Part 3 Neither Passive nor Aggressive
Khushi was horrified to see Arnav standing in front of her. How did he reach the place before she reached there? She gulped down hard. She didn't know what he was going to do. Would he beat her for snatching his bag? She nervously looked at her surroundings.
He came towards her. Khushi stood hugging his bag, palming her cheeks, in the process of saving them from Arnav's slap. He stood in front of her looking at her sharply.
"How did you come here so fast than me?" she asked stammering.
He didn't answer.
"You should have come through the shortcut, taking a lift... right?"
No answer, but she was half right and half wrong. He came there through the shortcut but did not get a lift.
"How do you know my house? (she stopped and hit her forehead) Haan... everybody knows the SP bungalow..." she sighed.
He extended his hand, asking for her bag, with no expression on his face as usual.
"Should I give it to you? Don't I have any other choice?" she asked raising her brows.
He stood with a sharp gaze, extending his hand. She gave his bag with no choice. He took the bag from her hand and turned to leave. That wondered Khushi. Neither did he hit her nor did he scold her.
"Hey, don't you beat me for snatching your bag?" she asked could not help.
He looked at her frowning. She gestured like slapping her own cheek, flipping her lip.
Arnav saw a bus coming. It was his route bus. He boarded the running bus. He didn't even look at her. Khushi was looking at the bus blankly with a lot of questions.
What kind of guy he was? Students called him Cold Blood Monster...! She snatched his bag. He reached the place before she reached her house but neither had he scolded her nor did he get angry with her. How could he always maintain the same expression on his face? Of course, he was not passive. At the same time, it didn't seem he was an aggressive guy... definitely not a cold-blood monster. She thought.
She walked to the SP Bungalow. She saw their things from Chennai arrived. Servants were opening the cardboard boxes and removing the things from them to arrange them. She saw someone removing a photo from a particular box. Her eyes tear up immediately and she ran to him. She snatched the photo from him and hugged it spilling tears. It was her grandmother's photo.
Shashi, who entered the house, saw that and closed his eyes. He came home urgently only to hide the photo before Khushi saw that but he was late. He came to her. Khushi looked at him raising her head. Seeing Shashi, she threw herself at him. Shashi tapped her shoulder sadly.
"Khushi, relax... it would be best if you accepted the truth that she is no more. No matter who isn't with us, life will go on. You are a clever girl. Try to understand the reality, beta. Adopt the reality"
Khushi broke the hug and wiped her cheek. Shashi took the photo from her hand and kept it in the same box.
"Keep the box in the storeroom..." he ordered the servants.
"Yes, sir"
Two of them lifted the box. Shashi gestured for them to keep it beyond Khushi's reach. They nodded ok and took it to the store room. They kept it in the loft.
"Go beta, get fresh. We will have tea"
Khushi went to her room.
Shashi felt bad for his daughter. The place his mother occupied in his daughter's life was unimaginable. She was the most indispensable and longest chapter in Khushi's life book. That was why she could not forget her grandmother. In addition, she died of a sudden heart attack...! It was her first attack. Khushi was lying on her lap. She fed Khushi lunch talking about something and laughing. Suddenly, Khushi felt her not moving. She saw her leaning on the wall without a movement. Khushi tapped her cheek nervously. She slid on the floor lifelessly. Khushi was looking at her with indefinable shock. She could not understand anything for a while. She could not believe her grandmother died. How could she believe the woman who fed her food a few seconds ago was no more? She was staring at her grandmother blankly. She felt choking but she could not cry...! She went into depression. That was why she could not concentrate on her studies. She became irregular in college. She passed the first year exam with JUST PASS MARKS.
Shashi's part in bringing Khushi out of the grief was noticeable. He brought Khushi's friends to the home and made them stay with her. He kept her environment chirpy and never let her be alone. He let her do what she wanted. He let her go where she wanted but he had an eye on her until she became normal. But still, she would become stressed if she remembered her Grandmother.
..............
Khushi washed her face thinking about her grandmother. She was a sweet person. She loved every life on the earth. So caring and concerned. Soft-spoken, never got angry with anyone.
But...
She hated her HUSBAND...! She lived getting separated from him. She didn't even like to talk about him. Khushi saw anger on her face only when she remembered her husband. Khushi could not understand how the lovable woman, who loved all the lives on the earth, hated her husband.
Khushi questioned her about it many times. Her answer was,
"I hated him because I love all the lives. He is heartless. He bothered about animals, more than human feelings"
Her grandmother had a mysterious side too. She always worshiped God for an UNKNOWN PERSON for some reason. Khushi saw her grandmother checking her old diary sometimes. She thought of reading it many times, but as it was uncultured to do so, she abandoned the idea.
The next day
Khushi came to the college. She saw Arnav writing something. She sat next to him and peeped in his notebook. He was referring to mathematical foundations. Now, she got the courage to talk to him as he didn't hit her for snatching his bag.
"What is this about?" she asked pointing a particular line.
He continued his work not answering.
"You won't give me your notes nor will teach me the subject. Then how will I pass the examinations? Exams are nearing, Dude. Be responsible..." she said keeping her knuckle in her cheek pouting.
"Why would I teach you? Am I your professor or what?" he questioned her for the first time.
"Wow... the PEARLS are spilled..." entwining her fingers, she said excitedly.
Arnav stared at her.
"Should not a student teach? What kind of LAW it is? If you are not interested in teaching me as a student then teach me as a friend" She smiled. Her smile was so chillier than the Ooty climate.
"You are not my friend," he said rigidly.
"But, you are indeed my friend"
Arnav sighed and continued his work. Taking a note and pen, she copied what he wrote. Khushi tried to understand while writing it and she did. His points were so easy to understand. She thought it was worth putting effort into getting his notes. Arnav closed his book completing it. As he didn't expect, she pulled his head clutching his hair strands.
"What the..."
"I'm checking if your brain is overflowing..."
He frowned.
"You should have an over-weighted brain to understand such a critical subject, dude" she laughed.
Students looked at her laughing form and wondered, seeing her laughing at CBM even though he looked rigid. Swetha looked at Vedika who was fuming to see her laughter.
NK came to Khushi.
"Khushi, you laugh so cutely," he said.
"See, what I did" she showed the notes.
"What?"
"I copied my buddy's notes"
NK frowned at seeing the notes as he could not understand them.
"What's this about?"
"Who knows?" she again laughed even though she knew it was a mathematical foundations.
She raised her hand for a hi-fi. NK tapped her palm even though he didn't know why she shared it.
"Dude wrote it, I copied it"
"Without understanding it, what will you do with it?" NK asked.
"I will give these notes to our juniors next year, unlike others ( she pointed at Arnav) And, they will think, I'm a genius" she nagged Arnav with her elbow. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth.
"Khushi, he is getting angry... let's go," NK said cautiously.
"Dude won't get angry with me, right?" she again nagged him.
Arnav left the place.
"Didn't I say?" She smiled.
"You have guts you know?"
"Is it?" she laughed.
"Do you think he will give you his notes?"
"I don't know... but, I don't know why I just can't give up trying" she smiled.
"Be careful, Khushi. He may turn danger anytime"
"Did he do that ever before? Did he hit anyone?"
NK nodded no.
"Then why are you thinking that he is dangerous?"
"Have you ever looked at his eyes? His LOOK is enough to think so... very dangerous eyes..."
"Is it?" Khushi became thoughtful.
The bell rang. NK went to his place and Arnav came back to the class when the professor entered. He sat at his place and listened to the class.
"Ssss...sss..." Khushi made a sound.
Arnav looked at her from the corner of his eyes. She raised her hand and showed her palm. Arnav looked at her palm straight and frowned. Khushi read his eyes.
"NK is wrong"
She looked at the professor. Arnav shrank his eyes and listened to the class. She leaned towards him in the sideway and said,
"He said your eyes are so dangerous and you look dangerously..."
Arnav looked at her. We could not say his eyes looked the same now also. That was when a peon came there and asked the professor something. Khushi looked at Arnav.
"I don't see anything danger in your eyes... those are so beautiful...!" She smiled, making him stunned.
To be continued...