Originally posted by: Lyraa99
Epilogue
6 YEARS LATER
Arnav sighed in contentment as he watched the easy rise and fall of her chest as she slept. Life--for him--with khushi had always been like this and always would be. They read each others breaths, communicated through their eyes and understood each others silence. Her head against his heart spoke of her love louder than a thousand confessions of love just the way his fingers trailing against her skin spoke of his. He remembered the first time she had fallen in his arms. For him it had all begun there because though she had fallen in his arms many times after that, it had actually been him who fell for her and continued falling for her over and over again.
Arnav rubbed the stray tear from his eye which always had the tendency to escape every time he thought about the past. In a way it was a tear of happiness because he had his life by his side and yet it was a tear for the fear of what might have been since he had come so close to losing her.
Arnav bent his head and gave her a swift kiss, taking care not to disturb her sleep. Silently he eased out of the bed, grateful that his footsteps were silenced by the carpet and walked towards the bathroom. Opening the bathroom door quietly, he cursed under his breath at the creaking sound it made and quickly checked on khushi who was still sleeping peacefully. Letting out the breath he didn't know he had been holding, he collected his toothbrush and decided to use the bathroom downstairs lest he wake his dearest wife up. Holding his breath once again, he tiptoed out of the room and was almost near the door, on the verge of congratulating himself for making an exit without waking khushi up, when----
***CRASH********
Arnav stood frozen, his hand on the doorknob, while Khushi woke up with a jolt. Downstairs, he could hear nani and di call out in an exasperated unison "SAIRA"
So much for trying not to wake khushi up
Arnav closed his eyes praying for some peace but he knew it was futile. Peace and Saira didn't walk hand in hand. Sighing with defeat he slowly turned around and rushed back to Khushi, assisting her to sit up. Khushi looked at him frowning.
"Stop treating me like glass Arnav, I have been pregnant before." She said irritably. She looked towards the door, her ears intent on grasping the faint bits of conversation that drifted towards them."What has Saira done this time?" she asked sleepily stifling back a yawn.
"No idea." Said Arnav with a grin "Why don't you go back to sleep, I will handle her."
Khushi pulled back the blanket and got off the bed slapping back Arnav's hand as he tried to help her.
"You cannot handle Saira." She looked at him with smiling eyes which held a world of tenderness "That monster has you wrapped around her little finger. Just take care of her for the two days I'm at the hospital and don't let her irritate nani or di. That's all I ask."
Arnav shifted close to her and titled her face up to his "And what do I get in return?" he asked mockingly as he slid his arm around her pulling her close as they walked towards the door
"Hmmm... a chance to name our baby." Khushi answered her eyes lighting up, placing his hand on her swollen belly where the baby was making its presence known. Arnav paused near the door, stopping her from stepping out of the bedroom and pushed the door shut making khushi look at him in surprise. He then pulled her in his arms,, just like that, because he felt like it. Because this was more precious than breathing for him and even after all these years, in moments like this, time ceased to mean for them. And they knew no matter what changed in the coming years, their love for each other never would.
___________
Arnav was in the process of helping khushi down the stairs, when a bright blue sponge play ball came from nowhere and would have hit khushi's stomach had Arnav not moved it with his hand. Though he knew the ball wouldn't have harmed Khushi or the baby, his famous ASR temper broke to the surface.
"SAIRA... COME HERE RIGHT NOW." He yelled in a voice Khushi was so familiar with. Nani came rushing from the kitchen and so did Anjali. khushi rubbed her husband's arm telling him that she was fine but that didn't calm his temper.
"Chote, she didn't mean to do it. It was---" started Anjali but Arnav wasn't in a mood to listen to any excuses made on Saira's behalf.
"Di please" he cut his sister off angrily "Saira stop hiding behind nani."
Just then a little girl of four, who was a miniature khushi, with a beautiful face and big brown eyes came forward biting her lower lip nervously. Nani and Anjali exchanged a worried glance knowing Arnav's temper, but the young girl's eyes, despite of all the nervousness, sparkled with mischief
"Are you angry papa?" she asked sweetly
"VERY MUCH! MISS SAIRA SINGH RAIZADA" Arnav said through gritted teeth but khushi intervened. She held one hand on her swollen belly as she bent a little and pulled her daughter towards her with the other. She brushed her daughter hair and said gently
"Beta, what do you do when you make a mistake?"
Saira looked at her father's angry face and gave a mischievous grin
"Generally, I say sorry but when papa is angry it doesn't help. So what I do is RUNNN!!!!" Saira answered cheekily and did just that. She ran around the house far enough to give her a proper running space just incase her dad decided to catch her and give her a good spanking.
Arnav looked annoyed, while Anjali, Nani and Khushi hid their smiles. Saira read Arnav like a open book. She knew exactly when to run from her father's temper and she knew exactly when to melt her father with her tears. Saira was a carbon copy of khushi when it came to looks and temperament. The one thing she had inherited from Arnav were his eyes. She was the only person other than khushi who knew how to unlock the joys of Arnav's heart.
As Saira ran laughing down the hall, she bumped into Akash who had just walked in, and fell on the marble floor with a thump. Panicking Arnav ran to his daughter and swung her up against his shoulder before Akash could even bend. Saira linked her arms around her father's neck and clung to him.
"Baccha, did you hurt yourself?" asked Arnav tenderly rubbing her back "Where does it hurt? Show me?"
Saira, who wasn't really hurt, knowing that this would make his father forget his temper, let out a loud cry. Arnav carried her to the couch where the rest of the family gathered around fussing. Khushi sat next to her wiping her tears and soothing her daughter while Arnav methodically checked Saira's legs to see if she was hurt. Relieved to find her perfectly fine, he gave his wife a reassuring smile and his heart flipped when he got a bright smile in return. Just like before. It was Khushi's smile, his daughter's mischief, di's presence that made him the luckiest man on the planet. And he waited for the new comer to complete the final 'happily ever after' of his perfect love story.
_____________________
Arnav didn't have to wait for long for Khushi gave birth to a healthy baby boy two days later. When he held his son in his arms for the first time, his happiness knew no bounds. He felt a foot taller and his feet hardly seemed to touch the ground. He now had everything in this world and needed little else.
Khushi lay on the hospital bed with her son in her arms, the next day, when Arnav came to visit her with a bouquet of red roses in hand. He dropped a kiss on khushi's forehead and bent to kiss his son.
"He is so perfect" Arnav whispered tracing the baby's soft cheek with his finger.
"He is and so are you and so is life- perfect"
He smiled, "I will make sure it always is."
He took the sleeping baby in his arms and carefully laid him in the cradle. Khushi felt her eyes go moist as she saw the happiness and love so clearly etched on his face. As if sensing her stare he looked at her and kept staring as if she was the most beautiful thing in the world and it never failed to amaze her when he looked at her that way for he always came in contact with beautiful actresses and top models. She wondered if he never looked at her beauty or he saw a beauty in her that she didn't. Either way she couldn't deny, when he looked at her with intense eyes, he made her forget how to inhale. He was the only person who could make her breathless with just one look.
"You look tired" said khushi her face softening. Arnav walked towards her and sat besides her and drew her in his arms.
"I am.. haven't had a proper sleep and everyone at home is making preparations in the welcome of this little bundle of joy."
The familiar noisy chatter made them look towards the door and the very next minute Saira entered yelling "mumma" and ran towards her parents. Arnav helped her up the bed and let her sit between him and Khushi. He then drew out his handkerchief and wiped Saira's mouth which was smeared with chocolate.
"I hope you were a good girl for papa and bua and nani." Said Khushi softly giving her a kiss on her cheek.
"Yes mamma. I didn't do anything that I shouldn't be doing."
Arnav raised an eyebrow at that.
"Yea Saira, I agree. It was me who hid bua's shoes, me who stuck chewing gum in my employees Pam's hair and she was forced to cut it" he said sarcastically
"She what?" exclaimed Khushi horrified "Saira, I told you not to have those chewing gums- who on earth gave them to you."
"Bua" Saira answered pointing out at Anjali who suddenly seemed interested in a magazine "What's wrong with short hair when it comes to pam aunty? Its brains she needs to grow not hair."
Khushi closed her eyes praying to devi mayyiya for patience while Arnav's eyes gleamed with amusement at his daughters apt remark about Pam.
"Di, You should ignore her demands. Arnav and you have spoilt her rotten." Khushi chided Anjali with a sideways glare at the amused Arnav.
"But mumma I said please." Saira whimpered
"Her please is more a demand than a request" said Anjali with exasperation, dropping the magazine. She walked over towards the sleeping baby and began rocking the cradle
"Wonder who she gets that from" said khushi sarcastically giving Arnav pointed look. Arnav threw his head back and laughed. He brushed the stray hair from Saira's eye and then lifted her off the bed so she could head back home with her bua. Saira blew a kiss to her parents and skipped out of the hospital clinging to Anjali's hand.
Khushi leaned against Arnav's chest and switched on the mini television set that rested on a lone corner of the hospital room. She began flipping through channels, while Arnav closed his tired eyes and absently stroked her hair. Soon she was glued to the screen as a Salman khan song began to play and was about to make a comment to Arnav on Salmanji's handsome looks when she saw her dear husband dozing lightly. She adjusted the pillows and removed his shoes hoping he could rest properly on the small hospital bed. She then took the remote and was about to switch to another channel as the song ended when the familiar tune of another song filled in the air and in her mind
Zindagi luta du, ek bar muskura de..
And just like that memories rushed to her of another time.. another life. Her mind travelled to the sand, the sea and to that one person the song was attached to. She hadn't forgotten Aryan or the fact that it was due to his sacrifice that she and Arnav were one. Aryan was one of those people who enter lives for brief moments, make changes and drift apart never to meet again. The memories with him were kept close and they still surfaced.. sometimes making her breath catch, sometimes making her heart ache.
She brushed a stray tear from her eye and tilted her head to find Arnav looking at her intently. He knew Khushi was remembering Aryan and he had understood the tinge of sadness she felt every time she thought of him. For Arnav, Aryan was the reason he had his world today, he had his khushi today and he knew he would never forget that man either. It is ironic, he thought, how some strangers end up coming close to the heart while some close people end up becoming strangers.
He sat up on the bed and drew Khushi in his arms rocking her back and forth. She let him envelop her in the warmth of his love. When she looked in Arnav's eyes, she saw a certain emotion in them and she knew he was thinking about that one man who had sacrificed his happiness for the happiness of the one he loved. He was thinking about Aryan.
"So have you thought of a name for your son?" Khushi asked trying to brighten his mood up.
He placed his hands on her cheeks and gave her a lingering kiss on her forehead.
"I want to name him after the person who is the reason you breathe and who is, somewhere, the reason I breathe."
Arnav's eyes held a faraway look for an instant before he turned to Khushi and smiled.
"Aryan." He said "We will name him Aryan."
The end
-We do not love to be loved.. We love to love-
The walk on the roads of my imagination ends here and I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing. If at all this FF has made your breath catch at sad parts, or made you hold your breath or taken your breath away, then please hit the like button and if i didnt make ur mind go blank yet and you still have words for me please leave them to let me know how the entire journey was
Thanks for reading.
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