Chapter 2

Thirty minutes later, Khushi descends down the stairs wearing a simple maroon abstract saree that she bought a day before leaving London, http://www.utsavfashion.com/store/sarees-large.aspx?icode=SLSMU383 ) She wasn't in a mood to wear something elegant or fancy, she just bought something sophiscated and make her Buaji shut up before she started lecturing how she wasn't wearing a saree on her cousin's wedding. She hated weddings now; actually this is the first wedding she is going to see after four years. Four years ago, she loved weddings. Loved the way everybody was dancing, singing, cooking, ordering, and decorating. The excitement of shopping for gifts, cleaning the house, painting the house, and getting ready for each wedding occasion. And most of all when she went to weddings she would always sing and dance around. Tease the bride and groom. And most of all, when she went to weddings, she would think of him. The one who she would dream about marrying and giving her passion to. The one who shed her heart, her dreams, and her happiness. The one who ruined her name in California. The one to who she lost all of her friends. The one who made who her former friends go against her. The one she dated for two years. The one, whose name is Arnav Singh Raizada.

"Well...well, looks who's here." Says a voice to Khushi's left. She knew that voice, the only voice who understood her. The only voice that people thought they were twins. The voice that belong to her annoying, yet lovable same age cousin Armaan Malik (yes I used Armaan from Dil Mil Gaye). She turns around slightly about to greet him, but stops when she sees her former friends standing there. All of them looking, including Arnav Singh Raizada himself. Her body starts shaking quietly sending scary shivers throughout her body as she sees him. There he stands in a violet shirt, black-gray vest, black tie, and black pants. As before, his hair was styled as he just woke from bed giving a sexy look. Go! Khushi. Go! Walk Away, why talk to them, when they tore your heart. Khushi says to herself. Khushi looks at them and nods her head slightly at them and walks away. As she walks away, she feels a gaze on her back. Don't turn. Why turn? To show that you can feel him. Don't turn. Khushi turns her head back slightly and sees him looking at her.

Arnav leaves the small colony and heads toward her. Khushi heart stops, not knowing what to do. She doesn't want him to come, she came late to avoid him. The last person she had wanted to see is making his way towards her. But why? What does he have left to say when he tore her heart. Tore her heart when he himself knew how much she loved him. Then why, is he coming? Khushi stands there still and confused, her heart pumps as if the heart itself was finding a way to jump out and escape from the person who was coming toward her and her heart. He stops a few feet away from her and says, "Welcome back, Khushi. How was London?"

Khushi sits in the front row with her parents as Atul put sindoor on Anjali hair parting, symbolizing their love and marriage. While people see the wedding, they talk about her. Shashi Gupta's young daughter; The daughter who went to London and was an intern at London's best hospitals instead of being an intern at his own hospital; The daughter who left for four years and never came back; The daughter who left for four years and never communicated for four years; The daughter who dated the business tycoon playboy, fetching, wealthy Arnav Singh Raizada for two years and was dumped by him. She heard all the conversations as she sat in the front with her family, who were also fully aware of the gossip. But little did she know that her parents were used to it. They were used to all the gossip and still tolerated it, to which she couldn't She couldn't tolerate what she heard when she got dumped. She was already half broken after getting rejected by whom she loved, but what the society said about her broke her fully. How they said that she was dumped because she was probably infertile, probably not good in bed, and probably a wh**e to which Arnav didn't want. Little did they know that she never seduced in bed with Arnav like his other numerous girlfriends did. However, thankfully, her family trusted her completely and knew all the gossiping was fabricated. However, nobody else believed and not even her Buaji.

Khushi smiles slightly as Anjali beams at her as Atul puts a magalsultra on her. At least her dream came true. Khushi says to herself. She gets up after the wedding ceremony finishes and goes to the buffet stands that are in the back lawn. She grabs a plate just as somebody else does from the opposite side. She looks up and heart starts pounding again. Not again.

"Sorry." Arnav says as he lets go of the plate and grabs another one. Khushi tightens her grip on the plate and walks forward as she looks at the buffet meals. "No chicken korma." Khushi shakes her head indicating a no to Arnav's question. She places a spoon of Nav Ratan Korma, garlic naan, and grabs a drink of water fast but loses again, "No jalebi? How is that possible? Khushi Kumari Gupta and no jalebi. I don't know if I should be leaping in the air or faking a heart attack." Arnav says to her. But Khushi just ignores him and grabs a solo table far away from him and his clan. While she eats by herself, she hears laughs and hands clapping. Probably their stupid jokes. What else do they know? Khushi says to herself. She looks up slightly and sees her ex-best friend Payal looking at her. Payal waves at her, but Khushi just looks down. Ashamed that she ignored her best friend who had supported her and who she left without telling. Khushi shakes her head slightly trying to keep the stressful things away and gets up to drop her plate at the buffet stand. Just before going back into the house, she picks up a jalebi, thinking no one saw her. Unfortunately, Arnav sees her. He raises his eyebrows and smiles slightly as Khushi walks into the house eating a jalebi quickly.

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"You know a party is where you laugh, chatter, and dance at? Not where you stand behind a pillar and observe people." Says a voice behind her. Khushi silently cursed while wondering why he always comes when she wants to hide. He stands beside her now while looking at her.

Khushi looks straight ahead, trying not to look at him. Scared that his beauty will finish her and says, "Then why are you here? When one wishes to stand alone, then why come and disturb." She says to him. He observes her this time and sighs.

"Khushi, what is this? Why are talking to me as if you're in the 1800s. Where not strangers, you know?" Khushi turns around and walks a few inches before Arnav grabs her arm and pulls her into him. "WHAT THE HELL KHUSHI? I've been trying to talk to you all day, but your just being so egotistical and ignoring me!" Khushi just ignores him and turns her head away from her, but Arnav grips her harder. She yelps in pain at Arnav fingers crunching into her body.

"AAA-Arrr-nnav please...please...I'm hurting." She says to him as grips her harder.

"No, not until you tell me why you're being so self-centered." Arnav says to her as he subconsciously releases her from his grip. Khushi picks up her saree and runs; Runs away from the person who stands there shocked, hurt, and angered.

As Khushi runs down the stairs, she stops as she hears her former colleagues talking .

"Can you believe she came back? I mean why even show your f****ing now after four years" says Shriti whose holding a glass of alcohol.

"And you know what's worse? Arnav stared at her the whole time today, f****ing stared at her! What does the b***ch think of herself? She can come back and capture him in her grasp again? Uh..No!" says Arifa, Khushi old dorm roommate.

"I guess she doesn't care if she's bleak. Poor her'she will only find out when Arnav kicks her out of this country." Says Katrina while others laugh with her.

Khushi stands there unable to move. Unable to think that she knew these people. Unable to think they talked about her and about her in this way. She used to be invisible to everybody until she started talking to him. She wasn't like this. Like the girl who people talked about. She was silent, lonely, nice, and only bubbly to her friends and family. She didn't date guys, wear fashionable clothes, go to clubs, and drink alcohol. Furthermore, she was always home before 9pm and was even a virgin still, unlike others. And now, here she was, getting stabbed in the chest from hearing people talk like this. She stepped back afraid she'll get slaughtered if she became visible to them, but she bumped into a hard chest.

Khushi grew intense suddenly as she turned around and saw him igniting with fire. He snatched her and lead her upstairs again heatedly. As they reached upstairs, he let go. He stood there breathing heavy while still igniting, while Khushi stood there in her world.