Chapter 28
I'm so sorry for the delay. My midterms just ended two days ago, so I finally had time to sit down and write this chapter (beware - its LONG). It's an important scene so I didn't want to rush through it!
Thank you all for the wonderful comments and endless patience! And a big welcome to all the new readers
I answered some questions on Pg. 80 (above this post). Do take a look!
I answered some questions on Pg. 80 (above this post). Do take a look! Silent Whispers
-CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX-
Colpo di Fulmine
Arnav wasn't a
romantic.
He was compassionate,
loyal and perhaps a tad bit emotional too, but of all the shades he owned, the
role of a lover wasn't one of them. All of his girlfriends at Harvard realized
that sooner or later; all except one.
She was a
quirky girl, with strange thoughts and crazy ideas. He didn't know what made
him date her; perhaps it was her gentle heart or her undeniable beauty.
However, neither of those were enough to sustain their relationship for longer
than three months.
They parted
ways in a mutual understanding, and -thankfully- with no bitter feelings. But
what she said to him on their last day together, was something Arnav couldn't
forget till date:
"Colpo di fulmine," she told him in Italian, her native
language. "Love is like lightning. You
never know when it hits, but when it does, it just as fast and just as
unexpected."
Of course, he
had brushed her off that day, thinking it was one of the many random things she
often used to say. Only, he wasn't so sure if it was just random anymore. There
seemed to some deep truth hidden inside it, waiting patiently to be finally
unveiled.
Incidentally,
what made Arnav think about his Italian girlfriend and her parting words on a
late Monday morning was not a trip down memory lane; it was the odd absence of
his two-month old intern, Khushi Kumari Gupta. The same girl he spent his
entire morning thinking about, the same girl who his brother was madly in love
with, the same girl he unthinkingly kissed less than a week ago.
Arnav let out a
sigh. Despite all his efforts to dismiss their slip of control, a passionate
kiss that felt too good to be true, the memory kept finding a way back into his
thoughts. And the fact that Khushi wasn't here only made it worse.
Of course, to any
sensible person the reason behind her absence would be hard to miss. If Arnav
didn't know better, he too would have easily guessed what made Khushi stay
home, without even calling in to ask for a day off. After all, he did spent
most of his weekend avoiding the media asking nonsense questions about his
relationship status.
But he did know better.
If there was
anything he learned in the past two months it was that rain or shine, Khushi
always came to work. And that fact that no one could reach her meant bad news. Very bad news.
"Sir?"
Arnav turned
away from his wall-sized window to look at his visitor, an employee from the
purchasing department. "Well, where is the order for jacquard silk?"
"Um... actually,
that file is with Khushi, Sir. And she didn't come to work today."
"She didn't?"
he asked, feigning ignorance. "Is she sick?"
The employee
shook her head. "I don't know Sir. She hasn't been picking up any of my calls."
Arnav nodded in
disappointment. "Alright then. You can leave."
He knew she
wouldn't pick up anyone's calls - after all, she had been royally ignoring his
- but at the same time he couldn't stop himself from hoping that she would talk
to someone.
There was only
one option left now.
Pocketing his
car keys, Aranv departed his office, ignoring the prying looks his employees
passed along the way. It was fine if she didn't want to talk to him, but there
was nothing stopping him from talking
to her.
Only, by the
time Arnav was ascending the porch to the Gupta house, he felt as if he ran a
hundred miles. Why was he so nervous? It's not like she could kick him out of
the house.
Well, said a small voice in his head. It
is Khushi...
Arnav snorted.
True, he couldn't and wouldn't
underestimate Khushi's capabilities. For that matter, he wouldn't underestimate
his own either. So, confidently, he stretched out his hand and rang the
doorbell. A young girl in her late teens, answered.
"Yes?" she
asked, looking at him curiously.
"Erm... Is Khushi
home?"
"Yes. You are?"
"Arnav Singh
Raizada."
The girl nodded
and stepped aside to let him in. "Please have a seat," she said, leading him to
a vast living room off the entrance hall.
Arnav thanked
her and nervously sat down on the snug couch. The room was casually decorated
with beige-colored sofas, mahogany coffee tables and a maroon rug. What caught
Arnav's attention, however, were the various pictures adorning the walls, all
of Khushi in younger and definitely brighter days. It was fascinating to see
her grow from frame to frame.
"Madamji?" called
the girl who led him inside, walking back to the entrance hall.
"What is it
Jaya?" replied Khushi's voice from the depths of the house.
"Someone is
here to see you."
"Who?"
"Arnav Singh
Raizada."
Silence
followed Jaya's announcement, making Arnav, for the first time in his life, second-guess
his decision. Was it too soon to come? Was he being insensitive by invading her
personal space? After all, the incident at the Prakash's wasn't a small one -
it had spread out control like wildfire.
Fortunately, he
didn't have to ponder for too long. Khushi entered the living room, an apron
thrown lazily over her sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. Her hands were caked
in batter, while blotches of flour covered her face. It was a shocking and not to
mention, funny, change from her usual two-piece suits and prim appearance.
"Are you cooking?" he asked, stunned.
She cleared her
throat. "Yeah."
"I didn't know
Khushi Kumari Gupta cooks. What are you making?"
"Jalebis."
Arnav's mouth
dropped open.
"What's the big
deal?" she snapped. "Is cooking a crime?"
"Of course not...
but don't you feel jalebis are a tad bit too easy for beginners like you?"
"If you are
here to comment on what I do with my time, then this conversation is over."
Arnav didn't
miss the grouchiness coloring her voice. He watched her closely, realizing
almost instantly what was wrong. Her eyes were tired, bogged down by dark
circles and a slight frown was forming on her lips.
She hadn't slept
in days.
"I'm not here
to taunt you," he said, in a gentler voice. "I'm here to make sure everything
is alright."
"Why wouldn't I
be alright?"
Arnav paused,
noting how defensive she stood in front of him. "Well for starters, you have
been ignoring my phone calls since this morning. Surely, it wouldn't have hurt
to pick up at least one of them."
"I... I was
busy."
Arnav raised an
eyebrow. "With what? Covering yourself in jalebi batter?"
If it was any
other day, she would have laughed at his jibe; but she didn't. Instead, she
stared hard at him, no doubt trying to assess why he really was there.
Fortunately,
Jaya arrived just then, breaking what would have otherwise been a very long
silence. She was carrying a tray laden with tea and biscuits.
"Jaya?" Khushi
said, once the maid set down the refreshments on the coffee table. "Didn't you
have to go the market today?"
"Yes, but I can
go later."
"No," Khushi
replied firmly. "Go now... I'm in the mood for palak paneer today."
Jaya smiled.
"Of course Madamji! I will be back soon."
And with that,
she bustled off, leaving them completely alone in the house.
Arnav gazed at
Khushi for a full minute before saying, "Should I take that as a hint?"
"Take what?"
He smirked. "Oh
you know, the fact that you just dismissed your maid making us the only people in the house right now."
She stubbornly crossed
her arms across her chest in response.
"It was a joke," he said. "The least you could do
is laugh."
Khushi let out
an impatient sigh. "What do you want? I'm not in the mood to play the guessing
game."
His grin
vanished. "No," he said, serious. "You can't play the guessing game with two
hours of sleep or maybe even less."
"I'm fine."
"Are you? And
please, save the ludicrous stories - we both know exactly how annoyed you are
right now."
"If you know
how annoyed I am, then why are you asking me all these useless questions?"
"Useless to you
maybe, but not to me. It is a 11 o'clock right now and instead of being in my
cabin, discussing what project we should be indulging ourselves with next, you
are standing here in a complete mess, supposedly cooking. So do enlighten me birthday girl, what exactly about my questions
is useless?"
Khushi averted
her eyes, a sign that meant only one thing: she was loosing her ground. Satisfied,
Arnav pressed on:
"So, are you
going tell me the real reason why you are so diligently ignoring my calls or
should I prolong this unwanted visit?"
She turned
away, choosing to look at the walls instead of him. Irritated at her gesture,
Arnav impatiently said:
"Look at me
dammit!"
"What?" she
snapped angrily, facing him once again. "What am I supposed to tell you? How
broken up I am after that a*shole accused me of being a mistake? How horrified
I am that the entire world knows about it now? What are you really expecting me
to say?!"
"I am expecting
to you," he replied, unperturbed at her outburst. "To tell me why you did not
come to work today."
Khushi let out
an exasperated sigh. "You're impossible," she muttered, before slumping down on
the sofa and running her hands through her hair, leaving a small trail of now
dried-batter behind.
Arnav shook his
head, amused at how comical she looked. Without hesitation, he pulled up the
coffee table in front of her and sat down, reaching out to dust off the
specks.
"It's fine,"
she mumbled, though she made no attempt whatsoever to push his hands away. "I
will just take a shower."
He ignored her.
"Seriously,"
she said, after a minute. "Who cares how my hair looks when the entire world
thinks my mother is someone's mistress... or maybe even worse."
Arnav froze for
the tiniest of seconds, double-checking that she had indeed said what he heard.
Unaware of his jolt,
she continued: "It just boggles my mind how anyone is interested in my life? I
mean, what does it matter to them who my parents are? I won't be less of a girl
or a human being if I don't have father, right?"
Knowing full
well that it was rhetorical question, Arnav didn't answer. Instead, he
pretended to dust off the stains on her head, not wanting her to realize just
how intently he was listening to every word slipping out of her mouth.
"Theoretically,
yes, it doesn't make a difference who my patents are. But in reality, it makes
all the difference in the world... funny how that works isn't it? You could spend
your entire life slogging to simply survive, but you still won't even come
close to being as important as that snobbish, spoilt brat born to a rich
father."
Unable to fake
ignorance any longer, Arnav quietly leaned back and looked into her eyes. He
felt as if a part of him just suddenly fell away.
"It's just like
how it takes years to fix things, but only a second to break it... I can't
believe I was stupid to forget that... to forget that no matter what, things will
always blow apart."
He interrupted
in a gentle voice. "Then it's not meant to be...
If things were supposed to last, they would last."
She snorted.
"Yeah... just like how this is going to last - Khushi Kumari Gupta, daughter of a
mistress."
"Daughter of a mother."
She stared at
him, slightly aghast.
"People just
like to talk," he continued in the same tone. "Since when have you started
believing them?"
An odd
expression crossed her face. "You think Gaurav was lying that night?"
"Are you
suggesting otherwise?"
She simply
continued to look at him, her face devoid of emotions.
Hating the
engulfing silence, he said, "If I believed anything that imbecile said, I would
not have walked out with you. It was obvious that he was just trying to put on
a good show."
She took a deep
breath. "Well that show is real... I am
illegitimate. My father is Shashi Joshi."
Having expected
something else entirely, Arnav was caught off guard to say the very least. He
stared at Khushi, speechlessly asking her to elaborate. Surely, she didn't mean
what she said?
"Yeah," she
continued drily. "The papers got it right this time... well, almost right. My
parents were married at some point believe it or not, but my father returned my
mother's blind trust on him by having an affair with Juhi Roy, daughter of Balraj
Roy, the owner of- you probably already know."
Arnav gave a
curt nod.
"Yeah, I
figured. So, then you probably also know how the story ends... Balraj Roy
threatened my mom to back out from the marriage, and when she refused, he
bribed everyone to make sure there was no marriage in the first place. By the
end of it, me and my brother became the children of Shashi Joshi's mistress."
Arnav felt his
head buzz with the sudden information and without intending to he began to
piece together the puzzle that encompassed Khushi Kumari Gupta. Her peculiar
thoughts, odd comments and unreasonable gestures suddenly all made sense. The
reason she didn't believe in love, the reason she was so competitive and
sometimes ruthless, the reason she refused to work for Joshi & Sons...
It was as if
someone flicked on the lights in a very dark room.
"Does that
answer your question?" she finished, giving him the most forlorn look he ever
saw.
Arnav felt his
heart prick, his abrupt realization fading away, replaced by a new
contemplation. He had thought of no one but her the entire day, but after
listening to her tale in a tone that screamed agony in every direction, the ache
he felt was worse than what he experienced in her absence. Why was it that her pain caused him pain, her
happiness gave him happiness and her mere presence made him alive?
"It's fine,"
she said, when he didn't respond. "I don't need to be consoled... You don't even
need to feel sorry for me. This was a long time ago... it doesn't matter
anymore."
Even before she
completed her sentence, however, Arnav understood the real problem.
She was
embarrassed; humiliated that her weakness, the flaw she went out of her way to
hide from the prying eyes of the world was standing out in the open; that the
ever so strong Khushi Kumari Gupta, in the end, was nothing more than an
unwanted child from a dysfunctional relationship.
Oh, how wrong
she was!
"It won't make
you weak Khushi," he finally said. "Accepting the fact that something horrible
happened to you won't make you pitiful... it will make you a strong person."
She blinked, not having expected him to say her inhibitions out loud.
"You don't have to pretend everything is okay just to make me
believe you are a strong person."
"I'm not pretending... I really
don't care."
"Then why are you hiding? Why didn't you come to the office, ready
with a retort to all the nosy questions? What happened to the Khushi Kumari Gupta?!"
She looked down at her lap, almost in a way of surrender.
Perhaps it was her sadness creeping through to him, or his own unexplainable
desire to make her alright, but whatever it was, it was enough for Arnav to
speak what would otherwise have taken him a long time to acknowledge:
"When I saw you that night, arguing
with me over an innocent kiss gone wrong, I knew that you were different.
Different that you stood your ground, that you used your wits and that you
didn't give up. You were, are and will always be the most genuine girl -no, woman- I have ever met in my life Khushi...
And no one, including that imbecile Gaurav, your namesake father or the rubbish
papers, will make me believe otherwise."
She was stunned to hear his words. If Arnav didn't know better, he
would have thought a slight blush was coloring her cheeks.
"And if you want everyone to know what I know, then you have to stop
hiding. If you choose to cling to Shashi Joshi's shadow, then you will always be
the one who got left behind. If you choose to make a life for yourself, you will
be always be Khushi Kumari Gupta, the woman who fought against all odds."
She blinked
innocently. "You think so?"
"I know so." Then after a moment's silence,
he added, "My counsel is always a hundred percent fail proof birthday girl."
Khushi smiled, remembering
the last time he used those exact same words on her in his lavish office one
evening, sporting a gaping cut on his arm. "Well, maybe I'm supposed to be your
first failure?"
His hand
automatically reached up to caress her soft cheek. "And I can believe anything
but that."
Her grin grew
wider and suddenly, Arnav felt himself slipping into her hazel colored eyes. It
was almost as if they were calling out to him, telling him to hold on from
somewhere deep within, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
Arnav looked
away, realizing at the same time as Khushi, how close they were. Grudgingly
withdrawing his arm, he stood up from the coffee table he was sitting on.
"Are you
leaving?" she asked.
He cleared his
throat. "Yeah... People will be looking for me. I should go."
She nodded.
"What about
you?" he asked, not wanting to let the awkward silence settle in. "Are you
still going to attempt jalebis?"
"It's not an attempt. I can make jalebis," she snapped. "Yeah they are a bit burnt, but I'm
working on it, okay?"
Arnav stifled a
snort. "If you say so. But just on a side note, I don't think even your brother
can save you if one of your customers decides to prosecute you for food
poisoning."
Khushi narrowed
her eyes. "But before that, I am going to prosecute you for harassing me."
"Tsk tsk tsk
birthday girl," he replied, mockingly shaking his head in disappointment. "Is
this how you treat your guests?"
"Well is this
how you treat the host?"
Arnav grinned.
"Fine. I drop my charges - happy?"
"Very. But
seriously - do you want anything to drink? Tea or coffee?"
"No, thank you.
I really should get going."
Khushi's smile faltered
slightly. "Was anyone in the office talking about this?"
He shrugged. "No
one that matters. Besides, they know my tolerance on issues like this too well to risk gossiping out loud."
"And you? What
do you really think?"
"I think what I
you told you earlier. Gaurav put on a good show, but at the end of the day,
that's what it is - a show. I didn't believe it that night nor do I believe it now."
"No," she
mumbled. "I meant us... what do you think about us?"
Arnav stopped
short. It was odd to hear her say that, to put both of them together in one
sentence, in one word - us.
"And what if I
asked you the same thing?" he finally
said.
"You are
avoiding the question-"
"No, on the
contrary I'm telling you my answer - it's not that different from yours."
Not expecting
her to reply, he gave her a curt nod and began to walk out of the living room
when he heard her speak:
"Arnav?"
His heart froze
for the tiniest of moments. It wasn't that it was the first time she called him by
his name and neither was it the first time he was hearing it; but what was a
first, was her voice. It held a life of its own.
"My answer is that you mean a lot to me,"
she said. "Not because you supported me that night, but because you stood by me
today. You understand me better than I understand myself and for that... thank you. I know I'm bad at this whole
friendship thing, but I do know what you mean to me. And it's not something I
can put into words. "
Arnav glanced over
his shoulder to meet her eyes, and felt as if every nerve of his body suddenly
caught fire. His heart began to thud and for a short minute, he was sure he
forgot to breathe. Blinking out his reverie, he gave her a small smile and
left, having finally understood his Italian
girlfriend's parting words.
It may take
years to like someone, to get used to their presence in your life. Sometimes
you may have to even go out of your way to keep them around, to make it work.
But for love, it happens in a second or sometimes even less. Sometimes it
happens underneath a starry sky or with a bottle of wine or for that matter in
the living room of a renowned lawyer. But what matters is not where or when it
happened. No, what matters is that it
happened.
And to Arnav, that made all the sense there was in the world. But the question is, was he ready to
accept what was so unashamedly staring in his face?
_____________________________________________________________________________
There you go - Arnav's POV. I hope that made up for how long I took to update 
Please like & comment! I really want to know your thoughts on this!
Archi
P.S. - The next chapter will be posted next friday.
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Comments (67)
Loved arshi talk. Khushi feeling embarrased etc with the whole sashi n gaurav thing but loved the convo between arshi.
1 years ago
for once someone has stood up for her and her honor, besides her brother.
1 years ago
Loved the update, u r very talented writer. U write emotions so well.
1 years ago
Archi, you have amazing way to play with words ❤️👏🏼
2 years ago
Literally in 10mins [/QUOTE] 10 m then should start countdown.
10 years ago
Hi Archi, That was a great update... and thank you fr much awaited Arnav's POV . But as much as Arnav realized the truth of his feelings for Khushi staring at his face for some time now... it's also clear that Khushi does not feel so or see their relationship that way yet... it's still friendship and some thing more much beyond she can explain...or may be she does not want to look at in any other way beyond that... But how long can this continue... Some day Khushi has to feel it see it and realize it... Akash ...its been long we don't know his POV... It can't be that he can't understand that his feelings for Khushi are one sided and they are a couple for name... He may not know whats going on between Arnav and Khushi not that they are planning something behind them but the sooner Khushi and Akash realize and accept the truth and confront that with each other ..none of them can be really happy and be at peace... I will really feel proud of Khushi if she really realize that she is not doing any good for her self and Akash, she may have had reasons to go for safer option and not for love but facts and realities have changed...she has changed.. least she can do is not insult their friendship and lose it... Akash should also gather up courage to accept the fact that his feelings are not reciprocated by Khushi and they can never be happy when its love for one and practical compromise for the other... but GUESS it will take time for these harsh realities to set in... My QUESTION... Will Akash feel cheated when he comes to know about the show that was put up and also the gossip of possible link up between his brother and girlfriend and it was not shared with him by either of them..? Khushi is so lucky to have Arnav by her side at this time... who is mature enough to see far and beyond a persons background and past and also one person and understands and trusts her for who she is... jyothim782014-10-24 11:54:53
10 years ago
its 10.30 in the night in India dear...eagerly waiting for tomorrow to read your update...waiting waiting waiting...
10 years ago
its really really very nice update dear.kushi is so so ...i really feel for the little girl.glad that arnav did come to check on her.yes its really unpredictable with htis missgupta.finally,the feelings are said in open though not really confessed but still... waiting for next update
10 years ago
At least they are owning up to their feelings for each other
10 years ago
That was a super update...I am feeling a sense of foreboding though cause she she finally realizes that she loves him it will be difficult for her to come to terms with hurting Akash...loved the update and love this story
10 years ago