Part 52 Inquiry 

Shashi Gupta was suffocating to stand like hell. He could not digest the thought of Arnav being a werewolf. His daughter was everything to him. Her happiness was his only moto. He was ready to do anything to make her happy and satisfied. He would do anything to make her life right.

But now, her life was at stake. He wished the call was a fake one. He wanted it to be a lie. He didn't want Arnav to be a werewolf.

But... what if Arnav was a werewolf? Shashi could not bear it. Did Khushi know the truth? If she knew the truth, why did she love him? It would not have been the truth. The caller must be someone who didn't like Arnav or Khushi. He should not trust the woman. She loved Arnav and he avoided her. That was why she should have lied to him out of jealousy. Shashi tried not to believe it but he was scared. He would not leave the issue just like that because it was about his daughter's life.

Something sparkled in his mind. Was Arnav the same boy his father cursed? Didn't Khushi get angry with his father for cursing the boy? Didn't she ask him about meeting his father? Didn't she lose her patience whenever she talked about his father? She even fought with him when he took his father's side. Was that for Arnav?

But, Arnav came to his father's funeral. He didn't react seeing his father but, Khushi reacted to it. she even left the place not wanting to be a part of his funeral. Shashi Gupta missed noticing Arnav that day as his concentration was on only Khushi.

Shashi Gupta's head blasted. He wanted to know if it was true or not. He wanted to go home and asked Khushi about it immediately but he could not as there was a lot of work in the office and those should have to be completed by the next morning.

In the meanwhile

Arnav came home with his parents. They were drowning in the ocean of happiness. Their son was going to get married. The girl who knew the biggest truth of his life was ready to accept him as her husband. Arnav almost came out of the grief created by the curse. He is moving normally. What else did the parents need more than his happiness? Khushi brought it into his life. his life would be completed when she entered his life as his wife.

"You are so lucky to have such a father-in-law and wife, Chotte... all your struggles going to end" Arvind hugged him delightedly.

"Yes... he is a nice man... just like, Khushi" Ratna said.

Arnav smiled pleasantly. There were no words to describe his state. He was in such a state he never dreamed of.

"Khushi is coming to our house as our daughter-in-law..." Ratna said excitedly.

Arnav's smile widened.

"I can't believe all this..." Arvind said.

"Yes, it seems like a dream..."

"Ratna, we have a very short period. I don't know how you are going to make arrangements"

"You just leave it to me. I will do it. I will take Khushi and Arnav shopping to buy their wedding attires, mangal sutra and all"

Arvind nodded ok.

"Keep talking with the marriage assembler and get to know what they are doing. Then update me too"

"Ok...I will update everything"

"Dad, I will also be there with Mo. You don't worry"

Arvind nodded smiling.

Arnav came to his room. Sitting on the bed, he took a pillow on his lap. He removed his phone and called Khushi.

Khushi smiled seeing his number. She attended the call and was about to talk, she wondered, hearing,

"Hi, my dear wife..."

She was stuck for a few seconds and chuckled.

"What's up, my dear husband...?" she giggled.

Arnav smiled biting his lip.

"I'm not on the earth... I don't know where I'm flying" He said.

"I hope you will come back to the Earth before our marriage"

"I'm not sure my mind and heart will touch the Earth soon. Is not my physical presence enough for our marriage?"

"Of course, it's enough but what will I do without your mind and heart?"

"They are with you only... without you they won't work"

"Oh, Arnie baby, don't be so cheesy... I will bite your cheesy cheek for sure" She warned.

"If I had been with you, I would have shown my cheek to you"

"However you have to do that after ten days"

"Waiting..."

"Don't be so brave... Khushi is not what you are thinking"

"I know..."

"What do you know?"

"She is a storm in the form of a flower..."

Khushi chuckled.

"What does that mean?"

"She has the ability to root me"

"I wish I could see suffocating and throttling Arnav"

"I won't be like that all the time," he said, in a husky tone.

Khushi became silent upon hearing his daring statement.

"We will select our wedding invitation tomorrow. What say?" Arnav changed the topic.

"Won't Aunty come?"

"No, she asked us to select it"

"Ok, then... we will do it. Get the matter to be printed in the invitation. We will finish the work"

"Ok..."

"We have no relatives in Ooty. I will send the invitation to my friends through WhatsApp but you have many relatives in Coimbatore right? How will your parents invite them? Will they attend our wedding if you send the invitation through WhatsApp?"

"No way... that's why mom assigned a marriage assembler to make arrangements. Mom and Dad will cover almost all our relatives in a day or two"

"But, uncle will be busy in the upcoming days due to the CM's visit"

"No, Dad already applied for a medical leave. If he doesn't get it, he will resign from the job"

"Whaaat?"

"Yeah, nothing is important for him when it comes to his son"

"Are not we so lucky to have such great parents?"

"Undoubtedly, we are so lucky but I don't know how much your father will be cooperative if he got to know the truth"

"I will take care of him. Don't worry"

"I will definitely be worried, Khushi because it's about you. You are important to both of us. Your father will not give up on you and I will never back off"

"Even I won't back off... you are important to me too... I will make my father understand"

"I'm so scared," Arnav sighed.

"Why fear, when Khushi is here?"

"Mmm..."

"Arnav..."

"Mmm?"

"Where are you now?"

"Laying on the bed"

"Close your eyes"

"Why?"

"Close your eyes"

"Closed"

"Feel my lips on your cheek"

Arnav parted his lips.

"Imagine I'm lying over you..."

Arnav hugged the pillow tight and said,

"Khushiiii... stop it..."

"I have not started yet..."

"Enough..."

"Ok... go to sleep like a good boy" she teased.

"Bye"

"Bye bacho" She giggled.

Arnav pressed the pillow on his face.

The next morning

Khushi woke up from her sleep and took a bath. She was curious to go to the college to meet Arnav. She wanted to see how happy he was. More than that, she wanted to see his flushed face when she teased him with double meaning.

She came downstairs and saw Shashi entering the home.

"Good morning, Dad"

"Good morning, Beta" Shashi smiled.

"Just now, are you coming?"

"Mmm..."

"You look tired..."

"Yeah, I didn't even take a rest due to heavy pressure"

"But, you have already handled many situations like this"

"No, beta... I have never handled this situation"

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"CM is pressurizing me to finish the Werewolf case"

Khushi's facial expression changed for a second and again became normal. Shashi noticed it.

"What's there to be pressured, Dad? Just close the case and declare it's a myth"

"Being an SP, how could I close the case without inquiring?"

"Even though you inquire, you will have to close the case"

"Why do you say so?"

"Because Werewolf is a fictional character. It's not true"

"But, a man stated he saw that in front of his eyes"

"From when did you start believing such things, Dad? You are a police officer. You should not take anyone's statement blindly"

"I'm not going to do it blindly. I will inquire all those who looked wired"

"Wired means?"

"So reserved... so calm... with unimaginable strength..."

"How could you find such people, Dad?"

"Why not? We should make people aware of werewolf's nature. Then, they will inform us if someone around them has such features. In fact, Arnav also will come into the list who has all the werewolf's features"

Khushi was alerted. Something not seemed right.

"Do you believe in werewolf?"

"It's not a matter if I believe it or not..."

"It is... if you don't believe in it, you will not inquire about it"

"What if I believe in it? What if I'm in the state of knowing the werewolf is true or not?"

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"I suspect Arnav would be the werewolf," Shashi said.

Khushi was shocked to the core. Her facial expression shocked Shashi too.

To be continued...