This is more like a filler update, considering I am focusing on something else nowadays. But the next update will be up soon, jumping straight to the hearing.
Oh and a big round of applause to arnavini for giving me the best comment for this story. Thank you!!
ArHi FF: Yeh Saali Zindagi
Chapter 36
15th August, 2014
Opening his eyes slowly, Arnav looked around, feeling groggy and disoriented. Satisfied after a long, good night sleep, he moved his head on the pillow looking around, wondering what had woken him up.
He froze, feeling a ticklish sensation at the nape of his neck. Tipping his chin down slowly, his eyes fell on his wife, her face hidden partially in his neck as she breathed slowly, her lips parted a little in her sleep. As her hot breath fell on his neck again, he smiled, placing his hand over her own, wrapped around his shoulder. Chuckling quietly, he caressed a line across her jaw, making her shiver as she made a sound at his touch in approval, closing her mouth instinctively.
After staring at her angelic features for a moment, he tried to get up, gently disentangling himself from her when he realized his own mistake, staring at his wife's legs thrown over his, her foot wrapped around his calf firmly.
Falling back on the bed, he looked down at Khushi before roaming his eyes around the bed, seeing how she was hogging all the space, pushing him to a side before falling asleep in his arms. His eyes dancing in amusement, he once again tried to move, making sure to not wake her.
After minutes of struggle where Khushi had hugged him and tried to push him down on the bed once again, he moved to stand beside the bed, tucking the comforter around her shoulders before placing a pillow under her head.
Smiling to himself, he got ready, walking out of the room slowly, leaving his sleeping wife behind. Brushing his housekeeper's offer of making breakfast aside, he moved inside the kitchen, quickly placing two breads inside the toaster as he cracked two eggs in a bowl, beating the gooey stuff to a frothy consistency before throwing chopped onions and green chilies in the mixture. Sliding two more breads in the toaster, he poured the mixture down on a pan, watching it spread around in a perfect circular shape. Once it was done, he moved to make apple pie, the only sweet dish he had learned to cook on Manyata's insistence.
He was serving the food in two plates when he heard a noise, smiling when he realized that his wife has entered inside the kitchen. Turning to look at her with a smile, he froze watching her standing at the door wearing a white chooridar suit, the hem trimmed with red and blue lace, her wet hair falling around her back, short tendrils curling around the curve of her jaw.
"You didn't wake me up." Khushi accused, moving inside further to take a plate from his hands before moving to the dining table. As she plopped down on a chair, digging in the food quickly, Arnav cleared his throat, joining her as he replied "I didn't want to. Did you sleep well?"
Nodding her head, Khushi answered "Yeah, like a baby."
Hiding his rising smile behind his hand, Arnav teased "More like a bear. I never knew you take so much so space while sleeping."
Spluttering suddenly at his words, Khushi asked between hiccups "What? Oh god, I didn't push you out of the bed, did I?"
Chuckling lightly, Arnav pacified her rising mortification at the situation "No, you didn't. You just clung to me like glue. I didn't know you sleep like this till today."
Dropping her fork in the plate, Khushi hid her face behind her hands "Oh my god. I am so embarrassed. I thought my sleeping habits have changed. You know, when I used to have sleepover with Lavanya, I once pushed her out of the bed. She fell down. After that, she never slept in the same bed as me. I guess the way Manyata used to cling to me, I didn't had much choice to move until last night."
Bursting into loud laughter, Arnav leaned back in his chair, his hands braced against the table. His laughter deepened when Khushi scowled at him, looking furious. Wiping tears from his eyes, Arnav said hoarsely "You cannot blame me for laughing. It was hilarious, admit it. Don't mind, okay. Please eat your breakfast."
Khushi relented, unable to hide her smile at the whole matter "It was funnay."
His eyes still dancing in amusement, Arnav replied "I know."
"This is good." Khushi mumbled as she resumed eating, chewing the food with absolute relish. Looking pleased, Arnav started eating, his eyes still fixed on her as he asked "So are you going somewhere?"
Shaking her head in denial, she looked at him "I am planning to visit Aman in the evening. Apparently, his condition has improved but he still hasn't gained consciousness. What about you?"
"I don't need to leave till afternoon. So do you want to do something in particular till then?" Arnav asked curiously, watching her move to attack her share of apple pie.
Savoring the sweet taste, Khushi frowned, replying hesitantly "Can we go to meet Nia?"
Arnav blinked. Sensing his confusion, she explained "I just don't want to force my plan on her. If she didn't feel comfortable with the idea, I will think of something else to be revealed during Vikrant's house search. Our plan can work that way as well."
Shrugging nonchalantly, he agreed "Okay, I guess. But we need to be discreet, you know that, right?"
Khushi smiled.
"So, this is the place."
Looking around curiously, Khushi commented, her hand resting on the hood of the car, watching as Arnav got out of it. Scrutinizing the similar looking apartments of the three buildings around them, she looked impressed. A smile tugging at her lips, she muttered under her breath "It would be difficult for Vikrant's men to search for her in this place."
Taking off his sunglasses, Arnav turned to walk toward the building to his right, contradicting her "You are yet to see the best thing about this place."
Together, they climbed the stairs, not saying anything. Stopping in front of a door at the third floor of the building, Arnav pointed to the automatic password machine attached to the door, pressing his thumb on the screen as he explained "This machine only recognizes three people's thumb print- mine, Nia's and the elder woman that lives here with her as housekeeper. If anyone else tried to gain access to this apartment, it'll alert the building security immediately and then the police. I will also know about it. You see, she is safe here."
Khushi smiled, her eyes seeing her husband in a new light, a mastermind. She would have never thought about this kind of protection for Nia but her husband has covered every aspect of it, not leaving any opportunity for failure in his plan.
Pushing the door open, Arnav looked at her over his shoulder, smirking wickedly "And even if someone managed to get past this, they will have someone else to face."
Khushi had just stepped inside when a voice rang in her ears "Identify yourself or I am going to shoot you both."
Raising her hands as her eyes caught on the gun pointed at them by an elder woman dressed in a pale green shirt and black trousers, she was stunned when Arnav said cheekily "Relax Meera, I am Arnav Raizada and this is my wife, Khushi. We are here to see Nia."
Looking at him, the woman lowered her weapon, nodding her head in greeting "Good morning, Sir. Nia is in her room."
Turning to look at her, Arnav smiled "Relax, Khushi. This is the housekeeper I was talking about."
Looking as the woman nodded at her curtly, sliding her gun into the holster around her waist, Khushi followed Arnav to another room ahead, watching as he knocked on the closed door, whispering softly "Nia, open up. It's me and Khushi."
Together, they waited for a few moments before the door was pulled open partially, an apprehensive looking Nia peeking out at them. Realizing that it is them actually, Nia relaxed visibly, stepping out at once to greet them with a smile on her face. Wearing a white t-shirt and blue patiala salwar, she looked good with her hairs tied in a ponytail.
Smiling at her affectionately, Khushi waved her hand in greeting while Arnav nodded at her, his face looking somber.
Staring at them, Nia gushed immediately "Hi. Arnav ji, thank you for letting me stay here. I can't thank you both enough for doing all this for me and my parents. I never thought that you both would go to this extent to protect me."
Stepping forward, Khushi smiled, giving her hands a gentle squeeze "It was nothing, Nia. I am glad that you are comfortable here."
Sparing a glance around, Nia admitted softly "I feel like home here. No one here bothers me or stares at me maliciously like people did after what happened."
Her teeth gritting together at the mention of the treatment the girl standing in front of her has received from her neighbors and people who knew her after what Vikrant did to her, Khushi said in a taut tone "They were wrong, Nia, not you."
Nodding her head in agreement, Nia clasped her hands in front of her and alternated a gaze between them "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
Clearing her throat, Khushi shifted her gaze to look at Arnav before replying nervously "Well, there is something. We just wanted your help related to your case against Vikrant. But you don't have to do anything if you don't want to. I won't force you."
Staring at her intently, Nia replied in a firm voice "I will do anything. You can count me in."
"Are you ready?"
Sighing deeply as he heard the question, Akash Raizada looked up watching his father-in-law peering down at him in concern, before his gaze honed in on Arnav and Khushi walking out of their own car, glancing around.
Switching his gaze to the reporters pouring inside the auditorium, Akash gulped audibly, as he replied "Yeah. But I never thought that so much people will come for the press conference being led by me."
Snorting at his reply, Shashi explained "Despite the fact that you sell yourself short of everything you have ever done, people in there believe in you, Akash. And don't forget that people are always eager to hear everything when it comes to Raizadas'."
Akash nodded as Arnav and Khushi stopped in front of them.
"Are things going according to the plan?" Arnav questioned, looking at his brother. Not waiting for his reply, he continued "Look if you don't want to issue a statement to the media, I can do it. Just say so."
Shaking his head, Akash straightened, meeting everyone's eyes in determination "No. I got this."
"Alright." Arnav relented, looking at his brother in approval. Slipping a hand around Khushi's waist, he continued "We will not say anything unless the situation gets out of control. We will let you lead this on your own."
Staring at each other in silent agreement, they together moved past the back door, gesturing to their publicist to announce their arrival. Taking lead, Shashi waited for the announcement before walking in, smiling as every reporter moved toward him to ask questions.
Moving swiftly in the protective barrier created by his bodyguards, he made to the stage before taking a seat to the right. He waited patiently as Khushi and Arnav walked in together then, their blank face staring ahead, ignoring the shouted questions of the media surrounding them, knowing that no one would dare to break past their security detail. As they moved to the stage, Khushi sat beside him while Arnav took a seat to the left side of the stage, leaving the chair in middle empty.
Together, they stared as Akash walked in, striding slowly to look at the reporters and smile at them in greeting, his face a perfect mix of calm and wisdom. As he climbed on stage, he waved at everyone before sitting down in the chair graciously. Taking a sip from the glass of water in front of him, he leaned forward, speaking softly against the microphone "Good evening ladies and gentlemen!! Thank you for coming here. I know that in past few days, there have been some rumors rounding around regarding my family. They aren't true. I called this press conference to clarify everything. You can start asking questions if you must. I will try to answer them honestly."
As everyone started speaking at once, Akash shook his head, pointing at someone in the crowd and asking him to speak louder. Surprised, the reporter looked around before voicing his question, his tone loud and clear among the somehow subdued crowd "Mr Raizada, there have been rumors about your father's disappearance from the town along with your sister. Where are they?"
Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Akash started replying "My sister, Anjali Raizada is currently in the hospital, being treated for a rather serious injury. She fell down the stairs few days back. Since then, she is unconscious. The doctors think that it will take her some time to recover. I hope you all can understand the predicament my family is going through. My family needs the support of the public."
"What about Bade Sahab?" The reporter persisted.
Feigning a frustrated sigh at the question, Akash said hesitantly "We don't know."
A silence fell over the crowd as everyone started looking at each other in bewilderment, wondering what he meant actually. Taking advantage of the momentary silence, Akash stood up "As a matter of fact, this is the reason I thought that you all would like us to help with. My father has been missing from past few days. He is not picking up our calls neither has anyone seen him anywhere. My family has been worried about him very much. My mother has been hysterical since his disappearance. I would like to request to the general public through this press conference that if anyone saw him, please inform us. We will be forever grateful to you for the help."
The moment he finished speaking, every reporter nodded looking excitedly. Taking their excitement as his cue to speak further, Akash made a sad face "I fear for his safety. Many politicians envy my father and want to hurt him. Please help us find him."
"So do you think this is some political conspiracy, then?" A reporter quizzed.
Clasping his hands behind his back, Akash straightened "My father, Anuj Raizada, has always been loved and respected by everyone. People listened to his thoughts and tried to follow them. The faith that people always had in my father made him powerful. In past, he received many death threats but he continued serving to you people, unfazed by the future. This time someone has indeed managed to harm him. A lot of people might gain power due to this. So yes, I think it's a political conspiracy."
"Mr Raizada, there have been a rumor that you decided to take Anuj Raizada and Anjali Raizada out of everyone's eye so that you can lead the political party that Bade Sahab has formed years ago. Is it true?" A voice asked from the back of the auditorium.
"Nonsense." Arnav growled, standing up so quickly that the chair toppled behind him loudly. Glaring at the crowd, he spat "My brother isn't capable of doing such thing."
Placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, Akash stared forward "No I didn't do anything like that. I resigned from the party voluntarily. I don't wish to be a part of it anymore. My family matters more to me."
Looking disappointed as Arnav didn't say anything again, the reporters then focused on Shashi. Sensing their attention on him, Shashi smiled "I am not saying anything in this press conference. I am here as a support to my family. We all are worried about Anuj, so let's focus on him."
Knowing that they were likely to move to her, Khushi announced quietly "This press conference is over. Thank you everyone for coming here. If anyone gets any information about Bade Sahab, please inform us."
"Thank you everyone." Akash repeated, moving to walk out with his family.
"That went well." Khushi commented, watching as Arnav squinted at the screen of his phone, lying beside each other on the bed.
"Hmm." Arnav said, looking distraced.
Turning her body to peer at what he was looking, Khushi asked curiously "What are you looking at?"
Finally glancing up at her, Arnav answered "This is an outline of Vikrant's house. Shyam sent it just now. I was just thinking about how we should place Nia there. We don't want her to get hurt. So she must be placed in a room where she can be easily discovered but where no one should doubt that this is all a conspiracy."
Pondering over his words, Khushi suggested "What about the basement in his house?"
Arnav smiled, meeting her eyes in surprise "I was thinking about it as well."
Khushi grinned, resting her head on his shoulder "Well this isn't a surprise considering how much we think alike except you tend to be a little melodramatic."
Staring at her in horror, Arnav breathed "Melodramatic?"
Looking away, Khushi hid a smile, replying in an even tone "Yeah, melodramatic. You tend to push yourself in danger when you are thinking emotionally. But I don't."
Staring at her for a long time, Arnav conceded "Yeah. Maybe."
Looking pleased, Khushi smiled "But I like it, you know. It assures me that you feel things too. Sometimes, it's so difficult for me to read what you are feeling."
Stroking her hairs, Arnav countered affectionately "You just need to ask if you need to know anything about me, Khushi."
"Yeah, I know. Let's just look at the outline tomorrow." Khushi offered, settling comfortably in his arms. Placing his phone on the nightstand, Arnav hugged her. Turning his head to stare at her, Arnav confessed "I too like the way you are. Your practical approach to everything balances everything between us."
"Goodnight, Arnav." Khushi murmured, smiling a little.
"Goodnight, Khushi."
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