Posted:
Hey,guys.This is the last part of my 3parts tribute to ArShi❤️
Thanks to every one for appreciating the first two parts so much.I suffer from lack of confidence😳You guys have been like God-sends🤗
Thank you all!!!
Edit:English translation in brackets...
OS: Northern Star
They both sat on the bed,hands entwined.Both determined to fight for the other.
'Bohut dard ho raha hai?(Is it paining much?)'Khushi asked worriedly.'Di keh rahi thi aap ke liye garam paani ka sekh le aawu..Hum yehi dekhne ayethe aap uth gaye ya nahi.Wo jakar le aye?(Di was telling me to bring you the hot water bag..I had just come to see whether you were up or not.Should I go & bring that up?)'she tried to untangle her right hand for their grasp on his left.To her surprize he tugged her hand towards him,not letting her go.
'Don't leave...me.'Arnav said moving his head from side to side.
Somehow Khushi instantly knew he wasn't talking about her leaving for the kitchen.He just asked her to not leave him.But why exactly?And in any case,he was injured she wasn't ready for this conversation right now.
'Arnavji...Hum bus...(Arnavji...I'll just...)'
'Shh..I'm still talking.I am sorry i failed...you.' with that he pulled her hand in his grasp and cradled it to his heart.Looking at their joined hands against his hearts,it flashed another image of their joined hands stained with red gulal in her mind.
The memory filled her with such elation,she missed Arnav's next words.He shook their joined hands.'Khushi,kitni baar kaha hai listen to me,when I talk to you.(Khushi,how many times have I told you,listen to me when I talk to you.)' Then he instantly looked guilty.'What the...Keep forgetting I am not supposed to shout at you...' Khushi's eyes rounded at this.
'Kabse??Aur KYUN..?(From when??& WHY?...)'
Arnav looked exasperated.'Shut up Khushi.Don't interupt when I am only trying to say something nice to you..Trust me you're going to love it..' Khushi's eyebrows arched up at this.
'Achchha??..Kya??..Yehi ke aap ghalat the aur hum sahi??Ke app sharminda hain..Humse maafi mangna chahhte hai?(Really??..What??..That you were wrong & I was right?..Want to apologize to me?)' her eyes twinkled like it used to before it all happened.
'You're already having so much fun!See i told you you're gonna love it..' he pulled Khushi closer towards him.Khushi put her left hand on his chest.
'Humne appko maaf kiya.(I am forgiving you.)' she said taking a deep breath.
She has made up her mind three days back.After a couple of days Arnav said those words to her.Just thinking about those word made her blush a deep crimson.This week has broken all of her illusions.She now knew where her priorities lay.She knew when it came to her laad governor of a husband,pride was something she didn't have.
The question that finally answered all of her queries came during the night when Payal volunteered to sleep with her,as she was afraid to sleep alone.Touched by the gesture,she thought for the umpteenth time,she did right in marrying Arnav as it safe-guarded Payal's happiness.Suddenly a voice from inside her asked-Khushi Kumari Gupta...Singh Raizada,would have married anyone,say NK for example,in order to save your sister's wedding??She remembered now how clear the answer to that question had been to her.How could she not see it before?She'd never have married someone else,not then,not now,not ever.
She looked up at him now with love clearly visible in her eyes.Arnav looked at them & slowly shook his head.
'No khushi,don't be so generous with your forgiveness,when I haven't been generous at all with you with my faith & trust.' he looked down at their joined hands,in fear that she might pull hers back.But khushi only tightened her grasp.
'Trust might grow Arnavji,if it finds a warm,suitable environment to grow.It's much like love you know...grows at the most unusual of places.' she looked deep in his eyse.
He remebered her words at Holi.He didn't remember them.Hell,truth is he had never been able to forget them.How did she do it?Even when unconscious,she had been so open & honest about her feelings.& the only times he allowed his feelings for her to open up were when she was either fainting,or high on bhaang,or pretending to be dead.No,he closed his eyes.Amendments started here,NOW!He took a deep,calming breath.
'Khushi.I was wrong.I was unforgivably wrong.I didn't think straight even for a moment after I saw that ba***rd with you on the terrace.& I punished only you for it because I felt like you betrayed me.See I wanted to tell you I lo...You do remember right?I wanted to tell you something?...Damn it Khushi..It's not working..' he bent his down & closed his eyes shut.It didn't seem adequate.Something wasn't right.He looked up at Khushi with a plea for help in his eyes.
Khushi lifted her free hand up & ran it down lovingly from his temple to his jawline,then she cupped his cheek.'Aap ne kaha tha na,aap ne kabhi ek haath se taali bajte huwe nahi dekha?..Sahi the aap.Humne kabhi nahi chahatha hum aapko,ya aapki Di ko kissi bhi taqleef se guzarne de.Par humare sach chhupane se aap logonka dard hum thorehi doorr kar sake?Jo hona tha wohi huwa.Bus inn sabb ke karan aap ko itna dard mila,jiska soch ke bhi hum...Aap ne kaise saha hoga sabb kuchh itne din aakele?...(Didn't you say,that you have never seen one hand clap?..Right you were.I never wanted you,or your Di to suffer because of me.But by hiding the truth from you all,little could I lessen the pain that you both went through.Everything that was bound to happen,happened.But in the middle of all these,you had to go though so much agony,that every time I think of it..How DID you suffer so much just by yourself for so many days?..)' In a flash Arnav got it.That's it.Khushi only ever thinks from His perspective.& he had been going on about his crime,his guilt,his reason.He let Khushi's hand go abruptly,shocking her into speechlessness.He cupped her face in both his hands.
'As you say,people who leave us become stars,Maa has always been like a northern star for me.Pointing me on my way..To you.You know,Ma was a lot like Nani?' Khushi's eyes rounded at the abrupt change in subject.Arnav smiled slightly at her.'She was very spirited.Di's not like her.But Ma?She would give me a run for my money,if she was here now.You see,with Di's Polio & my diabetes,she was always very protective of both of us.When we were naughty,she punished us,sometimes I would even get beatings.' he chuckled to himself.'BUT,dare anyone else even laid a finger on us,they were dead!She would protect us like a tigress.' Khushi nodded her head to him.Understanding a little of Anjali's need for protection & Arnav's anger at the loss of protection at such a young age.Arnav continued.
'You know,when again I saw that kind of protectiveness?When you barged in on my life,on that very first day.I said something about Payal & nearly chewed my head off.Remember?' Khushi nodded.She did. 'Tum jaisoka kya hai?Ek jayega doosra fassa logi..(What's it for girls like you?You'll trap another one before this one is gone..)' She lowered her eyes from his,lest he saw the pain in them.Too late,he already did.Arnav leaned forward & kisses each eyelid in turn.'I'm really sorry..That day you remineded me of Ma so much,I kept the pearls I tore off from your dress.' Khushi looked up at him,startled at the confession.
'Your payal??I lied at Diwali Khushi.Not only to hurt you,but to reassure myself as well.I kept it constantly with me,cause before Di's anniversary party,I thought I might not see you again as you left Delhi.& I wished like hell I stopped you,or had something of yours with me,always.When I found your payal I kept it thinking this might be only thing of yours I'll be left with.I was never actually gonna return it to you,till I knew it was your Amma's.' he said sheepishly.Khushi was by now reeling with shock.Did this mean he was..?But that's WAY long ago!!Even before her own 'dhak dhak' ever started!
Arnav took a deep breath before continuing. 'You don't know how I felt when I saw you sitting curled up,unconscious,in the morning after the night we spent in Nainitaal.Ever since then Khushi every time I even thought you were in some kind of danger,I felt I's stop breathing myself.I kept asking Ma to look over you,to keep you safe...After Ma left I was living only for Di,but after you challenged me in the office that day after I...you know..I dropped you from my office window..I am sorry,I wasn't thinking..you made me SO mad..' he pressed a kiss on her forehead,while a laugh escaped Khushi's lips. 'That day,for the first time after Ma left I felt ALIVE,you know that?You made my days exciting.I would not just go through mountains of routine work,I started anticipating the moment I'd see or you'd do something utterly silly.You made nights restless.' He pressed Khushi's right hand firmly over his heart. 'Khushi,tumne inn dhadkanoko dhadakna sikhaya..(Khushi,you taught these heartbeats to beat again)..Something which they forgot long ago.If you were to leave me now,I'd...DON'T Khushi.Don't leave me.People who leave me never come back again,no matter how much I love them..how much I beg them to come back..Please Khushi..' With that fresh tears gathered in his eyes,not rolling down,but rather misting his eyes getiing trapped by his lashes.
As soon Khushi heard him talk about his heart-beats & felt the same under her hands,she clearly remembered it.'Humari dhadkane ek ho jaati hai.(Our heartbeats become one.)'A feeling of such pure joy filled her heart,tears started rolling down her eyes unchecked.She gave him her brightest smile through her tears.'Arnav ji,aap ki saason ko rok kar hum kahin nahi jaa saakte,kyunki abb humari saase bhi innse jud gayi hai.(Arnavji,where can I go by stopping your heartbeats,cos now even my heartbeats are entwined with yours.)'she smiled naughtily up at him.'Jabbhi aap humare paas aate hai humari saase tez ho jaati hai,remember?Jo hum mehsoos karte hai... (Whenever you come near me,my heartbeats accelerate,remember?That I can feel...)' she trailed off looking at him expectantly.
Arnav looked at her,amazed at what she was hinting.He thought she didn't remember?& he had discarded those words as her drunken babbles,as it is most of the things she said when fully conscious were babbles.But right now she was looking at him repeating those exact words,smiling as if she meant every syllable...ad some more.Khushi now shook his shoulder with her left hand,as if urging him.Arnav smiled down at her incredulously.
'Jo main mehsoos karta hoon...Humari dhadkaane..ek ho gaayi hai,Khushi...(That I can feel...Our heartbeats...become one,Khushi...)' With that he pulled Khushi towards him and Khushi flung her arms around his neck,clutching furiously at him.Sensing her emotions,he pressed Khushi more tightly to his chest.He closed his eyes firmly,shutting out the rest of the world,imprinting this moment forever in his memory,forsaking all other.The rest of the world would wait.
Naniji came to a halt before Chhote's room.The door was shut.She had come to fetch Chhote so that he could persuade Anjali to eat something.After a moments hesitation she was about to knock before she heard Chhote's voice distantly,which suspiciously sounded like saying-'Shut up,Khushi..',but he didn't sound angry at all.Far from it actually,he sounded like he was having fun bullying his wife.Then she heard Khushi shout something like-'You can't make me..' in answer.Then they both murmured something at the same time and Chhote again shouting something like 'shut up' or 'what the..' in answer. Devyani Raizada promptly moved away from the door.
Naniji wiped the tears from her eyes,walking towards Anjali's room as she smiled happily. She could take care of Anjali. Akash,Payal and Manorama would help her. Chhote took care of his Di for so long,that all of them forgot he needed some healing too. But now that Khushi bitiya has started to sooth his pain...Naniji smiled at her daughter,looking heavenward.All of them would be fine.Just fine.
Here are the first two parts:
The Reason Is YOU
Like Never Before
Do comment if you have some suggestions or criticisms.Press like if you actually do like😉
