IPKKND FF: JALEBI by Jalebi Jane Thread 1: EPISODE 001-042 - Page 24

Nice story! Is Shyam entering this story now? 😡

Super awesome. Next part plz

i never got to read this before. Im glad i stumbled upon the 10th page in khushi,for no reason..

Why no update today in all your threads. What happened Maya

this is just amazing
that was actually bloody brilliant.
very well written my lady
your writing style is like a new fresh air for me.
thank you madame for penning your story down and sharing it with us
loved it :)

Arathy-V wrote:

Originally posted by: JalebiJane

KEEP CALM

kyun ke

SABAR KA PHAL

MEETHA HOTA HAI

As meetha as jalebi ;-)

Will post next episode this evening, Sisters.

---Jalebi Jane

Must confess I am enjoying this Jalebi more than asli jalebi and I love jalebis 😊

JALEBI by Jalebi Jane (EPISODE 011)

"KYA! HOW DARE HE?!" Khushi's eyes were bright flares of fury as she secured her dupatta against her throat in preparation for battle, and took marching steps towards the door which led to the front room.

But Payal caught the crook of her elbow just in time and prevented her. "Not yet!" she whispered. It was one of those whispers which may as well not have been. "He may still be in there with Buaji!"

"I certainly hope he is. For I have some choice words for that presumptuous---"

"---So you don't wish to marry him?"

"Of course not! How could you suggest such a thing, Jiji?" Khushi spluttered, turning to Payal with astonishment.

Payal drew her away from the door and forced her to sit on the edge of the bed, whilst saying, "but you seem to get along quite well."

Khushi stared with wide eyes and was about to ask her sister whether she had completely lost her mind, when it struck her that Payal's statement was reasonable.

Reasonable to Payal, that is.

For in order to not worry those at home, Khushi had deliberately presented her life at the office as a near-idyll. She was careful to never show anything but perfect contentment with her position at ASR Group. And to make that appearance more genuine, she had even occasionally dropped words of praise for Arnav Singh Raizada.

Allow me to say, Sisters, that it was not necessarily false praise because the man happened to be a brilliant businessman and as witness to some of his corporate coups Khushi had found it possible to praise him without perjuring herself. And when Shyam was present, she always embellished further by declaring that Arnav was a considerate employer. She did this to prevent Shyam from repeating his opinion to Buaji that Khushi risked her reputation by going to work at ASR Group.

If Payal was under the impression that she was fond of Arnav, then that simply confirmed that Khushi had accomplished her objective of setting her family's mind at ease regarding her employment.

Khushi adjusted her words with this reality in mind and replied, "er...yes, we get along. But not in the pati-patni sense."

Here the memory of her pressing her mouth to Arnav's lips unwittingly flashed in her mind's eye. Khushi brushed it aside and continued, "and I made myself perfectly clear to him." Perfectly? Another unwanted memory from this afternoon made itself felt.

Payal appeared confused. She asked, "so he has already spoken to you then?"

"At the office," Khushi nodded.

"He was at the office?!"

"And I never expected that he would come straight---" here Khushi halted abruptly. A realization struck her. The fact that Arnav Singh Raizada was at this moment in their front room---did that mean that he had been sincere earlier? That he had meant it when he spoke of wishing to court her?

But how could it be? She didn't believe that Arnav was actually interested in her. She knew in her heart that it was one of his sadistic tricks.

Yet---yet!---if it was a trick, some sort of scheme to humiliate her, then would he take it so far as to approach Buaji with a formal offer for her hand? No, he would not. He had a public reputation to maintain. Such a man couldn't afford to be seen as toying with a serious matter such as a marriage proposal. That must mean that Arnav had been serious about his feelings---and then interpreted her kissing him as an encouragement of those feelings.

Oh, Devi Maiyya! What have I done?

Khushi jumped to her feet, and exclaimed, "what now?!"

"Relax," Payal soothed, "if you don't care for him then---"

"But I kissed him!" Khushi blurted out, and covered her mouth with her palm. And then uncovered it immediately to add the crucial detail: "Twice!"

Payal made a sound which was a combined gasp and laugh. "You kissed him?"

Khushi could only nod with all the misery of knowing that she had made this awful day infinitely more dreadful by her impulsive act.

"Then you do care for him," Payal stated.

"No!"

"Then why would you kiss him? I don't understand."

"Nor do I!" our Heroine cried. She paced the room from window to door and back to the window. Payal urged her to sit, but Khushi refused.

Payal went to her, took her face in her gentle hands and said, "Khushi, you would never kiss a man whom you did not love. Look at yourself! Your present agitation tells me that you have strong feelings for him."

Khushi considered Payal's words.

It was a fact that when she was in Arnav's presence, she did experience strong feelings. Sensations which she had never felt previously. Excitement. Danger. Thrill. As though she was at the edge of a cliff. Wanting to move away but also to jump.

Was that love? Could it be possible that she was in love with Arnav Singh Raizada?

No!

No, he was her enemy. He was the source of her every grief. Love should be sweet. Love should be gentle. Love should be bliss. Love should---? Well, she had never experienced love so how could she say what it was. But she knew that love was not annihilation. And that is how she felt with Arnav; as though she would perish if she let him near. That he would destroy her.

And he would gain pleasure from that destruction.

But what of the pleasure she had felt when she had pressed her mouth to his, her heart whispered to her. What of that? And what of all the times she had imagined what did not---but very well might have---happened in that locked room on the evening of the Lucknow fashion show? Not to be indiscreet, Sisters, but Khushi had [more than once!] given free rein to her imagination and fantasized about what Arnav would have done after breaking the dori of her blouse.

Even now, her skin tingled at the memory of how he had exposed her naked back to his eyes. And though she had feared him, there had been even then a vague feeling of pleasure.

Oh! But that was not love! That was That-Other-Thing. That-Other-Thing which she would experience and share with her One-True-Love. Not with Arnav Singh Raizada.

For the word pyaar' must not be uttered in the same breath as the name Arnav.' He was the antithesis of love. And what had occurred this afternoon had simply been her curiosity overcoming her caution. That was all it was.

Payal was saying, "do take some time to consider before you refuse him, Khushi. He may not be the Prince that you have always been dreaming of, but Princes are not so abundant these days." And adding with a rueful smile, "nor are they as princely as they first appear."

Khushi saw that Payal was reflecting on her own experience with Abhishek. He had been everything Payal had desired but in the end he had proved that he loved money more than he had loved her. She drew Payal into an embrace and said, "Abhishek was not your Prince, Jiji. He was an imposter. Your Prince will come."

"And yours," Payal giggled, "is apparently in the front room."