Chapter 4

Here it is...hope you like it!

❤️❓Was there ever love?❤️❓

Chapter 3.

Khushi just stands on the sidewalk as Arnav paces back and forth after the car scene. "You could've died, Khushi." He says as takes a deep breath from saying the evil word. Khushi looks up and stares at him. Wondering why he cares. Why he cares about if she died or not? Wondering why he won't leave her alone ever since he came back. Wondering why he always tries to bring about the past coherently and incoherently? Wasn't he the one who told Khushi to leave and walk out his world? Then why is he entering into her world again. Why? If he says he doesn't love her, then why does he always follow, save, and ask about her. Why?

Khushi backs away from him and says, "Why do you care if I die or live? Weren't you the one who said that before you told me to leave from your world?" and leaves. Just as she takes two steps, Arnav grabs her wrist.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that? ...Why do you always do that? I always say something cold and walk away, "Arnav turns her around facing him, "Tell me, Khushi?"

"Arnav, let go of me!" Khushi jumps from him, but he still doesn't let go. He stands there holding her and gazing into her with cold furious eyes.

"Arnav, let go of her." says a deadly voice behind them. They both turn around and see Armaan glaring at Arnav. Armaan has the look on his face as if he is about to go into wrestling and kill someone. Arnav releases Khushi's wrist and walk away from both of them. Armaan follows his deadly gaze on Arnav until he is out of sight. He breathes deeply and turns toward Khushi, and speaks in a normal false voice, "You okay, Nickelodeon?"

Khushi sits in her room, thinking how life has turned since she got here. I knew I shouldn't have come. I told them that I didn't want to stay, but why doesn't anybody get it. I only came to attend the wedding, but now I have to tend these parties that I didn't care for. Khushi thinks all this, when she hears someone knocking on the door. "Come in." Few seconds, later her dad walks into her room.

"Hey kiddo, so how was the party?" says Shashi Gupta.

"The usual...boring." Khushi says as she sits up as her dad sits beside her on the bed. Her dad nods his head as in agreement. Khushi is just like her dad; both are quiet people who love reading novels and health science. Shashi, however, is an inaudible person but remains on watch. He only speaks when something is needed to be said.

"Aha, so you still haven't changed and here your Bua said you were. Your Bua..." Shashi shakes his head as he hug Khushi. Khushi snuggles into her dad, enjoying his warmth. She loves her dad a lot, always following his principles.

They talked for an hour about everything. Khushi felt relieved for once in these four years after talking to her dad. It was a normal conversation without asking how she was or anything about the past. They talked about the hospital, her internship, news on media, the weather changing, about her future bhabhi, and so on. Shashi got up and tucked her in bed like he always did when he was able to come home early. "Good night kiddo tomorrow is a big deal. We have boring old puja that your massi always held. And we can't say anything because-"

Khushi rolls her eyes as she listens to her massi telling her dad how much fortune she has gotten this year and past years from doing puja. She knew her massi too well, the next day her massi will be crying over how unlucky she is and then the following day after she'll say how lucky she is. While her massi rants on, Khushi makes jalebis for the puja. Which was always her job during these puja's since childhood. She wearing a peach-pinkish suit with small red hexagons on her Patiala salwar, https://www.celebritybasha.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Patiala-Salwar-Kameez-Design-1-e1315343289603.jpg . She wore black/red dangling earings with a simple ponytail.

"Khushi, can you go get Armaan. Pata nehi kithe mar gaye." Says her Massi as she turns toward her. Khushi nods her head and leaves upstairs to get Armaan. She smiles slightly from all the memories she possessed in this house. She was always here playing with Armaan and Muskaan when she was little. She missed Muskaan, Armaan's sister and her cousin, a lot. They were identical except Muskaan never shuts up even in public. As Khushi gets upstairs she sees Arnav and Raj standing there in the jar of the door also. She sees Armaan shoving Arnav, and she runs to his door fast.

"I told you to stay away from her. Don't you get it?" Armaan says to him as he growls.

"I told you before, a car was about to hit her..."Arnav says as he takes a step back. Raj just stands there staring at them, with his arms folded.

"I'm not talking about that! I told you this before she went to London and I told you this before she came to the wedding." Khushi widens her eyes. They knew that she was coming. ...But bhai said he told no one.

"Armaan, shut up. You have much as fault as Arnav has." Raj said to him as he grabs Armaan away, knowing he's about to strike.

"Oh, shut up will you." Armaan pushes Raj away. "It's his entire fu****in fault, I told him not to hang out with her."

"We were dating for f***ing sakes ARMAAN, will you please f****in shut up!" Arnav says to Armaan, grabbing him by the collar.

"You were dating her to just fu***in sleep with her, you bi***h! Don't you forget that there was a bet between us six years ago, when you said you'll date her until you laid her?" Armaan pushes Arnav as he pushes Armaan back, both of them growling at each other. Khushi gasps heavily as if she couldn't breathe.

"I didn't make that bet, Jig-" Arnav stops halfway in between.

All three guys turn toward the door and see Khushi standing there with a pastel face. She stands there immobile, her heart stops beating, her blood circulation lowers it level. As they step forward to her, she steps back. She steps back from the three men she had loved, adored, and trusted. She keeps on stepping back, back, and back. She feels lightheaded while her legs feel heavy as she backs away from them. However, she forgets that there is a railing right in front Armaan's room. She steps back hitting into the railing and half-tilted into the air.

"KHUSHI!" they yell as they run to her. They grab her fast before she could fall. She tries to shrug them off, but Raj grabs her fiercely. He takes her into Armaan's room. Armaan shuts the door to avoid any other attention. Raj sits beside her as Armaan kneels in front of her, leaving Arnav to stand there looking miserable. Armaan reaches to hold her hand, but she shrieks.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she shrieks and she smacks Armaan's hand away. She turns to her older brother, "How could you do this to me? Why, Veer-ji. Why?"

Raj's eyes get watery; he looks away for a second, and turns to her again and whispers, "I didn't know, Khushi. I f-ff-found about this afterwards... after you left to London." Khushi clings to her brother for support. Here she had thought her life was miserable already, but Devi Maiya put more obstacles in front of.

"Nickle-Khushi, please I d-" Armaan tries to speak but Khushi cuts him off.

"You mean you didn't know and that's why you were there when you two made a deal!" Khushi says to him, "I know you are two are the same, both always doing dares, but why me? You made fun of other people, but you had to include me in it?...I trusted you even though you were mischief." Armaan tilts his head down. "How could you get so low and make a deal to get your sister in bed!" Armaan looks up and grabs both of Khushi's hands.

"choti! I didn't mean that. There...w...was no deal about you having s** with him." He says as he starts crying softly.

Khushi looks up at Arnav, who stands there looking at the bed rather than her eyes. She shrugs her hands out of Armaan's grasp and runs out of the door. She runs down the stairs and tries to escape the house, but her massi stops her. She tells her it's time for the puja and all the guest have arrived. And grabs Khushi along with her.

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As Khushi is about to sit on the floor, she sees Arnav sitting opposite of her and staring at her. Khushi looks around the room to see if anybody sees her and runs outside. She sprints to the park near Armaan's house, she sprints and sprints knowing he's right behind her. She can hear his running footsteps right behind her. Khushi doesn't stop, she runs and runs like she did in her college years. She ran as if there was no tomorrow, but he reaches her fastly and grabs her. She shrugs him off, but he grabs her again. They do this for a while. Finally, Arnav grabs her pins her to the nearest tree.

"Khushi, listen to me. Khushi...Khushi..." Arnav says to her as Khushi nods her head left and right constantly trying to flee and not listen to him. "Khushi, LISTEN TO ME!" she jumps and hits her head at the sound of his voice. He takes his hand toward her, but she smacks it away.

"What? What do you want me to listen. That you didn't mean to do it? It' wasn't like that? What, Arnav? WHAT?" she pushes him. He stares back at her, surprised at her reaction. Of course he would be surprise, Khushi never yelled before. Never at him or anybody else, and now here she was.

"Khushi, it wasn't like that. I-. At first, it was the deal, but then-" Arnav says, but Khushi interrupts him.

"And then you fell in love with me, right?" Arnav looks up at her with wide eyes, telling her the answer yes, but she ignored him. "Yeah, right. Arnav Singh Raizada can never fall in love, right? Wasn't that what you said to me before you "Dumped" me. ...I heard of you and your behavior. I tried to stay away from you, but there was something I really liked about you...but I guess I was wrong...i was wrong to fall in love with you." She whispers to him and walks away in the direction of the house.

"Khush!" Arnav shouts to her from behind, "If you think I'm womanizer, then tell me one time. Just one time that I took you near a bed or tried to do something to you?" Silence comes from Khushi, "That's right. I never did anything to you!"

Khushi turns around and stares at him, "You were never able to take me to the next level, Arnav, because I never tried to make you go to there." and walks away.

She walked in front of him, feeling his gaze the whole time. Not understanding what made her come here, knowing he would follow her. Did she want to be alone with him before she left from his world? Did she want to yell at him, so nobody else would see them? She didn't know, but all she knew was that he would follow her then and now. As he did now, walking back with her, just slightly far away. As they reached near the house, Arnav spoke, "Khushi."

She stops right away, sensing the command. He stops beside her as he looks straight ahead, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I betrayed you and used you. But, there was no fault in Armaan. He kept on telling me to stop, but I didn't. You know how I love to win, and that was what I saw. He tried to tell you, but I threatened him. Don't get mad at him, please forgive him. I know you won't or it will take time for you to forgive me. But please, please forgive him." He says to her and walks into the house.

She stands there still. Soaked from the stress, hurt, and anger. She felt as if she didn't have any blood inside of her, as if somebody drunk all of her blood. Her arms shook involuntarily. She was right, she shouldn't have come back. She was right, that there was something hidden. She was right, Arnav never loved her. She was wrong, when everybody told her that Arnav was only going to use her and she said no. She was wrong, when somebody told her that Arnav only wanted her body. She was right and wrong.

Khushi turned slightly back, back away from the house. She couldn't stay here any longer. This place was miserable, it destroyed her. She back away, away from the people she loved or once loved. She backed away, from the people she trusts or once trusted. She backed away, forgetting her principals. She backed away, wondering why she was so nave. She backed away, wondering why people used her whole life and even the person she loved to her soul. She backed away, wondering what she ever done in her previous life. She backed away, wondering why she was so different. She backed away, wondering for the first time why she didn't what others girls did. She backed away, backed away.

"Khushi?" said Raj who stood with Armaan. They stared at her as she kept walking back. "Khushi?"

"I can't stay here Bhai. I can't do this. I'm going back...back to London." Khushi says to Raj, who nods his head in agreement after seeing what happened today. Khushi turns around and stops when she sees him standing there with a shock look. "Please explain to papa and maa...and don't come...please don't come. And I love you Armaan, it wasn't your fault." She turns and walks away. She doesn't look back and just walks on the street, leading her to nowhere, yet somewhere. She walked away, when she heard Armaan shakes his head as in no. She walked away, when she hears his voice. She walks away.

arshi932012-01-21 16:08:29