Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh

Chapter 32: Another Day

As the morning dawned, Aarav rose from his bed, replaying the events of the previous night in his mind. Did he really share a celebratory dinner with his daughter at the restaurant after his achievement? Shrugging off the lingering feeling of it being a dream, he got ready for the day.

Not finding Khushi at the breakfast table, Aarav assumed she was still asleep due to the school holidays. Lost in the memories of the previous night, he joined the breakfast table. Manvi, emerging from the guest room, noticed a calmness on Aarav's face. She pulled a chair for herself settling down on it and Jenny served her breakfast. 

"Kal sach mein Khushi aapke event pe aayi thi Aaravji! Usne aapko trophy lete hue dekha bhi aur phir aap dono ne dinner bhi kiya," Manvi remarked, sensing the peaceful aura around him.

Aarav smiled, acknowledging her statement, "Haan, jaanta hun main yeh baat."

Curious about his thoughts, Manvi questioned, "Toh phir kya soch rahe hai aap?"

Aarav, dismissing the importance of sharing his thoughts, replied, "Wo main... tumhe kyun batau main?"

"Khushi ki dost ban sakti hun toh aapki bhi ban hi sakti hun aur itne samay se hum ek dusre ko jante hai anjaan toh hai nahi," Manvi expressed, trying to bridge the gap.

Aarav continued eating, ignoring her. He got up and picked up his phone. He walked a bit and turned towards her "suno.."

"Ji..." she responded with hope.

Aarav admitted, "Main sach mein bahut sharminda hun apne bartaav ke liye," apologizing for his earlier behavior.

"Toh aap maafi maang rahe hai mujhse?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Nahi," he denied.

"S-O-R-R-Y," she spelled out, emphasizing the correct spelling. 

"What?" He asked

"Spelling.. Jo shayad aapko aati nahi hai" she replied

Giving her a stern look, he retorted, "Dekho tumse thik se baat kar raha hun toh sar pe mat chado mere..." annoyed, he left the room.

Manvi chuckled to herself, "Khadoos... Mr. Malhotra." 

She then playfully scolded herself for challenging the ruthless Aarav Malhotra. "Manvi kya ho raha hai tujhe? The Ruthless Aarav Malhotra se panga le rahi hai tu.. barbaad kar dega tujhe" 

Khushi, entering the room, joined Manvi. Laughing, she said, "Aapke paas aisa kuch hai nahi jisse Mr. Malhotra barbaad kar sake... So chill."

Manvi and Khushi engaged in a heartfelt conversation as Manvi probed, "Mera chodo, apna batao."

Khushi, with a sense of uncertainty, replied, "Kya batau?"

"Kal ke baare mein," Manvi added meaningfully, seeking details about the previous day.

Khushi, hesitating at first, opened up and shared everything that had happened.  

"Maine toh pehle hi kaha tha tumse... Toh aur samay bitaogi unke saath?" Manvi said showing curiosity in her voice.

"Bitana toh chahti hun par darti hun kahi phirse wo mujhe hurt na kare," Khushi admitted, revealing her apprehensions.

Manvi, offering support, held Khushi's hand and reassured her, "Pita hai tumhare Khushi, aur koi pita apni beti ka bura kabhi nahi chahega. Tum unse door bhaagti rahi ho itne saal kyuki tumhare darr hai, jaise unhone tumhari mumma ko hurt kia, tumhe bhi karenge hai na?" she questioned, delving into the underlying fears.

Khushi nodded in agreement. "Lekin yeh bhi toh ho sakta hai ki tumhare papa sirf tumhe pyaar de... Tum kaho Mr. Malhotra aap meeting cancel karke mere saath chaliye, wo chale. Main yeh chahti hun, wo chahte hai. Agar tum apna haq jatoagi toh hi toh tumhare papa tumhe pyaar de payenge Khushi," Manvi suggested with empathy, placing her hand on Khushi's cheeks.