Nishi groaned sleepily and pulled her comforter over her ear but she has no heart to ignore Neel's call so she picked her mobile from her side table

"Hey Neel" she said irritatingly.

"Hey di" he replied sweetly.

"What time it is? She asked.

"I know but .... di We have some problem here in Pune hotel...with some housekeeping staff" he said and paused "It's kind of urgent, I spoke to dad before calling you he said I should talk to you rather he want you to visit Pune tomorrow.

"Where is manager, can't he handle" she asked.

"Umm... actually manager is on leave" Neel replied and smiled on phone he is aware that his sister can never ignore urgent problem and sure will visit Pune tomorrow and this way their plan will work.

"Give me some time I need to talk to dad," Nishi replied back.

"I already spoke to him, I think you should come tomorrow" Neel said in serious tone.

"Ok... I will come tomorrow" Nishi replied plainly.

"Good night di , love you" he wished and started doing happy dance.

"Love you Neel"

After cutting call he happily dialled Navneet.

"Job done Dad" he said happily.

"Cool son, Good night and Neel take care of your sister , she will need you when she meets Arjun, she may have anxiety or emotional breakdown" Navneet said in serious tone.

"I know dad, trust me I will stand beside her, Good night"

* * *

"Don't look at me like that," Navneet pulled his wife into his embrace.

"Vicky is right partner for her" Nimmi said.

"Arjun is best for her" Navneet smiled.

"Navneet, Arjun had hurt her repeatedly, I don't want him to do the same, she is broken and weak from inside"

"I promise I will not let anyone hurt our daughter and if things didn't work I will convince Nishi to marry Vicky" Navneet said and kissed her forehead.

"Arjun is broken he won't let anyone near him and his daughter" Nimmi said.

"Nishi is not just anyone , she is his best friend, his princess" Navneet said and laid back on his side of bed and pates "don't take tension your husband won't let anything bad happened to our family or children" he said and pulled his wife "sweetheart trust me," Nimmi slightly nodded "good night" she whispered closing her eyes .

* * *

"Good morning mommy- daddy" Nishi kissed on their cheeks, she sat down and filled her plate with boiled egg and toast.

"Dad, Neel called me and told me about housekeeping problem in our Pune hotel," she said between bites.

"Hmm hmm,I asked him to call you" he sipped his tea and glanced at her, "so, you are going?"

"Yes, but I thought of calling the manager and then will see how we can handle the problem" she sipped her tea and looked at him.

Navneet stood up from his chair, for a second he looked at his wife then he looked back at Nishi " I think you should leave for Pune in an hour or two its urgent matter so we should not take it lightly" he said in serious tone.

"And Nishi umm that ...I will manage your work ...and um that..a... manager ,manager is... on leave the Pune one he is on leave so don't call him ,you don't have his number.. I mean.. You don't know who is the manager in our Pune hotel" Navneet said and glanced at Nimmi who nodded sadly, she don't want Nishi to go and know about Arjun or meet him , but Navneet is adamant for this meeting.

Nishi looked at her parents they were seriously looking at each other "dad mom what's going on" Navneet breaks the eye contact "Nishi have you ever spoke to manager of our Pune hotel?"

"No dad, never" she replied casually. She don't know who is manager, she don't know what surprise is waiting for her in Pune Navneet thought.

"Good!! Then just go directly without calling him" he smiled and kissed her forehead "all the best" Nishi smiled back at her father.

"Nimmi, help her in packing" Navneet walk to his wife "she is going for a week or more" he said and leaned down to his wife "trust me this is right time when Nishi meets Arjun."

* * *

"Nishi baba, straight to Pune or Neel's apartment or you wants to visit hotel first" Gopal her oldest driver from her childhood asked.

"Straight to Neel's place" she smiled at him.

After approximately five hour they entered Pune.

"Gopal uncle please stop the car near that temple" Nishi sweetly said.

Nishi pulled out her stole from bag. She covers her head with stole and went inside the beautiful white temple. The atmosphere was very calming, after doing her prayer she came out of the main hall and was wearing her sandals, when a small girl ran towards her and hugs her leg "mommy" she sweetly looked up to Nishi her eye looked very familiar to Nishi but she had never met this little princess before, she picked her in her arms and the girl giggled and kissed her cheeks "mommy" little princess again called her mommy, but before Nishi try to ask her something, an old lady came running to them and pulled the little princess from her .

Nishi stood their looking at them "dadi(grandmother) , look dadi mommy" little princess pointed at Nishi but old lady didn't turned , she continued towards the big iron gate of temple.

Nishi ran towards them now her little princess was wailing "dadi she is my mommy I want to go to her" but old lady hand her over to a man standing outside the temple.

Nishi felt like her own daughter is taken away from her she was not able to move.

"Nishika come to daddy" a deep voice a very familiar voice Nishi thought and glanced at the person holding little princess ,her heart pained her body went numb, "Arjun" she said and fell on the ground but before Arjun can notice her she stood and ran inside.

"Arjun is married he has daughter and that old lady she is Arpita maa" Nishi leaned back on the gate and called her driver "Gopal uncle take me home" she hiccuped.

* * *

Gopal turned and looked back at Nishi "Nishi what happened?"

"Gopal uncle Aljun" she try to stop her tears but eight years , after eight years she saw Arjun.

"Arjun?" he asked.

"Hmm hmm" she cried harder now.

Gopal eyes filled with tears, he turned and started driving. He is oldest driver of Navneet. He had seen Nishi go weak for Arjun.

They walk inside Neel's apartment.

"Neel baba I am going to my flat take care of her" Gopal kept her luggage and turn to go.

Neel looked at his sister whose eyes were swollen and red "Di what happened?" he asked his face filled with fear and pain.

Gopal turned and answered for her "Arjun" and walks away.

Neel picked her luggage and took her inside the apartment and closed the door behind them. He took her into hug "Arjun" she hiccuped.

He pulled back and touched her forehead "di you are burning with fever" he said, he remember the day when Arjun went to London, he remember how she went weak with high fever, his eyes filled with tear,he took her hand and made her sit.

"I am fine just get me a glass of water"  Neel got her a glass of water, Nishi gulped the water without pausing, she passed empty glass back to Neel and laid back on chair. She closed her eyed and tried to calm down and try to control her emotions.

"Ar ...Arjun ..is here in pune" she said

"Yes" Neel replied back.

"Ok so you know" she opened her eyes and sat straight on chair.

Neel nodded.

Nishi takes a deep breath "Call dad now"

Neel sits beside and hugs her "you met him, you went directly to hotel" he asked.

"Hotel?" Nishi asked her voice filled with shock.

"Yes our hotel, you saw him there.. I mean he is manager"  Neel gulped and hesitantly glanced back at his sister.

"Oh!! so he is manager in our hotel , that's why dad didn't let me call him" Nishi pushed Neel away and stood up furiously throwing her hand up in air "he is in Pune, he is manager in our hotel, he is married , he has daughter and I don't know anything, nobody told me about him" she furiously looked down at Neel who was still sitting on the chair.

"Why? Why, you all thought I will ruin his happiness right Neel" she said rubbing her tears away.

"I love him dammit, I can never ruin his happiness."

"No di, no this is not true" Neel stood up and hugs her.

"Di eat something and have medicine, I will tell you everything later please" Neel begged.

"No" Nishi was adamant she want to know everything about Arjun.

"Ok" Neel took her hand and made her sit back on the chair, "Arjun was married, cheated by his wife, they came back from London or rightly saying they are thrown by goons on Pune road"  he looked straight into her eyes "we wanted you to meet him so we planned this visit, we have problem with house keeping but this way  we planed to meet Arjun, because Arjun was not ready to meet you, he don't want to hurt you, he was aware his circumstances will hurt you."

Nishi eyes welled up with tears "he has daughter" she said.

"Nishika" Neel smiled slightly.

"She is so cute I met her in temple while coming here" she said.

"Oh so you saw Arjun in temple" Neel asked.

"Hmm hm" she murmured.

"Neel, she called me mommy" Nishi kept her head on his shoulder "she called me mommy."

Any guesses what's going to happened next in Nishi and Arjun life. Life is unpredictable but I want my lovely readers and friends to predict and share.

Thanks for reading

Veenu

4