SS: Second Chance at Love ~Note page 29~ - Page 7

Khushi immediately fled for the kitchen once everyone took their seats in the hall. She started preparing the tea but her mind and heart were still trying to come to terms with the fact that her past has caught up with her. She called her buaji once a week but never asked about any of the Raizada's, including her jiji.

"Khushi," She whipped around to see her jiji standing behind her, tears shining in her eyes. Khushi took a hesitant step towards her sister and when Payal also moved towards her, she rushed to embrace her sister. They both hugged each other tightly, tears streaming down their faces. "I missed you so much jiji." She said to Payal.

"I missed you too Khushi; how are you and why did you leave Amma and Babuji?" Payal asked Khushi as she placed her hand on Khushi's cheek lovingly.

Khushi stepped back and twisted her hands in front of her then she noticed the slight bump of Payal's stomach and smiled happily. "Jiji you are pregnant!" she exclaimed and hugged her jiji again. "Congratulations jiji, you and jiju must be really happy."

Payal realized Khushi had ignored her question and looked at her steadily. "Khushi we are very happy, but answer my question."

Khushi's smile faded a little, she did not want to tell her jiji about what happened after the wedding was called off; even going back to Luckhnow had not helped them cope with the aftermath of the wedding being called off. "Jiji at the time, it was best for me to make the change."

Payal knew Khushi wouldn't tell her anything so she let it go for now. She helped Khushi prepare the tea and take it out to the hall.

Khushi stayed quiet through dinner, as did the Raizada family. The talk revolved around the wedding of Rahul and Anjali but the underlying tension in the room could not be ignored. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when dinner ended. Khushi left to help in the kitchen leaving Rahul to escort their guests to their rooms.

As soon as she finished up in the kitchen she immediately went to her cousin's room to confront him.

Rahul heard the knock on the door and knew it would be Khushi at the door. He had been waiting for her to ask him why he did not tell her about the Raizadas. He opened the door and lead Khushi into his room. Khushi immediately started pacing the seating area of the room. "Rahulbhai why didn't you tell me you had fallen in love with Anjaliji?"

Rahul was relieved to see that Khushi was not angry at him for hiding the fact that he had fallen in love with Anjali. She didn't look angry but the distress on her face could not be ignored. He took her arm and made her seat on the sofa. "Why do you look so scared Khushi?"

"Did you go to Delhi especially to find out about the Raizada family a year ago?" She asked him instead of answering his question. When her cousin nodded his head yes, her suspicions were confirmed and that increased her anxiety even more. "I knew it," she said anxiously, "please tell me you didn't go with intentions to get revenge on my behalf."

"No I didn't, Khushi," he said, "I did go for a potential opportunity to open a company in Delhi but while I was there I was curious enough to look up the Raizadas."

Rahul sighed and made her look at him by placing his hand on her arm. "Khushi I just wanted to see what kind of a person Arnav Singh Raizada was to leave you at the last moment and make you go through hell afterwards, but before I could meet Arnav I met Anjali. I didn't know who she was the first time I met her. She was sitting on the bench in a park looking lost and lonely. I don't know what made me go sit next to her and start talking to her but I found myself enjoying her company. We didn't talk about much, just about the city and other general things. We parted ways without exchanging names."

Rahul gazed into the distance remembering his first conversation with Anjali and smiled. "Khushi there was such innocence to her face but her eyes were filled with pain and regret. I couldn't stop thinking about her even after I came back home and the next time I went back to Delhi I went to the park again to see if I would see her again and to my surprise she was there and told me she had been coming everyday to see if I would come back to the city, it seems she had felt comfortable with me. We officially introduced ourselves but she only told me her fist name and I really did not connect her to you at all."

Khushi stayed quiet and listened to her cousin tell how he met Anjali but the anxiety that she was feeling refused to die down.

"I met her every day the weeks I was in Delhi and she finally told me about her ex-husband and what had happened to her. It was then I realized the story sounded familiar and asked her what her last name was, when she told me I felt disloyal to you and returned back to Bangalore the next day, intending to never go back to Delhi." Rahul recalled the moment and how he had felt as though he had lost something precious. It was then that he had realized he wanted to be more than a friend to Anjali.

Khushi remembered how her cousin had looked lost and dazed when he returned from his second trip to Delhi and had put it down to business concern never realizing her cousin had fallen for Anjali not knowing who she had been.

"What made you go back the third time?" Khushi asked.

"I couldn't stop thinking about her and so I went back to see her one last time but I couldn't bring myself to tell her I wouldn't go back to see her again. I decided to just follow my heart and see where things would take us. I wanted to tell her about you but at the same time I did not want to lose her either. It took a year for me to earn her trust and confess my feelings and when I finally did I also asked her to marry me." Rahul knew that he would have to talk to Anjali to make sure she did not misunderstand him.

"Bhai you and I know that you had no cruel intentions towards Anjaliji but will she and rest of the family be convinced?" Khushi asked him, fearing what the family must have thought when they saw her in Rahul's house.

"Khushi I will explain to Anjali and I am sure she will understand; I am sorry Khushi for hurting you by bringing your past back into your life."

Khushi smiled at her cousin. "I am not hurting for me bhai, but I fear what it will do to Anjaliji and Arnavji by seeing me again. I remind them of their painful past and I do not want to be cause of more pain for them."

Rahul frowned at his cousin and the anxiety that she was feeling. "Khushi whatever happened in the past is not your fault. Why do you keep taking the blame for everything that happened to the Raizadas?"

Khushi stood up and twisted her hands in front of us. "Because I am responsible for bringing those painful memories into their lives; if I hadn't acted impulsively when jiji was to get married I would have never met Arnavji and things would have taken a different route."

"Khushi don't be too sure of that, you might have met him at another place and another time if not then, when things are destined we cannot stop them. It is time you stopped blaming yourself for all the painful things that took in Arnav and Anjali's life." Rahul couldn't understand why Khushi felt as if she should be punished for something that had been out of her hands.

"Bhai you cannot deny that if I hadn't acted impulsively and ended up in the wrong place that night then I wouldn't have ruined Arnavji's fashion show. I wouldn't have landed in his arms nor would the news clips would have been released. Shyam wouldn't have noticed me and tried to leave Anjaliji for me" Khushi couldn't explain that she felt responsible even if she is not at fault because the painful truth is that her presence reminds them of things that should have been left dead and buried. She didn't just remind them of what happened with Shyam but also what happened to their parents. No how it is twisted she was the cause of what happened with Anjaliji two years ago and she was the source of painful memories from the past.

Khushi wiped the tear from the corner of her eye and walked out of her cousin's room without noticing Anjali who was hiding behind the door.

Anjali watched as Khushi walked to her room, almost lifeless. She walked into Rahul's room, walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Rahul turned at the pressure on his shoulder, surprised to see Anjali. He realized instantly that she had heard his and Khushi's conversation. His heart started pounding in his chest with fear. "Anjali, are you okay sweetheart?"

Anjali smiled tenderly at the use of endearment. "I am fine Rahul; I just saw Khushiji walk out of here; is she okay?"

Rahul sighed, took Anajli's hand in his to escort her to the sofa then sat besides her still holding her hand. "You heard our conversation, didn't you?"

Anjali squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Yes I did Rahul, but don't worry I am not doubting your motives at all.

Rahul was relieved to hear Anjali tell him that she did not misunderstand him. He put his arm around her to bring her closer to him to hug. Anajli hugged him back with a thoughtful look on her face.

She realized that because of her Chotey and Khushi suffered the most; it was time for her to be there for both of them like they had been with her in her time of need. If her life is full of love then it was her duty, as an older sister, to make sure that the two people who love each other should be together also.

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