Part 39 Khushi's concern
Arnav again headed to AR. That was when he heard a phone ring. He looked here and there as he didn't have a phone. He saw a basic model phone in the car. He attended the call after checking it. It flashed Anjali's name.
"Chotte..."
"Di...?"
"Where are you Chotte?"
"Why Di?"
"Aman said you have not reached AR yet... where are you?"
"Di, are you stalking me?"
"Shut up Chotte. you don't know how worried WE are"
"WE? Who else other than you could worry for me, Di?" Arnav intentionally asked.
Anjali got stuck.
"Answer me first, where are you?"
"Delhi has changed a lot in the six months, Di. Just roaming around Delhi to see what changes the six months have made"
"Don't be childish Chotte..."
"Di, you are the one who is behaving Childish. I'm Arnav Singh Raizada... don't forget that"
"But you are not like before, Chotte... you got hit on your head"
"Mmm... I won't drive the car if I'm not feeling well... Ok?"
"Ok... come home soon"
"I just am going to AR. It will take time for me to come back home"
Anjali sighed.
"By the way, whose phone is this?"
"Nani's phone. She had forgotten it last evening it seems."
"Oh... I will bring it. See you, Di"
Arnav disconnected the call.
Within a few minutes, Aman called Arnav on Nani's phone. He attended it.
"Where are you ASR?"
Arnav rolled his eyes.
"On the way to AR"
"Anjali said you started from home one and a half hours ago. Why have not you reached AR yet?"
"Why are you guys overreacting?"
"I mean, is everything alright?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The car... tyre... everything..."
"Don't you have any other work in AR?"
"I never had free time with my Boss's presence then what about in his absence?"
"Then do the work instead of stalking me"
"Everything is going on"
"What?"
"The conference arrangements..."
"Oh..."
"We will make the conference your COMEBACK meeting if you are here"
"Yeah... I'm coming. Cut the call"
Disconnecting the call Arnav drove the car while thinking about the businessmen. What would have Aman answered them about his absence? It would not have been easy for Aman to deal with his company shareholders, dealers, and contractors. They would have kept on nagging Aman asking about his absence. Don't know what they were told. Don't know how many of them believed the story.
Parking the car, Arnav entered AR. All the staff stood in shock, seeing him in AR all of a sudden. Arnav strode to his cabin as always. Aman rushed behind him.
"Welcome back ASR"
Arnav nodded yes and sat on his seat.
"Take your seat," Arnav said.
Aman sat in front of him.
"How is everything going?" Arnav asked.
"Well... great"
"How did you handle our dealers and shareholders? Didn't they question you about me?"
"How won't they have...?"
"What did you tell them?"
"Truth"
"What truth?"
"That you were in a Coma"
"Didn't they react?"
"Anjali took over the responsibility of AR. She became an active CEO. That made our dealers relaxed"
"That was a good idea... when is the conference?"
"In half an hour"
"Mmmm"
"Do you like to have something?"
"No... by the way, tell me something about the Taj Mahal"
"Taj Mahal?" Aman frowned.
"Yeah... didn't you say, it's worth visiting? I will think of visiting it if your narration is worth listening"
Aman was tense as he didn't even like to concentrate on the Taj Mahal as he was concentrating on Lavanya and Arnav the other day.
"There is nothing to narrate ASR. I was concentrating on the girls with me and their safety. So, I can't watch it perfectly"
"I met someone on the way to AR," Arnav said observing Aman deeply.
"Who is that, ASR?"
"I don't know... he said, he met me at Taj Mahal last month"
Aman became horrified.
"whaaaat?"
Arnav nodded yes.
"What else did he say?"
Arnav looked at him penetratingly with a slight smile.
"He blabbered many things... bullshit... how can I be found at Taj Mahal when I was in a Coma?"
Aman gulped down hard.
"He must be mad..." Arnav smirked.
Aman was silent and Arnav was observing his flushed face silently.
"Why don't you say anything?"
"I...I have to go to make arrangements for the conference, ASR"
"Carry on... I will come"
Aman nodded ok and left the place. Arnav shrank his eyes thoughtfully. Why did Aman become nervous? What stopped him from confronting the truth to him? What was his condition during the six months? Was he seriously ill that they could not tell him about it?
Aman's mind was fully on what Arnav told him. Who told Arnav about his Taj Mahal visit? Who the man could be? Don't know what else he told Arnav...! Don't know what Arnav was thinking... but he didn't look confused. That means the man would not have told him anything more. Aman concentrated on the conference.
As Aman said, within half an hour, everyone started gathering at AR, including Raja Sharma and Reena Sharma. Neither they greeted each other nor did they speak. The conference started. Aman called Arnav through his cabin's landline. Arnav attended it.
"Haan Aman"
"ASR, everybody is here. I think you should give entry"
"Yeah... listen..."
"Tell me ASR"
"I need a phone with the same number"
"Ok..."
"I'm coming" Arnav disconnected the call and strode towards the conference hall.
People who gathered in the conference hall started gossiping, seeing Aman standing, looking at them without starting a meeting.
"Aman, what are you waiting for?" a senior businessman questioned.
"A few minutes, Sir," Aman said.
"Is anyone supposed to come?"
"Yes, sir..."
At the same time, the conference room's door opened and Arnav entered like a storm as always. People who were there stood up from their seats... a few with jolt... a few with surprising... a few with shock... and a few with excitement...
"Hello, gentlemen..." Arnav smiled.
"ASR, where were you?"
"What happened to you ASR?"
"Are you alright?"
"I hope you have no problem"
People arrowed a lot of questions. Arnav raised his hand and calmed them down.
"Please take your seats"
All of them sat back in their respective places.
"Nice to meet you all after a long gap. Yeah... I had been in a coma stage." He said reading people's expressions.
Everyone looked at him shockingly.
"Yeah... just two days ago I got my memory back. Thank you for the support that you were given in my absence. Thank you for making AR still"
"Welcome back, ASR" People started greeting him.
Arnav accepted it slightly shaking his head. The conference was completed after an hour. Arnav came out and people started enquiring about his health condition. After answering them Arnav walked back to his cabin. That was when Arnav heard,
"Are you sure, were you really in a coma, ASR?"
That made him turn his head in the direction. He saw Reena Sharma standing with a sly smile on her face. Arnav shrank his eyes.
"What's the big deal?" he said.
"Doesn't it a big deal if the CEO of AR was a..."
Before she completed the sentence, they heard,
"Stop it..."
Raja Sharma, Ex-husband of Reena Sharma marched towards her.
"What the hell are you going to tell him?" he asked in a very low tone.
"I just am going to tell him the truth" she didn't lower her tone.
"Not every truth can be said. Just shut up and leave. Or else, consequences will be worst" he warned.
Reena left the place after throwing an angry glare at Arnav.
"What was she supposed to say, Mr. Sharma?" Arnav asked.
"Leave her, ASR... don't you know her arrogance?"
"What her arrogance does with my past?"
"Nothing... don't take her words in your head, ASR. People talk rubbish. You are a young businessman who should be happy in your life. Just forget your past and be happy"
Arnav was looking at him keenly.
"Don't give ear to anyone... I hope you are alright now"
Arnav nodded yes gulping down. Arnav knew Sharma was his well-wisher but what was that Sharma didn't want him to know? What stored in his past that everyone was hiding from him? Was that so serious?
Aman also came there. Seeing Arnav's face, he sensed something wrong.
"Aman, I'm leaving..." Arnav said.
"ok, ASR"
Arnav nodded his head slightly at Sharma who nodded ok.
Arnav drove the car with a lot of thoughts. Something must be brutally wrong. Otherwise, these guys won't be so mean. He wanted to find the REAL state of the past SIX MONTHS. But how? He didn't know from where he should start... from whom...
RM
When he entered in, Khushi stood up from the couch slowly, looking at him contently. Arnav stood seeing her expression. He felt something in his heart.
*Why is she sitting here alone? Is she waiting for me? * thought Arnav in his mind.
The words of the Taj Mahal man echoed in his ears.
*Thin and fair with hip-length silky hair* he gulped down hard and walked in. he sat on the couch and leaned on it, closing his eyes.
"Are... you... alright, Arnavji?" Khushi asked with hesitation.
Arnav opened his eyes and looked at her, saying nothing. That KIND of gaze, made her stomach churn.
"Could you ask Hari Prakash to bring me something to drink?" he said studying her face.
In no time, she rushed to the kitchen. Preparing his favorite orange juice, she came to the living room. As she didn't find Arnav there, she headed to his room with the juice glass. She saw him sitting on the recliner, joining his fingers, looking down. She knocked on the door. He raised his head and looked at her. He was thinking that whether she would come to his room or not. Here, she was with his juice. He gave her permission to enter his room, nodding his head. She got in and extended the glass to him.
"I asked you to ask Hari Prakash to bring me something," he asked not taking the glass from her hand.
"Hari Prakashji went to the market. He will be late. That's why I brought it"
He took the glass from her hand. Khushi was about to go,
"Why are you doing these things, Khushi?"
Khushi looked at him not understanding what he was talking about.
"You are our guest... you are here to find a job..."
"I won't do it again if you don't like me doing these things..."
Arnav sensed sadness in her tone.
"No... I feel embarrassed..."
"Please don't be... I have no problem in doing this"
"Thanks..." he drank the juice looking at her.
"I think you have forgotten to take your morning medicine..."
Arnav was stunned. Yes, he didn't take medicine in the morning.
"How do you know?"
"You left home after having breakfast. You didn't have medicine"
Arnav nodded yes.
"Please, take care of yourself, Arnavji. Don't forget to take your medicines"
Arnav said nothing but gaze at her.
"Shall I give you medicine?" she looked here and there.
Arnav pointed at the table. She rushed to the table and took the medicine without even reading the prescription wondered him more. How did she know what tablet he should have? She gave the tablets to him and also a glass of water. Arnav gulped it down. He saw satisfaction on her face. She left his room with a smile. Arnav thought something... could the Taj Mahal man's word about his wife be true?
*I don't want mother because I have you. You are also doing the mother's work for me. I don't want mother but only YOU*
If the girl with him in the Taj Mahal was Khushi, there was a possibility for him to utter such a statement. Arnav thought.
To be continued...