Destiny Tales

Chapter 12 : New Beginnings

As Kabir decides his next course of action, Khushi thinks and rethinks her decision. "Hey love, I will be back." Kabir tells Rheesa and grabs his car keys and rushes. Rheesa is too engrossed in her thoughts, waiting for the phone call that will decide her fate.

Kabir rings Khushi's bell and Khushi opens the door almost immediately. "Let's go!" he tells her. Khushi is too dumbfounded to say anything but something tells her that she should do as told.

As they step inside the elevator, the same one where they first met, they breathe in heavily. The silence is sweet, Khushi thinks. The silence is unnerving, Kabir thinks. Khushi has no idea what Kabir is upto, and Kabir rehearses the words in his mind.

As they walk towards his car, Kabir glances at Khushi and smiles. Khushi doesn't notice and just follows him without any questions. He opens the door and Khushi settles in the seat next to Kabir's. As he buckles her belt, Khushi is confused about the feeling in her heart.

Kabir drives silently till they reach a stretch of land amidst nowhere. It's close to sunset and Kabir parks his car amidst this lush greenery. With wild flowers strewn across and butterflies playing around, Khushi feels happy, and almost forgets her worries. Kabir leans on the bonet and Khushi follows suit. They stand side by side with their hands just a few inches apart. They will touch if one of them makes a slight movement. This hide and seek, which both of them are aware of, makes it all the more perfect.

"Khushi, you cannot say no to Destiny Tales," Kabir speaks up. He is blunt and to the point. He had thought if he should tiptoe around the subject, but decides against it. Khushi is taken aback. How did he know? She looks at him but Kabir doesn't return that look. He looks straight. A wild flower is swaying with the wind, and a butterfly is trying to fight the wind so that it can perch on it. Kabir looks at that beautiful play of nature. Almost like his own life, he reckons.

"Why Kabir?" Khushi thinks of a thousand things to say but comes up with this finally. "Because it is your career and nothing should stop you from being successful," comes the reply. What was Khushi thinking? Was she expecting Kabir to say something else? She is disappointed. She leaves Kabir behind and starts walking towards that wild flower that Kabir was observing so intently. After giving it a lot of thought, he too follows her.

She finally turns back, facing Kabir. It startles him almost. She looks into his eyes and asks, "Why Kabir?" She is hoping for him to answer honestly, this time. Kabir looks down and then looks up. "Because I don't want you to," he finally says the truth. Khushi smiles and moves a little closer. There's barely any space between them. Kabir doesn't move back. He wants them to be closer than ever. Is this what love is, he wonders? Or is it some emotion that he has never felt before.

Khushi looks into his eyes and says, "It will be complicated, you know that right?" Kabir realises what she is trying to say. She is not talking about their work alone, she is also talking about their relationship. He smiles and holds her hands. "It's okay, we will work it out," he says.

Khushi doesn't let go of his hands. She feels safe. His hands holding hers make her feel protected. They know that they can't be here any longer, and walk back to the car.

As Kabir drives back home, this time with a smile, Khushi says, "It's so nice of Rheesa to tell you about this. She seems like a nice girl." Kabir is too shocked to react. How did Rheesa know? Khushi, in her excitement, narrates the entire incident of how Rheesa came to meet her and how Khushi discussed her predicament with her.

Kabir's smile almost disappears. His brows twist in a knot. What is Rheesa upto, he thinks. It all makes sense now. How she was so sure that she is going to get this role. He takes a pause and says, "Khushi, never talk to Rheesa again." Khushi is too taken aback to react. Her expressions shout out the word "Why" loud. Kabir looks at her and says, "Trust me!"