ArHi FF: The tears I've cried/ ALTERNATE Ending. - Page 8

Chapter 6

"Perhaps we all give the best of our hearts unconditionally…

to those who hardly think of us in return."

T.H. White

Arnav woke up with a devil of a headache. He tried not to think about last night. He tried not to think about her. He wasn't having much luck.

"Good morning Arnav." Anjali said, walking in with his breakfast tray. "Are you free? I'd like to talk to you."

"Of course Di. Is everything okay? Are you not well? Is your leg hurti--?"

"No, no. I'm fine, Chote. I came here to talk to you about you. No, wait, let me finish. Both you and Nani have said your fill. Now it's my turn. I'm not here to make demands. No one can make your life's decisions for you. We've grown up only seeing the black and the grey. But life shouldn't be led like that, Arnav. You spend every minute you have--running ahead, building walls, chasing addictions, having meaningless relationships. You've achieved so much. And yet you have no one to share it with. Keep a little love in your heart, Chote. A lifetime of pain? How can you bear to live like that? Perhaps we were wrong to push Khushi at you. After all, you should have the choice to decide your life partner. But is there any harm in simply thinking about it? Give yourself a chance.

"Di, I never want to get married." Arnav fairly shouted. He needed to get this over with. He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to fake it now. He realised that he had no taste for breaking hearts. Or just one heart.

"Never is such a long time, Arnav. One of these days this loneliness is going to catch up with you. Please. For my sake? I want to see you happily settled. With a loving wife and a house full of children. I can't be a mother, atleast allow me to be a bua… I want to you to have everything that I can't." Anjali trailed off wistfully with tears sparkling in her eyes.

Arnav felt his gut clench. Would this ever stop? Somehow he always hurt the people he loved.

"Di. You know I can never say no to you. But I need some time to think."

"Time is possibly the one thing you don't have. That's why I came to talk to you.

Khushi is leaving."

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She tried to concentrate on packing. Tickets? Check. Passport? Check. Broken heart? Check. It was a useless effort. Whenever she stopped, she couldn't keep his memories at bay; they swarmed at her from all the corners of her mind. His images were so real that it was almost as if she could reach out and touch him.

He was gone and she could protect herself from him. She wouldn't let herself be hurt like that. Ever again.

Someone banged on the door, startling her so much that she dropped the laundered clothes.

The banging came again, as thunderous as if someone was trying to beat down her door. "Who is it?"

"Arnav. Open the door, Khushi."

She froze, her hand on the knob, all the blood draining from her face. For a moment she

thought she would faint. "What do you want?" she managed, the words so low that she

wasn't sure he could hear them, but he did.

"I want to talk to you. Open the door."

The deep, baritone voice was the same, the tone as controlled as ever. She leaned her head

against the door facing, wondering if she had the strength to send him away again. What

remained to be said?

.

"Khushi, open the door."

She fumbled with the lock and opened the door. He stepped in immediately, tall and overwhelming. She was swamped by her reactions as she fell back a pace. The scent of him was the same, the leashed vitality of his tall, lean body slamming against her like a blow to her fragile heart. He closed the door and locked it, and when he turned back to her she saw that his black hair was tousled, and a dark shadow of beard covered his cheeks. His eyes were glittering like fire as they fastened on her.

"I'm only going to ask you once" he said abruptly. "Will you marry me?"

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I'm not happy with this update. It's boring and it's got no taste. Like fish without salt. Bread without butter, pen without paper… you get my drift. There go my "famous writer" dreams. Boohoo.

But I'm trying really hard to get the next one up as soon as possible. And that one should be a lot more interesting. I think.