Note: hey guys I wrote this simply because I was bored one day, was originally going to scrap it because I'm not entirely happy with the way it seems to turned out but I though I would post it anyway.
See what you make of it.
SS: A familiar silence
Chapter One of Two
It hurt what he said hurt her, all she had tried to do was make her family happy, make his di happy. Yes she went against his wishes shouldn't have but he didn't have to say the things had. She'd stayed up all night crying at his slander the way he said he was wrong to get as close as he did to her. To talk of his deepest feelings to her. She hurt him by taking his sister to visit an ill shyam manhor jha at the hospital. She defied his instruction of never making contact with man again but only because she couldn't see his sister so upset. All Anjali wanted to do was see him one last time and if that meant her mind was at peace and she was happy then that would make him happy too wouldn't it.?
She was wrong, instead of seeing her attempt in making his distressed sister feel better, he accused her of not understanding him, betraying him and breaking his trust all these things she felt guilty for but she didn't have bad intentions.
They hadn't spoken ever since last night, she hadn't even slept in the same room as him and today whilst Khushi was doing her best to keep out of his sight an happy looking Anjali informed her that he was taking an urgent business trip for a period of a month and she should go along with him.
An upset and lifeless Khushi disagreed for Khushi knew that this wasn't only a business trip but a way from him to gain some space after there argument.
As khushi walks into the there room she sees.. the back of his posture archived over the bed placing clothes into a suitcase and then zipping up its content, he turns to see Khushi in an eye lock.
Their silence was intense, arnav could see the upset in her eyes but khushi could see the hurt she had caused to her husbands self esteem. A man whose words were given the highest of regard always were disregarded by non other than his own wife.
Khushis eyes scatter around the room until she lays eyes on his blazer which sits astray on the recliner at a distance. Silently walking towards the chair Khushi picks up the black material and walks slowly towards him. He had nothing to say but his eyes spoke volumes. As he watched Khushi drop her eyes to the floor before him handing him his blazer Arnav took a moment to capture the expression of his wife for he knew it would be some time before he would see her again. Apart of him wanted to break this silence but another part of him, the part that felt hurt and betrayed haulted him from doing so.
Taking the blazer from her without any significant eye contact Khushi could feel the hear of him putting his arms into the jacket straightening it over his white shirt.
As Khushi looked up towards his side profile as he turned to make adjustments to his suitcase she couldn't help but get that feeling she always got when she looked at him. She was in owe of him..his every detail, from his perfected appearance, that formal attire, to those eyes which carried a slightly colder look today but beneath them Khushi knew was a compassionate loving man who was just hurt. She had hurt him. As Arnav adjusted the fastenings on his blazer and took an unintentional turn in khushis direction when their eyes met.
The way they felt about each other was always apparent in the way the looked at one and other..always but he was ASR. Not letting his heart rule over his mind he averted his sight from khushi but could feel her as she stepped towards him.
As she looked at his diverted expression, she new he was angry but her love for him never changed in any circumstance and neither did his . Placing the palm of her hand over the chest pocket of his blazer..arnav could feel her hand trail over his heart. The warmth of her hand over his heart left him with an warm feeling, like he would melt in moments if his mind didn't keep reminding him of how angry he was at her.
Her words..soft..almost a silent whisper.. "Appna khyal rakhiyeyga please.." There was always so much love in her words and today it was no different, as arnav watched khushi turn away to leave the room.. something in him broke that silence.
"Khushi.." but as soon as she had turned towards him another voice interrupted.
"Dad! --" It was Aaarav.
Khushi composing herself a little drops her eye contact as Aarav walks into the room and walks towards his farther. His dress sense similar to his farthers Aarav is dressed in white knitwear and a black shirt and trousers. As Arnav looks from Khushi who stands at some distance to look down at Aarav who stands in front of him Arnav draws a smile to his face. He was such a good dad, Aarav's company bought out a very soft and gentle side to Arnav singh Raizada. Bending to his in order to be at face level with Aarav, Arnav watches Aarav dig his hand into his trouser pocket and dig out something into the palm of his hand.
"Dad..yey aap ke liyey.." Arnav looked at some individually wrapped sweets in various colors in the palm of Aaaravs hand and smiled.
"Just incase aapka blood sugar level low ho jayey." He said with an intelligent smile on his face. Arnav couldn't help but think back to the days when Khushi as his secretary would carry the same sweets around in her bag for him, throwing them in his face unassailably because his Di had told her to look after him.
Taking a glance at Khushi who was paused at a distance and thought of the very same moments of their time together Arnav looked back towards Aaraav and smiled. "Thanks ."
Taking Aarav into a hug..arnav looks towards Khushi as he embraces his son "I'm going to miss you dad."
-"I'm going to miss you too son" was his reply as Khushi happened to overhear as she walked towards the door not wanting to in the way of farther and son and most importantly not wanting to hurt him more than she had already done.
'.
As Arnav arrives at his residence in Mumbai after a significantly serious business flight with clients, he is greeted by a maid who looks after the flat in his absence.
Inciting that he was tired and would head straight to sleep arnav..enters his room. Very much like Shantivaan this residence of his was modern but homely. Dropping the blazer that he carried in his hand..arnav takes a seat on his recliner dropping his head back tired of the journey he had just been through.
As he attempts to close his eyes khushis upset expression, her silence that haunted her throughout his journey became again evident to him.
As he thought about everything..his words..his anger, his frustration. He was still annoyed at her something provoked him to pick up his phone and dial her number. Taking his handset out of his trouser pocket..Arnav begins to ring Khushis mobile phone. He let the phone ring multiple times but she was avoiding his call.
...
Almost a week had passed now every time Arnav would call home Khushi was conveniently busy. The odd time she picked the phone up the conversation would ponder around the same words, yes, no, ok, sometimes even just silence before she would pass it on to another member of the family but the upset in khushis tone was always clear but he too attempted to pursue the conversation.
Khushi spent her nights sleeping alongside Aarav in his room instead of in their room, purely because she missed him and couldn't stop thinking about him with all those small elements of the room that carried his presence. Busying herself in a daily routine Khushi tried to dub her sadness beneath her chirpy persona where as Arnav on the other side of the country busied himself with work. Working day and night he tried his best forget about the conflict between them before he had left but he too knew that beneath that anger and prestige of his he missed her.
Late one evening as arnav is looking through some business files behind his desk within the study area of the flat, pacing around the floor near his desk in his causal attire he hears his phone that was sat on the wooden desk ring.
Walking towards it with his business file still at hand he sees the Shaantivaan number calling.
Picking it up.. arnav hears a familiar voice, one that puts a smile on his face but also disappoints him within because It wasn't Khushi.
"Dad.." it was Aarav.. the smile on arnavs face as expressive as it ever was when hearing his sons voice. "Hi champ..You ok. ?"Back in shaanti vaan aarav sitting in the comfort of his bedroom makes this call without informing other members of the family. Dressed in what was his pajamas aarav is sat around his school books on his bed. "Yah..im good dad, kya ham bat karsakte hai.?" Arnav a little wary of the way aarnav just asked him if they could talk senses that this wasn't just a common call.
Putting his file down..arnav takes a seat at the desk in front of his open laptop.
Sure why not, kya hua is everything alright back home, at school. ?? Arnavs words carrying that farthely worry he gives the conversation all of his attention.
Everything's fine dad..but I wanted to talk about mom.. there is a slight pause for a second whilst arnav thinks back to this situation between himself and khushi he never wanted there argument effect aarav.
"..she pretends like shes ok..but shes really not, I think she misses you."
Arnav feeling a slight jolt of consiousness as aarav mentions khushi arnav repliews with apt, like any farther would do in this circumstance.
"I'll be back in a few weeks Aarav and things will be back to normal soon."
Hoping that would reassure his son Arnav isn't prepared for what Aarav goes on to say.
"I hear her crying to herself at night dad, I think you should talk to her."
Arnav feeling his heart sink with aaravs words is left numb at the thought of khushi having taken their argument to heart this way.
Araav takes the phone downstairs to where naani, di and khushi are sitting in one anothers company and hands the phone overt to khushi who wonders who it would be at this time of night.
-"Mom..phone", Leaving the phone with khushi Aarnav walks aways back upstairs before she could ask him who it was. As khushi puts the handset to her ear she greets the caller with a "Hello."
Hearing that farmiliar tone of voice pronounce her name..khushis heart skips a beat.
--"Khushi.."
that was the first time she had heard his voice in days after there fall out. Instantly feeling so many different feelings fill her mind, khushis eyes begin to tear as she listens to his presence over the phone but she said nothing. Yet again making an excuse she wavered the conversation passing the phone on to Anjali. "Di..di aapse baat karna chahti hai." Arnav expecting as much ..take a slight sigh as he hears the transition between khushi and Anjali.
'..
It had now been two weeks since he had been in Mumbai these were his last few days left of his time here. ASR gets ready with his usual formal attire in front of the mirror in order to attend his scheduled meetings. Like every other day of this trip he had very little time to for himself and was still even at this time in the morning thinking through business strategies.
A little later as a maid enters his room with his morning tea she finds him unconscious on the floor and immediately calls for a doctor..
As Arnav Singh Raizada opens his eyes after some time to find himself lying in his bed, the doctor at his side, he remembers nothing of how he got into this state.
A elderly looking doctor who Arnav was familiar with during his visits to to Mumbai, injects his arm with what looks like a dose of fluid.
Doctor: "Welcome back Mr Raizada, you probably wont remember but you had fallen unconscious due to a very dangerous drop in your sugar level. "
Arnav annoyed that this was all happening at this time is convinced that there is nothing wrong with him. "How long is this going to take doctor I have a meeting to get to."
Doctor: "No you don't"
Arnav: Excuse me.. ?
The doctor who concentrates on interjecting Arnav carefully overpowers his words. not may peopled dared with ASR but his doctor was of the few that did.
"Hamne aapke secretary se keh kar aapki meeting cancel karvaadi hai. You are In no state to be working Mr Raizada. Your sugar levels are unstable..you clearly haven't been taking your medication regaurly nor is your diet in tact and you have overworked yourself for far too long. You have to rest for a day or so."
Arnav wasn't going to argue with the doctor just because he did feel weak. Constantly working and then being clouded by, guilt, distress and worry at the way he had left thing with khushi back home had all caught up to him.
As the doctor went on to give arnav various checks, injections his eyes trailed towards the maid who was stood in the corner of the room making a phonecall. Sounded like she was calling Shantivaan to inform the family of his health. She had already spoken to someone before arnav had made note of her on the phone. The last thing he wanted was for his family to worry.
Able to interrupt just in time before she puts the phone down intructs her to bring the phone to him.
Taking the phone from the maid who steps towards his bedside and hands him the phone, arnav was relived to hear it was only aarav on the phone. He may be young but he was another ASR."Hi dad you are ok? "
-"I'm fine son but I don't want you to tell the family about this, I don't want them to worry needlessly especially your mom."
Aarav who totally understood where his farther was coming from puts the phone down with that promise. Just as he finishes the conversation with his farther, aarav sees his mom trying to console herself with her personal habit of making jalebies, he knew she missed him just wouldn't admit it was time to intervene.
Walking into the kitchen.. standing next to Khushi who is mixing the batter for another set of jalebis. Aarav casually reaches to take one of her already made ones from a container before casually dropping into conversation..
"Mom..dad ka phone aaya tha..woh aaj behosh ho gayey the..think hes not well. " Aarav could see that his plan had worked, he got an instant reaction from khushi who looked down at him, anxious, in shock.
A few hours later into the day, late afternoon to be precise back in Mumbai ASR rests in bed. He thought it best to just give his body the rest it needed at least whilst the doctor was still around anyway. As he sits up in bed, he is mid way through an conversation with Aman when the door bell to the residence is sounded, he makes nothing much of it as the maid attends to it, until he sees a sight that leaves him astounded
Khushi alongside Aarav had arrived. Aarav with his backpack walks towards his farther whilst khushi stood at the entrance of the room, her eyes scatter after the initial eye contact with her husband. The warmth her eyes carried for him, the worry on her expression all seem to ease slowly as lay eyes on him. Again that awkward silence between the too of them waged war and she deffered from looking at him but the doctors intervention was all in good time.
"Aatcha hua aap aagayi Mrs Raizada" he said getting up from the chair beside arnavs bedside. "kya ham aapse baahar kuch baat kar sakte hai?" Khushi nodds a yes and then walks out of the room with the doctor.
..
The door ajar..arnav could see the doctor talking to khushi about his health but he believed in non of it.. he was fine and they were making too much of a deal out of it although the shooting pain in his body told him different.
As aarav explained just how he couldn't keep this secret from his mother that distracted Arnav for a while whilst the doctor and khushi spoke outside in the corridor. An expressive worry on khushi's face and anxiety in her voice.
--Woh theekh toe hai naa doctor saab? She asks the doctor as they walk out of the room.
The doctor explains Arnavs condition as being something to take care of. "Aap ke pati ka blood sugar level very dangerously low ho gayay tha. Khuch bhi ho sakta tha." that thought alone leaves khushi scared.
"Une aaram ki, ghar ke khane ki..aur kuch der kaam se dur rehne ki sarurat hai, he needs to rest." Khushi acknowledges the doctors advicejust before he turns to walk away he adds something more.
"Aur ek aur baat khushi ji" - Khushi pays attention to what the doctor says.
"Hamne Mr Raizada ke health ko itna drastically change hote hue kabhi nahin dekha, shyaayad une kuch parishaan kar raha hai, please agar ho sake us baat ko address karne ki koshish kare use unke health mein improvement ayeyga."
Khushi hearing what the doctor has to say watches him leave thanking him however his words leave khushi feeling guilty. As she looks through the door that was partially open and her husband eyes happen to clock with hers for a moment she does the usual thing diverting her site however..as she looks back at him talking to aarav she knew there conflict before he had left shaantivaan played apart in his ill health.
...
Pm me if you would like links to previous fictions
Avatar and Signatures Shop
Anupamaa
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
