Chapter 3

[MEMBERSONLY]
[NOCOPY]



Part 2

Monday morning, at farm house.

"Tere chehre pe yeh zulf bikhari hui,

nind ki gaud mai subha nikhari hui,

aur iss par sitam yeh adaaien teri,

dil hai aakhir kahaa tak sambhalta rahe!!"

When he woke up in the morning, Khushi was still fast a sleep besides him. A few strands of hair were trying to cover Khushi's face unsuccessfully. There was a smile on her lips, as if she was in a pleasant dream. Arnav couldn't take his eyes of from such a beautiful sight,

and he murmured "Pagal".He kissed her lightly on her forehead.

Arnav was very happy.How can someone be so understanding? He was already in love with her, he felt like falling in love afresh. From the day she has made his life worthwhile. He was enjoying each day of his life because she was his life partner. It was her smile, innocence, unconditional love and pure heart that helped him to heal his heart.Now he was a changed man but not for the world.Arnav now wanted to find out Sheetal's motives. He decided to keep a close watch on Sheetal from now on.He thought about last evening.

FLASH BACK.

It was evening and Arnav and Khushi were having their tea, they were sitting near that tree. Khushi was watching Arnav's face, he was in deep thoughts.

"Arnav ji koi baat hai jo aapko pareshan kar rahi hai ?"

" Yes Khushi. I want to tell you about my past , please listen carefully." " When I went away to USA for my studies, I was very lonely.I had felt so lonely only once before: when my Mom died. I was concentrating only on my studies and I didn't want anyone in my life; but one day my eyes caught back of a girl and I had a feeling that she was as lonely as me, and probably sad, too. I decided to befriend her, went up to her and said Hi. You must have guessed that it was Sheetal.Very soon we became good friends. We had similar choices in food, books and sports; so we had a lot of topics to talk about.Whenever we would want something different to eat, we would simply visit a restaurant.Days passed and our friendship grew. Sheetal was different from other girls.She never piled herself on me.I was active in sports, and was captain of the basket ball team. One day we won an important tournament. It was then that I noticed a slight change in her behavior. We celebrated in a small cafe. The way she looked at me... as if I was more than just a friend. But I was not interested in her that way. I thought that I was reading more in between the lines and so I never gave any importance to this thought. One day during our usual dinner outings, she told me about her feelings towards me. She confessed that she loved me.I was shocked, I couldn't believe what I was hearing! she was my only real friend. I told her that I didn't believe in love. That day changed our lives.It was the last day we talked. I told her that if she wanted to remain my friend then she was welcome; but I never e heard from her again."

" I was sad, but couldn't do anything. After eight months I earned my degree and returned to Delhi, where I belonged, to whom I belonged, my family..my Di." Arnav said and was waiting eagerly for Khushi's reactions. One look in her beautiful eyes and he knew this time too Khushi understood him. He was afraid of after what she had witnessed in past: his relationship with Lavanya and how he had announced his engagement with her on Diwali night!!!!

After few moments of silence she spoke,"Oh! Arnav ji! Yeh kehna thaa apko ? Aapne muje daraa hi diya tha..kitni nautanki karte hai aap bhi."

Mai jaanti hoon ki isme aapki koi galti nahi thi aur na hi hai. Hum yeh bhi jaante hai ki aap pe kitni ladkiya marti hai!!! Par muje inn sabse koi farq nahi padata kyon ki aap pe pura bharosa hai. Aap hamaarien saath the, hai aur rahenge. Waise Arnav ji aap zyaada khush mat hona, aapko yaad hai na, hum aapke aur humaarein bich mai kisine bhi aane ki koshish ki toh hum pehle toh usski baal aur phir uski aankhe noch lenge."{Oh Arnav ji! This was what you wanted to tell me? You had really scared me. What a dram you put on! I know that you had done nothing wrong then and would not do anything wrong now. I also know that how many girls have crush on you. But these things don't make a difference, as I trust you. You were with me and will be forever.And then you don't need to be excited about all this; if anybody tries to come between you and me, first I will pull her hair out and then the eyes.}

FLASH BACK ENDS.

When Khushi opened her eyes, she was showered-ed with kisses and rewarded by a bone-crushing hug. she mimicked her buaji.."Hay re Nand Kishor paghala gaye ho ka ?" She didn't have to ask because she knew her Arnav ji.

It was 9 in the morning when they started to go back their home.

At RM.

All were busy in their morning activities, except Sheetal. Sheetal was eagerly waiting for Arnav to come back, her eyes were on the main door and Anjali even asked her, "Are you waiting for anybody?" She said "Yes, I am waiting for Arnav to return home, so that we can head towards office together. Anjali was annoyed but she didn't show it, in a very calm voice she said,"You can go on your own Sheetal ji. I don't think that it is a good idea to wait for Chhote!" At that moment door bell rang..Sheetal ran towards the door and before Arnav and Khushi entered she hugged Arnav and said,"Oh, ASR! Finally you came home. Come on! let's go to the office."

Arnav was angry and shocked. He shrugged her hands off him and asked,"Who told you that I was going to office? I was going to work from home today and for few days more." His eyes were only on Khushi and her expressions. He saw anger, disgust and smirk!!! Yes, she was his lioness when it came to her loved ones, no one could harm them because they have to cross Khushi's weird but perfect ideas and now Sheetal also had to go through this.

He waited for her reaction, Khushi didn't disappoint him.

"Oh! Sheetal ji aapbhi na. Achchha aap zara idhar khade rahiye woh kya haina humse bardasht hi nahi hota koi hamaarein pati ko hug kare. Aur jaisa ki Arnav ji ne kahaa woh aaj se ghar par reh kar hi kaam karege,toh aap jaa sakti hai, kyon ki Arnav ji ko waqt ke paband log pasand hai. Kyon Akash jiju? sahi kahaa na?" with the sweetest smile on her lips she asked her jiju who nodded in agreement and left for the office with confused mind. "Aaj Khushi ji ko kya ho gayaa hai ?"{Oh Sheetal ji! You..!Ok now, you stand a little away. Because I don't like other people hugging my husband.And as he said, he is going to work from home for a few days, so I think you should leave now. Because, Arnav ji dislikes people who are not punctual. Isn't it, Akash ji? She asked her brother-in-law with the sweetest smile on her lips. Akash nodded, confused. He left for office wondering what had come over Khushi ji.}

Khushi turned her face where the family members stood with shocked expression on their faces. She greeted them cheerfully, took blessings from Naniji. When she noticed that Sheetal hadn't move from her place, she took Arnav's wrist in her hand and said,"Sheetal ji aapko der ho rahi hai office jaane ke liye. Aap ja sakte hai. Arnav ji chaliye hamaare saath."

Sheetal called Arnav and said,"ASR, I think I should take leave for a day today. I don't feel so well today. If you didn't mind..."

"It's okay Sheetal, but all the work has to be completed as per target; you got that?" With that Arnav left for their room.

During lunch, Sheetal told everyone that she was planning to take Arnav out for dinner, if they all didn't mind! She told them that she wanted to relive few best moments of her life when she was with Arnav. All were looking at Khushi's face but she was enjoying her lunch without any disturbed expression on her face. Arnav asked Khushi if she would like to join them and she nodded her head affirmative that she was also joining them. Sheetal was fuming inside.

Khushi was busy in kitchen, when Sheetal walked up to her and asked her why didn't she leave them alone? Why was she behaving like a bodyguard? ASR was not a teenage boy that needed any person to look after him. Sheetal was openly rude and hostile now.

Sheetal was unaware of Arnav and Anjali's presence.

"Sheetal ji behave yourself. He is my husband and I wanted to join you for the dinner, so like a good hostess you should have invited me also but you didn't, right? And how can I refuse Arnav ji? I have never said no to him, and will never in future, too."

"Typical middle class mentality!. How could I forget your being middle class?" She said .

That did it.

Arnav marched towards them furiously. He stood besides Khushi and took her in his arms, he knew she was upset by Sheetal's behavior and hurt too. And he saw that her eyes were moist. Who could understand her better than him!!! He called HP, when HP arrived Arnav ordered him to pack all the belongings of Sheetal and Aarav. Anjali tried to intervene but he was not ready to listen. "NO! Di, not now!"

Anjali knew it was best to keep quiet, but couldn't help telling Sheetal: "Sheetal ji, ye aapne achcha nahi kiya".

Sheetal was not to be defeated. She said "ASR, Do you think I will stay a moment longer in this place after all this? But I want answers. Why did you choose her? That too over me?! You knew I love you. Even then when choosing a life partner, why you didn't think of me? And you never believed in love, then why? What's all this? She was trembling with rage.

Arnav's face turned red with anger." Oh! So now you want to know why did I choose her? I will tell you. But before that listen to this: You were my friend. When you proposed me, I had made it very clear then and there. I wanted you to remain my friend, but you walked out of my life. I accepted that, too. Yes, then I didn't believe in love; but now I do. And I am very much in love with this woman, my Khushi; the only woman for Arnav Singh Raizada."

And then Arnav narrated their journey, which had started not so beautifully.

He started with their first meeting during the fashion show in Lucknow; how Khushi had accidentally gate-crashed the show and how he, thinking it was an elaborate move to sabotage his show and reputation, had locked her in a room. The second meeting at Durgah, the arguments which followed and as a result how he had decided to release the video clips. Third meeting in Delhi, a really accidental meeting, and how he had made her life hell once she had joined the AR Designs. The surety of Rs. one lac so that she could not leave the job; numerous ways in which he had caused pain to her. To top it all, the blackmail threat of stopping Payal's marriage with Akash to agree her into forced marriage.

How she had tried to prove herself innocent when she found out the reason behind his last action and how he had never believed her.

And the kidnapping. The way she had pursued the disappearance of her husband and how she had saved his life while putting her own life in danger; not once, but twice. All this when the kidnapper was one of their own family members, his brother-in-law Shyam. How she had helped to get Shyam back in RM, even after all that had happened, only because she was worried about his Di's health, and how she had, along with Arnav, convinced his Di about true nature and intentions of Shyam, so that she would recover from her shock and come back to life again.

Sheetal was sobbing uncontrollably by now.

"You want to know why I started beveling in love? It was Khushi's unconditional love, not only towards me but everybody around her, and her forgiving nature that made me believe in love again. This marriage is not based on obligations or feelings of guilt; it is based on love. You might have thought that she was after my money, name and fame. But she has never asked for a paisa from me. She earns her own money. She is a wonderful cook and delivers lunches to my office as well as other offices. She loves me for what person I am, not for what the world thinks I am.

"Now I have a question for you: Would you have done what Khushi has? Would you have accepted a life with a person who'd done such things to you?"

Sheetal's "NO" was immediate and resounding even between her sobs.

I am grateful to all who have read, liked and commented on the first two parts. I sincerely hope that you have enjoyed this part. One more part and the story will conclude. I will try to post it by this weekend. Wish me luck!

Last Part :https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/101732199

Divyahet2014-02-24 19:58:12