EPISODE SEVEN
Blood.
Thick, odious, crimson blood.
Khushi’s feet drew to an abrupt halt, her eyes wide with horror as she saw blood splattered all over the floor. She was too shocked to react. Her throat was parched and her hands trembled. She was oblivious to the phone pressed against her ear.
The washroom that she was in had been soundproof.
Khushi was just heading out of the in-hotel restaurant, having come out of the washroom. She was shell-shocked, and desperately wanting to divert her attention from the gory sight on the floor, she looked up.
A masked man, armed with several rifles, was walking towards the restaurant.
Fear paralysed her, and the first word to come out of her mouth was a feeble “Hh… help!” Just then she heard the sound of a gunshot, and the shrill scream of a woman.
It shook her out of the shock. Khushi stepped back, looking around rapidly knowing that she had to hide herself if she wanted to survive. She hastily cut the call and moved stealthily towards one of the corners of the restaurant, to protect herself from the view of the masked terrorist. Her phone slipped out of her hands and fell onto the carpeted floor, but she did not realize.
She exercised superhuman self-control not to scream, as she saw another woman being shot dead right in front of her eyes by the masked man. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Her heart hammered painfully against her chest.
Her eyes fell on a board to her immediate right - Cold Storage. Without a second thought, Khushi pushed open the door, and walked into the pitch dark room. She felt her fingers and body numb instantly, the biting cold gnaw at her flesh.
She quickly crouched inside a tiny fridge, and pulled its door almost shut, as she heard footsteps approaching the room. The door was flung open with a loud clang. Khushi held her breath, too terrified to even blink . Three masked men with their rifles walked in, pointing their rifles at aimless directions. They were carefully scrutinizing the room, to see if there was anyone hiding there. Khushi sweated profusely, despite the bitter cold. Tears rolled down her eyes as memories of her mother and darling brother flashed before. Biting her lips to control the sob that racked through her body, she felt death overcome her as a terrorist walked towards the tiny fridge.
~*~
Arnav uttered a curse, and settled restlessly in the airport lounge. There were thirty minutes to his flight to Mumbai. He picked up his phone and dialled a number. “Sen, Sharma here. You’re aware of the attacks, right? When are the next forces going in?... Thinking? Sen after 26/11 are we still in the I-am-thinking-of-sending- the forces mode? The hell! I won’t favour the government this time, Sen, if there isn’t timely action. We all know how much time it actually takes.” Arnav controlled his anger, and sighed as Defence Secretary Sen responded to him.
Putting the phone down, he ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t know why he was so tense. Of course, any attack on the nation always outraged him, but this time… it felt personal.
There were no words exchanged, no promises kept, no feelings harboured… yet there was this curious attachment.
He sighed.
“Yes Singhania, I’m at the airport. Will reach Mumbai as soon as possible. Tell Khuraana to go on air right now and take over. We can’t afford to lag in our coverage. Wait… what?” Arnav stopped short and stared at his phone indecorously.
“Let me just repeat what you said. ‘I hope Khushi will send me some footage while she’s trapped in there?’” Arnav growled while Akash cleared his throat from the other end.
“No… what do you mean by you didn’t mean it that way? Let’s pray she comes out alive! Don’t you think that makes much more sense?” Arnav barked into the receiver and cut the call, leaving Akash shocked at his unexpected outburst.
Three hours later, Arnav was at the MBC head office in Mumbai. A few reporters whirred past him, running like headless chickens. “What’s h…” he began.
“Raizada! Thank God you’re here!” Anjali said, running up to him, her emotions, for once, genuine. “It’s a huge mess. First of all, Khushi’s stuck in the hotel. Also, the police isn’t allowing our people to go anywhere within a hundred meter radius of the hotel, since they think it’s high risk.”
Akash joined the duo. “We have very little information as of now, Arnav. Of course we have our reporters as close to the hotel as the police will allow, but they aren’t able to gather much, nor have any official figures been released as yet. So Aman’s having a tough time, managing the report with so little to go by.”
Arnav frowned. “Any news about Khushi?” he asked. Both shook their heads.
Arnav paced up and down the room for a few seconds, before reaching for his phone again. “Sen, I’m sorry to disturb, but if you could share some information with us about high alert spots and precautions, I think we would do a lot more good. We can broadcast SOS messages immediately… Great. We’ll be waiting. Thanks!” he ended the call, and gave a reassuring nod to Anjali. “You’ll get some information soon. Tell the someone in the PCR to follow up with the defence ministry. Sen has promised to oblige us.”
With a determined look, he dialled another number. “Inspector Shinde, Arnav here. Clearance for Grand ASAP. I know you aren’t allowing journalists but I promise to stay in lines. We clear? Okay…Thanks!”
“I am going to the Grand,” he said.
“Are you crazy, Raizada?! What if something happens?” Anjali threw her hands in the air in disbelief.
Arnav silenced her with a sharp look. “Stop being silly! This isn’t Main Hoon Na. Where do reporters stand in terrorist attacks?”
Anjali looked unconvinced, and excused herself, knowing well that nothing could make this man change his decisions.
Picking up his car keys and gesturing to Rohan, a fellow colleague, to follow him, Arnav walked out of the office.
~*~
Twenty minutes later, they stood facing the Grand Maharaj. The sight that met their eyes was horrific. There was panic and confusion all around, as people ran helter skelter trying to flee, and the police and armed forces tried their best to bring order. Several people lay on the ground, being seriously injured or worse, dead. Some were lucky enough to get medical assistance, from the doctors and health workers gathered there, while others were being carried away on stretchers.
“Oh God” Rohan cussed, as the soul of his city was being ripped apart by the terrorists. Anger and fear surged through him. He set up the camera, wincing every time he saw another gruesome sight, and tried to get a good view of the hotel behind him. He was ready to start shooting, when he noticed Arnav paling.
“Sir?” he said, worried.
“Yes!” Arnav said, positioning his mic better, and motioning that he was ready.
“NK, we’re ready to go live,” Rohan spoke into his mouth piece.
“Great! Aman Sir, Arnav Sir is ready,” NK said, patching Rohan’s camera quickly, and signalling Aman.
“We have with us Arnav Singh Raizada, talking to us live from outside the Grand Maharaj,” Aman said. “So Arnav, how is the situation out there? Are there any estimates of the fatalities yet?”
“Yes Aman… the scenario is disastrous and reminds one instantly of the atrocious 26/11 attacks. There is prompt action from the Home Ministry and Defence Ministry, thankfully, this time around. There is police and army cover across the city, and...” Arnav stopped, abruptly, as a loud explosion was heard behind him, and the top of the building lighted up.
Arnav’s hand involuntarily touched his heart and he took a deep breath to compose himself. In a second, he resumed, “As you saw just now, the terrorists are armed with bombs as well. No casualties have been reported yet.”
Rohan signalled Arnav, and the latter paused to take a breath. Arnav had given up on-field reporting almost entirely, and it had been years since he had been at such close quarters with terror and death.
A glance at the hordes of people running helter skelter and bodies scattered around, and Arnav had to swallow his own thought “How can anyone survive this?”
~*~
Khushi hugged her knees closer, trying to keep calm when faced with imminent death. The sound of a few gunshots in the air did not help. What if they had sensed her presence? Quite a novice with all this, hearing a gunshot so close to her rattled her morale considerably, to say the least. She was to petrified to even breathe.
Tears started pouring relentlessly out of her eyes. Death seemed inevitable.
“Too cold… have you heard from Malad as yet?” one of the men said. Khushi heaved a sigh of relief as she heard the sound of retreating footsteps.
But she knew that it wasn’t safe enough for her to come out of hiding, yet. She had to lie low for a while. In the frigid conditions of the cold storage, Khushi found herself sweating. They might burst in through the door any moment, and mercilessly shoot her down.
Just then she heard a blast. Shaken out of her nightmarish reverie, she decided to help herself. Those people would stop at nothing.
The rough edges of the ice in the freezer were bruising her skin, but she barely felt anything. She wrapped her stole around her numb head, fighting hard to stay conscious. The cold was blurring her senses, but with tremendous will, she decided to take a risk.
Peeping carefully through the door of the freezer, seeing that no one was in the room, she sighted a window at the far end of the room.
Escape.
But her courage failed her… She felt too scared to move, and the cold was slowly overpowering her. Her muscles were as good as frozen.
The footsteps nearby broke her little standing bravery, no… she could not fight against them.
As she was about to give up and surrender to the cold, a memory floated back.
“Papa, I am tired of this. I am always living unsure of whether you’ll come back home or not!” a sixteen year old Khushi cribbed, and refused to meet her father who had just returned from the Kargil.
Lieutenant Abhijeet Sharma smiled indulgently, and knocked his daughter’s door again. “Beta…”
“Don’t Beta me Papa!” Khushi yelled back, desperately fighting off the rapidly forming tears. Abhijit put his bag down, and sighed.
His wife raised her eyebrows. “I thought nobody could defeat Lieutenant Kashyap!” she giggled, playfully, as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“Wait and watch, Mrs. Gupta!” he said, with a broad grin on his face.
“Khushi, beta… don’t you want to see what badge your Papa was awarded?” he laughed, as Khushi stormed out of the room, her eyes searching for the badge on his coat. Before she could complain about there being none, she was swept into a tight embrace by her father’s sturdy arms.
Bursting into tears, Khushi hugged him tighter. Abhijit laughed as his daughter apologized for her erratic behaviour, and smilingly bore all her anger.
“Papa, how do you survive in such conditions? When there’s so much danger about you… you might be shot any moment. I am not like Maa and Hari… even the thought gives me shivers. Please, Papa, don’t go!” Khushi cried a little, as her father wiped away her tears, affectionately.
Abhijit smiled. “Khushi, in the beginning… yes. I did feel jittery and nervous. But, Beta, when I’m out at war, it’s not about myself. It’s about my country, my soil and the people I love the most… you, your mama and Hari...” he said, ruffling her hair. “You see, beta, don’t fight against death… fight for life. That makes all the difference.”
Tears rolled down Khushi’s cheeks as she reminisced her father’s words. She saw glimpses of her family before her eyes. How could she give up?
Determination welled up in Khushi’s heart. No, she won’t give up!
She recollected all the events of that evening. From all that she had heard and seen, she gathered that the terrorists were predominantly in the left wing… which meant that she had a fair chance of escaping before she was discovered by someone.
Her back screamed of an alien pain and her feet felt frozen as she hobbled towards the window. She only thought of her family. It gave her all the strength.
Death wasn’t an option.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching the door. A shiver ran down her spine. She was luckily at the window by then. It was sheer luck that she was only on the first floor. Gathering all her courage, and bracing herself for the worst, she leapt out from the window. The door burst open in the same instant.
~*~
Though Arnav kept up his live coverage of the attack, he found himself unable to focus, and his heart skipped a beat each time a dead body was discovered. The very thought of seeing a known person in the form of a corpse sent chills up his spine, even a decade later.
“According to our sources, the ...” Arnav paused to listen to a constable who was hurrying by. With a smile he continued, “The latest is that two terrorists have been shot down.”
He rested his mic for a second, while Manav continued the coverage with some fresh figures he had received. Sweat trickled down his forehead and anxiety gnawed at his insides.
There was no news of Khushi, yet.
~*~
Payal turned off the television and bowed her head in silent prayer. “Maa...TV...” her son pleaded.
“No Hari… I won’t watch anything. I don’t need to know how many people have died. Please just let me pray,” her voice quivered. “Please save her. Just save everyone.”
She broke into loud sobs. Hari hugged her, and tried to support her as she collapsed helplessly on him.
“Nothing will happen to her! Papa will protect her,” Hari consoled her, putting on a brave smile and praying earnestly to the man he trusted more than God. “You’re up there, right Papa… Save your princess, please.”
~*~
Pain throbbed through Khushi’s body as her body hit the rocky ground. Her knees buckled and gave way, as she tried to stand up. She winced in pain and trembled at the loud shouts and cacophony all around. Her world was spinning.
KHUSHI, GET UP!
How would she know whether she was safe? What if the terrorists were outside too?
NO, KHUSHI, GET UP!
The voice boomed in her head, louder than before. She placed her hands on the hard floor, and tried to hoist herself to her feet, ignoring the sharp stones pricking her skin. Her knees gave way once again. She wanted to feel secure. The last few hours had taken too much of a toll on her mind, for her to carry on solely on her will.
Finally, she found the safety she was yearning for. Through the crowds of people, she caught a glimpse of him. A face known too well.
It was then that her hope was revived. She started feeling alive again.
Nothing mattered anymore, neither the sarcasm nor the ignorance. He was someone she had trusted since childhood and he was simply there, in a safe zone.
It was three hundred metres of fate. If she could walk through the uncertainty, she had life waiting for her.
And she ran.
Ran for her family.
Ran for herself.
Tears of joy formed in her eyes, as his figure grew clearer with every step she took. She was getting closer to safety.
He was so real - so was her escape.
Using every ounce of her energy, she screamed “SIR!”
~*~
Arnav felt a tingling sensation run through his body. He felt like something was just about to happen. He shook his head, and continued his live report.
“I just hope everyone’s safe!” his heart prayed fervently.
A heart-wrenching scream cut through the air.
“Khushi… ” he gasped and dropped his mic, oblivious to the camera recording the moment live.
~*~
“Khushi is alive!” the PCR shouted in disbelief. Aman, whose years of experience as a news reader had ensured that his face never betrayed any emotion, turned to the camera and continued speaking, “It looks like our Junior Reporter, Khushi Kumari Gupta, who was stuck at the hotel, has survived the ordeal.”
Arnav’s pale face was fast regaining colour. Everyone in the office looked on with a genuine smile on their faces. Everyone, for once, forgot their pettiness and politics and together rejoiced, as they heard Arnav gasp her name.
Lavanya clasped NK’s palm and held it close to her heart. Someone survived…
The feeling was exhilarating.
~*~
Arnav broke into a run towards Khushi, who was hobbling forth.
Neither paused to give the emotion a name.
“Y… you’re safe!” Arnav half-smiled, as Khushi jumped into his arms and clutched his shirt tightly.
Khushi cried incoherently against his chest. Arnav staggered back at the impact of her soft body, but held onto her. He felt overpowered by his relief at her being alive. He couldn’t fathom why it meant so much to him.
He simply closed his eyes for a brief moment and thanked, whoever needed it.
Her hair was tousled and she was so cold. He involuntarily ran his hands over her icy, bare arms in an attempt to warm them.
“Please tell me I am safe,” she whispered, and clung to Arnav, like a child.
He cradled her head gently, “Yes… finally…. you are.”
~*~
“MAA! Nazir bhaiya said that di is safe!” Hari screamed and switched on the television. Payal closed her eyes and broke down.
“I told you Papa would take care of her!” he said, as warm tears trickled down his cheek.
~*~
Lavanya breathed a sigh and realised that her fingers were still entwined with NK’s.
Feeling a little uncomfortable, she was about to remove her hand from his grasp. But NK took her by surprise with a warm hug.
“Thank God!” he whispered, while Lavanya tried to overcome the odd feeling in her heart.
“Thank God,” she smiled softly, and distanced herself from him.
~*~
“My God! This has been one of the best coverages ever!” Akash smiled, putting his fingers into his pockets.
“Yes,” Anjali smiled. “I’m waiting for this week’s reports!”
“Yep… Well, honestly, I am relieved that she came out alive. What say?”
“Of course.” Anjali’s smile remained just as plastic.
She wasn’t a sadist. She did want Khushi alive. It was just that she was getting maybe a little too much attention.
~*~
Shinde and a few constables guided Arnav and Khushi out of the danger zone. “Hospital?” Shinde asked,
“N… no. Water,” Khushi said. She drank copious amounts of water and shook intermittently, as her body tried to regain its balance, grateful to Arnav who held the bottle to her mouth, helping her drink.
“What’s the update?” Arnav asked Shinde.
“The NSG is going to head to the cold storage to see if there are any survi…”
“No, don’t go there! Also tell the people that apart from the storage being blasted… ” Khushi rattled off details while Arnav shook his head and asked Shinde to leave.
“No Khushi, we won’t tell all this to anyone.” Arnav said softly, but with a strange firmness in his voice.
“WHAT! Are you crazy, people need to know sir.” Khushi stood up, stumbling as her knees still shook from the trauma in her veins.
“Khushi, I know way too well what I have to say or not. I’ll arrange you to go back…” Arnav stopped as Khushi began to yell and cry at the same time. “THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU! It’s about them all, how can… even now you are thinking about charts and rates. How can you be so heartless! They need to know! Especially that there might be some terrorists lurking out in Malad, I heard it myself!” Khushi paused to wipe tears furiously as Arnav closed his eyes, allowing her to vent out.
“Khushi.”
“NO YOU LISTEN TO ME!” Khushi screamed while Arnav’s eyes flew open with rage.
“SHUT UP!” He immediately regretted as more tears rolled out of Khushi’s eyes, her body shaking from her soft sobs. Arnav held her hand said and stood up, his jaw firm as Khushi refused to meet eyes with him. “OP!” Arnav yelled out to a hassled Om who thanked the Gods several times as he hugged a quiet Khushi.
“Take her home as soon as possible, okay. No… the route to there might not be safe. Head to the office with a constable and arrange a safe ride home, okay.” Om nodded his head as he lead Khushi to the car.
Arnav felt guilt gnaw him as a silent yet teary Khushi sat in the car. He hadn’t meant to yell at her but there were other situations which concerned him. That’s when a line hit his mind.
“Who’s in charge of the situation?” A hassled constable pointed out to an officer who was pacing his way.
~*~
“Khushi Gupta. She was in the hotel and just managed to escape. Sir, she told me that these terrorists are in the west wing, majorly, and the cold room had no one apart from her - I am positive. Also, the room may have some kind of traps or explosives set up. Sir if you could find a way to open all the windows, then most survivors can escape,” Arnav said, without even pausing to take a breath, while the surprised officer looked on. “Sir, she also heard something about terrorists being in Malad, while two of their men were in the cold storage. I think we can expect something to happen there too. Is there any news yet?”
“No… nothing in Mal… Rathore!” The officer yelled. “Are you sure of having heard Malad, Sir?”
“Yes, sir,” he said, with a positive nod of his head.
“Thank you Mr. Raizada! Rathore… a reporter from MBC,” he turned to his subordinate.
“Khushi Gupta,” Arnav put in.
“Yes, Khushi overheard a conversation between them where they referred to something in Malad…” He turned, and saw Arnav still standing by.
“You can leave, thank you for your inputs.” The officer smiled kindly.
Arnav nodded and jogged back to complete his report.
~*~
A mother’s tears can move even the coldest of hearts. It was no surprise, therefore, that Arnav’s eyes were moist as he looked on at Khushi’s mother holding her daughter close to her heart and sobbing uncontrollably.
Payal embraced her daughter tenderly, and planted a few kisses on her head. She tightened her grip and clung to her daughter like Khushi was all she had.
“Khushi’s family came over here when they heard of her getting stuck. I hope you don’t mind.” Lavanya cleared her throat while Arnav nodded his head slightly, loosening his stiff tie. “Of course not Lavanya.” Passing her a brief smile, he headed to brew himself a cup of coffee.
Arnav’s sharp eyes narrowed on Payal’s forehead and noted the missing vermilion. He then noticed that she neither wore a mangalsutra and her hands were totally bare and devoid of all adornments, so dear to a married woman. Her faded clothes suddenly made more sense.
Khushi was truly all that Payal had.
Pride swelled in his heart as he realised that Khushi was so strong despite her father’s untimely death.
Sympathy wasn’t even in question. Not having taken his mother’s death too well, Arnav genuinely admired anyone who managed to cope with their loss.
“Di…” came a small voice from behind Khushi.
Khushi’s maternal instincts surged as she pulled her baby brother into a fierce hug. He was crying profusely. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, Khushi bit back a sob as Hari fiercely held his sister.
“Promise you won’t ever leave me again!” His voice cracked, and he hugged his sister even tighter.
After their father’s death, Khushi had almost taken his place for Hari, still very young then. She had spent time with him, given him the man-to-man talk he needed, and never let him feel the absence of a strong guiding force in his life.
“You… ” NK sweared and hugged Ananya “You killed us. K-I-L-L-E-D us! You should have told me that you wanted to die! I would have joined you.” NK ruffled her hair affectionately and wiped away a lone tear from Khushi’s cheek.
“Now go… being too emotional won’t do too good for my reputation,” he laughed, while Khushi pulled his cheeks.
It appeared almost as if Payal, Hari and NK were taking turns at hugging Khushi. Between the three of them, they ensured that Khushi wasn’t free for even a moment. “I don’t know about the previous attack, but by this attack, Khushi will definitely faint,” Arnav cracked a small joke, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. It worked wonderfully as everyone shared a chuckle.
Khushi sought safety in her mother’s arms. No words were exchanged between the two women, for they read each other’s minds right from the beginning.
Akash, Anjali, Aman and Lavanya came forward and expressed their congratulations and their relief at her safety.
A little while later, everyone started leaving the office, the time being close to 4AM. It had been an exhausting day and tomorrow was going to be a big one too.
As Arnav stepped out of his cabin to go home, Anjali stopped him. Standing too close for comfort, she told him that Akash was asking for him. Distancing himself carefully from Anjali, he walked up to Akash.
“Yes, Singhania?” Arnav asked.
Akash smiled. “Arnav, how does this sound… a one to one with a survivor? Just a thought - a half an hour special with Khushi. A survivor’s tale? I think it will strike just the right chord with the audience, and rake in viewership.” Akash said animatedly, looking rather comical.
As if the pink cravat wasn’t enough.
“Fine. Tomorrow half an hour of my bulletin, I’ll do an overview of the entire thing, and the other half an hour will be an interview with Khushi. Though perhaps fifteen minutes may be better,” Arnav mused.
---
Khushi looked at her sleeping mother, and turned over for the zillionth time that night. In spite of the absolutely draining day she had had, sleep just evaded her.
She struggled hard not to think about the few hours she had spent in the hotel. So many things had happened so fast, that now she felt like all that had happened eons ago.
Every inch of her body screamed of fatigue, yet she found herself unable to close her eyes and drift off, far away from having faced the harsh realities of life.
That was when she saw another person flash before her eyes.
Arnav.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she recalled him being present yet markedly absent from her.
She remembered her disappointment when he had said nothing to her, and been merely an onlooker as everyone poured in their congratulations. Over that she hadn’t forgotten when he had yelled at her, her bones had rattled when he had barked.
Now that she had calmed down, there could have been a sense as to why he said and did what he did. But why did he have to shout at her like that? When she needed his sup…
Khushi shook her head. She was being utterly stupid. How did it matter whether he said something or not?
She closed her eyes and buried her head in her pillow.
Arnav didn’t matter that much…or did he?
If he did… why?
---
Why?
Kicking off his his shoes, a worn out Arnav threw himself onto his bed. He just wasn’t able to rid himself of that one question.
Why?
Why did he feel that it wasn’t right on his part to say anything to Khushi?
Standing under the shower, Arnav contemplated the sudden shift of dynamics… he was no child not to realise what was going on.
There was something… but then, hadn’t the wise ones said that ignorance is bliss?
Resolving to adopt the maxim, Arnav rubbed his sleep deprived eyes.
Yet, tonight, sleep was a distant dream.
---
“Welcome, Miss Braveheart!” Khushi read aloud with a smile. She felt overwhelmed looking at her desk filled with cards and flowers.
Om Prakash, NK and, surprisingly, Lavanya came up from behind her and yelled, “Surprise!”
Left speechless by the sudden pour of love, Khushi quickly embraced all of them, specially thanking Lavanya. She was touched to see Lavanya shed her slightly competitive streak and embrace her like a true friend.
“Thank you so much, guys” Khushi grinned. “That’s it, this weekend I am taking you all out to dinner! Don’t even think of paying, it’s on me!”
“Thank God, the idea for free food worked!” Om Prakash winked, while Khushi smacked him hard on his shoulder.
“OP… ” she stopped abruptly, perceiving Arnav standing right next to her. She felt her heart warm up instantly and fill with a strange anticipation, as she looked into his deep yet inscrutable eyes.
“Khushi, will you come with me for a minute?” he said. Everyone was surprised by his gentle tone, and NK noted a soft hesitance in his form.
Nazir Khan never knew that a heartbreak could sting so much. He had taken a full note of this rising attraction between his best friend and his boss. Even though he knew it was too early to tell, there was a certain something about their conduct that told him that this attraction would only grow. It hurt, because Nazir knew that he was a much better person than Arnav. Yet friendship was higher on Nazir’s priorities than love, and what was love without friendship?
Clearing his throat, he turned to Lavanya and gave her a too-bright smile. Carefully avoiding everyone’s eyes, he said “Let’s have brunch at canteen…What say?”
Lavanya was taken aback by NK’s sudden offer. “Sure!” she said, shrugging her shoulders casually, but unable to restrain a shy smile from blossoming on her lips. It was strange… but the sudden race of heartbeats felt… good.
NK took a last look at Khushi and Arnav, through the corner of his eyes. If one of them didn’t reciprocate the love or if it didn’t accumulate to love at all, he would be waiting.
So busy was he in his own thoughts, that he completely missed the blush on Lavanya’s face, when he unknowingly held her wrist and led her to the canteen.
---
Khushi sat down on a chair nearby in the canteen, and reached for the bottle of water kept nearby, when a larger hand pushed hers aside gently and handed her the bottle.
“In 2008 there was a mistake that media had committed. We had revealed every NSG attack and to a certain extent given away every hard work our soldiers put in. And I don’t like repeating mistakes Miss. Gupta.” Arnav grabbed a chair beside her, surpassing the look of surprise on her face.
“Canteen?” She asked while Arnav nodded mutely and bit into a sandwich.
Khushi’s eyes softened. “Thank you...” she whispered.
Arnav looked surprised. “Why?” he asked.
“If I hadn’t seen you... I wouldn’t have been able to make it...” Khushi confessed while Arnav half smiled. “Also, I am sorr…” Arnav raised a hand and stopped her.
“I understand. Overall, I am just happy that you are safe,” he said. Khushi fidgeted with her own plate and smiled back tentatively at him.
Neither could understand their own emotions at that point. Everything was a big mess yet felt sorted. But they didn’t want to escape. For, confused as they were, those moments were blissful.
“It’s not easy to hold your own when faced with death,” he added softly, genuine appreciation shining through his eyes.
His words hit home and she found herself on the brink of a breakdown. She felt her father’s presence. Her father had saved her yesterday - a memory of his was more than enough. She turned to look at Arnav who had produced a handkerchief to wipe away her silent tears.
With a grateful nod she gently dabbed her eyes with it.
“I never knew this was precious...” Khushi said softly.
“What?” Arnav asked.
“Silence,” she replied.
“Silence?” he asked, confused.
“Yes… when blasts and gunshots are your constant companions, silence is the sweetest music you can hear,” Khushi’s eyelids fluttered for a moment, while Arnav gazed at the woman who had aged dramatically in a matter of few hours.
Checking his phone, he got up and cleared his throat “I’ll leave now, see you.” Khushi brushed off the breadcrumbs on her lap and stood as well. She watched his retreating form for a few minutes and found herself to be smiling, yet again.
It might have been a harrowing experience but it taught her much more than her years of training had.
~*~
“Khushi.”
Khushi opened her eyes and looked around. She was completely unaware that she had dozed off in her desk, exhausted. Of course, Nazir had asked her to take a day off but the stubborn bull that she was! Arnav gave her a brief nod as she embarrassedly straightened her kurti and looked around to search for her friends. Looks like none had the heart to wake her up!
In a few brisk steps Arnav walked towards her, “I thought you would like to know what happened yesterday.”
“Yes sir, definitely.” Khushi wrung her fingers while he passed her a file. “In short the army neutralised the situation thirteen hours ago and apparently the information you had screamed,” Khushi turned a bright scarlet red and scratched her neck at his comment. “Sorry sir.”
“Anyways, said, made a lot of difference.” He added, still noting Khushi’s embarrassed but hopeful face.
Arnav leaned against her desk and chuckled “I’ve seen more brash journalists Khushi, don’t beat yourself on it. Anyways, if I am not mistaken you guys were there to visit…”
“Rajdeep Garewal.”
“Son of Cabinet Minister Ajitabh Garewal?” he asked, and Khushi nodded. “Isn’t Rajdeep going to be his party’s Prime Ministerial Candidate for the general elections next year?”
“Yes… So?” she didn’t see his point.
“Was he there in the hotel?” he asked.
“No… he didn’t turn up. After waiting a long while, we decided to leave. I stayed for a few minutes longer than OP, to go to the washroom,” she told him.
Arnav pursed his lips.
“What?” Khushi asked, quite surprised at Arnav’s sudden interrogation.
“Nothing… it’s surprising how he didn’t turn up after calling you people, and then the attack…” Arnav said.
“Wait, do you think… they might have had prior information about the attack?” Khushi inquired, slowly beginning to see what Arnav was driving at.
“But wouldn’t it be dirty on their part not letting the people know…” Khushi continued, quizzically, rather shocked by this perspective.
“Not necessarily… they have reasons,” Arnav reasoned, but strongly doubting his own explanation.
“You don’t believe it, do you?” Khushi asked, looking into his eyes. Arnav only raised an eyebrow in response.
“It’s lunch break Khushi, tuck yourself in. You’ve been through hell!” Khushi smiled faintly, as she thought of how literally accurate his description of her experience was.
As Arnav walked back into his cabin, his mind was troubled.
Looks like I have to meet you soon, Garewal.
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