Chapter 20

 

As soon as their lips met, all anger, all irritation vanished into thin air and it was only pure, unadulterated passion that was bubbling in between. Their hearts exploded, imploding them in a frenzy of aggression, longing and love. To say they were overwhelmed was an understatement. As their lips caressed each other's, their tongues battled each other's, there was a sense of familiarity simmering between these two strangers who until then had shared nothing except a constant annoyance for each other. Then how did just one intimate moment changed the very way of viewing their chemistry? Was it what they wanted? Was it their constant yearning for love that propelled them into an easy space where nothing else mattered except their presence with each other? Was it their loneliness that defined the passion this moment beheld? They had no clue for they were not in a state of mind to think, they were just celebrating the experience.

 

  Arnav had never felt so blissful in his life after he imprisoned himself in the webs of his self made guilt and regret. What started as a mere show of ego had now changed into a beautiful confluence of two hearts. Just this kiss changed the whole dynamics between them. It was exhilarating to feel the woman in your arms responding to your passion with equal fervour. Their intimacy was magically healing their deep wounds, one that never held back from hurting them. What was that which made them connect in such a way? Why were they hurled in front of each other in total different and haggard circumstances and then pushed into a whirlpool of sheer perfection and contentment in a bang? What made him kiss her? Had he always had that feeling that may be this woman was the only one who had that extraordinary power to cool his raging feelings when she was the very person who fuelled his arrogance? Why was he feeling nothing but gratification and ease with her when this emotion never had cropped up since he took a detour from being his actual self- calm, composed and warm? What tied him to this woman in such manner? He had no idea...he was blissfully drowned in the cherished feeling of being loved after ages. Because the kiss brimmed with love, affection and belonging. There was not a trace of the power, ego and pride which actually had triggered the clash.

 

  As soon as his angry lips touched hers, Khushi lost her senses. She was just being carried in that pleasure his lips were bubbling in her. Not just pleasure and ecstasy, there was a pull, a tug in her heart which wanted nothing but care and tenderness. She felt like someone who drank the blessed water after being tormented in heat for ages. His warmth cooled her down, provided her solace and healed her wounded heart without even her knowledge. She didn't want to lose this; she didn't want to feel alone anymore. She wanted nothing more than to live in that moment forever. She wanted nothing but to lose herself in the raged flow of her emotions. She wanted nothing but to be in the arms of a stranger, who was strangely very dear to her. How she had no idea.

 

However, destiny had more plans to torment them and it immediately launched into action by sending a speeding, honking truck in their way, which broke the happy bubble these two people were in. As Khushi and Arnav broke apart, everything which had magically vanished came back to haunt them. They were knocked down hard by the enormity of actions they had just committed and both of them were in loss for words to define what they had done. Khushi closed her mouth when she realized that her invisible wall of constraint had been shattered by the very person who had unknowingly made her fortify her heart to save herself from all the insults and poisons he had hurled at her. She had given into someone who had called her cheap and had a very lowly image of her in his eyes. What was wrong with her? How did she lose herself? Tears made their way through her sad, tortured eyes as she continued to stare at her hands, twisting and turning them in an effort to understand her heart.

 

What Khushi felt was nothing compared what Arnav endured. He felt disgusted of himself, mortified by his own lead in what had just transpired. The one who had successfully managed to shut his emotions and veered his heart to feel for just one woman had made a horrifying mistake of being passionate with another. Even more tormenting was the fact that he was the one who had started it. Guilt and revulsion shot up through him and he vented out his fury at the only person standing in front of him, being confused just as much how he was, "What the f**k! Why did you even come in front of me? You might be very happy that I kissed you right? You wanted it right? That is why you responded!"

 

Khushi couldn't believe her ears that this man had the audacity to blame her for his mistakes and she shot back, "it was you who kissed me! It was not me! You are the one who probably wanted all of this to happen! How disgusting of you to blame me for your wrongdoings!"

"Just shut up!" he fired, "and get the hell out of here. Don't rile me up more!"

 

"You get lost!" Khushi snapped, "don't come to order me around!"

"I am not going anywhere!" Arnav shot back, his eyes burning with fury, "you are no one to tell me what I have to do and what I have to not! Don't you dare cross my path again... next time I don't think I will stop at this if you provoke me anymore. Beware. Just stay f**king away from me if you wish to keep your sanity!"

 

Khushi wiped her angry tears and shouted at his face, "And you! Don't think I am going to sit simply after all this! I am going to get back to you! Don't show me your face again! You disgust me! Just get lost!" and stormed away from him. Arnav just stared at her going, without having any idea of how to react...

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Anjali walked silently into her room to find Vinay standing near the window, looking miserable. Chhote was right, whatever he might have done he loved her more than anything in the world. That love and affection had to be respected and adored. Even before, she had committed a mistake of not recognizing his love. She had given him so much pain. It was time to rectify her mistake by forgiving him this time. Hence, she took a brave stance, smiled a smile that reached her eyes and called, "Vinay?"

 

Vinay turned in a flash and his eyes found the smiling face of his wife. His breath got stuck and his heart started beating erratically. He had thought that may be Anjali will never come to him after coming to know about his and Arnav's fight. But her face suggested otherwise. All his doubts, his hesitation vanished when she raised her arms in anticipation of a hug and before he knew it, he went and crashed himself to her, "I am sorry, Anju... I am really sorry..."

"It's okay, Vinay..." she calmed him drawing soothing circles on his back, "it's okay..."

"I thought you would never forgive me after all that happened..." Vinay said earnestly, his voice shockingly pleading, "I cant bear to stay away from you Anjali..."

"It's Chhote who sent me back, Vinay..." Anjali said truthfully, "he didn't want us to break apart for what happened to him..."

 

Tears rolled out of his eyes, tearing him apart with guilt. He didn't have any face to show Arnav at all. Even though what he did was unintentional and sheer anger, he could forgive himself for all the pain, suffering he had unknowingly brought on a little boy, who probably at that time didn't even know what was showing anger all about. He was happy in his bubble and innocence and he had murdered that.

 

"I am ashamed of myself, Anju..." Vinay confessed, resting his head on her shoulders, "I didn't do anything on purpose, Anju...it is just that my anger got better of my conscience that day..."

 

Anjali perked up. Lifting Vinay's head in her palms she asked, "What do you mean by that Vinay? What happened?"

"If there is one thing that I can't bear is you getting hurt, Anjali..." Vinay whispered, "I have always fought with those who have hurt you. I was even angry with maa for a week when she wrongly accused you for making Akash fall from the stairs when it was entirely his fault. I hate when someone makes you cry. I hate when someone gives you pain. The fury I get when you are harmed in unimaginable. That was the fury that had prompted me to take that drastic step of demolishing the orphanage that day."

 

Extreme possessiveness was an essential trait of Vinay and Anjali was aware of it. She knew how much possessive he was about her. He was the kind who went to punish a thorn which hurt her even though if it was she who stepped on it. Vinay neither cared nor appraised the situation when it came to Anjali. It was always Anjali had to be fine else everything else had to face his wrath. He was someone who would go to any lengths to protect and safeguard Anjali. Anjali got scared, "what had happened that you went and demolished the orphanage? How is it even connected to me..?"

 

Vinay looked at Anjali, petrified. From years together now, Vinay had kept a truth from Anjali knowing or rather fearing that she might probably break down from shock when she heard it. But today unknowingly, he himself had blurted out half the scenario to her and his wife was even more stubborn than him and she wouldn't back down until she heard the whole story from his mouth. He knew it was time to curtail the happenings. He could only pray that Anjali took it in a right spirit.

 

He took her hands in his and said earnestly, "Anju... I have kept a truth from you. Not because I didn't trust you with it but I just got scared about how you would receive it." Anjali looked on, confused and scared at the same time.

 

"Vinay, what is the matter?" she pressed, her pretty hazels uneasy and afraid, "you are scaring me..."

"Anju..." he cupped her face in his hands, "you remember who was responsible for everything that happened to you?" he whispered very slowly, giving her time to grasp and understand it instead of getting shocked.

 

Haunting images from the past flitted past her eyes, engulfing her in the extreme pain it inflicted. Her heart beat erratically. Her blood pounded and she felt weak on her knees. But before she could drown in her miseries, she was steadied by Vinay, who held her protectively and lovingly. "I knew you would react like this...this is why I hid this from you."

"No..." she steadied herself, desperately trying to feel strong, "its fine..., tell me how this relates to whatever you did to Chhote..."

"The one who started all this mess operated from that very place I demolished..." Vinay told, "he was making another plan to hit all of us and in that fury, I decided to attack him and destroy him.  That was why I demolished the whole building without even thinking the aftermath it would bear..."

"Vinay..." Anjali gasped, "what...what have you..."

"I know, Anju..." he whispered, touching his forehead with hers, feeling extremely low, "it was a very big mistake... I put the lives of hundreds who stayed there to jeopardy without even thinking. A very big mistake..."

"This mistake will not have any redemption chances given from Chhote, Vinay..." Anjali muttered dejectedly, "I wasn't hoping such blunders from you. I had very high expectations..." and went off, leaving Vinay burn in the hell he had created for himself.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

There are only two kinds of people in this world: the ones who take everything in their stride until their strength shatters and the others who have no power of endurance. Impulsive, reckless people snap at everything, crib and complain and lash out at petty things while the ones who have been gifted with that enormous power of self control, wait, assess, think and then, if they think it is worthy of their emotions, battle it out. At that time, either a person can break down and cry his heart out or leash his fury, his bottled up frustration, his anger and rage.

 

  When that persistence snaps, when that patience reaches its breaking point, when someone is tested beyond their endurance, the fury that radiates from them is unimaginable. It is not impulsive. It is not instantaneous. It does not develop in a brink of time. It is not something that has no credence. It doesn't explode suddenly and diminish into nothingness within few moments. It waits...it bids its time...it boils...slowly, calculatingly and patiently.

 

Only when it is just not any more possible to put up with any of the shit, when it is beyond our level of tolerance, only when we feel we are done with it, we are not ready to hold up with any nonsense, the dam of emotions shudder and burst, drowning us in its momentous power. While crying calm us down, relieve all our pent up sentiments, anger destroys the inner peace. It destructs the self esteem, the calmness, the tranquillity of the soul. It ruins everything. But sometimes, that inner volcano, that molten lava has to come out, has to blow up and has to flow out of the person's heart because confined anger burns the person from within. It disintegrates all the happy memories, all the emotions and feelings and ruins the heart, the soul, the very reason of living. Anger, sometimes, has to be flushed out.

 

  While men and boys tussle in anger, girls weep. They relieve all their aggravation, their bottled up irritation by lashing out crying. They weep their hearts until their eyes are blood red. They bawl and wail until the ears of the listeners are forced shut. They go on this crying spree for weeks. Women cry but they cry within themselves. They hide their tears behind the masquerade of forced happiness. They ignore the pain until they are alone, lonely and absolutely helpless. Only then they let out their feelings. But Khushi was neither of them.

 

She didn't cry for silly things. She didn't hide her tears. She only, until the point of endurance, had restricted her feelings to surface. But there is only so much a person can withstand and Khushi's emotional fortification had collapsed the moment that stranger had invaded it. She didn't cry, she didn't wail, she didn't bawl. She yelled. She screamed. She tried to destroy herself in that feral rage that no one can relate to a woman sentiment.

 

 When Diya and her family members had been woken up by the carnal screams, they had rushed to Khushi's room to find her standing amidst all the ruins of her perfectly kept room, staring at the back wall of the mirror with her bloodshot eyes. Those thousands shattered pieces of the glass littered the floor, around her feet and her hands were drenched in her own blood that seeped when she punched the mirror into shards. Pain was etched on her beautiful face but that wasn't physical pain, it was emotional upheaval that showed up on her face, in her eyes. She was numb, frozen back into a time period which was buried by her ages ago but had surfaced and attacked her today, when she let go of her guard, when that stranger mercilessly ripped it off her. It was only a matter of time that Khushi's temper broke and it had required a cause, a reason to snap and that reason was Arnav Singh Raizada.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It was two days to April 4 and Akash wanted everything to be perfect for his brother's show. From what he had heard, this show was extremely important to Arnav and it was attached to his heart. That explained why he had slogged for eight years to make his work culminate at AR's biggest fashion event. Hence, following the Raizada ritual that he so much believed in, Akash had come to nearby temple to offer his prayers. He strongly felt that even Arnav didn't believe in god and everything, the almighty had some hand in how his life had shaped up and needless to say, he was a staunch believer, not over the top but strong.

 

After praying to god, when he was about to leave, a melodious laughter stopped him. He turned and looked around and promptly got knocked off. There she was, a beautiful woman standing with her family and laughing her head off at some joke. She was wearing a plain white kurta and bottoms and a purple stole that contrasted with white so elegantly. Her hair had been pulled in with a clip and stray tendrils were playing about on her face. Relatively simple yet extremely beautiful.

 

Something about her simplicity in her stance and her laugh drew Akash in and before he knew, strange feelings had already made their place in his heart. He knew that he had just lost himself. Akash never thought that falling in love was so quick. He was feeling blissful that he somehow chose a right woman. What he didn't know was she was completely a contradiction to what he had envisioned her to be...

 

The girl became aware of someone staring at her and turned around to look at the eyes of Akash Raizada, one who frequently made his presence with his older brother in the newspaper tabloids. She swelled a little when she realized that the younger Raizada was checking her out in temple and smirked a little. That smirk seemed to jolt Akash out of his dream land and he scurried away, looking positively alarmed at being caught red handed while shamelessly ogling at her.

 

 Payal laughed when she saw Akash scarper out of the temple as though someone had set him on fire. It surprised her that she was laughing so much when she was positively in a very foul mood in the morning because Shyaam hadn't received her call. She didn't even want to come to temple but thinking that denying a temple visit might trigger the doubt caravan of her parents, she had grudgingly accompanied them. But it looked like her visit was worth. For she saw the perfect door that would lead her to the life and the man she wanted, Arnav Singh Raizada.