Chapter 27 - Support

Two love birds were all cuddled up with each other and were sleeping lovingly in each others arms, were once again interrupted by the sudden ring of the morning alarm. Arnav irritatedly woke up to the loud ringing sound of the alarm of his phone and quickly stopped it. He saw the sleeping beauty who was sleeping beside him and a smile appeared on his face, realizing how cute and childish Khushi looked when she was sleeping. But it was already 7.30am and he thought it was time for her to leave. So he tried to wake her up.

"Khushi, wake up", Arnav said, while caressing her cheek with his thumb.
Khushi snuggled more towards him and said, "Let me sleep some more Arnav". 
She pouted her lips and Arnav couldn't resist his feelings anymore. She looked adorable, even though she hadn't dressed to kill. She had worn a simple white kurta top and black jeans(http://www.dealsfight.com/images/product/fashion/lakhnavi-cotton-white-kurti.jpg). The white colour added a more serene look to her face. Her hair was left open. There were a pair of white pearl earrings on her ears. Her neck was as usual adorned by his gift. She really looked charming, even in her sleep.
He slowly leaned down to take her lips by his. Khushi opened her eyes with shock, when she felt her lips being touched by the one man she loved. She gave in, as she was feeling weak by the passionate kiss he was continuing on her lips. Her breathing was speeding up like the speed of a racing car, and she could almost feel her heart skipping many usual beats. After few minutes, his tongue gained entry towards her mouth and their tongues were dancing together to their own sweet melody. After continuing their passionate kiss for almost 15 minutes, Arnav then trailed butterfly kisses along her jaw line. Khushi couldn't bear Arnav's sweet torture, and she knew if he kept on torturing her like this, she would lose her self control at that very moment. 
"Arnav stop. I thought you said I should wake up", Khushi said, while giggling like a small girl.
Arnav understood that he had to stop now, so he rested his head on his pillow once again. He pulled Khushi more towards him and made her head rest on his chest.
"Your weird, you know that right? First, you said to let you sleep, and now you are saying that you need to wake up", Arnav said, smiling.
"Well, how can I sleep when you are not letting me do that?", Khushi said, with a cute pout on her face again.
"If you keep on pouting like that, I won't be able to keep my lips off yours", Arnav said, while smirking at her.
Khushi was now blushing uncontrollably, and she felt a sudden urge to kiss his cheeks. So she lifted her head and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek. Arnav in response placed another kiss on her head and said "Don't worry, I won't cross our limits Khushi".
Khushi felt relieved and she was glad that he understood her, without the need of expressing herself aloud. 
Sudden silence on the room was broken by the ringing tone of Arnav's phone. Arnav answered the phone, seeing that the call was from Rahul.
"What's up Rahul?", Arnav answered, a little irritated for disturbing his private moments.
"Good morning to you too", Rahul said, in his usual teasing tone.
"Good morning", Arnav greeted.
"How are you, dude?", Rahul asked, as he was worried for his best friend.
"I'm fine", Arnav said, remembering what happened yesterday.
"Arnav, I had to say something. Actually two things. First one is that, there was a problem with some clients and I somehow managed it. I will boss around your office today as well, so that you can rest today", Rahul said, in a nervous tone. He was nervous to tell the second reason for his call.
"Thanks. And the second reason is...", Arnav said, with his unique smirk appearing on his face again. Khushi looked at Arnav, with her innocent eyes. Khushi felt as if Arnav had figured out how she got to know about his secret apartment. So she pleaded to him through her eyes to not to jump at Rahul. He smiled at her, ensuring that he wouldn't. Then he put the phone on speakers.
"The second reason is, I wanted you to know Khushi knows about your apartment", Rahul spit out the words, hoping that Arnav would not kill him in cold blood.
"I guessed that you must have spit out about my apartment. I can't imagine why I trusted you with a secret at the first place", Arnav said sarcastically.
"How do you know? Do you mean that she visited you? Look Arnav, your girl is quite the emotional blackmailer, just like your sister. Thank god, I don't have to see your sister everyday. Because she is quite intimidating. I thought Khushi was not like that. But seems like she is more like your sister. Both the women in your life are quite dangerous. You can't deal with your Di, but I'm telling you bro. It's not still late to escape from the other one", Rahul said, hoping to lighten up Arnav.
Arnav couldn't stop himself from bursting out laughing, because he saw the look on Khushi's face and he realized that Rahul was going to become a dead person now.
"What did you say Rahul? You are trying to manipulate Arnav to leave me? I'm his fiancee, and you are just his friend. If I want, I can tell him to leave you for me. And I'm sure he would gladly do that", Khushi said, angrily. 
Arnav was still laughing. Rahul was surprised to hear Khushi's voice and he realized that she had stayed overnight with Arnav.
"Shit Arnav, why didn't you tell me she is there? You even put the phone on speaker. Anyway, it was not my fault. How could you Khushi. You promised", Rahul said, in an upset tone.
"Uffo, you are a complete idiot. You made me promise to not to tell anyone, and I didn't", Khushi said, while laughing.
"Fine. I have to agree that your smart, just like Arnav. So tell me, what are you doing in his apartment, early in the morning?", Rahul asked, flipping to his teasing mode again.
"Okay, that's it dude. You already wasted 15 minutes of my precious time. I gotta drop Khushi at her house. You are not going to spit out a single word about anything you told or heard in this morning", Arnav said firmly.
"Don't worry Bro, I won't. My lips are sealed.  Okay then, Khushi Bhabhi-to-be. See you later. Hope you enjoyed the night", Rahul said, once again hoping to tease both Arnav and Khushi.
"Rahul!!!!!!!!!!!!!', Arnav shouted.
Rahul quickly cut the call, and Arnav was now smiling at his best friend's uncontrollable chatter box. Then he saw that Khushi was blushing and her face was like a strawberry.
"Okay, stop blushing. It's time to wake up", Arnav said.
Khushi hit his chest with her small fist and said, "You go and take a shower. I will make coffee".
"Thanks Khushi", Arnav said while getting down from the bed, and he headed towards the bathroom.
Khushi was now up and she made two cups of coffee. Right on time, Arnav came out of the bathroom, wearing a white long-sleeved T-shirt and blue jeans. Khushi couldn't take eyes off him right now, as he was looking like a super hot teenager. His hair was not gelled and she wanted to run her fingers through his hair. She came towards him and handed over the cup. She then went towards the bathroom to freshen up. Since she didn't have any clothes with her, she thought of changing once she went home.
While coming out of the bathroom Khushi suddenly remembered that she didn't inform Payal about her lie. So she quickly took the phone from the bedside table and was about to dial Payal, when Arnav came from behind and snatched her phone.
"What the hell, Arnav? Give me the phone quickly. I need to call Payal and tell her about the lie I told Lav", Khushi said, while panicking. 
"Don't worry Khushi, I already called her. When you were in the bathroom, I remembered that you didn't inform Payal and I explained everything to her", Arnav said, trying to calm down Khushi.
"Thank god Arnav. I felt as if I would be dead, if by any chance Payal contacted Lav or anyone in the house", Khushi said, while hugging Arnav for acting so wisely.
After sometime both of them stepped out of the hug and Arnav felt that it was time for them to leave. Even Khushi agreed, as it was already 9.00am. So both of them were about to leave, when Arnav stopped Khushi to say something.
"Khushi, I need a favour. I know you don't want me to hide stuff from anyone. But can you please not tell anyone about this apartment?", Arnav said, in a pleading tone.
"Hey, I can understand. Everybody needs to have their own personal space to get some peace from the people around them. So I promise you that I won't tell anyone", Khushi said, while holding his hand reassuringly.
After dropping off Khushi at her place, Arnav had now arrived home. He felt as if he had entered a new territory, because it had been three days since he came home. No one was to be seen, as it was a weekday. But he wondered where Di and Nani was. He saw Hari Prakash, and he asked from him where his sister and Nani was. 
Hari Prakash had said that Di was in Nani's room, and now Arnav was slowly heading towards Nani's room. When he was about to enter the room, he felt a slight smile appear on his face after seeing the scene in front of him. His Di was closing her eyes while enjoying the feeling of Nani oil massage. He cleared his throat to make them aware that he was there and both of them looked up with surprise.
"Arre Chottey, you came", Nani said happily.
"Yeah Nani", Arnav said, while walking towards them. Arnav could feel that his Di was still not in the mood to talk, but he knew he had to be the mature one at the moment. So he sat down in front of Di and continued to pacify her.
"Di, I'm sorry. I know I was wrong to leave you alone yesterday like that. You know that I can't bare the pain I feel on this day. And I don't want you to go through pain, by seeing the pain I'm suffering from. That's why I don't attend the pooja every year. But today I will tell you one thing. I will try to attend the pooja next year. But I won't promise you, but I will surely try", Arnav said, hoping his Di would understand.
Anjali's eyes filled with tears after hearing her Chottey's words. She felt guilty for not talking to him and not trying to understand his state. She suddenly embraced Arnav in a hug, letting all the emotions that she was hiding inside, flow through tears.
I'm sorry Chottey. I won't force you next time. But I'm sure you will be there sitting next to me, next year", Anjali said, letting a small smile appear on her face.
"How can you be so sure Di?", Arnav asked, because he was surprised as to how she was so confident about him attending the pooja.
"Because of Khushi. All these years you never talked to me like this, after returning back from being all alone on mom's death anniversary. But I feel like that Khushi was the reason for you to behave like this today. And I'm proud to have a Bhabhi like her", Anjali said, as she had realized Khushi must have talked to him yesterday.
"Well, what can I say Di. She is a keeper", Arnav said, with a wink.
Nani was happy to see the sister-brother duo bonding, as she never wanted to see them sharing the silent treatment with each other. 
"Come on, Nani. This is not fair. It's been a long time since you gave me an oil massage", Arnav said, while forming a pout with his lips. Both Nani and Di laughed at their Chottey. He really looked like a kid, when he pouted his lips.
"Come here", Nani said. Arnav took Anjali's place and Nani started to apply oil on her favourite grandson's head.
While enjoying the magic of his Nani's fingers on his head, Arnav felt a strong urge to tell the truth about Khushi, spending the night with him. Although he knew this would make both the people with him panic, he knew it was the right thing to do.
"Nani, Di, I have to tell you both something. Yesterday Khushi came to meet me. She came to talk, but later when she was about to leave, I couldn't let her do that. I didn't want to stay alone, so I asked her to stay with me last night. But I promise you both, nothing happened between us", Arnav said, explaining the situation.
Nani and Anjali looked at each others faces for sometime, and Anjali started to speak.
"Arrey Chottey, you don't need to explain anything. We know you, and we know that you wouldn't do anything wrong. As for Khushi, she is a well behaved girl from a respected family. And we are sure that she knows her limits as well. So don't worry, we won't judge you both", Anjali smiled, while cupping his face with her palms.
Arnav felt as if he had the most amazing people in his life. He felt relieved after letting out what he had been hiding inside himself all these years, from the ones he loved. And after sometime, Arnav had unknowingly fallen asleep on Nani's lap. Both Nani and Anjali looked at their Chottey sleeping peacefully like a child, and both of them smiled at each other while their hearts filled with happiness.

Will Khushi's family get to know about the lie? If so, who would have leaked the truth?

Chapter 26 - Holding his Hand

It was the day of Arnav's mother's death anniversary and all the members of the family were present, except for Arnav. Khushi had arrived together with Lavanya, Chachu and Chachi. She realized that Arnav was not there and she was worried. After taking blessings from Nani, Khushi asked about Arnav's whereabouts from her, and she even didn't know where he was. But one thing was sure, that he was in the country. Because according to Nani, if he left the country, he would have informed the family earlier. Neither had he called his family nor Khushi after he left early from the office, day before yesterday. 

The pooja was successful and went according to the way it was planned. Nani had insisted the Gupta family to join for lunch, so they stayed. After lunch, all were in the living room, talking about various stuff. Khushi saw that Anjali was silent today, compared to the other days she had met her. And she knew it was because of Arnav. Khushi felt sorry for both Anjali and Arnav. When she was lost in her thoughts, suddenly Khushi's phone rang. The caller was Aman.
"Hello Aman, what is it?", Khushi asked.
"Hello Khushi, there is an emergency situation in the office. Do you know where Arnav Sir is?", Aman asked, worriedly.
"Sorry Aman, but I don't know. You know that he doesn't want to meet anyone on this day every year, right?", Khushi said.
"Well, what shall I do now?", Aman asked, as he was clueless of what to do next.
"Wait, didn't you call Rahul?", Khushi asked, suddenly remembering Rahul was the business partner.
"Actually Khushi, I tried. But Sir is not answering", Aman said.
"Wait, I will try and call him. Don't worry", Khushi said, trying to calm down Aman.
"Okay, thanks Khushi, I'll hang up then. Bye", Aman said, feeling a little bit relieved.
After ending the call, Khushi dialed Rahul. 
"Hello Khushi, What's up?", Rahul asked, in his normally flirty tone.
"Why the hell didn't you answer the damn phone, Rahul? Aman is really worried. There is a emergency situation in the office. He can't call Arnav and here you are ignoring the calls", Khushi said, angrily.
"Oh shit!! I didn't answer, because I didn't want to tell anyone where Arnav was", Rahul said, without thinking what he was saying.
"Oh, so you knew all this time where he was and you didn't bother to tell anyone in his family?", Khushi asked, in an irritated tone.
"Look Khushi, you know how Arnav is. If he wants to stay alone, he means it. He doesn't want anyone to trouble him, when he is alone. And that too especially today. That's why I kept it as a secret", Rahul said, hoping that Khushi would understand the reason for hiding the facts.
"Hmmm... Okay. But can you tell me at least. Since his phone is off, how can we give him any kind of emergency news?", Khushi said.
"No Khushi, I can't", Rahul said, firmly.
"Oh, come on. I'm your Bhabhi, right? Wouldn't you do this much for me? Please?", Khushi said in an innocent, pleading tone.
"Fine and please stop trying to emotionally blackmail me. I will tell you where he is, but don't tell anyone. Promise me", Rahul said.
"I promise. Also please call Aman and try to solve the problem", Khushi said, feeling a little relieved.
After getting the address Khushi was happy, as she knew where Arnav was now. But she felt it wouldn't be right for her to poke her nose in other people's business. And she knew Arnav would blast off in a second, if he saw her at his place. Also she didn't want to lie to the Raizada's, as she couldn't tell them she was going to meet Arnav. So she thought of giving Arnav his time for himself.
Arnav was now lying down in his comfortable sofa in his secret apartment. Yes, that's right. He had bought this private apartment (http://www.900house.com/images/Luxury-Penthouse-Apartment-18-Master-Bedroom-with-Outdoor-View-900x670.jpg), so that he can aloof himself from the outside world whenever he needed sometime alone. The only person who knew about this place was his best friend. He didn't want anyone to know about this place, especially his Di, because she was quite good at invading his personal space. He knew it was wrong, but even he needed to be alone sometimes to keep himself sane. And that too on days like today. With the sudden ring of the door bell, Arnav changed his posture. Since past two days he had not eaten properly and he was feeling weak. So he had ordered pizza. He went towards the door, expecting to see the pizza man in front of him after he opened the door.
Khushi was now standing in front of Arnav's apartment. She didn't know whether she was doing the right thing or not. But Khushi being Khushi couldn't wait without doing nothing as well. She knew Arnav shouldn't be left alone on a day like this. She only wanted to be there with him. She didn't expect any explanations, actions or expressions from him. She just wanted to hold his hand, to show that she will always be with him. She knew he would jump at her like a barking dog, but she was ready to face whatever happened next. So she rang the door bell nervously.
As soon as Arnav opened the door, Arnav froze with shock. Not only himself, he felt as if the whole surrounding and even the time had frozen. After few minutes his mind recovered, and the first question that popped in his mind was how Khushi got to know about his apartment. But before he could ask out the question aloud, Khushi made him surprised by letting out the anger that had been hidden inside her fragile body, in the form of words.
"Who do you think you are? Does anyone vanish into thin air, just like that? How could you? Didn't you at least think how the people that love you would feel?", Khushi went on spitting out the words in one breath while hitting on his chest with her small fists.
"Why do you think I wanted no one to know? That's because I wanted to be alone, dammit. Why the hell did you come here, when you knew that I don't like to be disturbed when I want to be alone? Not only that, you came here, to my private apartment without any invitation? Who do you think you are Khushi? Just because you are my fiancee doesn't mean that you can poke your nose into my life", Arnav said, as he burst out with anger.
Khushi felt really hurt by Arnav's words. Although she wanted to leave at that very moment, something unknown stopped her. And she thought of telling what she came to tell before she left. 
"I'm sorry Arnav, I thought I meant more than just the word fiancee for you, but it clearly seems like not. I know what happened in the past and I didn't come here to poke my nose in to your life. I came here today, because you are a part of my life now. But I guess I was wrong. Why do you think I lied to everyone and came here at this time of the day, when the thing I hate the most in my life is hiding the truth from another person? I know that Di and you are both in pain. I also know that you are pain is greater than Di's, because you witnessed your mom's death when you were at a small age. So I can understand if you wanted to be alone today. But I felt sorry for you, because Di at least has the whole family with her today, when you don't have anyone. I know why you wanted to be alone today. It's because if you see either Di or Nani on this day, you would remember your mother's death all over again, and those bitter memories are going to worsen your pain more. So I thought I should be with you, in that way I could silently support you by holding you hand. Because I'm not related to your past. But now I feel that I was wrong. So once again, I'm sorry".
After the last word came out of her mouth only Khushi realized that her eyes were welled up with tears. She knew she couldn't control herself anymore, so she turned around to leave from there. Just as she was about to leave, she felt him holding her wrist. 
"Just let me go Arnav", Khushi said, without turning around.
"I'm sorry", Arnav said in a soft and weak tone. As soon as Khushi heard his voice, she realized that he was broken down from inside. She turned around, and that's when she realized Arnav's state.
His eyes were all red, which meant he had been crying without any sleep. He looked fatigued and gloomy. She suddenly felt guilty for what she said. She knew what she said was not wrong, but she also felt that she had said all those stuff at the wrong time.
As soon as Arnav heard what Khushi had said, he realized that he was wrong. He knew she had come for him. And her words hurt him a lot as well, and he knew he had to apologize before it was too late. But he didn't know what to do. He knew "I'm sorry", wasn't the best choice of words at the moment. Yet, it was all he could manage.
Arnav went near Khushi, and cupped her face. He wiped away the tears that had started to roll down her soft cheeks. He didn't know what to say, but he didn't want to lose her. So he thought of trying his best.
"I'm sorry Khushi. I shouldn't have said all those horrible things to you. Do you know why I really wanted to be alone on this day? On this day, not only I remember my mom died because of my dad, I remember all the horrible things that happened after that day because of him. Whenever I see Di, I remember that my dad is the reason that she is still single. She believe that what happened to our mom will happen to her as well. Whenever I see Nani, I remember all those days she used to cry without eating anything. Whenever I see Mama, I remember how he worked overtime to provide for us. Whenever I see Mami, I remember how she used to sell her jewellery to pay our school fees. Whenever I see Akash, I remember how hard he tried to bare my anger. Our lives changed after that day Khushi, and all this happened because of my so called Dad. I hate him Khushi, I hate him. I don't know how I survived all this time, but I know that I lived to take care of my Di and the others. From that day onwards I realized I had to be strong for my family and become an independent person. First thing I did was change my surname to Raizada from Mallik. Then I did my studies, while working part time at my Mama's office. I buried my past and somehow moved forward. And that's what made me who I am today. But every year on this day, I remember what that man did, whenever I see my loved ones. And it hurts a lot. So I keep myself aloof from the rest of the world. I'm sorry Khushi. I didn't mean to say all that. Those words came out, because I was burning from inside due to the fire of anger", Arnav said, while breaking down with tears.
Khushi couldn't believe her ears, after what she heard. When he was supposed to worry about himself, instead he was worrying about the others. Khushi's anger faded away just like a cloud. She made Arnav sit down on the sofa and she sat beside her. She held his hand on hers and continued to speak.
"I didn't know that you were hiding so much of pain inside by yourself Arnav, and that too by thinking about how to make your loved ones happy without showing the extent to which you were hurt. I know you don't want to share it with others, but now I am here. I'm not from your past, I'm your present and future. I want you to share everything with me. Happiness, sorrow, anger, anything. If you don't want to talk, it's fine. Just at least let me be with you. I will always support you silently, if that's what you want. And I think it's time to move along with your past Arnav. Don't try to bury it. Because the more you try to bury it, the more it becomes recovered. You can't let that one man, affect your life. I'm not going to say that you should attend your mom's death anniversary. But whenever your ready to attend her death anniversary, may it be next year, or ten years from now, I will be there, right beside you. And even if you don't wish to attend her death anniversary, I will still be here with you. And I know your mom won't mind you not attending, because I'm sure she is proud to have a son like you, who thinks about the others before thinking about his own".
Arnav felt as if a big burden was relieved from his head. He felt that his heavy heart was now light. Before he could utter anything, the door bell rang again.
"It must be the pizza guy. I'll check", Arnav said, while standing up.
Khushi stopped him and gestured that she would check. Khushi received the pizza and came back. She realized that he hadn't eaten properly for two days. So she told him to eat. But he denied to eat if she didn't share it with him. So both of them ate quietly. After having dinner, Khushi realized that it was time for her to leave, as the time was 8pm.
"Arnav I should go", Khushi said, in a soft tone.
Arnav couldn't bare the thought of staying alone today. He knew Khushi had to leave, but he didn't want her to. He suddenly pulled Khushi for a warm hug. Khushi knew that Arnav was different from the other days. She had always seen a strong Arnav. Even on the day he revealed about Sheetal, he was not this weak. But today he was weak. So Khushi hugged him back with equal warmth, hoping it could strengthen him more.
"Don't go", Arnav said softly, hoping that she would stay.
Khushi was surprised at his words. She didn't want to go, but it would be not good for her name. A girl staying alone with her fiance before marriage at an apartment would be the best scandal the reporters could get hold of. And that too specially when she was the adopted daughter of one of the country's top lawyers, and the guy being non other than the great Arnav Singh Raizada. This would be in news on every channel. But she remembered what her mother had said. "Always take your decisions after listening to your heart, but act according to your mind". So she thought of staying with Arnav.
"I will inform home", Khushi said, while stepping out from the hug. 
Khushi called home and informed Lavanya that she was staying at Payal's place, as Payal was not feeling alright. For Khushi's luck, Lavanya had bought her lie. Although Khushi felt guilty, she made up her my mind, as she knew she was doing the right thing.
She saw that Arnav had already made himself comfortable on the bed. She slowly walked towards the bed and when she came near she felt his hand grip from her wrist. Arnav softly pulled her towards the bed and with a gasp she landed beside him. He made her rest her head on the pillow beside his, and she felt as she was in heaven right now, because it was overall a very tiresome day. Both were staring at each others eyes, and  Khushi was now confident that Arnav was ready to move forward along with his past. There eyes spoke volumes, that they conveyed what both of them were feeling towards each other right now. And that was pure love. Arnav placed a feathery kiss on her head and then on her cheeks. Khushi closed her eyes when she felt his lips touch her soft skin and snuggled more towards him. They didn't know when sleep took over their tired bodies. But today, after 13 years, Arnav felt himself being blissed by the most wonderful sleep, with his angel cuddled beside him.

Will both the families get to know about Arnav and Khushi spending the night together? 

Chapter 25 - Secrets from the Past

In the office although Khushi had tried her best to concentrate on work, it was useless. She really wanted to know what Arnav and Anjali were upset about. While driving she wondered from whom she should ask about this matter, as she knew Arnav wouldn't talk to her. It was around 6pm when Khushi finally reached home. As soon as she entered the house, she was surprised by the voice she heard from the living room. It was Nani. She felt that this was not a coincidence, but an opportunity given by god. She went to the living room and took blessings from Nani. Khushi was a little worried as Lavanya was there as well.

"Nani, how come you are here?", Khushi asked in a surprised tone.
"Well, I wanted to go to the Mandir. Day after tomorrow there is a pooja at our place and Anjali had to go to the town to buy some stuff needed for the pooja. So she dropped me at the Mandir and said that she would pick me up from there. But luckily I met Lavanya at the Mandir. So she asked me to come here, until Anjali finishes her shopping list", Nani explained.
Khushi was surprised to know that Lavanya had visited the Mandir, because she rarely goes there. But these days Lavanya seemed to be giving loads of surprises for her, so she thought of concentrating about what she wanted to know.
"By the way Nani, what is the pooja for?", Khushi asked curiously, thinking it had something to do with Arnav's mood.
"Oh, didn't Arnav tell you. You should come too. It's Arnav's mother's death anniversary", Nani said, a little sadly.
Khushi was shocked to hear this. "How come Arnav never mentioned something so important?", Khushi thought to herself. Khushi then thought may be this was the reason why both the brother-sister duo were upset. Although she wanted to tell Nani about what happened in the office, she couldn't, as Lavanya was with them. Suddenly Lavanya's phone rang and she went outside to answer the phone, excusing herself.
"Nani, I want to ask you something, only if it is alright?", Khushi said a little nervously.
"Of course Khushi Beta. What is it?", Nani said, with a smile.
Before Khushi could continue, Lavanya came back.
"Nani, I have to go out to meet a friend. Is it alright if I left?", Lavanya asked politely.
"Of course, no problem. I will spend some time with Khushi Beta", Nani said.
"Ok then. I will meet you at the pooja", Lavanya said. Then she took blessings from Nani, and left while saying good bye to Khushi.
Khushi was now feeling relaxed, as there was no one else to disturb her conversation with Nani.
"Khushi Beta, what did you want to ask?", Nani asked.
"Actually Nani, today in the morning Anjali Di came to the office to meet Arnav. After that, she left the office sadly. So I went to meet Arnav and he was not in a good mood as well. When I asked what happened, he just ignored me and left the office, saying that he was not well. Now when you said that Arnav's mom's death anniversary would be day after tomorrow, I was wondering whether this was the reason for them to be upset?", Khushi said, hoping that Nani would clear her doubts.
"Beta, it is a long story. Well, I haven't talked about my daughter's death for a long time. But since you are now going to become family, I guess you should know what happened in the past", Nani said thoughtfully.
Khushi was now not sure whether she was doing the right thing by trying to find out the truth. So she said, "No Nani, it's fine. Past is the past. And I know it must be difficult for you to talk about your only daughter's death. So just forget that I asked".
"It's alright darling. I want you to know, since you are going to become Chottey's wife. My daughter, Amrita was in love with a guy when she was in her early twenties. Then after two years, the guy broke the affair. She was blinded by love at that time, that she was not ready to accept the reality. She became weak both physically and mentally. We were feeling sorry for her, but we couldn't make her feel better at all. Time passed by, and one year after the break up, Amrita got a proposal. This was Arnav's dad, Rajesh. At first my daughter was not comfortable about this, but Rajesh somehow managed to win her over. The day Amrita agreed to marry Rajesh, we felt as if god had listened to us finally. Time passed by and Amrita finally fell in love again with Rajesh. We didn't know how to thank Rajesh, because he saved a person who was on the verge of drowning. Later we gave our daughter's hand to him, and they were leading a happy married life. Two years after the marriage, Amrita and Rajesh were blessed with a child. This was one of the happiest days in our lives. But one person was not happy, and that was Rajesh. The reason for it was, he wanted his first born to be a boy, but unfortunately it was a girl. And he was not happy about it at all. My daughter tried her very best to make him accept Anjali, but her efforts were useless. At first they exchanged words of disagreement, but later, they became huge arguments", Nani continued the story in a depressed tone.
"Two years after Anjali's was born, my daughter gave birth to a baby boy, and that was Arnav. Finally Rajesh was satisfied and he loved Arnav a lot. He changed himself to a good father and a good husband. This period was like a rainy season after a drought. Everything was going well in their lives. Rajesh finally managed to accept Anjali as well. They were a one small happy family. Everybody thought nothing could go wrong, and that's when bad luck stroke again. One Sunday I visited my daughter's house, and I was talking with Chottey. Anjali was out at a friend's place. Suddenly we both heard the fight that was taking place between Amrita and Rajesh. The words that exchanged between both of them were clearly heard, and the words we heard stabbed both our hearts. That's when we both realized the bitter truth about Rajesh. He was having an affair with another woman, and he had been hiding it from all of us for two years. And on that day he was asking for a divorce from my daughter. Arnav being the short tempered person, ran towards the room to confront his dad. But that's when we realized it was too late. My daughter had got a heart attack due to the shocking news and at that very moment she left us . From that day onwards Arnav hated his dad and so did Anjali. Rajesh is now living with that woman in USA, and he doesn't seem to be sorry at all for his actions. Since the day Amrita died, Chottey never attended the death anniversaries and we think that it's because he don't want to remember that day. I'm fine with it, because he was a child at that time. And I know how he must have felt when he saw his mother dying in front of his eyes when he was 14. But Anjali tries to make him attend the pooja. I always try to make her understand, but it's useless. She can't understand what Chottey is feeling, as she was not there when it happened. Every time on this day of the year, Arnav somehow stays out of the house and both siblings don't talk to each other on this day", Nani said, while wiping away her tears.
Khushi was feeling really sorry for the old woman in front of her right now and at the same time she felt much more respect towards her, because she felt that Nani had somehow managed to raise her grandchildren in to two wonderful personalities a midst her daughter's loss.
That night before Khushi went to sleep she wanted to talk to Arnav, but she couldn't contact him. He was not at home and nor had he called her. When she dialed his phone, it straight away went to voice mail. She didn't panic, as Nani had said that this was a usual thing during this time of every year. Before Khushi entered the dream world, she thought how Arnav had faced so many difficulties at a very young age, and yet he had managed to become one of the powerful and great personalities she had ever seen. But she wanted Arnav to accept the past and move forward along with the bitter truth, without trying to bury it. 

Where is Arnav? Will Arnav listen to Khushi? Will Arnav attend his mother's death anniversary?

Chapter 24 - Secrets & Romance

Khushi was now feeling really nervous, and she felt the sudden change in her breathing rate. She was feeling all kinds of mixed emotions by now. Although she wanted to resist, yet she didn't couldn't. She wanted to give a chance for the new feelings she were feeling right now. 

Arnav couldn't stop getting drowned in the ocean of beauty in front of him. She was surely one of a kind. She had dressed herself in a deep purple knee length dress(http://cdni.condenast.co.uk/426x639/o_r/office-wear-34_el_23jan12_b_426x639.jpg), and the choice of colour was excellent, as it brought about her fair complexion perfectly. She had worn a simple pair of silver earrings(http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=I.4826727979352999&pid=15.1) to go with her attire. Arnav's eyes then stopped at the letter "A" pendant that was gifted by him. He was glad to see the gold pendant adorning her neck, although it didn't match with the other jewellery she had worn. He was feeling as if he was the luckiest guy in the whole world to meet a girl like Khushi, and he wanted to express his love towards her today. He looked at Khushi's face and realized that she had the world's amazing angelic face. She looked so innocent, that her face was now blushing due to the close encounter they were sharing right now.
Arnav leaned his head towards Khushi's neck and placed a soft kiss on the pendant, hoping to make Khushi realize how much it meant for him, seeing her wearing his gift every time. He then continued to trail soft kisses along her neck, while Khushi gave in to this new sensation by arching her neck to one side, giving full access to Arnav. Khushi had closed her eyes, as she was becoming tempted with each kiss Arnav was placing on her soft skin. She held Arnav's shirt tightly, as she was feeling weak. By now she knew her resistance level was zero, and she was confident that any second from now, she would start to express herself as well. Arnav continued the soft kisses along her jaw line, then on her eyes and finally on her forehead. He felt as he was in heaven right now, and he knew he wanted to taste her soft lips. As soon as Khushi felt Arnav's sweet assaults stop, she opened her eyes, and she realized what Arnav's next move would be. She slowly snaked her arms around his neck and brought his head more towards her. Arnav didn't want to waste any more time, so he gently kissed her lips and after few seconds they were lost in each others taste, as both their tongues were now enjoying each others own unique sweetness.
At the end of their passionate kissing session, both Arnav and Khushi were lost in their own world. They have forgotten where they were and what they were supposed to do. Both were able to successfully express how much they loved each other through their first kiss. 
"I think I will have to find a new assistant designer as well", Arnav said, while smirking at Khushi. Khushi was still on Arnav's lap, and was resting her head on his chest.
"Why?", Khushi asked, as she was surprised by what Arnav said.
"Because whose going to finish the designs on time, if you keep on spending your time on my lap?", Arnav said, in a teasing tone.
"Sorry, I will leave now", Khushi said, with a small pout on her face.
Arnav was more attracted after seeing how childish Khushi looked right now. 
"I was kidding. I won't mind if they are delayed, and that's why I said we should find a new assistant for you", Arnav said with a wink.
Khushi chuckled a bit and hid her face on his chest because she was feeling shy, as she was all new to these kinds of conversations.
A sudden knock on the door, brought them back to the real world. Khushi got down from Arnav's lap and was about to leave, when Arnav held her wrist and nodded his head, indicating Khushi to not to leave. Khushi after seeing Arnav's gesture, smiled and said she would stay.
"Come in", Arnav said.
"Arre Chottey, what took you so long to invite me in", Anjali came in, while complaining angrily. Anjali was suddenly surprised to see Khushi in the cabin, and then she realized what was the delay about, as she saw the slight blush on Khushi's cheeks.
"Oh!!! Now I see, why you took such a long time", Anjali said, in a teasing tone.
"Stop it Di. It only took few seconds. Anyway, good that you came. Khushi will be our new designer. So we were discussing about some designs", Arnav said, seriously.
"Wow. That's great. Now you both can get to know about each other more", Anjali said.
"By the way Di, why did you come to the office? I mean anything important?", Arnav asked thoughtfully.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you Chottey", Anjali said, feeling a little uncomfortable.
Khushi understood that both brother-sister duo wanted some time alone, so she excused herself and left the cabin.
"What's up Di?", Arnav asked.
"Day after tomorrow it's mom's death anniversary Chottey", Anjali said,  in a depressed tone.
Since Arnav's mother's death, Arnav had never been home during any of her death anniversaries. He either kept himself busy at the office or left the country. And this always disappointed Anjali. But she never gave up trying, hoping that he would change his mind and attend the death anniversary.
"I'm sorry Di, but I can't attend it. You can perform the pooja, but I will stay out of the house", Arnav said, feeling upset suddenly.
Anjali knew there was no use in trying anymore. So she said it was alright and left sadly. Arnav knew that it was wrong to make his Di disappointed, but he didn't know what else he had to do to make her understand what he was feeling right now.
Khushi was chatting with another employee, when she saw Anjali leaving the office in a sad mood. She felt sorry for her, and thought of talking to Arnav.
When Khushi entered Arnav's cabin, she realized that the brother's mood was the same as his sister's.
"Arnav? What happened? Why was Di looking upset? And why are you feeling down?", Khushi asked worriedly, hoping Arnav would give an answer. But her effort was useless.
Arnav stood up and came towards Khushi and said, "Khushi, I'm not feeling alright. I think I need some rest. Sorry, but I gotta go. I will meet you tomorrow". He placed a kiss on her forehead, and left as fast as possible.
Khushi was now hundred percent sure that Arnav was hiding something from her. She knew it was a family problem, so she felt that it would be rude to poke her nose in to this. But, she didn't want to see Arnav or Anjali Di worried. So in order to find out the truth, she thought of talking to someone. But right now she had a responsibility towards her job. So she made up her mind to talk to someone in the Raizada family later. Rest of the day she kept herself busy, while giving value to blank papers by sketching wonderful designs with lots of colours.

To whom will Khushi talk, in order to get to know the truth? What is the secret hidden behind Arnav's mother's death?