The handkerchief is Khusi's grasp shook and she stumbled backwards, the back of her knees colliding with the bed as she thumbed down on the mattress.

Her mouth parted in a silent gasp, Khusi's stomach churning as memories made their way back into her head.

The same pattern, her favorite color.

"Happy Birthday!" Bhaskar greeted, making Khusi smile in glee at his excitement. Dipping her head down, Khusi giggled as Bhaskar handed her over a present.

"Aww love, you didn't have to." Khusi was beaming with joy realizing that Bhaskar had understood her subtle gesture to get her an actual present that year.

"Open it." Khusi didn't need to be told twice. She tore apart the gift wrapper, unable to control her happiness.

"A handkerchief?" she asked, her brows furrowed as if not expecting it.

"Unwrap it," Bhaskar chuckled at Khusi's quizzical expressions.

"Oh my god. That's so adorable. Aww!" As soon as she unwrapped the handkerchief, her eyes twinkled with joy at the embroidery in the middle of it.

"Do you like it?" Bhaskar asked, wrapping his arms around her shoulder.

"Are you kidding!? I love it! Thanks love!" Khusi hopped up to kiss Bhaskar's cheeks, which made him chuckle once again.

She gasped, her ears ringing, tears making their way down her cheeks as the scenario played in her head, her fist curling around the delicate piece of cloth in rage and grief.

Several questions popped up in Khusi's mind, making her grind her jaw against each other in bewilderment. She wanted answers. She wanted to know why a handkerchief, which her ex-husband had gifted her almost 3 years ago, was in Yuti's closet.

And only one person could do that.

• • •

Without bothering to knock Khusi slammed the door open, striding her way inside the room, her eyes red with anger.

"Mr. Mathur!"

Abhay, who was sitting in front of a framed picture, stood up with flash, his expressions incredulous at Khusi's abrupt appearance.

"Khusi?"

Khusi charged at Abhay and slammed her palm flat against his chest, the handkerchief pressed to his chest.

"Why in hell was this thing in Yuti's closet!?" Khusi spat, her nostrils flaring.

Abhay was too shocked for a second to react, his mouth open at Khusi's bizarre behaviour. But then his gaze fell upon the handkerchief, and it all vanished as he glanced at it with a blank expression.

"Oh, you've found it." Abhay muttered, opening the handkerchief.

If Khusi was confused before this, she was befuddled now.

"What do you mean by that!?"

"Sit down." Abhay grabbed her palm in order to make her calm but Khusi wasn't up for that. Yanking her hand out of his grip, she pushed him away, catching Abahy off guard as he stumbled back.

"What the hell is happening? I want answers," Khusi snapped, her posture rigid.

"Khusi, calm down. I am telling ... "

She didn't let Abhay finish. "You want me to calm down Mr. Mathur!? I just found an old souvenir from my fucker ex-husband in a child's closet, with whom I have been living for the past 5 months. I want an explanation for this and it better be good!"

Abhay breathed in deeply, blinking several times to come to terms with Khusi's furious look. He hadn't expected her to behave this furiously upon her discovery.

"Okay. How about you calmly sit down and then I will start talking," Abhay suggested, massaging his forehead and slumping down on the bed.

"Tell me to calm down one more time and I won't hesitate to show you why I keep these," Khusi grated, showing Abhay her sharp fingernails before sitting down with a tight face.

"Trust me, I know." Abhay grumbled, brushing his hand over his right shoulder. His back was adorned with scratches from Khusi but he was sure she wasn't in the mood for that kind of topic.

"Talk. Now!" Khusi snarled, irritated at Abhay's silence.

"Okay. Give me a minute. I need to gather up my thoughts." Abhay pursued her lips, pressing the pad of his fingers to his temples.

Khusi was getting frustrated with every passing second but she wanted Abhay to take his time. Especially because at the back of her head she did regret behaving with Abhay like a piece of crap.

"Okay, do you trust me?" Abhay asked, his grey eyes piercing into Khusi's, making her breath hitch.

She hesitated for a second before nodding.

"Then you have to believe whatever I am about to say."

Taking a deep breath she replied, "I am all ears."

Abhay nodded and took a deep breath.

"Do you know when was the first time I saw you?"

Khusi's eyebrows furrowed in agitation. "You really want to speak in riddles now Mr. Mat ... "

"You said you trust me Khusi," Abhay interrupted.

Growling lowly, she clenched her jaw and pressed her fist against her mouth. "Fine. I am listening. And yes, we met for the first time at the police station, when I went there to file a missing complaint regarding David."

"Wrong. That wasn't my question."

Khusi clicked her tongue in annoyance. " What the hell does that mean now?"

"I had asked, do you know when I had seen you for the first time?"

"Of course! That day, at the police station ... "

"No."

Khusi's words came to halt. "What do you mean no?" she whispered.

"The first time I had seen you was 3 years, when you were on your knees, in front of a 3 year old girl, rubbing spittle off her chin." Khusi's eyes widened, a dazed memory slammed against her brain as she gazed up at Abhay.

"What? How? That was ... " in Bangalore, Khusi wanted to say but stopped herself.

"I was there, that day, on a very special mission."

"What mission?" Khusi whispered, her eyes squinted in curiosity.

"To retrieve my niece, after her parent's death." Khusi's eyes expanded at Abhay's words. Death?

"Your niece?"

"Yes, the girl whose spittle you cleaned off that day, with your hanky."

• • •

Khusi's lips were still slightly parted as she took time to register the full information in her head. Abhay sat calmly beside her, giving her the much needed time.

"So," she drawled, unable to draw a conclusion. One of Abhay's immaculate eyebrows shot up.

"You know me for like 3 years?" Khusi asked, licking her lips.

"Not technically. I have seen you there that day in Bangalore, and had collided against a pillar at how perfect ... and no shit people find me weird," Abhay finished his rambling with a light smile pressed upon his lips, which made Khusi chuckle lightly.

"So, why didn't you tell me that before?"

"What would I have said? Oh hey there gorgeous, I had seen you once 3 years ago and my daughter was obsessed with your hanky, and I still have it in our home." Khusi grimaced at how Abhay made it sound. It would have been borderline creepy if she had found out about the hanky back then.

Abhay's eyes lingered on Khusi as she sat calmly, her fingers fiddling with the handkerchief, completely unaware of how to continue that conversation.

"You know ... "

Khusi's head shot up at Abhay's voice and she blinked, thankful that Abhay took charge of the conversation.

"I was sad when I had to come back to Chamba, 3 days later, with Yuti, because that meant I would never be able to meet you again. I even went to the school that day, on our journey back just to get a glimpse of you and to return your hanky."

Abhay sighed at how he was sounding like a cheesy lover.

"But I couldn't take it out of little Yuti's grip. Whenever I tried to, she threw a crying fit. I wasnt that experienced in child care and she didn't know her uncle that well, cause I used to stay here and she, there. So I didn't know how to make that infant forget about it. But she had stopped crying and hadn't asked for Falak or her father after getting the hanky from you. As if it acted as a beacon for Yuti to recover from her parent's death. So in the end, I decided to let her keep it."

Khusi smiled sadly at how much little Yuti went through at such a tender age. She wanted to ask about her parent's death, but decided against it. Some things are better off in the past.

"And? Did you find me?"

A snicker left past Abhay lips. "Oh boy if my heart didn't break at what I saw that day. You were giggling and chatting with one of your friends and had a bengali makeover, in a saree and your cultural ornaments ... "

Khusi's smile dropped at the instigation.

"And vermillion on my hairline ... " she drawled, her face dropping and shoulders hunching at the old memory. The school had a cultural program that day every teacher was told to come in whatever attire they wanted. Khusi chose to highlight her Bengal ethnicity that day.

"Yeah, that and that's how a tiny little hope of ever wooing you, in my heart broke. I came out of the school and decided never to think of you again. You were taken and in a happy marriage, so I left."

Khusi released a deep breath, wondering about the dynamic of the universe. It landed her exactly where she was loved and cared for by complete strangers.

"Imagine my surprise when I find you in my hometown, in my station, my area of domain and that too as an unmarried woman," Abhay smirked, making Khusi swoon over his perfect features inwardly. It would be balant lie if she denied that she didn't find him attractive since their first encounter.

"And that's when I knew that luck was on my side. Destiny was giving me another chance to be with the one woman I have ever liked and I had to take every step to make her mine," Abhay whispered, grasping Khusi palm and kissing her knuckles.

Khusi's heart fluttered as Abhay's words sank into her head. That man wanted her with ferocious zealousness and she knew her heart was already slowly softening up for him.

"What happened to Yuti after you came back?" Khusi asked, trying to divert him.

Abhay smiled wryly and continued, "As Yuti grew up, I called over Malati Ma, Yuti's grandmother to come and stay with us. It got extremely difficult for me to manage my job and take care of a toddler, though I tried my best. I never wanted her to feel the absence of her parents, but I didn't want her to think that I took over their position as well."

"And that's why you chose to become more of her best friend than her father?"

"Yes, she kept me grounded. Or else after their death ... " Abhay's voice cracked as emotions choked his throat. Khusi instantly wrapped her arms around his torso, making Abhay shudder as memories took over him.

They sat silently for a long time, Khusi trying to comfort him and Abhay trying to keep his emotions at bay. But tears are treacherous. They always find a way to come out.

Softly shushing him down, Khusi wiped away Abhay's tears and brushed his head. "Do you want to know about them?" Abahy asked, his voice gruff and heavy.

"Not if you're uncomfortable."

"I want to."

"Okay."

Clearing his throat, Abhay sniffed as chucked down a glass of water.

"Since the first day of his birth, I had taken care of Kaushik, my little brother. My dad ... he used to stay busy with his job. Being a Brigadier in the Indian army isn't exactly a job where you can give time to your family, and mom died giving birth to Kaushik. So it was just the two of us, our nannies and maids. Unlike me, Kaushik was a calm child, but very observant and stubborn. When he was 4, I got him crayons. You won't believe what an amazing picture he had made on his very first day. Since then, we used to buy him different types of colors and canvases. He would calmly sit and draw in the backyard."

Khusi sat silently as Abhay continued narrating his old days.

"As we slowly grew up, I became the hyperactive kid, who was into sports and athletics. He, however, didn't change much. Rather his passion for art grew more and he started spending less time on studies. He would creep out at night sometimes, looking for inspirations for a night art. You won't believe how many times I had to go out with bodyguards to look for him," Abhay chuckled, shaking his head which instantly brought a smile to Khusi's face as well.

"After my graduation in Mathematics, I decided to work for my country but didn't want to follow the path of my father too. That didn't lead him to any good. So I started preparing for state civil services."

Khusi's forehead puckered, confused when Abhay mentioned his father, but didn't interrupt him. She made a mental note to ask him later.

"But Kaushik didn't want to follow our path. He was into arts and painting, and wanted to pursue it as a career. So I looked up for the best fine arts colleges in India and enrolled him in one of the best colleges in India. However, it was in Delhi, so he had to leave me and go."

"I didn't want him to go but couldn't destroy his career only because I wasn't emotionally strong enough. So I let him leave. That's where he met Falak, a music student."

Abhay's voice changed when he mentioned Falak's name, which made Khusi sit up straight to look at him.

~ • • • • • ~

Finally, I uploaded this chapter. 😌

Hey, lovelies ... hope you all are well. It took me long time to recover but I am fine now and much healthy. Thank you for waiting patiently and for you warm wishes 🥺🥺❤

Vote and Comment, 🌟💬

if you're liking my story. 😇🥰

See'Ya 💫❤