Season 2|Walk With Me|Ch34: The Mehendi Friction

Chapter 21: The Broken Man

Arnav wanted to get it all out today. If she stopped him or interrupted him, he would not find the strength to tell her everything.

He took a deep breath and started to talk "I didn't understand what I was supposed to do Khushi. All I knew at that point was that I wasn't good enough for you. So I had to better myself and make myself a better person. I became quite serious with my studies and in time I did succeed in finding the path I was interested to walk on. But in finding my path to success I had forgotten about the most important thing that I had in my life. I had ignored my Family. I realized it too late. It was during my final year at college that I got a call informing me that my parents had met with an accident."

Khushi could see the pain in his eyes. She could sense his entire past flash in front of his eyes. Her heart felt so much pain looking at him in this state. She slowly took her hand and placed it on his shoulder. She was pressing it hard to try and give him strength to go on. She wanted to know everything all at one go. Only then would she be able to help him out of the mess he lives around in.

Arnav looked at her. Her eyes were giving him strength. He wanted to let it all out today. He may never be able to open his heart out to her but he had promised her that he wouldn't hide anything from her. She had a right to know. She was his wife.

He took another breath and resumed "I ran behind my dreams. I ran to prove myself to the world and hopefully even to you. When I came to attend the funeral I got to know that you were in love with someone else. I broke even more Khushi. I was running behind a dream and I had lost everything along the way. I had lost my parents. The little time I could have spent with them was lost as I was in a boarding school. I may even become the richest man in the world one day but without my parents all this success is meaningless. The only reason I work so hard day and night is to hopefully make the name Raizada go down in books. It is the only thing I have from my parents. My identity."

Khushi held back with all her might. She was on the verge of complete breakdown as she started to feel slightly responsible for all of this. She didn't know when she opened her mouth and voiced out "D..do you b..bl..blame me for your parents death Arnav? Do you h..ha..hate me?"

This broke Arnav's trail of thought as he finally registered Khushi's state. He immediately grabbed her and slammed her to his chest and tightly embraced her as Khushi cried silently onto his chest. 

Arnav picked Khushi off her feet. 

Khushi's body immediately relaxed in his arms but she had hidden her face on his chest. She could tolerate anything in the world except for her husband's hate. She was really scared to look into his eyes. If his eyes showed hatred towards her, Khushi felt she would die on the inside.

Arnav placed her gently on the bed and knelt beside her. She wasn't letting go of the embrace. Arnav kissed her forehead and pushed her slightly to make her look at him. His heart felt pain as he looked into her angelic face and saw fear. 

Khushi closed her eyes refusing to look into his eyes. A few minutes ago she had looked at his love and desire in his eyes. She would never be able to live with herself if she saw hate.

She was clutching onto Arnav's shirt even after he had parted slightly from her. Khushi's eyes remained tightly shut even after Arnav had tilted her head slightly to look at him.

Arnav retracted Khushi's hand from it's hold and kissed her trembling hands and enclosed them in between his. "Look at me."Arnav said with power.

Khushi's eyes flickered open the moment she felt his lips on the flesh of her hand.

In a hoarse voice he said "I do not blame you for any of this. None of this is your fault. You had all the rights to turn me down even if that day you had a different conversation with your friends. My parents died in a car accident and I do not blame you for that either. I do not blame you for being the reason for me going to a boarding school. It was all me. It was my decision. I had become selfish. My love made me selfish. I wanted to have you in my life and for that I was ready to tackle the entire world. But in the process of achieving everything I always wanted, I lost the stuff that I already had. The reason I cannot love is not because I hate you Khushi. I don't think I will ever be able to hate you in this lifetime. But I cannot bring myself to love you again. I am too scared to open my heart again. I'm too tired of losing because of my love. I don't want to lose anything ever again."

Arnav finally broke down. Khushi immediately moved back on the bed and pulled him. She kept his face on her lap as he silently let his tears fall.

Khushi silently ruffled through his hair and kept wiping away his tears. Her hands were soothing Arnav and he didn't know when he drifted off to sleep. He was really exhausted with venting out feelings after having them buried deep down in his heart. He had let everything out and immediately felt lighter. Like a burden was off his chest. He slept quite peacefully even though he had re-lived his entire past today.

Khushi kept staring at him for quite a long time.

She was clueless on what she had to do now.

She tried to push him back on his pillow so that she can take a small walk and clear her head. But as she tried to get up, Arnav unintentionally put his arms around her waist and pulled her flush to him. Khushi's lips almost landed on Arnav's as she barely stopped her head. He was deep asleep.

Suddenly a realization dawned on her. The peace she was trying to attain by going out for a walk had splashed all over her calming her body the instant she landed on Arnav's embrace.

Without even trying to Arnav had erased the pain that was in her heart just by pulling her in his embrace. She was worried about the future but through their conversation Khushi had become sure of one thing.

The feeling that pulled her towards him was far beyond physical attraction.

She had fallen deeply in love with Arnav Singh Raizada.

---To Be Cont---