True Colors : ARHI FF Thread 1 - Page 54

"Khushi! Baby I am so sorry! Look at me Khushi! I did not mean to hurt you. I was just concerned for the baby! Please Khushi…."

Silence! Khushi's back was facing him still!

"Khushi, please. Won't you forgive me? You can go to that damn shop. Do whatever you want. I am not going to interfere. I am really really sorry. Stop crying. I know you are crying. It is not good for you at this time…Please>"

Silence!

"Khushi! Are you listening?"

Silence!

Arnav was getting alternately irritated and impatient and concerned. But Khushi did not turn around. Had Khushi not been pregnant he would have forcibly turned her around. But because of her condition he couldn't.

He tried for the next 30 minutes to get a response from her, but failed. Finally he gave up and tried to get some sleep.

Khushi meanwhile was recovering from her crying spree. She was happy Arnav apologized. But she still could not give in and tell him it was fine.

He had apologized, but he had failed to tell her he had missed her.

He had not explained his sudden decision to leave her and be in Mumbai

He had once again humiliated her about her lack of wealth with his talk of confiscating the car. She felt none of his belongings were really hers. He could take it away from her if he wanted. Though she was fine with that, as material things were not Khushi's priority, she was upset he had used his financial power over her.

Altogether she was too wound up to call it a truce…

The next few days saw no progression in this status quo.

Khushi turned a cold shoulder to all the attempts to placate her. Sometimes she got flowers from him and sometimes there were gifts. But she never got the words from Arnav she desperately wanted to hear.

She knew she was being irrational. If they had quarreled, how could she expect confessions of undying love and 'miss you' from him? She asked herself.

But she still could not get over the hurt of his leaving her and their last fight and she deliberately made it more difficult for Arnav.

When her turn to go for her next regular medical check up came, Arnav and Khushi had their next big fight.

Arnav had postponed all his meetings and told Khushi, "Get ready. I will take you to the doctor today. It will also assure me that the baby is fine."

"I can go on my own. I did the last time you went out of town. Moreover, I have ordered a cab. I do not need your car," she told him defiantly.

From the day of their fight, she refused to board any of his cars. She always called a cab and paid for it with her money.

"Khushi. Give it a break. It has been so many days since then. I have apologized so many times and in so many ways. I was wrong to hurt you. Can't you just leave it at that?" Arnav asked, again on the verge of losing his patience.

"No. I don't want to let it go. If I do, I will forget my aukaad and start thinking being your wife entitles me to your belongings. If I do I will be an emotional fool again. If I do, you will shut me out again. If I do, you will once again leave me behind without an explanation. If I do, I might make the mistake of thinking all that is yours…your pain, your love, your worries, your home and everything else, are also rightfully mine. No Mr Raizada, I don't want to forget though I have long ago forgiven," she said and walked out.

Arnav sat grimly as the doctor checked her. He had finally come with her in the cab, refusing to let her go alone.

Her words came back to him. Now he understood what bothered her. He had once again taken her for granted and shut her out. Why was it so difficult for him to open up? Why was it so difficult to tell her he had been miserable without her when he had been in Mumbai? Why hadn't he told her why he had not taken her when he went to Di? Would he have liked it if Khushi did the same to him?

Had he really changed? His old fears of trusting someone or giving another person power over his life, were still there somewhere in him. Was this affecting his relationship with Khushi? But he just couldn't change overnight.

When the doctor finished his checkup, she said "She is fine Mr Raizada. But like all doctors I am going to give you the same advice. Take good care of her. See to it that she eats well. And yes she should be happy," she said.

Arnav and Khushi glanced at each other at these words. He would make it up to her, he resolved. He would make her happy.

But first he would have to get through to her…But how?

What had made him act when he had been in love with Khushi but had been refusing to acknowledge it? Oh yes. That stupid Nk. He had made Arnav blind with rage and jealousy. The thought of losing her had brought forward a lot of reactions from him. Well he needed to make her a little jealous too.

That evening Arnav called Khushi and told her, "Prepare for a guest Khushi…"

In the evening when Arnav came home, he ushered in the most beautiful and sophisticated woman Khushi had ever seen.

"Hi Khushi, this is Monica, one of my clients. We are working on a new fashion line with her," Arnav said and watched Khushi. He was amused to see her gaping at Monica. Good the plan had potential!

Khushi watched her husband with jealous eyes as he entertained Monica during the evening. He was charming when he wanted to be, Khushi thought bugged.

When dinner was over he said "Khushi I will drop her home, because it is late. Her car is in the office. She came with me."

As if he needed her permission, Khushi thought irritably. Arnav was feeling good now. Well, the girl was an open book, if there was ever one. He knew Khushi was jealous and fuming.

For the next few days he kept the act. Khushi kept hearing, 'Monica this' and 'Monica that'. Sometimes it was a dinner meeting and sometimes it was lunch. Sometimes it was an office party and sometimes it was an 'out of office' discussion at Monica's house.

Khushi had tried her best to keep cool and not react. But every day she felt her Arnav was growing distant from her. As it is, though they slept together she hardly let him touch her. Plus she was quite ugly now, with her bloated stomach. Plus Monica was everything Arnav should have in a wife…classy, sophisticated, highly educated, well-versed with his business, rich…while she …what had she got for him? Khushi thought sadly.

Arnav was hating this whole charade. He wanted to end it. But he wanted Khushi to erupt and he had been waiting for long. It had been two weeks of Monica and he was tired. He wanted his chatterbox, clumsy, irrational, sweet, at times silly, at times mature, impulsive, fun, annoying Khushi and all the Monicas in the world could not match up to her. He wanted to make love to her and hold her as she slept…

Tonight he was going to give it the last shot. He decided he wouldn't go home till 3.00 a.m. Now that might get the reaction he needed!

When Arnav came home at 3.00 am the next day, Khushi was ready and waiting to give him the reaction he wanted….