Heart wrenching adoration Part-40

I sat huddled in jiju’s car as we trundled towards the Dehradun Airport, the scenic beauty of this picturesque city, flashing by us, yet unlike other times, it didn’t hold my attention as I was too preoccupied with worrying about khushi to notice anything.

Aman and Anvesh had left with their respective parents before we started, but not before hugging khushi fiercely and assuring and comforting her in a very elder-brotherly attitude. Even though we hadn’t known her for more than a month, yet she was a very precious entity for all of us...for me. She was my angel, my guiding light in the fathomless darkness of my life.

I couldn’t afford to lose her, not now...not ever!

“Bhai, what about the airport?” Akash whispered softly, leaning towards me.

I frowned. I had been thinking about it for a while. We needed to get our flight to home at the Dehradun Airport, which will surely be bustling with people. Too many strangers!

“I know Akash, I know and I don’t want to have her so awfully exposed too! But we don’t have any other option. We have to catch our flights. We’ll just have to stick to being glued to her I guess!” I said grimly.

I was not at all keen to have khushi in close proximity with so many unknown people,... people among whom could be her assailants, still I had no choice for we had to get the flight anyhow. So, I took comfort from the fact that at least Mr. And Mrs. Gupta had officers of C.B.I with them. Apparently, khushi was put under witness protection programme after the news of the release of the Mafia, Zachary Pilaster.

The officers were tall and well-built, someone who reminded me of the giant troll in the first instalment of Harry Potter, and I knew that they must be carrying weapons, ready to even kill anyone at the drop of the hat if they were to harm khushi, yet I couldn’t really get rid of the nagging worry and a strange foreboding!

I was getting paranoia attacks!

We parked in the Parking lot of airport and immediately alighted. I watched as Guptas’ car was manoeuvred by the driver to a stop and rushed to khushi’s side as soon as she got down. It pained my heart  to see her so distressed.

“Khushi don’t worry! I...I mean we won’t let anything to happen to you!”I promised. I could even go for the kill if that’s what it took to protect my khushi!

“I’m not worried about me!” Khushi nearly whimpered, her beautiful, doe-like eyes were pools of tears.

“I hate to see you guys jeopardizing your safety for me. I’m not worth that!” She whispered, casting her eyes down, her head bowed as if in regret.

“You are right! You’re not worth that! You are too valuable, too precious to be estimated worth of!” I murmured, putting my finger under her chin to coax her to look at me.

Khushi’s reluctant eyes drifted to mine and it broke my heart into million pieces to see her so despondent, so hapless!

“Khushi nothing will happen! Everything is going to be fine! Why are you being so pessimist?” Akash asked her gently, squeezing her hands gently.

“Ok kids! Let’s get going!” Mr. Shasi Gupta called us as soon as all the luggage was out of the trunk of the car.

We moved in the terminal amidst the tightly packed circle of immaculately dressed C.B.I officers. They didn’t so much as utter a word and seemed to communicate only through curt nods. The grim lines on their faces looked so awfully and firmly set that I was cent percent sure that they wouldn’t have cracked so much as teeniest of smile in years!

But naturally, they were perfect in their decorum and moved with a sort of rigid pageantry which was fascinating, yet terrifying at the same time. So, naturally my di, who was the only one in the entire group who neither knew khushi’s story nor was acquainted with the fact that the men whisking us along were the officers of India’s top notch investigation agency, kept on staring at them curiously and tried in vain to strike conversation with them.

“They all are so silent, yet so perfect in their decorum, as if they are in military, though Shasi uncle told me that they are distant relatives...cousins of Payal and khushi. Hmm... and that one there is so handsome!” Di whispered to me giggling.

“Anju!” Jiju exclaimed, looking mortified and upset.

“I was just kidding Shyam! Of course you are my one and only sweetheart...my prince charming!”Di immediately started buttering jiju to thaw him out, which naturally he did.

“It still 1 hour  for our flight!” Shashi uncle informed us and I groaned internally. The last thing I wanted to have khushi exposed to more of crowd.

“Well ours is in quarter of an hour!” Jiju said, checking the information board for the flight to Delhi.

“Fine, till then we’ll sit there!” I murmured, dragging khushi along to a set of sofas cosily arranged , with Akash and Payal and those officers at our tow. I distinctly saw Anjali di roll her eyes at me.

“I’ll go and get some novels for the journey!” Payal said, before disappearing to a nearby book store with Akash.

“Ummm...Arnav, I’ll be right back!” Khushi murmured, getting up from the couch. 

“I’ll come with you. By the way, where are you going?” I asked baffled, at the red colored that tainted her cheeks at my simple statement. Didn’t she know she couldn’t go anywhere alone?

“Arnav, I need to use the loo!” She said sheepishly and it was my turn to blush.

“Oh! Ok then, I’ll stand outside and...”I began awkwardly, but she cut me off.

“No! I mean you don’t need to! I’ll be ok! Besides, you don’t really expect my assailants to attack me in ladies’ toilet! That will be so crappy and such a give away!” She grinned at me.

I wasn’t at all convinced, yet I let her go. Khushi tried to excuse herself from her ‘Bodyguards’ but apparently they didn’t give in like me and one of the officers went along with her.

I watched her go and in the distance I also watched Lavanya, who was with her parents, waiting for her flight, excuse herself and follow khushi’s suit.

I  should’ve known that it was the beginning of the disaster!

Ten minutes passed still khushi didn’t return and I started to get worried, but I wasn’t the only one who was fretting. Apparently, all those C.B.I officers too were starting to sense something fishy.

“She is gone for a long time now...It shouldn’t take so long!” I said anxiously to one of the officers who nodded, frowning perplexedly.

He took out his cell and tried to get through to the officer who had accompanied khushi, but couldn’t make the call.

“That’s strange. Ravish is not picking his phone!” The officer murmured. My blood ran cold!

“Do you think something happened to them?” I asked, glancing over at the place where our families were busy talking with each other.

“I’ll go and check!” The officer said resolutely, standing up.

“What’s wrong guys?” Payal asked, bouncing in with Akash, clutching a paper bag. I quickly explained everything to them.

“What? Khushi didn’t come till now! Oh God!”Payal started getting hysterical.

“Shh Payal! Speak softly. Lets’ go and check her first...maybe she got and upset stomach or something!” Akash shushed her and we quickly traipsed to the ladies’ washroom with the C.B.I. officer.

“Ravish should’ve been here!” The officer muttered in bafflement as we stopped outside the girls’s washroom.

“Payal go and check inside!” I ordered her, tensed, and she quickly darted inside the washroom.

We waited for her in silence, too disturbed to speak anything. Each passing second felt like an year and I could feel almost a physical ache that separation with khushi caused me. How will I survive without her?

My painful abstractions were broken as the door of the washroom opened and Payal stepped out, white as a corpse.I felt color drain from my face.

“Payal what...?” Akash trailed off, gaping at her.

“ Its over! They took khushi away!” She whispered, tears trickling down her cheeks and I felt a numb ache as I collapsed on the tiled, hard floor of the Airport, defeated!