Arshi FF: Family

Chapter 16

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Salkara Restaurant, New Delhi

10.00 pm

Ishaan grinned at the clean empty plate. He was now having the Belguim chocolate and Khushi couldn't help but smile at the boy who looks like a small kid who got to eat chocolate on excess.

"It's very tasty" he said and kept the glass on the table. Khushi smiled and nodded.

He wiped his mouth with tissue paper and Khushi placed some notes in the bill book.

"Let's go" she said standing up. He stood up and followed her outside.

Khushi walked forward to the car parking and asked the boy, "Do you have a pic of your mother?"

Ishaan looked at her surprised. "Yes" he said.

"Can I see?"

Ishaan pulled out his wallet and forwarded it to Khushi.

She smiled faintly at the image of Ishaan hugging a pale lean woman.

"When was this taken?"

"When I passed my tenth" he mumbled.

Khushi nodded and returned the wallet to him. He dug it into his pocket and stood looking at her, his hands tied at the back.

"Get in. I'll drop you" she said.

"Nah I'll go" he said.

"I said get in" Khushi said and got into the driver seat.

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"You clearly don't expect a warm welcome to the family do you?" she asked as she drove through the busy roads of Delhi.

"I don't expect a welcome at all!" he said smiling faintly.

"What do you see in your future?" she asked slowly.

"Passing out BTech and opening my own garage. I'll work there!" he said happily.

"But that's not a great income generating job!"

"I'll be happy" he said smiling.

Khushi kept mum for a minute and then asked, "Do you know that Aarav is not really my son?"

Ishaan looked at her shocked and she said, "He is adopted"

She looked at him sitting shocked and said, "I cannot conceive. I can never give birth!"

Ishaan looked out of the window gulping his throat and she said, "What do you expect me to do Ishaan? I don't want to be hard on you. I like you. You're a good boy but you're a constant reminder of my inability!"

Ishaan looked at her, his eyes welling and she said, "You'll remind me forever that I could not give birth to Arnav ji's child. And when I was crying over my inability, another woman was raising his son! You're the harshest joke but the reality of my life! A virtual slap on my face!"

"So you want me to go away" he said nodding.

"No. I'm going away" she mumbled.

He looked at her in shock and cried, "No you can't do that!"

"Why can't I?"

"He won't survive!" he cried, "He wouldn't have hidden all this if he didn't love you! He cannot imagine a life without you!"

"Well now he has to!" she said chuckling dryly, "he can't expect me to stay with him after knowing that he has a son with another woman!"

"I think you should read this" Ishaan mumbled and pulled out a paper. He forwarded it to Khushi who took it with her one hand and the other hand over the steering wheel.

"What's this?" she asked frowning.

"Ma wrote this. For me" he said slowly.

"Why are you giving this to me?" she whispered.

"You should read this" he mumbled.

Khushi stopped the car before the college hostel and he got out of the car. Leaning to the window he said, "Please don't leave him. If I'm the problem, I'll go away I'll never ever come back!"

"You're not the problem Ishaan" Khushi whispered, "It's him! I cannot be with him anymore!"

"He did it uninte...." He was cut off by Khushi, "Whatever it is Ishaan, it changes everything forever....forever" she whispered in tears and drove away.

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Skyline Apartments, New Delhi

8.30 am

Khushi dashed into the kitchen in haste. It was 8.30 and it was the first time she was waking up so late. She entered the kitchen to see Aarav preparing breakfast.

"Good morning mamma" he said smiling. He flipped the paratha and Khushi gaped at him cooking.

"Hey I know how to cook" he cried.

"Did Shreya make you cook?" she asked jokingly.

"Nah, I learnt it from bua!" Aarav said laughing.

Khushi walked to her and hugged him lightly. Cupping his cheek she asked, "How are you?"

"How are you mamma?" Aarav asked softly.

"I'm good" she lied.

"Yeah right" Aarav scoffed. Khushi waved her hands and walked to the coffee maker. "This flat is fully furnished!"

"Yeah I told you. Her parents come over!" he said.

She nodded and made coffee.

Aarav cleared his throat and said, "I want to say something"

She hummed.

"I got an email. I got this a week ago but I didn't think over it!" he said slowly.

She turned to him and frowned, "What email?"

"A job offer" he mumbled, "The hospital where I work...umm....a few months ago a senior oncologist from US had visited. We had a complicated case and he was called. We worked together and then he went back. He has invited me to work with them in their hospital"

"That's great Aarav" Khushi said smiling.

Aarav smiled faintly and said, "I didn't give it a thought...until yesterday" he mumbled, "I was thinking...why don't we...go away for a while?"

"You want me to come?" she asked.

"I don't want to leave you alone" he whispered, "I'll take you to US mamma"

Khushi sipped her coffee and turned. She looked down and he said, "Your wish mamma. But I don' want...to be here....anymore!"

She hummed and he said, "I...I feel like my whole life has been a lie! The person I adored very much has reminded me, after long years, that I'm not his blood son! It's like...I don't have anyone!"

"You have me!" she whispered.

"Yes but...." Aarav sighed and ruffled his hair in frustration, "Lets go away mamma. Away from this place!"

She sighed and nodded. "US" she whispered.

"Texas" he said and she nodded, "Fine"

She turned to him and asked, "When?"

"I replied to his mail yesterday. He asked me to join within a week!" he said.

She hummed and said, "Okay"