Chapter 15:: 31.10.2019

Khushi was raiding the farm near by..
Khushi and the kids had Lubica tree as their target today .

Khushi had held a filled bag of Lubica. She keeps on munching them one by one while instructing the kids on the tree to pluck the red ones.

"Pluck the reds ones. The red ones are perfect - a little sweet a little sour. " Her mind added. Just like him
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Arnav found Khushi on the kitchen slab with cut mangoes relishing them. They were at his penthouse as usual.

She extended him a piece when she saw him. He moved towards her and ate it from her hand only.

He gulped the piece making a face. "Who on the right sanity would eat sweet mangoes with salt sprinkled on?"

She giggled and replied "Me"

"I said about sane people. Not you." He teased.

She pouted angrily. And pulled his face towards her holding his collar. He barely managed to keep his balance on her sudden pull.

"Which one do you like to eat? Sweet or sour?" She asked.

"Mangoes? Huh . I don't know. But definitely not ripe ones with salt on it." He replied making a face at the plate she held in her hand .

"Do you know what I like to eat?" She asked still holding him in place.

"Sweet?"

In reply she turned his face to side and quickly bite his cheeks leaving a mark.

"Auch Khushi. Why did you bite me now?" he asked rubbing his cheeks.

"Your cheek is red." She pointed.

"Wait for some time your bite mark will turn blue and then black. " He said mocking her.

"I would like to eat your cheeks. Red ones - A little sweet a little sour" she giggled and replied. While he looked at her like she grew horns on her head.

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"Khushi Didi, why you start eating them now only? We can have it together once we fill out bag and get out of this farm. The guard is about to come back." The kid's complaint brought her back to present.

"Mmhm . No kiddo, I can't wait. They are sooo tempting. You know the last time I ate this was when I was 3. My family, we used to live in Highrange area then, our neighbor had this in their courtyard. And I used to get lots of Lubica then. Fresh ones. Then we used to pickle it. Yumm. Then after we shifted from there, now only I got to relish this.. mmm..."

The kids chuckled at Khushi.
"You have flashback on everything. Right?"

She smiled sheepishly.

Khushi does miss her mom dad and family at times. She used to be sad as well. But now, hmm, well there's someone in her life who is fulfilling their void perfectly. But a tiny part of her heart still yearns for her parents. Which child won't?

"Run everyone. The guard is coming back." The kid whom they had set to look after the guard who went for his afternoon nap came running back to his gang.

"Come. Gather everything you got. And Run." Khushi shouted and began running with the kids.

They all ran out. They barely missed being caught. The farm is of some rich family. There is only a guard to look after it. As the farm is far away from the population, there barely comes in a trespasser.

Khushi and the kids found this farm with the help of Google. They were searching for places to explore they found this farm. Lot to loot and less risky.

"Ahh." Khushi hissed while when she stumbled near the farmhouse. They were the stems of 'Money plant' which covered the roof towards that side.

"You okay?" They asked her.

"You okay?" Her mind threw the memory of a husky voice inquiring her the same. She shook her head to threw the thought off her mind.

"Didi?" The kids asked her again.

"Ya I am fine. Nothing much." She replied.

She reached back to home after the day out. On stepping inside their courtyard, Khushi felt amiss. Did she lost something? She checked her both ears. Earrings checked. Thin platinum chain around her neck checked. Bangles checked.

"Hmm Everything is fine. Then what?
May be nothing. I just had felt so. Nevermind."

She began walking to home hopping now and then humming a peppy song.

After 2-3 steps she stopped all of a sudden. She cautiously walked two more steps. The realisation dawned on her. With an about-to-cry face she checked her anklets.

Yes one is missing.

"Ahh... Not fair God. My anklets..... Laavvvv" she ran to Lavanya startling her.

"Khushi?" Lavanya turned to Khushi.
Khushi's sulky face worried her.

"What happened, Khush? Why did you shout? Are you hurt? Everything okay?".
Lavanya began inspecting Khushi for any possible cuts or bruises.

"No Lav nothing is alright." She waved off Lavanya's hands from hers and sat on the floor itself.

"Khushi?" Lavanya kneeled besides her.
"What happened?"

"Lav look.."She showed her bare feet.

"What?" Lavanya asked not understanding anything.

"My anklet. I lost it." Khushi's eyes teared up unknowingly.

"Anklet? You crazy girl you scared me" Slightly slapping Khushi's shoulder's Lavanya stood up to go.

"No Lav. I need the lost one. It's special. Lav I lost it." She demanded like a stubborn kid.

"What? You crazy, you lost it somewhere during your 'Discovery of India Program' and demanding me to find it? Have I opened a detective agency here?"

"But..!"

"Go find it yourself." Khushi turned to go out of home to find it, Lav continued "Not now idiot tomorrow. God why did you do this to her? When you were putting brains to humans why didn't you gave her some?"

"Lavvvv" Khushi stomped her feet on ground.

"Careful Khushi. The house is made of wood not cement. It will break and fall on your head only. And empty things cracks fast."

"Ahhh.. No one loves me here." She went to her room cursing God knows who all.

"By the way Khushi, were those anklets from your parents?"

"No Arnav brought it for me." Came Khushi's instant reply

"What?" Lavanya turned around startled.
This was probably the first ever time in last few months they ever spoke the name.

"Khushi?"

"I don't know when Lav, but I have got this blurry memory of him putting this on my feet. And I feels so happy whenever I hear it sings while I walk." With that Khushi went to freshen up leaving an angry Lavanya behind.

"Raizadaa.." she gritted her teeth breaking the pencil in her hand.

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Next day in the farm house, the kids and Khushi came back to find her anklet.
"Didi, are you sure you lost it here only?"

"We searched all the way we came yesterday right? And I some how got this intuition that I will find, the thing I lost, here only. You guys search the pathway to the farm , I will search near the creeper I stumbled."

After a few minutes, she hear the shout.
"Didi run. The watchman is coming back. Guess he didn't go for nap today."

"Okay. You guys go home. I will sneak out after finding my anklet."

"Didi, are you sure? What about the movie today evening?"

"Yes. Don't worry. I will come back safe and sound. And no movie today. See you all tomorrow. By the lake"

"Ok bye Didi." They ran out of the gate.

She heard the guard coming close. She panicked where to hid. Then she saw a window open big enough for her to sneak in. She jumped in and drew the curtains back hiding herself from the outer world.
She left a sigh of relief when she heard the footsteps going away.

She carefully drew the curtains aside and check the way. All clear.

She was about to jump out of the window, when someone pulled her back and pinned her to the wall. She tried to shout when a hand covered her mouth.

"Shh. Khushi.. it's me." The figure huskily spoke near her ears.

A shiver went through her spine. She know the touch, the voice, the familiar fragrance filling her nose. Her eyes widened in recognition.

"Arnav Singh Raizada." Her voice came out really low.
He changed the dim light in the room changed to a bright one.

First she met was his hypnotic chocolate orbs.

He placed his forehead on hers and took a deep breath filling her fragrance in.

"Khushi" he breathed again.
Her body stood frozen, not allowing her to move. Her mind numb. Her heart fluttering. Her senses alter her of something not right.
Her brain catch it finally. She felt some other smell entering her nostrils than the familiar musky smell of his. Something not right: the rusted iron's smell.

"Blood.!!" Her brain answered her.

She hurrily pushed him back to find the source.

The sight that met her eyes shook her to core.
It was him. Arnav Singh Raizada was topless with bandage around his left arms and plaster wound his left knee. The blood was flowing from the cut on his upper chest. He looks so different from his otherwise poised look. Teared out look on his handsome face, shadows below his eyes, drunken like smile and drowsy eyes.

"What the!!" Khushi uttered his trademark dialogue when she saw him swaying. She ran quickly to balance him. Instead, fell down on the fluffy carpet on the ground with him above her.

He breathed her name again before slipping into darkness.

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This was supposed to be published on 28th. Her 'birthday' now is 'birth week' for me.
Everyday is a celebration of life with you dear.
Dedicated to my Aman (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤ PearlOfPacific

With Lots and Loads of
LoVe AryaARshi 😍 😍