Chapter 31

Pearl_Oyster

@Pearl_Oyster

Part 31

Feeling exhaustion at the mental level, Arnav walked back to the show and took his place. There was a concluding speech for him to finish followed by a speech from the co-organizer of the show, Mr. Roy.

Sitting there, Arnav scanned the entire seating area and the audience to find no trace of Khushi.

"She left..!" He told himself and tried to divert his attention back to the show, which he knew was going to be an arduous job.

~~***~~

Khushi hurried back to the audience area and located Anjali-Abhay, who were already heading towards her.

In a minute, all three had left the area and walked to the lounge which was quite deserted at the moment.

"You were great, Khushi. From the place I stood, you were looking angelic and mesmerizing. And the smile you were flashing all that time was adding more effect to it" Abhay burst into praises making Khushi blush.

"Yeah, Khushi. Abhay is right. You and Bhai were just amazing. The way you both posed for the clicks, you two looked so made for each other. And I even heard a few people complimenting how good you two look with each other" Anjali said making Khushi's smile falter and bringing an odd silence in the room.

"Thank you" Khushi said out of obligation while Abhay maintained an indifferent look all this while.

"We should leave now" He spoke tersely after he noticed wetness in Khushi's eyes and she nodded in approval.

"Can I join you two?" Anjali asked and seeing the look on Abhay's face, she regretted it.

It was quite evident that he wasn't willing to have her anywhere around him and that did hurt her.

"Yeah of course, Anjali. You don't have to ask that. We'll drop you. Sir, I mean Mr. Roy had told me that the show will wrap in an hour or so. So by then Arnav is going to be occupied" Khushi said, indirectly explaining to Abhay and gesturing him to say something.

"Yeah, you are welcome" Abhay replied and headed towards the parking.

"Are you okay, Anjali?" Khushi asked in immediate concern as she noticed a lone tear sliding down her cheek.

"Yeah, I am fine. It's just something went in my eye" Anjali replied, wiping the tear drop and smiling forcibly.

"Okay" Khushi replied thoughtfully and both of them left for the parking.

~~***~~

After dropping Anjali at RM, Abhay and Khushi reached their flat and Abhay had hurried to his room.

This was the last hint Khushi needed to guess that something was definitely wrong between the young lovers. And not only Anjali but Abhay too was hurting from it.

After changing her clothes, she knocked the door of Abhay's room.

"Come in, Khushi" Came a hoarse voice from the room.

Khushi stepped into the room and in pitch black darkness.

She fought her way to the switches and lit the bulbs.

"Why are you sitting in darkness?" She asked turning to the bed, and found Abhay sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands clutching his head.

"What's wrong, Abhay?" she quickly reached his side and asked. To her surprise, he turned to her and side-hugged her.

"Abhay" Khushi breathed in surprise. This was the first time she had seen her best friend in such a vulnerable state.

"I love her a lot" He said the words, as Khushi patted his shoulder in an affectionate way.

"I know" she replied, waiting for him to talk more.

Pulling back from the hug, he adjusted his position to face Khushi.

"I love her more than anything" He continued and Khushi nodded. This was the time for her to be there for her best friend.

"And it hurts a lot to see her getting hurt because of me. I don't want to hurt her, Khushi"

"Hmm" Khushi said. She was waiting for him to speak out the reason for his recent behaviour towards Anjali.

But Abhay didn't, he just continued staring into emptiness.

"Abhay, tell me, why are doing this? If you love her, why are you trying to prove her that you don't?"

"Because, I won't be ever able to give a name to our relation"

"And why so?"

"Because I won't marry her. How can I? When I know she is the sister of the man who ruined your life?" He let out, once again staring into nothing.

For Khushi, she felt like running to the kitchen, grabbing a saucepan and hitting it hard on Abhay's head. Maybe that would make his brain functional.

"Are you crazy, Abhay? Or have you rented your brains to someone?" Khushi screamed in her affordable decibels and the sudden outburst from her, made Abhay spring up from the bed in sheer shock, and he ended up falling off the bed.

The scene suddenly went hilarious and Khushi bit her tongue to not laugh. Abhay got up rubbing his back and shooting glares at Khushi.

"What? Save your glares for someone who gives a damn about it" she screamed again.

"Was that a way to react?" Abhay asked in a gritting tone, cursing the throbbing pain in his butts...err...I mean his back.

"You literally chased the life out of me with that hysterical scream" He said bitterly.

"I had to. Among all the reasons I was expecting behind your outlandish behaviour, you had THIS? She being Arnav's sister?" Khushi voice was again gaining decibels.

"So? Did you want me to go running on all fours and hug Anjali saying that I simply adore the fact that you are sister of the man who has been a disaster to my best friend's life? I can't, Khushi. I thought my relation with Anjali will always be a reminder for you. A reminder of your unrequited love for Arnav and the pain which followed. So I tried to maintain distance with Anjali. I thought the less you and I'll see her, the less it will remind you of Arnav. But in my heart I knew I was failing. The more I tried to be away from her, the more I hurt her and myself. And today I made her cry. Yeah, I had seen the tears in her eyes. And as I couldn't handle it, I left for the parking" Abhay said, his face showcasing pain.

"But why did you do this, Abhay? There was no need" Khushi said, in a soft tone, her heart touched by the affection which lay in Abhay's heart for her.

"You and Anjali when together, it doesn't remind me of my wretched past, Abhay, instead it gives me satisfaction to see you happy with her. What if my love was unrequited? At least, you are getting your love returned? I am happy for you. For you and Anjali. I won't ever want you to crush your feelings for Anjali. If you do this, you are doing injustice to her. What has she done to be the centre of all these mistreats by you? She is innocent in all this. How can you let your judgement be so clouded?" Khushi said and looked expectantly towards Abhay, hoping her words had driven some sense into him.

"I am so sorry, Khushi. You are right. I hurt my Anjali for no good reason. How and when did I become such a poor judge of things? I am such a horrible person. I don't deserve, Anjali. I have ruined everything" Abhay said, once again sitting on the edge of the bed, hiding his face in his palms.

"No Abhay, you are not a horrible person. Actually you are a silly and mentally challenged person" Khushi said, keeping her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah...WHAT?" Abhay said, looking up and seeing mischief shimmering in Khushi's eyes.

"Don't what' me Abhay Singh! Get your phone and message Anjali that you want to meet her tomorrow. Take her to some good place, and say sorry to her" Khushi ordered.

"Okay" Abhay smiled and out of nowhere hugged her again, knocking the breath out of her body.

"Thanks a lot, Khushi" He said and pulling back from the hug, laughed at the weird expression she was giving.

"What?" he asked.

"I am warning you, Abhay. Stop hugging me like you are trying to crack my bones" She complained making Abhay laugh more.

~~***~~

Arnav had received a message from Anjali that she was leaving with Khushi and Abhay and that he shouldn't wait for her. After the show had officially ended, Arnav had driven back to his mansion.

A mansion which could comfortably house more than fifty people but reeked of emptiness and loneliness.

If not for Anjali's liveliness and laughs and the row of servants who kept bustling in and out of the house, the mansion could have been mistaken to be deserted.

Now lying on the king-sized bed in the largest room of the mansion, Arnav was struggling with his thoughts.

Thoughts which were mostly comprised of Miss Khushi Gupta, his ex-employee of a month. That was the only way he could relate her with himself without making her hand rise in objection.

While he was thinking about Khushi, his thoughts drifted towards Abhay. It was no question that he was envious and jealous of Abhay's proximity with Khushi. But the thought which was now buzzing in his head wasn't about Abhay-Khushi. It was something he had noticed between Abhay and Anjali. It didn't take Einstein's brain to calculate that Anjali was attracted to Abhay. Arnav had noticed it very first time Anjali had introduced Abhay to him. But that time he was too surprised to see Khushi at his door to think about Abhay-Anjali angle.

And then he had noticed it during the dance, where Anjali was trying her best to be near him. And finally it was today. He had noticed pain in his sister's eyes. A pain which was similar to his. The pain which comes with the feeling that your love is unwanted and useless. The love he was offering to Khushi, she was not willing to accept it. So does it mean, Anjali is in love with Abhay? The man who repels his sanity and makes his temper loose?

NO. That wasn't even possible. How can Anjali love a man whom her brother hates? But then she doesn't know that he hates Abhay. How will she? Arnav had tried his best to keep his sinful past away from her. He didn't want his little sister to know that her Bhai was once a heartless monster. What if she too starts hating him like Khushi, like himself?

So it was his decision to keep his loving sister away from his past, from all the pains. And that included keeping her away from Abhay too. If she gets too close to that man, he might spill out his past to her. And he couldn't risk it. And greater to all of this, he couldn't let Abhay Singh play with his sister's heart. He'll protect her from all wrong things.

And Abhay was indeed a wrong guy.

___________________________________________

I SINCERELY thank all the people who LIKED/COMMENTED/BOTH on the previous update.

Especially the comments from my regular readers. Your comments install in me the willingness to write further. Love you all so much. ❤️

P.S. No Love for the Silent ones. 😡

-Kiran-

Pearl_Oyster2013-11-15 07:12:22