ArHi OSes: When I Knew | Ugly Chaise | PG 53 | NEW UPDATE (21/8) - Page 16

When Ma knew...wow that was emotional! You can sense how much she wanted her kids to be happy, especially for Arnav to want more out of life vs being the angry man. The way she was Khushi was the one for her son and was always on her side was excellent. Wondered how it would have been if she was alive. A mother always needs that closure that her kids remain happy in life when they are not around. Great take on Arnav's mom! 👏

When Aman knew...ha ha that was good, another character we never got to see but he was always around. It was great to relive those office scenes again and oh my Choti, you made him hear Khushi moaning 😳...too good! Loved it!

Note: This is a slightly different take on an (in)famous scene. I hope you like it- even if I did take some liberties.

When Lavanya Knew

She loved him. It was the first love type of love, the almost spell bound, starstruck dreamy vision and the butterflies. They had met at a fashion show, and he had asked her out the next day. And they had been together on and off ever since.

She knew, somewhere inside, that he didn't feel the same way about her. He didn't get butterflies, he didn't feel his heart beat faster when she was around. But she retained hope.

He had never strayed from her in their relationship, remaining committed but distant. That had to mean something, right?

Then she showed up. She was all vibrance, with her bouncy, upbeat demeanor, her loud clothes, and that plait swinging everywhere, the pompons jingling like those of a school girl.

And he... Responded. He wasn't distant to her, far from it. He was constantly irritated by her presence, going out of his way to tell her off for existing in his life. He would yell and insult her on a daily basis, and she would yell back with equal force.

Lavanya didn't think anything of this initally. She ignored the fashionless girl and focused on her relationship with ASR, her clothes, and her career. But then came the day that ASR dropped her from the first floor. Lavanya looked up at him, expecting to see the steely glint of pride in his eyes.

She was shocked to see a mixture of regret and pain in his cold, dark eyes. They weren't shuttered when they were focused on her. They were warm, simmering with unsaid emotion. He whirled around on his heel and left the scene, his back stiff.

She didn't want to accept it then. Instead, she turned her focus into making Khushi's life miserable.

When she finally stepped into Shantivan as his girlfriend, she was elated. Until she realized she had to learn to be traditional and completely shed her persona. Her tutor? None other than Chamkili, as she called her mockingly, the girl with the swinging braid.

The insult soon became a term of endearment. Lavanya quickly developed a soft spot for her innocence and charm, realizing for that she didn't need short skirts to be comfortable and confident. The latest trends were nice, yes, but making a family happy was infinitely more satisfying.

They grew closer, and Lavanya began to think of her as her best friend. Chamkili was insistent that ASR propose to her, that they live life in marital bliss.

Lavanya knew it wasn't for them. She and ASR lacked what they needed to be married, they lacked the incentive to stay together forever. She had noticed the slight hitch in Chamkili's throat, the deepening pain in her eyes that was quickly masked with a smile.

Lavanya knew she harbored feelings for ASR- but she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge that. It was much easier to live in her fairytale, where he loved her back with equal ardour. So she allowed herself to be swept up in Chamkili's elaborate fantasies of weddings and happily ever afters.

Diwali night, however, she was forced to confront reality in the harshest possible way. She had seen Chamkili spiral herself between a ring of flaming diyas, casting an ethereal light upon her face. She had stayed in the shadows as ASR had stepped down the stairs, freezing in his place at the sight of her within the ring of light, a soft smile on her face.

She wasn't immune to the sudden increase in tension when their eyes met. She watched as ASR stepped towards her of his own volition, not fully comprehending his movements. The atmosphere was electric, passion burning in both of their eyes. His eyes, which were carefully distant when he looked at her, melted into dark, molten chocolate at the sight of the woman in the red sari, her hair tumbling down her back in a straight waterfall.

She stepped out from within the shadows, forcing herself to break the moment. She almost felt bad interrupting them, as if she was an unwanted intruder on a private moment between a couple. She was his girlfriend, but he never looked at her that way. He never looked at her like she was special, like she was the beautiful princess in a castle.

His eyes solidified when he saw her, his entire posture stiffening. He was clearly uncomfortable. She saw the way their eyes shot to each other when she requested him to help her.

She retreated once more into the shadows, to watch him reach out to her, as if he was offering her a dance at the ball. The woman in red placed her hand in his, and he gently guided her out of the spiral trapping her. Lavanya blinked back the tears in her eyes, and turned away.

She had finally put their intimate moment out of her mind when she walked up to ASR's sanctuary, intent on calling him back out to the party. But she froze upon arriving there.

Her silvery payal dangled from his hands, shimmering under the soft light of the diyas and jingling softly. Her hazel eyes widened at the sight, her surprised gaze meeting his as he stepped towards her, sitting her gently down into a chair.

He lifted her foot, placing it on his thigh like Cinderella trying on the lost glass slipper. Lavanya saw her squeeze her eyes tightly shut when the goosebumps erupted at his gentle, grazing touches, his hands slipping around her delicate ankles to clasp the payal securely on.

This time, the air crackled with unsaid words and feelings. She saw Khushi's heaving chest, hearing her sharp intakes of breath pierce the weighty silence when he stepped away. He was clearly affected, his body almost shivering with desire as he took in her nervous gaze, the tips of her hands playing with her pallu.

Lavanya wanted desperately to leave the scene, the feelings of betrayal causing her stomach to clench in pain. She was frozen in place, drawn in by the chemistry between the people in front of her. She knew neither ASR nor Khushi were fully aware of their feelings, and that they didn't intend to hurt her. But it hurt nonetheless.

She saw ASR turn away as if he was about to leave, indecision in his normally steady gaze. But he whirled back around to face her, his eyes shining with an emotion she couldn't quite place her finger on. He took a step forward, cornering her as she stepped back uncertainly, their gazes locked and their bodies trembling.

She stepped away, swallowing thickly and brushing away the tears that threatened to ruin her perfect makeup.

In this fairytale, she wasn't the princess that the prince swept off her feet. She was the ugly stepsister, the one ignored in favor of the hidden diamond of Cinderella.

When ASR announced their engagement that night, her eyes immediately drifted to the girl in red, noting her stuff figure and her hurt eyes. She said nothing, only accepting it with a bright smile.

She wanted to delude herself for a little longer, convince herself that maybe, just maybe she was the princess in the fairytale. She would shove herself into the tight glass slippers that didn't quite fit for just a little bit longer. But when Cinderella was revealed as the one that fit the perfect glass slipper, she would step back gracefully, and allow the true princess to slide on the sparkling shoes.