THE PURSUIT-1

THE PURSUIT-1

THE MIRAGE-II

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Arnav stood still! Rooted to the spot!

She just stood there staring! Is she going to turn him out or will she refuse to recognise him? Anything can happen with Ms. Pride Chin! He smirked!!!

She slowly started walking towards... would he fight with him?... or stay calm with her chin up!

He was amd at her! He was!!!All said and done she defied him and went away and did not bother to call him even! How dared she!!!

She looked beautiful in ayellow lehenga... Yellow was a colour ... he always thought was too bright... but it looked just so pretty on her -vibrant and with pink...Her hair was loose and was flying in all directions making her look like a dream him!!!

Then it happened! To his heart's desire she started walking faster and just ran into his arms with such force that he just felt her heart thudding away into his so much so that he did not know where her heart beat ended and where his began! He realised that, it was the first time she hugged him ever! On her own and completely!

He would always treasure the memory of the the sight... the setting and the scent of that first ever union of theirs...

It started to pour and she just stared at him as if he were a ghost and then ran to him and he noticed she did not bother that her dupatta was gone!!! It was a sight to behold as the beautiful princess of Ranpur ran without a care with her long hair flowing and her dupatta trailing behind like a rainbow in the rain...

As she ran... the pitter patter of the rain mingled with the clank of her single anklet amidst the whistling wind as the thunder boomed!!!!He would recognise the sound of her anklet anywhere ... he thought... as he always carried its pair with him in his breast pocket closest to his heart!!

With the rain came the smell of the earth and with Khushi came the fragrance of the wild flowers...as she lodged herself into him on her toes,...he involuntarily lifted her off the ground hoisting her high in his arms!

Khushi just enveloped him like a vine and he just couldn't help putting his arms round her! The rest happened on its own volition! Her long hair was plastred all over her face and she was wet with the downpour... And he for the life of him, could not breathe as it was pouring down heavy and Khushi held him so tight with her arms round his neck as she was 

entwined all over him! All he could manage was to say," Khushi!"

...And with that came the realisation as to how much he meant to her... his existence and his being there!!!!And what about him? NO!!! He was not going to think of that now!!! He had gone through hell once when she took all those stabs to save him... he had gone through worse when she left him without even informing him...He now knew how vulnerable emotions made you and Arnav Singh Raizada was supposed to be invincible, ruthless and above all indomitable!!!

As he tried to accommodate her,he realised something else!!!She was scalding hot! He immediately put her down and saw that her face was red with fever! Infact her whole body was burning with fever!He tried to lift her but she was delirious and did not let go of him!

He softly said "Khushi my yahin hun!"

( I am here!)

She just blurted "Arnavji math jayiyey!!!Huuummmey chooodkey!!!!!"Before her eyelashes flapped close!

( Please don't go! Don't leave me!!!)

...But her hands held him captive still as she blabbered something incoherent!He softly extricated her hands and lifted her up and took her in! He put her on the couch and straightened the bed and thought for a second and called Buaji on the land line and asked her to change her clothes!

He went out and waited for her to be changed into dry clothes as he looked at the storm sending an ocassional spray on to him as he stood watching it... as the Taaraavar's domes were not secured due to the sudden down pour!

He had wound up all his work and god knows how he waited for five whole days! But he did! Coz he knew his stubborn bride will be difficult to handle!!! He needed time to sort himselves out!...and he worked his hide out to earn his leave! His mind went back to when he reached Shanthivan a week ago!...

THE PURSUIT-THE MIRAGE II

"Chotey!" Anjali tried to get up but Arnav reached her before she even got up and hugged her saying "Di how are you! And how come nobody informed me about this!"He fumed!

"Nai Sale Saab!!! It was not that bad to bring you back from The US!" Shyam Manohar Jha came in and his hand was in a sling!

"Just a fracture not to worry!" He said immediately as Arnav looked at him with concern written all over his face!

"How did this happen?" he asked looking at his Di! She had a patch on her forehead and she was more or less ok, apart from a few scrapes!!

"We were coming back from his uncle's and suddenly a truck rammed into our vehicle Anjali was explaining and Arnav noticed Shyam was winking at him... and he simply understood there was more to the story! He settled his Di called and spoke to her doc and then entered his room!

The first thing Arnav noticed was it felt empty! His gaze immediately went to the pool side! SHE WAS NOT THERE! Why would she be? He mentally cursed ! And then the anger rose...

HOW DARED SHE!

"Chotey!" Nani's voice made him turn and she walked in and hugged him!

"Kaisan ho merey bacchey" she asked him!

( How are you my child?)

"My theek hun Nani aap kaisi ho!"

( I am fine Nani! How about you?)

Nani just looked at him and said "hiya aayiye"( come here) and made him sit on his bed and pulled a chair for herself...

"Khushi..."

Arnav got up "Nani mujhey uskey barey mein kuch bhi nahi sunna hai!!"

(I don't want to listen to anything about her).

Kya isiliye aapki aankhey bitiya ko dhoondhath hain? Nani teased!

( Oh is that why your eyes search for her?)

"Meri aankhein..." ( My eyes?) he stopped himself and said, "My kiseeko nahi dhoondh rahaa hun! khas kar usey jisney mere manaa karneke baavajood bhi apne ghar chaligayi!"

( I am not searching for any one! Least of all her-whp left this house even after I forbade her!)

"Hum bahuth samjhaneki koshish karath rahey! Per woh nahi maani!" Nani said in anguish!

( I tried my best to reason it out with her! But she would not buy it).

"What the@#$%"Arnav got infuriated! She did not even listen to his granny? How dare she defied him!

"Nani uskey baarey mein na hi koi bath karega aur my jo karne ja rahaa hun nahi koi usmein blolega!"

( Neither will anyone talk about her nor will anyone say anything about my future actions that concern her).

"Aap Khushi bitiya ke baarey mein aisaa kaisan..."

( How can you think about Khushi that way?)

"Nani myne kahaa na... usney meri bath nahi maani aur mujhey uskey baarey mein kisi sey kuch bhi nahi sunna hai!"Arnav said.

( Nani I told you... She did not pay heed to my word!!! And I don't want to listen to anything about her from anyone).

"Accha...Yeh bhi nahi ki Khushi bitiya aapkey Di key khatir ghar chod ke gayeen?" Nani asked him!

( Not even the fact that she left Shanthivan for the sake of your DI?)

"What?" Arnav said!

"Yes saalesaab!"Shyam came in and went on..." On the third day after you left we went to my Nagpur Mamaji's home for puja! While coming bk we met with an accident! A truck... But Mohan told me he saw some vehicle following us all through so... I did some enquiry and it turned to be a bigger nexus!

"Kya bol rahey hain Jeejaji?" Arnav asked anxiously!

( what do you mean?)

"Yeah! The whole thing was done by a man called Manna! Alias Manpreet who was funded by the liquor cartel!" Shyam said.

"That means Bhairav... Iski tho my!!!..."( That #$%@&*) Arnav took his mobile...

"Bitua ek minute..." ( On minute my child) Nani interfered... "Woh Bhairav tho khela accha khelath hai! Dekhiye aapan hath sey hi sahi lekin doosron ke kandhey pey rakh key bandook chalaawath hai!" She tried to explain to Arnav...

( Bhairav plays very tricky! He pulls the trigger but placing it on someone else's shoulder)

"Aap kyun jaakey ooka aagey sey waar karey hain?" Nani asked!

( why do you expose yousrself?)

"Naniji theek bolthi hain !" ( Naniji is right) Shyam endorsed her!

"Myne iska intezaam kiya hain! Aap bus Khushi ji ko manaayiye bus!" He said smiling!

( I have made some arrangements to teach him a lesson! Your job is to pacify Khushi).

"Nahi!" Arnav said very determinedly!

"Kyun?" ( Why) Nani asked.

"Kyunki Arnav Singh Raizada ki bath jo patthar ki lakheer hai usey laangh key gayeen hain woh!"

( Coz Khushi has broken the unwritten law... the word of Arnav Singh Raizada and thats why...)

Shyam teased and got a killer stare from Arnav!

"Dekhiye SaaaleSaab! Deepthimaan thuranth aapahunchey aur hum donon ney yaheen sey poora tehkikaath kiya... tho Khushiji ko patha chalgaya ki yeh Bhairav ki chaal hai aapko chetaavni deneki! Tho woh usi din chali gayi!" He clarified.

( Deepthimaan was here to help immediately and both of us investigated it together and so Khusi came to know. She knew that it was a warning by Bhairav and she left immediately, that very day).

"Chotey aur ek bath bhi hui!" Nani said suddenly remembering!

( One more event happened).

"Kya?" Arnav asked!

(What?)

"Malathi Jiji ki behan Saroj aayi rahi aur unhoney Khushi bitiya sey bath ki!"

(Malathi Jiji's sister Saroj came and she spoke to Khushi!)

Arnav stiffened! "Kya?"

( what?)

"Haan chotey" Nani confirmed.

( yeah).

"Uske baad bitiya bahuth pareshaan lagi" Nani said agitatedly!

( It was aster that, Khushi was very upset!)

"Kaahey ki jab woh jaana chahthi thi humsey unhone ghar jaaneki bath kahi thi!...tho hum manaa kiye rahey aur boley aap aaye taq rukey! Mushkil sey hi sahi per woh maan gayi! Per jab yeh aurath aakey gayi woh kamrey mein bandh rahi aur uskey baad usney jaane ka thay kiya aur bus chaldi!"Nani informed!

( Its like this that, initially when she wanted to go home, I asked her not to! with great difficulty I could convince her to stay back till your return. But after this lady came and left, she shut herself in your room for some time and then she just left).

"Accha? Arnav's anger came down a notch!... but what did Saroj tell her?

What ever ! How can she leave without even informing him! He texted regularly and she was angry with him so she did not respond! Time zones were a problem as the first two days he called but at odd hours and she was still angry and the conversation was just very stilted and later on he never got an opportunity to talk at all! Twice he called but she would not take the call and the next whole week he did not find time... moreover Nani in order to avert his anger, never told him anything and made excuses when he called home... now he knew!

But he called before boarding the flight and her phone was sswitched off! So Now She did not want even to talk to him!

"Rehney do Nani! Woh wahin Theek hai" ( leave her Gran! she is better off there than here)he said as Shyam left to take a call!!!

"Naahi bitua! woh theek nahi hain!" Nani said...

( No my child! She is not ok!)

"Kya hua Khushi ko? Usey phir sey... "He was so agitated that Nani got up and made him sit and sat besides him and said," Itna pyar karthey ho usey chotey phir aisa kaisan usey chod do gey aapan haal pey?

( What happened? Did she get hurt again?...

You love her so much Chotey, then tell me how you can leave her to her fate!)

"What rubbish Nani? My kisisey pyar nahi kartha !"Arnav shirked her off!

( I don't love anybody)

"Accha! Aur aapko patha hain woh kitna aapsey pyar karthi hain!" Nani said! she did not ask!

( Ok! And You know how much she loves you!)

"Nahi nani my jaanna  bhi nahi chaahtha hun! Kyunki mujhey pyar karthi tho meri bath maanthi!" Arnav said seriously!

( No Gran !I do not want to know either!If she loves me then she would never have defied me in the first place!)

"Madhumathi ji turanth phone Kiye rahi yeh sab unko myney samjhaaya aur woh roj phone karke yahi bolthi hain ki jab sey bitia gayi hain... kuch theek sey khaathi nahi hain aur naahi sothi hain! Aur bahuth kamzor padgayeen!!!"

( Madhumati called me immediately and I explained everything to her! She keeps me informed everyday and she says, ever since Khushi neither eats or sleeps and she has become very weak!)

A muscle in Arnav's jaw! Serves her and her pride right he thought! Who asked her to go!!!

"Aapkey aaneka intejaar hain unhey!" Nani said looking at him expectantly!

( Buaji is expecting you).

"Nope Nani! I won't go! woh mujhey ek bath bolthi kum sey kum!" arnav said angrily!

( No Gran I won't go! She could have told me a word... once)

"Damaadji manaa kiye rahey! Unhone socha us bath sey woh ruk jaayengi per woh nahi ruki!" Nani supplied!

( Shyamji has asked us not to call you so that she won't panic that you will fell bad about Di[The cause being her]... but she did not heed.)

"Chotey Khushi bitiya ne Anjali bitiya ko bathaaney se manaa kiya! Yeh sab! Woh bolath rahi ki aapko Anjali bitiya sabsey pyari hain aur issey usey aur baad mein aapko taqleef hoga! Zara unkey baarey mein sochiye! Kitna woh hum sabsey pyar karthi hogi ki apni zindagi ko chod woh hum sab ke qaatir apne maaykey waapas laut gayi! Unko unkey amma babuji ko kitna bura lagtha hoga!!! aur uper sey sab mein beyijjathi hogi na! Sab tho yahi sochengeyna ki pathi ney wapas bhejdiya wajah jo bhi ho! Nani tried to explain!

( Chotey Khushi did not let Anjali know anything as she thought she should be kept away from all these tensions as you love your sister and if she is upset you won't be happy!How much she should love us all to leave her life, happiness and her dreams and go back to face humiliation! Whatever be the reason, everyone would think that you have sent her back! her parents must feel so bad as people would only say her in laws have disowned her!).

Nani please... leave me alone for sometime!

Haan Nani ji chaliye! Abhi tho aayein hain my samjhaaunga! Shyam winked at Nani and patted Arnav on his shoulders and left!

Arnav removed is blazer and threw it away in rage and turned to dump his stuff , when he saw one of her jewellery boxes on the dresser! He took it and opened it and there was the golden key ... that which he gave to her when she first stepped into shanthivan!

The nerve of the woman he took it and was about to throw it too but suddenly he turned and went and opened the locker!

 He just stared... it was full! All the jewellery he gave her for the wedding... was neatly stacked...her waist band... the tiny sword which she gave him were placed in the front on an envelope...which he realised she wanted him to read along with her will and he refused...So she left with nothing!!!

He opened the envelope and on a light pink art paper, was written something in an elegant hand...

He read it and just stared at the pool side... as tears clouded his eyes...