Chapter 53
No, this is not a dream... this is actually me coming back to post the last chapter.
I don't even have words to thank you for all the love you have shown this story... I have been gone for more than four months, but you guys did not give up on me. Thank you for being so patient! Without anything else, I present to you the final instalment of this crazy story:
Silent Whispers
-CHAPTER FIFTY-
The
Old-Fashioned Way
The
wedding of the year had finally arrived.
The
majestic mansion of the Raizadas was beautifully decorated with exotic flowers,
elegant lights and eloquent drapers, all in varying hues of red while the rest
of the world stood still, taking it all in with awe. It was a once in a
lifetime wedding; everyone present knew that, but no one in the audience knew
what it meant more than the quiet girl standing at the corner of the mandap, hiding behind a few pillars.
Khushi
silently watched her brother, grinning from ear to ear as he completed the marriage
rituals. Sitting shyly beside him was Anjali, who didn't dare lift her eyes
even an inch off the floor. They were perfect. Perfect because even after the
years of neglect, suffering and not to mention trauma, her brother had made it
to the finish line in one piece. It was nothing less than a miracle.
"I
have been looking everywhere for you!!" whispered a voice in her ear.
Khushi
turned to see a blushing Payal stop beside her, looking absolutely radiant.
"Well you look happy."
"I
have something to tell you!"
"I
can see that. What happened?"
Payal
took a deep breath, before blurting: "Akash
came to see me last night!"
Khushi
smirked. "And?"
"And
he proposed!!" Payal was practically jumping on the balls of her feet. "Well,
he said I love you, which is basically a proposal right? I mean he didn't ask
me a question and I didn't-"
"Payal,"
Khushi interrupted calmly. "Relax."
She
guiltily looked down at her feet. "I am sorry... it's just... I have been waiting so long for this, and now that it's
finally happening, I just can't-"
"Don't
apologize. This is a good thing. You should
be happy, very happy. Did you tell him you loved him back?"
The
smile dropped from Payal's face. "Erm... no... s-should I?"
Khushi
glared at her. "Why is that even a question? Of course you should tell him! What kind of proposal is this?"
"B-but
he knows! He knows I love him,
everyone knows I love him!"
"So?"
Payal
stared blankly at her, completely at a loss of words.
Khushi
took a deep breath. "You have to tell him Payal," she said quietly. "Even if he
knows, even if the whole world knows. There are just some things in the world
that need to be said no matter what and I love you is at the top of the list."
Payal
nodded, determination taking over her eyes. "I will be right back," she
muttered, before running out of the hall.
Khushi
gingerly smiled and turned her attention back to the marriage to see that it
was time for the gatbhandan. Shyam
looked over his shoulder and beckoned her to come. She obliged, stepping up on
the mandap and swiftly tying his
shawl with Anjali's duppatta. She
felt Arnav's hand close around hers as she tied the final knot.
"Don't
worry," she murmured, understanding all his unsaid words. "She is in good
hands."
Arnav
simply smiled. "I know, but-"
His
reply was cut off by the sight in front of them. The bride and groom had just
stood up to take the pheres, when
Shyam suddenly picked Anjali up in his arms. The watching crowd hooted at the
gesture, while Anjali turned beet-red and hid in the crook of his neck, too
embarrassed to look.
"Do
you think this was a bet?" Arnav asked, shaking his head in humor.
Khushi
watched her brother, seeing the delicate smile on his lips as he murmured
something in Anjali's ear. "No," she replied. "It's not a bet... It's something
he promised her a long time ago."
A
pointed silence followed her words. "How do you know?"
She
met his eyes. "Because I just do. My brother is an open book for me."
"Is
that so," Arnav murmured. "Am I an open book too?"
Khushi
snorted. "Not as much as I am to you."
"Do
you seriously believe that?"
"Yes,"
she admitted. "You know me better than I know myself. And I can only wish I will know you like that... And maybe
some day I will."
He
simply stared at her in response, for once, having nothing to say.
* * *
"Welcome
Miss Kashyap! What an honor to see you," Khushi greeted sarcastically. It was
evening time in Delhi, where the last and final event of the Raizada-Gupta
wedding had just begun. Khushi was standing at the entrance of the lavish
reception hall, personally welcoming the guests when her best friend finally arrived.
"Don't
be so mean Khush," Lavanya muttered, standing beside her.
"I
was just welcoming you... Did my hosting skills offend you already?"
"I
am sorry okay? I would have come earlier and helped you out, but Aman was
leaving for London, so I had to drop him off at the airport."
"He
left?" Khushi asked surprised, her annoyance quickly forgotten. "Why?"
"Some
crisis at his company, so they wanted him back A.S.A.P."
"That
sucks. And here I was, pissed off that you didn't come early..."
"Nah,
I should have called you. So is everything okay? How is Anjali?"
"Still
embarrassed about Bhaiyya picking her up during the pheres... I don't know what
she is going to do when it shows up on the front page tomorrow."
"You
think it will show up or you know?"
Khushi
grinned. "It's a good idea to keep tabs on the reporters you know. After that
fiasco with the New Delhi Times, you can never be too careful around here."
Lavanya
meekly smiled.
"He
will be back soon," Khushi said, reassuringly. She didn't need words to know
what was going on in her best friend's mind. "If not, you can go visit him in
London. Your relationship is legitimate now, so you guys can do anything."
Lavanya
looked at her feet. "Yeah about that..."
"Oh
lord... what happened now?"
"Aman
wants me to move to London. He says I can start my own boutique there and he
already found some really good contacts..."
Khushi
froze, the news catching her off guard.
"And?"
"And
I don't know what to do Khush," Lavanya replied, glum. "It's a really big step
and I don't know if I am ready for it yet."
"What
do you want to do?"
Lavanya
bit her lip and Khushi instantly understood.
"You
want to go," she whispered. "You want to be with him."
Lavanya
guiltily met her eyes. "I also want to stay here."
Khushi
smiled, hearing everything she wasn't saying.
"I know, but you shouldn't. You shouldn't give up the life you always wanted. I
will be fine here... There is Arnav, Bhaiyya, Akash. They will take care of me."
"We
will skype everyday," Lavanya said, apologetic. "And you can come visi-"
"Of course we will talk everyday," Khushi
interrupted. "You can't survive long without me."
Lavanya
wrapped her arms around her. "I really can't Khush. Thank you!"
"Stop
being silly! Now go check on the waiters for me."
Lavanya
nodded, grateful and disappeared into the hall. Khushi watched her retreating
back, realizing that their days were now numbered. Even the longest constant in
her life was moving on.
"Can
I see your invitation Sir?"
The
timid voice of the security guard brought Khushi back to the task at hand. She
turned around to the entrance to come in face with the ever so famous Shashi
Joshi. Dressed in a black tuxedo, it appeared as though he had to come to grace
the event.
"Do
you realize who I am?" replied Shashi, cold.
The
security guard held his ground. "I am sorry Sir, but I don't have permission to
admit anyone without an invitation."
"In
that case, you will be fired very soon. Who-"
Khushi
cleared her throat. "No, he won't be."
Shashi's
eyes wavered to hers, first in surprise and then in mockery. "Khushi," he
greeted, walking inside. "I have to say you have hired some very poor staff."
"Even
if that were true, it's none of your business. It's an invite-only reception,
so unless you have one, I suggest you leave."
"Oh,
don't be so dramatic! You have managed to keep me out of all the other
festivities. At least let me attend this one in peace."
She
snorted. "I guess becoming delusional is a part of growing old Mr. Joshi. But I
am neither old nor delusional. You have made it very clear you aren't a part of
this family, so don't try to show concern now and wiggle your way back in."
"You
know for one small second I thought I could be proud to call you my daughter,
but you disappointed me once again. I don't need to wiggle my way back anywhere Khushi. I am here on invitation."
"And
who here has invited you?"
"Arnav
Singh Raizada."
The
ground slipped from beneath her. "What?"
"You
heard right," Shashi answered with a smirk. "Your boyfriend, Arnav, invited me here. So I thought why
not go and see what all the fuss is about... Wedding of the year is what they are
calling it, but if you ask me-"
"You
are lying," Khushi whispered, regaining her voice. "Arnav would never invite you."
"And
there is the disappointment again. People are not always what they seem Khushi
- an elementary lesson you should know by now."
She
clenched her hands. "Yes, a lesson my mother learned the hard way. If only she
understood that stray dogs can never be schooled, things would have been very
different today."
Shashi
narrowed his eyes, understanding very clearly what she had meant. "That stray
dog owns a multi-million company today. Garima is a fool for pretending to be
honorable and refusing a share of her fortune."
"A
fool for you, but a respectable human being for everyone else. But then again,
how can I expect morals from an orphan and an beggar?"
"That's
enough. I own one of the biggest
compan-"
"You
owned. As I reminded your wife two
days go, Joshi and Sons' stocks are not even selling for ten rupees now."
Shashi's
voice faltered. "It's a temporary-"
"Yes,
I have heard that too. So humor me, how exactly do you plan to reverse the
illegal deals you have made in the last decade now that all your cards are out
in the open?"
He
was mum.
"Your
wife, on the other hand, thinks divorcing you is the best way to go; remove the
problem from its roots, but-"
She
broke off, catching the shock on his face. "Oops,
I forgot you didn't know. Forgive me for spilling the beans, but seeing how
desperate Juhi seemed, you will be receiving the notice very soon anyway."
Khushi
took great pride in relishing the look of absolute horror that crossed her
father's face. She had vowed to forget him, and forget him she did, until he
came storming in, feeling as if he owned them all. But the last straw was he
mocking her mother. He had no right
to say anything about Garima.
"Karma
is a b*tch isn't it?" she continued, gleefully. "You left my mother for money.
And now Juhi is leaving you for the same. It goes without saying: what goes
around, comes right back around."
Shashi
stared at her for a full minute, astounded. Then ever so slowly, the color
returned to his face.
"You
think you have it all figured out don't you?" he whispered. "That painting me
as the monster that ruined your life will fix everything that's broken? That
somehow my shares falling or my marriage ending will bring you some justice?"
She
stubbornly crossed her arms, daring him to continue.
"It
won't, because what's broken is not your life... what's broken is you. So it doesn't matter if you think
of me as a monster, or mock me for my failures, because you ruined your own
life. There will come a time when you will look into the mirror and see not the
lines on your forehead, but all the things you did exactly like me... And then, you can look me in the eye and
say, karma is a b*tch."
Silence
followed his words. Khushi stared at her father, his words hitting her in
places that she had assumed were numb by now. But she couldn't be more wrong. She may well be over the nightmare Shashi
Joshi left behind, but she would never ever get over how much pain it caused.
So,
clearing her throat, she said, "You disappointed me Mr. Joshi. I thought for
one small second I would be able to call you my father, but I guess you enjoy
being hated."
Shashi
shrugged, with absolutely no care in the world.
"Maybe
you are right," she continued, still quite calm. "Maybe I cannot be fixed,
maybe I will wake up one day and see your shadow lingering around. But do you
know what makes me different from
you?"
He
didn't answer.
"It's
that I know when I am wrong. I know when I have crossed a line... So be
assured Mr. Joshi, twenty years from now, if I do, for some vague reason make
all the mistakes you did, then I will at least know that I never stopped trying,
even for a second, to not be you. "
Shashi
snorted. "Such big words Khushi, for something that you cannot even control. Forget
twenty years into the future, let's talk about now. Rumor has it that the younger Raizada was head over heels for
you... is that why you got a job at the family company? But what's more
interesting is that not even two months into the internship, the older Raizada
is madly in love with you. You pretend to quit the company in response and then
boom, a few months later you are back as a major shareholder."
Khushi
remained blank, not showing how hard his words were cutting into her.
"But
even after all that, there isn't a
ring on your finger. So tell me, what happens when AR Designs is no longer the
number one company? Will you and Arnav Singh Raizada respectfully part ways?"
She
didn't respond.
"That's
what I thought," he sneered. "While you may walk around, preaching about being honorable like your mother, do not
forget that your actions speak much more loudly. So you better keep that tongue
of yours in check."
She
cleared her throat. "And you better be careful with your wife. If your case
goes to court, there won't be a single lawyer in this city who you will fight
for you. My brother will make sure of that. And as much as that is karmic, you
don't want to be on the loosing side of a battle that the whole world will be
watching. "
Then
turning on her heels, Khushi walked away, away from him, away from the torment
he caused, but most of all, away from the fears he instilled in her. She calmly
cut through the reception hall, not really registering the guests or their
talk. Her feet, with a mind of their own, led her out of the room, through an
unknown hallway, past a few waiters to a quiet grassy area in one corner of the
hotel. She sat down on one of the benches, too lost to acknowledge where she
had arrived.
The
truth was, Shashi's words weren't new to her. In fact she had been carrying
around that baggage for years now. But what was new was that today, she saw
exactly how much damage that had caused. Not to herself, but to everyone around
her.
"You
just love to slip away from me, don't you?"
Khushi
didn't turn, knowing who it was even before he spoke. She could pick up his
presence from a mile away now.
"I
am debating putting a GPS tracker on you," Arnav continued humorously.
"What
a waste that would be," she murmured. "Since you manage to find me every time
anyway."
He
grinned and took a seat beside her. "What's on your mind?"
"Do
you really want to know?"
"I
always want to know."
She
finally met his twinkling eyes. "I am thinking about the best way to ask you to
marry me."
Arnav
stared at her, blank and somewhat bemused. "Err okay... what's the punch line?"
"I
am not joking-"
"Is
this about your father?" he asked, serious. "If it is, then let me clarify that
I did not invite him here to intimidate you. I just wanted him to see for
himself how well you and Shyam were, how far both of you got without him. If he
said something to hurt you-"
"I
love you Arnav," she interrupted, quite calmly. "I never said it and meant it
before today, but I should have. Because the more times I say it, the more I
realize how true it is. I had a childish opinion about what it means to love
someone and I blame no one for it except for myself. My father, however he may
be, did not force me to become inhumane. My mother, whatever she went through,
did not force me to be cold and ungrateful. These were my choices. And I am finally seeing the consequences of it today."
Arnav
was stumped. It was clear he wasn't expecting this.
"My
father didn't say anything that he shouldn't have. In fact, he told me what all
of you were too nice to say. And it's that I screwed up. Big time. In my haste
to prove that I am nothing like him, I ended up doing everything exactly like him."
Arnav
began to object.
She
shook her head. "Let me finish, I need to say this out loud. I owe you this
much."
He
fell silent once more.
"You
asked me a long time ago why I accepted Akash's shares, when I refused all of
your offers without a second thought. And it was because he trusted me... not
like the way you do, but in the way someone would trust their lawyer to defend
them at all costs. And after everything I put him through, I just couldn't let
him down one more time."
Arnav
listened raptly, not really following her point.
"But
I couldn't have been more wrong. There were many ways to make it up to Akash,
but taking those shares was not one of them. And even though you tried to tell
me that repeatedly, I remained as stubborn as ever."
He
guiltily looked down at his hands. "It just seemed so unlikely that a girl with
so much self-esteem would be okay being spoon-fed..."
"I
know," she replied with a sigh. "And as always you were right. I should have
turned Akash down that day. The truth is AR Designs is your company. I know you don't see it that way, I know you think it
was your duty as the oldest to take care of the family business, but the fact
remains that it is what is today only because of you. And I have no right
whatsoever to pretend that it's mine too, or a part of it anyway."
Arnav
was mum, perhaps realizing what she was going to say next.
"So
I need you to let me go. I need you to let me find my own AR Designs, let me
make all the mistakes you made, let me learn for myself why I belong here."
A
melancholic smile spread up Arnav's face. "I never could and I never will hold
you down Khushi... you should know that about me."
She
slipped her hand into his reassuringly. "I do which is why I need you to
convince Akash to take his shares back."
He
didn't answer.
"Please?"
Arnav
sighed. "If you couldn't convince him, then I doubt I will stand a chance."
"Try
anyway... because I am resigning tomorrow."
"Resigning
tomorrow or in a week from tomorrow won't make much of a difference Khushi. At
least give me the time to find a suitable replacement."
"Why
don't you ask Payal?"
"Payal?"
"She
has almost the same qualifications as me. She is currently working at a rival
company, but I am sure if you offer
her the job, she won't deny it."
Arnav
mulled that over for a minute. "That might actually work... did you know they are
officially together now?"
"How
did you find out?!"
He
snorted. "Oh please. Have you seen my
brother today? He might as well have stamped his forehead with an I love Payal' tattoo."
Khushi
laughed. "Leave the poor guy alone. I am sure it took him a lot to ask her out
- at least let him bask in glory."
"He
can bask away all he wants. I am just saying he was embarrassingly slow."
"Yeah
well, not everyone is as confident and daring as you. So, does this mean we are
good?"
"I
suppose... I will chat with Payal tomorrow once this wedding is out of the way-"
"God,
no! I meant us! Are we good? Will you marry me?"
He
rolled his eyes. "You can drop the act Khushi. You can quit AR Designs without
having to marry me."
"Arnav," she said, impatient now. "Stop
trying to blow off my proposal! I love
you. I know I am not as romantic as you, but I am trying to make an effort
here!"
Arnav
gawked at her, completely bewildered.
"Should
I go down on my knee? Will that make it more belie-"
He
silenced her with a finger on her lips, the realization finally breaking through his reverie. "You had me at I love you,"
he whispered, before kissing her hard on the mouth.
"Good,"
she murmured drily, when the broke for air. "I was starting to worry you lost
your mind."
He
simply grinned in answer, much too joyed to even think about a fitting retort.
When his happiness could somewhat be tamed, both of them set off towards the
hotel, hoping their absence at the reception went unnoticed.
"You
know," Arnav said matter-of-factly. "If you had just told me one hour ago, we could have been at the registrar's
office right now, getting the deed over with."
A
line appeared on Khushi's forehead. "What do you mean?"
"Getting
married silly! Wasn't that the plan? We will have a court marriage without all
the fuss? Unless you still want to run away to Vegas?"
Her
steps faltered. "What? No, of course that's not the plan! We are going to do
this properly, the old-fashioned way."
He
didn't follow. "Old-fashioned way?"
"You
know the one where you sneak into my haldi, gatecrash my bachelorette party,
look for your name in my mehendi and let Lavs steal your shoes..."
Arnav
stared at her, his mouth agape.
"Why
are you looking at me like that?"
"You
are not joking, are you?"
"Am
I laughing?"
He
couldn't believe his ears. "You are absolutely crazy Khushi Kumari Gupta."
And
before she knew it, he was rambling off in top speed about everything that he
had planned for their wedding and everything that was still yet to be decided.
She listened without paying attention, walking half a step behind him, taking a
moment to appreciate that this incredible man was all hers.
______________________________________________________________________________
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Comments (13)
Omg Khushi proposed n says yes to marry n said ILY n so many other things woohoo.
1 years ago
Good Khushi told Shashi off. She stood up for herself.
1 years ago
Yay finally my one of fav couple after arshi in this ff got married. So happy for shyam anjali
1 years ago
She will want that big wedding after all. To make him happy.
1 years ago
Shashi might have said what he wanted, but Khushi will all the better for it.
1 years ago
The FF is coming to an end, oh no i dont want this ff to ever end. Its just too good n addicting. Wow khushi proposed to asr finally yay. Kharma is a bitch for sure for Shashi he deserved it.
1 years ago
😭😭😭 this FF is ending and I am not ready for it
2 years ago