ARHI SS: Revival (Chapter 9 posted 08/07!) - Page 4

Originally posted by: ..Neha.

Attractive Start...

Do continue soon...

Originally posted by: 8520NK

Your comments truly bring huge smiles on my face!

I am so humbled that there is someone who's waiting to read my stories. And I am really glad you liked the beginning of the story.

I hope you liked the next part!😊

aww...its actually your stories that brings a smile to my face always.and i always wait to read your stories because now you are one of my fav. Writer in the forum.can't wait to read the next part.update soon.

Originally posted by: shiv456

awesome start

Originally posted by: WanieA

interesting...and he found her...jmmm

Originally posted by: farheen75

Just awesome. Your command on language and emotions is equally strong which makes me relished the first chapter. I was looking for a story full of angst and luckily found yours. It seems like, this time khushi had found someone who will be really protective of her unlike her family. Gran seems like a very strong character and more than khushi it will be her facing Arnav this time to protect khushi from anymore heartbreak.

Originally posted by: abivicky86

loved the begining

Originally posted by: Lovelyday

Lovely start. Waiting for more

Originally posted by: Diva_Akorshi

Seems interesting...

want to read more...

Khushi.

His entire existence came to a standstill as the name floated in the air and hung in between its occupants. Searching grey eyes focused on him, as sudden silence pervaded into the room.

The name had been tenaciously avoided in his home in the past months, its utterance striking every member's heart with the bitterness of a truth they weren't willing to look in the eye.

Solemnity, silence, sorrow.

A grey shadow had cast itself over his home, reinstating it to a state it had been in before a fumbling, chattering figure clad in royal blue and clutching a bundle of saris close to her heart, had crossed its threshold and painted the grand walls with her personal, kaleidoscopic brand of vivid colours. The air had resonated with exhilaration; it had been perfumed with warmth, and the marble tiles had luminously reflected the contentment that had bounced off the walls.

However, she had drifted away from their lives and with her, the chance at happiness her presence had gifted to his family with. The colours had faded off the walls, the distant echoes of laughter had dissolved into stifled whispers; the lingering smell of jasmine had suffocated the air.

The air surrounding Shantivan had assumed the characteristics of the marble that its opulent halls had been decorated with. It had become still with longing, the walls had paled with grief, and its inhabitants had become cold with regret. Every step was taken reluctantly, every word spoken with trepidation.

As he heard her name roll of the woman's tongue, for the first time in months, Arnav dared. He dared to hope. His heart beat to the familiar melody of awareness and the fluttering blinded him momentarily. With every ounce of strength that he could muster from the arising hope, he slowly collected the splintered pieces of his heart.

His gaze shifted across the empty room, and focused on the kitchen door. Its creaking pierced through the silence, and he inhaled deeply as he heard harried voices from inside and started walking towards them.

It was her voice that reached him first, a soft cry in the surrounding hustle. The sweet jasmine fragrance wafted through the air, and he immediately recognised it among the mingled aromas of vanilla essence and melted chocolate. It guided him to take his next steps, to cross the maze of metal counters and face the source of the voices.

He spotted her then. She sat in a chair placed near the edge of the counter, surrounded by four women. Only the side of her face was visible to him, hidden by strands of hair that kept falling into her eyes. Suddenly, another cry escaped her lips and her head rolled back. His heart dropped at that, lurching into his mouth.

Involuntarily, he drifted forward till her face came into his view and with fear spiraling into his veins he watched her face contort in distress. The voices, the faces, the surroundings -- everything seemed to fade as his gaze focused singularly on her. She shut her eyes forcefully and held onto the counter-top with urgency.

Instinctively, his stretched out his hand towards her, her every cry penetrating through his heart like well-aimed darts. For months, he had wanted to believe the illusion of her physical presence. He had wanted to fall prey to her soft touch ghosting over his skin, to be lured by the rhythmic, distant sound of her clinking anklets and to be trapped in an eternal trance where he would find her.

However, like the finest grains of sand, each time she had slipped through his fingers and dissolved into thin air. What had remained in her wake was the ridiculing chime of the stars that hung above his bed and had continued to ring painfully in his ears.

He had tried to escape it. But each time the darkness had lurked in through the doors, cradling him in its forceful, sinister embrace.

Without her, he had been a lost man wandering in the vast expanse of a desert. And now, he was afraid that she would break away from him at his first touch. A sense of foreboding shadowed the determined stillness of his features.

Was this another mirage that would disappear just as he neared it?

And disappear the mirage did, as his trance collapsed and the voices became clear.

"Here darling, drink some water. You have to stay hydrated at all times. Remember what the doctor said the last time we paid a visit?"

"But Gran, what's happening to her? Why isn't her pain ebbing away?"

"Oh, nothing serious dear. It's plain old false labour, nothing to be worried about. You would have known had you read the books, Grace Parker," she sent the girl an admonishing look.

Meera, who had been standing on the side with a glass of water in her hand chipped in, "Braxton Hicks Contractions. Normally, they begin in the third trimester; Khushi di probably got them a bit early."

"Okay Einstein, now don't make me feel worse about skipping those pages from the book."

His eyes widened, his skin warmed, and blood burst through his veins. Involuntary, his feet led him closer and he barely noticed the arm that was curved protectively over her stomach. Before he knew it, the whisper escaped.

"Khushi?"

All conversation ceased, and the room fell silent as his presence was finally registered by its occupants. The sound of each breath, every sigh magnified. Hazel tinted eyes met whiskey coloured orbs, a thunderous clash.

He heard the gasp whisper from her lips, watched the surprise film over her eyes. And then unexpectedly, he saw realisation and finally acceptance slowly creep into her eyes.

The glinting gold of her eyes dimmed and she looked away momentarily, before meeting his gaze again. It was as if she had been expecting him and the initial surprise had worn off. She sighed, waiting for him.

"You are not allowed in here, sir."

Suddenly, a feminine voice came from behind Khushi, cutting through the quiet and the confusion. It was strong, and laced with steely determination. The command in the tone was evident, but his feet refused to move and his eyes beckoned to Khushi.

The woman too, refused to back down. She almost charged ahead and swiftly blocked his view of Khushi. Absent-mindedly, he observed her taut jaw and fierce eyes -- like the raven's wings -- that flashed at him in warning.

His eyes darted at her in mild irritation as she continued to scrutinise him defiantly. However, their dual was interrupted by Khushi's soft whisper.

"Suhana di help me up, will you?

Almost immediately, her hardened gaze melted and she turned around, carefully helping Khushi stand on her feet. He stepped forward too, but was stopped in his tracks by three pairs of sharp eyes, that instantly pinned him to his spot.

Holding on to the countertop, it seemed that Khushi had finally gained her balance and she steadied herself, taking slow steps towards him. It was then that his eyes rested upon her swollen belly, her hands rested unconsciously over it. Her gaze shifted too, and the sight before him arrested his soul.

Realisation churned through him, drenching him cold. It struck him like a violent blow from the ocean's most furious wave. Flashes of their intertwined bodies, love-filled whispers, warm caresses and clashing desires under a star-lit ceiling whizzed before him. They jolted him, as he admitted it to himself disbelievingly.

His Khushi was carrying their child.

She seemed to have discerned his thoughts from the rapid changes in his facial expressions as she stood before him, watching him comprehend and collect his thoughts.

"I want to speak with him, alone.

Her voice held an edge of finality, and she directed her words to the women behind her, even as her gaze remained fixed on him. However, just as voices arose to contradict her decision, the older woman -- Emma -- slid towards her, placing her hand on her shoulder. With one glance, she silenced the rest of them.

"We will give you two your privacy. Go ahead and speak inside, this is not the place for conversation, anyway. Khushi, child, I will send in some tea for you. You must have it; it will help calm your nerves.

***

Khushi took another sip of her chamomile tea, rubbing her arms against the thick woollen sweater that fit her snugly. The warmth of the drink helped soothe the sore throat and the wheezing breath that she had developed from the cold. She lifted her head slightly and noticed Arnav's eyes trained on the mug of black coffee that rested on the table, cold and untouched.

The irony of the situation made her lips curve up slightly, as her eyes fell on his shifty hands. Maybe, Emma should have offered him the tea instead. It was him who clearly needed to calm his nerves.

But she knew that this wasn't the time to cater to her distractions and amusements. They needed to talk. He clearly had been on the lookout for her, but the knowledge of her pregnancy had jolted him.

And they had a gap of nearly seven months to bridge, she thought, as her eyes fixated on the fresh scar above his eyebrow. Something in her heart twisted, and she sobered.

Her indicative cough interrupted his thoughts and his eyes shot up to meet hers. He wanted to say something, to do something, he really did. He wanted to question her, to ask her how she had spent all these months, to engulf her in his arms and never let her ago, he wanted to kiss her till she saw her beloved stars. And he wanted to caress her belly, to feel the presence of their child.

But he had never been one to express his feelings in words, and at times like these they seemed to completely elude his mind. With great effort, he slipped his hand forward and tentatively placed it on hers. His fingers shivered as they contacted with her warm skin and then rested there. It seemed they had found their home too.

"How have you been?"

He was startled by her sudden question. He had expected her to first question him about how he'd managed to find her. But knowing how perceptive she was, he understood the she had sensed who must have guided him to the hills. He swallowed first, choking on his words. And then with great difficulty, he managed to answer her.

"I-I don't know."

"I meant, after the accident. You were suffering from concussion and two fractures."

He could see the worry lining her features. She looked in desperate need for knowledge of his well-being. He pressed her hand lightly in assurance.

"Khushi, for the past three months I've been fit enough to have searched for you in all of Delhi and Lucknow. And then to drive here on my own. The physical trauma wore off early enough. It was the thought of having lost you that had been eating me. I-I am sorry Khushi, I really am. That supposed truth; it brought back all those unpleasant memories and I --"

Arnav broke off, regretfully. There wasn't any explanation, any reassurance that would satisfy him. That one delay had cost him his love; it had cost him precious time with his child. The realisation cut through him.

"Did you believe her?"

The question was simple, direct. And he knew she she deserved the honest answer.

"For that one painful hour, I did," he offered truthfully.

"But you were returning to the venue when the accident --" she paused. "'Why?"

"To marry you."

Her breath hitched in her throat at his admission. In a deep recess of her heart, she had always known it. But to hear him say it, to see the truth reflect in his eyes. They always had spoken more than he had.

"You had come to the hospital before leaving."

"I had found out about the pregnancy. I had to see you before I left. The doctors had said that you would wake any day but I couldn't wait. No one could know. That was the only time I could come, your grandmother wouldn't allow it otherwise. She believed what she did and said some awful things."

"I -- Di told me. Dadi had never accepted that her son could be in the wrong. That's why she decided to stay at the Ashram rather than stay with us. When she found out about aunty, it only strengthened her resolve to break us apart. That along with Shyam's manipulations. But she has left for good, both of them."

"Shyam, he left?"

"He got arrested for multiple frauds. We found out he was responsible for di's miscarriage. She pressed charges against him and filed for divorce soon after."

Khushi sighed in relief. That man's vicious shadow had lifted above their family. However, Anjali's face when she had received the news of her miscarriage flashed before her eyes. Her hands had searched frantically for the weight of her baby. The image tore through her heart. She didn't deserve it. No one did.

Of their own accord, her hands found their spot on her belly. Now that she was going to be a mother, she understood the pain of her loss. When she had thought all hope was lost, the blessing in her womb had been her miracle. The knowledge that she carried the memory of her love had encouraged her to make a life for herself, for them.

The silence stretched between them, was pleasant. Yet, they were both aware that the questions that hung in the air had to be answered eventually.

"Khushi, what about us?" Arnav broke the silence.

An earnest, regretful plea glittered in his eyes. She knew that he was seeking forgiveness. Till weeks after the incident, she had had the time to reflect on it and she had soon realised that the revelation had been planned in a way to prevent their marriage, to dissuade him from reaching the pavilion.

Esnared in a web of misunderstandings, they had lost precious time together. However, in the past months she had walked over rocky paths, and crossed raging rivers in order to rise from the ashes of her past. In the journey to start over, she had come too far to return.

"Jiji told you about my parents, didn't she?"

When he nodded, she continued.

"When I had first come to live with my new family; I hadn't come to terms with the loss of my parents or the changes that were too take place. In one night, my whole life had turned upside down, and for the longest time I couldn't accept it. And neither could every one. I wasn't always buaji's titaliya, you know. She taunted me every time she visited, reminded me that I wasn't really a Gupta. Over the years, that didn't change. I hated it, but eventually I got used to it. Because I became thankful for the gift of a family. But through all the struggles, I never forgot my home here, in the mountains. I would talk about it with jiji, and she would be the only person who listened. She was only one who didn't care about the increased expenses, or the lack of space. She had loved me whole-heartedly from the first day."

Her tone had become increasingly nostalgic, and her lips lifted in a wistful smile.

"She always believed in me, always thought that I would make them all proud. When my life changed again, and I was in a place where I didn't know where to start, the mountains led me to back them. I have made something of myself here. And I cannot leave, not now. But I cannot be unfair to you too by keeping you away from us. In all these months, I had imagined a life without you and led mine accordingly. But now that you are here, I need time and space to accept our relationship again. Do you think you can give that to me?"

Arnav shut his eyes for a brief moment. He wasn't ready to let her go, ever again. But he knew that he would give her whatever she asked of him. He owed it to her, to them.

"So, will you accept living with me in Shimla?"

He opened his eyes with a sudden jerk, not believing what he had heard. The girl who had vehemently opposed of live-in relationships and who with her convincing arguments had turned his former fiance's mind against them, was now smiling amusedly at him, asking him to move-in with her. His lips parted in surprise as he noticed the glint in her eyes.

"That's the only way we -- ouch!"

Arnav saw her shift uncomfortably in her chair, and instantly threw back him chair, kneeling beside her. His face paled, as he look around frantically for a way to comfort her.

"Don't worry, it's the kicks."

"A-Are you sure, you're okay?"

When she nodded in reassurance, he let out a sigh of relief. However, as he watched her hand caress her belly, he looked up, meeting her eyes. The caramel twinkled with a hesitant question.

Smiling, she took her hand in his and gently placed it on her stomach. Just as he felt the slight movement, his eyes shone with excitement. A wide grin broke from his lips as he shifted his hand.

"I felt it Khushi, I felt the movement!"

She beamed at him in response, and watched carefully as he scrunched his eyes in confusion.

"Khushi, how many weeks has it been?"

"We complete six months next week."

"But aren't you -- I mean is the amount of weight normal?" he asked tentatively.

A distinct glint entered her eyes. He recognised that look well. There was something that she was hiding, something that she was itching to disclose. Out of habit, his eyebrow arched up as he waited for her answer.

"That's because we're having twins, Mr. Raizada."

A/N So, for the most asked questions, here are your answers.

See you all next Wednesday, guys!

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Oh this is such a mature version of how things could have turned up in ipkknd...u wrote it in a very simple yet fabulous way...i love ur no frills and drama writing...