so be together. What was after possible 10 years, her husband would finally be happy, to his heart's content, because nobody knew better than Anita herself, he was never incomplete without his best friend. His happiness was never complete.

"Honey?" Arjun tapped her shoulders to knock her out of her reverie, and raised an eyebrow at her, which she gracefully ignored putting up a small smile on her face, and the two walked out of the house, Anita locking it carefully, while Arjun waited for her in the car, to take her to the place where all his happiness lay, the place that he was significantly unaware off and yet, something in him was just pounding hard, as if giving him signs as to signs of what was about to happen.

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Khushi let Vivek hold her hand, just in case she tripped or saw any more illusions, her jaw fixed, mind rattled with a lot of memories of him seeping into her brain. As she continued to walk her sight off into the woods she saw some of their initial moments coming into play startling her to no bounds.

"Hey you, watch it, can't you see" she angrily called out to the boy who had just knocked her to the ground, while Vivek helped her pick up the papers and compile them together, she kept her glare fixed in that boys direction, until he turned around, a not so important look on his face.

"Not my problem, if you have buttons instead of eyes" Arnav told her haughtily, as she passed another angry glare his way.

"Oh yeah? You have eyes? Use them then!"

"If ducks quack around in the corridor that really is not my fault or is it?"

"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 manners to him, or was he born eating crows?

Keeping a hand on her shoulder, "Relax Khushi. I told you he's cranky".

"Cranky? He's cranky? That was way beyond that, stupid Raizada!"

She saw the fleeting figure of him retreating away out of the supposed corridor out in the large canopy of the trees and she extended her hand forward to stop him from going but upon realizing that it was only her imagination, retreated it back in confusion trying to concentrate to walk straight without her legs fumbling, while Vivek from the corner of his eye saw her uneasy and lost movements grinning to himself. It had finally happened to her, he thought to himself.

By the time they had reached the camp a dozens of them were standing their clad in their picnic material looking in complete irritation at Khushi who made an apologetic look at them all, and went over to stand next to Vivek who had had gone to stand next to Vishaka. Her eyes drifted away to look at him, standing there quietly next to Karan, apparently his own eyes searching for someone. As their eyes met, Khushi felt her heart skip a beat and something in it tugged so hard she almost felt like drowning in a pool of memories yet again.

They kept looking into each others eyes, as if they knew each other from day one of their life on Earth. It was an equal feeling of fondness occurring between both of them, which none would consciously ever accept. Khushi moved her eyes away from his, and looked up the forehead which was bandaged, and since the time she had first arrived, it was now that she noticed carefully, that the cut on his forehead was pretty deep and brutal, spoiling his otherwise, close to perfect features.

Without conscious control, she withdrew one of her hands which was tied around his neck, and brought it upwards to touch the ugly scar which was exposed even through the ill applied band aid. And circled her fingers around the scar, a deep grieved expression on her face, causing him to twitch his nose unexpectedly at her soft touch on him.

"Is it too bad" she asked softly, and this time out of genuine concern.

"Maybe." He said quietly, losing his brain state to the wonders her touch was doing to him. Slowly she moved a little away from him, flustered at her sudden actions, withdrawing her hand from his neck and simultaneously from his forehead, shifting uneasily on his thigh. Her restless movements caused him to snap back from his trance, taking him a little while to restore his demeanor. As she shifted and backed away, from she unknowingly put a little too much pressure on his right thigh, resulting in him letting out a painful 'Ouch' from his mouth.

Concern grew back on her and she quickly moved away from him, standing next to him, and before he could even react, she started rubbing his thigh, to soothe the pain she had caused.

What brought her back to reality, was the awkward flinch of expressions on his face seeing her dazy faced looking at him, and he narrowed his eyes at her questioning her silently through them, but instead of answering back through her eyes in complete embarrassment she looked away from him concentrating back on what their chaperone was telling about their rooms and bunk bed. By the time she knew what was going on everybody had started dispersing away leaving her in bafflement, but luckily enough she was still holding on to Viveks hand, and as he attempted to move away their hands clasped into each other's caused him to stop looking back to see her standing stationary on her spot.