OS: Khushi in Love - ArHi

Hi ArHians!

I wrote this one shot last week and it was inspired by another post on IF. I do not remember whose post it was or what the title was, but if anyone knows it after reading this, please do let me know so that I can give that person credit. Thank you and enjoy this! And please leave lots of comments! There's nothing more disconcerting than no comments on something you worked hard on. Is the guilt trip enough to entice you to comment? 

Khushi in Love

‘I know! I love Gibbs so much!’

Arnav froze at the sound of his wife. He came home after a long day from work and Khushi was expressing her love for a man named Gibbs? What kind of a name was that, anyway?

‘I know right, if he still wasn’t in love with Shannon, he’d probably be mine.’ Khushi sighed dreamily.

What the, he thought. Nani, Mami and Payal were just sittign around, chatting away and they didn’t even mind Khushi cheating on him with another man? What was wrong with the women of the household?

‘I love the head-slaps the most. He’s so in control, you know?’

His Khushi was into kinky stuff? He just stared at her in a combination of revulsion and fascination. And the other women didn’t mind what she was saying?

‘And his eyes, oo,’ she giggled like a schoolgirl infuriating Arnav. ‘I could just eat him up in one big bite.’ She giggled again.

‘Khushi,’ He finally said. She looked at her husband, waved and put her finger up so that she could finish her conversation.

‘I can’t believe that he’s still so hot, you know? He’s probably my father’s age. But damn, if men just aged like that, women would have no problem at all!’ Her eyebrows rose at the end of the statement.

Arnav’s mouth just dropped. She was in love with an old man? His Khushi? What was wrong with her? And why was he tolerating this conversation?

He walked to her, yanked her cell phone and disconnected the call in a single flick.

Khushi stood abruptly and sputtered in shock. The women finally stopped chatting away. They looked at the unfolding scene in fascination.

‘What’s wrong with you, Arnav? Why did you hang up on my friend?’ she asked, still completely in shock.

‘What nonsense were you just telling your friend?’

‘What was I talking about? Nothing at all! Arnav, what’s going on?’

‘You’re daydreaming about a man named Gibbs and you want me to listen to you about this?’ he screamed at her red in rage.

‘Oh, Gibbs! Arnav, if you would just have seen him, you’d know what I’m talking about. He’s still in shape and his peppery hair is such a turn on. His eyes just beckon a woman to come closer so that she can uncover all his secrets. Yummy! And his cheekbones? They’re so sexy. I’ve never such sexy cheekbones. He’s just so dreamy. Mmm,’ she closed her eyes and swayed in a trance.

‘What the? Khushi!’ he screamed. ‘How dare you?’

‘How dare I what? Arnav, go away. You’re making me angry now. I don’t want to say something I’ll regret. And give me my phone.’

‘So you can talk about this Gibbs? Over my dead body!’ he looked at the phone in his hand and flung it on the ground. Mami squealed at the crack of the phone. Nani tried to intervene but Arnav held his hand up.

Khushi gasped again in shock. ‘What the? Arnav! Why did you do that? What’s wrong with you?’

‘What’s wrong with me? You’re cheating on me with an old man!’ he raged at her.

There was pin drop silence in the room. Khushi stared at him in amazement.

Suddenly, she giggled.

All the women started laughing at once.

Arnav looked at all the women as if they had lost their minds. Especially his Khushi.

In between peals of laughter, Khushi finally managed, ‘I’m cheating on you with Gibbs? You’re hilarious Arnav. I have never even met Gibbs!’

Arnav stared at her in surprise. ‘Then how do you know this Gibbs?’

Khushi couldn’t control her laughter so Payal told him instead, ‘You know the show Khushi is obsessed with? NCIS? He’s the lead character in that show. She’s been watching that show for weeks now, we thought you knew about Khushi’s obsession with Gibbs!’

Arnav turned red and stomped to the bedroom. He lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. This was completely mortifying. He wasn’t going to speak to Khushi at all. He should just lock himself in the room.

He felt Khushi’s presence in the room, but ignored her.

‘Arnav.’

He didn’t respond.

‘Arnav, don’t be angry. I just love that show and you know how I am.’

Again, he didn’t respond.

‘Arnav, now you’re behaving like a kid,’ she said in a huff.

He suddenly stood up and took a step towards her. His eyes were ferocious.

Without thinking about it, she took a step back. This dance continued until he backed her against the wall. He slapped both his hands on it giving her no escape route.

‘I’m behaving like a kid and you’re daydreaming about an old man. So you married a child.’

‘Arnav, he’s even hotter than George Clooney and Harrison Ford combined.’ She saw his enraged face and changed gears, ‘Anyways, that doesn’t even matter, Arnav, he’s just a character.’

‘You’re my wife. Who daydreams about another man. Who loves another man.’

Khushi sighed, ‘I love his character. But I’m in love with you. And jealousy is very unbecoming.’

‘Jealous? Who me?’

‘Yes, you.’

‘Insane with jealousy,’ he nipped her ear.

‘I love you, Arnav.’

‘I love you, Khushi,’ he placed his lips on hers and all was well in their paradise.

Nisha

FF: Asleep - C14

Sonia showed Kripa the guest bedroom. ‘Here you go. The bathroom’s on the left. If you need anything during the day, ask Sheila.’

Kripa continued chewing her gum. ‘Nice digs. Ya, don’t you worry about it. I’ll ask her if I need anything at all.’

Sonia looked at Kripa in disgust as Kripa emphasized the word anything. Alex was so low class. Oh well, she would be useful, why else was she letting this tramp stay here? And anyways, she would be able to keep track of this unwanted houseguest in this room.

Sonia left and Kripa started searching the room in earnest. Too many crime-shows and books later, she knew how to screen a room for equipment like a pro. She saw the camera installed on the ceiling and went up to cut the wire. To be on the safe side, she went to the bathroom, grabbed a towel and put it on the camera. Next in line, a sound recording device.

She patted the bed frame and stuck her head under the bed. Aha, there it was. She saw a small recorded jammed under the bed. She took it out and stomped on it breaking it effectively. A woman like Sonia was bound to have more of the equipment. So Kripa systematically searched the room and found more listening devices in the flower vase, behind the TV and another camera snuck on the candle holders.

This Sonia was a smart woman, Kripa thought. And this is what Chotu had meant that a lot of things had changed here. Kripa couldn’t imagine Angad being this paranoid to have such equipment tagged everywhere.

Kripa quickly freshened up and went to the dining hall for dinner. There she saw a man in argument with Sonia.

‘I know he’s here. Where’s Angad? What have you done to him?’

‘Word travels fast. Here for your best friend? You never were able to convince him of my guilt over anything. And you think you’ll be able to do that? Dream on, honey.’

Angad wheeled his chair outside and exclaimed when he saw the man, ‘Josh!’

The man named Josh hurried to Angad, looked at his state and hugged him tight. ‘I just heard you’re alive. I couldn’t believe that you could die like that. I’m so glad you’re fine, Angad. I was worried dead about you. Are you OK?’

Angad’s eyes were a little misty. ‘Josh, I’m fine. What would happen to me? I’m so glad you’re here. Yeah, I’m alive. How have you been?’

‘You’re asking me how I’ve been? You disappeared for more than three years and you still ask me how I’ve been?’ Josh sounded extremely formidable with his temper. Kripa stared at Josh with awe.

‘Josh buddy, I’m fine. Let’s sit. Alex,’ he said when he spotted Kripa.

‘Alex, this is Josh. Josh, this is Alex. She brought me here.’ Angad introduced them.

‘Yo, whaddup?’Kripa sneered at Josh.

Josh took in the sight of her and raised his left eyebrow, ‘Hi, it’s nice to meet you. Thanks for bringing him here.’

‘Ya, no problem. I didn’t do it for free. I’m getting money out of this deal.’

Josh stared at Kripa with disgust clearly etched on his face. He then turned back to Angad and talked to him for a while. Kripa noticed how Sonia didn’t come close to Angad when Josh was around. That was an interesting development.

Sonia suddenly announced, ‘Angad, I have to go out of town for work for a few days. I hope that’s OK. And Sheila will be here to take care of you anyways. I have been planning this charity event for months now or I would have put this off. You’ll be fine, darling?’

Gosh, this woman was now pretending to be Mother Theresa, Kripa thought. What a sick woman. But this would be a good time to shout at Angad. What kind of a gullible person was he before the accident? Was he even the Angad she knew?

Sonia left with a huge bag, was she planning to stay there for a month? Angad waved her goodbye and turned to see Kripa.

She motioned him to go in the bedroom with her. She wheeled him in the guestroom while Josh stood there in shock.

‘Who is this Josh? And how come you never mentioned him to me? And why were you clinging to that bimbo? Gosh, Angad, you were behaving like an overeager teenager. I’m so freaking mad at you!’ Kripa screamed.

‘Kripa, whoa, why are you angry with me? I was engaged to Sonia once, remember? I have to behave with her as I used to,’ he tried to placate her.

‘Don’t you dare touch me, Khanna! You used to behave like that with her? You said you were with her because she made you laugh! Why didn’t you ever tell me how beautiful she was?’

Angad stared at Kripa, ‘How is that relevant to anything, Kripa? You’re being unreasonable now.’

‘Unreasonable? You’re cozying up with that bimbo and you’re calling me unreasonable? I know we’re just friends but how dare you flaunt her in front of me? I want to scratch her eyes out! And did you see how low her dress was? Her cleavage was completely popping out! How could you have been engaged to her?’ Kripa continued her rant.

Angad stood from the wheelchair and went to her. He made her face him, ‘Kripa, we’d been together for a year before I got engaged to her. Of course we behaved like a couple. And it’s just the way she dresses. I used to think the same about her, with the way she used to dress up, but I realized how nice-’

‘Nice?’ Kripa screeched. She stood abruptly forcing Angad to do the same. ‘You realized how nice she was? Look where that got you!’ she screamed with her chest still heaving. They stared at each other, both angry with each other by now.

A few moments passed and they heard someone clearing their throat in the doorway.

They both froze, and turned to see who it was at the same time.

Josh stood there leaning comfortably against the door and grinning at them madly. ‘Having a lover’s spat?’ he asked cheekily.

Kripa flushed, looked at Angad and pointed towards Josh melodramatically, ‘Are you sure we can trust him?’

Angad sighed. As much as he had enjoyed seeing a jealous Kripa, he had to stop pulling her leg. ‘Yes Kripa, we can trust him. He’s my best friend. He has always been there for me.’

Josh smiled and walked towards Angad, ‘How come you never told her about me? And how long has it been since you both have been dating?’

Kripa looked at Angad angrily, ‘We’re not dating! I would never date a person with such lousy taste for partners. I won’t even date him in my dreams!’

Josh punched Angad, ‘Tsk, tsk, your girlfriend’s a hot pepper, dude. She’s breathing fire here!’

‘Didn’t you hear me? I’m not his girlfriend!’

Josh chuckled, ‘Then I guess you should be. Wow Angad, your taste has definitely improved. And Alex, or should I call you Kripa, take it easy. Angad’s IQ had always dropped a little when he was around Sonia but he redeemed himself when he came to me so that we could start collecting evidence of Sonia’s crimes. She wasn’t just trying to get rid of you, man, you were fiancé number four.’

Angad turned to stare at Josh, ‘What? Fiancé number four? And I did what? I knew Sonia was guilty?’

‘Wow, I guess your memory hasn’t returned properly. A few weeks before the accident, you came to see me about Sonia. I always tried to tell you about Sonia but that woman never left us alone at all so that I could tell you. But then a few weeks later, you disappeared. I knew Sonia had something to do with it, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. What really happened man?’ Josh inquired.

‘Josh, let’s get out of here first, then I’ll tell you.’ Angad glanced at Kripa who wasn’t as angry with him as she was before. Clearly Angad had redeemed himself a little bit in front of her.

‘Yeah, I don’t want to be here for much longer either. I don’t trust any of the servants or rooms here. That Sonia is too clever for her own good.’

‘Yeah, I know what you mean. I screened the room and she had a lot of equipment here to keep tabs on whoever occupied the room. I found a few cameras and sound recording devices. I smashed them all,’ Kripa said nonchalantly astonishing Josh.

Angad laughed, ‘She’s a writer. Her primary genre is thrillers,’ he explained to Josh looking very proud of Kripa.

Kripa glared at him, pushed him in the wheelchair and asked very sweetly, ‘Mr. Khanna, if it isn’t too much, let’s get out of here. Now at least let’s pretend that I’m doing this just for money?’

She glanced at Josh, ‘You should wheel him around since you’re his best friend. And what a best friend he is. He never told me about you. He just told me about his Sonia,’ she scrunched her face to show her disgust and stomped out of the room.

Josh looked at Angad and smiled, ‘Dude, I like her already!’

OS: The Rescue - AK

With an old Hindi song playing in the background, Kripa concentrated on the treacherous road. The snowstorm had been completely unexpected. She had planned the trip by checking with the weather stations, but this was Colorado. It could snow anytime, anywhere.

She couldn’t wait to get to Colorado Springs, but at the pace she was driving, it would take a very long time to get there. She considered stopping at a hotel but she could hardly see any signs. It was a miracle she could even see where she was going. Should she stop? Was it better to keep going or to stay where she was?

She decided to keep going. It was too cold to stop and at least she had enough fuel to keep her going for a while. Her mind wandered to the reason she was moving to Colorado Springs and she smiled.

Living in an orphanage in Boston had given her immense empathy for others. It had always been her dream to open a new orphanage or to work at one. After working at an orphanage for a few years in Boston, she finally got the chance to open an orphanage from scratch. And the orphanage was going to be in Colorado Springs.

She couldn’t wait.

With her mood lifted again, she started humming with the music.

Suddenly, she saw a red car at an odd angle at the top of the hill. She shivered. She would have hated to be in that position in the freezing weather. She considered continuing without stopping but even just the thought of leaving without checking made her shudder. It went against everything she believed in.

She slowed down her car and saw a red jacket flying near the railing. That was odd, she thought. Then she gasped, was it someone hanging from there?

She stopped suddenly terrified for the stranger. Without a thought of her coat, she flung the door open and ran towards the red jacket. She saw a bloody hand barely clinging to the foot of the railing and panicked. She grabbed it without thought and tried to pull the weight up to the edge of the cliff.

She heard a grunt. She froze, ‘Are you alright?’

‘Lady, do I look alright to you? I’m hanging off this cliff; do I look OK to you?’ a frustrated gravelly voice spoke.

A giggle escaped her before she could stop it.

‘And now you think this is funny? I’m probably going to fall off the cliff and die and you think this is funny. Or if you don’t pull me up in this decade, I’ll definitely freeze to death.’

‘If you keep making me laugh with your jokes, how am I going to pull you up? Now, are you hurt anywhere? I need to be careful when I pull you up,’ she asked mirth dancing in her eyes.

‘Will you just..’ he stopped and she audibly felt him control his frustration, ‘I’m fine. Please just pull me up.’

Kripa rolled her eyes. She tried to pull him up but he was very heavy. ‘Come on, you have to help me some. I can’t just pull you up on my own. Can you make an effort too?’

There was a short silence. ‘Fine,’ he bit the word like an oath, and pushed himself.

With a lot of grunts and a lot of effort, she managed to pull him enough to see his face. Half of it was drenched in blood which had frozen on it like a second glove. And she felt immediate sympathy for this man. How long had he been hanging from there?

‘Come on,’ she huffed trying to encourage them both. ‘You can do it.’

With one final pull, she managed to heave him up and they both just lay there on the snow panting with exhaustion.

‘Thanks,’ he finally said in between pants. ‘I wasn’t sure how long I could have hung on. And I didn’t think anyone would be passing here anytime soon. You saved my life.’

Kripa chuckled, ‘You sound very melodramatic. But you’re welcome. On a serious note, let’s get out of this cold or we’ll both become popsicles.’

She got up and saw him struggling to get up too. She offered him her hand. He grabbed it and she pulled him up with such force that she had to stagger back when he was on his feet. She steadied him.

She let go of him and saw that all the energy had been drained out of him. She put his arms around her shoulder, grabbed his waist and walked him to her car. She opened the passenger door in the back of the car and gently made him sit down.

Kripa hurried to the driver seat and grabbed her water bottle. ‘Here, water and a hand towel. Why don’t you wash all the blood off of your face? I have some antiseptic in the car’s boot.’

When his face came in sight, Kripa’s heart gave a small lurch. He was very attractive.

‘Thanks,’ he washed down the aspirin with the water. ‘Please be gentle. Gosh, this is going to hurt.’

He closed his eyes and waited for her to clean his wounds. Kripa gave a small smile and cleaned up the wounds. His heartbeat had also accelerated.

‘Where were you going when the accident happened?’

‘Colorado Springs. Are you going in that direction? Can I get a ride?’

Kripa smiled. ‘I am going to Colorado Springs, I’ll drop you wherever you want.’

At the end of the conversation, he lied down on the seat and immediately fell asleep.

Kripa had been driving for an hour and the weather had cleared up significantly. At least she could see the signs for rest areas. Suddenly, she heard his voice. ‘Wow, I feel so much better. Can you stop at any of the rest areas?’

Kripa complied and they both freshened up. They grabbed some snacks at the gas station. He came back, sat at the front of the car at devoured the muffins in front of him.

‘I was driving really carefully when I hit an icy patch. My car just skid out of control and I was flung out of it. Barely managed to hold on to the railing.’

‘I’m glad you’re OK. I’m Kripa by the way.’

‘And the person you just saved is Angad. Very nice to meet you. Where are you from? Your accent doesn’t sound like you’re from down here. East Coast maybe?’ he asked facing her.

She smiled, ‘You’re good. I’m from Boston. I’m moving here though.’

‘I’m from Colorado Springs. I was in Texas for a conference and decided to drive back as soon as it was over. The worst idea ever. I even grew up here and know how bad the roads can get during the winter, but nope, I just had an urge to come back home. What do you do for a living?’

‘I’m going to open an orphanage.’

‘Oh shut up now, I can’t take it anymore. Must you go on and on? Stop blabbering Kripa, I just don’t know how you do it.’

Kripa laughed. ‘OK, smarty pants. I’ve always wanted to open an orphanage as I grew up in one. I was very fortunate in that the people there were very good to me. And I want to make a difference in somebody’s life like the difference that was made in mine.’

‘I know how you feel. I’m a doctor too and making a difference in somebody’s life just opens your heart up. I’m glad you’re doing that. If you ever need any help, you just let me know.’

He glanced at the iPod laying down on the cup holder. He grabbed it and hit the play button. The song Kripa was listening to before she saw the accident streamed in the car, ‘Gosh, I love old music too.’ And he started singing along with the song. ‘Come on, you take the girl parts.’

Kripa laughed and joined in. They kept talking, laughing and singing during the whole ride. He made her laugh with anecdotes of his family. She learnt that he had a big family of five brothers. His brothers Karthik, Prithvi, Nishant and Josh were all married. He relayed hilarious stories about each of them getting into sticky situations with their wives. In no time, they reached Colorado Springs. Kripa turned the engine off in front of his house.

‘Why don’t you stay for dinner?’ he asked her suddenly.

She turned to face him, ‘For dinner?’

‘Yeah, this is my parents place and Fridays are always our big dinner nights. All of us, my siblings, their wives and kids, and our parents, get together for dinner and the whole nine yards. It will be fun. I think you’ll fit right in.’ he told her in earnest.

Her heart fluttered but she managed, ‘Do you invite every woman you meet to your family dinners?’

His gaze suddenly smoldered, ‘I have never invited any other woman to our family dinner. Will you stay?’

She knew his question meant more than just staying for dinner. It had meant becoming a part of the family as well. His heart was in his eyes and she had never felt such an instant connection with anyone before. He made her feel alive and made her laugh. She hadn’t laughed as much before than she had tonight. Was this fate’s way of bringing them together?

‘Yes.’

With that one word, their lives changed forever.

FF: Asleep - C13

‘Mr.Angad Khanna?’ the guard at the Khanna mansion exclaimed.

‘Chotu, how are you?’ Angad asked him serenely.

‘Mr. Angad Khanna. It’s so good to see you!’ he shook his hands with Angad. ‘I’m so glad you’re alive. I always refused to believe that you’d left us. I’m glad you’re back here. Things aren’t even the same anymore!’

‘Why? What’s-’

‘Y’all, let’s get this over with. Chotu, right? Open the freaking door so we can get in. I don’t have time to stand outside all day.’ Kripa rudely interrupted them.

Donning jeans and a biker jacket, she stood outside chewing a piece of gum looking utterly bored. A small nose ring rested comfortably against her nose and she had darkened her eyes significantly making them pop out. Silver chains dangled on her jeans and a lot of silver bangles jingled merrily on her wrist. She had badass written all over her.

‘Of.. of course,’ he stammered. ‘I’ll just let Sonia Ma’am know,’ he rushed to comply with Kripa’s command.

Angad turned back to Kripa and winked at her.

And she just tood there looking utterly bored.

Hot damn! He thought, she’s a great actress.

‘You can go in now,’ Chotu eyed Kripa apprehensively not quite sure whether he should let her in the mansion. But she was with Angad, his boss and he couldn’t say anything.

Kripa wheeled him in to the mansion and barely managed to keep her expression straight. But he had such a beautiful house. A long walkway winded up to the house with a freshly mowed lawn. She could just picture flowers in full bloom over here. It would have been exquisite. To think she had taken him to her small apartment when he was in a coma. It was almost laughable. They were definitely a long way from Delhi. Mumbai, here they were.

A woman stood in the doorway looking like the Lady of the Mansion, rather the Babe of the Mansion. Dressed in a sleek red dress that clung lovingly to her skin, her siren-like painted mouth curved into a smile. She looked like pure unadulterated sex. The body of a goddess matched her pinup face.

Kripa had a healthy dose of self-esteem but just looking at her dropped it significantly. She was the woman every woman envied and every man wanted. No wonder Angad had been engaged to her, this gorgeous woman.

With a heart of darkness. This was the woman who had tried to kill the incredible man she had gotten to know. This was the woman Angad needed justice because of. Kripa would end this.

This assessment took her just a few moments and they reached the doorway.

‘Angad, darling,’ her voice purred and she leaned in to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

This bimbo had made Angad laugh? Where had Angad’s brain been? Right, most likely he hadn’t been thinking from the brain in his head., Kripa thought viciously.

‘I’m so glad you’re alive,’ her voice dripped with honey and her perfectly manicured finger stroked his cheek. Kripa felt nauseous.

‘Sonia,’ Angad hugged her. ‘I’m so glad you’re still living in my house. When my memory returned, I wasn’t sure you’d still be here.’

She froze. ‘Your memory? What had happened?’ she asked her voice suddenly raspy.

He pulled her back, ‘I just remember that we got engaged before my accident. Not that I remember the accident at all.’ He scrunched his face in concentration as if trying to remember everything.

Sonia’s face relaxed marginally. She smiled a very genuine-looking smile and said softly, ‘Of course I couldn’t leave this house. I wanted to be with you and your memories,’ she sniffled.

OK, Kripa had to give her credit, she was a good actress.

‘Yo,’ Kripa interrupted, ‘If all this mushy crap is done, give me my money.’ Kripa continued to chew her gum/

Sonia stood, looked at Kripa from head to toe, and asked with disdain, ‘And you are?’

Kripa left the wheelchair, put her hands in her pockets and widened her stance, ‘Alex, the name is Alex. Now give me my money.’

Sonia stared at her in disgust and looked down at Angad, ‘What is she talking about?’

‘Sonia, I told her I would pay her to bring me here. I was in this wheelchair and hardly able to do anything. We’ll have to give her 100,000 Rs.’

Her jaw dropped. ‘What? 100,000 Rs? Is she crazy? 100,000 Rs to bring you here?’ her volume escalated. Then she glanced back at Angad, ‘Of course it means nothing compared to the fact that you’re home.’ She hugged him again.

‘Alex, right? How about you come in? Would you like to have anything?’ Sonia clearly was trying ot act like the good girl Angad had thought she was.

‘K, Coke’ll do.’ She wheeled Angad in and Sonia ordered drinks for all of them.

‘Angad, so tell me everything. Where were you? We all thought you were dead.’ And tears rolled down her cheeks. Kripa almost rolled her eyes.

‘I was in a coma in some hospital. I just woke up 3 months ago without any idea as to who I was. I just regained my memory a few days ago.’ He paused and stared into space. ‘Many things are still fuzzy though, I don’t remember my accident. Then I met Alex and asked her to bring me here. She asked why she should and then I offered her money. She seemed reluctant when I asked her but once I told her I was Angad Khanna, she agreed.’

Kripa stared at them both, still chewing her gum and now drinking Coke. ‘Ya, and don’t you forget that it’s100,000 Rs and not any less.’

Kripa’s phone rang obnoxiously. ‘I’ll be back. This is an important phone call.’

‘Lo,’ Kripa said and walked outside.

Sonia didn’t know what possessed her to follow this.. this tramp outside but she always followed her instincts. Look where that had gotten her; a huge gorgeous mansion with millions and millions of rupees. She went outside and hid behind the door.

‘Dude, I can do that,’ she overheard Kripa. ‘The fee is 100,000 Rs and not any less. That Shah will be out of your hair in no time. Don’t worry, the job will be done. He’ll be dead before your meeting comes up. But don’t forget, I take 50% upfront and 50% after the job is done. If I don’t get the money, I’ll do to you what I was planning to do with Shah. Here, note my bank details.’ Kripa recited some information while Sonia stood at her calculating the next plan.

‘You’re doubting me? Alex? I’ve been doing this for years and I still haven’t been caught. What makes you dumbass think I’ll be caught now? I’m a pro and I know how to kill, maim or decapitate anyone without leaving a trace, scientific or otherwise. This is a guarantee. Don’t you dare doubt me again or you’ll know me for sure. Bastard.’ With that she hung up.

Sonia’s brain whirled faster than a rollercoaster. This would be a good way to get rid of the rich bastard, Angad, before he remembered how she had tried to kill him. Look at the son of a gun’s luck, still alive. But not for much longer.

Sonia returned to the living room and sat b Angad trying to make him laugh. Men. She rolled her eyes.

Kripa entered in and Sonia almost crawled into Angad’s lap making Kripa gag internally. She trailed her finger down his face again and said, ‘I was just telling Angad how we should repay your favor. Why don’t you stay with us for a while?’

Kripa widened her stance again, ‘What will I get in return? I don’t do anything for free.’

Sonia got annoyed but kept her face smooth. ’25,000 Rs per day and full hospitality.’

‘50,000 Rs,’ Kripa bargained.

‘Fine,’ Sonia snapped.

Angad looked at Sonia and smiled. ‘You’re so sweet, Sonia. No wonder we got engaged. You’re a very special person.’

Kripa wanted to kick Angad but restrained herself.

Phase 1: successful.

FF: Asleep - C12

‘Mr. Angad Zaib Khanna! You better let me finish this chapter or I’m going to kill you!’ Kripa screamed at the man below her.

He sighed and continued with his push-ups. Kripa was sitting on his back reading her book. ‘Kripa, that’s what you said the last time I wanted to stop.’

‘Angad, you’re the one who wanted his body toned! Now let me finish this damn chapter. Then you can argue with me all you want.’

Angad sighed again. This was what his life had become. For the last three months, he had been working out and getting in shape and Kripa had nagged him to death. He loved her nagging and her chatterbox attitude, but he was very hungry. Living with Kripa had also given him an appreciation of food. She was such a foodie! He smiled thinking about how much they had both eaten last night. Hence, the extra workout. He sighed again.

‘Angad, stop sighing! I can’t focus!’

‘Kripa, if you’re not going to shut up, I’ll drop you on the floor, I’m warning you!’

Kripa just nudged him and continued reading.

‘Kripa, we need to talk.’

It was her turn to sigh, ‘Do you have to sound this cheesy? Kripa, we need to talk,’ she imitated him. ‘It sounds like we are going to break up; not that we’re dating or anything.’ She rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

‘Kripa, I’m serious. I think it’s time to take the next step.’

Kripa froze. ‘Are you sure?’ Although she really wanted him to get justice, she really enjoyed being with him. The sooner he accomplished his mission, the quicker he was going to be out of her life. She didn’t want to think about that.

‘Yeah, I think it is time.’

It was now her turn to sigh, ‘I think so too. You don’t think the plan is too lame, do you?’

He asked her to roll off his back, sat up and cupped her face, ‘Kripa, no, it’s a good plan. It’s lame and dumb, but it just might work. Don’t worry.’

Kripa managed a small smile. She couldn’t imagine life without him anymore. She had always been cheerful, but she hadn’t ever been this happy the way she was with him. He simply lit her life up.

‘I hope everything goes well. I hope you get your justice, Angad.’

He smiled, ‘With you by my side, everything’s going to be great. Let’s start our plan on Monday then.’

‘Let’s do that.’ She shook herself from her melancholy mood. ‘But first, we’ll have to take full advantage of this weekend and have the time of our lives, what say?’

‘I’m up for it.’ And he hugged her.

Kripa squealed, ‘Yuck, Angad. You just worked out and you’re sweaty! Go shower!’

He pinched her on the cheek and left a smiling Kripa.

**

She took him everywhere she enjoyed. She took him to the theme park where they laughed so hard that their stomachs ached. She took him for horror movies and screamed and held each other tight in fright. They went to the park and savored all the junk food from the street vendors. They finally came home at the end of the weekend and sat on the couch exhausted.

‘You’re such a whirlwind, Kripa. It’s so hard to keep up with you. You’re like a little excited kid who wants to do everything at the same time. I’ve not had this much fun in a very long time. I think I was with my parents when I was this carefree.’

She laughed and snuggled against him on the couch, ‘Welcome to my world, Angad. This carefree and crazy person is up for anything!’

He grinned, ‘After all this is sorted out, we should go skydiving.’

Kripa made a noncommittal sound and did not respond. She was just staring into space.

‘So is that a yes or a no?’ Why wasn’t she saying anything?

‘Let’s not make plans for the future. Let’s not think about what’s going to happen after Sonia is behind bars and you get your life back,’ she spoke still staring into space.

Angad was confused, ‘Why are you saying that? And why won’t you look at me while saying that?’ And why did her saying not to think about the future with him hurt him so much? Was that all his space was in her life? He always felt that she had feelings for him, the same he did for her.

She turned to face him, ‘Look, you’ll get your life back; the people you used to be friends with. You’ll probably not want to hang out with me anymore or you just won’t have the time,’ she mumbled. It felt good to finally tell him what her fears were.

He stared at her disbelievingly. This was why she didn’t want to think about the future with him? This was why she didn’t want to make plans with him? How could she not know how much she meant to him? How could she not know how his life revolved around her now?

And this was definitely not the time to tell her how exactly he felt. But he could assuage her fears for now. Or at least he could try.

‘Kripa, you’re the best friend I could ever have. Of course I’m not going to forget about you. I can’t believe you’d even thing that. We’re best friends and we’ll always be best friends.’

‘Best friends,’ she muttered. The person she finally fell in love with considered her his best friend. Oh well, just because you loved someone did not mean that the person loved you back. And it was true, they were best friends.

‘Best friends,’ she repeated brightly. ‘That’s true. Sure, let’s go skydiving after this is over. And for now, let’s go to sleep. We’re going to have an insane day tomorrow. Goodnight Angad.’

She kissed his cheek and spent another sleepless night.

FF: Asleep - C11

‘Damn, is it hot in here or is it just me?’ Aaliya suddenly said fanning herself with her hand.

The spell broke and Kripa took a step backward. What was wrong with her? Why was she behaving like this? She looked at Aaliya, ‘I know right? It’s so hot here! I don’t know what’s wrong with the weather here.’

Everyone laughed at her statement. Angad looked at Kripa’s friends and felt a strange fondness for all of them. He felt like he was finally home.

‘Since nobody’s going to support me here, I’ll have to go along with the plan unless someone else comes up with a better one. But we’ll have to wait for a few months before putting the operation into action,’ he said.

Kripa looked at him quizzically.

‘I didn’t look like this, three years ago,’ he said pointing at his thin frame. ‘No way on earth am I going out looking like this!’

Kripa gave a shriek of laughter, ‘Who would have thought? Mr. Angad Zaib Khanna is vain! Oh Angad, I really don’t know you after all!’

Angad laughed with her, ‘It’s not vanity! Anyways, isn’t it you who used to keep calling me hot when I was asleep?’ he teased her.

Kripa stuck her tongue out, ‘You were hot when you didn’t talk, now you’re not!’ They all laughed at their bickering. ‘So if it isn’t vanity, why do you want to get ‘in shape’?’ she asked quoting ‘in shape’ with her hands.

Angad sighed, ‘Kripa, for our plan to work, I should look exactly like I did three years ago, right?’

‘I know, I know, I was just teasing you. So we won’t be able to put our plan into action for a while,’ Kripa frowned. She wanted justice to be served as quickly as possible. Her blood boiled at the thought of the injustices Angad had been through. She was ready for action. She was ready for Sonia to be taken into custody. She cracked her knuckles and had an evil smile on her face.

Then, Mishti’s phone rang. ‘That was the babysitter. Karan’s fine,’ she told Prithvi who looked tense as soon as his son’s name was mentioned. ‘We just ran out of some baby food, I’ll go get some.’

The rest of the gang also made excuses and left.

‘So Angad, we probably should go shopping and get clothes for you.’

‘Yeah, we’ll just get a few things now and some more before the plan’s put in action.’

He moved closer to Kripa and put his hand on hers. ‘Thanks Kripa. I’ll pay you back for everything as soon as I can,’ he said earnestly.

Kripa understood that Angad had a lot of pride. The fact that he had to accept all that Kripa had done for him hurt his ego. No wonder she liked him so much!

She smiled. ‘Don’t worry, Angad. You do what you feel necessary. But I better let you know that the money really doesn’t make a difference to me. You inspired me to write my first book, and look what I’ve achieved. Nothing at all can repay that. Consider us at equal footing if you can.’

‘I know, Kripa. That’s why you’re so special.’

‘Ok, now let’s not get all mushy, OK? Let’s go to the mall,’ Kripa said with a grin.

They reached the mall and Angad stared around.

‘It’s been a while, hasn’t it?’ she asked with a perceptive smile.

He nodded, unable to speak. A lump had formed in his throat. It had been a while since he’d actually walked outside instead of Kripa wheeling him around. It felt amazing to be back.

They walked around until they reached the men’s shopping department. ‘Kripa, I was wondering. You’re a famous writer and nobody seems to recognize you here. What’s with that?’

Kripa laughed, ‘Are you checking to make sure that what I had said all these years is actually true? Just kidding, don’t get all huffy on me!’ Kripa laughed again at his enraged expression. ‘I didn’t print a photograph in the book and I gave no face-to-face interviews. Apparently, the air of mystery delighted the readers as much as the story I had spun. So that worked for me. I didn’t want to be famous and have my privacy breached as well. I guess in that aspect, we’re totally the same. I also used an alias; ‘Nisha Chaudhary’. I know, I stole the name from Hum Aapke Hai Kaun but I had to get an inspiration from somewhere,’ she said with a wink.

Angad laughed with her. It just dawned on him that he hadn’t laughed this much and this often in years; not even Sonia had made him laugh this much. Kripa was… fun. There was no other word to describe it. She was considerate, bubbly, charming and a lot of fun. She was beautiful, both inside and out. And she made the world a joy to be in.

He shook himself out of his reverie and tried on a few clothes. He went outside to get her approval. Another first, he decided. Angad Khanna never took somebody else’s opinion into consideration for his life; any aspect of his life. But he just wanted to be a different person with her; a less aloof person. He liked that person. He liked the Zaib he became with her.

He thought of the Angad Khanna he was before he met Kripa. He had been boring, focused and serious. Sonia had been able to make him laugh, but she had never touched his heart. She had never made him feel like a kid with the world at his feet. He could now dream of anything. He could reach for the stars and fulfill any wishes.

Once again, opening the doors of his heart, he gave life a chance.