9 Answer
Part 9 Answer
Arnav hurried to Khushi and pushed the man who was closing her mouth. Khushi rushed behind Arnav and stood clutching his t-shirt.
"What the hell is this, Dhruv? Why are you shutting her mouth? What would she think of our family?" Arnav asked gritting his teeth.
Khushi looked at Dhruv, like, Family?
"No no, Arnav... you are mistaken... She would have waked up everyone shouting if I had not closed her mouth" Dhruv said taking a step towards him.
Arnav was taken back as Druv was stunk.
"Have you drunken today also?" Arnav asked furiously.
"I went to an important party, yaar.... I had not given a chance to deny..." Dhruv said keeping his palm on his mouth.
"You easily found an excuse for every day... Idiot, what if mami sees you in this state?"
" Yes, yes... To avoid such a scene only I didn't knock on the main door but came from the back side door. By the way who is this girl?" Dhruv asked, looking at Khushi.
"She is our guest from Lucknow. behave yourself..." Arnav warned.
Druv looked at Khushi, slightly leaning in sideways, who was hiding behind Arnav well.
"Go to your room" Arnav pushed Dhruv gently.
"Yeah yeah... Going..."
Looking at Khushi,
"Hey, chick, don't shout if you see me again in the night... Ok?"
Khushi gritted her teeth as he called her chick.
"Shut up, and go" Arnav chided.
He walked to his room. Arnav waited until he left. He turned behind.
"What are you doing here in these hours? Don't you sleep?"
"No... I can't sleep. It feels like someone is there in my room" she said restlessly.
Arnav shrank his eyes.
"Let me see..."
"No... I mean there is no one"
"Then?"
"It feels like someone is there"
"No one is there... Ok...? Go and sleep"
"No, I can't sleep alone. Why do you guys need such a big bungalow? Can't you live in a simple house?" she said making a face.
Arnav pressed his lips as he didn't know what to answer.
"I'm going to sleep with Naniji," Khushi said.
Arnav raised his index finger towards Nani's room. Khushi went to the room and called, looking inside through the glass of the French door, in a low tone.
"Naniji... Naniji..."
Arnav rolled his eyes and went to her.
"How could she hear if you call in a feeble tone?" he questioned.
"Didn't that BISON say not to shout?" She whispered.
Arnav raised his brows.
"Bison? Like really?"
"He called me chick... what about that? Bison ka bacha" she gritted her teeth.
"He is not Bison ka bacha but your COOLERS WALI STYLISH AUNTY ka bacha," Arnav said sniggering.
Khushi bit her nail making a weird face.
"Don't you dare call him Bison ka bacha in front of her..." He chuckled.
Khushi nodded ok hurriedly.
"By the way, for you, I'm uncle... NK is Mangoose... Dhruv is Bison... What do you think of us?" He asked teasingly.
"I think nothing... I just want to sleep. That's all..." She said sadly.
Arnav pushed the French door and opened it. Khushi looked at him awestruck.
"Why are you looking at me as if I did magic?"
"I can't understand anything in this house... Everything seems different here" she sighed and went inside.
She looked here and there and lay on the sofa. Arnav closed the door and walked back to his room smiling. When he crossed Khushi's room, he stopped. Stepping inside, he ran his eyes in a cautious manner. He went to his room sighing.
The next morning
Nani opened her eyes, hearing the French door opening sound. She saw Arnav getting in.
"Chotte...?" She sat on the bed, looking at him questioningly.
"Did she disturb you?" He asked.
"Who?" Nani frowned.
Arnav raised his index finger toward sleeping Khushi. His hand stopped, seeing her sleeping form. She looked cute while sleeping. Covering herself up to the neck with a quilt, she looked like a baby. Her face was so innocent... in fact, she was always innocent. Arnav thought.
"Khushi...? When did she come here?" Nani kept the quilt aside that she was covering.
"She was searching for your room last night as she didn't get sleep. I dropped her here"
"Oh..."
"She feels scared to sleep alone I suppose," Arnav said.
"She used to be in the small space. She would have felt different to be in the big size room" Nani said.
Arnav nodded yes.
"I will take care of her," Nani said.
Arnav was about to go, but he jerked as Khushi shouted suddenly.
"Nooo..." She sat on the bed, waking up from her sleep.
Arnav and Nani looked at each other and could not understand what happened to her all of sudden.
"Hey, Devi Maiya... Are you planning to push me into the dried well? This is not done. If you have acrimony with me, we will deal with it in a smooth way, but, please don't do this to me" she pleaded, joining hands and closing her eyes.
"Khushi bitiya..." Nani called.
Khushi looked at her jerking and then at Arnav who was looking at her with an unnamed expression. She looked here and there with a cute expression.
"I'm here..."
"I dropped you here last night. Have you forgotten?" Arnav asked coming to the composure.
Khushi nodded yes.
"Did you see nightmare?" Nani asked.
Again there was a horrific expression on her face.
"Haan Naniji... I wish it won't happen" she said perplexed.
"What did you see in your dream?" Nani asked worriedly.
"Wedding..."
"Whose wedding?"
"Mine"
Arnav touched his molar tooth with his tongue inside his closed mouth whereas Nani laughed.
"Don't you want to get married?"
She nodded no hurriedly, making a face.
"But why?"
"Don't know Naniji. Whenever Nanu talked about my wedding, I feel like my spine chilled up..." She said widening her eyes fearfully.
Arnav chuckled nodding his head left to right.
Khushi got down from the sofa.
"Today, I'm not going to leave this... however, Devi Maiya should answer me" she rushed out of Nani's room making them laugh.
"It seems you brought good entertainment from Lucknow, Nani"
"Haan... You know Chotte, I thought she will take time to recover from Nanu's demise. But, she faced it boldly. I have never seen someone taking it so lightly even after having no one for herself. She is unique" Nani wondered.
Arnav nodded affirmatively. He came to his room and took bath all the way thinking about Khushi.
In the meanwhile, taking a bath Khushi came downstairs. She saw HP going somewhere. She ran to him and stood in front of him. HP looked at her weirdly.
"HariPrakashji, where is the kitchen?" She asked.
"It's there..." he showed him at his left side.
"Shall I cook?"
HP became hesitant.
"You can do whatever you want, Khushi bitiya," said Nani who came there.
"Can I do pooja too?"
"Of course, you can..."
Khushi nodded ok and went to the kitchen.
"Shall I prepare coffee for everyone?" Khushi asked.
"I already gave coffee to everyone, Khushiji. Only Arnav baba is left" HP said.
"Then, I will give him"
"No, Khushiji, he will have anything only after lighting the lamp in front of his mother's photo"
"Oh, ok..."
Khushi thought something and started preparing keer to offer Devi Maiya to FINISH the important deal with her.
Khushi turned behind over and over again, thinking someone was entering the kitchen. She was tired if doing that because she always found the entrance empty. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. Was that her Nanu who was following her? Was that him who was with her? She was excited. It must be her Nanu. Who else other than her Nanu would like to be with her? She completed the keer and brought it to the pooja room.
There, she saw a woman's photo. A lamp was kept in front of her photo and it was flaming steadily. She was looking at the photo forgetting herself. The woman in the photo looked so simple and divine. She must be Arnav's mother. She thought.
She realized that she was standing with a keer bowl. She kept it in front of Devi Maiya's idol and lit the lamp.
Nani, who saw her going to the pooja room, followed her to know what the deal she was going to have with DM was. She silently stood at the pooja room entrance and watched. But, as she expected, Khushi didn't talk about the deal but something else.
"Hey, Devi Maiya... I and my Nanu always trusted you. We walked on the path which you showed us. Likewise, I came to Delhi with Naniji. I don't know why I'm here. And... what was the feeling that I'm continuously sensing? I feel someone's presence around me. I'm tired of this feeling. If it is my Nanu's soul, I don't be afraid but if it is something, please take care of it. But, somewhat I know it won't be a BAD spirit because you are here. if you are here, no bad spirit can enter this place. What is that Devi Maiya?" Khushi asked, joining her hands.
Nani was stunned. What did that mean? Did Khushi feel Ratna's presence? How could it be possible when even Arnav could not feel it? She looked at Ratna's photo.
*Is that you, Ratna?* she asked inwardly.
A lonely flower fell down from Ratna's photo as an answer, giving Goosebumps to Nani.
To be continued...
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