🏏IPL 2026: CSK vs MI, 33rd Match, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai🏏
🏏IPL 2026: RCB vs GT, 34th Match, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru🏏
Day 4 of convincing Swathi & Gang
IPL Forum Members' Awards
What will be The Cands of Gen 5 ML
Sriti Jha ᯓᡣ𐭩 AT ~Aparajita ᯓ★
Gaikwad dedicates CSK's 103-run win against MI to Mukesh Choudhary
Arnav woke up with a start and sat up on the bed, hearing the sound of breaking glass. He got out of bed, ran out into the corridor and into Aarav's bedroom. The bed was empty, and on the floor were broken glass and a cricket ball. Arnav's eyes opened wide as he looked outside the window. He turned around and ran out the door.
"Oh no. What will I do, Didi? He will surely yell at me!" Aarav said, gulping, his lips trembling with fear. Khushi shook her head and quickly took the bat from him.
"What is happening here?" Khushi turned around hearing an angry voice. Arnav stood behind her, glaring at her. Hari Prakash, Jai Prakash and Om Prakash slowly backed away from the stumps behind Aarav. Aarav took a step back as well and moved behind Khushi, scared.
Khushi lifted the bat with both hands and said nonchalantly, "Fighting crime!"
Arnav took a step forward, angrily and Khushi shrugged her shoulders. "What does it look like? We were playing cricket."
"I said no playing.." Arnav started, but Khushi interrupted him.
"Inside the house. Yes, I remember. Look around you, Mr. Raizada. We were playing outside the house."
"Fine. And is breaking the window part of the game too?"
"Well", Khushi said excited. "The ball came towards me. I closed my eyes, saw Yuvi before me, positioned myself like this," she bent down and touched the bat on the ground, " and then as the ball came towards me, I took all the energy I could gather and .."
"Enough." Arnav screamed, startling her; Aarav screamed and grabbed Khushi's hand. Arnav took a few steps close to Khushi and stopped right in front of her. He said, in a low, growling voice. "How dare you defy me.. again, and after I warned you."
"Huh?" Khushi feigned confusion. "I didn't defy you this time. You didn't ask me not to play cricket. You also didn't ask me not to break a window. So, tell me, when did I defy you?"
Aarav stifled a smile. The Prakashes looked each other and chuckled.
Arnav stared at the Prakashes and they looked down. He glared at Khushi, and snarled, "Fine. I will add those to your job description as well." He glared at Aarav, who moved behind Khushi again.
Arnav turned around and walked back into the house. As Arnav disappeared into the house, Aarav jumped up and down cheering. Khushi smiled and kneeled down. Aarav hugged her and placed a kiss on her cheek. Khushi smiled. Aarav pulled away and opened his mouth wide.
"Didi, does this mean that Papa loves you?" Khushi opened her eyes wide and looked at Aarav. He continued, "You told me that people get angry only at those they care about? Papa never gets angry in this house at anyone except me and now you."
Khushi gulped; she could feel that her cheeks were burning. She smiled and shook her head. "I don't know about that, Aarav. All I know is he loves you and so do I." She placed a kiss on his cheek and smiled. "Now you go take a shower quickly and come down for breakfast. We will start our lessons after that." She stood up and walked into the house, leaving Aarav blushing, his hand on his cheek.
Laad Governor cares about me? Khushi wondered. Shut up, Khushi. You just made that up to cheer Aarav. Of course if he shouts at you, that doesn't mean that he likes you. And why do you care about him? Do you want him to love you? Khushi froze and remembered his brown eyes. She gulped and shook her head. Stop it, Khushi. Stop thinking about him. She ran into the house.
Arnav stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel, when he heard a soft voice. The words were faint, but he could make out the tune of a popular Hindi film song. He walked towards the French doors and slowly moved aside the curtains. He saw Khushi watering the plants by the poolside, her face excited and her expressions changing according to the words in the song. She was swaying with the song while pouring water on the plants.
Arnav burst into a smile, watching her. Crazy girl! He thought, smiling. He stayed there, watching her till she stopped, picked up her phone from the poolside table and walked away. Arnav watched her walk away and turned to his wardrobe, smiling.
Arnav looked at his smiling self in the mirror, as he buttoned his shirt. Why are you smiling, Arnav? Seeing her act like a fool? That cheered you up, when nothing else did in the past five years? Khushi used to make you angry, and yet, now she brought that smile to your face. What is it about this girl that affects you? Arnav stopped and his face became stern. No, this is not the time to have feelings for someone. You have responsibilities; you have lots to do and no time for thinking about a girl. He stopped and turned around when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in", he said. The door opened and Khushi stepped in.
Flashback.
"Karim Chacha?"
"Khushi bitiya, sorry I didn't see your call earlier."
"No, Chacha. That's all right. I was calling to see how the classes were going and whether you managed to find someone to teach my classes as well."
"Oh we don't have classes today, bitiya."
"You don't have classes? Why, Chacha?"
"We are moving, bitiya. That's why I didn't attend your call earlier. I was helping the children pack. We have to leave the orphanage in an hour .. and .."
Khushi cut the call, threw the phone away and walked out her room, angrily.
"Khushi, did you need something?" Arnav asked, concerned. "Is something..?"
"How dare you, Mr. Raizada?" Khushi said angrily, walking towards him. Arnav raised his eyebrows, confused. She stopped in front of him, and continued. "I told you I would do my job well. My job is to teach your son, which I am doing really well. He is an excellent student. So what if we played cricket? It wasn't against your rules. You keep changing the rules, how am I supposed to know that? Why don't you write a list and give it to me, so that I will know what rules I am supposed to follow."
Arnav stifled a smile and opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off. "But instead, how dare you throw my children out of the orphanage? Where will they go? I never thought you would stoop so low to teach me a lesson for defying you." Her eyes filled with tears, and something tightened in Arnav's heart. Arnav moved towards her, shaking his head, but Khushi ignored him and continued.
"You are a beast, you are a monster who cares about no one. Else why would you put innocent children, who have nowhere to go, out on the streets. And Karim Chacha, he has managed that institution for the past fifty years. He has lived there his entire life and now you just left him to suffer on the streets. Where will he and hundred children go?" Khushi was trembling with anger. She pointed her finger at Arnav and scoffed, "But why would you care? You care about no one. That must be why your wife left you and your son alone." Arnav's eyes opened wide. Fuming with anger, he grabbed Khushi's arms and pulled her close.
Arnav said, through clenched teeth, his voice almost a low, growl. "I am planning to renovate the orphanage building. That's why I am arranging for the children to be moved to one of my empty guest houses for the next few weeks."
Khushi's eyes opened wide. Arnav released her and stepped away. He turned around and continued, "When I visited the orphanage a few days ago, I noticed that some parts of the roof were leaking. There is also not enough space for the children. So I am planning to build ten more rooms and also fix the pipes, maybe even add Internet facilities, so that you can teach the children how to use computers and Internet. I.."
"Arnavji.. I.." Khushi stammered, tears caught in her throat. What have I done?
Arnav looked at her over his shoulder and said, "Next time, find out the facts before accusing someone, Ms. Gupta." The hurt in his voice was unmistakable. He bent down picked up his coat and his laptop bag and walked out of the room, leaving Khushi shocked.
"Naniji, here are your medicines. You forgot to take them after dinner." Nani looked up as Khushi walked into her room. Khushi stopped at the table, poured water into a glass from the jug on the table and gave the glass of water to Nani. She took the glass and the medicines from Khushi. She swallowed the tablets and then placed the glass on the table.
Khushi smiled and started to move away from the bed when she noticed an album in Nani's hand. Nani was looking at a picture of young girl, wearing a hospital gown, with a baby in her arms.
"Is that her? Is that Aarav's mother?" Khushi kneeled down on the floor, next to Nani's chair. Nani smiled as she caressed the photograph, lovingly. Her eyes filled with tears as she nodded. She flipped the page and Khushi's eyes opened wide, seeing a picture of Arnav, standing next to the same girl, and caressing Aarav's hair, his eyes filled with love. "Look at my Chotte. How much he loved Aarav then .. and now..?" Nani closed her eyes and a tear rolled down.
"Naniji", Khushi stood up and touched her shoulders. "Please, the doctor asked you not to worry too much." Nani. She placed the album on the table next to the bed. While helping Nani lie down, Khushi failed to notice a shadow move away from the door.
I wonder what happened to Aarav's mother. She looked so happy in the picture and so did Arnavji. Khushi was deep in thought as she walked to Aarav's room.
Her eyes opened wide and she froze, as she stepped into the room. Arnav sat on the bed, watching Aarav sleep. Khushi's eyes filled with tears, watching him caress Aarav's hair, just like she had seen him in the picture. Arnav stopped and turned around. His eyes opened wide seeing her. He stood up from the bed and walked past her out the door, without looking at her.
Khushi walked into his room; it was empty. She walked to the French doors and stepped outside. Arnav was sitting on the recliner, looking at the stars. Khushi exhaled deeply and walked towards him. She stopped behind him. He took a quick look at her over his shoulder and then looked away.
"Arnavji, I know I have no right to ask you to do anything. But I saw the way you looked at Aarav. Why don't you tell your son how much you love him? He needs to know that. Please let him know that you care about him."
Arnav looked at the stars and gulped, fighting back tears. Khushi took a few steps towards him, exhaled deeply again and sat down on the recliner next to Arnav. She slowly lifted her hand, her heart beating wildly and her chest heaving with rapid breaths. She placed a hand on his shoulder. He could feel his heart beating wildly as he felt her hand on his shoulder, but his eyes never left the night sky covered with twinkling stars.
She looked at the stars and said softly, her eyes filled with tears. "Karim Chacha told me once that when our loved ones die, they become stars in the sky. I am sure your parents and even", she paused and then added, "your wife are up there. They will be happy to know that you and Aarav are happy." Arnav moved away abruptly, her hand slid off his shoulder. He turned to her, his face fuming with anger.
"Your job is to teach Aarav, not to lecture me. I don't plan to add that to your job description either. I know what is best for Aarav. You don't have to teach me that. Leave. Now."
Khushi's eyes opened wide and a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. She slowly stood up from the recliner, wiping her tears and turned around to walk away, when she felt a hand on her wrist. She turned around to see Arnav, his eyes filled with concern, his hand on her wrist. He released her hand and looked away.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to be rude." He closed his eyes.
Khushi shook her head and sat down next to him and added quickly, "No, no. I am sorry. I crossed my limits. I have no right to tell you what you should do with your life and with your son's." She swallowed and added, her eyes filling up with tears. "It's just .. Aarav is such a sweet boy. He needs his father's love. I grew up without knowing who my parents were."
A tear rolled down Arnav's cheek, his eyes still closed, as he quickly added. "So did I." He opened his eyes and looked at Khushi. "And so will Aarav."
Khushi looked at him confused. "But you.."
Arnav swallowed. "I am not his father. Aarav is my sister's son. My sister died .." He closed his eyes, and added after a pause. "Because of me."
"I am sure that is not true. Don't blame yourself for.." Khushi started to say, but Arnav cut her off, as he spoke quickly, looking ahead at the pool.
"Our parents died fifteen years ago. My sister was very young then, not even a teenager. I had to step up and take care of my father's company, while I was still in school. Even when I was buried with responsibilities and work, I never let my sister suffer. I made sure she had the best of everything, even if I had to go through hell to give her that. I shouldn't have made her life that easy for her, because Nani and I, we spoiled her".
Arnav stood up from the recliner and took a few steps to the pool. He folded his arms and looked down into the pool at his reflection. He exhaled deeply and added, looking at the stars. "I was too busy with my work and studies that I never realized what she was like in high school. She got into alcohol, drugs and bad company. And before we knew it, she got pregnant. Her boyfriend, Shyam, didn't want the baby and advised her to get an abortion. He took her to the clinic, but the doctor called us, because she knew Nani. Anjali was just sixteen and a minor!" Khushi opened her eyes wide.
"Nani didn't want Anjali to abort the baby. She insisted that we should go talk to Shyam's parents and convince them to accept Anjali and the baby. But they mocked us and threw us out of the house". Arnav's face was fuming with anger, as he remembered the insults Shyam's father had hurled at him and his Nani. Khushi stood up and walked towards him.
As she placed her hand on his shoulder, his face relaxed. Khushi said softly, "Arnavji, it's okay. It's late, you should go get some sleep.. and.."
"Aarav." Arnav's voice was just a whisper. He swallowed, fighting back tears. "I still remember the day he was born and I held him in my arms." He looked at his hands, fighting back tears again.
Arnav's face changed; his eyes filled with fury as he added, "Nani and I didn't care about society. Aarav was Anjali's baby, and we wanted her to raise the baby. We thought she would become mature with the added responsibility. But Anjali..," he curled his fists and closed his eyes.
Khushi swallowed, fighting back tears. Her heart felt heavy, seeing Arnav's pain. "She used to take drugs even while she was pregnant. It was our driver; he was the one who used to get her the drugs. I fired him immediately; Nani never got to know about the drugs. I had a therapist visit Anjali regularly, till she got over her addiction. I fixed everything, or so I thought." Arnav closed his eyes. Khushi stepped closer and put one arm around him, without realizing what she was doing. She just wanted to comfort him, console him, and ease his pain.
"Arnavji, please.. please sit down." Khushi said. Arnav turned around and walked back to the recliner. She poured a glass of water from the jug on the table, as he sat down. She heard Arnav speak, as she took the glass in her hand. "Anjali had the baby, a beautiful baby boy. We were all so happy. Anjali was also over her drug addiction. I thought everything would be fine after that. And it was .. for the first few years."
"Here, please .. drink some water." Khushi interrupted him, as she gave him the glass.
Arnav ignored her and continued. "Anjali continued her studies after she had the baby. For two years, I had men at her side all the time, making sure she never met any of her old friends. But once she finished high school, I removed the guards, because she insisted that she had changed and I thought so too, but once again I was wrong. She started meeting Shyam regularly; this continued for the next two years, while I was away pursuing my graduate studies. The day I got back from the US, I walked into her room and saw a letter she left for me." He scoffed, as he added, "welcoming me back home. She had run away from home with Shyam, leaving the baby for me and Nani to raise."
Arnav exhaled deeply and his shoulders fell. His head hung low, as he looked down at his feet, dejected. Khushi had the sudden urge to hug him. "We reported her missing and searched for her everywhere. They were speeding on the highway, when his car crashed into a truck; they died instantly. Shyam was drunk. His parents fought for Aarav's custody, but we won; there was no way I could let them have Aarav. I have been his father ever since.."
Khushi kneeled down on the floor at Arnav's feet and said, softly. "So you loved him, that's why you didn't give him up. But why now, why don't you let him know how much you love him?"
Arnav looked at her, his eyes filled with tears. "How can I? Every time I look at him, I think of her' how I gave her everything she wanted.. how I spoiled her. If I had been strict with her, she would have never died. She died because I was loving." He looked away. "But if I am stern with Aarav.."
Khushi got up on her feet and sat on the recliner next to him. She swallowed, seeing him stare at the water; a dejected look on his face. "Aarav is a wonderful child. He will listen to you, even if you tell him with love. He listens to me, doesn't he?"
She smiled and placed a hand on Arnav's arm. "And you?" She added after a pause, "He adores you. What he needs is your company, your love. He wants you to appreciate him."
Arnav looked at her, surprised. "Me? Why? All I have done is shout at him since the day Anjali died."
Khushi shook her head and added quickly. "Aarav wants your attention. He wants to know that he matters to you. Why else do you think he fights with his friends at school? He is trying to get your attention, in every possible way. Breaking the rules you set at home.. at school. It is his way of making sure you know he exists."
"So you think if I start being nicely to him, he won't turn out like Anjali?" There was hope in Arnav's eyes.
Khushi nodded. "What happened with your sister was unfortunate, Arnavji. But with Aarav, you have a chance to set everything right. Give him your love and he will give you more love in return. Everything will be fine, I promise you." She placed her hand on his and slowly took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently.
Arnav looked at her hand on his; a faint smile appeared on his stricken face. Without any hesitation, Arnav threw his arms around Khushi and closed his eyes. He pulled her towards him, and let out the pain and frustration that he had locked inside for years. Khushi put her arms around him, and held him close, as she let him cry in her arms.
The moon shone brightly among the twinkling stars, up in the night sky.
Seher Hone Ko Hai
Bollywood
