Part 21 Cat is OUT

Khushi was confused when Akash said,

"We should shift to somewhere else."

"Whaaaat? Bhai, we just shifted to this house."

"Yes, Khushi. I missed to inquire about this area before shifting to this place. I heard this area is not safe for women. Vinesh doesn't want us to be here. He wants you to be safe. I, too, can't risk, Khushi."

"But, where will we go?"

"The house is ready. We don't have to do anything. There is an agent. He will do it."

Khushi went to her room to pack her things. There was nothing to question because she thought Arnav paid to shift the house. So, Akash would casually do it without minding about the expense.

The next day

Arnav came to GH with NK. They saw the house being locked. They checked the windows, but they could not open it. NK went to the next house and knocked. The door was opened.

"I'm Akash's friend."

"Who is Akash?" the man asked.

"The man in your next door"

"Oh, they shifted the house last night."

"Whaaaat?"

"Yes, they just came to this area last week and again gone last night. Don't know why they shifted in the overnight..."

"But how could they do it?"

"They didn't do it, but an agent did that for them."

"Agent?"

"Yeah... I saw Packers and Movers truck loading things."

"When?"

"At 2 o'clock"

"Oh, thank you."

NK looked at Arnav, who was shocked to hear that. NK came to him.

"What do you think, Nananv?"

"Something is wrong."

"I, too, think the same, but I can't conclude anything."

"Let's go"

"Where?"

"To the Packers and Movers office."

"Fantastic idea, but I don't think they will tell us Akash's address."

"I know how to get the address from them."

"Don't hit them, Nannav."

"No, no... I will get it in another way."

They headed to the Packers and Movers office. They reached the spot in half an hour. Arnav went to the manager. NK followed him.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"We are going to shift our house. My friend Akash told me about your service. The one who changed his house last night from Ghatkopar."

"Oh... from where to where, sir?"

"Same...as Akash... From Ghatkoper..."

"To Lal Baug?"

"Exactly..."

"Address?"

"The next house to Akash. How much should we pay?" Arnav removed money from his pocket.

"One minute..."

"Taking the register, he checked the address."

NK, pretending to be roaming here and there, clicked the address on his phone from behind the manager.

"Twenty-five thousand, sir"

"Twenty-five thousand? But we have a minimal amount of things. We can't afford it. Thanks..."

Arnav walked out.

"Sir, we can talk..." the manager said.

"We will talk later..." Said NK and followed Arnav.

"Nannav, that idiot is in Lal Baug"

"Let's go", Arnav kicked the bike.

............

In the meanwhile,

Khushi followed Akash and Garima to the hospital. Vinesh's parents wanted to talk to them, which was very important. Of course, Akash and Garima knew what they would speak. They would tell them about fixing the wedding date. They were nervous like hell. They would be nervous until Khushi's wedding takes place with Vinesh. They were already nervous; also, Arnav came to Mumbai to increase their nervousness. Before he appeared in front of Khushi, the wedding should happen. They didn't expect Arnav to leave his job behind and run to India. They thought he could not leave the project in the middle. They walked to Vinesh's room.

A man in the corridor was shocked to see Khushi. Didn't Akash say she went to Kandala, too, with her boyfriend?

Akash and Garima didn't notice the man who hid his face seeing them. He waited until they entered Vinesh's room and slowly moved towards the room. He was none other than Aman. He sent them to GH, came to the hospital, and waited, expecting Akash to be there. As he expected, here he came. He stood outside the room to hear their talks.

"Hi..." Vinesh smiled, seeing Khushi. She reciprocated it.

"How are you feeling now?" Khushi asked.

"I'm good and will be better as I see you", he said.

Khushi stood silently. She didn't feel like she was talking to Arnav due to his changed voice.

"He will be the happiest man in the world if I say something," Yogesh said.

Khushi looked at him, frowning.

"Khushi beta, any guess?" he asked with the same interest.

Khushi nodded no.

"We are going to fix your wedding with Vinesh," Yogesh said.

"Really? What a super cool news, Dad..." Vinesh said delightedly.

Aman was horrified. Marriage? Would Khushi marry someone called Vinesh, leaving Arnav behind? What Akash said about Khushi must be true. She forgot Arnav for money. His thought broke hearing,

"Khushi, we are waiting for your acceptance," Heera said.

"Why won't she accept it? She is going to marry the one she loves"

Aman was furious. How cheap this girl was! How could she change her mind so quickly?

"Tell them you are ready to marry me, Khushi," Vinesh said.

Aman decided to leave the place because he didn't want to hear anything from Khushi but wanted to give Arnav a firm answer. So, he removed his mobile and recorded her statement on his mobile.

"I don't know what to say, ARNAV."

Aman jerked. ARNAV? Was Arnav inside the room? He frowned.

"You just met with an accident. You were supposed to lose your voice, but by God's grace, you got your voice back... you have not recovered completely. So, let's wait."

"No, no, Khushi... I'm all right. Just now, the Doctor said I'm all right. I'm going to be discharged tomorrow. So, we can take our alliance forward."

"I am just asking why we should hurry?"

"It's love, Khushi. Don't you know how much I want to be with you?"

"Try to understand ARNAV."

"Khushi, I have one request. Please start calling me Vinesh... for me... please"

"For me, please don't force me to change that. I loved you when I was blind. I didn't know what you looked like. I know only one thing... your VOICE. I was so excited to hear your voice, but you met with an accident, and your voice changed. The only thing that remains in my HEART is your NAME... The only thing that makes me feel like I'm talking to ARNAV is your name. If I started calling you Vinesh, you can't expect the same love from me that I saved in my heart for Arnav. I doubt you are Arnav. It will kill my love for you... it's equal to killing myself. So, please don't force me to call you by any name other than Arnav. It will never happen... even if you push me into the hell fire..."

Khushi left the room, and Aman hid behind the door. He gritted his teeth. He understood what was happening there. He wanted to go to Khushi and tell her the truth, but he also wanted to know more about this matter, so he stayed there.

"What are you going to do now? She looks stubborn..." Heera said.

"I, too, told you it would not be easy for you to make her forget Arnav. She is not a girl who loses her mind over money. She is very grateful. That's why I hesitated to accept your plan," Akash said.

"It seems it will be harder, Vinesh. We tried our level best to make her believe you are ARNAV. But she is not ready to accept your name..."

"I even doubt if she trusts us..." Akash said.

"What will you do if she finds out you are not Arnav?"

"I will think about it later. Now, make our wedding arrangements."

"After hearing all these, are you ready to marry her?"

"Her stubbornness in her love is what makes me stubborn. She will accept me if I marry her. Trust me"

All of them looked at each other helplessly. Aman started walking, not wanting to give them a hint of their leaked plan. He saw Khushi sitting in the reception, closing her face with her palms. Aman automatically smiled, seeing her. How adorable her love was! Even after knowing Vinesh's wealth, she didn't change her mind. How great she was!

Aman called Arnav, and he attended the call.

"ASR, where are you?"

"Going to Lal Baug"

"Lal Baug? Why?"

"Akash shifted his house to Lal Baug overnight... we found his address. We are going to meet Khushi."

"She is not at home."

Arnav pressed the brake. He was horrified.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't think unnecessarily... she didn't go to Kandala."

Arnav huffed in relief.

"where is Khushi?"

"Come to our flat. We will talk."

"You can tell me anything on the phone."

"No ASR... there are much more that you should know. Come home..." Aman disconnected the call.

Arnav headed to Aman's flat.

To be continued...