ArShi SS: BREATHE || NTL - page 153 :) - Page 65

CHAPTER 9

"Khushi" he stopped, not able to pronounce more words but flashed a gentle smile as she opened her eyes grumpily. Continously combing through her hair, he left a soft kiss on her forehead bringing the blanket up her chin to tuck it there.

Her glossy eyes rounded but she didn't utter anything but kept her gaze on him, intact. What he could get was her unpercievable look.

"Baby, you fine?" He asked clearing her forehead off her hairs strewn across as she nodded.

It was the next fine morning she had woken up in his arms with gave her contentment to an extent that the memories she didnt want to come back were in a state of inertia. They lay in the quiescent air, just the heartbeats could be heard.

The raw pain twinged in the deepest cords of his heart as he saw the corners of her mouth shivering and eyes turning wet.

"I'm scared Arnav." She muttered in a deadly silence, a tone which sent shivers down his spine.

"You know that you dont have to be right?"

"What about your family Arnav?"

"What about them? I dont care anymore because they dont deserve it."

"Khushi..can you..?"

"I..it was a difficult morning after a couple of days you were gone, I had a pounding headache. Days followed, it remained the same or even increased throughout my body.. i couldn't understand. One day Anjali brought me home saying I got drunk in the bar we went after shopping...bu..but I never drank Arnav. Why would I?" She sobbed. "I tried to focus what was happening around me but it never got any better. I dont..know what was happening i had no clue.." he hugged her again. "But that day in the club, I didn't come out with Anjali." She saw Arnav looking at her intently. "It was a man who brought me out, but I could hear him talking to someone on call and saying he is bring me outside. When we got out, Anjali found us instantly." She told all which was kept captive in her brain not noticing the growing visible stiffness in him.

"Shh..its okay" he patted her head. "Dont think about it okay? I know what I have to do about it, about us. And I think you should take a bath, come I'll help you.." he picked her up briskly walking to the washroom when he felt her limp fingers sprawl across his cheeks.

He saw her hesitating for a moment, trying to wriggle out of his grip.

"I..can I ..alone...I will do it myself" she muttered quietly not quite meeting his eyes.

"Khu.."

He started but she clutched his shoulders tightly making him stop midway. "Please Arnav. I need some time to gather my thoughts. Please"

"Okay, I'm right here. Call me if you need anything." He put her down and saw her limping her way inside. A thousands of needles stabbed his conscience but he allowed her to be alone, to think, to breathe, alone.

However, as much time she needed to let herself come to back to normal, he was in dire need of that too. He needed time to open the tangled knots of the situation, he thought letting himself fall on the bed, his mind on work already.

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"Sometimes I feel we shouldn't have done this." She said softly sitting on the bed slipping her wet hair aside as he did her zip swiftly and kissed her shoulder brushing his stubble along.

"Done what?"

"Our relation..without marriage." Her words made him snap his head at him. Out of all the things in the planets, this wouldnt even have been the last things he would want to hear from her, at this time.

"Do you regret it Khushi?" He asked earnestly. The cracks already visible in their relation were enough and he could not bear anymore.

"Marriage or no marriage, i can never regret having you in my life else I would hav.."

"Shh! What we have between us, our love, is pure" he tucked a little strand of her hair behind her ear kissing the lob making her hiss at the sensation she felt after so much time. "You'll have to meet someone."

"Who?" At the same time, they heard a few knocks at the door. Arnav opened the latch and welcomed in.

"He's Doctor Mehra, Khushi." An old man came in the view making her relax back in her place but hesitantly.

"Hello pretty lady. I hope you're doing fine now?" She smiled at him nodding as he sat beside her checking her temperature and pulse. "You need to eat something now! Akash!" He called out and the next second, Akash jumped into the view.

"Bhabiii" he rushed taking her in a bear hug. "I'm sorry! I missed you." He whispered.

"I'm fine now, dont worry." And after so many days, Arnav felt genuinely alleviated when he saw a small yet legit smile etching on her face. Akash pulled back putting a few medicines on the side tables along with the injections making her shriek inwardly, he laughed.

"Eat these, and these.." Dr Mehra arrowed his fingers to the plate of fruits, soup along with the medicines kept in a tray which was conveniently thrusted on her lap. She frowned!

"Khushii..you have to eat all this and No! I'm not gonna help here." He pressed his lips making her nod in annoyance and flare her nose. She resisted with every energy she got not to retort back in other's presence.

"Here..have the soup first" she sat like a defenseless person with the 3 men hovering over her endlessly.

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"Arnav?" Mami and Anjali gaped as he appeared with Akash, walking into the house with a happy smile.

It was the next day he had decided to pay a visit to his home, he decided it was the time of his oife for the confrontation.

"Hi everyone!" He exclaimed and saw mami running to him enveloping him in a hug. "I'm so glad you're back beta! We have so much to tell you.." she cried. "But why so suddenly?"

"I wanted to surprise everyone maybe?" Mischief shone in his voice. Noting quite a few familiar voices downstairs, Nani descended too.

"And I have to tell you all so much too, the good news first. I bagged the deal for which I went back on such a short notice. It's an prodigious progress for AR." He said in an extremely ordinary yet delighted way still made a person flinch who stood there contemplating haze.

She shambled on her feet unknowingly but someone smirked looking at her. Call it a denial or her stubbornness to not to accept the reality, she was facing it all. Maybe Aman could be right? Because there was no such deal, she apprehended cautiously. But how could she be wrong, she was never, and never will be..her brain chided.

Holding her chin high, she mumbled a quick prayer to God and hugged Arnav. "We're so glad you are back Arnav. Now, there is no going back." She smiled at him which got reciprocated too. "Why did you only tell Akash about it, maybe I would have also got into this silly surprise." She laughed rather anxiously. The one thing she was sure of that Arnav knew nothing, she was still on a safer bay. Akash had told him nothing, she breathed in a relief.

"Okay okay, now tell me where is my Khushi? KHUSHII" An overwhelming hush followed his calls. Everyone's gaze turned back and forth, not daring to open their mouths when Anjali took a decision, this was the time.

"Arnav, see, you have to be strong for whatever I will.."

"I will tell you Arnav bitwa!" Nani spoke up rigidly cutting Anjali in between.

"Khushi had been thrown out of this house at one night by all of us." Her voice cracked a little but she kept on. "She wasn't keeping well from a few days. We called in for a doctor one day where he informed us that she..she has a regular intake of drugs!" With her head dug in her old wrinkled palms, she cried.

Anjali's perturbed gaze traveled to both of them, she limped in between. "She is not a good girl for you Arnav." She said softly caressing his cheek. "The doctor even said she has a thing for alcohol, there were abnormal amount of traces found in her blood. She is a drug addict. Probably she must be luring you just because of your money and stature."

"She cannot be!"

"We didn't want to hurt you Arnav bitwa so Anjali also hired a private detective through Aman." Anjali closed her eyes as Mami took Aman's name. Uh!

"Yes Arnav, we wanted to be sure and see these.." she brought a brown packet in a minute digging it in his hands. "See this.."

"These photos.." he whispered shocked. "Yes! She had a bad past Arnav. She's gone for good. Its better you forget her too, I know it will be hard but you will have to." His jaw remained hardened. Sheer disgruntlement and he shut his eyes.

"Bitwa.." he heard Nani call out to him in between an eerie silence. "Bring her back..I know she is not like that. You find out the truth yourself, a work is better done by your own hands." Nani shook her head indicating not to believe in any false stories. His eyes softened.

Yes! The photos he saw in front of his eyes were indeed in their truest forms, they had a striking reality behind them, the past he and Khushi, both have tried to burry under their passion and love, the acrid memories they tried to defeat by creating newer ones but it was an unfortunate day when it all came back to them with an interest.

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Thankyou 😳 for a overwhelming response on last update!! <3

There is a hint anout Anjali in this chapter, anyone? 😉

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