LOVE OR ARRANGED ?

CHAPTER XXIV

AADHYA'S POV

I ask Arush to stop thinking about everything and we can talk later and enjoy the success as I see how guilty he is feeling about everything that happened between us. He isn't even happy for winning the tender and he deserves to be happy for his efforts. I went down along with him. My leg hurts when I walk but I tried to not show it out and ruin the happiness.

Ma took me around and introduced everyone to me personally. After the dinner, when papa invites Arush on to the dais, he looks at me and I encourage him to go ahead. I am genuinely happy for him. When he says, "The project is a tribute to someone very dear to my parents and me, whom we lost in a terrific accident. I always felt, I behold the responsibility to fulfil their last wish, which is also my parents' dreams." I understand why the project means so much to him and I somewhat feel guilty for everything that happened. I think how helpless he must have felt, when he thought the tender wasn't submitted.

I just shake the thoughts and hear to what he says. The next think I hear him say is, "PROJECT ARAADHYA" I feel a pit in my stomach when I hear it, but can't really put my finger on why I have such a feeling. I try to listen to him without thinking anything else and he says, "A dream to support the poor with free healthcare services. A multi-specialty hospital, where every single service is free, no matter how expensive the treatment is."

Then comes a display of a 3d-design of a hospital on a projector and then he says, "This project is the first and foremost dream of two best-friends who thought, how much ever they earn, there would be a happiness when that money can be genuinely used in serving the people. That is where come the wives of these two best-friends, who suggested maybe, the best way would be providing the best medical services and suggested the name ARAADHYA by combining their children's names."

"The primary shareholders for this project will be the MEHROTRA trust and here are the two families, who are the master minds behind this project." My head reels at the picture I see on the projector. It is my mom and dad, along with Arush's parents, and a little Arush and me at the age of 5. I can't hear anything Arush is saying and my head aches so bad and I get flashes of memories from my past. I don't understand what is happening and walk into the home, feeling suffocated. When I was about to climb the stairs, I see the door adjacent to the stairs and my legs automatically move towards it. I try to open it and see a digital lock and I hear some voice of a kid in the back of my mind, "Let us keep it, 3663, Ma. We three and they three, together six." I punch those numbers on the keypad and hear the click of the door and open it.

It is so dark and I slowly walk into the room, turn on the lights and I see a life size photo of my parents along with me near the headboard of the bed. I close my mouth with my hands at what I am seeing and take few steps backward. I move till my back hits the wall and keep staring at my parents, when I clearly start remembering my memories with them, Arush's parents and how I used to play with Arush.

Arush and his parents run into the room and ask me what happened, but I was unable to speak anything. Arush places his hand on my shoulders and turns me towards him, "Aadhya, look at me. Please tell me what happened? Why are you in this room? How did you even open the door, Aadhya? You are worrying me, please tell something, Aadhya."

I look at him without blinking my eyes, afraid that all this is going to be a dream and I will forget my memories of my parents. He shakes me continuously asking me to speak and I look at him gratefully for bringing back my memories with my parents and say, "Thank you, Arush!" I feel myself losing grip in my legs and fall into Arush's hands before everything turns black.

AARUSH'S POV

I run inside the home with many thoughts running in my head. How did she open the door, firstly? How did she know the digital passcode, which only mom, dad and me know. We enter the room and I see a very vulnerable Aadhya standing against the wall, closing her mouth with both her hands and staring at the big photo frame of Ashu ma, Ron Papa and Ayu. We ask her what happened but she doesn't answer anything and is not averting her gaze from the photograph.

I turn her towards me, by placing my hands on her shoulders and ask, "Aadhya, look at me. Please tell me what happened? Why are you in this room? How did you even open the door, Aadhya? You are worrying me, please tell something, Aadhya." She keeps looking at me without blinking her eyes and I shake her to make her speak to me. The only thing she says is "Thank you, Arush!" and falls into my hands before losing consciousness. Mom and dad run towards us, while I shake her to open her eyes but she doesn't. I don't understand what is happening and carry her to my parents' room and lay her on the bed. Mom sprinkles some water on her face in an attempt to wake her but she is still unconscious.

Dad calls his friend, Dr. Sharma to come immediately and he comes in 15 minutes. He checks Aadhya and says, "There is something that is bothering her. It is not the weakness but stress that has led to this. It maybe the stress from all the wedding events. You should talk to her family if they know if she ever was unconscious like this earlier. She should be awake in an hour mostly. Call me if she develops any fever and I will come immediately."

We were shocked to hear his words and for a moment I think it is because of me, but then how did she even open the door. Dr. Sharma leaves from there and I ask mom, "Did you tell the passcode to Aadhya, Mom?" She looks at me with teary eyes and says, "No, Arush. I didn't, but how did she go into the room?" Dad who was silent till now decides to call Arvind uncle. "Hello, hey Arvind. Did you guys reach home? OK. Uh. Can you come to our home once you reach? Yeah, everything is fine but-" and he explains the situation.

Dad cuts the call and informs us that they will be here in half an hour. Mom cries looking at Aadhya and dad makes her sit on the couch and consoles her. I pull a chair and sit beside the bed holding Aadhya's hand in mine. With every passing second, my tension increases ten-fold, unable to understand what pushed her to lose consciousness. Why was she looking at Ashu ma's family picture as if she knew them?

It is almost one hour since she lost consciousness but she didn't wake yet. We hear Arvind uncle's voice and Priya kaki directs them inside the room and Ankitha aunty, Ananya and uncle enter the room with a worried look. Ankitha aunty walks towards mom and mom tells her what happened, then dad asks, "Did this ever happen before to her? We are absolutely clueless about what is happening." Arvind uncle says, "No, she didn't ever fall unconscious like this, but-"

When he was about to continue, I sense Aadhya moving her fingers and immediately call her softly, "Aadhya, Aadhya, can you hear me?" She grips my hand tightly before trying to open her eyes and look at me. I feel like I just started breathing seeing her conscious and ask her if she wants some water. She nods her head as a yes, and I make her sit slowly and give her the glass of water. She takes few sips and gives me the glass back. She looks around the room and notices her family but doesn't give any reaction.

Her Mami comes towards her and asks, "Sweety, what happened dear? Tell me what is stressing you so much." She doesn't answer anything and blankly looks ahead of her. Everyone tries to make her talk, but it's as if her body is just present here, but her mind is elsewhere. After few minutes, I know what to do and ask her if she can walk. She nods her head as a yes, and take her to Ashu ma's room supporting her with my hands, while everyone follows us. I ask her to enter the passcode and with shaking hands she opens the digital lock.

I take her into the hall and make her sit on the love seat and everyone else also sit down and keep looking at us. I kneel before her and cup her cheeks, making her looking at me and I ask, "Just answer my questions in a yes or no, Aadhya. Did anyone tell you the passcode?" She nods her head as no. I ask, "Do you know the people in the photo in the room? Did you come into the home after seeing their picture on the projector in the party?" She blankly looks at me and I again ask, "Please answer me, Love." She nods her head as a Yes.

I ask her to wait and go into the room and bring a small frame of Ashu ma's family picture and place it in her lap and ask, "Who are they, Love?" She looks at the photo and then turns towards me and slowly whispers, "Mehras." I look at everyone and see her family shocked. I show the picture to Aadhya's Mami and ask, "Do you know them, Aunty?" She looks at the picture and immediately starts crying, while Arvind uncle holds her with tears in his eyes and Ananya too starts tearing up.

My parents look confused and I turn towards Aadhya, again place the photo frame in her lap and ask, "How do you know them, Aadhya?" She takes a deep breath before touching the photograph with her hand as if trying to feel them and looks at me. I see that a lone tear rolls down her cheek and she says, "Not just Aadhya, it is AADHYA MEHRA."