Part 5 MEET in the Sports MEET

Arnav stood amazed, looking at the girl's super-speed START. He rushed to the finishing point to see the girl curiously. As everyone expected, she was the Gold medal winner. When Arnav reached the finishing point, he saw her surrounded by the boys and girls. They were congratulating her by shaking hands with her. Khushi accepted them smiling between her hard breaths.

Arnav saw the girl and was lost. She was truly fresh and beautiful even though she was sweating badly. He frowned. He had seen her somewhere else. Where did he see her?

Khushi's smile vanished for a few seconds and her facial expression changed when she saw Arnav gaping at her. Arnav noticed it. She turned her face immediately. That wondered him. Why did she react that way seeing him? She was free with others, so why did she show a difference with him? Did she know him? He saw her stealing his glance. That not only worried him but also confused him. Yet, he smiled because he found it cute.

The winners of the two-hundred-meter race were announced. Arnav was curious to know the name of the girl. The officials announced the Gold medal winner's name was Khushi Kumari Gupta. KHUSHI... his lips murmured.

Slowly the crowd dispersed. Khushi looked at him once and left the place. She might have expected him to congratulate her. As he delayed a few seconds, she walked from there.

"Khushi..." Arnav ran to her.

Khushi looked at him, turning behind.

"Congratulations..." he extended his hand towards her.

She looked at his hand and then at his face hesitatingly. She didn't know why she could not shake hands with him just like she did with others. Arnav raised his brows. She clutched his hand for a formality, but Arnav gripped her palm tight and shook it confidently.

"Thanks"

"I'm Arnav..."

"I'm Khushi"

"You are just awesome..."

Khushi smiled awkwardly as Arnav hadn't left her hand yet.

That was when she heard her master calling her.

"Khushiiii..."

Khushi pulled her hand from his clutch and moved back. She looked behind and then at him. Arnav gazed at her reaction. She spilled an awkward smile and left.

Arnav stood there while thinking about where he had seen her before. He could not remember because he glanced at her the other day in the hospital. Arnav moved backwards, squeezing her brain.

Arnav saw his friends waiting for him.

"Let's cut the cake, ASR."

Arnav nodded, looking in the direction of where Khushi was going.

Lavanya and Payal removed the cake from the box. NK and Aman held it from either side, as they had no table to keep the cake on. Sheetal gave him a knife. They didn't light the candle as it was on the open ground. It would not be easy to light a candle in the air.

Arnav did cut the cake. His friends sang Happy Birthday to you...! That grabbed people's attention. Khushi also looked at them. She wondered. Was this Arnav's birthday? She felt terrible for not wishing him. At the same time, their celebration showed her how RICH they were. She became hesitant. They were like a stars in the sky. She could admire them. She got ready to receive the medal. She could be called anytime.

Arnav ate the cake fed by his friends.

"Thank God, today is a tournament day. That's why Arnav's concentration is not distracted. Or else, he would have gone to save someone's life, just like how he went to the hospital on my birthday," Lavanya said, unaware of the truth that he was already distracted.

Arnav rolled his eyes, gulping the cake. He got stuck. How did he save the boy? He gave the boy's father his phone number, but they didn't call him for anything. He recalled the day's incident. His eyes sparkled. Didn't the girl he saw in the hospital resemble Khushi? Or was the girl Khushi herself? Was she related to the boy? Was she the sister of the boy? Was that the reason she REACTED that way seeing him?

Taking the knife, he cut the cake into a large piece. He snatched the paper plate from NK's hand, kept the cake piece on the plate, and walked.

"Where are you running, Arnav?" Lavanya asked.

"Will just come..."

"Shall we come?"

"STRICT NO!" he came searching for Khushi.

His friends spared a confused glance.

He saw her drinking water from a bottle, as she had not drank water after the race. He came to her and called.

"Khushiiii"

Khushi almost spat the water and coughed as she understood who called her.

"Hey, relax..." he said.

She looked at Arnav with wide-open eyes unbelievably. He extended the cake plate to her. Khushi looked at the plate and then at him.

"Today is my birthday," he said.

"Oh... happy birthday"

"Thank you"

He extended the plate, shaking his head like take it. Khushi took the plate.

"Thanks"

"We met already... Do you remember?"

Khushi was stuck. Did he remember her? She nodded yes.

"Are you their relative?"

"No... I just guided them to the hospital."

"Oh... Don't you know the boy?"

"I know him. he studies in our school only."

"Oh... how is he?"

"He is fine. He started coming to the school long ago."

"That's nice to hear." Arnav noticed she was wearing regular shoes.

"May I ask you something?"

Khushi nodded slightly.

"When you have shoes, why did you run barefoot?"

Khushi was stuck. How could she tell him that the bottom of her new shoes was already broken and she pasted it with glue? Seemingly, it was shoes, but not.

"I'm not used to participating in races with shoes", she lied.

"Really?" he wondered.

She nodded yes.

"Do you have a paper?"

"Paper?" she nodded no.

He saw a referee crossing them with a pad.

"Sir, excuse me."

"Yes..."

"Can I get a piece of paper, sir?"

"Yeah..." he gave him a piece of paper.

"One minute," he said to Khushi and went to him.

Taking it from him, he wrote his phone number and gave the pen back to him.

"Thank you, sir."

The referee left the place.

"This is my phone number..." he extended the paper to Khushi.

She looked at him perplexed.

"I didn't bring my card. You can ask me anything if you want."

Khushi parted her lips embarrassingly. She knew why he gave her his number. He wanted to help her, she supposed. She nodded no.

"But why?"

"I don't want anything..."

"As of now, you may not want anything. just keep my card. If you want anything, remember me."

She gulped down. This was so awkward.

"No thanks..." She looked down.

Arnav stepped and tucked the paper in the gap between her hand and the cake plate.

"Please don't take me wrong... you are so talented. That's why I wanted to help you. nothing more than that" He sighed and left the place.

Khushi's eyes tear up. She didn't dare to look at him. Her respect for him increased tenfold. She smiled at the cake Arnav had given her and ate it. She was dumbfounded. She never tasted such cake in her life. It melted immediately, touching her tongue. The cake itself told her Arnav's STANDARD. She felt proud of him. Though he was a RICH guy, his heart was so soft. She thought.

..........

Arnav's friends looked at him, who came smilingly.

"Where did you go?"

"Nowhere..."

Arnav nodded his head from left to right. He didn't like to tell them about Khushi because they would not like him being friendly with a poor girl like her.

"To whom did you give the cake?"

"To the referee..."

"Referee?"

"Mmm..."

They spared a glance. Taking a piece of cake, Arnav casually stuffed it in his mouth to avoid answering them.

.........

The winners of the boys' four-hundred-meter race and girl's two-hundred-meter race were called. Khushi and Arnav headed to the podium. They shared a friendly smile.

Arnav received the medal first. He smiled at Khushi while receiving it. He waited until she received her medal, then congratulated her again.

"Thank you"

"Don't forget to call me."

She smiled.

"Bye"

She nodded and left the place. Arnav stood looking at her retreating figure.

To be continued...