Chapter 8
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[MEMBERSONLY]
Ignore typos and such.
Disclaimer: Someone dies, so please avoid reading if you can't handle death. Don't bash me later!
Forgot to add: Parts in italics are flashbacks. Others are the present time.
Chapter 7: The Prince Cometh
He adjusted his Ray-Ban aviators to cover his eyes. Looking towards the runway, he caught his own reflection in the tinted glass that surrounded the waiting lounge. He could see that a few people were already staring at him, mostly women.
After all, who wouldn't?
Tall, well built, in an impeccable shirt and black trousers with a jacket hung carelessly over his forearm- he presented a picture of perfection to women kind.
What most others failed to notice was the hard look in his eyes that were hidden behind the dark shades covering them. The hard look was soon replaced by a glazed one, as he allowed himself to think about the past two years of his life.
Shravan was impressed with the way Arnav had made progress. Physically, he meant. While in school, girls had fawned over him but now, the ante had been upped. Women, yes, women, turned to look at him discretely, trying to catch his eye. The few lasses that Shravan had managed to befriend in his 4+ years in New York were all laughing at some random joke his friend had made. And all this- before he had even settled down.
They enjoyed the first Friday Arnav faced in the city, partying till late. Arnav, being chaste, refused to drink more than an occasional sip of some fine cocktail, but he was under no obligation and went full out.
The next day Arnav faced the consequences as he sat next to an irate Shravan in his second-hand Honda Accord, on their way to Boston. Shravan's protests were drowned by Arnav's glares, and it was decided that Arnav would find a place that very weekend and settle in by Sunday eve.
As they hit the city's outskirts, Arnav kept his amazement in check. He had observed the steady flow of traffic on the highways, the obedient drivers, the polite ones too.. He had seen areas of green interspersed with grey buildings. He had seen many small towns and big flash by.
But all that was forgotten the moment he set sight on the beautiful old buildings in Cambridge. He could already imagine himself living close to the riverfront and going for a daily morning run in the calm surroundings.
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Arnav's phone beeped, signaling a new notification. Touching the screen of his brand new expensive phone, he quickly went through the contents of the email from Akash. He sighed, a gesture that caused his broad shoulders to slightly rise and fall along with his chest. In that moment, several women stopped breathing. Arnav turned and walked briskly out of the lounge and looked for a suitable place where he could sit without being the center of attention.
"I'd like one big fries, two medium cokes and.. honey, what else?" The huge man asked his tiny companion. "A Big Mac, Pete! You forgot that!" She batted her eyelashes at the man behind the counter. Arnav smiled politely while he typed away at the register. "Will that be all, Sir?"
He found a McDonald's outlet with relatively fewer women in the vicinity. Sitting down, he was reminded of a time when he used to clean tables and take orders at such a place. With those memories, came others. And he was lost in his past once more.
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"Hey bro! Wassup? Care for a round of ball?"
Arnav hi-fived a well built African-American guy and smiled at the rest of the gang. "Nah! And anyway I know you'll beat me at it!"
The other team members called out to him, "Aww man! Don' say that! Come on man! Play with us! One game!!"
Arnav laughed. A rare laugh. In his 6 months at Cambridge, only a few people had seen him laugh like this. "Ha ha ha! Nope Keon! Some other time. Dinner duty tonight!"
"That sucks, man! That roomie of yours is turning out to be a girlfriend for you than a bro!"
Everyone laughed while the aforementioned roomie shouted in mock indignation, "Hey! A guy's got feelings, bro! I may not be white or black, doesn't mean I don't feel!" Arnav grinned at his room mate, Manish, and backslapped him. "Nah! He's cool! And he's straight. No point chasing after him!"
"Speaking of which, what happened to that shawty who was with you last night? She looked too hot to be your girl!" There were a few hoots, a couple of whistles.
"You mean Sheetal? Well, we're hanging out together, fnishing up assignments and all. But that's it. She's not my girl."
"Oh, you mean THE Sheetal who is standing RIGHT outside the court-fence?"
Arnav whipped his head around to find his friend smiling at him. He caught sight of her. She was still in her formal wear- a straight knee length skirt and shirt. Even so, she looked pretty.
He was nudged in his ribs by Keon and Manish while they whispered encouragements. "Ask her out!"
"Talk to her about anything except the latest market trends. Go!"
He laughed off his friends' pointed comments and made his way to Sheetal. "Sorry about that, I didn't know you'd be here so soon. Give me 10 minutes to change, and we can head to Starbucks."
"That's okay, Arnav. I don't mind what they said. In fact, I wouldn't mind if you did act on what they said!" Sheetal grinned at him.
"Lets see, Sheetal. First things first- the assignment."
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Arnav ran an impatient hand through his hair. Not able to hold it any longer, he called an international number. It connected within 3 rings.
"Arre chhote! How are you? Is your flight on time? Is everything okay?"
"Di, please stop fussing! I'm absolutely fine. The flight's delayed a bit but I am okay with the wait. I was sitting alone and thought of giving you a call while I waited for the announcement."
"Hmm.. I can't wait to see you in person. Its been more than two years. What if you've changed a lot?"
"What the! Di!!! We chatted almost every alternate day and had a voice-call every week. You, and the rest of our family, have seen me all this time! Yeh achanak itna senti kyun?"
"You won't understand Arnav. All of us had been very worried when we heard the news about Shravan.."
"Di, they're announcing something. I'll call you once we land. Bye, see you soon!"
Anjali sighed on her end, before putting the phone down. Despite his assertions, she knew her brother had changed.
Arnav looked guiltily at the phone in his hand. He shouldn't have hung up on his sister, specially when it had been he who had called. But at the very mention of Shravan..
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"Oy, Arnav! What are you doing in the summer break? Come to NYC, na! We'll hit all the clubs and have fun!"
"I can't, Shravan. I've been approved for the internship. I need to get as much experience as I can in this short time. Plus, they're paying me a lot of money. Enough to cover all my expenses so far."
"Kya bhai! You've become so boring! Anyway, I need to rush. Job ke liye late ho gaya hoon. Dad'll kill me if I lose this one too!"
"Hey, Shravan! I'll come down this weekend, if that's okay with you."
"Abbey tu kabse formal ho gaya? You know you can barge in anytime you want! Except when I'm with Nikki.. that is!"
"Ugh! Shravan! Shut up! See you on Friday!"
A lot had happened over that same weekend. A lot, that would change Arnav, once again.
"Hi Di! You're looking even more beautiful this time around! And Mami! Did you like the MAC kit I sent you?" Arnav beamed at Anjali through his laptop's webcam. Shravan could be seen in the background trying to collect the various cups and plates that littered his apartment.
Mami nudged Anajli aside and spoke loudly, "Arre haan haan, Arnav bitua! I liked it very much! But how did you know I wanted a make-up kit?"
"Woh.. umm.. nothing!", Arnav tried to dodge the question.
"Akash! You told him!"
"Mom! Stop pulling my ears! You got what you wanted, right? And bhai, thanks for the cuff-links! I am sure, though, that it was Sheetal who selected them. You simply don't have the required taste!" Akash teased Arnav.
"What the! Akash! I told you not to.."
"Hayy Devi Maiyya! Thank God this boy stopped swearing! Really Arnav. You need to control your temper rather than using those.. words.. I don't even want to mention them!"
"Haan nani! See, I've become a good kid and don't say them!" Arnav said, adding, "At least not in front of you" to himself.
"Arre Shravan beta! How are you? And what is that? Are you wearing a proper shirt?"
"Hi Beautiful! I'm good.. Yup! I need to impress your future bhabhi.. after all, I am going to propose tonight! That is, if your good-for-nothing brother doesn't get in my way."
Arnav punched him on his arm, pushing him aside. "I'll spill the beans if you say that one more time. Listen, Di. I need to go and get ready. Will call you again tomorrow! Take care!"
"We miss you, beta! Come back soon! And you too, Shravan!!"
Little did they know, Shravan would never come back.
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"The British Airways flight BA0184 to Heathrow has is ready for boarding. Passengers travelling Business class are requested to approach gate number E-26 and start the boarding procedures, followed by passengers travelling Premium Economy and Economy."
Arnav got up from his chair and picked up the jacket he had thrown on the table. He bent down to retrieve his laptop bag- that was all he was carrying on him at present.
He made his way towards the gate and presented his passport and boarding card.
"Welcome aboard, Mr. Raizada! We hope you have a pleasant flight!"
A short while later, he turned off the reading light and put up the "Do not disturb" card on his seat. He closed his eyes, trying to forget what had happened that weekend- the weekend he had seen Shravan for the last time.
"She said no."
Arnav was as shocked as Shravan. Who would have thought Nikki would refuse his proposal? After all, they'd been going out for many months now, and Nikki was very comfortable with Shravan.
"I mean, look at the reason she gave. You're boyfriend material, not husband material, Shrav! What does that mean, Arnav?"
Arnav knew what she meant. For one, she didn't want to relocate to India. And the other reason was that she didn't think Shravan could support her lifestyle with his current job scene. She said as much to them, but Shravan had missed that part while he sat in shock. Women- they were all the same after all. Damn it!
Shravan drowned his 5th Tequila shot of the night. Arnav had tried prying the second glass from his hands but failed, and so, Shravan was now on to his fifth shot and Arnav couldn't do much except pat his shoulders at times. He wasn't drunk, though. Handling Shravan in this state would be tough. He needed all his senses intact.
"I need to use the loo, Shravan. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, okay?"
"Yeah.. yeah.. Intehaaan ho gayiii.. intezaarrr kiii'"
Arnav managed a smile at the drunk rendition of the famous bollywood hit.
Five minutes later, he couldn't find his friend anywhere.
"Hey, have you seen my friend anywhere? He was sitting right here!" Arnav asked the bartender.
She didn't think for even one moment before answering, "He was getting too loud. The bouncers have probably thrown him outside."
Arnav paid the tab and hurried outside, only to find a small crowd gathering at the crossroads.
"What's the matter?"
"A drunk guy got hit by a car that ran the light. Seems like he won't make it. We've called 911, they'll be here soon."
Arnav felt a chill run right down to his bones. NO!
He pushed through the crowd and found his dearest friend lying in a pool of blood while a guy was trying to resuscitate him.
"Get away! What are you trying to do!!??? Shravan!! Damn it! Open your eyes!! SHRAVAN!"
"I'm a doctor, sir. I was passing by. I tried to revive him, but he is unresponsive. I can wait for the paramedics to confirm, but.. he's gone. I'm very sorry sir."
This wasn't happening. Not now. No. NO!
"Shravan'"
Arnav sobbed as he held on to the lifeless body of the one man outside his family that he had come to love as a brother.
Arnav discreetly wiped the tears that had formed at the corner of his eyes. One year. And the memory wouldn't go.
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"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We are currently facing slight turbulence. Please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts while we navigate through the turbulence."
Arnav turned to look outside the window. All he could see was wisps of white rushing past them.
He remembered the other wisp of white, that night- at the party..
Sheetal Kapoor looked beautiful in the white dress. She knew it. And she knew that Arnav saw it too. She couldn't place it, but somehow she was drawn to the man. His personality. His charm.
She had seen the change his friend's death had brought over him. He had become more withdrawn than ever before. It was difficult trying to keep the relationship going, but she wanted to try. Tonight was the last chance she was giving to this relationship.
Arnav looked at the woman in front of him. He knew he had been neglecting her for a long time. He had his reasons. Shravan's death had jolted him back to reality- people are not going to be around forever. He needed to fulfill the aim he had come here for and honor his friend's memory. He had been doing that for the past few months.
Now, a week before he finished his course, he finally had time to look at his girlfriend.
He woke up with a pounding headache to find his clothes strewn over the floor. He couldn't see anyone else in the room. He looked beside him, on the bed. It was empty.
Arnav was confused. What the hell had happened?
But first, he needed a shower, badly. He was reeking of alcohol, it seemed.
As he stood below the shower-head with hot water spraying down, he strained to recollect the events of the previous night. He could remember flashes of it, when all of a sudden, the full memory hit him. "Damn it! Have I really done it? This time.. Oh God! But where's Sheetal?"
He didn't give it much thought until five minutes later, when he remembered another bit from the night of their love-making.
"I think I am in love with you, Arnav."
"Sheetal, don't say all of this right now. I am tired, we'll talk tomorrow."
"But.. do you.. what.. I mean.. Arnav?"
"Sheetal.. I like you. That's all. Now let's go to sleep."
Arnav cursed himself as he got out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he rushed out into the apartment to look for his girlfriend.
All he found was a sheet of paper beneath his watch.
"Dear Arnav, I know this is the worst time to be saying this. But I need to get it off my chest. I can't do this anymore. I can't. I've given this a lot of thought, and realised that you don't love me. Yes, I think I love you. But you don't. I had hoped that this night would bring us closer, but you broke my heart instead of mending it. I can only wish you the best in life. Don't try to contact me. Shall love you always, Sheetal."
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"Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Heathrow International Airport. The temperature outside is 21 degree Celsius. The time is.."
Arnav drowned the announcement. He shut off his memory cycle.
Concentrating on getting his jacket, he waited for the stewardess to hand it over to him. He put on his aviators once again as he stepped into the bright sun of London.
He had 4 hours before his next flight. 4 hours, he could sit and think some more.
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Just to clear one thing.. Arnav is 23 now. Yup. He completed his education pretty quick.
Hope you liked it!
Next chapter tomorrow, hopefully!
- ChibiOne small note: I realised that in the show, Arnav had denied sleeping with Sheetal, while in my update, I mentioned that they did make love, albeit under the influence of alcohol.
During the show, I had found it hard to accept that Arnav was still chaste or that he never did anything with Sheetal. I would rather have them do something and have Khushi accept him completely, as he is, than portray him as a man with God-like control and a perfect record. I have nothing in favor of or against that behavior, mind you.
In this story, all I've been doing was show how Arnav faced setbacks. I wanted him to be more than a victim.. to show that he did make a few choices, if not all.
I hope you understand what I am trying to do, here. And I am sorry if I let down anyone's expectations. I understand if this is something you guys want me to change. I will revise that part if you wish.
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