Part 5

1 months ago

manjiri

@m4manju

For happyy_me and for the ring scene you liked from the og OS ♥

It's quite a loaded chapter. Please read with patience.

--*--

Arnav saw a man wearing a cap towards khushi, his back facing Arnav. This could be any random person, perhaps known to the other two girls walking with Khushi. Or he could be someone from the college who knew her. Still, something was bothering Arnav's mind. So, deciding to keep an eye on Khushi in case this stranger came to talk to her, Arnav got out of the car.

However, just as he took a step towards the campus, his eyes noticed something else. A large tree in the campus, a lose branch hanging from it, about to fall. It did not seem heavy but big enough to badly hurt someone. And khushi was coming directly under the tree, oblivious to it.

"Khushi!" Arnav shouted, "Move!" he said loudly, catching her attention and running towards her simultaneously. She and her friends heard his shouting and his wild hand gestures and looked up to see the branch just in time. They quickly moved away. Arnav also reached there at that instant. The branch fell on the ground with a thud, albeit inaudible to arnav as his heart was beating loudly in his chest.

Amidst all this, he failed to notice that he had alerted the man who heard his voice and quickly went away from there! And thus, Shyam Manohar Jha barely escaped from getting caught by Arnav Singh Raizada! Cursing him as well as thanking his luck to have heard Arnav's voice in time, Shyam decided to leave the site. However, the last thing he saw before turning away was Arnav holding khushi's hand in his protective hold!

"Tum thik ho?" Arnav asked with panic, still evident in his voice.

Khushi blinked her eyes, trying to come to terms with a lot of things. Arnav was here, in her college. He saved her from getting hurt. He was worried for her. HER!!!

She managed to nod.

She watched as he took out his phone and his expressions changed from relieved to angry in a fraction of a second as he spoke on phone, "Mohan! Why the hell are you not here to pick up Khushi?"

He perhaps mentioned something about being stuck in traffic as Khushi heard arnav say, "Traffic is not an excuse, damn it! No need to come to work if you cannot do one thing well." And he cut the call.

Khushi's mouth was hanging open in shock hearing him speak in that tone for the first time since she knew him! He was always so polite, so soft spoken around her.

"Come, I will drop you home." She heard him say. Now his tone was soft, no trace of his earlier anger in his voice. Which one of his personalities was real?

She found herself nodding and followed him to his car.

Meanwhile, Arnav's eyes noticed a blue bracelet on the dusty road, just outside the college gate. His eyes steeled in anger as he remembered that Shyam had a bracelet very similar to this one. Bending down, he quickly picked it up and pocketed it. The scoundrel was supposed to be in jail, wasn't he? He better be or else Arnav won't be so merciful this time to follow legal route!

--*--

Anjali came down for lunch even when she didn't feel like eating much. But she knew Khushi would confront her later and catch her lie if she tried to and then get upset for skipping meals. So, she went ahead. Besides, she also wanted to tell them something important.

She saw that payal, mami ji and Nani were already at the lunch table. Pulling a chair for her, she quietly took her place in front of Mami ji.

"Arnav called this morning." She said softly and then added, "He is going to stay for another week. For the- the party that Khushi has planned. It seems, she invited him." It was one of the rarest times when arnav and she communicated. When it was about something important. Like Khushi.

Payal looked up at her immediately with a frown while mami's face brightened. She would try to get him to come back home this time, mami ji decided. Payal on the hand, decided to keep an eye on Khushi as she would do whenever arnav was around. She had failed to protect her sister from all evil 3 years ago, but not after that.

Devyani's old eyes rested on Anjali who looked torn. It was not easy for any of them. Until a few years ago, Devyani Singh Raizada had prided herself in thinking she held her family well. She had raised her daughter's orphaned kids well. But her myths shattered 3 years ago when Khushi met with a near-fatal accident. Caused by Shyam. In a way, because of Arnav. For the sake of an emotional Anjali! All too many bitter pills to swallow at her age!

But she still gathered herself, owing to 3 people, Khushi, Anjali, and Arnav! A girl who their family had wronged, a granddaughter who had been through too many unfair blows of fate and a grandson who lost his way in his pursuit for finding his sister's happiness.

Nani kept her hand on Anjali's who was fiddling with the spatula without serving anything, "Bitiya, aap thik hai (are you ok)?"

Anjali left the utensil and rested her hand on the table in defeat, "Pata nahi (I don't know), nani. Sahi aur galat ke beech mein ek ko choose karna aasan hai lekin naadani aur beparwahi mein se kis ko chunein (It is easy to choose between right and wrong but how to choose between senselessness and recklessness)?"

It was true. It had been one of the toughest times in Anjali Singh Raizada's life when she sent Arnav away from her life. After knowing what he did with Khushi, married her on blackmail, brought her to live under the same roof as shyam and then kept shyam's evil face hidden from all of them, she felt betrayed. Did he ever try to think how she would feel when she got to know that he gave shyam a chance on her behalf? Besides, how exactly did he deal with shyam? Collecting proof? Going to the police? Trying to alert anyone else in the family? Nope! He evidently did nothing. Until he himself landed in trouble! Until shyam finally managed to kidnap arnav and in process he and khushi nearly got killed! What kind of a twisted sense of protectiveness this was that Arnav claimed he had for his di?

So, when he expressed his regret, and wished to live away as his penance, she didn't stop him. She did, however, blame herself as well for his eccentric behavior. Somewhere she failed to assure him that she could be strong enough to bear shyam's betrayal. So, when she lost her baby weeks later, she absorbed her pain thinking this was her punishment!

And then Anjali Singh Raizada rose from the ashes and took reins of her distraught family in her hands.

"Hello hi bye bye, iss mein sochne ki kono jarurat hi naahi hai Anjali bitiya. No needs! 3 saal se hamare arnav bitwa banwas jhel rahe hai, ab un ko iss ghar ma return aane ka padi (There is nothing to think about, Arnav is in exile for 3 years, he has to return to home now)."

"Agar arnav ji yaha aye toh hum Khushi ko lekar yaha se chale jayenge (If Arnavji returns here, I will leave with Khushi)." Payal instantly spoke with utmost clarity, ready to wage a war if needed.

"Mami ji, Payal bhabhi, aap dono bass kijiye (stop it you two), please. We have already discussed this many times by now. Arnav will not be coming back until Khushi is happy, stable in her life, until we are sure that nothing from her past will affect her."

"Aur waise bhi, we all remember what happened the last time her past was mentioned, don't we?" Payal focused on her place but said in a clear voice.

Mami's face fell at that unwelcome memory. "It was an accidental slip; I did not do it intentionally."

"Telling Khushi that Di's first husband fell in love with her was not a small thing, maa ji."

No one said anything after that. Their thoughts going back to the time when Khushi learnt this part of her past. On the verge of opening Pandora's box that was her forgotten memories. What followed was her numerous questions, their numerous efforts to explain to her about shyam and her going in a silent mode for days after that! Going in a shell, not saying a word about what she was going through to anyone. She had been overwhelmed with the information and refused to let anyone help her!

It finally took Vikrant to reach out to her as a doctor. He told her that the only culprit in that case was Shyam. He showed her news covering from the time of shyam's court case- (all of which were made to hide Arnav's link to Khushi, and didn't reveal anyone's faces, sadly including Shyam's)- that she finally got convinced. And then slowly came back to normalcy.

Vikrant then explained to them that they had to be extremely careful before mentioning anything else about her past to her. At that point of her recovery, any slightest mistake and they could lose her. She could go hysterical, lose her sanity or worse still, try to run away! So, until they were sure that she would be able to handle the truth, or her memories came back on their own, they had to keep up with the charade they started!

--*--

Garima looked at her jiji and jijaji's photo with teary gaze. They were khushi's parents, two of the most important people in her life. How angry they must be with her now? She couldn't do anything for Khushi, while Khushi sacrificed everything for her family, for payal's happiness.

She felt madhumati's hand on her shoulder and wiped her tears.

"Jiji, you didn't sleep yet?"

"Khussi ko yaad karat ho (Were you missing Khushi)?"

Garima didn't say anything.

"She is safe, nandkishor. The Raizada family is not leaving any stone unturned to keep her happy, to give her everything which we could never give her here. Even if we sold our everything! Besides, payaliya is also there with her, hai ki naahi?"

"Wohi soch kar apne aap ko manate hai, jiji. Par hum uski amma hai na, fikar hoti hai uski (I calm myself down thinking the same. But I am her mother, so I worry). After her accident, when arnav ji said to let her live as Raizada's daughter, I wanted to oppose. But naniji's words made me think. She had asked can we give Khushi the same comfort, same care that living in Shantivan will give her? And I unwillingly gave them my daughter...maybe that is my punishment for raising my hand on her the day she married Arnavji."

"Shaant ho jao (calm down) Garima. Titaliya will one day come back to you and call you amma again, dekh lena."

--*--

Arnav watched Khushi make herself comfortable in the car and buckle the seatbelt. 'She no longer needs my help', he mused and felt upset. Moments from their shared past which she no longer remembered, when he had always been the one to secure her seatbelt, made him emotional. Even if he used to get irritated at her for her inability to do a simple task such as wearing the seatbelt, he secretly loved doing it for her! She has become independent now, he thought with a wistful sigh.

But a few seconds later, when he still didn't hear the 'click' sound, he turned to see what was going on. The sight warmed his heart and made him smile. Khushi's silk dupatta had covered the insertion point of the buckle and she hadn't realized it, busy looking around his car. Instinctively, he reached out, slowly moved her dupatta away and inserted the metal flip into the joint. She looked at him at that point, probably wondering why the car hadn't started yet and saw him fix her seatbelt. A pair of warm chocolate eyes met their match of bewildered hazel. And time stood still. Two hearts were beating in synchronized rhythm. Two souls who had a connection from perhaps many centuries, eons, seven births were trying to communicate their own secrets...

The honking of another car around them pulled them out of their lost state and Arnav quickly looked away.

Khushi momentarily closed her eyes to calm her heart. This always happens whenever he was around. His presence enveloped her in a protective bubble, his unique woody scene made her go enchanted, his one glance at her made her heartbeat quicken. And this kind of crazy stuff happened only when she was with him. She adored him, respected him, wanted to be with- she looked at him at that instant, following her gaze from his handsome face to his rigid shoulders to his strong arms and then to his hand that held the steering wheel. And that was when she noticed the piece of jewelry on his ring finger that always cleared her boundaries with him. It was a gold band, his wedding ring! She had seen him subconsciously fiddle with it afew times, with fondness.

And just like that, she came back to reality. Her reality. That he can never be hers. He belonged to someone else.

Pal bhar thehar jao, Dil yeh sambhal jaye
Kaise tumhe roka karun
Meri taraf aata, Har gham fisal jaye
Aankhon mein tumko bharun
Bin bole baatein tumse karun
Gar tum saath ho, Agar tum saath ho

(Wait for a moment, Let this heart settle down
How should I stop you
Coming towards me, My every grief slips away
I fill you in my eyes
I talk to you without words
If you're with me, If you're with me)

Arnav had never felt so content driving a car in a long time! It was all because of the person sitting beside today that he so looked forward to driving on these busy streets of Delhi! Her presence brought an insane amount of peace, calmness to him. Her breathing in the same vicinity as him was enough to keep his heart beating.

He deliberately chose a long way, missing a turn on the highway, to prolong this ride to Shantivan. When she pointed out, he feigned ignorance, telling her he is not familiar with the roads to her house!

She didn't say anything in reply, but he wondered if she sensed his treachery!

He then heard her ask, "Do you like to be in India more or in the UK?"

"India." He answered, taking his eyes off road for a moment to look at her. The smile on her face was rewarding enough. It made him happy!

"I am sure it is because you miss the food here, and the ease of getting things, and–"

"-and the people I love." He blurted and immediately realized his slip.

There was a silence from her end for a long time.

"How is she?" she asked after some time.

"Who?" he frowned.

"Your w- wife?" she nearly whispered.

Arnav looked at her direction and saw her look at his wedding ring and then look away.

He closed his eyes to keep his voice from breaking, the longing in her eyes making his resolve weak.

And he answered, "She would be fine."

Teri nazron mein hai tere sapne
Tere sapno mein hai naraazi
Mujhe lagta hai ke baatein dil ki
Hoti lafzon ki dhokebaazi
Tum saath ho ya na ho, Kya fark hai
Bedard thi zindagi, Bedard hai
Agar tum saath ho
Agar tum saath ho

(Your dreams are in your eyes
There is dissatisfaction in your dreams
I feel like the talks of the heart
Are deceitfulness of the words
Whether you're with me or not, There is no difference
Life was ruthless, Life is ruthless
If you're with me)

--*--

A/N – My dear readers, I know you all are getting impatient and worried about shyam's return, khushi's memories coming back and what then. But please understand that I cannot rush into it. This is not the kind of story that I can wrap in 7-8 chapters. I need time to properly build the plot that I have in my mind. I can only assure you that this isn't an unhappy ending story, none of my stories are. This one is about falling in love beyond boundaries, this is about arnav's redemption, this is about Khushi following her heart, and the others are just catalysts to their story, including shyam- he won't touch a hair on Khushi! So, please relax and enjoy the story.

Also, sorry for no KasAm (kashish aman) scene in this one (ship name courtesy saxena_hgt).