ArHi SS|The Search for the Perfect Bride Thread 1 - Page 66

Awesome update! Can't wait to read more! Thanks for the update and PM!

Ahhh I such a cute and funny story. Poor Khushi!! And the precap sounds very interesting!

Yay you updated! Awesome job!!!

part 9
awesome...
hope Arnav understands Khushi...
precap is interesting...
cont soon dear...

Amaazing update! Can't wait for more :)

nice update!Khushi's idea of an ideal man was great!

Originally posted by: ..Naina..

Chapter 9:

The pair of them headed home later, with Arnav happy that everything had seemingly returned to normal as Khushi tried to keep up the farce, tried to keep her emotions in check. She knew that she would just have to wait it out until he dropped her off at home, and then she would be free to break down completely, bawl into her pillow, and continue eating her ice cream.

Khushi physically felt her heart ache, as she watched Arnav's calm and serene face as he drove them back. Closing her eyes, she leaned back in her seat. She felt like crying, she needed to be alone, but she would just have to wait. Wearing her heart on her sleeve and breaking down in front of Arnav would only make her look foolish, she managed to convince herself. You can do this Khushi, she muttered to herself softly, digging her fingernails into her palms in an attempt to control her emotions.

"Khushi!" Arnav called out to her again, finally reaching over to touch her softly on her arm in an attempt to get her attention. She nearly jumped out of her seat, as she looked over athim,startled, "Hm Arnav? Yes?"

"What were you thinking about? Why so serious? I thought everything was fine now?" he grinned pleasantly, waiting for her response.

She merely shrugged, "Nothing important. But was there something you had to say?"

Arnav turned his gaze back to the road, "Yeah actually. It's not to urgent, well it is slightly ugent, and pretty important."

He had her attention now, as she forced herself to refocus her thoughts on what he was saying.

"The brides situation'" he began quietly, and her heart immediately started racing. Where was he going to go with this?

"Woh, with the brides lists, have you anymore names for me to consider? I really need to get moving on this Khushi and well'." He trailed off.

Khushi's heart sank, "You're right. We have about 2 months left and well, you don't seem to like anyone I choose Arnav"

"It's not my fault" he began to defend himself indignantly, and Khushi started to respond but he didn't let her. "Come on Khushi ' you can't even try to defend yourself. Did you see those three girls? Lavanya ' um no. We would have never, not ever, been right for each other. And then who was it? Pooja Patwari who should have just been named Ms. Pooja Thali because she was too religious for my tastes, and that third candidate? Nitya'nitya something or other. She was the world's biggest female dog for lack of a better description" he retorted angrily.

Khushi sighed in defeat, "Well'.well fine. Maybe they could have been slightly better, but'but do you realize that bride markets don't exist? That people aren't dying to get married everyday?"

"Ok fine then" he said sharply, "I was just reminding you of this deadline. 2 more months or else you'll have to marry me. We did make that deal, if you remember"

She shot him an angry glare, "Thank for the reminder. Trust me, I'll find you this perfect bride if it's the last thing I do because I sure as hell don't want to get married to a man like you" she spoke angrily without thinking, and the second the words came out of her mouth she wished she could take them back.

And the next question was the obvious followup,"Not a man like me? Then what kind of a man are you looking to marry?"

She looked away, wanting to say the first answer that came to her mind but unable to do so. I don't want to marry a man like you Arnav, I want to marry only you. Her mind started working overtime as she tried to figure out an appropriate response. "And why do you need to know Arnav?" she asked to stall him.

He made a sad face, looking at her with his lips curved into a frown, "You get to know everything about my future wife, what I'm looking for, and I can't even ask you what you want in a husband? I don't think that's very fair Khushi"

She sighed dramatically, gradually more at ease with this farce as a way to distract her from her sorrows, "Valid point I guess, Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada" She paused for a few seconds, pretending to think, "Hm, that's a tough question to answer though'."

"I thought all women sit around and daydream about the handsome prince that will sweep them off their feet one day'.At least, I know that that's what Di used to do when we were younger"

Khushi burst out laughing, her amusement actually genuine, "Well, that's true Arnav. I can't exactly argue with that because all girls definitely do that and if they say they don't ' they're lying for sure"

Arnav smirked triumphantly.

"But that doesn't mean that we actually want to share our thoughts with you guys" she continued more seriously, and Arnav's face fell flat, but he tried once again, "But then, now would be the perfect time to start don't you think?"

"Not really Arnav'"

"I'm your boss Khushi. I can fire you" he tried to be strict, stern, THE ASR from AR Fashions, but Khushi merely rolled her eyes, shaking her head exasperatedly, "Arnav. Get over yourself. You can't fire me. Nani and Anjali didi would probably tackle you"

He sighed in defeat, throwing her an annoyed look, "That's actually true. I think they like you more than they like me, Khushi"

She just laughed at him, "Paagal."

"But you haven't managed to distract me Khushi. Seriously, what kind of a guy are you looking for? Is there some big secret that you're trying to hide from me?" Arnav refused to be distracted, swerving back to the initial topic as he tried to get answers from his beautiful secretary/friend. "You know you're dying to tell me'"

She finally decided to give in, pausing for dramatic effect as he waited eagerly for her response, "Well, to be honest Arnav, he should be you know, good looking ' the man of every woman's fantasies. Tall, dark, and handsome'just oozing of good looks and charm and everything in between"

Arnav's face immediately perked up into a mischievous smile, "So you mean someone like me?" he winked.

"Please. You definitely don't fall under the category of tall, dark, and handsome. Especially the handsome part" Khushi responded spontaneously, without missing a beat. "And besides, I can do so much better than you. Because honestly, which one of those criteria actually fits you?"

"Um everything Khushi. Everything"

She shook her head impishly, "Yeah no Arnav. Almost nothing."

She smiled distantly, staring off out the window as she continued to speak, "Well, to be honest Arnav, in actuality, I want someone'someone who can make me laugh, someone whose smiles would make me forget about everything else in the world. Someone who would be my rock, my anchor when I'm facing tough times, someone who will make all my worries and tensions vanish the second I see his face. Someone who cares about and loves his family as much as I love mine. Someone who my family would love and approve of, actually someone who would care for my family as his own. And'and most importantly, beyond all else, someone who loves me. Someone who puts me among the first things in his life'"

"And?" he prompted her softly, noting at that moment how the atmosphere in the car had altered from playful to serious within a matter of minutes.

She looked over at him seriously, "And that's it Arnav. That's what you wanted to know right? What I'm looking for in my perfect guy. That's who. And if you know anyone who fits that description, let me know and I'll marry him immediately."

She noted right then that the car had come to a stop in front of her house, Home already? Before she could open the door and get out though, Arnav called to her once again, "Yeah, I'll let you know if I find a guy Khushi, but it can't be before the December deadline otherwise I'll be in trouble. I'll have to marry someone that I don't want to marry'"

Khushi's despondency kicked in again as she shook her head sadly, "You don't always get what you want Arnav. Life isn't that fair to anyone" And with those words, she got out of the car slamming the door shut behind her as she walked upstairs back into her house. "Life isn't fair at all'" she whispered to herself softly as she finally allowed the tears that had been threatening to spill out to roll down her cheeks, falling into bed and crying herself to sleep, crying for her love, her unreciprocated love.

****

Arnav drove back to his house lost in thought, making his way inside through the backdoor as he didn't want to face his family or Khushi's family and their exuberance. What started off as a serious evening had been fixed, with him and Khushi returning to normal ' or so he thought. But what had happened to her in the end?

His thoughts then wandered to her list of qualities ' her perfect guy. I fit that bill, I have all of those qualities and I'm tall, dark, and handsome. Right?

Precap:

" What if I tell him how I feel? What if I go up to Arnav and just tell him that I love him, that I can't go on pretending like this?"

***

Damnit! Being blackmailed by 65 year old women. What has your life come to Arnav? And so, that's how Arnav found himself reluctantly being seated next to his Nani and Shaunktala devi, as Di, Jiju, Payal, and Akash, stood around and giggled at his helplessness. He shot them an angry growl, promising to get back at them later as he saw their reactions.

Arnav's eyes widened as he tried to field all the questions that were being thrown at him. This seemed to be worse than the Spanish Inquisition! "Aap'aap sab'please. Please don't start looking-" he began, only to be cut off immediately by another grandma.

****

Hi Everyone!

So that's it. I know, long wait, but I hope you liked this chapter. Some of you might be wondering about the emotional roller coaster that Khushi seems to be on, but I hope it's clear that she's feeling like crap on the inside but to hide it from Arnav she has to continue this farce of being happy. It's killing her on the inside, I promise.=/

A lot of you commented on the last paragraph of the last update, how Khushi felt that she wasn't good enough.

To explain my thought process in writing that - I think that happens all the time with girls, with women. That feeling of being not good enough for the man they love. As much as I would have loved to write of a Khushi who got over this within seconds, I don't think it's that easy. That insecurity, that pain, that hurt will be there for a while, so let's see how it goes for Khushi, eh?

And finally I hope you all liked this chapter - some of the seriousness is slightly back but I think (?) it went to the playfulness, a tense sort of playfulness, between Arnav and Khushi as well. And Khushi's ideal man - ^_^.

What do you guys think will be happening in the future?

The next chapter is going to be a fun one before we get down to serious business again, I promise. And it'll be up on Sunday for sure (I have it mostly written out😃)

Thank you all for being so patient with me! I'll be PMing people for this update, and after this, we'll see. :)

UHM. Quick Note - (Within a note 😆) I couldn't PM everyone because of the no more than 10 sets of PMs or something like that, so everyone who's in my buddy list after K - sorry, you won't be receiving a PM tonight =/

Thank you all for supporting this story all this while! I promise I won't be abandoning this :D

Cheers!

Naina

Thnqq sooo mch fr updating aftr all this whole... it was grt...poor khushi...lived their convo...waiting fr sunday.. :-)