Okay, this boring track is driving me crazzzyyy now! Nothing is happening! So just thought should write what I felt would have done miracles in Arnav and Khushi's life and of course, consequently ours!
This is the first time I'm writing anything on Arnav and Khushi; I hope you guys like it! I'm quite nervous about this, actually!!!
I will start with the almost-tagline of this serial and from where I last liked any scene. Here I go with my first ever FF on ArHi..!
*
*
PART 1
"Aaj ke baad na tumhari shakal dekhni hain, na tumse baat karni hain... " Arnav said to Khushi at the mandir after their mini-engagement.
"Thik hain... Mujhe bhi aap ki shakal dekhne ka ya aapse baat karne ka koi shauk nahi hain, Mr Arnav Singh Raizada...", Khushi hissed.
Both of them turned away from each other and walked off in opposite direction, never looking at each other, walking straight ahead. Sure, they loved each other, kind of, even though none of them had realized it till then, but then again, none of them were feeling bad about turning and walking away... Hatred was stronger at that point; Arnav's words had hurt Khushi ... she hadn't imagined him to be so rough with her after everything that had happened between the pair of them and Khushi's words had hurt Arnav's ego so deep that his brain overpowered his heart...
Hatred shadowed love...
*
Next morning...
The bell at the Raizada Mansion rang. Jai Prakash received the door. Khushi was standing there, looking lost in her thoughts.
"Arre Khushi ji, aap?"
"Ji Jai Prakash Ji... Hume Anjali ji se kuch kaam hai.."
"Accha... Lekin Anjali ji toh ghar pe nahi hain..."
"Ohh... Thik hain, kya Nani ji ghar pe hain?"
"Ji... Lekin who Pooja main vyast hai..."
"Koi baat nahi, Jai Prakash Ji, hum thode der unke liye ruk jaate hain..."
"Thik hain..."
Jai Prakash went to his work of cleaning the house.
Khushi walked to the living room. She was looking everywhere for any sign of Arnav; she wanted to make sure that he wasn't in the house. But somewhere deep down her heart, she wanted to see him, wanted to talk to him, wanted him to shout at her, wanted him to hold her so tight that her hands bruised, wanted him to say sorry to her again...
Khushi walked to the couch. She stumbled upon a side table on the way. It was the same table from which she had once broken his favourite vase. And then she saw the phone, from which she had once called Arnav during one of his meeting causing him embarrassment... A small smile appeared on her lips by the memory... The way he was angry after all that episode, the way he said 'Khushi Kumari Gupta' after he came to know that she was responsible for that... Maybe her ears were keen to listen to his voice, just once... She didn't care what his intoxicating voice might say, she just wanted to hear him utter her name again... 'Khushi Kumari Gupta'...
Tringgg... Trinnggg...
The same phone, which made Khushi go into the trans, rang... Khushi looked as if she just woke up from a good nights' sleep. She looked around to check if anybody was there to pick up the call; but the living room was empty apart from her. She slowly walked to the phone letting her eyes wander in every direction, just in case someone came round the corner, just in case he came round the corner...
She reached for the receiver and picked it up, just when she saw the heavy bandage that surrounded her delicate finger. The bandage looked at least thrice the size; with the amount of it wrapped around the small wound.
"Hello - ", The person at the other end called.
But Khushi's thoughts were again wrapped around Arnav, the same how he had wrapped the bandage. She just kept staring at her finger; remembering his hand in hers...
"Hello... ", the other person repeated, his lovely intoxicating voice getting impatient now. He wanted that file badly and he couldn't afford to waste time to go all the way back and collect it himself.
His voice got registered in her mind this time and she almost dropped the phone. Quickly getting hold of it, she brought it near her ears.
"H... He - Hello...", she stammered.
A gust of wind blew as both of them became aware of whom they were about to talk to. One moment, Arnav muttered 'Shit, what the hell she is doing there?'; but a feeling of relief washed over him, allowing all his anger and frustration flow away.
"Khushi?"
"Ar.. Arnav ji?"
Listening to the 'ji' attached to his name, Arnav felt quite weird. She had always called him using that suffix, but he felt it didn't fit well this time. Not when it was her saying his name... This was enough to trigger the angry-young-man side of him.
"Tum??? Tum waha kya kar rahi ho?", he said, irritated.
Khushi noticed his irritation, and her not-so-lovely-side resurfaced.
"Hum jab chahe, jaha chahe jaa sakte hai... Aap se matlab?"
"Main apne ghar phone karu aur tum use uthao... Ghar pe sab log mar gaye kya?"
"Hai Devi Maiyya, yeh aap kaisi baat kar rahe ho? Aise log marne ki icchha karne wale toh sirf aap hi ho sakte hai..."
"Shut up Khushi...! Kabhi apne muh per lagaam daalne ke baare mei socha hai?"
"Hum insaan hai... Ghoda nahi ke muh par lagaam daal de..."
"Tum ghoda hoti toh mere liye bahot accha hota tha... Kam se kam tumhari yeh betuki baatein toh nahi sunani padti mujhe..."
"Kya? Humari baatein betuki hoti hai? Accha? Toh aapki konsi bahot matlab wali hoti hai?"
Arnav, who was sitting in his glass cabin, looking at his reflection for long, saw a little smile getting carved across the face of a strange-looking man, which he had mistaken to be his reflection!
"Khushi, Dekho - "
"Pehle hum apni baat puri karenge, uske baad aap ko jo kehna hain aap - "
"Phone maine kiya hai Ms Khushi Kumari Gupta!"
"Lekin uthaya toh hum ne na..."
"Maine tumse kaha tha phone uthane ke lie?", said Arnav, his smile widening.
"Par - "
"Par-var kuch nahi... Ab meri baat suno... Mujhe kuch jaroori kaam hai... ", he cut her midway, his meeting coming back to his mind.
"Jaroori kaam aap ka hain, toh aap kariye na, hum se kyun keh rahe ho?", Khush lashed back.
Arnav sighed. "Sach Khushi, koi gadha hi hoga jo tumse baat kare..."
"Ahh... Sahi kaha aapne.. Koi gadha hi hoga jo hum se baat kare... Sahi pehchaan hai aap ko apne aap ki... Aaj hume pata chala ke aap sach mei saamne wale ko parakh sakte hai..."
Arnav shook his head. "Rehne do Khushi... Main ghar aake apna kaam kar lunga... Thank you so much for your help..."
"Help? Humne toh aap ki koi help ki hi nahi toh - "
"Khushi, mai phone rakh raha hu..."
"Haan toh rakhiye naa.. Humne kaha roka hai...!"
"Damn it! I am getting late now... Main ghar aa raha hu, Nani se keh dena..." and he cut the phone without listening anything further...
'Ajeeb aadmi hai... Pehle call karta hai, phir kehta hai mujhe late ho raha hai, phir kehta hai ke ghar aa raha hu...' , she stopped midway. 'Ghar aa rahe hai... Hai Devi Maiyya... Laad Governer ghar aa rahe hai... Yeh maine kya kar diya? Itna shaant, pyara sa ghar, ladai ke maidaan jaisa kyu lag raha hai abhi? Unki poori baat bhi nahi suni, agar koi jaroori kaam hota toh? Par abhi voh ghar aa rahe hai na, toh apna kaam khud kar lenge, hume unki chinta kabse hone lagi? Par Khushi, voh ghar aa rahe hai... Haan toh, unka ghar hai, voh jab chahe aaye, jab chaahe jaye - KYAAA?????? Laad governer ghar aa rahe hai??? Hai ab mai kya karu????'
Jai Prakash walked in for cleaning the sitting area and saw Khushi fast muttering something to herself. Seeing her like this, he asked her if there was something wrong.
"Ab kya bataye Jai Prakash ji... Pralay ko khud aamantran dene ke baad koi thik kaise rahe?"
"Hum kuch samjhe nahi, Khushi ji..."
Khushi hit her hand on her forehead. "Uff oh Jai Prakash ji, aap bhi na...! Accha, voh sab chodiye, Nani ji ko humara sandesh dijiye ke Laad Governer ghar aa rahe hai..."
Jai Prakash looked confused, not understanding the term. "Kaun?"
"Arre Laad Governer!"
"Ji?"
And the bell rang for the second time. Khushi jumped. 'Itne jaldi? Hawai jahaaj se udke aaye hai kya??? Waise kuch keh nahi sakte... Ho bhi sakta hai...!!!'
Jai Prakash went to attend the door, only to find Arnav standing there, looking as handsome as ever in his business attire, not a hair out of place, with his laptop bag in his hands, but wearing an expression that was sooo unlike ASR... The smile which had appeared on his lips during the call was still there...
*
Edited by Pearl_mystic - 11 years agoArnav Singh Raizada walked in and rushed to his room to get his file. Khushi saw him running to this room, and immediately felt guilty. 'Hai Devi Maiyaa, humari vajah se inhe itne jaldi itne door aana pada. Pata nahi gadi kitni tez bhagayi hongi… Kya jaroorat thi tumhe phone par inki baat kaatne ki, itne pareshaan lag rahe hai who, inhe kuch ho jata toh?', she muttered to herself, 'Yeh hum kya keh rahe hain??'
"Khushi bitiya, kya hui gawa? Arnav bituwa iss wakat ghar par aaye, yeh hum kya sunat hain?", Nani walked towards her after getting done with her pooja.
Khushi turned to face Nani. "Ji Nani ji, woh abhi abhi aaye hai.. Shayad daftar ka kuch kaam yaad aaya ho…"
Nani first shrugged and nodded in agreement. "Accha bitiya... Suno, Om Prakash ji se puch liye ho ke khana taiyaar howat ya naahi…"
"Ji Nani… Hum abhi unse keh dete hai…"
"Aur suno… Arnav bituwa se keh diye ho ke khana khake jaawat ho… Subah nashta bhi nahi kiya…"
"Thik hai, Nani ji…"
'Pata nahi humesha hum is Laad Governer kea as-pass kaise pohoch jaate hai… Aur who bhi humari itni koshisho ke baawjud… Bahot ghamand se kaha tha kal mandir mei ke unki shakal hi nahi dekhogi, pata nahi who din kab aayega! Ek baar inki aur Lavanya ji ki mangani go jaaye, bass…!', she paused a bit. She didn't like the thought of Arnav and Lavanya getting married, and this wasn't the first time she had felt so, but every time she thought of them together, her heart ached… But she knew this wasn't right, she knew it wasn't supposed to happen, she knew Arnav doesn't belong with her, that Arnav was meant for Lavanya… She stopped dead in her track… 'Devi Maiyya, hum inse milne toh jaa rahe hai, raksha karna…! Sab kuch thik se nipat jaye…' She joined her hands and prayed thrice in the air and she knocked on the already open door of Arnav's room.
He had his wardrobe thrown open in haste; the unevenly opened sliding door was the evidence. Arnav who was busy searching through his drawers for the file, didn't notice her standing at his doorway.
"Ahem ahem…", Khushi cleared her throat to announce her arrival. Arnav continued to search in the wardrobe, trying to ignore her. Ignoring her was a difficult task for him, but he knew he had to do it. Khushi was the only girl who made him go weak and he didn't like his weaknesses to be exposed, at any cost…
"Ahem ahem…."
That was it for his patience. He didn't like getting disturbed either. Arnav spun on the spot instinctively and looked at her. "What the –"
"Dekhiye, hume bhi aap se baat karne ki jyada iccha toh nahi hai, toh kripaya karke humari baat beech mei se na kaate…"
"Khushi, mai is waqt bohot busy hu, toh tum yaaha se chali jao yahi achcha hoga, tumhari lie bhi, aur mere lie bhi…"
"Lagta hai aap ko ek baar kahi hui baat samajh mei nahi aati… Hum ne kaha – "
Arnav walked towards her and pinned her to the wall, holding her tightly as she wouldn't shut up. "Listen, tum ne kya kaha aur kya nahi kaha, I am really not interested, you get that???"
Khushi looked at him, his face inches away from hers, her eyes full of questions, his eyes cold and angry at the same time. Arnav tightened the grip on her before continuing, "Ek toh tumhari vajah se mujhe apni meeting ek ghanta postpone karni padi, itne jaldi mei bhaag ke ghar aana pada… Tum hoti kaun ho meri activities ko iss had tak manipulate karne wali, huh? Kisne tumhe yeh huq diya???"
Khushi tried to get herself free from his iron-clasp, but in vein. "Aur phir bhi tumhari itni himmat ke mere kamare mei aakar mujhse hi ulti jabaan se baat karo… Ho kaun tum, huh???? Kal mujh se kehti ho ke meri shakal nahi dekhna chahti, aur aaj mere ghar pe sir utha ke chali aati ho, tum mei self-respect naam ki koi cheez hai bhi yaa nahi???"
Khushi twisted her face in pain, her eyes started to water… Seeing her hurt, Arnav quickly left her and stepped back. Khushi looked at his face, "Hum toh bass yahi kehne aaye the ke Nani ji ne kaha ke khana khaake jaiye… Hum chalte hai…"
'Damn it!', Arnav snapped in his thoughts, 'I did it again… Why do I have to hurt her every single time? And why do I have to feel bad every time I hurt her??? Why do I regret my actions after seeing the little droplets of water streaming down her eyes? Why the hell am I not able to control my emotions around her, hell with the emotions, why can't I control my anger around her? Just because this girl has the power to manipulate me, ahh, what manipulate, screw my schedule for the day? Should I say sorry again, though? But come on, why should I, what have I done wrong? It is this girl who is wrong for me – top to bottom..! Why did I have to meet her in the first place? Why did she have to standing in front of me right now – Khushi Kumari Gupta…..', he clenched his fists tightly.
Khushi turned to leave, her eyes moistening a bit, but Arnav caught her wrist from behind.
"Meri baat abhi poori nahi hui hai, damn it!"
"Humara haath chodiye…"
"Tumne suna nahi maine kya kaha?"
"Hum ne kaha humara haath chodiye…"
She started to pull her hand away from his, their fingers slid above each other in that attempt… And her engagement ring with Shyam slipped from her finger and fell on the ground…
Everything happened in like in slow motion… Arnav let go of her hand and both of them watched as the ring slowly made its way to the floor, made an impact with the marble with a low 'ting', bounced back slightly, fell again with another 'ting', and then rolled a couple of feet away, eventually lying flat on the ground…
Khushi looked at Arnav, who was looking at the ring, his eyes confused. He was quite sure he had never seen that ring on Khushi's hand before. Khushi walked to the ring and picked it from the floor. She was about to put it back in her finger, when Arnav interrupted.
"Yeh ring…?', he muttered in a low voice.
Khushi froze on spot. What on earth was she supposed to tell him about this? How was she going to explain this to him? Is she going to tell him that she got engaged yesterday? After whatever happened between them at the temple? How could she tell him??? How could she tell a man she loved that she got engaged to some other person?
"Khushi…?", Arnav said, moving a step towards her, his eyes full of questions now, "Mere sawaal ka jawaab do Khushi…"
But Khushi just stared at the place where the ring had fallen just a minute ago… Arnav couldn't bare Khushi looking away from him. He closed the distance between them and gently made her look at him. He saw Khushi's almost expression-less eyes and it scared him. This girl, always so full of life, was now staring into nothingness with a zeroed expression on her face. As if she had lost everything… As if she had lost him forever… As if this was the very last time she was watching his face….
For a moment, Arnav just listened to Khushi's uneven breaths…
"Khushi… Please…"
Khushi came into the sense with that one word – please… something that the arrogant man, Arnav Singh Raizada had never used before, request was an unfamiliar thing for him… Arnav slowly took the ring from her and held it in his hand. It was a beautiful ring, simple yet elegant, with one small diamond into a single gold band… His eyes alternated between the ring and her face…
He didn't want his worst fears come true, agreed that he had never realized his feelings for her, but to see her with someone else apart from him made his heart ache… That weird feeling of his slow, aching heart, some weird sensation in his chest of the impending loss was slowly spreading to his stomach, made him uncomfortable… He just didn't want to know Khushi was going to be with someone else, he just wanted to know that this was just a ring her parents got her for Diwali; like his mother used to gift gold to Anjali when they were kids…
"Hume humari angoothi wapas de dijiye, Arnav ji…", Khushi constructed a sentence somehow.
"Nahi", said Arnav firmly, "Jab tak tum mujhe sawaal ka –"
"Sawaal, sawaal, sawaal…!", Khushi exasperated, "Har sawaal ka jawaab dena jaroori nahi hota…"
Arnav didn't know what to do. He was standing there, helpless, thoughtless, emotionless…
"Har sawaal ka jawaab hota hai, Khushi… Aur mai use jaan na chahta hu…"
Khushi looked at a helpless Arnav, which made her brain go dizzy. "Aur har jawaab ke peeche ek vajah hoti hai…", Khushi muttered, just loud enough for Arnav to listen.
"Matlab?", his forehead creased slightly between his eyebrows.
Khushi looked at his frown. Her hand ached to lift it up and smoothen it with a gentle touch, to assure that everything was going to be alright, that she was going to be with him for the rest of their lives, but she couldn't muster up the courage to do so. Because she didn't want to give him false assurances that were never going to be realized…
"Hum chaahte hai ke aap us wajah ko samjhe…"
"Kaun si wajah, Khushi?"
"Humari sagaai ho chuki hai, Arnav ji…", Khushi said, barely audible, even to her…
Arnav saw his reflection in those beautiful eyes, but he didn't gather that his face now reflected agony, because maybe he had forgotten what it felt like… What he didn't realize that his eyes were now beginning to fill with a liquid; the feel of which he had forgotten since the death of his parents…