Chapter 2

Thank you everyone for the lovely response to the first part of Humdard. Hope you enjoy the last part too :)

Last part

And they lived happily ever after...

Khushi closed the book which she was reading from a week now and kept on the bed side table. Happily ever after? Had Jane and Nicholas really lived happily ever after? How can they? Khushi laid on the bed, her mind still roving around the two characters of the book. Jane and Nicholas. Jane as calm as sea water and Nicholas as hard as stone. But still the calm water was able to crack the hard stone. Despite of their contradictory individuality, at the end they are together. So much they had fought to unite at the end. First they fought with their own emotions, then they fought with each other to prove the other means nothing to them, then they fought to show how much the other means to them, and at the last they together fought for their love. And now they are together. But how can there be happily ever after? They are so different, had fought with each other for everything and anything, and at the end too they were fighting. Then how can they live happily ever after? They will argue, they will fight, sometimes they will hate eachother, and there will be squabbles. Then how this can be happily ever after?

Or... is it?

Khushi turned to her left, her eyes instantly landing on the photo frame. Her and Arnav ji. It was their wedding picture. She, in a heavy blood red lahenga and he in a beige sherwaani, just because her Amma wanted him to wear that. Khushi closed her eyes. How many times he had done that. She had not asked him to wear clothes in which he is uncomfortable, but still he did that. Because her Amma wanted him to wear that. Her Amma! He had done everything under day light to convince her Amma for this marriage. He went through every rituals just because she wanted him to. He had shifted near her Amma's house just because she use to miss her Amma. He agreed to do everything in these six months of their marriage, which, she wanted. If she had laid her finger on something, that something was under her name, the very next day. He never fights with her. Why doesn't he fight with her? She had seen him shouting at his employees, without an ounce of mercy. He is short tempered. Then why is he all calm in front of her? Why he does things because she wants him to? Why doesn't he argue with her? Why he is so...so perfect with her? She doesn't want him to be perfect. She wants him to be...to be like...like Nicholas? Yes! She wants him to be like Nicholas. She wants him to fight with her, to argue with her. Like Jane and Nicholas are. They are so imperfect but still seem so perfect. They don't tell how much they love the other, in fact they flung hurtful words, hell bent on making believe how much they hate the other. But still one can feel the love they have between them. How is that possible? Why after Arnav ji's everyday's confession of his love for her, still she doesn't feel like Jane?

Khushi buried her face in the pillow. Why? What is missing in their relationship? He loves her. Does everything she asks for. But...Does she loves him? She loves him right? That's why she married him. No! She married him because he needed her. His need for her was so powerful that she had no option. Had she denied his proposal if there was an option?

Khushi sat straight on the bed. No! She loves him. And that's why she married him.

"Uhhh!! I should stop reading all these stupid romantic novels" Khushi again slummed on the bed. But what can she do? Her vacations are going on and she is left with nothing to do.

"Let him come today. I will fight with him. He can't be that perfect right? I will do some mistake and then he will shout at me and then I will shout back and then we will fight" Khushi smiled. "Yes! I will do exactly this!" With a grin on her face, she picked another book and waited for her husband to return home.

"Khushi I am home!"

Khushi heard his call and covered her face with the book.

"Yes. He is here now." Khushi got up from the bed and straightening her baby pink saaree, she stood there, waiting for him to enter the room.

"Yes Aman. No, you send the boy here. I want him here in the next 30 minutes. OK, I will bring the Singhania's file tomorrow."

Khushi looked at the file lying on the coffee table. With a grin on her face, she walked towards the file. Get Ready for the first fight with your husband, Khushi. Khushi braced herself and picking up the glass, containing water, she dropped it on the file.

Arnav's head jerked towards the voice. Dropping his laptop bag, he ran towards her.

"Khushi! Are you ok? Get away from there. The pieces can pierce you. Are you hurt? Come here..." Arnav took her towards the bed, examining her hands in the process.

"Are you ok, Khushi?"

"Uhh?" Khushi looked at Arnav ji, perplexed

"Khushi..are you ok?"

"Your...Your file..." Khushi pointed towards the drench file.

Arnav looked at the file. He again turned towards her and cupped her cheek. "It's ok, Khushi. The file was not important. You are not hurt, right?" Arnav 's concerned eyes looked into her confused one.

Khushi looked at him unblinkingly. So much for ONE fight.

They heard the door bell ring.

"Khushi, you sit ok? I will just come.." he smiled at her and got up from the bed.

"Hey Devi Maiya! Am I asking for too much? Just one fight. Just one, Devi Maiya." Khushi's shoulder slummed but straightened immediately as another idea stuck her brilliant mind. She ran towards the wardrobe and removed Arnav ji's favorite white shirt. Immediately running to her study table she picked her ink pen and smashed all inks on the shirt.

"Yes! Now be ready for the fight Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada" Khushi grinned and stood in the middle of the room with the shirt in her left hand, waiting for him to enter.

But the shirt slipped away from her hand as he entered the room. Her eyes fixed at the thing held in her husband's hand.

"Khushi..See I got this Teddy..." Arnav smiled and lifted his eyes to look at her. But the smiled dropped instantly as he saw the tears. He hated that. Keeping the teddy on the bed, he strode towards her.

"Khushi, What happened? I am sorry. Have I done something to upset you? I am sorry. I am really sorry if I had done something. You know I hate your tears. Please stop crying..please..." he hugged her. The dread filling his heart instantly. Dread of her leaving him. From the moment she had said yes to marry him, he had looked into to never ever upset her, to never hurt her, to never give her a reason to leave him. If he will not give her any reason to leave him then she will always stay with him. He knows she had agreed to marry him because he needed her, and not because she loved him. And he can't ask more from her. It's ok with him if she doesn't love him. She is with him and that is more than enough.

"That...that teddy..." Khushi sobbed on his chest and pointed at the teddy lying on the bed.

"You wanted that, right? When we went for shopping yesterday, you told you liked it..." Arnav said. She had liked this teddy. Then why is she crying?

"But...But that salesman told that...that one French lady had already paid for that..." Khushi lifted her head from his chest to look at him.

Arnav cupped her face.

"And I bought it from her, Khushi. I paid double for this teddy. The lady was more than happy to give it to me" Arnav replied, looking in her running eyes.

"But...But..." all the emotions running through her veins not allowing her to speak further.

"If you don't want it now then we can throw it out, no need to cry, Khushi. Was that the pink teddy you want now? I will buy that for you if you want that. Just give me 30 minutes and I will..."

Arnav was forced to stop as Khushi launched herself in his arms, hugging him tight.

"No...I don't want anything. I don't want anything...why are you like this...Why are you so perfect?...I want you to behave like a normal husband...Why you always agree with me? Why everything I want is so important to you. Why, Arnav ji..Why?" Khushi cried. Now she was feeling guilty. Guilty of not loving him the way he loves her. Guilty of not reciprocating his love.

"Because...because I am not perfect Khushi...But I still want you...I want you to stay with me...I don't want to lose you...So...so I try to give you everything I can...Because these are the only things I can give you...Not the happiness which you give me by just staying with me...Not the strength which your smile gives me...Not the courage your sweet face gives me...Not the feel of your presence which fills my soul with the peace I was craving for all my life... So...So these things are nothing compared to the things which you give me...I ...I just want to give you the reason to stay with me just the way you have given me to tie yourself to me...I ... I don't want to lose you...bas..."

Khushi dislodged herself from him and stared in his afraid eyes. Afraid of losing her.

"I ...Love you..."

Arnav just stared at her, not believing what his ears had just heard.

"I love you..." Khushi repeated. Now she was sure of her feelings. She loves him. She loves the man who loves her from his every being. She loves him.

"Khushi...I..."

"I love you, Arnav ji...I really do...Not because of the teddy you gave me...not because of the thousand things you have brought for me...but because you love me...You love me and I love you..." Khushi smiled as more tears spilled from her eyes.

"That ...that means you will stay with me, right? Forever?" Arnav asked.

Khushi looked at him. Was staying with him held more importance to him than loving him?

"Arnav ji, I love you and will stay with you. Why are you so afraid..?"

"Because nobody stays with me, Khushi. Mamma left me. Everyone leaves me and I don't want to lose you. I don't want to go back to the darkness you have pulled me from."

"Mamma had not left you, Arnav ji. Ever night she shines above, showering her blessings on us. You will never go back Arnav ji, because I am always there to hold you.." Khushi smiled and standing on her toes she kissed his nose.

Arnav hugged her.

"I am not perfect Khushi. But I am trying to be perfect for you.." Arnav said softly.

Khushi sighed. Now how to make him imperfect? Her eyes landed on the shirt lying on the floor. Dislodging herself from him, she bent to pick the shirt.

"Arnav ji, I spoiled your favorite shirt" Khushi flashed the spoiled part in front of him.

"It's ok, Khushi. I will buy another" Arnav smiled.

Khushi's mouth hung open.

"What?! Arnav ji, I just spoiled your favorite shirt. And all you have to say is , I will buy another?"

"Yes Khushi. What do you expect me to do?"

"I expect you to fight!!"

"Fight?"

"Yes! Fight! Fight like husband fights with his wife. Argue with me...please Arnav ji..." Khushi pleaded, joining her hands. She is fed up of her perfect life.

"Fight?" Arnav looked at her, puzzled.

"Yes! Fight with me. You will have to fight with me, Arnav ji..please...please...tell me how can I do this...tell how can I be so careless...please...?"

"Hmm...OK...Hmm...How can you do this Khushi?...How can you be so careless...How...I mean ..how can you...I..."

Khushi looked at him, searching for words to fight with her. She laughed.

"Arnav ji.." Khushi circled her arms around his neck.

"You are so cute.." she again kissed his nose. "Can't even fight, can we?" she again laughed.

Arnav smiled.

"I will learn that too, if you are with me.."

Khushi hugged him, not wanting him to see her tears.

"I love you...love you so much..., My Nicholas.." Khushi giggled through her tears.

"Nicholas??"

"Yes. Not Jane's imperfect Nicholas. My perfect Nicholas..." Khushi hugged him tight.

Arnav hugged her back, not understanding a thing she was saying. Nothing new there. What she says half of the time is beyond him.

Dislodging herself from him, she placed her lips on him, promising him to never leave him and in return taking the exact promise from him.

Bas! For the last time, this is the end! No further discussing on this topic. With this, humdard ends.😊

Hope you all enjoyed it. 😊

[MEMBERSONLY]

sphobic2014-06-09 07:17:11