The Guilty Ones

Chapter 18

"No, he is not. I was born Arnav Malik. My parents died when I was 6 years old. After their death, my brother and I were put into the foster care system. Believe me, when I say this Khushi, growing up in an orphanage is far better than growing up with foster parents"

"Your brother? Do you have a brother? Omg, I never thought you and NK are related. You guys do not look alike"

"NK is my brother but not my biological. He and I have grown up together since I got adopted by Anand Pa. My biological brother and I got separated during our multiple forester parent changes. The last I heard about him was when I was about 10. I got to know that he got transferred to an orphanage. So, I assume he's in a better place than me"

"You haven't seen your brother in over 20 years? What's his name? Maybe I could help?"

"When finished my schooling I tried to find him before I when abroad for my studies. But I did not have any pictures of him, he was only 3 when I last saw him and the worst part is I didn't know his name. So it was like looking for a needle in a haystack"

"You don't know your own brothers' name? Arnav Ji, how can that be even possible?"

"Mom and Dad used to call us by our pet names. I was Aaru for them and he was Aaku for them. So finding an Aaku who might have got adopted at a very young age and now using a different name is an impossible task"

"I am so sorry. I didn't know all this. So you never got to go back to your old house?"

"No, I think since both of us were minors, we didn't receive anything that time. Maybe they looked for us once we turned 18 but it was too late by then. I was only 6 years Khushi, I hardly remember where my house was"

Khushi couldn't imagine what she heard. All this while she was accusing him, calling him a criminal but he didn't choose this path for himself, it was chosen for him. For the first time, Khushi felt empathy towards him. He and she are the same in many ways.

"It kills every time when you think of the life you could have had"

"It does, but Khushi, we both have a life that we can't complain of. It's true we believe in two different paths but still"

"To date, I miss my parents Arnav Ji. At least you found a father to give you shelter. No one ever adopted me. I grew up by myself. I am glad I found Akash, otherwise, I don't know how I would have survived some of the phases"

"Khushi, I sold black material tickets at the age of 8 to feed myself. Desperate times, desperate measures but life will have a way of making sure"

"I agree. No child should go through what we've been through. But we should start looking for your brother Arnav Ji. I have no family left in this world but you, still have a chance to have your own. Can you remember anything about your brother?"

"He is there years younger than me and he had brown eyes like mine. My father had brown eyes. Don't get me wrong when I say this but I feel he would look like Akash. I know he has his own family and all but I am just telling you"

It only took a few seconds for Khushi to put two together. She was shocked. Can it be? Can Akash be Arnav's long-lost brother? Can Arnav be the brother Akash was looking for?

Akash is Khushi's age means he is three years younger than Arnav. Check.

Akash has hazel brown eyes and Khushi realised they are similar to Arnav's. Check.

Akash lost his brother when he was a kid and still looking for him. Check.

At first, Khushi wanted to tell Arnav but she refrained from doing so. What if her assumptions are wrong? What if they are not brothers? She can't do this to either of them. This has their feelings attached to it.

Khushi promised herself to dig deep into this matter to find out the truth. Akash has done a lot for her and it's her time to pay back. As for Arnav, she didn't know why she wanted to make him happy but she did.

"Mr Raizada, the technical team is on their way to get you out of the lift. They should be there in a couple of minutes. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience sir"

Both Khushi and Arnav looked at each other when they heard the intercom. Then they looked down to see their position

Khushi was holding on to Arnav's collar and her head was on his chest. Arnav's arms were wrapped around her back securely.

"Umm, we should...."

Saying that she removed her hands from his collar and Arnav removed his arms from her back. Both of them stood up and took two corners avoiding each other's eyes. Arnav saw the small pink blush on Khushi's cheeks and chuckled.

"I did not expect this from you, Payal. Out of everyone, you betrayed me? That too for money? I know you don't like the friendship I have with Khushi. But she is like a sister to me. We practically grew up together. I am the only family she has"

"Am I not mean anything to you? It has been several years now Akash. We are still acting like strangers. You would rush whenever Khushi needed you leaving me alone all the time. There is a limit I can take"

"So just because you feel alone you would betray? Even if anyone offers me the world, I would never betray your trust, Payal"

"I only took money to make this a give-or-take deal. So that no one comes back to me asking for more. I donated that money to the orphanage Akash. Trust me, my intention was not to hurt anyone"

"YOU DISGUST ME, Payal, the fact that you don't realise your mistake is the worst. Khushi is practically in hell because of you. She might be ended up getting married to a world-class criminal just because of you"

"What? Please Akash believe me, I never wanted any of this. They said just give a background about Khushi because it is for her new assignment. They promised to send her away to an overseas assignment for at least three years. So I thought maybe you and I can have a little us time in these three years to strengthen our bond"

"How can you be so stupid? Our chief has everyone think about us on a file. You knew how deep they dig to get us vetted before the job. So how can you be so stupid as to give details about her to a random person? Damn it, have you seen anyone poking random people for personal details just because they want to give them a job? A kid would understand that"

"Please Akash"

"Your hate towards Khushi has made you blind. When I first saw you I thought you are the purest girl on this planet. Then later with time, I realised you have a darker side. I was going to dump you after our third date. Khushi is the one who made me realise no one is perfect and the reason we are together is that I listened to her and gave you another chance"

"I seriously didn't know Akash. Believe me"

"I am sorry Payal. This time, you've crossed all the limits. I cannot be a person who does not have empathy. You don't deserve me, Payal"

Saying that Akash left leaving Payal in the middle of the road. He was about to get into his car when he heard a loud honking behind him.

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Happy reading and please don't forget to vote and comment :)

Enjoy the Christmas Eve!