On his demand part 43

CHAPTER 43

"Arnav ji, what happen!?" Khushi asked as she opened her eyes and looked at Arnav sitting next to her. She was worried seeing his gloomy face.

"Payal bhabi...How is she!? Is she fine!?" she asked hurriedly. "I go and see her!"

"Khushi, she is fine!" he said.

"Then why are sad? What happen!?"

He had to tell Khushi, somehow it doesn't matter at all, why Akaash didn't tell them. They had no option atleast now! But it was important things were cleared.

"Shall we sit outside!?" he said.

She nodded, lines of worries formed on her forehead. Her heart was shrinking in fear as something hard as a blow was going to hit her.

Arnav helped Khushi sit on the chair and himself sat in a chair next to her. Khushi hugged his arm and kept her head on his shoulder.

"What is it, Arnav ji!?" she said as she thought Arnav was having hard time telling her. And she herself waiting impatiently. She couldn't imagine what could be the reasons. But it felt as she was just so strong to accept whatever was in store for her.

A long silence.

"Khushi, Lavanaya tried to kill you, at the party. The chandelier that fell was her plan!"

Khushi's hands tightened around his arm. She shivered. She looked at him. The fear of that night that was faded was once again as fresh as it was just happening in front of her eyes. Doesn't matter how hard she tried, to forget that incident she couldn't. The chandelier had fallen so hard, the glass of it had damaged the floor, and it pieces were at all places, the sound of it still deafened her.

Arnav's blood that drenched her sari and she had thought she would loose him.

Scars were deep and fresh.

"Khushi, you alright!?" Arnav had suddenly become aware of her. As he tried to lift her head from his shoulder. But she had hid her face in it. Her fears, her cries. Arnav placed his hand on her head. And kissed her hair. And can feel her pain as raw as it had ever been.

"We will be fine, Khushi!" She let out a loud cry. Arnav let her. "Arnav ji," she was going to say something, but she couldn't. Arnav wrapped his arm around her tightly.

"What still bothers you, Arnav ji!?" she asked as she tried to sound as normal as she could.

"Lavanya has accepted that she tried to kill you, I just got to know from Akaash, Payal," he told her as he knew she was waiting to know.

"And they knew Lavanya was going to do something, but they didn't tell anyone about it, Khushi. I can't believe my own brother was..."
he immediately stopped.

Khushi was shocked to hear about that more than even knowing Lavanya had tried to kill her.

"I just don't know what to do, Khushi!" His voice was full of pain. "I don't want to believe what I heard. But I...I just don't what to loose you, Khushi."

Khushi lifted her head and let go off his arm and just looked at him. "I know that Akaash can't just do anything to harm us!"

She was shaking her head and Arnav looked at her through teary eyes. Was he afraid that his brother was betraying them, she thought. 

"Arnav ji, I know you believe your brother. Believe me, Arnav ji. Just for us they must have done so," she said. "I know and you also know that Akaash bhaiya can't hurt us," she said, and Arnav looked into her eyes.

He nodded his head in understanding. But when fears of loosing your close one settles down in your mind and after going through every harsh situation it's not easy.

It's your closest one who hurts you. 

"I can't loose you, Khushi!" He immediately looked away, closed his eye, gulped down the tears and Khushi bit her tears to keep herself from breaking down once more.

"And we can't afford to loose what we are just left with, Arnav ji!" she thought. 

"Fresh start!" she said.

True happiness had just not been part of their life. 

***
At the Central Jail.

"I wanted you, ASR!" Lavanya said. Arnav's hand was tightly folded in a fist.

But he was just controlling himself for the sake to know what had made her to commit her crimes.

"I didn't know, Khushi was my sister!"

Anger left his mind at the speed of light, but shock that took over angers place was just enough to make him numb.

"Your sister!?" he asked.

"Yes; Khushi, me and, and Payal are blood sisters," she told him.

"How!?" he asked as this side of the story he was completely unknown of.

"You know since childhood me and Payal had always been in England with grandpa and grandma. That was because my grandpa was never happy as mom belonged to the rich family and dad wasn't even near to their status. Me and Payal were taken away from mom and dad," she said.

"When Khushi and Aryan was born grandpa told mom to leave Dad otherwise, they would kill Khushi and Aryan."

Tears were falling from her eyes.

"That's when mom was forced to leave, but along with Khushi and Aryan. Bhua ji didn't let that happen. She took away both Khushi and Aryan. She didn't want dad to live alone without his wife - who was already snatched away from him with me and Payal - as well as Khushi and Aryan. They were told Khushi and Aryan were killed in an accident when Bhua ji tried to run away."

"So, auntie ji doesn't know Khushi and Aryan are still alive!?" Karan asked the same question that hovered in Arnav's mind.

"Yes, she doesn't!" Lavanya said. "Until today, she believes she had only two kids. That's when he told me when after the incident I had gone to England to know more about the children in the picture that I had gotten from Gupta house."

"Does she know Khushi's, I mean your dad is no more!?" Arnav asked.

"I haven't told anything about Khushi and Aryan to her and not even about dad."

"ASR, believe me, I couldn't have done this if I knew Khushi was my sister. That was the first reason I had come to Karan myself and committed my crime. I thank God, ASR that I wasn't successful in killing, Khushi. But, I wish I get life sentence."

"However, I have only one wish, ASR, don't tell Khushi that I am her sister. She will be broken," she literally begged him. "Mom and Payal will hate me!"

"How did she help you in finding Rahul!?" Arnav asked to Karan.

"After two weeks of the incident she had come to the bureau, she told me that she had seen Rahul at the RM," Rahul said.

"And I made her to make Rahul her partner, we were successful in finding him, but he was always step ahead of us. When I told you that Rahul was tracked down, and somehow he came to know about us and ran from Scotland. And whenever la wanted to meet him, he told her she couldn't. And even whenever she used to go to meet him, she was blindfolded. She had no idea where she was taken and in that case neither we could. He had the machine to detect if she had any camera or phone on herself, which we initially thought of trying. But thank god we didn't. We tried to be ahead of him, but every step he took was something we never ever had thought of," he said.

"And when he had kidnapped Anjali and had..." he stopped himself from mentioning about his child's death. "It was too late! And he was too quick!" he ended his detail rather sadly.

"And also, your security officers were killed who were guarding Khushi's ward!"

Arnav was shaken up literally by the information he had gotten, from Lavanya being Khushi's sister and then her being involved in tracking down Rahul.

He was thankful he talked to Lavanya and cleared any doubt he had on his brother, Akaash. He just couldn't tell how relieved he was. The happiness that filled his heart was just inevitable. He was feeling guitly of misunderstanding, Akaash and Payal, but in the end it was clear, no harm was intended to make.

Karan and Arnav walked out of the lock up. "Arnav, what's your take on whatever you have heard!?" Karan asked.

Arnav was quite as he was thinking or may be if he was trying to process all the information inside his head.

Karan waited for his response. "Karan, whatever law consider her best punishment is, she should get."

Karan couldn't believe it was coming from Arnav. "You are right, Arnav," Karan said.

"This is what I believe," Karan said.

"So, Arnav, case is all solved. I am sorry for the damage. But I hope everything goes good for you guys," Karan said as he shook his hand with Arnav.

He smiled in return and sat in his car and drove off to the Raizada Mansion.

***
Akaash, Payal, and Khushi were waiting for Arnav patiently in the living area. As Arnav bolted inside the house, they all got up from the sofa.

He looked utterly serious. Khushi prayed everything was fine. "Khushi, can you send the cup of coffee in the study," he said as he was going upstairs. Paying no attention to Akaah and Payal.

"Arnav bhai!" Akaash called nervously.

Arnav immediately stopped before he had climbed one step of the ladder.

"And I want you immediately in the study, Akaash," Arnav said.

Akaash was so terrified that he had no courage to say yes.

"Arnav, Akaash will be in the study in just five minutes," Payal said.

"Thank you!" he said and left.

"Akaash bhai, he loves you more than anything," Khushi said.
Akaash put his hand on Khushi's head and nodded.

"Bhabi, I hope everything is fine!" Khushi said.

"Khushi, you know what!?" Payal said as she made her sit on the sofa. "These two brothers has such a strong bonding that no misunderstanding can ever separate them. We have no idea how much they love each other, even in their childhood they used to fight, and wouldn't talk for days. But if any of them get hurt they would go to any extreme to make each other better. You know why am I not worried about this misunderstanding because they know each other so well. They know that they can't hurt each other. But, sometimes situations are such that we can't help thinking. He loves you so much that he can't let anyone to hurt you. Even if it was Akaash."

Khushi was about to say something but Payal shook her head as she knew what she was about to say.

"Khushi seeds of misunderstandings are sown, and as we did. We should have told Karan about our doubts but we didn't! We stayed quite."

Khushi placed her hand on Payal's. "Bhabi none of us had thought la could do anything such," she said.

"I was actually the one who had come between..."

Payal quickly shushed her. "I told you this before, Khushi, Arnav is only yours, no Lavanya can take that place. You haven't taken anybody's place. That place was and still is all yours."

"Arnav and you are incomplete without each other," she said.

***

At the study!

"I am sorry, bhai. I know I should have told you about Lavanya, I wanted to keep Lavanya away from you and Khushi. I had a close eye on her," he said. "I am sorry bhai, in either way, I didn't want to hurt you. You were already so worried about Khushi and by telling you about Lavanya I didn't want to stress you. If you want you can give me any punishment, but please forgive me. I wanted to do something for you, in return what you did for all of us."

"I am sorry, bhai. I can't imagine to see you get hurt. If I knew La, could go to such extreme I would have..."

Arnav who till now was pretending to read the newsletter raised his eyes to look at Akaash and he immediately fell silent.

"Akaash go and pack your bag!?" he said as he got up his rocking chair and went to fetch a file from the closet.

"I am sorry bhai, please forgive me! Please don't separate us!"

"Akaash, I am saying go and pack your bag pack!" he repeated.

"Bhai, I am sorry!"

"Akaash, haven't you guys decided to go to the picnic!?"

Akaash eventually felt an air getting to his lungs. He smiled and rushed to him and hugged him. "I am sorry bhai. Truly I am!"

Arnav smiled and instantly hugged his brother back. "I am sorry, Akaash. I shouldn't have trust in you!"

"No bhai, please don't think so. It's alright," he said and they pulled away from the hug.

"It's all right now," Akaash assured.

"Let's go and tell our wives they must be worried," Arnav said.

"How about playing little bit along with them?" Akaash said.

Arnav agreed.

Both brothers were in a mischievous mood.

Payal and Khushi sat in the living room. Both of them biting their nails as worries took over them.

"Please bhai, listen me!" Akaash said as he ran after Arnav.

Payal and Khushi got up, almost scared. Both of them held their hands and ran to their husbands.

"Arnav ji, what happen!?" Khushi said as she rushed to him, and Payal rushed to Akaash to stand on his side.

"Akaash, what happen!?"

"Payal, bhai is asking us to pack our bag pack!"

Khushi's eyes widened. "Arnav ji, we can sit and talk about it. It's nothing serious. We can..."

"Khushi, I don't need any arguments over that!" Arnav said coldly.

Khushi ran her hand in her hair in worry.

"Arnav, it's all my mistake, I should have said everything about..." Payal was saying when Arnav and Arnav couldn't hold back their laugh.

"We are going to our farmhouse, Payal!" Akaash said, "for a picnic!"

"You both were kidding!?" they both asked at the same time.

"Yes, do you think bhai will ask us to leave!?"

Khushi collapsed. Arnav caught Khushi in his arms in a flick.

"Khushi," Arnav shouted. Akaash's and Payal rushed to her.

"Look Khushi, we were just kidding!" Arnav said.

"Yes, Khushi. We were. I know we shouldn't have!" Akaash said. "We were just kidding!"

"Please Payal go and call the doctor," Arnav said.
Khushi opened her eyes and with a wide grin on their faces, "So we were!" they both said. This time payal and Khushi were laughing.

"What the!?" both growled.

"What, what the!?" Khushi said.

"Yes, do you think only you both can do this drama!?" Payal asked.

"Tit for tat!" Akaash said.

"Yes, tit for tat, Bhaiya!" Khushi said.

Khushi wiggled her eyebrows at Arnav. He couldn't help, but shook her head.
"I love you," he said in his mind. And Khushi smiled at him.
***