Part 18 Who was she?

"I'm alone with many servants..." He smiled painfully.

Khushi felt her heart getting heavy. She felt sad for Arnav.

Arnav looked at Khushi and smiled.

"I think you would have understood why I need someone loyal to myself", he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

Khushi looked down, feeling sad.

"My Mom was the only one who showed true love to me. After her, I have not seen anyone loyal to me except Aman and NK. I don't know how long! I don't know why I can't trust anyone. Maybe they didn't assure me as you did."

Khushi gulped down hard. She did know what made him trust her more than anyone.

"Would you be alone in your house? Don't you have any relatives?"

"We don't have much relatives. My cousin is there at my home. He just came to Delhi today for business. If he remembered, my father would come home; he has a son."

She understood why he didn't stay with his father. He could not tolerate him giving his mother's place to someone. He could not accept someone in his mother's place. That was why he should have been alone.

"Why don't you stay with your father?" she asked him intentionally.

"I don't like him."

"Why?"

Arnav looked at her frowning, like, 'What question is this?'

"It's because he is with another woman?"

Arnav drove the car without answering.

"Remarrying is becoming common these days. How long would he be alone? Doesn't he need someone for himself?" She tried to get his thoughts out.

"Would he marry another woman if this woman died? Would he continue marrying just because he needs someone for himself? Do you think my mother would have married someone if he had died? No... she would not. If she could be a single mother, why he could not be a single father? How could he give my mother's place to someone so easily?" Khushi could sense him controlling his anger.

"Talking is easy... but living alone is so hard. It's not easy to be alone."

"Oh... that's why he left me ALONE?"

Khushi didn't know what to say.

"People would decide according to their mental strength. He might have thought he could not be alone."

"What's the point, Khushi?"

"Your father left you... married another woman... it's reality. Instead of stressing yourself thinking about it, you should accept it. Your anger will make you weaker. An athlete should be strong from in and out. That's why I said."

Arnav smiled.

"I'm glad that you are concerned about me."

Khushi smiled softly.

"By the way, you said I assured you something, but, the much I know, I didn't assure anything..."

"You didn't do it purposely because it's your nature."

"Do you think that nature of mine will not change?"

Arnav looked at her plainly.

"In History, we have seen many people change their colour. Or, they were forced to change..."

"Ok... you too change your colour..." Arnav said seriously.

"No, I didn't mean it."

"Then, what did you mean?"

She nodded no.

"I'm sorry if I expect a lot from you. It doesn't mean you should degrade yourself..."

Khushi became nervous. Although she understood what Arnav was expecting from her, she didn't know if she was a deserving person of his trust.

They came to the hospital. Khushi was struck. Such a colossal atmosphere always made her fear.

"Why did you bring me here for a small scratch?" She asked, feeling scared.

"Small or big, it's a scratch... let's go", Arnav headed to the doctor's room.

Khushi was treated. She looked at the Band-Aid in her hand.

"People will think my hand is broken" She chuckled.

"You should be careful. What if you get hurt in your leg? Be watchful"

"Actually, I saw a Dog supposed to be hit by a bike. I saved it and fell to the ground."

"To save a Dog, did you get hurt?"

"Yes, but the owner of the Dog made me feel like, why did I save it?"

"Means?"

"He seemed rude."

"Don't think about him but the Dog... he might be unthankful, but Dogs are so grateful. I, too, have a Dog called Burger."

"Burger?" She chuckled.

"Yeah, I like Burger. So, my Dog's name became Burger," he smiled.

"Do you have only one Dog?"

"Yes... why?"

"If you have more Dogs, it would be easy to know your interest. You would have named them all your favourite things."

Arnav laughed.

"I don't think so..." he said, composing himself.

"Why?"

"Some of our favourite things are so SPECIAL... incomparable... so remarkable," he said with a hidden meaning.

Khushi nodded affirmatively.

"Let's go"

Arnav dropped Khushi off at home and went to RM. When he entered the house, Burger rushed to him and hopped. Arnav lifted it in his arms lovingly. He frowned, seeing its weird behaviour. It seemed he was scared.

"What happened to burger? He looks scared," Arnav asked Dhruv.

"He got his injection done. I think that's why he is scared."

Arnav was unsatisfied because this was not the first time Burger had been vaccinated. He would become normal within a few minutes. Arnav caressed the animal and took it to his kennel. He gave Burger a bone biscuit and went to his room.

It was a hectic day for Arnav. On one side, Lavanya proposed to him. On the other hand, Sheetal played a dirty drama that got his nerves. He didn't know what happened to Lavanya. He never behaved with her in that sense. Adding to it, Sheetal tried to frame it and make Khushi believe the drama. Thank God, her plan didn't work. Or else Khushi would have misunderstood him. he smiled. Even though his day was hectic, Khushi gave him a breeze-caressing feeling with her talks.

...........

Delhi Cements Company

Arvind visited his company with his partner cum friend Lalith Kashyap, Lavanya Kashyap's father.

"Arvind, who is the girl?" Lalith asked.

"Whom you are talking about?"

"I heard Arnav is sponsoring a girl through our company..."

"Is it?" Arvind asked, even though he knew it. How won't he know what his son was doing?

"Yes, she signed a contract with our company."

"Then, she must be a good player," Arvind said.

"Maybe, but why is Arnav roaming with her?"

"Roaming means? Did he go for a dating?"

"No... He is doing his practising with the girl."

"Is she an Athlete?"

"Yes"

"That's why he would have roamed with her."

"But, what is necessary, Arvind? He wants to sponsor her. That's fine... but being with her all day does not seem good."

"What do you want me to do? Do you think I'm in a position to advise him? Do you think he will obey me? Not at all. If I say something, he will intentionally go against my words. I think there is nothing to worry about. They are JUST practising. Why do we take it seriously?"

"What if Arnav falls for her?"

"Understand one thing, Lalith. Love is the most dangerous issue in the world. If you start nagging, it will grow gigantically."

"Won't you ask Arnav about it?"

"Just leave it. In a few days, they will conflict with each other and will fight with each other because this generation of guys has no patience and no tolerance. They will get separated if we don't interfere in their matter. Mark my words."

Lalith sighed.

"I just want Arnav and Lavanya's marriage to happen. That's all."

"It will happen," Arvind said.

Though he said so, he was more nervous than Lalith. He knew Arnav. His compassion was unimaginable, just like his mother. There were a lot of chances for him to fall for Khushi. At the same time, there are a lot of chances that that is ONLY compassion. So, he didn't want to hurry. He knew poking his nose into Arnav's matter was no less than hitting the honeycomb with a stone.

Arvind shivered at Arnav's growing hatred for him. He was not a school kid now. He had become an adult... major...! Arvind didn't know what was on his mind, but he, too, wanted to know who the girl was.

To be continued...