Originally posted by: EXPELLIARMUS
Aap bhi na..😳I haven't still gotten over the amazement at seeing thread 2, and you are talking about 3!!The Epilogue is ready (in my head, that is). Now all I have to do is find the time to write it.I'm so sorry for the delay..kitni baar sorry bolna padega?
A/N: All flashbacks are in Italics.
Epilogue
Arnav Singh Raizada had a secret.
Why wouldn't he, when almost everyone in his life had kept something from him at one point or another?
And this wasn't a trivial secret either.
This was why he had never shared it with another living soul yet.
Although he sometimes suspected that she might know.
Khushi Raizada.
His wife of six months, and the one person who knew all his innermost thoughts.
Well, almost all his thoughts.
Did she know this one as well? He hoped she didn't, but he wasn't sure.
Hadn't he given her enough hints in his actions?
His thoughts flew back to the previous day...
"But Arnav, why is it impossible at this point in time?"
"Because...because you still aren't at a senior management position. And the London conference is targeted at those who are."
"But that's my point! It will be a great learning opportunity for me!"
"The same opportunity will come up in a few more months, we can go there then."
"We?"
He saw her eyes narrow as the truth hit home.
"That's why you don't want me to go this time, don't you? Because you will be tied up with the Mehra merger, and won't be able to accompany me to London!"
"Unbelievable! I would never even dream of stopping you, just because I can't go with you! I'm refusing for your own good, when you attend the next conference a few months down the line with some more work experience, you will see what I mean, Khushi."
"Really. So you are doing this for my sake."
"Yes."
"I don't believe you."
"That's not my problem."
"I think I know exactly why you are doing this. Do you want to hear my guess?"
"No! I mean...there's nothing to speculate about. You can attend the next one, and I'll go with you. And that's all there is to it."
He had turned and walked away, but not before he saw the knowing glint in her eyes.
He knew that she had come very close to the truth in that instance.
And it wasn't even the first one.
He had seen a similar light in her eyes when he had insisted on accompanying her to Lucknow when her Buaji had suffered a relapse. She had argued with him for hours, reminding him of the precarious situation at A.R fashions, but to no avail. When she had finally given up, she had stared at him for a minute as if she could see the secret hidden behind the arrogant order he had just given'
And then there was the time when his Di had been admitted to the hospital for her delivery, and all the women in his family took turns to stay with her.
But when it was Khushi's turn, she had been unable to go, because he had suffered from giddiness due to a low blood sugar level that same evening.
Although she had been caring and attentive, he had seen the looks she had given him out of the corners of her eyes at times, as if she had guessed his secret then..
He had been faking his weakness, of course. And there had been no real need to go with her to Lucknow, either, because Khushi was quite capable of taking her Buaji to the doctor all by herself.
And the London conference would have added to her resume, and it had been only his selfish motive that had kept her from going there this time...although he had assuaged his conscience with the thought that she could easily go there with him in a couple of months for the next one.
In these, and many such instances, his secret lay hidden.
Time and again he had stopped Khushi from leaving him, even for the space of a few hours.
He had invented a million reasons, and concocted numerous excuses, but he had accomplished his goal.
In the six months of their marriage, ever since that moment by the Sheesh Mahal rose garden, they had never spent a single day apart.
Because that was his little secret.
Arnav Singh Raizada could not stay without Khushi Raizada, even for a single day.
He just couldn't.
He had discovered this quite early on, when he had been forced to spend one day without her, because Khushi had gone to a Pooja with Nani, at a temple that was a couple of hour's drive from Delhi.
At first, he hadn't thought that it would make any difference. After all, he had spent plenty of days alone before meeting her, hadn't he?
All through the day, he had to stop himself from walking around the house, looking for her.
He missed her at lunch, and at dinner.
He missed the sound of her voice, and he missed her soft laugh.
But nothing was as bad as the night.
Her return had been delayed because of an accident on the road that required them to take a detour.
After a torturous few hours spent tossing and turning in bed, then pacing by the poolside and working on his laptop for a while, he had finally acknowledged the truth.
He couldn't even go to sleep without her.
His eyes wouldn't close without the feel of her presence nearby, his mind wouldn't settle into a peaceful slumber without the knowledge that she was in his arms.
There was no sleep for him without her at night.
There was no peace without her during the day.
It was as simple, and as complicated as that.
And once he had accepted this new weakness in himself, he had gone to great lengths in order to keep her with him always, at all costs.
It was also essential to keep this hidden from her, of course.
Wouldn't she think it was strange, or weird in some way?
Especially when she seemed to have no compunction in making plans to leave him for days, or weeks at a time.
And so he had kept this secret for months'
But was it really a secret?
Or had she already guessed his hidden weakness?
He didn't even know why he was thinking about this now while he paced by the poolside, waiting for her to come to him.
Maybe it was the reflection of the moon in the still waters of the pool, reminding him that night had fallen again, and she should be here any minute now.
Or was it the fact that he was about to unveil another little secret when she finally got here?
This wasn't really a secret, though.
It was more of a surprise, a gift that should have been hers already'
He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the thin file that lay on it.
This was a deed that made her an equal partner in the whole of A.R.Corp, and not just in A.R.Fashions.
He had no idea what would be her response when she saw it, but he hoped that she would recognize his intent in giving her this. He knew that she still harbored doubts about his absolute trust in her, and he wanted to allay those fears with this gift.
But more than that, he wanted to let her know that he had seen and acknowledged her dedication to A.R through the past few months that had been tough for their company. She had worked ceaselessly in her new capacity as assistant manager of marketing, and her efforts had been visible to everyone around them. He had stopped himself from interfering with her work, and had instead let her climb the ladder of success herself.
And now, he knew that she was ready to handle this new responsibility.
She had always possessed the knowledge and skills for the role, but the past few months had given her some much-needed confidence and experience as well.
He needed her by his side, as an equal partner in this company he built from scratch, just like she was the most important person in his life.
He wanted to say all this, and much more, with these pieces of paper.
All he hoped was that she would understand his intentions behind this gift.
This secret, at least, would no longer be one after tonight.
________
Khushi Raizada, on the other hand, had no secrets at all.
Not anymore.
Her life was now an open book, and his name was on every page.
Arnav Singh Raizada.
Her husband of six months, and the one person who knew her innermost thoughts.
All of them.
She had never kept anything from him, and he knew everything about her, including her weaknesses and her fears..
Her hopes, her dreams, her aspirations..nothing was hidden from him.
This was a promise she had made to herself months ago, when she had realized that she loved him unconditionally.
And for her, love meant complete and utter surrender.
And that's what she had done.
She shared everything with him, from the serious, to the trivial.
And he had repaid her confidence with an understanding that she treasured'
She now knew that she had been blessed with the rarest of gifts'a soul-mate who prized her above all else, and who cared for her beyond everything'
And so she wanted to show him her appreciation for the wonderful lover, and loving husband that he was.
Which was why she was wearing this.
She stared at herself in the mirror of the guest bathroom, and wondered at her daring.
Was it really her in that?!
She refused to let herself get embarrassed.
Why was she blushing anyway?
Hai Devi Maiyya, wasn't she a married woman?
She should be used to dressing this way by now'
And yet, the thought of his eyes on her made her squirm in embarrassment'and the beginnings of desire'
What would he say when he saw her?
What would he do?
She couldn't wait to find out.
She turned to leave, then suddenly remembered that she couldn't possibly walk out like this.
She reached for the robe she had brought with her earlier, and pulled it around herself quickly before reaching for the door.
As she did so, her eyes fell on the object lying on the counter-top.
How could she have forgotten this?
She picked it up and stroked it gently.
This was her gift to him on this special day, one she had saved for and bought with her own earnings.
This was her way of showing him that she remembered where it had all begun'
Holding it close to her chest, she took a deep breath before pulling open the door.
Stepping out into the hallway, she looked from side to side, but there was no one there.
She hurried out, her robe swishing around her legs as she headed for the poolside, where she knew he waited for her.
______
N.K had a secret as well.
And it wasn't one he was particularly proud of.
Although he had convinced himself that what he had done was essential for his peace of mind, he now felt an intense regret and overwhelming shame for what he had done.
And now, she knew it too.
Lavanya Kashyap.
His fiance of one year, and the one person he should have been able to trust, but hadn't been able to.
He was on the verge of losing her, now that she knew the secret he had been hiding.
N.K had never really known what panic meant until now, when he saw that she was walking out of this room, and his life...possibly forever.
And he couldn't let that happen.
He walked up to her and stopped her by placing one hand on her arm, and winced when her whole body stiffened before she turned to him, angry tears glittering in her eyes.
"Lavanya, listen...I'm sorry, so very sorry..."
"I don't need an apology. I...I already told you that, N.K. What I need is an explanation. Why did you do it?"
"Lavanya...It's just...I thought you were..."
"What? Did you think I was having an affair? That I was deceiving you? Is that the only conclusion you could jump to after inquiring about my schedule?"
"Lavanya, please...I was wrong, I know that..."
"Wrong? It was more than that, N.K. What you did was unpardonable. You hired a private investigator to follow me all day, just because you didn't know where I was going for a few hours every week! Did it never occur to you that all you had to do was ask me what the truth was? I would never have lied to you, N.K'I would have told you the truth, that I was taking cooking lessons, even though I intended to surprise you today with a home-cooked dinner..But you didn't even give me the opportunity to defend myself, did you? You invaded my privacy, and proved your complete lack of trust in me'you reduced a two year relationship to nothing!"
"I just'I didn't know what to think when you disappeared for those few hours, and wouldn't even answer my calls during that time..."
"You could have given me the benefit of doubt, N.K. It's what I would have done, if I had been in your place. And do you know why? Because I trusted you! I know you, and I know that you are incapable of cheating on me. Why don't you have that same trust in me? Why is it so difficult for you to trust me, or any other woman?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm talking about Khushi. I remember that you did something very similar in her case as well. And you only stopped when Arnav threatened you with dire consequences if you did not. So what is the reason behind all this, N.K? That's what I need, an explanation..."
N.K knew that what she was saying was completely true...
All his life, he had never been able to place his complete trust in any woman.
Not after what had happened four years ago..
Since then,he had never been able to trust a woman.
He just...couldn't.
How was he supposed to explain this to her, when he was barely able to understand it himself?
But he knew that he had to try.
Because he had no other option.
He couldn't lose her.
Not now, not ever.
"Lavanya, I've told you about this before'"
"Wait a minute, is this about Preeto? Are you trying to tell me that you are punishing me because she jilted you for another man?"
"I'm not punishing you! I need you to understand'what happened at that time has made me very paranoid'and afraid to trust'"
"Stop it! I don't want to hear anymore! Do you think that your past gives you the excuse to ruin my present?"
"That was not my intention.."
"I don't care! I've had enough! I've waited for you for so long, and now you have rewarded me with this!"
He watched in fear as her eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait, N.K. I just realized'have you been putting off our wedding for the same reason? You don't want to marry me because you cannot bring yourself to trust me'I don't know why I didn't see this earlier!"
N.K had no reply, because there was some truth in what she was saying.
But before he could say anything, she had turned away from him again.
"I can't do this anymore, N.K.'"
He didn't know where the words came from, but he knew that they had to be said.
Before he lost everything.
"Lavanya, I can't live without you."
Days later, he would still wonder what was in his words that made her stop.
Was it the heartfelt simplicity of the truth?
Or was it something in his voice?
He would never know what it was.
All he knew was that it made her turn back to him with tears in her eyes, and he wasted no time in moving towards her.
"It's the truth, Lavanya. This is beyond love, beyond trust'beyond anything I've ever known. I need you. And that's all I can tell you right now. But if you can find it in your heart to forgive me for what I've done'if you can give us another chance'I promise, I'll never let you down."
She stared at him for a long moment, and he held his breath as he waited for her answer.
But when it came, it caught him by surprise.
Because she didn't answer with words.
Instead, she came up to him, and placed a gentle hand on his.
"I need you too, N.K...and I'm willing to give you, and us, one last chance. Because no matter what you do, or say, I do know one truth."
She moved closer and placed her head on his chest before completing her sentence.
"I cannot walk away either."
His arms went around her, and they stayed that way for a moment, absorbing the comfort of the other's arms.
He bent close to whisper in her ears,
"I love you, Lavanya."
"I know that, N.K. And I will wait for the day when you can say with an equal certainty that you trust me, too."
As he heard her words, N.K knew that the day would not be long in coming.
It wouldn't be an easy journey, but he would do it for her.
For love.
Because that was the only thing that could make him take this leap of faith.
He wondered at this powerful emotion that had the strength to make each of them do things they could never have imagined themselves doing before.
Out of nowhere, a line from a song popped into his head, and he whispered it into her ear.
"Iss Pyaar ko kya naam doon?"
_______
Arnav knew the exact moment she entered the pool area.
After months of experiencing the same sensation, he was no longer surprised by it's accuracy.
Before he could turn around, he suddenly caught a glimpse of her reflection in the pool.
She had come up beside him, and was now standing there with her luscious lips curved in a smile, the deep red of her robe a striking contrast to the paleness of her skin.
She was looking down at the water too, and he wondered if she could see the same thing that he could see so clearly.
They looked so right together.
There could never be any question that they were meant to be.
He finally turned to her, and only then noticed that she was holding her hands behind her back, as if she was intent on hiding something from him.
He looked up at her questioningly, expecting to see a naughty glint in her eyes.
The mischievous side of her was something he adored, and he wondered what she was up to now'
But this time, he was wrong.
Her eyes were solemn, yet tender'and expectant, as well.
What was going on here?
"Khushi?"
"Arnav, do you remember the first time I came to Sheesh Mahal?"
Whatever he had been expecting her to say, it certainly hadn't been this.
"Of course I do, but what'"
"And do you remember what you gave me that day? A gift you have given me several times since then'"
"How could I forget? You saved them all, and still do'"
"That's not all I've been doing."
"What do you mean?"
He watched as she took a deep breath.
"From the past few weeks, I've tried to get this for you'and now I've finally succeeded."
Before he could figure out what she was talking about, she brought her hands out from behind her, and he could finally see what she had been hiding from him.
He took in a sharp breath at the sheer beauty of her offering.
It was a rose.
But not just any rose.
It was a perfectly shaped, exquisitely colored, blue rose.
The rarest of the rare.
Ever since he had started giving her those special roses, he had tried to find out about all the various colors they came in, and from his research, he knew that a blue rose was extremely uncommon. In fact, there were only a handful of places in the world that were able to create this perfect version.
He realized that it could not have been easy for her to get this for him.
And yet, she had done it.
For him.
He looked up at her, suddenly embarrassed at the thought of his own gift.
How could he even compare the two?
But there was no time for him to think about that, because she was still waiting for him to accept the rose, and her hand was beginning to tremble now.
He quickly grasped her hand in his, and pulled her close, the rose clutched between them.
As always, he had no words for her.
He let his actions say everything instead, and took her lips in a deep, drugging kiss.
She moved her hands around his neck, and returned his kiss with the same fervor, and for a few moments, it was as if the outside world had ceased to exist.
She was now leaning against him, and he let his hands move down her back as their kiss lengthened.
He never knew when he started moving backwards toward their bedroom, and so the clatter of the overturned coffee table behind him startled him.
She looked down at it too, and he suddenly realized that the file he had placed there was now on the floor, it's contents scattered by the poolside.
Before he could stop her, she had bent to pick up the sheets of paper, and as luck would have it, the initial page was the first one she picked.
She straightened up slowly, her eyes running down the lines of script.
His whole body stiffened as he waited for her reaction.
What was she thinking?
And then he had no more time to wonder about that, because she raised her gaze to his.
"Why, Arnav?"
The simple question caught him off-guard, and he scarcely knew where to begin.
"Because...because you deserve it. More than anybody else. And also because I need you there, with me'I want you by my side as we face everything together, and I wanted you there on equal terms'"
She looked down at the paper again, then placed it down before moving up to him.
"Arnav, this is'overwhelming. But thank you for trusting me enough'although there is one thing I'd like you to know.."
She placed her hand on his chest, and he wondered if it was only a coincidence that one of them rested against his heart.
"I didn't need this, Arnav. Even without this, I'll always be there with you, through anything that life throws at us. You do know that, don't you?"
It was his turn to be overwhelmed now.
"I know that, Khushi. But I want you to have this. And today, of all days, I wanted to give it to you."
That made her smile, and she parted her lips to say something, but her words were drowned out by a sudden clap of thunder.
They looked up at the sky, then back at each other.
"It looks like it's going to rain, Khushi.Let's get inside'"
He turned towards the sliding door, and had pulled it open before he realized that she hadn't followed him.
He looked back immediately to see that she was now standing next to the pool, her face turned up to the heavens as the first drops of rain hit her outstretched hands.
"Khushi, what are you doing?"
She looked at him now, and he watched in surprise as she still didn't move.
Instead, her hands went to the satin belt of her robe, and in an instant, she had untied it and flung it aside.
The rain chose that moment to pour down on her, and he felt as if his breaths stopped at the seductive picture she made.
Dressed only in a thin, short, strapless red nightdress, she continued to stare at him even as the red silk was drenched by the downpour.
The nightdress now clung to her curves, and he suddenly felt as if he was seeing her for the first time.
He moved towards her as if in a trance, and pulled her to himself in one swift move as his lips descended to her cool, wet ones.
He continued to kiss her even as he pushed her against the wall, and this time, when he let his hands move down her back, he almost felt as if there was nothing between his skin and hers.
There were no words'
There was nothing but heated caresses, bold embraces, and gasps of wonder and surrender as they gave in to the passion that always lay between them'
And when he finally took her, he knew that somehow, this felt like the first time too.
He didn't know why, but it was true all the same.
Later, he carried her inside, and set her down beside their bed, his hands moving to the torn remnants of her nightdress.
As he pulled it off her, he noticed that she was shivering, and he pulled her close to his own wet body.
They both looked down as the dress pooled around her feet, and he suddenly smiled at it's color.
"Red? I know why you chose that'"
"I'm not surprised that you've figured it out.."
"It is my favorite, after all."
She took him by surprise as she suddenly pulled away.
"Wait, you think I wore red today because it's your favorite color?"
"Of course. What other reason could there be?"
He was genuinely puzzled at the angry sparks that now lit her eyes, and watched as she walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out the first thing she saw, which happened to be his white shirt.
She seemed not to notice this, and pulled it on with angry movements while she walked back to him.
"Khushi? What's wrong?"
"How can you not know why I'm wearing red today? And don't tell me you have no idea why I gave you the rose either!"
"The rose? I assumed it was for the same reason I gave you those shares. Because today is a special day.."
"Exactly! It's Valentine's day!"
"Valentine's day? I was talking about our six month anniversary!"
"What?! Who celebrates six month anniversaries anyway?!"
"Who celebrates Valentine's day?"
"The whole world does! Didn't you see the hearts and flowers around the office today? And what about all the secretaries dressed in red?"
"Khushi, you know very well that the only dresses I'm interested in are the ones you wear. And I'm even more interested in getting you of them.."
"Don't try to change the topic! How can you ignore the festival of love?!"
"Festival of love?! That's a load of nonsense fed to an unsuspecting public by the makers of those sappy greeting cards and heart-shaped candies. There is no such thing as a day for love, and lovers. Why should there be, anyway? Why can't we celebrate being with each other every single day of the year?"
"That's just an excuse! How can you be so unromantic? I can't believe you are the same man who gives me roses for no reason, makes love to me in the rain, and invents a thousand reasons to keep me from going away for even a single day!"
"What?!"
As she saw his face pale, Khushi knew she had him there.
She had hit on the truth after all.
It was something she had suspected for a while, and recently she had become almost sure of the fact, when he had stopped her from going to London.
Not that she had any intention of going anyway, but he hadn't known that, had he?
And now, it was confirmed.
The great Arnav Singh Raizada, CEO of A.R.Corp, couldn't exist without his little wife by his side.
She smiled , and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Are you going to deny that fact, Arnav?"
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"Really."
"Yes!"
"So it would be okay with you if I went to Lucknow for a week?"
"What? No!! Why would you want to do that?"
"I wouldn't, but I got you there, didn't I?"
His gaze suddenly dropped to her arms across her chest, and when he raised his eyes to hers, he was smirking in that way that never failed to make her pulse race.
She was instantly wary, and took a quick step back as he took on towards her.
"You'll never get me to admit anything."
"Arnav, I.."
He took one more step, and she moved back too.
"And you are right, I am unromantic."
"What?! I didn't mean.."
"I am very unromantic. So unromantic, that I'"
His next step made her move back again, and she winced as her back hit the wall.
"I don't even like to share my things with my wife."
Confused, she stared up at him even as he braced both hands against the wall on either side of her.
"What?"
He dropped his gaze downwards, and as she looked down too, she realized for the first time that she was wearing his shirt.
And suddenly, she understood the meaning of his last words.
"I want my shirt back, Khushi."
She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the havoc created by his nearness.
"You're not getting it."
He ran one hand down her neck towards the first button, and she placed both of hers there immediately, trying to keep it closed.
"I'm not? Then I guess I'll just have to take it. And you, as well."
Her breath hitched as he leaned closer, and her eyes closed as his breath fanned her lips.
"Unromantic? I promise you one thing, Khushi'"
She kept her eyes closed as she felt his fingers moving hers away from the buttons.
"Before this night is over, I'll make you take your words back."
"Never!"
"We'll see."
"Laad Governor ka.."
She had no time to complete her sentence because his lips finally touched hers.
As she lost herself in his kiss, as her body pressed against his, one realization seared across her mind.
They would never get enough of each other.
In every sense.
And that was their little secret, hidden from the rest of the world.
***********************************************************
P.S: I owe you all a huge apology for the delay in this epilogue.
It was initially caused by matters beyond my control, and later by an untimely case of writer's block.
I hope you like this epilogue, and I would like to thank every one of you for reading 'Secrets' .
This has been an incredible journey, and it wouldn't have been possible without you .
For everyone who has found their soul-mate, and everyone who is waiting for theirs, here is my heartfelt wish: May every day be Valentine's!
Rabba Ve!
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