Sorry for the late update. 🥺 Got stuck with something yesterday. Enjoy !😍

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Khusi's eyes fluttered open as the regular banter between the father daughter duo echoed in the whole bunglow.

"Yuti! For God's sake, put the whisk away, sit down on the table and eat. You are already late!" Khusi's lip tipped up at the OC's words. He had been so busy for the last couple of weeks, that he had completely forgotten that it was Sunday.

"But papa, it's ... "

Before Yuti could finish her words, loud clattering reverberated in the whole kitchen making Khusi sit up and slap her forehead. Those two were always at each other's throats.

"Excellent! Fantastic! Now you will be late for your class! And why the hell is your miss still sleeping? Go and call her! It's already 7:30!"

"But papa ...

Khusi quickly finished her morning routine and strode out of the room, stretching her limbs. Khusi's footsteps halted behind the door and she peeked inside. Abhay was serving Yuti an omelet, a Hello Kitty apron wrapped around his frontal zone, above his uniform, a juxtaposition of cuteness on the surface with the hardness beneath it.

Abhay's phone rang and he received it, putting a saucepan over the oven, pouring milk into it.

"Yes Bhuvan? No, I won't be able to go today. Tell Soniya to handle it on her own. Asshole! I am stuck here."

Abhay was speaking to Bhuvan, and Khusi was silently noticing his every movement. 3 weeks back, when he had saved her life on that unfortunate day, a lot had changed.

After the stalking, it didn't take much to figure out who had planned it. Nitin Joshi had tried to corner her after she had rebuffed his advances. Abhay insisted her to stay at his home, which Khusi accepted this time.

Khusi hadn't wasted a single second that day, before calling Abhay, who had come to their rescue along with a few more officers. Mina had stayed with them for 2 days, and when the goons, sent by Nitin realised that, they backed away.

Abhay had insisted on dropping and picking up both Khusi and Yuti for their safety. Nitin Joshi was unpredictable and neither Abhay nor Khusi was ready to take the risk.

"Yes, Yuti and her ... Aah!" Abhay screamed out, pulling away his hands from the burning surface of the saucepan. He was so distracted, talking to his subordinate that he didn't notice when the saucepan heated up.

"Careful," Khusi hissed, sprinting towards Abhay and grabbing his hand to put it under cold running water. Yuti, who was almost about to get down from her chair to aid her father's burnt finger, retreated, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"Why are you so cavalier?" Khusi objected, shaking her head, holding Abhay's arm. Abhay, whose pain had vanished the second it came, was gazing at Khusi, adoration shining in them.

"You make me lose my senses. What should I do?" Abhay asked dreamily, staring at Khusi, whose face snapped up at his remark.

Their faces were inches away from each other. Hot breath mingled as they basked in one another's presence, but then Khusi quickly realized what was going on and she retreated.

"Ahem, let me get the burnol. Where is it?" Khusi asked, licking her lips, avoiding any eye contact with Abhay, embarrassed at her moment of weakness.

Abhay didn't mind at all though. His heart bloomed slightly when Khusi had gazed at him with the same zeal which he carried in his heart for her.

"Left cabinet."

The three had their breakfast, maintaining their usual routine, Khusi silently watching the father daughter bickering at each other, Khusi adding a comment or two from time to time.

Her heart was at ease. Khusi couldn't control her glee. She realized how precious it was to share meals with someone, after eating all her meals alone for almost 8 months.

"C'mon. That's enough for today. It's already 8:15 am now. We need to leave." Abhay pushed himself on his feet, grabbing Yuti's Disney princess bag when both Khusi and Yuti crackled.

"Papa! Stop! It's Sunday today. You need to take a chill pill now."

Abhay, who was glaring at Khusi and Yuti a second ago, grimaced at Yuti's comment, slapping his forehead.

"God! I am an idiot."

"That you are." Yuti didn't leave a single chance to tease her father.

"I am going to my room now. Kids, behave." Yuti announced, before leaving, Khusi and Abhay's eyes fixed at Yuti's retreating figure, their jaws wide open.

Trying not to turn the situation awkward, Khusi cleared her throat and Abhay's eyes settled on her.

"Any updates?"

"Yes. As you know, the cameras Soniya attached last week in Nitin's office weren't that helpful because he barely spent time with David, in the office."

Khusi nodded, her lips tight, concern visible on her face.

"So Soniya ... ?"

"Yes, she will try to sneak into David or Nitin's room today. If she succeeds, we will get the ultimate proof, which will be enough to put Nitin behind the bars, for what we are expecting might have been happening."

"Excellent. And what about Diyasha?" Khusi was mildly curious about that woman. She was Nitin's cousin, and had been staying at his home since David's birth.

"Soniya said the other day that it is possible that Diyasha has a soft spot for her nephew. Soniya had seen her several times coming to David's rescue when Nitin had tried to release his wrath on the poor child. But unfortunately, she couldn't record anything."

Khusi's brows drew in. She was deeply hurt by the fact that a father could exploit his own child like that.

● ● ●

"How is the blister?" Khusi asked one day, strolling in the backyard of Abhay's, who was currently standing there for the last 50 minutes, smoking cigarettes after cigarettes.

"Huh!?" As soon as he saw her, he threw away the butt and smashed it with his military boots. Work pressure was too high from time to time and Abhay didn't have any other medium to channel his fatigue and stress other than smoking.

"The burn," Khusi repeated, taking Abhay's palm into her's and inspecting it. She didn't know how to initiate a conversation with the man who had been kind enough to let a stranger stay at his home. Not only that, he had protected her several times too.

After moving in with Abhay and Yuti, it wasn't like Nitin's hooligans stopped bothering her. They had tried countless times to abduct Khusi or harm her, but whenever they had seen cops with Khusi, they had been reluctant and ultimately backed off.

His rough calloused hands in Khusi soft plump ones felt heavenly. Deep desires burnt in Abhay's heart at the simple innocent touch.

"Yeah, it's do-doing fine." Only Khus held the powers to make the arrogant, short tempered OC of Chamba, stutter.

A soft wind blew past them and Khusi's untamed locks found a way to escape her messy bun. Instinctively, Abhay hand sprinted up and he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears.

Heat creeped up Khusi's neck and her cheeks turned warm, even though the temperature was falling steadily with the dusk falling into night.

But it felt wrong. Though Khusi hadn't ever heard or seen Yuti's mother in the bungalow, she was sure there had to be someone. And she didn't want to become the reason of a broken family.

She hadn't dared to question Abhay about it, and Yuti was out of options, but she wanted to. Abhay was making her heart, which had died 8 months ago, alive. She wasn't just ready to leap into something which might break her in future again.

Sighing heavily, Khusi was about to step back when Abhay clutched her hand, his face scrunched in despair.

"What is it that you're so scared of Madam ji?" Why do I see so much distress on your face whenever I try to ... " Abhay had deep rooted devotion and an insatiable attraction for Khusi but he felt like it would be insulting for her if he announced that.

"Nothing Mr. Mathur. It's just a small fragment of my past, something terrible and afflictive, which decides to emerge in my head from time to time."

Abhay's body tensed at her words. His tongue felt heavy, the urge to ask the reasons for her distress high but he restrained himself. He knew he wasn't someone, yet, to ask her something so personal. So he kept mute and nodded.

Khusi's lip curled up in a wry smile. " Won't you ask what happened?"

Abhay shook his head sharply. "No. I don't want you to go through the same pain again by reminiscing about the past. I know people say that by sharing your grief, it releases the burden off your shoulders. But they don't understand that by asking a person something, they had or is still mourning about, is like poking a recovering injury.

Khusi became immobile at Abhay's words, expecting Abhay not to respect her reticence. He was about to walk away when Khusi grasped his arm, making his steps halt.

"Wait! I ... " Abhay smiled softly at Khusi's stammers, and shook his head, not wanting her to reveal anything to him out of guilt.

"You don't have to feel guilty Madam ji. Take your time, I am not going anywhere." Prying her hands off gently, Abhay cupped her face, dropped a quick peck on Khusi's forehead and strolled away.

Khusi sat on the backyard chair for a long time, the moon shifting it's position from across the horizon. After what felt like eternity but was just a few hours, Khusi pushed herself on her feet and gulped heavily, her heart beating furiously against her chest.

Abhay was working on his laptop, preparing a report when Khusi knocked on his door. Ambling inside, Khusi's palpitating heart skipped a beat at how handsome and sharp Abhay was looking with the rimless glass sitting on top of his nose.

"Aap soyee nahi ab tak?"

(You haven't slept yet?)

Sighing heavily, she fidgeted with her sleeves, biting her lips continuously.

"I ... I couldn't."

"What is it? Are you sick? Hurt?" Abhay dropped the laptop on the bed and dashed up to check Khusi's temperature, concerned at how ruddy her face had turned. Khusi's stomach fluttered at his caring attitude.

"No, Mr. Mathur. I need to tell you something." Khusi pulled his big palm down and grasped it with both of her small ones, gazing at Bhaskar's steel silver orbs.

"Okay ..." Abhay drawled, sitting on the bed, pulling Khusi down with him.

When Khusi didn't speak a single word for the next few seconds, Abhay patted her palm. "Madam ji, I have already told you and I am telling you again. You don't have to tell ... "

"No, that's not why I am sitting mutely." Khusi's words halted Abhay.

"Then?"

"I am scared."

"Of what?"

"Your behavior is going to change as soon as I reveal my past." Taking a deep breath, Khusi tilted her head up, past memories choking her.

Abhay remained silent for a long period of time, understanding Khusi's fears.

"I don't know what had happened in the past, but there's one thing that I can definitely promise you today. I, Abhay Mathur, can never ever change the way I look at you. No matter what happens."

Khusi didn't know how to react to his confession, so she slowly nodded, their eyes fixed at each other.

Gulping down audibly, she took a deep breath and started, "My ... "

And she disclosed everything, each and every small detail that had happened to her in the last few years, which had shifted her into the person she was in the present.

Abhay had remained silent during her ranting session, his jaw and fist clenching every now and then, whenever Bhaskar and his nasty dids were mentioned.

After Khusi was done, she heaved a deep sigh, her heart ready for the lashes that she was expecting from Abhay.

Abhay, whose cold eyes were fixed at Khusi's wrist, sprinted up and by the look he gave, Khusi was sure it was her last day in his bunglow. His words confirmed it.

"So you're a divorcee and infertile?"

~ • • • • • ~

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