PHIR SE

Remind and recognise

Remind and recognise

"Trust me"

"Enough..."

"Take your nasty self..."

All dialogues expressed by Arnav seemed so familiar and confusing to Khushi that she went out for a stroll in the temple gardens to figure out everything.

"Why do I feel as if I have already heard these dialogues before? Somebody clearly used to say these in my childhood but who? Who was that?"

Her mind flooded with faceless memories of two teenagers playing around the Haveli.

"Dev! Yes, Dev used to say such stuff. How can I forget his outbursts when he got angry, his 'What the', his soft consoling words when I used to cry? The only thing I can't remember is his face! Dev had vanished in thin air overnight after what happened with his family.

Can this Raizada be Dev?

No! Dev's surname was Kashyap and I don't think he would have gone to London. Even if he would have, why would he come back here?

There is only one way to clear these doubts... I need to find Dev's stuff, but where? Maybe in my old toy cupboard?"

She rushed to the Haveli with a new found mission. On reaching her room she saw all her stuff was being taken away by the servants to another room.

"O Bhaiya ji, where are you taking my stuff?" She addressed the servants with a questioning expression.

"Didi ji, Malkin has ordered us to keep all your luggage in the guest room,"the servant meekly replied.

"What?" Khushi looked astounded. Am I being sent away before marriage itself?

"Hello hi bye bye! Yes, Khushi bitiya, from now on you shall stay in the guest room."Manorama said in a sing song manner.

"But why Mami ji?"

"Because Raizada ji wanted your room. He said it was the most beautiful one in this house. Now he has done such a big favour on us ...We couldn't deny him ..."

Just then Arnav arrived at the scene. "Any problem, Miss Upadhyay? If you say, I will take another room. "

"No, Mr. Raizada. I am comfortable I hope you too are." saying this courteously, Khushi went towards the store room where all her old stuff was kept.

She found her old toy cupboard and started finding her old photo albums. In none of the albums could she find even one glimpse of Dev or his family. But how could that be? According to her memory, she had dozens of his photos!

Meanwhile, Arnav was sitting in his room which was previously Khushi's, looking at a faded old photo of a quite charming boy in his school uniform smiling while a cute two pony tail haired girl in a checked skirt made a funny face making horns with her hands behind his head. He sighed and crumpled the photo with his own hands.

*************************

A crumpled paper ball bounced into the classroom on a boy's head. He turned around and saw a short girl with her small pink bag hiding near the door silently making actions to him. The boy nudged his partner who was paying full attention to what the teacher was explaining. "Dev, Dev, your girlfriend is here,"he whispered.

"Huh?"

"Arre! Two-pony-tails is here, look at the door!"

Dev slightly raised his head to see Khushi standing near the door making actions to explain what she was trying to say. He slightly smiled and made an action to say, "You wait I shall come as soon as the class ends."

The boys sitting near him laughed in a low voice.

"Silence in the class." the teacher yelled at the class and again started solving sums on the board. This was an everyday routine. This little best friend of Dev would reach the doorstep of his class as soon as her classes for the day were over. Everyday his friends would tease him by calling Khushi his girlfriend. He used to get irritated at first but he doesn't mind it now. Today was the last day of his classes. Then he would have his board exams and then holidays! Finally, the bell rang.
"All the best for your exams, students. may you all pass with flying colours!"The teacher smiled.

"Thank you ma'am," the class chanted as the teacher left.

"I will miss these school days a lot" each and every classmate sighed to each other.

"But I will miss you even more," said Sheetal approaching Dev in a seducing manner to which he rolled his eyes.

Before Dev could reply, a small voice said arrogantly. "But my Dev shall never even think of you, dear Sheetal didi. In fact ten - twenty years later when everybody shall be looking at their old school albums, I dont think anyone would say O how much I miss Sheetal! "

The class laughed at Sheetal. Khushi might be just twelve but when it comes to her Dev, she becomes over possessive like if she were his 21 year old girlfriend.

"You little b**** , how many times have I told you not come in front of me with your pimple face, two ponies and one more addition specs ...Eeyu!!"

"Sheetal! How dare you talk to my Khushi like that!"

Khushi didn't have pimples, but Sheetal loved trying to give her complex, not that Khushi cared.

"My Khushi? My Dev?
What is going on here? You know what you both are such liars, you tell the world you are friends but ..."

"Don't! Khushi go, I will meet you later." Dev sent Khushi out of the classroom. "Don't you dare to taint the sanctity in my and Khushi's friendship!
I am warning you sheetal, if you try to say all that crap to MY KHUSHI again you shall find both your hands and legs broken stuffed inside your make up box and please!" Dev left the classroom in ASR style while all the class guys cheered his name!

After 2 months,

"You Sanakadevi, you can never improve! See you have just passed in maths" Dev said while pulling Khushi's plaits.

"You! You Lard Governer leave my plaits ...Aaah! And for your kindest information 88 is not just pass."

"For me it is ...How can you get so low in maths!"

"Simple, I don't like it! I would sit and read some novels, better!"

"Ya right novels-that is the issue! You don't want to study! Just sit and read stupid fiction!"

"Ay! Don't call my books stupid they might be fiction but for me they are real!"

They both looked at each other spitefully. Dev was upset with Khushi because while he had scored a top 95 % in his boards Khushi had just managed a petty 85% making him go mad over her.

"Stop fighting both of you,today is the Maha Puja! Go help with the arrangements" Dev's mother pulls their ears.

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Arnav woke up with sweat beads on his forehead. The mention of mahapuja by his mother in his dreams reminded him of all past tragedies.

"Our friendship was already tainted Khushi, thanks to you and for that I shall never ever forgive you!"