Part 14 Horrified Khushi (Long Update)

"What I SEE in her is purely OUR PERSONAL. I can't tell that to anyone" Arnav gave the same answer that Khushi gave to Parthiban, making everyone dumbfounded.

He turned to leave the class but stopped to see Khushi looking at him perplexed. He suffocated to face Khushi even though he didn't mind uttering so. He walked out of the class. Obviously, Khushi followed him.

Arnav went to the ground and stood under a tree. Khushi came in front of him and looked at him smiling.

"Why did you do that? Poor she...! She fell down. You should not have pushed her" She tried to be serious.

"I don't like the way she spoke to me," he said looking here and there.

"Ok... but what's the necessary to manhandle her?"

"I don't like her intention"

"What intention?" She frowned.

"She wants to talk to me not because she doubts lessons. She just wanted to show that she is not less than YOU"

"Not less than ME?"

"Yes... that's why she tried to talk to me to get my friendship"

"How do you know that?"

Arnav was stuck. How could he say he heard her talking to her friend? Could he say he had the super hearing power?

"I know her... she has a superiority complex...! Didn't you hear what she asked me? If her intention is pure, why did she ask me why I cling with you?"

Khushi was looking at him without blinking.

"Khushi..." he called her raising his voice.

She jerked chuckling.

"Is it really you, Arnie? Would you talk this much? Do you observe people to this extent?" She asked smiling.

Arnav was silent.

"You know you have super teaching talent. It will be helpful for our class guys if you teach them..."

"She didn't seek my help just because she didn't understand the lesson...she wants to became my friend... that's why she tried to talk to me"

"So what? She would have seen your good qualities. So, she would like to become your friend. What's wrong with that?"

"I don't like her. I don't want to be friendly with not only her but also with anyone" he said without thinking.

"Why?"

Without answering, he turned to leave, Khushi clutched his wrist.

"I won't ask you why you don't want to be friendly with anyone but may I know why you want to be friendly with ONLY ME?"

Arnav looked somewhere gulping down.

"Why don't you just say, you like me?"

He looked at her and then again somewhere else.

"You know how special I'm feeling now?" She smiled.

Arnav didn't look at her but his lips curved slightly.

"It's because of you, Arnie"

"I just..."

"Leave it... let it be anything. I don't want the reason. I like this feel..." She smiled, making him smile.

"Let's go to the class"

Arnav nodded ok. They came to the class and occupied their bench. Both of them didn't look at anyone but all the students looked only at them.

Swetha noticed Vedika who was seething looking at them.

"Arnie, I'm going to the Health Hospital after our college hour," Khushi said.

"Hospital? Are you all right?" he asked restlessly.

"No no... I'm not going for myself. Preethi is admitted to the hospital..."

Arnav calmed down.

"What happened to her?"

"She had poison..." Khushi said whispering because she didn't want anyone to know that.

"But why?"

"For love," Khushi said and Arnav was astonished.

"She loves her relative guy. Her parents got to know about her affair and restricted her from talking to him as he was not up to their status. They house arrested her it seems. So, she had poison. To tell me that only Lavanya took me to the girls' room. I and Lavanya are going to meet her. Will you come with me?"

Arnav suffocated.

"Me? What if her parents think differently, seeing me with you?"

"What will they think?"

Arnav was silent.

"Don't worry. They knew with whom Preethi is in love. So, they won't doubt you" She chuckled.

Arnav looked at her slightly pressing his lips.

"Are you coming or not?"

He nodded ok.

"That's my Chotte..." She chuckled, making him smile.

Khushi saw Vedika glaring at Arnav. She sighed.

Khushi sent a message to Shashi that she would be late today as she was going to visit Preethi in the hospital. Shashi sent a reply, GO AHEAD.

Evening

Khushi came to the Health Hospital with Arnav and Lavanya.

"I will be outside," Arnav said and Khushi didn't force him.

They saw Preethi lying on the bed all drained. No one was there with her. Seeing her friends, Preethi smiled at them painfully. Lavanya sat on her bed whereas Khushi stood behind Lavanya.

"Where is your parent?" Lavanya asked.

"Amma went to bring medicine and Appa(father) went to bring me dinner"

"Why did you make such a decision? What if anything had happened to you?" Lavanya asked sadly.

"What will I do being alive if I can't get him? I love him, Lavanya. He is a nice guy. I can't imagine my life without him"

Lavanya felt bad for her but as they didn't expect, Khushi said,

"How can you not get him?"

Not only Preethi and Lavanya but also Arnav who was standing outside looked at her.

"If you are firm in your love, if your love is strong, how can you not get him? If you can't be firm in your decision to marry him, why did you love him?"

"I'm so firm in my decision, Khushi"

"Then why did you try to commit suicide? Did you love to die? If you have the urge to marry the one you love, you should have fought for it. You should not even think of dying, LEAVING him ALONE in your memories"

Preethi was perplexed.

"Did you think about the guy before taking such a drastic decision? You don't have to care about him if his love for you is not strong. What if he is also deeply in love with you? What would he do? He will also commit suicide, right? It's ok if he also died. What if he survived? Would his life be happy? Do you want to give a horrible life to the one who you love?"

"I was scared, Khushi..." Preethi cried.

"Everything will fright us at first. We should not give up. Every problem would have a solution. We should have to find it. Talk to your parents. Make them understand. Fight for your love joining your hands with the boy. You will feel extremely strong... ok?"

Preethi nodded ok. After talking to her randomly for a while, Khushi looked at her watch and said,

"Take care. We are leaving..."

Preethi nodded ok. They came out.

"Let's go, Arnie"

Arnav walked with her parallel. He was in deep thought of Khushi's lecture about LOVE. It was something new. Usually, friends' advice was like 'Think about your parents and their struggle, life is very precious', etc., etc., but this was the first time someone gave advice differently. That gave Arnav a NEW hope. He felt content.

He came with Khushi as he could not send her alone because it was already dark. After dropping her, he went home all the way smiling.

Khushi walked to the SP bungalow in a shortcut. When she came close to the bungalow, she jerked in fear to see a man who looked like an Aghori standing behind a big tree, near the SP Bungalow. She was stunned to see him not wearing a shirt in the chilling Ooty climate. He looked scary. She was supposed to run to call the constables to send him away from there, but stopped to see Shashi advancing the tree, looking here and there. Shashi could not see her as she was standing behind bushy plants straight opposite the tree. She shrank her eyes. Why did Shashi go to him? Was the Aghori a special force officer who was in disguise? She saw Shashi touching the Aghori's feet and then they hugged each other.

Khushi was confused. The much she knew, Shashi was not fond of Aghori guys. She became curious to know who he was. She slowly advanced them and stood at the next side of the tree. What she heard froze her.

"Have you forgotten me, Babuji?" Shashi asked, making Khushi shocked. Babuji? Was the man her Grandfather? Was he still alive? Why was she not aware of it? Why didn't he meet them ever before? Why did his father say nothing about him? Where was he living? Why did he look like Aghori?

"I never forget you"

"Are you all right, Babuji?"

"As of now, I'm fine... I want to meet you once before I LEAVE this world" He said.

"What are you saying, Babuji?" Shashi was shocked.

"Yes, I'm at the end of my life"

"Maa left the world..."

"I know... I wanted to see her for one last time but I don't want to defy her words... didn't she say, I should not see her face even after her death?" he said painfully.

"Babuji, don't you know Amma?"

"Yes, I know her...! I know something else too...! I was wrong. I should not have done that. No wonder a soft-hearted woman like her got angry with me. CURSING a boy for a mistake he had not done is undoubtedly unforgivable. That's why your mother didn't forgive me. What to do...? I was like that at that time. So, I CURSED a boy...! It's fate... what else we could say?"

"Why not you come to me and stay with us? Khushi became a big girl now"

"She should have broken down due to her Granny's demise... right?"

"Yes... I faced a tough time bringing her back"

"Mmm... I'm going..."

"Won't you come to me?"

"Who will take care of my KIDS if I come to you?"

Shashi was silent.

"Till my last breath, I will be with them... it gives me peace...Take care. My blessings will always be with you and Khushi"

Saying he started walking, without looking back. Shashi stood there for a while and went back to the bungalow. Khushi waited hiding until Shashi went. Then she followed her grandpa. She saw him entering the forest-like area. She was horrified to see many sets of FIERY WHITE eyes in the dark woods. She was shocked as they were WOLVES. They surrounded her grandpa when he neared them. He continued walking and they followed him like his bodyguards.

Khushi could not understand anything. Who was her grandpa? Why was he looking like an Aghori? Why wolves were with him? How did he not fear them? What the hell was all this? What about the CURSE they talked about? Who was the boy he cursed? That was why her granny hated her grandpa. That was why she said he cared not only about animals but human feelings. What was the curse? Khushi could not understand anything.

To be continued...