FF: 3 Years Later -(ArHi) Thread1 - Page 75

i loved the update and thanks for the pm dear ...

Yay! Congos for winning the best ff of the week!

Congrats for FF of the week Awesome update👏

headoverheels! thank you...thank you for writing such an amazing beautiful fan fic!
I just discovered it today...and have been hooked...haven't done any work today!

you really transport us into the scenes...I actually felt I was watching the show...

like others said...you are so talented...you can start writing your own book...

Best FF!! Yayy!!
Congratulations HOH 👏
Awesome update too (as always) 😊

CONGRATULATIONS...fanfic of the week...

Hi all - My apologies for the short updates, but with Christmas right around the corner, it's a little hard finding time to write. The kids are off from school for the holidays, so that is probably the #1 reason why my computer time is limited. I got this update done thanks to my wonderful tech nanny, the dvd player. 😆

CHAPTER 5 - PART 7

She leaned back in her chair, absently twirling a pen between her fingers, lost in thought. It had been two weeks since she'd found out that Lavanya was returning, and she still wasn't sure how she felt about it. "Lavanya was your friend." She told herself for what seemed like the hundredth time, annoyed at herself. She'd accepted the news without any outward show of unease, but inside her emotions were in a turmoil, that time flashing back in bits and pieces, always more vividly focusing on that one night, when it had all gone so wrong, Diwali. She closed her eyes, her mind recalling each moment as if it had happened just yesterday. The attraction had been strong between them that evening, all through the party they'd been aware of each other, more aware than they'd ever been before. And, then out by the pool, where she'd run, trying her best to avoid him, avoid what she had not been able to understand was happening, and how he'd tracked her down, secured her lost payal around her ankle. 'My mother's payal.' She thought, which he'd kept for months, then suddenly returned to her. 'And, he'd never explained why he'd kept it.' She thought, recalling how she'd asked, pleaded even to know why he had given it back, or why he had pursued her in that failed attempt at a kiss, and then' 'I'm marrying Lavanya.' Her eyes flew open, and she stood up abruptly, forcing her mind back from that moment when he had announced his engagement to everyone present at the party, then had looked right at her, making sure she'd gotten the message. Pulling a folder towards her, determined to concentrate on something else, instead of letting her mind dwell on the past, she sighed with relief when her cell phone buzzed, and grabbing it, she clicked it on immediately, anxious to get her mind off her worries. "Hello?" She said into the phone, then waited as there was a pause, and a voice which sounded across, with the faintest echo behind it, came through. "Chamkeli?" Lavanya asked, sounding no different than she had the last time they'd spoken. She froze, then sat down with a jerk, stunned. "Chamkeli? Khushi? Can you hear me?" Staring at her desk for a moment, she took a deep breath "Lavanya, hi." She said into the phone, forcing her voice to sound polite, friendly. "Oh great Khushi, it's you, I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time, but I was just on the phone with ASR, and he gave me your number, so I decided to call you right away." She laughed, then rushed on "How are you? It's been years! I can't wait to see you when I get back, we'll be there at the end of next week." Khushi half frowned, and half smiled "Yes, I heard you're coming back to celebrate your daughter's birthday, I can't believe you're a mommy now." She said smiling inspite of herself. "I sometimes can't believe it myself." Lavanya laughed, then suddenly her voice dropped slightly "Khushi, I never got to congratulate you on your marriage, I really wanted to call, but wasn't sure if I should." She said hesitantly. Breathing a mental sigh of relief that the unease had not been just hers alone, but a two way street, Khushi felt herself relax a little. "I can understand Lavyana" she said softly "It all happened so fast, and things were crazy at that time, so it feels better to hear the well wishes now when everything has settled down." There was a moment's pause before Lavanya spoke again. "I'm so glad to hear things are working out better now, ASR was a little worried for a while back then, but you both are perfect for each other, so naturally it worked out." She said with genuine affection. "So tell me, are you both free on the fifth of next month?" She asked. Khushi laughed "Of course we are, and let me know if you need any help with the planning." She said, surprised that she was actually looking forward to seeing her old friend again.

She switched off her computer a while later, and picked up her handbag, ready to go home, her mind still on the call she'd received from Lavanya earlier. They had discussed her daughter in great detail, her marriage to Aman, and how it had come about, their move to London, and life there. Neither had mentioned anything about the past, but the thought wasn't entirely absent, and they'd both known it, accepting that it would eventually come up when they met in the near future. 'She wasn't at fault' Khushi thought, as she left her office, and rode down in the elevator 'The fault lay more with me at that time' She acknowledged to herself, feeling a pang of guilt. 'Lavanya was a good friend, and hasn't changed at all' She told herself, thinking back to how she'd said she was glad to hear that things were working out between them, how she thought they were perfect for each other. Smiling to herself she got out of the elevator, then stopped suddenly 'ASR was a little worried for a while back then' Lavanya had said, the words coming back clearly to her now. Not moving, she let it sink in, her mind racing, there had been something else, something which had niggled at the back of her mind throughout the call. She bit her lip, then remembered 'I was just on the phone with ASR, and he gave me your number' ' 'So they talked on the phone, big deal.' She told herself, on the drive back home, 'But what all has he told her about us?' She asked herself, feeling a stab of annoyance that he'd actually discussed her with his ex.

She made it home late, having decided to drive around for a little while, and clear her head, but arriving back home more confused than ever. 'The past was definitely a pain in the ass.' She decided, opening her front door, and stepping into the tranquillity of the apartment, which didn't last for long "Where have you been?" He asked quietly, standing not two feet away from the door. "Out' Driving" She said shortly, walking past him into the living room. "Why didn't you answer your phone?" The same quiet voice. "I don't know" She said, taking off her jacket, then her shoes. "I was kind of done with phone calls at the time." She said dismissively, before walking into the bedroom where she put her jacket and shoes away, then took her night clothes out of the closet, stopping suddenly when she felt his hand on her shoulder. He turned her around slowly, and she looked up. "And, you didn't think of calling to say you'd be late?" He asked calmly "It's past nine, I was about to come out looking for you." She looked away, feeling a stab of guilt for causing him needless worry. "I'm fine, and I'm here now, so let's drop it." She said as calmly as she could manage, turning back to look at him. "Are you OK?" He asked, his eyes searching hers. "I'm fine" She said again, starting to move away, but his grip on her shoulder tightened. "What's wrong?" He asked finally. "I said let's drop it." She said, flatly. "You're obviously upset about the phone call from Lavanya." He said softly, still looking at her. She stared at him, her already frayed nerves finally snapping "I don't want to talk about that right now." She said starting to move away, then stopping suddenly "You gave her my number?" She asked. "I was discussing some things with Aman, and when we were done, she asked to speak to me." He explained patiently. "She was wondering if it would be OK to call you, and asked for your number." Feeling another unreasonable stab of annoyance, she nodded "It must be nice'" She said mockingly "To be able to discuss your wife with your ex, and be so comfortable about it." She finished, stalking away. "Some adults, are able to make their peace with each other, and move on from the past, even remain friends." He said, a slight edge entering his voice, as he turned slowly. "Oh how nice for you both." She shot back instantly, her temper flaring at the slight. Whirling around, she flung her night clothes on the bed, then faced him "How absolutely wonderful it must be for the both of you, to have spent the last three years not just moving on with your lives, but actually letting go of the past, and maintaining your friendship." She said scathingly. "Do you want to know what I was doing, while the two of you were running around, living your lives, being best friends?" She demanded, advancing on him, her eyes flashing with unleashed rage. She stopped inches from where he stood, her eyes like chips of ice "I was surviving." She hissed, her voice deathly cold "So, don't you ever think you can sit in judgment of my actions, and compare them with yours, or anyone else like you, who had time enough for friendships and bonding, because your lives already had perfectly paved paths ready and waiting to be walked on." She was visibly trembling with anger, surprised that for the first time she hadn't given in to tears. They stared at each other for a moment, neither moving, neither speaking, then she turned on her heel and walked back to the bed, grabbing her clothes off it, walking into the bathroom, and slamming the door behind her, too angry to notice the faintest trace of understanding flash in those otherwise unreadable eyes of his, before he turned and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Half an hour later, she came out of the bedroom, her hair still damp from her bath, and headed to the kitchen, passing by where he sat at the coffee table, files, and papers spread out around him, working silently, not looking up as she walked by. She fixed herself a cup of tea, then sat on one of the two high bar styled stools at the counter, her back to the living room, sipping her tea occasionally, feeling numb, yet more relaxed than she had felt earlier. 'There has to be a way to resolve all this.' She thought miserably, taking another sip of her tea, wondering how after the last few months, she could so easily have gone back to square one. 'Because nothing is clear.' She told herself, staring at the counter top morosely, then looked up suddenly, startled to see him easing himself onto the seat next to her. Resting his arm on the counter, he touched her hand lightly. "I know, probably better than most, how tough it is to survive out there in the world on your own." He said, looking at her "And, how it's almost impossible to worry about people and relationships during that time. So, I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm sorry." He said gently, closing his hand over hers. She nodded, looking down at the hand covering hers, feeling a sense of relief flow through her as she realized that he really did understand, and that this was one more thing they both had in common. "I don't really have a problem with Lavanya coming back." She admitted. "It's just I remembered that time'" She trailed off, shaking her head, trying to erase the memory. She felt his fingers touch her chin, turning her face towards him "I never wanted to marry Lavanya." He said softly "And, there can never be a good enough reason to justify what I did that night." Blinking back the sudden rush of tears which started to fill her eyes, she looked at him steadily "There's always a reason for everything" She said. "And, I don't believe there is." He replied firmly "It was wrong regardless of what drove me to do it, and I've accepted that." He shifted slightly, lightly touching her cheek "The question is, can you accept it?" She stared at him, her mind reeling slightly, confused "But, there has to have been a reason'" She said blankly "You couldn't have just'" She faltered, shaking her head, refusing to understand. "Couldn't have what?" He asked, with not the slightest change in his voice. " Couldn't have been ruthlessly cruel because it suited me at the time?" He asked "You have a much higher opinion of what I was capable of then, even now?" She was stunned, not believing what she was hearing. "There were things in your past'" She began "Reasons why you' Were the way you were." She insisted. "Probably." He replied "But those reasons don't matter, because the choices were still mine to make." Her eyes widened for a second, as the full impact of how different they both were suddenly became clearer than ever before. "It matters to me." She said firmly, defiant, not backing down. "Is that what you want?" He asked quietly, his eyes glinting dangerously as they bore into hers. "A perfect reason, for an offense? So you can explain it all away without accepting it for what it really was?" He pushed back his chair, standing up suddenly, anger etched into every feature of his face. "That's what you do right?" He demanded "You look for goddamned signs, and reasons to explain what happens in your life, to justify everything." He said cuttingly, as she winced at his words. "And that's why this relationship bothers you so much doesn't it?" He asked grimly, glaring down at her "Because you can't find a reason for why it happened." He said almost bitterly, before he walked away.

for part 6:nice update😊

part 7 yet to read...res!.

res