Chapter 16
Arnav approached towards her.
"Hi, ASR!" she said, a brief look at everyone told her she was not an expected guest at all. And also being more than angry they must be shocked. Her heart beating in fear. As Arnav stood close to her, she tried to focus on him alone.
Along with getting mad or angry, everyone were really worried about the security of Khushi.
"Hey, La. It's so good to see you. Where have you been?" he asked, and maintained his tone and excitement as if he had really lost one year of memory.
He pulled her in a hug.
Khushi was utterly confused as how come she was freed from the jail. Arnav hadn't really mentioned anything regarding it to her. If he had asked Karan to release her not, she was also not aware of that as well.
"It might be the part of his plan to show he has really lost his memory, may be on his request, Karan had freed her for a while," she thought.
"I am really sorry, ASR. I was so caught up with work," she said. "But how are you now?"
He sighed. "Physically I am pretty well now, but unfortunately, I have lost my memory of a one year..."
"Yeah, Karan was telling me..." she told him.
"Come on in please...HP, can you please take La's luggage to her room?"
When he turned around he pretended to be confused, as he looked at everyone wondering why they hadn't come forward to greet Lavanya.
"Hello everyone, she is Lavanya, why you guys are pretending as if you don't even know her?...Aren't you guys excited to see her?"
Everyone for a moment let go of their anger just for Arnav's sake and they came forward to greet her.
Lavanya for a moment forgot about the fear that she had in her mind and heart, but that was only replaced by a guilt. This family was never going to see her as they always had. She will never see the happiness she used to see before seeing her.
She saw Khushi standing in a distance away from everyone, she was disturbed to see her, she could tell. She lowered her eyes to not to show anyone her tears not to Khushi especially.
"Don't you think if Arnav doesn't know anything you can take advantage of it," Payal warned her in her ear. Lavanya tightly hugged her in her arms. More tears wet her eyes.
"Payal, it's really nice to see you," she said, as they pulled back. Her guilt and pain was not kept hidden from her now. "I am really sorry everyone!"
"Sorry, for what, La?" Arnav said.
She looked at him and smiled, "ASR, I wasn't here when I could have been the part of your bad time..."
"You don't have to be sorry, I am really happy that you are here now. With you just being here, I know everything shall be fine..."
"Hopefully, ASR...And what was the announcement about?" she wondered...
"I guess you should just go and freshen up, you must be really tired!" Mami ji said to her. Doesn't matter how hard Mami ji tried she couldn't hide the hint of anger in her voice.
"Yes, and we should be preparing for the party..." Nani said, and everyone left to their own ways.
"La, get freshened up, then we shall have a cup of coffee together..."
She nodded sadly.
Khushi waited for Arnav to come to the room. As soon as he entered she stood up the bed. "You have called her?" she asked.
"Called whom?" he asked as he didn't know what she was talking about. He grabbed the file from the chest.
"You know whom am I talking about..."
"I thought you were mad at me..."
He was trying to divert the topic as he didn't want to answer her.
She stayed quite as long as he didn't say anything.
"Khushi, I am really busy right now, and you should prepare for Anjali di's engagement."
"Why you have called her here?" she asked again, when he chose not to answer her question.
Her voice shook with anger and tears...
He sighed and took time to move his eyes away from a file to look at her. Seeing her upset he walked up to her; he was going to keep his hands on her shoulder when she jerked them away.
"You are forgetting, Arnav, what she did..."
"I haven't forgotten anything, Khushi..."
"Then why you have called her that's too from the jail?"
"Khushi, speak slowly if anyone heard this there will be a problem..."
She calmed herself, getting aware of the surrounding and the situation.
"If I have called her there might be some reason."
She nodded her head. "Alright, do as you wish..." she said, and walked out of the room.
He raised his hands in the air questioningly, "Really?! God, why woman has to be complicated?"
***
Karan entered his office and saw Payal was waiting for him. "Hey, Payal..."
"Hi, Karan!"
"So, how come you are here?"
"Karan, how can you really let La, free?" she questioned.
"We don't have any other choice, Payal. We had to when Arnav was insisting, but you don't worry, she won't be a harm. My eyes are always on her..."
No matter he was saying, she wasn't going to be convinced.
"Karan, I do not believe her. I can't risk Khushi's life because of her. Not when Arnav had lost his memory."
"I understand, Payal," he said. "I know things are complicated and I will be very careful. It's only for Arnav we all are doing this."
She nodded thoughtfully. "I will keep close eyes on her as well..."
"That will be great."
***
Back at RM, La was in the hallway when she saw Khushi coming from the opposite direction, and tried her best to ignore her, she wished she could be spared.
"Khushi."
She stopped. "Khushi, how are you? I know you are upset with me. I never able to apologise for what I did. Today I want to."
"Excuse me, I am quite in a hurry..." she said and left.
Lavanya sighed, nobody was talking to her, and their anger was justified she thought. Especially, Khushi's. She saw Arnav coming too. "For what you are apologising to everyone?" he asked.
Khushi stopped. Arnav noticed it, but he didn't look at her side.
"La, come I need to make an announcement," he said and held her hand. He walked past Khushi.
Khushi wondered what he had to announce.
She saw them going downstairs and then Arnav called everyone.
"Nani, Mami, Akaash, everyone! Can you guys please come?"
"Chote, what's the matter?" Nani asked, as she made her to the living room from the kitchen.
"Nani, you all were asking me to get married to Khushi. I am sorry but I can't marry her. Because I have been committed to Lavanya."
Khushi's eyes widened in shock.
Everyone in the family looked at each other's face in shock. "Chote, what about the commitment that you had for Khushi?" Anjali questioned.
"Chote, you filled her head with vermillion, and now you are saying you are getting married to La?"
Khushi's heart thumped instead of beating in her chest. She knew he wasn't going to get married to her, then why this?
"I am sorry, but it's not possible..." Anjali said.
"What has happened to you guys, all this time you had been telling me that I should marry La, and now this?"
"Chote, we should really talk about it first!" Mama ji said.
"Bhai, I know you can't move aside for what you have already said..." Dhruv said.
"She is already married, remember guys?"
"Shut up, Chote..." Mami ji shouted. "You have to marry Khushi, that's our decision..."
"I am not marrying her at any cost..." he shouted to drown Mami ji's voice.
Khushi slowly started down the stairs, she gulped the lump in her throat.
"If you can't marry, Khushi. You aren't marrying her either!" Payal said.
"Excuse me you all, don't tell me what to do..."
"I can't marry you, ASR!" Lavanya said finally said as she noticed a raise in an arguments.
"La, is that you saying?" Arnav sounded shocked.
"I am sorry, ASR. I can't marry you..."
He turned to her and cupped her face. "La, you are kidding me, right? Tell me they pressured you!"
She shook her head, and moved his hands away. "No, ASR. We are not meant to be together..."
"Oh god, seriously!" he sounded frustrated. "I don't know what magic she has done on you everyone, that you all want me marry her..." he said and left , anger in his body language.
Lavanya saw everyone looking at her in anger. "You all don't worry, I won't take advantage of ASR's memory loss. I promise I won't..."
"Once a cheater, will always be a cheater!" Nani said, and one by one everyone left.
"Khushi lets go from here!" Payal said. "Don't spoil your mood. We all know Arnav is only yours..."
***
"Why are you doing this?" Khushi asked him. "If you think you can make me jealous then you are wrong..."
"Khushi, right now there is lot going on, please just leave."
"What are you upto?"
"I don't need to tell you everything. Please, let things go the way they are..."
"Why are behaving such a way?"
Arnav shut his eyes as he was trying to control his anger. "Please leave..."
Khushi looked at him in disbelief. "I said leave, Khushi..."
She trembled, but remained stood in her place. "Arnav, if you are upset please tell me what's wrong? What is bothering you?"
"Right now, it's you..." he shouted. "I join my hand in front of you, just leave..."
"Go!" he once again shouted and there was a dead silence. Tears from Khushi's eyes flowed freely. There was something terribly wrong with him, she knew it, but what? Was a question that she had no answers to, and she knew not in a world he was going to answer her directly.
He was huffing due to an anger. Instead of leaving she walked upto him. "Arnav, I am not leaving like this."
He held her arm and dragged her out of the room. "Arnav!" He chose not to listen her and slammed shut the door in her face.
Behind the closed doors she didn't know what was going on, neither what was in his head. Why he was so angry all of sudden? She tried not worry about it, but she couldn't help not to either.
Three days passed, Arnav hardly talked to her. Engagement preparations were done. After lot of arguments Arnav had decided to get engaged to Khushi.
That was a relief to everyone.
"Anjali di, you are looking gorgeous!" Payal said. She smiled.
"You know what, Payal, I still don't know if I should get married or not..."
"Di, I understand the struggle you and Arnav that are going through. But we all take time to adapt to the changes, you will too and with time Arnav will have his memory too."
She nodded. "I hope my Chote always stay happy."
"No evil get to my daughters!" Mami ji said, as she saw Anjali and Khushi dressed up in their engagement dresses.
Anjali and Khushi both looked at each other and smiled.
"Okay you are ready, I go and see if chote is."
"Ma, I go!" Khushi said.
"Sure, dear..."
Khushi walked out of the dressing room towards their room. "HP, whose clothes is that?" Khushi asked. "Arnav bhaiya's!" he responded.
"Oh, give to me, I will give him..."
"Okay, bhabi!" he said and give him his clothes.
She knocked on the door of their room.
"Come in!"
"Arnav, your clothes..."
"Keep them on the bed please..."
His simple and straightforward response only hurt her more.
She chose not to say anything either.
He fetched his clothes from the bed and simply walked to the washroom. She looked at his back as he went.
***
Anjali's phone screen flashed and rang. She was pinning her dupatta in a haste she didn't check the number and picked up the phone.
"Hello!"
"Anjali," she said.
Anjali froze in her support, the safety pin pricked her finger that brought her back to her senses."Who are you, and why are you calling me?" she cried.
Old woman laughed. "Are you a psycho?"
"Hello," Anjali called thrice, but phone was hung up on her.
She let out a throaty growl. "Who the hell she is?" she thought.
***
"Khushi, where is Chote?" Anjali asked.
"Di, I don't know that's what I was wondering..."
"Engagement is about to begin and I don't where he and Karan is!" Payal said. "I can't see Akaash anywhere either..."
"I know they must be having fun somewhere here..." Anjali said, her phone rang again. Payal escorted Khushi to the living room, and let Anjali received the phone call.
"Congratulations! It's your engagement day, I know you are dying to know who I am, but let us just not waste our time in introductions. Now listen carefully, Khushi's life is in danger, save her if you can..."
Before Anjali had time to ask what she was talking about, she saw Khushi standing under the chandelier that had fallen free from the roof.
"Khushi!"
Her shout stilled everyone. She was complete scared seeing her running towards her. "Khushi, move away!"
She couldn't guess move away from where. She saw something falling on her. When she realised it was a chandelier she was paralysed.
She ran as fast as she could and on the other hand Arnav had just walked inside when he saw this happened, luckily he wasn't far.
"Khushi," he shouted, and was already running to save her, he pushed Khushi away from underneath it on time.
Chandelier stopped 6 feet away from the ground. What was it at first place Anjali wondered?
Family came running towards them.
Khushi's heart stopped as Arnav fell on top of her, this incident reminded her of the same accident that happened over a year ago. Her head spun and her breath got stuck in her throat. "Arnav!" Khushi said in fear.
