Bride of Sheesh Mahal - Season 3 - Part 16

 

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Chapter 16


Arnav’s POV


The road to the forest is deserted and its getting dark. I don’t understand what work Khushi had here at this odd place? The man who called me to inform about Khushi’s state, hasn’t dropped the call yet. He guides me with the GPS location of that place and within 45 minutes, I finally see a vehicle parked at the corner of the road, with a man on phone and a woman sitting next to Khushi on the little stone to their left. I immediately park my car and get down.


“Khushi..” I shout. She is conscious and the woman is stroking her back to make her feel better. The moment Khushi sees me, she tries to get up.

I reach her before she could even move from there and then scoop her in my arms.

“Tum theek ho?” (Are you okay?)

She nods softly.

“What happened? What are you doing here?”

She looks puzzled just like I am at the moment.

“I… I don’t know..” she murmurs, confusing me even more.


I hold her in my arms while turning back to the man and his wife.


“Thank you for looking after her. I .. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadnt spotted her here and called me.”

“Its okay” the man smiles. “Please take care of her. She looks in a state of shock.”

“Yeah” I nod, swallowing the little fear crawling inside my body imagining Khushi’s present state. “I’ll look after her. Thank you once again.”


I take Khushi’s mobile from that man and turn to Khushi who looks low. She is so weak that she can hardly walk a step ahead. So without letting her stress more, I lean down and carry her in my arms. She flinches when I do so without her permission.


“What .. are you-?”


I don’t bother and take her to my car. Helping her get seated at the passenger seat, I fasten her seatbelt and then offer her some water to drink. She gulps down the water like she was thirsty from years and finishes the bottle in two minutes. As if she suddenly recalls, she looks for her sling bag..


“My bag… Where.. where is my bag?”

“Seriously Khushi? You still care for a bag when you should be worrying about your present state?”

“My bag.. You don’t know what it has.. Where is my bag.?”


I clench my jaw and look at the same spot where Khushi was sitting all the time with that couple. I don’t find her bag despite of a rigorous search. I return to her.


“I can’t find it anywhere. We’ll get another bag for you.. forget that one..”

“But it had..”

“Whatever it had Khushi is gone with it. Right now, you and your safety are more important to me. This place is not good for us to roam around at this hour. It’s getting dark and your father will be worried if you don’t reach home soon.”


She sighs in disappointment but agrees. Taking the seat inside, I drive us back to the town. Khushi is in deep thoughts and though I don’t want to disturb her, I don’t stay quiet.


“Why were you here, Khushi?” I ask again.

She looks at me sadly.

“I can’t tell you that because as usual you won’t believe.”

I grit my teeth.

“Don’t tell me this is about that blue-eyed version of me?” I snap gripping the steering wheel in anger.

“Yes, this is about him and exactly why I said you won’t believe me.”

I try to control my anger but fail.


“Don’t you think you are testing my patience?” I scowl at her. “We are getting married in 5 days and my fiancée is busy in her orthodox beliefs? What the heck is happening Khushi?”

“Your life is in danger. That’s what is happening and I am trying to protect you.”

“You are trying to protect me by putting your life in danger” I snap. “And I won’t tolerate that.”


She goes quiet again, and looks out of the window. Seems like I’ve upset her. Once we are far away from the forest deserted road, and in the middle of the town, I park the car at the corner and turn to her.


“Why have you stopped here?” she asks.

“Until you tell me what were you doing in the middle of the forest, I am not going to drop you home.”

While she watches me stunned, I dial Shashi Gupta and inform him that Khushi is with me and I would drop her safely in some time. Once he agrees, I disconnect and fix my gaze on Khushi again.


“I need the truth Khushi.. Tell me what were you doing there exactly?”


She takes a minute more to decide if she has to share it with me.


“What’s the point? You will again judge me for being a fool to believe in such orthodox things..”

“Stop debating. I need the truth” I snap. “I want to know everything about you and why you think my life is in danger?”


She looks down, contemplating where to start from.


“My mother Garima Gupta, was a great devotee of Devi Maiyaa too. When she was young, she used to get these premonitions like I do now. But she couldn’t channelize it to people’s benefit. Then, she got married to my father and everything ended.”

I stare at her, a bit confused.


“What ended?”

“Her powers.. to see the future signs..” Khushi replies.

“Why?”

Khushi heaved, looking away from me.

“From whatever I have learnt so far about these things, through my studies I have come to this conclusion that when a man and a woman unites, the soul loses its powers to connect with that part of its subconscious brain which processes all these premonitions. So when my mother married, she lost these powers and led a normal life with my father. Everything was perfect until I was born.”


I have a question again.


“What happened after you were born?”

“She died.” Khushi swallows her tears and I feel sorry for her. “She faced some medical complications while giving birth to me and she couldn’t survive.”


I grab Khushi’s hand and she lets me hold it. We stay quiet for a few seconds until she starts speaking again.


“I got these powers of seeing the future from my mother. And that’s the only thing I have valued more than anything so far.”


I nod.

“Is that why you were not willing to get married ever?” I ask, because this is something even I had guessed about. This is the one reason why she always chose to stay away from men. Why she never showed interest in knowing about intimacy between a woman and a man. She wanted to avoid getting attached to these things in the fear that if she falls for a man or gets married, she would lose her powers too.

Khushi nods weakly.

“But Babuji’s worry to see me married haunted me every time he took initiative to fix my alliance.”

I sigh.


“And then I met you..” Khushi meets my gaze. “I was shocked when your grandmother proposed for our marriage and when you told me I had every right to deny it, I got some hope. But then.. that rainy night I saw these marks on your arm..”


Marks? Oh yes.. I had almost forgotten about them. I have these marks on my upper arm as if someone has gripped me tight..

“What connection does this marks have with you or your approval to this alliance?” I inquire.


Khushi swallows painfully before responding.


“Take off your shirt..” she murmurs.

“What?”

Khushi exhales.

“Just do as I say.. Please..”


I am stunned by her demand but I don’t deny. I do exactly what she wants me to do. I take off my shirt and she stares at the marks on my arm. I still don’t understand anything until she wraps her fingers exactly around those marks and to my surprise, her fingers align correctly on those leaving no gaps.

“These marks on your arm are created by my fingers, Arnav.”


What the hell? I gaze back at my arm where she has gripped me and I know she is right. But how? Khushi has never touched me ever like this before.


“I have been seeing a weird dream frequently in the past few years where a man is dragging me to the well and pushing me inside..” she adds. “And I have clutched his arm so tight so as to hold myself from falling. But nothing works and he pushes me in the well..”

I stiffen.


“I..” I gulp. “I had seen this dream too a few days ago.”


My response doesn't shock her.


“Because that man was you Arnav and that woman was me. You have pushed me into the well in that dream and I don’t know why or what happens to us after that.. I have even sketched this and its hanging on the wall of my living room. Have you seen it when you came to Laxmi Nagar for dinner at my place?”


I nod recalling I had seen that picture in her home. A Well behind the temple vicinity. I had seen that sketch on her wall.


“That night when I saw these marks on your arm, I raised these questions to Devi Maiyaa and in return she whispered to me in my dreams to get married to you because that’s the only way I could get my answers and your life could be saved from whatever negative energy is lurking around you. So I agreed to marry you.”


Gosh! What the heck does it all mean? I don’t want to believe in all this but the way her fingers align perfectly to these marks on my arm, forces me to give her a benefit of doubt.


“You are risking your life for me?” I painfully ask. Don’t you fear if that dream of yours turn true? That I some day would kill you?”


She gives me a weak smile before replying.

“I trust my Devi Maiyaa. She will never advise me wrong. I have full faith in her.”


I stare at Khushi in disbelief and complete silence. Whatever she is doing, I could never do for anyone. She hardly met me and my family two weeks ago and she is ready to sacrifice her life for me. Could I ever get a woman as selfless as her? And here.. instead of understanding why she is doing all this I was busy judging her and calling her foolish. I grab her hand and bring her fingers to my lips. She doesn't stop me, not even when I kiss her fingers without breaking our gazes.


“I am sorry, Khushi.”


A lot has been going in my head right now after hearing all that.

“I am sorry but I can’t be selfish..” I mutter. “I can’t put your life at risk by marrying you if that dream we both saw is ever going to turn true.. I know in all my sane mind I would never hurt you but I can’t take that chance…”


Now she turns cold.

“What.. what do you mean?” she whimpers.

“Means I am calling off our wedding..”


Her jaw drops but I don’t give her time to argue. Leaving her hand, I wear my Shirt again and  start the engine.


“Arnav.. You can’t do that..” she debates but I don’t say a word. I just drive us back on the road.. mentally making a note how I have to cancel the wedding without hurting our families.


To be Continued..

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