The Way We Were

Chapter 27

#AN: As mentioned previously, this chapter is about the impact. The aftermath. I have taken the liberty to adjust multiple TV Series set across India, across locations and cultures and era to happen in the 90s. It's tweaked to support the plot, obviously. Bear with me.

For extra information, every location deals with one couple from a TV series which information is in italics beneath the subtitles. Well, here goes!

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(Indore: January 2001)

Zoya Farooqi and Asad Ahmed Khan, Qubool Hai

Asad Ahmed Khan was tapping his feet, going over all the possible outcomes of him accepting the call.

"Asad?"

"Yes, Mr Raizada?"

"Come on, it's me. Don't pull my leg."

"Don't pull your leg?"

"Okay, I understand your anger."

"No. You do not understand my anger Arnav Singh Raizada. Understanding my anger would mean calling when you were in trouble. Understanding my anger would mean telling me about who you are. Don't tell me about anger, Arnav."

"It's NK."

Asad knew that was a first. In all the years that Khan Textiles had been in business with AR Designs, in all the years that he had known Arnav, Asad had only heard irritation in his voice when Nand Kishore Rathore was brought up. "What about NK?"

"Have you seen the news?"

"I don't live under a rock." Asad was getting irritated now. What was Arnav worried about?

"I need someone reliable. Someone safe so I can shift NK around. He's been in a coma for four months, since he rescued a family member that was attacked last September."

"NK is in a coma? How are you? How's your family?" All thoughts of anger were replaced by concern.

"We're gearing up. Dadi making this move might have alerted our enemy. He will recede into his hole, but he saw NK. NK saw him. NK needs to disappear before our enemy attacks again, Asad."

"Where?"

On getting the details, Asad nodded. "Zoya will call you."

"Also, Asad. I'm... I'm getting married."

Asad opened his mouth a couple of times. He had heard the whispers of a child, of a college fling. But Arnav had told him he didn't have any intention of going through with that.

"It's Khushi."

"Shukran."

(Pune: January 2001)

Pragati Bani and Raghbir Malhotra, Bepanah Pyaar

"Pragati, you're getting a call!" Raghbir Malhotra yelled at the bathroom door.

"Get it, will you?" She called back.

"Who is Khushi?" He called again.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" His wife stepped out, wrapped in a bathrobe, clearly not done with her bathroom routine that morning.

"I could get used to this."

"Go use the loo. This will take time." His wife practically pushed him inside. "Yes Khushi? How are you?"

"Hi Bani, have you seen the news?"

"Something in particular? There's this crazy one, you know Khushi. You remember you mentioned you are cousins with Shivaay Oberoi?"