Chapter 4 - The Bridge That Holds Us

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And there’s no remedy for memory, your face is like a melody, it won’t leave my head – DarkParadise, Lana Del Rey

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"Did you know Shyam Jha is an alcoholic?" Aman randomly questioned to which Arnav raised an eyebrow.

"No but I don't see how that's relevant," he replied blandly, his focus solely towards screwing a gadget at hand.

"But Arnav in lowe is," NK winked nudging Aman as they both burst out laughing on seeing his murderous growl.

"Seriously? Give it a rest NK! What are we teenagers?" He exclaimed, dropping what he was holding in his hands and abruptly walked off. What was wrong with NK? What was wrong with him? Was he in love? With a stranger? But he couldn't be! The word love did not exist in his life, there was no such emotion. Maybe this Khushi girl, maybe it was her eyes, the startling similarity they had to the girl of his past but that didn't explain what made him become so drawn to her.

"Hey dude! Don't take it personally I was just joking. Plus you know you do have the right to fall in love," NK smiled reassuringly placing his hand on Arnavs shoulder. Maybe he shouldn't have joked about something which seemed to effect Arnav so drastically, maybe he was thinking about something else. Arnav didn't enjoy having his leg pulled.

"So when are you going to Lucknow?" Aman questioned then, walking over and joining the two.

"Lucknow?" NK questioned suddenly, having being completely taken aback by that question, "you're going to Lucknow?"

Arnav nodded back, his eyes still distant as he took his gun out, checking it's bullets as he began his reply, something he did out of habit more than anything else, "yeh it's my parents death anniversary," he replied solemnly then walked off again.

"Oh shit, I shouldn't have made that joke," NK mumbled to himself.

"Don't worry about it man, I'm sure Arnav didn't take it the wrong way," Aman reassured him knowing fully well that his death anniversary was not the issue here. No it was a girl called Khushi Kumari Gupta, who had been one of the invitees to the event held by Shyam Jha. Aman watched as Arnav walked out of the room, his shoulders slack, his mind in a distant place. Aman would be damned if he didn't get to the bottom of this, there was something off about Arnav and he would get to the bottom of it.

"I wonder if she'll turn up," Aman looked up suddenly to see NKs wondering eyes.

"Who?"

"You know her, that Angelica thing," NK replied making a face.

"Shut up!" Aman quickly interrupted smacking NK on the head, "you know what happens to him when we mention her name!"

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Khushi carried her suitcase down familiar streets and lanes, her eye catching onto every little detail as she balanced the bag by bending her hips to the side. When amma had suggested that she go to Lucknow she had agreed. She needed to get away, from Delhi, from Payal's world, from him, whoever he was. There was a man on the side of the street making tea, sweet shops; her personal favourite jalebis. The fragrance of it assaulting her suddenly and and she felt her mouth water but stifled down the urge to go grab some. She was already later and she didn't want to worry her buaji even further. She felt her feet slow down almost of their own accord, the distances, the pathways all too clear too familiar on her mind and her heart almost stopped as the grim building loomed in front of her, her mind whirring back to times that she tried so desperately to escape.

A little girl being chased by a very angry little boy.

"You know I can't eat them! Is it necessary to stuff them in my face!"

He grabbed her then but she struggled out of his grasp then fled away giggling and making a face. She went behind a tree and hid as his face fell and giving up he started walking away. Another pretty girl, slightly older walked out then.

"Chotey? What's wrong?" She questioned, sending an arm around his shoulder as he stared at the floor glumly. He looked up through the frown and then at her. Her eyes rounded on being caught, but he knew her too well like that anyway.

"Chutki shoved jalebis in my face despite knowing I can't eat them!" He complained.

The other girl made an innocent face, not new to her brothers little temper. "Chotey just calm down hunni. I'm sure chutki was just pulling your leg," she reassured him then led him away.

Khushi walked in to the court yard then, her fingers on the peeling paint of the gate as she pushed with all her strength. It creaked open ever so slightly, only leaving her enough room to slither in. She let her hands roam over the edges of the old gate. Each touch bringing with it memories that she could never escape from, a childhood that had been destroyed so disgustingly, reminding her of people she would never meet again.

Her feet hit the floor slowly as she treaded carefully, gently, still keeping the reverence she had had so many years back. She gulped back tears but they welled up on her eyes and slowly streaked down her face. She could still feel the presence of the innocent souls that had lost their lives in this very place. Her mind whirred back to another time, she remembered how the stars had shone bright.

A little girl, she hopped across the courtyard, a small silver tiffin in hand. Her small hand formed into a fist as she banged on the window, the light streaking out through it telling her fully well that he was not up in his room sleeping, that he was still in his playroom, possibly making up a plan to get back at her. "Idiot! Open the window!" She shouted in a hushed voice, then jumped back suddenly as he abruptly pulled them open. The moonlight illuminating his face as he glared at her.

"What is it?" He growled as she smiled back, a cheeky glint to her eyes.

"I brought you this," she smiled as she pushed the silver tiffin his way.

"What is it?" He asked again, not making an effort to take it, continuing to frown at her.

"Take it! They're jalebis!" She exclaimed, shoving it his way.

She saw his eyes flare up with anger. "You know I can't eat them!" He exclaimed annoyed.

Rolling her eyes she finally priced the tiffin lid open and took an oddly shaped jalebi out. "It's sugar free, I got amma to make the mixture. I made them myself," she whispered softly, pushing one his way as his fingers slowly went around it, as a gentle smile spread across his own face.

Khushi wiped the tears that streaked down her face; now only memories haunted her, memories of a happier time.

****

"Aakash who was that other girl in the red saree with you at the event?" Shyam questioned as he sipped at his scotch, his eyes focused on a building in the distance.

"Sir?" Aakash questioned taken aback by his sudden questioned and completely confused.

"Aakash the girl? In the red sari," Shyam repeated, looking around this time to glower at Aakash, slightly annoyed at having to repeat his question.

A slight smile curved over Aakashs lips. Yes his to be sister-in-law was pretty hot and he wasn't surprised that she had caught his eye. "Sir she's my fiancee's sister," he stated.

Shyam frowned back. Sister? How could that be possible? "Sister?" He questioned then, needing more information, "and what's her name?"

"Yes sir, well adopted sister, she was adopted into Payal's family at a very young age. And it's Khushi Kumari Gupta sir," he stated calmly, his smile brightening at his boss's sudden wonderment for a woman and that too Khushi.

****

Aman's fingers moved expertly over the keyboard, scrolling his way down government data, clicking his way through way too much material. He needed to get to the bottom of what was going on.

"Khushi Kumari Gupta," he repeated to himself, the girl that seemed to be in the center of all of this mystery. He brought back up the previous window, she had beautiful features, a nice figure but that was it, what was so special about her? No it had to be something else. Having watched Shyam's conversation with Aakash he now knew that she was Payal Gupta's adopted sister, so Aakash's fiancees sister. But that didn't explain anything, Shyam; maybe because she was pretty but Arnav? Arnav never took an interest in any woman, so why her? No there had to be something deeper, something which he was not able to see.

He'd looked into her history but that confused him even more. Her records seemed to only date back to until she was twelve years of age, their seemed to be no trace of her life before that. Most peculiarly there didn't seem to be a birth certificate in her name, well at least not in the name of Khushi Kumari Gupta. He leaned back against his chair, his arms folded behind his head, his mind sorting through all sorts of random scraps of information. He'd just have to dig deeper, attempt to connect dots that refused to align themselves together.

****

Khushi made her way towards the back of the house, she hadn't been to Lucknow in years, ever since she had been taken to Delhi and suddenly she found herself lost in tormenting memories. A past that only remained so far below the surface now suddenly around her, in it's very essence reminding her all too well of all that she had lost. She couldn't stop the tears that continued to pour down her cheeks, maybe it hadn't been a good idea in agreeing to come to Lucknow. The place held too many things that she continued to try hard to suppress.

Her eyes caught bright white suddenly, peaking from the back of the large gravestones, the gravestones of her parents, of everyone she'd held dear. She walked over closer, her feet slightly sinking into the still damp ground and her eyes widened instantly. White flowers, fresh white flowers lay at the gravestones; someone had been there, someone still visited the gravestones, someone from her past...

Slightly short update I know. But it is a thriller and I don't want to give everything away in the one go :P.