Cursed Love part 2

This update is all for my lovely readers!!!

Chapter 2 (Strange Connections)
Nani stopped abruptly and immediately scanned her surroundings. Her mind stayed alert.

A gust of wind blew as it had alerted her of someone. Someone of nearly of this world, but at the same time not. A presence so strong, yet vague.

"What happen Nani?" Anjali quickly asked.

"Nothing Anjali bitiya!" she said almost absentmindedly, but aware what she had said.

She continued her search and read the signs. Her mind was on high alert. She couldn't deny that she had felt a mild shock to her senses.

"Deviyani get on!" Gayatri auntie said.

But Nani seemed to not paid attention to what Gayatri auntie had said.

She was lost for a while as she was trying to search her surroundings in her mind.

She was physically there but she had no link to the reality.

"Deviyani!" Gayatri auntie shook her to grab her attention and Nani quickly looked at her.

Sudden waves of emotions hit her face. As the connection she had made suddenly broken.

A mixture of dark emotions, that made Gayatri auntie fear for a moment, but that quickly disappeared as Nani's expression changed and she smiled.

"Are you okay, Nani?" Anjali again asked, who had now sensed the strangeness in her behaviour.

"Everything is good bitiya...You take care of chote and yourself! I will be back soon!" Nani said as she now wanted to come back as soon as possible.

"Yes Nani!" she said.

***
In the crowd of thousand people Khushi got startled. She found herself being crushed down by people around her that walked in every direction, trying to get to their destinations.

This is what the life at Mumbai was. Everyone running-running and running. To catch up with the time.

Khushi put the strap of her hand bang in her arm, with the free hand she took the heavy suitcase and her brown Gucci bag.

God knows what really Anshu has packed in it? Khushi thought. But that was the least to bother about. First of all, she had to get away from the crowd to breathe.

She followed the signs and made her way outside the station after going through much struggle.

Her feet were trampled under people feet as they carelessly walked, at one point she had nearly lost her suitcase, but shortly got hold of it before it was too late and it was lost in the crowd.

Finally, she stood at a place where she could breath. Looked around. Kolkata was no less than Mumbai as far as crowd was concerned. But Mumbai was an exception. Hundreds of taxi's stood in front of her eyes.

People resembled ants. Walked awfully fast. Khushi took a deep breath.

"Hi bhaiya would you go to the plaza hotel?" she said to the taxi driver.

"Yes, madam," driver muttered and pulled down the meter. With little difficulty she placed her luggage inside the taxi and then herself sat inside.

It took good time for the taxi before it finally able to pull out of the crowd.

Everything in Mumbai was crowded.

You could hardly see the sky through the tall buildings. The smell of salt sea hit Khushi's olfactory senses.

She sniffed in the salty smell in the air and looked out of the window.

The view was exactly the same as she had seen in the movies, but it was of course more beautiful as she was seeing in real.

A vast sea stretched thousand miles. Angry waves hitting the shores. People taking pictures with their families. Enjoying the sea view.

She had already started liking this city.

But for some reason she felt she was home. It was aberrant at the same time. Because it was only her first time here in this city.

The most strange thing was, she sensed a bizarre connection with the city. Has she ever been here before? she thought as strangeness surged in her mind.

The roads seemed as she had already once travelled on them...Even few of the buildings felt familiar and it was definitely not what she had seen in the movies. And she wasn't really a movie buff but a book worm.

There was pain in her head, an eccentric pain that she had felt before many times but right now it was painful at the same time not.

The connection had started to built, but she was brought back to the reality.

Ahead there was a hidden road and the car from there already made its right turn, and taxi driver wasn't quick to realize.

He lost control over the steering. The taxi and the car were about to crash, with only a difference of 1 second, when the taxi driver quickly steered the wheel the other direction to avoid the crash and the car driver turned the other way.

Khushi's heart jumped in her throat as her chocolate brown eyes grew darker in fear. The waves of fear hit her when she heard a loud noise.

A noise of something shattering. A mirror in particular followed by a sound as something is hit into really hard.

She swayed back and forth as the taxi driver tried to control the taxi and luckily finally he was able to slam hard enough to bring the taxi to complete stop.

Khushi held the seats tighter to avoid getting hurt.

She had scrunched her eyes shut. "Madam are you fine?" Driver had asked.

She slowly opened her and vigorously nodded her head. Driver had gotten minor injuries, but she was unhurt.

"Bhaiya ji accident," she said as she found herself shaking as she looked through the taxi rear view mirror.

Subsiding her own fears aside she climbed out the taxi and ran towards the accident car.

Her heart thumped violently in her chest as she looked at the lady in the car.

Blood freely dripping down her head as it had slammed into the steering.

"Bhaiya ji!" she said shakily "Any hospital around here?"

"Yes, madam ji it's ten minutes away."

Khushi immediately took the phone out of her purse. Dialled the phone and called the ambulance.
...
***At AR Mumbai HeadOffice***

Aman's phone rang and he stilled. When he knew what will happen.
Arnav shot his eye up at him. Just his eyes. And a fury in them. His body still. That's what dreaded Aman the most.

Aman you are definitely gone he muttered in his mind as he nervously reminded himself.

"I am so very sorry!" he then apologetically murmured to other people in the meeting hardly looking at Arnav.

Not even daring to look at the phone he cut the call.

"So where we were!?" Arnav asked.

His voice told that he definitely didn't like the interruption.

"Mr. Raizada, Mr. Verma wants to collaborate with our company. He is one of the most successful Indian hotel owner in London...He will be joining us in the next meeting..." Mr. Rastogi the project manager had chimed in...

But he was stopped when Aman's phone again flashed.

Aman without giving it a second thought finally switched it off, which he regretted he should have done before.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Mr. Aman you may go out and receive the important calls that you are getting!"

"No, sir it's fine!"

Khushi paced back and forth in the hospital corridor as the person she was trying to call cut the phone. Again. And after that it was unreachable.

She looked into the contacts in Anjali's phone and found another number. It was another recent call that Anjali had made. This time she had called on Anjali's phone with the hope that may be the person that she now was going to call will pick up the phone, if she would call on Anjali's phone. She instantly pressed, on the number that was fed as "chote."

Moments later it was Arnav's phone, that somehow by mistake was left turned on, rang.

He saw Anjali's number and in anger pressed the answer button.

"Hello," came the growl...Khushi startled at his angry voice.

But she was relieved that finally someone had picked up the phone.

"Hello Chote Ji, Can I talk to your dad?" Khushi said as she thought Chote is Anjali's son.

Arnav froze when he heard Khushi's voice. Another Bizarre connection. But that quickly disappeared as it was never there. Arnav was normal himself.

"Excuse me...Who is this?" Arnav nearly shouted as he got up the seat. And everyone else did the same. But Arnav gestured all of them to stay seated.

Again there was a pain in Khushi's head. Her mind screamed that she had heard this voice again.

However, in her case to connection had been cut off and she was too her normal self.

Before Arnav could cut the call Khushi spoke up..."Are you Anjaliji's relative?"

"Yes!" Arnav replied as the strangeness was still there, but not enough that it was paid attention to however not the one either that could be ignored.

"Hi, I am calling from City Hospital can you come ASAP? Anjali ji has met with an accident."

"What?"

Land slipped under Arnav's feet...He felt a tug, almost a twitch...His anger subsided. Without any further delay he bolted out from there...

"Arnav sir...What happened?" Aman shouted at his back.

"Aman postpone the meeting..." is all Arnav said and before Aman could really say anything else, he was out of sight.
...

@ City Hospital.
...

"Where is Anjali Malhotra?" he asked as he dashed into the hospital.

"She is in the ward number 550!" Receptionist replied.

Arnav practically ran to the said room.

"Di...How did this happen?" Arnav asked the very first question as he hurriedly opened the door.

Anjali quickly looked at him.

"Chote, just relax first...Just look at your self...I am fine there is nothing to worry about...It was just a minor accident..."

"Minor Accident? Di you got this head injury and you are saying it was just a minor accident!"

"It just looks like a major one but I am really okay!"

He held Anjali's hand in his as he sat beside her. "What would I have done if anything happened to you today?"

Arnav eyes weld up, he could tolerate everything, but his sister in this condition, not a chance.

"Chote please don't cry see I am fine, nothing has happened to me... You should be thankful to Khushi, the girl who saved my life and got me here on time...Have you seen her outside? Even I was waiting for her!"

"No I didn't see her. I go and talk to the doctor about your injury!"

"Okay, go otherwise you would just stress yourself for no reasons," Anjali replied smiling.
...
Anjali was getting bored as Arnav hadn't returned yet so just to kill the loneliness she took the magazine from the side trolley. She had flipped the very first page when Khushi walks in.

"Good afternoon, Anjali ji!" she said as she added her beautiful, but nervous smile. Khushi wasn't really not at all good dealing with the strangers.

Anjali took her eyes off the magazine to look at the source of the voice.

"Good afternoon!" she said with a warm smile on her face.

"I am..."

"Let me guess...You are Khushi right?"

"Yes!" she said.

Anjali was awed at the innocent girl in front of her eyes.

"Anjali ji how are you feeling? Has someone come from your family yet?"

"I am very well Khushi please come and sit." Anjali offered her the seat.

Maintaining a smile on her face she sat on the stool.

"Yes, Khushi my brother is here...He has just gone to see the doctor."

"Oh here are the medicines that doctor had asked me to get for you."

"Thank you so much Khushi. I seriously don't know how to thank you!"

"There is no need to say thanks Anjali ji...If I were in your place, I am sure you could have done the same."

"Yes, Khushi...Well for one reason it happened for all good."

"For good Anjaliji?" Khushi asked puzzled.

"Yes. If this all had not happened we weren't have met then. Right?"
And this made khushi smile.

"Aha! This is what was missing. Always keep smiling Khushi. You look really sweet!"

"Thank you Anjali ji" she said and looked at her wrist watch. It was 3:30 PM. It was getting late and she had to leave.

26 hour long journey had left her tired, worries to come to a new place didn't let her sleep. Plus the nerve wrecking incident left her even more mentally tired. But she was relieved Anjali was fine and at least her brother was there by her side and now without any problem and worries she could leave.

As it was decided she would go to plaza hotel where she would stay a night then later she would go and could search of a place to live.

"Anjali ji, I think I should leave now...Get well soon!"

"Yes...Khushi see you. If you don't mind may I know where do you live?"

"I am new here Anjali ji...I had just come from Kolkata..."

"Oh then I should say God has sent you, especially to save me! Do you have anyone whom you are going to live with? I mean any relative?"

Khushi had stopped herself before she could say "no." And instead she said "Yes!"

"I have my bhua ji here!" she lied. May be because she knew Anjali might offer her help for helping her, at the time when she needed her help...

But for a reason she didn't find it right in any ways. She had helped her for the sake of humanity that's it. And she didn't want to trouble her because of her.

Yes, this is what Khushi was. She very well believed in saying-"Act of kindness should be done discreetly!"

"See you Anjali ji!"

"Khushi this is my visiting card," Anjali said as she took her card from her wallet.

"It has my number if by any chance you need my help please give me a call! I would love to help just like you did mine!"

Khushi took the card hesitantly and put it in her purse. And then she saw only Rs. 2000 inside the purse.

The money that she had, she spent to get Anjali's medicine. The injection and later medicine that doctor had asked for, was important and without any second thought Khushi had spent her money on it...But if the money she had, couldn't match the expenses of the medicine how would she live here with the money she had left with and now she can't even go back home.

Now what she would do? She thought. "If she would call her home they will all be worried!"
Especially if she would tell about the accident.

One call to her baba he would definitely send her the money or he himself would come...But it had been only few hours.

So she held her head high and left from there. Ready to go with the flow and as she had planned things.

***
"Chote only a second ago if you had come you would have met Khushi!"

"I have talked to her!"

"Really?"

"Yes, she was the one who called me and told me about your accident!"

"Believe me she is a really sweet girl!" Anjali said. "It was her first time here in Mumbai!" she added sadly. "I am sure it wasn't a very good arrival for her!"

Arnav didn't say anything just looked somewhere straight. Their talk on the phone had left the sense of oddness.

"Chote are you okay?" Anjali asked.

Arnav shot a look at her..."Nothing di!" he said although he wanted to talk about how he felt, but what he would have? He thought. When he himself wasn't really sure what was going on.

"Okay tell me what did Anchal say?"

"I couldn't get to see her!" he answered absentmindedly and before Anjali could asked why? He spoke "She is in the operation theatre!"

"Oh!"
***
"Hello Anjali how are you feeling?" Dr. Anchal Kapoor (Anjali's family doctor) asked as she came inside the ward.

"Better!" Anjali answered.

"That's good. Hey have you seen Khushi?"

"Yes, she was here an hour ago. She gave me my medicine and left."

"What? I asked her to rest!"

"Rest? But why?"

"Yes, didn't she tell you she gave you her blood. Due to the accident you had lost quite a lot amount of blood. We didn't have AB blood type since she was O so she gave her yours."

"What?"

"Yes, didn't she tell you?"

"Oh gosh Anchal you should have told me before. I hope she is okay and has eaten something..."

"I was at the operation theatre due to the emergency. Well she said she will take care of herself!"

Anjali was really worried now. First of all she was new to this city, and top of that her accident.

Despite, being new she helped her and got her to the hospital. Not just that, but give her own blood to save her life.

***
"Di doctor said you may go home now!"

"See you were worrying for now reason!" Anjali said as she got out of the bed.

"You go and change I wait for you!"

"Chote, you may go because of me you have to postpone the meetings."

"It's completely okay!" he sated.

"Are you su...?"

"Yes, di!" he quickly answered.

"Okay okay don't be angry..." Anjali said and left from there to change.
***
Everything around Khushi spun at the abnormal pace. For past hour she had been waiting for the bus or at least one taxi. But none came.

She held her aching head.

Her body was drained of energy. Fever was taking toll on her. She couldn't even stand. And bus schedule was telling her there was no bus coming in that area for another 2 hours.

She held onto the pillar for support. With difficulty she walked to the nearest chair. Taking one step at a time and with the support of the wall she weakly sat down in the chair.

Her throat was dry. The glucose level was decreasing. The food that she got was spoiled.

Somehow, she tried to stood up to find a source of water nearby. She had just got up, but her body denied a mere energy and she fell in her seat again.

"Water...water..." she mumbled in her unconscious state. But only someone would have helped her, if there was anyone.

***At the hospital Parkade***

"Hello, Anjali di. How are you? I just got to know about your accident. How did all this happen? I am so sorry, I just couldn't able to come and meet you. But I will definitely come after we are done with the meeting!" Aman said hurriedly. At the same there was a tone of worry in his voice.

"Common Aman relax...I am fit and fine! You and Chote seriously worry for no reason...Come home and see!"

"Thank God di you are fine...I got too scared!"

"You should be thankful to God and Khushi. She is the one who got me here!"

"Di is she the same girl who called Arnav sir and told him about your accident!"

"Yes!!"

"Di, I think she had called me. During the meeting. I am not sure if it was her number. I didn't get time to call her back. I was so occupied."

"Seriously you have her number..."

"I guess so...But not 100% sure!"

"Okay, I try calling her...Give me the number...I will seriously be thankful to you Aman...I am really worried about her...I don't know how is she? And want to know if she has reached her bhua ji's home safely!"

"Di...I just text you here number...Di I may sound mean but I was just wondering if Arnav sir could come back to office...Only if you are fine!"

"Yes...Of course I am fine...I send him to office...Yes...Good Luck with the meetings!...Bye...See you home tonight..."

(P.S. Aman is not Anjali's husband. Anjali's husband is an NRI, Adhvik Malhotra. Aman is Arnav's most reliable employee and depends heavily on him. Aman considers Anjali his sister...Since, he got no sister!)

"Chote, Aman just called me and told me that the meeting is really important so just gotta go..."

"Di, how could I go leaving you here in this condition?"

"Don't worry Chote I am fine. Nurse is coming with me she will take care of me, you leave!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am perfectly fine...You attend your meeting...Your delegates are waiting for you!"

"Okay, take care of yourself di...I will quickly wrap up with the meeting and come back home soon!"

"No hurries, Chote!" she said at Arnav's back as he got into his black Audi. He waved his hand at her before he pulled out of the parking lot. Anjali did the same as she got into her BMW.

"Mam which way to take?"

"Take the mall road route. That will be free of traffic at this point!"

"Yes, mam!" Anjali's driver said.

Meanwhile, Anjali tried Khushi's number.

Khushi heard her phone ringing in her purse when she slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes were stinging.

Her throat was dry. She feared if it was phone from home. She weakly opened the zipper of her purse and took out the phone.

Screen showed a number that she didn't recognize.

Before she could press the answer button phone fell from her hand and she collapsed.