Beauty And Her Prince #ReadersChoiceAwards Ongoing G

Chapter 44

Published On Monday,Jan 24, 2022 05:18 AM GMT-07:00

Hello Readers, smiley27

"A Very Happy New Year" to you all.

I know I am a little late, sorry. Now that all breaks and trips are over hopefully I will get time to stick to the schedule. Fingers Crossed.

Leave your comments on what you think of the story and our love birds. smiley4

********************************************************

Chapter 44

This was the information he had been waiting for since yesterday and he couldn’t wait to know everything there is about Shyam Manohar Jha.

Flipping through the last page Arnav slammed the file onto the desk, disgusted and enraged. “Unbelievable! This man!? Khushi is going to marry this man!? Why?” he hissed, unable to fathom. His suspicion on Shyam proving to be 100% right, he is now sure that even if Khushi didn’t love him, there was no way in hell he would ever let her marry this womanizer. That file was filled with that rotten man’s affairs and misdeeds. Picking his phone he quickly dialed Aman.

“Yes, ASR!”

“Are you sleeping?”

“No!”

“Good! About Shyam, why is there no information about his studies abroad?”

“Um… He never studied abroad, ASR” he replied, confused.

“No. That can’t be right. He himself said that he studied abroad in some reputed university” As soon as he uttered those words out loud, he realized his answer was in that sentence itself. “Are you sure of this information?” he asked, his tone serious.

“Yes! He did live abroad for a few years but he never studied in any reputed university.”

“Ok. Good Night!” and the call went dead.

“Shyam Manohar Jha, who are you trying to fool by bluntly lying about your education? And for you to think that no one will look through your web of lies, are you a fool, or are you too smart to care? Just what are you?” But more than his lies, the question that bugged Arnav more was “Why did Khushi agree to marry this scumbag? Did she not know about his deeds?”

“Aaaahhh!” he heard Khushi shriek in pain, shattering his bubble. Quick on his toes, he barged into the bedroom concerned while asking earnestly, “Khushi! What happened? Are you ok?”

Holding her leg, wincing in pain she said, “My... My foot. I hit it against the wall by accident.”

Taking longer strides, reaching her in no time he held her by her shoulders and supporting her, walked her to the bed. Once he made sure she was comfortably seated he spoke stressed, “Damn it, Khushi! Is it bad? Are your bruises hurting too much?” as he reached for the cream doctor prescribed from the side table.

“No! Arnavji, I am fine. It’s my fault. I was not paying attention.” she instantly replied trying to ease his distress.

“Why don’t you pay more attention, then? You always keep getting yourself hurt.” he criticized annoyedly while sitting down on one knee and grabbing her leg delicately.

Offended by his tone she shot back with a frown, “Well, it’s not that I don’t want to pay attention. I don’t know why it happens. You say as if I plan for such mishaps. And let go of my leg, I can apply the cream. I am very much capable of taking care of myself.” With that, she tried to briskly snap her feet away from his grasp.

Not giving in to her tantrums, holding her ankle more firmly he pulled it towards him and snapped at her mockingly “Oh Really!? I know why this happens. It’s because you are careless. And we can all see how capable you are in getting yourself hurt. Now stay still.” Reprimanding her like a little child, he gently applied the cream on her bruises.

Disheartened by his words she complained with a pout “It’s not like only I get hurt. You also got hurt yesterday, remember?” while pointing her index finger at his bandaged hand.

One look at her guileless face and his anger vanished instantly. Blowing slowly on her bruises he reprimanded affectionately, “Why do you keep getting hurt, Khushi? How can you be so incautious?”

“I told you I forgot to put on my sandals earlier. If we think about it, it’s all actually your fault you know? Why did you not correct the news right away? You have no idea what I went through after watching it. So you see, this happened not because I was reckless but because I was worried.” she explained sincerely.

Standing straight now, he asked with a straight face in a confused tone “Worried for?”

“Of course, for you. You know, I felt like my life force was squeezed out of me. Don’t ever scare me like that again.” she spoke her heart disturbed, trying not to remember that scene.

“Well, then whenever you are worried for someone, do you run to them without thinking?” he questioned, playing ignorant.

“What!? Nooo! I came because it was you.” she replied checking her wounded leg, oblivious to his game.

“Why? Am I special?” he asked, leaning closer with a smirk.

In the blink of an eye, she lifted her head speaking absentmindedly intending to put an end to his mindless questions. “What kind of question is this? Of course, you are special because I L...” She suddenly stopped in her tracks, startled finding his face just inches away from hers.

Staring into her eyes, he felt anxious deep down as the fear of her disappearing again like always the instant he moved his gaze away from her still lingered. Everything right now felt like a beautiful illusion to him. He waited so hopelessly to hear those three words from her that when she finally did, he felt surreal. Thinking from his perspective it is very understandable as after their last encounter at the party he did almost give up hope but who would have thought soo much would change so fast. And now, he just couldn’t help craving to hear her repeat those words again and again till it all sunk in.“You were saying something? Because you, what?” he asked amusingly, inching in even closer.

Involuntarily bending back, she stuttered flushed “Because I… I love..” and stopped again with a gasp sensing him lean in further, holding her eyes captive with his.

Recalling out of the blue that she is currently in just a bathrobe and nothing else, she instinctively became very conscious of their closeness. Holding her robe together tightly near the chest with one hand, she gently nudged him back placing her other on his chest.

Coming to a halt at her soft defiance, he noted that she was no longer looking at him amid her face swiftly turning dark crimson. In fact, it felt as if she was completely avoiding him. Adding to her actions and demeanor, one quick look at the way she clasped onto the bathrobe as if her life depended on it was enough for him to understand the exact situation in a flash. But that didn’t stop him since for him, things just became more interesting. Knowing him it was definitely given that he was not going to back down from the opportunity of teasing her. The smirk on his face grew wider than ever as he carefreely moved her hand away from his chest and inched in closer making her automatically lean back and crash on the bed.

Shooting her caramel orbs at him in shock, she stuttered “Ar..nav..ji, what are you doing?”

With no regard to her question, placing himself almost on top of her, he balanced himself on his left elbow and bent down making sure not to put any weight on her. His breath now entangling with hers, gasping heavily due to the proximity, she promptly closed her eyes tight anticipating his next move. Chuckling at her stupefied face he stretched his other hand forward over her head, reaching for a dress lying on the bed right above her.

“Wear this one. It suits you.” he calmly said, moving back to face her.

Opening her eyes confused, she saw him holding up a dress before her. Their intimacy, stealing her ability to think or speak, all she could manage was a single nod.

“One more thing.” His voice pulling her caramels to inattentively meet his globes to his amusement grew wider like saucers on seeing him inch in closer. Savoring the moment, bending his head slightly, he left a soft, sensual kiss on her forehead.

The second his lips touched her skin a jolt of current swept through her nerves making her whole body tremble under him. Sensing her tense up beneath him, smiling inwardly he whispered huskily, “I love you too, Khushi!”

Melting in his actions, his words, and his voice, she batted her eyes rapidly as if coming back to reality. Lifting her gaze, she found herself staring into his ever captivating chocolate brown orbs filled with endearment, piercing her soul. Overpowered by frenzied emotions, forgetting her earlier shyness and dilemma she let her desire take control. Her hands moving on their own accord, cupping his face, she gently pulled him closer and placed an affectionate kiss on his cheek leaving him thunderstruck.

His mischief backfire like a bombshell, he felt time stop the very moment her tender lips touched his skin. The sensation still lingering on his cheek burned him inside out devoiding him of any control over the situation. Swept by raw emotions not wasting a second he conquered her welcoming sultry lips, hungrily devouring her.

Her heart pounding in her chest, completely overwhelmed by the intensity of feelings overflowing through him, she felt a strong urge to pull away afraid of getting suffocated under them but failed miserably in holding herself back. Not stopping at that, his fingers brushing through her cheekbone, slowly traced down her neck, and with no restrain ardently slipped her robe slightly aside, bringing her collar bone into the light. His lips closely following suit traveled the invisible path traced by his fingers, leaving a trail of passionate kisses.

Clutching onto the sheets for support, she felt the flutter in her stomach escalate taking over her completely. Her sanity hijacked all she could think of at that moment was how strong his lips felt against hers, how addictive his soft kisses were, how her skin caught on fire under his touch and how proficiently he invaded her senses in a wink. Right when she was on the verge of losing herself completely to him, ready to give in to his every demand, there was a knock on the door at that precise moment breaking their daze.

As if hit by lightning Arnav immediately released her with a jolt and looked at her in total disbelief. Appalled by his own behavior, in one swift moment he moved away from her and walked out of the room without turning back.

Khushi, who was equally baffled stayed frozen in her position till he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. The second she was all alone, she instantly sat up clenching onto her thumping heart, and gasped for air realizing she had forgotten to breathe. Her body still tingling from the after-effects she mumbled, “What was that? I decided to stay for the night because I wanted to feel happy and loved for once. Because I was afraid that I might not get the opportunity to be with him ever again after today. I wanted to be his Khushi, only his for at least tonight. But.. but.. Just now? What was I about to do just now? And him? I could see the disappointment in his eyes before he left. I am sure he is as taken aback as I am. What do I do now? How do people react in such situations? Maybe I am supposed to feel guilty or embarrassed or angry at this moment. But all I feel is unrestrained, unfathomable love. Just overwhelming love… for him.”

The subtle knock on the bedroom door finally knocked her out of her reverie. Her heart still pounding she heard him speak from the other side of the door “Your clothes are here. I am leaving them near the door.” Then she saw the door very slightly, precisely enough for him to squeeze the bag inside before closing it back and a loving smile danced on her lips. “So, this is how it feels to love and to be loved.” she thought her eyes welling up.

--------------------------------

Pacing around the living room Arnav cursed himself, “What happened to me? What was I about to do? How could I lose my composure like that? What must she be thinking of me? She trusted me, and I? How could I break her trust like that? She even tried to push me away but I… Damn it! She must be terrified. Damn it. Damn It. Damn it. How will I face her now? What will I say to her? I don’t want to scare her off. I don’t want to lose her. Not when I just got her. I can’t.”

-------------------------------

Preoccupied, Arnav was standing near the patio looking into the darkness of the night when he heard her step out of the bedroom. Still unable to figure out what to say or how to face her, he just stood rooted with his back facing her. Coming to his rescue, it was she who spoke first, saving him again from his predicament.

“Why did he bring so many dresses? I mean, did you order all those?” she questioned casually coming to a halt next to him.

He could easily see what she was trying to do. Instead of having him apologize for his actions, she was pretending as nothing major occurred. She knew exactly what was going on in his mind and how to help him. Taking the opportunity given he responded, “I didn’t give him directions as to what to bring like usual, so I guess he was unsure and ended up getting so many.”

Giggling she said, “Poor him. I must have spooked him earlier. But I am glad he was there. The receptionist was ready to throw me out. Not that I blame her, I did look hideous. And she would have if it was not for him. Thanks to him I was able to meet you.”

“Thanks to the accident I got to know what you truly feel about me.”, he said glancing at her from the corner of his eyes and noticing that she was wearing the dress he picked earlier.

“Don’t say that. Don’t ever say such things. It was lucky that no one got hurt.” she chided and continued grimly with a distant look, “If something were to happen to you I don’t know what I would have done.”

“I am sorry. It was not my intention to make you upset again. Also, earlier… I just… I shouldn’t have… I am s”

Intervening mid-way she spoke, not letting him complete. “You don’t have to apologize for what happened earlier, I understand.” Saying that being her ever-unpredictable self, out of the blue she held her head as if realizing something and spoke concerned, “I am such an idiot. I totally forgot to ask. How is your hand? Is it still hurting? Did you go to the doctor?”

Nodding his head assuringly, still not looking at her he replied, “It’s better. Doesn’t hurt much. Aman called the doctor. The wounds are not that deep. There is no need for you to worry about such things.”

“Why can’t I? I will keep worrying for you. Always. So, if you really don’t want to trouble me then please be careful and don’t go breaking glasses with your bare hand.”, she complained with a frown.

“For me to promise that you need to promise me something too.” he rebuked, pretending to be all serious.

“What?” she questioned looking at him surprised

Turning to her at last, holding her hands in his he said, “Khushi, promise me that you will never leave me. I don’t know when and how you became so important to me but it’s a fact that you have. I don’t think I can live without you. I don’t want to live without you. Khushi, I want to marry you.”

Taken by complete surprise Khushi just stood there tongue-tied, staring at him blankly. Everything was happening so fast for her to comprehend. Here she was still trying to understand love, to let her confession sink in, to process everything happening and he is talking about marriage with such earnestness.

“Khushi, I asked you something? I understand this may come as a shock given that we just got together. You must even be thinking that I am rushing things. That we don’t know each other enough. Wondering whether I am the right person for you. But trust me, I have never been so sure of anything in my life to date. All I want is to make you mine as soon as possible. My mind is made up, I need you next to me forever. I can’t imagine otherwise. And I am ready to clear all your doubts, fears, or insecurities. Whatever it is, whatever you want to know, you can ask me without hesitation.” he spoke with sincerity and confidence.

If it was any other girl then Arnav’s reasons would have been valid but Khushi’s insecurities and worries were different. “I… I… marriage.. I… Shyam..” Khushi floundered, her gaze swiftly cast down, her hands fidgeting uncomfortably and her voice complete silence, unable to speak further.

“Shyam!? Khushi, you love me. How does he matter?” he asked, confused.

“He … I have to marry him. I..” she stammered, her gaze still glued to the floor.

“What the!? Still? You still want to marry that man. That Man!? Do you even know what kind of human he is?” he hissed. Briskly walking to the coffee table, he picked up the file, and placing it in her hands he spoke as he turned page by page. “This is who Shyam is. He is a womanizer. He is a fraud. He lied that he studied abroad when he never did. Do you seriously want to marry this kind of man? Not to forget you just confessed that you love me. If you love me, how does he matter? I don’t get it. What are you thinking, Khushi? If you are feeling guilty for breaking your alliance with him then here is enough proof that you need not. Or, is all this some kind of a joke to you?” he questioned, exasperated.

Silently walking towards the patio Khushi gazed at the moon, the flickering lights of the never-sleeping city, and the reflections in the ocean below. “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it? Can we sit outside?” she asked softly.

Those words were not what he was expecting for his questions. Hearing her unusual request, he checked his mobile which flashed 1:45 a.m. He knew she needed to rest but her voice had the same kind of anguish which always made him uncomfortable. Obliging, he opened the door escorting her out, and asked, “Do you want to eat something? You look tired.”

“Maybe some coffee.” she politely replied stepping into the patio.

Calling room service he placed the order and grabbing a blanket walked out. There she was under the moonlit sky, quietly resting on the double chaise lounge, her gaze as always fixated on the sparkling stars. For someone who enjoyed the silence, this stillness in the air around her felt uncomfortable and disturbing. Covering her with the blanket he grabbed a chair next to her and patiently waited for her to say something.

A few moments later, breaking the silence she asked in a soft voice, “Did you ever read a fairy tale, Arnavji?” And before he could respond to her random question she spoke again, “I did. A lot. My favorites were prince and princess stories. But never in my wildest dream did I ever imagine my life would end up like those princesses. Without a family, wings clipped, trapped in one place, with no one who loves you, no one to talk to, all alone. It’s strange, isn’t it? I mean people think princesses are lucky as they have everything. That they have a happy life. I thought like that too. You know my Babuji used to call me his princess and I used to love it. I loved being his princess.”

Pausing, she let out a smile that failed to reach her eyes and continued, “I was such a fool. Fool to not see that surprisingly no princess in these stories had a happy life. Not even one. My parents were my everything. The reason for my smiles, my strength, my safe haven. They were all I had. When I lost them, my life changed. In a snap, I lost my world. I lost myself. I had no idea how to process the loss, or get over them. There was no one by my side to hold, console or help me cope. It felt like I was alone. Like I was on one side and the whole world on the other. There were even days when I wished I too was dead along with them. So you see, it took me quite a while to come to terms with reality.”

Stopping momentarily, closing her eyes, she swallowed hard as if it was too painful to talk and taking a deep breath continued, “I was at my lowest when I met my uncle. The first few years were a blur to me. Nothing interested me anymore. I lost my will to live. So, I kept doing as I was told without thinking. I stopped going to school or anywhere outside in general. Without even realizing I let myself get isolated from the world. By the time I figured out that life has to move on, that I have to live and be happy for my parents, I was already confined to my house. At first, all the restrictions my uncle laid down, I assumed he did out of his over-protectiveness for me. Therefore, I silently accepted them once again mistaking it for love. But, one day I spoke against his wishes and questioned his rules. I declared that I want to go to school. It was then. My life changed once again. Things started to spiral after that. His sweet tone with me was not that sweet anymore and it only got worse with time. The emotional blackmail which once started in the pretense of his love for me escalated to my love for others. Madhumatiji, the lady who was our house help at that time. The only person who stayed by my side supporting me after I lost my parents, unexpectedly fell seriously ill around the same time. When I asked him to help her, to my utter shock he dismissed me. I felt helpless but I was also adamant to get her help. Nowhere to go, I tried reaching out to people in the company for money. That was the day I understood that even though the company is supposedly mine, nobody there works for me. For the first time, I realized the importance of money and how poor I am. Dejected, I went back to him and pleaded. And to my surprise, he finally agreed but terms and conditions applied. I am to stay at home and do as I was told. No questions asked. That was the first battle I lost against him. After that, I literally had nobody in or outside the house. The only saving grace was being able to go to the orphanage. I don’t know why he let me go there. Maybe the constant phone calls from Sudha aunty had him worried over the chances of her suspecting things. Whatever the reason, I am really glad he did. At this point, with no one to speak for me in the house, he completely stopped pretending. The only person who could have helped me was Sudha aunty and even he knew that. So meeting her came with certain terms and conditions accompanied with prying eyes. But I was not at all ready to give up either. I can be very stubborn at times.”

She laughed as if laughing at her foolishness while she said the last sentence before carrying on, “I kept trying to ask for help from others around me but as expected they were his employees, not mine. We all know actions have consequences. Hence the result of my obstinacy was isolation for days in my room. Until then I only liked dance but since then dance has become my best friend. By the time I completed my 12th grade, thanks to Sudha aunty I managed to find an NGO that was willing to help Madhumatiji with her medical expenses. And I naively thought I can be free of his clutches when I turn 18, especially for two reasons. One, I will become a major, eligible to acquire all the property. Second, he can’t blackmail me using Madhumatiji. Like I said I was too innocent, not even remotely close to his caliber. If I had my plan, he had his.”

The knock on the door broke the trance they were both in. While Khushi paused, Arnav quickly attended the door. Returning in a few seconds he quietly placed the tray he was holding next to her on the lounge. He was about to move to his seat when she held his shirt near his waist, pulled it slightly towards her, and requested with her gaze lost between the dark sky and the sea “Can you sit next to me? I … I don’t want to be alone.”

Observing her, moving the tray aside, he silently sat next to her, his one hand holding her palm while the other gently patted it comforting her. He always felt there was more to her than what meets the eye and wanted to know everything about her. Even so, hearing her story turned out to be much more difficult for him than he ever thought. On one hand, he felt anger, immense rage for that man. Enough to burn him alive if he is before him right this second. At the same time, his heart cried for that little girl who went through so much, all alone. He wished with his whole soul that he could somehow take away all her pain and suffering in a flash. But unfortunately, that was not possible and the worst part is there seems to be more.

------------------------------------

Don't forget to like and comment.

- Hope