ENCHANTED

Chapter 19

Arnav thought about the events that’s spiraling in his life. He knows that his girlfriend would have been hurt by his family’s treatment. They just don’t get it, instead of accepting her they wanted to change her. And now he have no other option but just to get on with it because of his sister. He knows that his sister meant well, she always does, but he knows that this is not right. Karishma’s family has took him under their wing without any demands. He can’t say that about his family’s treatment towards Karishma, can he?

He stopped his car in front of kushi’s home. He have to do this, only by then he can console his sister. The girl he don’t want to meet, the girl who always seem to bring trouble in his life, he have to ask her to come and work in his home. If he believed in Gods, he would have cursed them by now.

He knocked the door. After a while, kushi opened the door. He looked at her. She seems stunned to look at him at her door.

Kushi, Who is that? Payal asked.

Payal, kushi’s sister looked at him in astonishment.

This is getting out of hand now. Why are you here after insulting kushi? Payal fumed

Arnav’s eyes went from payal to kushi, it seems like that she has narrated the whole events already to her family.

He needed to do this.

I’m here to ask kushi to come to my home to work for my sister, he proclaimed.

My sister believes that you are the right person to do the job. So for my sister’s sake, come to our house and do the job.

He knows that her family would be against it judging by the reactions. Kushi just seems shocked to hear this. He knows how to convince her. And he offered money for her return to work and put a bundle of cash on the table, which only angered her family. When his aunt tried to interrupt him he put another bundle of cash on the top.
He saw kushi, she looked angry. He really don’t have time for this. Right now, his priority is to console his sister and to do that he have to get kushi into his home, so he does it the way he know, people always give much important to money.

You know you will come, Arnav proclaimed.

She won’t come, payal interjected

Say it to him kushi, that you won’t go and work in that home and that we are going to Lucknow, payal said to kushi.

Arnav waited for kushi’s reply but it didn’t came hence he went away.

He got home and couldn’t sleep that night. He doesn’t know if his sister has slept or not. Whenever he is in a dilemma, he will seek his girlfriend but today he couldn’t face her, not now. He silently cursed and lie down. He don’t know when he fall to sleep.

Karishma woke up early. She is not a morning person. But aunt has mentioned that today is Raksha Bandan hence Anjali would definitely come out to tie Rakhi to Arnav. After yesterday’s events, she doen’t know what to expect, she knows that Arnav would have done everything to get back kushi to work again.

She thought about the events aunt narrated about the woman, she doesn’t know what to make of it. Somehow, she has ended up in arnav’s bad side, and when she got to know that kushi is the one who blurted about her and arnav’s relationship to Granny, she felt a little bit of anger.

She remembers the conversation she has had with arnav. But that’s all in the past now. She rather focus on the present. She was a little bit disappointed when arnav did’t come to talk to her yesterday, but she berated herself for thinking like that. He would have been filled with worry about his sister, this is no time to find a reason to create more problems, we already have more than enough of that.

She found him in the Hall. She went and stood by his side. She hold his hand, his face is filled with worry and she has no idea what to say to him to ease his worry.

She have never seen him like this. She wants to say that everything will be alright but then she saw everyone’s faces. They all filled with worry too, it seems like Anjali has never came down for the pooja.

This is not like Anjali. She never misses, Raksha Bandan, Chote, Have you tried to call her? Is she in her room?, Granny asked

I’ve tried to call dadi, but the cell is in switch off

Helo hi bye bye,

Om prakash, Have you seen Anjali? Did she have breakfast in her room? Dadi asked

No dadi ji, I have not seen Anjali ji, I was busy in the kitchen, he replied
That seems to set everyone on edge including her. And all of them went searching for Anjali in the house.

Nobody seems to find her.

You know all of this is happening because of you chote, if you would have accepted kushi to work here,

Nani, I have already asked her to come home to work again, since I’ve got late last night, I thought di would have been asleep hence I didn’t inform her yesterday. Kushi will start off today, arnav cut off

That seems to lighten granny’s mood.

Just then, shyam told them that he will look for anjali in a nearby temple and everybody agreed on that. Uncle, Akash and Arnav came to a decision to go to other temples where anjali frequently visited.

The doorbell rang at that moment. Arnav smiled at that and went and opened the door. After a few seconds kushi entered the home. That only get worried looks from all of them.

Namaste dadi ji, kushi greeted

Namaste, granny greeted back with worry in her eyes.

Where is Anjali ji? Is she working in the kitchen?

That seem to worsen the already bad mood. Nani narrated the events.

Nani we will go and find di and get back, Arnav claimed.

Take kushi with you, Nani ordered

What?

Chote, it’s because of your behaviour, Anjali got upset. She need to see kushi that you have right your mistake, Nani  claimed

Karishma looked at the events, She couldn’t help but felt hurt, she has never received this kind of warmth from granny. But she can see that she holds kushi in high regard. She felt like running from this home.

Fine

She can hear Arnav’s angry voice. And then she felt his hand on hers pulling her towards him.

Arnav, Granny admonished

Ma, leave them. Let them search Anjali, We will go and search in other temples, Uncle claimed.

Her boyfriend is holding her hand and guiding her to the car, He never even spoke to her from last night yet now he is holding her hand like his life is depending on it.