MINE

Part 10 - Sleepless Night

ARNAV

I drove back to her house after dinner and all the while I kept on stealing glances at her, this girl seated beside me had no idea how crazy she was driving me.

Before I met her my life was just moving, now everything had changed, when I first saw her I developed a stupid crush and now that I was getting to her, whatever I felt for her was kind of getting stronger and stronger.

But the stronger it got the more it hurt to know that she already had a boyfriend, a part of me wanted to do a lot of crazy things for her which weren't right so I tried to keep myself in control.

I parked the car outside her mansion and rushed to open the door for her, she stepped out smiling, only if I could tell her how crazy her smile drove me.

"I really had a great time Arnav, thank you for the dinner." She smiled at me.

"You're welcome." I smiled back, I kept on staring at her and she kept on staring behind me as if someone was standing right behind me, I turned around but there was no one.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know, just that feeling that someone's watching me, I felt like I saw someone behind the bush there." She pointed towards the far end corner, before she could say anything anymore, I ran towards it, if there was someone stalking her, I was going to get hold of that person today.

As I approached the bush, I saw someone in a black hood run away, I tried to run up to him but he disappeared in a matter of seconds and I was left wondering who it could have been and why he was stalking Khushi.

"I am sorry I couldn't get hold of him, but I promise I'll find out who it is very soon." I said as I walked back to Khushi, she looked really worried and I hated that, all I wanted was to see her smiling and be happy.

"So my feelings were right, there's someone?" She asked nervously.

"Yeah, I saw someone run away but I couldn't get hold of him." I wish I had ran a little faster, whoever this person was, he was going to pay for this stupidity.

I looked back at her and she seemed really scared and worried, I wondered how I could make her feel better, I moved closer to her, held her hand and pressed it between mine, she turned her gaze to me and looked at me in surprise.

"You don't have to worry even a bit, I'll make sure you are safe and I promise whoever this person is will not harm you, so go inside and sleep peacefully, you don't have to worry at all okay? Just trust me." I said.

She nodded positively as she turned around and walked towards the mansion, she stopped at the door while I waited for her to get inside so that I would drive away.

"Arnav." She called out my name, I looked up at her feeling stupid butterflies in my stomach, even when she mentioned my name I felt things like this, what was I going to do?

"Yeah?"

"We just started working together, we aren't even friends and all this shouldn't be your problem but thank you for understanding me and trying to help me, I really appreciate it." She smiled at me, we might not be friends but I just had this urge inside me that I wanted to do everything I could to keep this girl happy and safe so that's what I was doing.

"Go inside and sleep Khushi." I said to her she nodded and headed inside, once she got in, I got into my car and drove off, I had to do something about this person, he could be dangerous and he might even harm her or something.

Once I arrived home, I headed straight to my room, I freshened up and got into bed but I couldn't get much sleep, all I could think of was how I was going to get hold of whoever that stalker was.

I don't remember ever having any sleepless nights but thanks to Khushi, today I had one, what was this girl doing to me?

*****

By morning, I had come up with various ideas in my mind about how I was going to find the stalker, the first one being, checking the footage of cctv cameras outside Khushi's mansion that I noticed last night before I left, this was going to be a good excuse of seeing her too.

I got into my car and drove to her house, halfway towards her house, I got stuck in traffic, I turned on the radio to listen to some music.

There was some tune playing it was kind of beautiful so it caught my attention, and then suddenly the lyrics came up and damn, how I related to it.

Jis raah pe, hai ghar tera, aksar wahan se haan me hoon guzra,
Shayad yahi dil me raha, tu mujhko miljaye kya pata...
Kya hai yeh silsila... janu na me janu...
Dil... sambhal ja zara... phir mohabbat karne chala hai tu...
Dil yehi rukja zara... phir mohabbat karne chala hai tu...

I was left with my eyes wide open, it was funny how this song related so much to me, I remember passing by her house hoping I'd get a glimpse of her, did all this mean that I was actually falling for her?

Damn, this song had my mind messed up now, I turned off the radio and looked on the road, I dint want to feel this way about a girl that already had a boyfriend, why couldn't my silly heart understand it?

I parked the car outside and walked towards the door, I dint even know if I was doing the right thing by coming here early in the morning but all I could think was about her and I wanted to make everything okay as soon as I could

I inhaled a deep breath then rang the doorbell, a few seconds later, a girl opened the door, she was the same girl I had seen with Khushi that night at the club.

She looked at me from top to bottom with her eyes wide open, well I sort of had that kind of effect on some girls apart from Khushi who dint seem bothered about me much.

"Is Khushi in?" I asked, the girl just kept on staring at me silently without saying a word, while I waited out there hoping she'd say something.

"Hello." I waved, she blinked and nodded, she moved aside as I walked in.

"She is still asleep, I'll go wake her up, who should I tell her is here to see her?" She asked not taking her eyes off me yet.

"Arnav." I smiled, she nodded and then walked away as I looked around the mansion, it wasn't as huge as mine but it was beautiful, it was simple but beautiful.

Khushi's voice distracted my thoughts, I looked at her as she walked towards me alongside her friend, she was dressed in pajamas, her hair tied up in a messy bun and no makeup at all, yet she looked extremely beautiful.

"Hey." She said as she settled down beside me.

"Hey, I'm sorry I dint know you would be asleep, actually I just couldn't sleep thinking about all this so I was just trying to figure ways out. Last night when I dropped you back I saw a camera outside, is it working?" I asked.

She looked at me in surprise but then nodded as a smile curved up on her face.

"Is there a way I can watch the footage? I think it might help, it might have captured an image or anything about that person." I said.

"I'll talk to the person in charge, you can have tea or coffee meanwhile? I need to take a shower, I'll join you in a while, till then my friend Ananya will give you company." Khushi said as she looked at her friend, she nodded and settled down beside me.

Khushi headed back to her room while I sat there silently, Ananya kept on staring at me until a guy walked to me holding a laptop, he settled down and looked at me.

"Here are all the footages I have, Khushi ma'am told me to give them to you." He said as he handed me the laptop and showed me where the footages were saved.

"Thank you." I smiled at him, he nodded and walked away, gladly Ananya too stood up to leave, it was kind of becoming awkward anyway.

"I'll go get you something to drink, tea or coffee?" She asked.

"Tea with milk and one spoon sugar." I said, she nodded and walked away as I started checking the footages one by one hoping to find a clue but I also kept on looking towards Khushi's room every now and then hoping she would come out, I could never get enough of seeing her. And suddenly the song I heard it the car, started playing in my mind on repeat mode. Arghh!