PART-63

"What?"Khushi screamed at the top of her lung as soon as she got out of the initial shock.

"Yes,he's the one who is responsible for the reason I'm an orphan.The reason of all the anguish that me and my di suffered for all those years.The reason my mom killed herself to save her honor from that lascivious fiend,my dadi died protecting my di and my dad of a cardiac arrest!...We suffered a lot of humiliation and were ousted from our very own house!"ASR's voice seethed with hatred and khushi stared at him ashen faced.

"But,now its going to end,because I'm going to end it!That Surinder Manohar Jha got away by shredding my family apart but not this time,not at any cost! I'll be damned if I didn't get him and that scumbag son of his to rot behind the bars for rest of their lives begging and grouching for their death!I had waited so many years for avenging the death of my family!"ASR growled,making khushi shiver in fright.

Though khushi had been unaware of the magnitude of felony and debaucheries of the Jhas,she knew that they were pretty potent with lots of politicians at their beck-and-call.Local police literally ran around,wagging their tails behind them. So,as she heard of ASR's oath,it was utmost natural for her to be absolutely terrified.She had already lost her parents in the dirty bog of politics and she knew she would die if something happened to ASR.

Khushi immediately wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as if protecting him,making ASR chortle darkly.He disengaged one of his arms from her fierce embrace and patted her gently.

"Nothing will happen to me."He assured her softly.

"I won't allow anything to hurt you,to snatch you away from me!"Khushi growled back,embracing him possessively.ASR sighed and kissed her forehead.

The couple sat snuggling,each lost in their own world,taking in what all had transpired,and in khushi's case,letting the revelation sink.Utterly cathartic,they dozed of wrapped in each other's arm in the serenity of the night.

It was just quarter past 1 when ASR's cell rang,awakening him from his slumber. He looked down groggily at the screen which flashed Akash's name.ASR carefully extricated his arm from that of khushi's,barely moving more than enough so as to not to jostle her and received the call.

"Hello,what is it Akash?"He asked irritably.

"Bhai,where are you?Its so late in the night!Did you forget you need to drop khushi at her home?Buaji was having kitten and had literally razed the house down until Payal got her to talk to me and I lied that Khushi is with me and we are busy with an important case!"Akash replied in a single breath and ASR could almost hear his smile.

"Oh,yeah we sort of zonked off!I'll take khushi to her home."ASR said,wanting nothing more than to scold his brother for sounding so smug,but he couldn't do it,not with khushi sleeping so peacefully on his chest.

"Good!Then go from the backyard of their house.Payal shall be down there to open the door."

"What the!I'm not some thief that I'll need the back door to get khushi in!" ASR said,clearly annoyed.

"Fine then!Go down the front and get shot be all kind of awkward question by khushi's family,not to mention get khushi in serious trouble with buaji!" Akash quipped slyly,but ASR didn't reply and snapped the phone shut.He vowed to deal with his younger brother in the morning.

With assiduous gentleness as if handling a fragile butterfly,he lifted khushi in his arms and zoomed off towards her home,with his sleeping beloved at his side!