Remove the image of business tycoon Arnav and the little Khushi from your mind before you read this story. Bit and pieces of this story is inspired from real life.

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"Babuji, I don't want marriage now. Let me complete my studies and earn a job." Khushi told her father who is a middle class orthodox office employee.

"Khushi, you are 27 year old now. This alliance will be a good one bitiya."

"Babuji, they don't want me to study or find a job. I can't do this. Did you told them about my condition?" Khushi asked him and Shashi avert his eyes.

"Just tell them the truth and see what will their reaction."

"We are not going to say anything to them Khushi. Why can't you be like your elder sister? She got married when a good alliance came for her. See how happy she is now with her children." Garima told her.

"Amma, I'm not her and I'm not going to marry now." Khushi said with determination and went to her room.

"You shouldn't have given her this much freedom. Now she isn't ready to hear anything." Garima told her husband.

"We will make her understand Garima. What she told is also true. We can't hide the truth, today or tomorrow they will find it out. It's better we find someone who will understand our situation." Shashi told her.

She laid down on her bed and cried thinking how the pressure of marriage is killing her. She know that nobody is willing to marry her for who she is, but only for the dowry that will be coming with her. She have gone through worst in her life. She had overcome every obstacles and reached here. Now this marriage topic is giving her more headache than anything else in her life.

She wiped her tears, moved towards her table to complete her records. She is pursuing her B.ed degree in history after her post graduation. She know the struggles she had to face to reach this stage. She is a small village girl who dream to stand on her legs than getting married to someone. Being unmarried at 27 is a big thing in her small village and she cared less about them. She is determined to achieve her goals and started to study hard.

************

Arnav entered the passanger train that will take him to his home. His bike is given for servicing and he had to take this train. He is busy playing a game in his phone when he heard a melodious voice.

"Excuse me, can you move a bit?" Khushi asked Arnav pointing at the seat next to him. That's the only seat available there and she don't want to stand holding that cover filled with chartpaper and records.

Arnav moved a little and she sat next to him placing her small bag between them. He heard talking to her father and being playful to the baby sitting opposite to him. He don't know why but he felt a strange sensation from the time she is being sitting beside him. After 30 minutes of travel, Khushi get down in her stop as he took glance of her innocent face.

From that day, he started to take train just to get a glimpse of her. One day, he isn't able to catch the regular train and had to wait for sometime. He got into the train without any hope in seeing her. It is already 8 at night when the train reached her station. The train is about to take off when he saw her running towards the train. Arnav moved towards the door and helped her to get in the train.

"Thank you." Khushi said trying to calm her breathe.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"Yup." She said and sat on a seat. Slowly the compartment got emptied except them. Arnav can sense the distress in her face. He don't know how to start a conversation with her and waited. A few seconds later he saw a man standing behind her seat who seems to be busy in a call. He watched as the man stared at her intensely and tries to touch her. Khushi moved away from that seat but he kept staring making her uncomfortable.

Arnav get up from the seat and moved towards the man. He scared away the man and he moved from there much to her relief.

Khushi gave him a small smile and tried to call her parents but it was unreachable.

"Excuse me, I have seen you in the other train. We're you running late today?" He tried to make a conversation with her.

"Yeah, we had a function in our college and I got late." Khushi replied feeling safe around him.

"Okay." He said and looked outside the window.

"Can I use your phone?" Khushi asked after a few minutes.

"My phone got died and I have to call my parents."

"Sure." Saying this he gave her his phone and Khushi called her parents.

Her mother attended the call.

"Amma, it's me Khushi." She told her mother and Arnav got to know about her name.

'Khushi, that's a good name.' Arnav thought.

"Where are you Khushi? From whose phone are you calling? Glad that your father is here. He went to hospital to see payaliya's father in law."

"Amma, I'm in train now. Will reach home soon."

"How will you come home at this time?" Garima asked.

"Amma, I can manage it. Don't worry. I will take a rickshaw....hello...hello..." The line got disconnected because of network problem.

"Thanks a lot." Khushi said giving him the phone.

They reached her station and he noticed how secluded it is. He didn't feel like leaving her alone there and stepped out of the train as it started moving.

Khushi saw him stepping out of the train and moving close to her.

"Do you live here?" Khushi asked him.

"No, but I don't think that it's good for you to go alone. I have no bad intention and you can trust me." He said to her and she looked here and there not knowing what to answer, but she is glad that he is here.

"I can accompany you till your home." He said and she nodded her head. They walked towards the rickshaw area.

"Hmm I will go alone from here." Khushi said not wanting to travel with him together and give a new gossip to the neighborhood aunties.

"It's okay, I will also come with you. You can trust me." He told her.

"It's not about trust...hmm..mr..."

"Arnav." He said.

"Yeah Arnav...you know if someone see us together it will create a problem. I hope you can understand my situation." She explained.

"Okay, we will take two rickshaws and I will follow you till you reach home." He suggested and she nodded her head hesitantly. Arnav followed her in another rickshaw and stopped near her home.

He saw her giving him a smile before entering her home. His heart danced in joy and he went to his home.

At night, Khushi kept thinking about Arnav and his kind gesture towards her. She don't know why but she felt something for this little stranger.

Next day,

Khushi is walking towards the book stall after her class when a bike stopped in front of her.

"Hey, remember me?" Arnav asked removing his helmet.

"Arnav...I actual wanted to meet you. Thanks for everything you have done yesterday. You didnt need to do that, but still you helped me. Thanks a lot for that." She told him as he stepped out of the bike.

"No, don't say thank you. Anybody would have done the same." He said politely.

"Well I really doubt that."

"Do you study in that college?" He pointed at her college.

"Yup, what about you?"

"I work in XYZ firm. Anyway, nice meeting you Miss..."

"Khushi... Khushi Kumari Gupta." She said introducing herself.

"Yeah Khushi and let me introduce myself properly. I'm Arnav, Arnav Shahzad Rehman." He said to her. Then there started the love story of Khushi Kumari Gupta and Arnav Shahzad Rehman.

*********

Slowly they started to meet often. They become friends and made a rapport with each other. As he came to know more about her he fell hard for her. He know that his love have to faces lot of struggles in this society. On other hand, Khushi tried her best not to fell in love with this amazing human being she have ever known. She found him different from other man and he made her feel safe around him. She can talk to him about anything and he patiently heard everything she have to say. She don't want to be heartbroken if she accept her feelings and confess it to him.

It's been six months since they become friends.

"You know Arnav, this marriage pressure is getting hard." Khushi told him sitting opposite to him in the cafe.

"Khushi, do you mind telling me about your dream man?" He asked sipping his coffee.

"Hmm dream man, well I don't have any exact picture of such a man but he should be someone who will support me and respect me for who am I. Someone who can understand me and ask me to follow my dream. Someone who treats me equal in our relationship." She told him.

"So if you find someone like that, you wouldn't mind marrying that person?" He asked her.

"If only I find such man."

"Khushi, I really love you and want to marry you." He annouced all of a sudden making her choke on the coffee. She stared at him as he took hold of her hand placed on the table.

"Khushi, I have been in love with you for months. I want you in my life and I promise to keep you happy till my last breathe. You can follow your beliefs and I won't pressure you to follow mine." He saw her looking down.

"I know it's unexpected. Take your time Khushi. I told you what I feel for you because I don't want to lose you because of my foolishness." He confessed as she absorbed everything he said to her. A few minutes later, Khushi get up from her seat and left without saying anything.

On that day, Khushi kept turning and tossing on her bed. She messaged Arnav to meet her next day in a cafe.

Arnav waited eagerly for her and she entered the cafe. She sat opposite to him and looked at him.

"I don't know how to start and where to start. I never thought that you will feel all these for me. I don't know if you will still have those feelings after reading this." Saying this she gave him a file. Arnav took the file not understanding anything.

"What is this?" He asked her.

"See yourself Arnav and tell me if you still want me in your life."

Arnav opened the file and saw the first page.

___________________________________________

26/05/2014

Name of Patient: Khushi Kumari Gupta

Age: 22

Mammography Result: Lump in the right breast

Stage: 2

.

.

.

.

Simple mastectomy on right breast.

___________________________________________

He read the report and looked at Khushi who is sitting there holding her breathe.

"I never had an idea about it." He said making her heart shattered a little bit.

"It's okay Arnav, I can understand."

"But I think it's okay, 3 years difference is nothing." He said making her confused.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Our age Khushi. Well I don't care about the age difference though. So now tell me what's your answer to my not so romantic proposal?" He asked making her bewildered.

"What about the report? You didn't say anything about it?" She asked him.

"Do you really think this really matters? That's I'm going to run away reading your medical reports?" He questioned her.

"It doesn't matter to you?" She asked him.

"I love you Khushi and it is not going to change if you had or have any disease." He answered.

"It can come back." She let him know.

"Then we will face it together."

"Hmm...I don't have one... You know chest." She said awkwardly.

"I didn't love your breast Khushi, I loved you wholly." He said making her eyes teary.

"I didnt expect this response from you. Because of this, all the alliance came for me were simple for the dowry. Nobody wanted to take a risk by marrying a former cancer patient. I thought I will end up in a loveless relationship and then I met you. I don't know when but I too fell in love with you Arnav. By accepting this proposal I don't know what all going to happen with us."

"We will make this work Khushi. We will try to convince our family." Arnav took her hand and squeezed her hand lightly.

"Khushi, do you really mean it when you said that you love me?" Arnav asked her.

"Yes, I have never loved anyone and I truly love you Arnav."

"So it doesn't matter if there is a age difference between us?" He asked her.

"No, nothing matters Arnav." Khushi told him.

"Yeah, that's true. I love you even though you are three year older than me." He dropped the bomb on her.

"What?"

"Well, when I checked your report I got to know that you are 27 and I'm 24 year old respectively." He told looking at the file in front of them. Khushi though that he would be 30 but reality is different.

"Khushi, age is just a number. I loved as man love a woman and I'm not going to let our age difference kill our relationship."

"It's hard to accept but I think it doesn't matters now." Khushi said knowing that they have fell in love with each other irrespective of their religion and age.

"Khushi I promise to love you and respect you forever." Saying this he slide a silver ring on her finger making her gasp.

"It's a small gift, nothing very expensive."

"I loved it." Khushi said looking at the infinity ring on her finger.

From that day they spend time with each other, getting to know each other and sharing their dreams. Just a few months before her final exam, her family fixed her marriage with her long distance relative's son without asking her consent. That's when Khushi told them about Arnav and it made a uproar in her whole family. They can't digest the fact that she is in love with a man from different religion.

Arnav tried to contact her and her phone kept on switched off. He went to see her in college and didn't find her there. He felt something fishy and tried to find out what happened to her. With his friends help, he came to know that she is in house arrest and they are trying to marry her off within a week.

Arnav know that he have to do something or else he will lose her.

********

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