Arhi FF |Mohabat Door Jaane Na De| *Complete!* #1 - Page 55

Loved it

Big big thanks for the pm!!

Awesome update as always...

I really love this FF and how Arnavs having to work to build her true. Very realistic and unique. Many FFs that I've read previously don't take much notice on how Khishis been hurt and trust doesn't just come, you have to gain trust. That's why I love this FF so much because in one way or another I can relate to it. We all in some way or another have been betrayed by a loved one e.g lover, sibling, parent, friend, family member.

We all in some way know how it feels to be betrayed and hurt by someone you love and how you find it so hard to trust that person again because the doubt continues to niggle in your mind. That's why I love it so much because it shows real emotions. Of course Khushi would have doubts about whether he's telling the truth, it's a common human reflex. She'd be scared in letting him in and would be scared about letting herself love him again.

Fear is a common human emotion and I know if this happened on screen some people would be like would she forgive him already but this isn't about him, this is about her and how she feels. You have perfectly mastered their emotions and how the past has affected them both. Khushi with her doubt and fear about trusting him yet she loves him deeply and Arnav with his regret and remorse yet detirmination to win her trust and never hurt her again.

For this reason I absolutely adore your FF because it's real and you are able to sympathise with both of them. In most FFs there's always one who I sympathise with more because of how Its written. But for the first time I sympathise equally with both because of how perfectly you've written their feelings and points of views and how you balanced it out. Normally in FFs there's either more of Khushi POV or more Arnav POV and therefore the readers view becomes biased but in this FF you can see both of their POVs clearly and you've made me feel sorry for both of them.

In my mind theres no right or wrong and nobody's at fault because I understand Khushis behaviour and Arnavs desperately trying to make up for what he did and it's obvious that even If she forgives him for what he did, he never will be able to and will spend the rest of his life making it up to her. It's obvious he loves her deeply so you can't really blame him either.

I also love Arnavs determination and how he's isn't giving up so easily.

I love how he's willing to give her space to process his declaration

I loved this bit:
'He vowed to himself, vehemently, every particle of him pounding with fortitude never to hurt her again. To handle her with the utmost delicacy, to cherish her fragile simplicity.'

This was just perfect it showed his love, his regret and determination to never hurt her again.

Then the next bit made me laugh because I imagined Mama ji or Hari Prakash giving her bangles and Arnav standing there sulking on the side.

I loved all of the chapter especially the last bit but if I started pointing out every bit I liked then i'd probably have to quote most of the chapter.

This chapter was amazing especially the bit at the end where he's finally at peace. I love how he realises that because of Khushi he feels closer to him mum and is content because he knows his mums proud of him. It was so awww, he finally realises the difference Khushi has made in his life.

I hope Khushi forgives him and Arnav is able to gain her trust.

Can't wait for the next chapter where Arnav gives her the kangans.

Oooh romantic Arhi in the next chapter? Can't wait...

Hey! It was such a fabulous update. So filled with emotions. Thouroughly enjoyed each n every emotion.

Yes they both needed their time to come in terms with wat they felt n said.

And a romantic update is on the go. Just cant wait for it.

Awesome update!!!

absolutely beautiful...!!

excellent ya..u r one brilliant writer!!!!

that was soo beautifully written

hey

awesome update...

loved how you displayed the feelings and emotions,..

aww a romantic update next...

cant wait...

thanks for the pm..:)

continue soon...

Just wanted to mention a little fact: I started this FF after Shyamu brainwashed Arnav, the night of Payal-Akash's wedding, and the Arhi marriage promo had just come out. So in this version, their marriage is the real deal, NOT a contract marriage. Coz I thought Arnav would be more likely to act first, think later.

Big, huge, HUMONGOUS thanks to everyone who commented, liked and appreciated! You guys mean the world to me, thank you so much😳

Chapter Twenty

Khushi's heart kicked up such a din she was convinced it would give her away before she even opened the door.

Biting her lip nervously, she fiercely debated whether she wanted to go through with this. Well, of course there was only one answer to that. She had to go into the bedroom if she wanted to get some of her clothes so she could go take a shower. But the amount of trepidation that settled about her, like well-fitted clothes, the butterflies in her stomach flooding straight into every nook and cranny within her they could find and tossing themselves around in tight knit circles, made the task no easier.

Taking a deep breath, Khushi steeled herself, telling herself grimly to get a grip. After all, it was still very early in the morning, so much so that the first rays of sunlight had not yet peeked above the horizon. In all probability he was still asleep, and if she was careful, she could sneak in and out without anyone being the wiser. She tried not to remember the previous evening, when she had rushed into the room in search of her trunk, found it missing, stood confused in a tangle of panic and fluster only to remember that all her belongings were now in his closet. That had been followed by her frantic rummaging around through his clothes and hers, neatly hung side by side, warped with as much tension as defusing a time-bomb steadily ticking away, then grabbing the first salwar suit she could find and running full-tilt out of the room as though expecting an explosion at any moment.

Now was no better, because now he was actually in there. Khushi's mind and heart had still not reconciled, and her mind refused to contemplate exactly what her heart was feeling regarding that room. As she cautiously reached out, her hand wrapping around the doorknob slowly and turning it gently, Khushi's heartbeat accelerated, resonating even more loudly than before. It bounced straight into her throat and lodged there. With minimal pressure, she pushed the door open a chink, and peered in.

Never, in the whole month or more that she had shared that room with him, had she felt this wound up when entering as she did now. Something had changed, permanently, irreversibly, last night, which had changed its significance in her life forever. But try as she might, she could not bring herself to think about what she felt, feel about what she thought. Holding her breath, she eased her way into the room and tiptoed to the closest, doing everything she could not yield to temptation and glance at the bed. Or at the ceiling.

Khushi had just managed to slide the closet door open and lift the first saree she could find, sending a prayer of thanks to Devi Maiyya for her own foresight in keeping her toothbrush and other toiletries in the guestroom bathroom's medicine cabinet. But no sooner had she turned around did she run into a solid wall that had appeared from nowhere behind her. And as if that was not bad enough, the wall flashed forward so fast that she found herself backed into the closet, and put out two arms to make sure she stayed there.

'Morning'.

One word in that guttural, deep voice, whispered with such tenderness, and Khushi felt her breathing become heavier, her blood pounding so hard it almost ruptured her veins. Her skin began to tingle, awareness jolting through the air again. Something hot and something cold tumbled about inside her, as she began to shiver from his proximity.

And then, unexpectedly, annoyance raised its head to stare him square in the face for thwarting her yet again. What was it with him anyway, catching her every single time she least wanted to be caught?

'Bhoot!' she bit out, irritated, before she could stop herself.

***

His eyebrow quirked automatically as he looked into his wife's adorably pouting face, amused, 'Bhoot? From rakshas to bhoot?'

'Of course,' Khushi's lower lip jutted out in even greater annoyance, looking at him with her eyes narrowed in frustration, 'At least if a rakshas comes from behind you, you can hear him. What with the roaring and screaming and the 'What the, What the'. But you- you just pop up from who knows where and scare the life out of me! You have to be a bhoot to appear like this wherever I am, and I can't even tell half the time and-'

She was cut short by the chuckle escaping him at that moment. Her eyes narrowed even further in accusation as she looked up at him frowning, offended by how evidently he was enjoying her tirade. He grinned wolfishly back at her and watched her eyes widen, startled.

'Khushi, I don't have to be a ghost to know when you're around me', he murmured, the smile in his voice evident, 'Your anklets are usually enough to give you away.'

He sniggered again as he watched her jaw drop open at his words , her large eyes opening further, welcoming him to delve deeper into them. Shock and disappointment gleamed in her eyes as the realisation that all her caution in entering unnoticed had gone to absolute waste- the chime of her anklets had been enough to inform Arnav that his wife was back where she belonged. That, and of course the characteristic drumbeats which began to resound in his chest the minute she walked in. He mused now, while Khushi continued to look unbearably cute what with her dismay and disbelief, whether her rants were always this adorable, and what on earth he had been missing out on in all those occasions when he had simply labelled her crazy. He wasn't denying that she was crazy of course- she just gave crazy a new meaning, made crazy something hopelessly lovable.

And within another second, she huffed impatiently, closing her eyes in consternation and pouting again. Arnav felt his breath catch at the sight, the rhythm of his heart going into an erratic breakdown while every nerve in his body screamed at him to give in to the magnetic pull that invitingly tugged at him, urging him to close the distance between them. He gulped painfully, struggling to get some control over his wayward heart.

It was amazing how his responses to her could always change so rapidly, dizzyingly fast.

And how she would always do something he could never expect.

Like calling him a ghost after the high-pitch tension they had shared last night.

'There would have to be loudspeakers tied to my legs for my anklets to make enough noise for you to hear. And anyway, you're not that light a sleeper that you'd wake up with just that much noise-'

So busy was she ranting at his apparent ghostly abilities, she seemed to have fallen back into blissful oblivion, thoroughly unaware of the position they were standing in, with her pressed against the closet, cornered by him and with only a few centimetres of air separating them. It all felt so natural that he could not help the smirk blossoming across his face, or be able to wipe it off.

'Khushi', he softly interrupted her, leaning slightly closer. His breath fell on her face, and predictably, she started to blink, as though dazed. The beast within him roared, exhilarated by its own power. 'As far as your latter argument is concerned...I wasn't sleeping.'

Khushi stopped mid-sentence to look up at him inquiringly. 'You weren't?' A myriad of expressions flashed through her eyes, ranging from inquisition to a faint exasperation at having each of her comebacks being rendered useless. 'Why?'

Arnav had been waiting for her to ask that. And he had a pretty good idea of how the rest of their conversation was to go after he answered.

'Well, because...you weren't here. So I couldn't sleep. I missed you.'

Ever so slowly, he watched as Khushi's outrageously cute expression, pouting and irritated, melted away to be replaced by a curious blankness. Like she did not understand what he had just said. Or more like she did not want to understand, did not want to hear. And then that blankness was streaked by tints of some other emotion. Like distress. Like pain. Like disbelief, which hurt her.

She seemed to suddenly come back to life, realising the situation they were standing in, their eyes only an inch apart. Gulping, she shrank back from him, averting her eyes from his gaze, clearly flustered.

Arnav exhaled heavily as he leaned forward further. He heard her draw in her breath sharply he rested his chin on top of her head, while his hands, so far resting against the closet, slid in between the door and her back, almost holding her but giving her enough space so that she did not feel uncomfortable.

'And as far as your other argument...about loudspeakers to your feet...I don't need to hear your anklets to let me know where you are Khushi...because somehow- I just do. And I think- you do to.'

Silence engulfed the two of them. Arnav felt his eyes droop almost shut, as he luxuriated in the fragrance of jasmine he had been craving all night. He had found a new calm after his midnight excursion by the poolside, but even that could not compensate for the long, lonely hours he had to spend away from Khushi, and sleep avoided him like the plague. It was unbelievable that he could become so dependent on her, that she could be so addictive. And he had lain awake and unmoving, watching the starry canopy above his bed, faintly annoyed at Nani for depriving him of the wondrous chance of sharing it with Khushi, faintly guilty for overlooking that it was for Di's sake, counting down the seconds before he knew she would have to re-enter their room, their own private domain.

He did not realise that he was actually dozing off, basking in Khushi's warm, welcoming scent, until he felt a light push against his chest. Khushi's arms had wedged in between them, and now her small fists attempted to break free of the barrier she found herself in. He moved back an inch to look at her. She refused to meet his eye; he could tell she was blushing.

'Please let go', she requested quietly, curtly. Arnav complied. He removed his arms from around her, although extremely reluctantly. He remembered only too well his pledge from last night; he would never force himself on her again. Their relationship would take a little time to get to the pedestal he wanted to enshrine it on, when they would both be as inseparable as their souls had grown to become.

Khushi glanced up at him once before beginning side-step him.

'Wait', he whispered softly. And as per custom, she froze.

He turned slowly to look at her, both her hands clutching her saree- today, it was a pale shade of mauve. Sighing with mock exasperation, he plucked it out of her hands.

'Hey!' she exclaimed in protest, lunging for it. He stalled her with one arm, and then with tremendous decorum slid the closest door open again. It took him a matter of milliseconds to find her another outfit, an ensemble of bright yellow and baby pink.

'Wear this one.'

Khushi stared hard at the fabric he had stuffed into her hands for a long moment. Arnav could taste the storm stirring in the air.

'You can't tell me what to wear or not,' her voice, low and flat, muttered, 'I'll wear what I want.'

'So do you want to look pale and tired and sad?' he retorted back, the challenge in his voice an obvious bait. And she took it.

Her eyes shot up to look at him, a blend of suspicion and perplexity.

He continued, while uncertainty rendered his heart incapable of maintaining a steady beat, 'Don't you think your parents, especially Bauji, would feel happier to see you dressed in brighter colours? To see you look brighter? Happier?'

***

Again, there was silence. But for some reason, this morning the clock seemed to have gone dumb, and its menacing ticking seemed to have repealed its persecution somewhere to the background. Khushi's eyes fell back to the bright yellow she held in her hands. Her favourite colour. The colour of sunlight and marigolds, and bright yellow laddoos that her mother would make for festivals...

She did not realise she was crying until a few teardrops dotted the material she held a darker orange. Choked, in no position to respond, no position to argue, Khushi allowed herself to be convinced. Because her immune system, her defence mechanism against hurt, had deteriorated, and could no longer withstand as much as it used to. Ever since her parents had died, she had dealt with every blow of life and of fate in the only way she knew how: by moving on from them. By pushing them away, by sinking into triviality, by giving every small event in her life the greatest of importance and ignoring the bigger events completely. She couldn't think about last night. She could not rake up the courage needed to process what had happened, although whatever it was had changed the relation she had with the man she had married irreversibly. So Khushi let instinct take over, even when there was no going back, allowed spontaneous outbursts, not thought out, not intentional, get the better of her, rather than risk going back to tempests that might well lift her to the heavens or immerse her in gloom.

And there was another reason too. Because this time it wasn't about her. It was about the people she loved, cherished, so much so that she had taken a flying leap into the dark just to preserve their smiles forever.

And she knew she would keep on doing so.

***

Arnav could tell, by the way her shoulders hunched over, that she had given in to his request. He just hoped, hoped ardently, that one day she would wear what he picked out for her because he would like it. Hoped desperately for a future where he wouldn't have to pretend to be on the phone, use his in-laws as an excuse, or some other ruse, to see her in all her glory, as bright as a candle-flame in the dark, belonging solely to him, for him.

And what was more, one part of him, the part that had not ceased celebrating ever since he had unburdened his soul in front of her last night, was beside itself with glee. It had taken barely a push this time, a small nudge, to get her to acquiesce to something he asked of her. It had taken practically no effort. It had taken no force, no condition, no games to get her to agree. That had to mean something. That had to mean that she was gradually becoming more prepared to listen to him, more susceptible to his requests, no longer responding with each offensive with a counter-offensive.

That new positive aspect of him cheered.

Khushi turned to leave once more, and this time, his hand reached out and caught her arm. Gently. Diffidently. Trying to ignore the electric current rip through his arm at the feel of her velvet skin.

'Wait,' he murmured once again. She waited, her eyes on the floor, facing the other way. 'Where are you going?'

He could feel Khushi go still a moment in surprise. When she answered, it sounded more like a question than an answer. 'To shower.'

'I know, but where?'

'Guest-ro-'

'You can't go there,' Arnav interposed, his tone decisive. With just the right note of authority to make her turn sharply towards him again. The beast within began its jubilation; it loved that fiery spirit in her, ever-ready to meet every challenge on its head.

'What do you mean I can't go there?' she began, outraged, 'I can go wherever I-'

He raised his voice to drown out hers, 'The water supply there isn't working. You'll have to shower in this bathroom', he informed her matter-of-factly, motioning to the bathroom door behind him. He did not mention that he had personally gone in there last night to execute an insomnia-induced strategy which, if he had been thinking about it with his head rather than listening to his zealot of a heart, would have made him seriously question his sanity. With the aid of the largest mallet he could find, he had first twisted the main water tap in the bathroom tightly shut, before attacking it with the mallet with one well orchestrated stroke, knocking off the head in one swift move. There was no way anyone could turn the water supply back on without replacing the broken handle, and that meant, he concluded, smirking in self-satisfaction, that Khushi would have no other choice but claim her right and use his- no, wait, their, bathroom instead.

After all, if he could glue his brother to a chair in the past, this wasn't all that unusual.

He had a hard time repressing that smug smile from re-emerging upon his lips as he watched Khushi's expressions change at such rapid speed he could not even catch all of them.

'Oh and one more thing,' he interjected lightly, as she opened her mouth to say something, 'all your things- I mean your shampoo and toothbrush and all that- they're in our bathroom now. Since of course you can't use the other one while there's no water.'

Please, pleeease, leave likes and comments. I know this was gonna be romantic, but it turned out more playful-romantic instead didn't it? Plus I dunno if I got carried away with Khushi- one thing I love about her is her randomness and the way she bounces back to crazy every time something major happens, so I thought...ah well, you be the judge of that:)

More romance coming up:p

Ah, and as for responding to comments- the internet is dead:( I'm using my dad's modem, which I have to return in 15 minutes, which will probably go in sending out PMs coz I'm quite slow at that...and although I can read the comments on my phone I can't log in anymore:( :( :( Hopefully, the internet people come around fix it today, coz otherwise I don't know when I'll be able to post next, since my dad is already shooting daggers my way :s *fingers crossed*