Arhi SS: Aashiqui (Chp 6) End - Page 3

Chapter 2: Into The Darkness

Arnav was getting very restless. In between Khushi had called him up and asked if there is a chance that they could still be friends.

Arnav just asked her one question.

How could he expect her to keep the friendship if she wasn't even able to keep the promises she had made to him about their relationship?

He questioned her asking her how can he trust she wont leave the friendship in the future. Just like their love what if someone has a problem with their friendship in the future. Wouldn't it meet the same fate that their love did.

Death.

Arnav had taken a few days off to think. He knew what would be asked out of him if he were to accept to her request.

He waited.

He thought.

He planned.

He acted.

But in the end it was too damn late. On a rainy day he set out to meet Khushi. To accept the friendship at the very least.

Because he found it hard to live without her. She may have forsaken his promises but he never gave up on his.

At the start he had promised her while proposing her that if things went wrong in their relationship he would always be there as a friend.

And that was what he would do. Even if it meant hiding his love from her forever. He didn't mind. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't love him the way he did.

He texted her

Hi khushi. If you don't mind can we meet somewhere? I really need to talk to you about stuff.

Arnav waited for 15 minutes and still got no reply.

He felt something must be wrong with the connection. He decided to send another message.

Khushi can you receive these messages? Or are you ignoring me? I am asking because its confusing.

He waited again for a response.

Maybe its because she is sleeping, Arnav thought.

Just then his phone beeped.

Her name flashed on the screen.

1 New Message : Khushi

His heartbeat increased again. Atleast the content of having to talk to her like this everyday will give him the strength he needs to live his life in service of his parents. To give them what they rightly deserve.

But what he didn't know that the silence khushi had kept was the silence before the storm.

And a storm was coming.

Both in Mumbai and in Arnav's life.

It started when he opened her message.

It plainly read

I don't want to talk to you.

That line confused him. What had just happened? Where did this come from?

Arnav replied,But why? What happened?

Arnav parked his car near the highway. He had to walk the rest of the way to her house. But he wanted to make sure that it was ok with her to meet him. Maybe her brother or sister was nearby and she was forced to talk like this.

But her reply shocked him.

Because I don't care about you anymore.

That one single statement from Khushi changed everything. He felt his heart stop. The pain inside was more than a person stabbing him through the heart.

Arnav looked in front. Just like in the movie matrix, the words "I don't care" started falling in front of him like digital words in thin air. Something only he could see.

He didn't know when he reached the gates of her house. He looked at her house. She was standing on the balcony. She did look happy.

Happy not caring.

Arnav texted her one last time, he didn't want to kill their friendship too.

Can I meet you one last time? Don't worry I wont bring up the past. I just want to talk about the present.

He knew it was hopeless. But he always believed in never giving up. He had never given up his whole life. So he will not give up today either.

Another message came from her.

Nope. Don't want to meet you either. Why cant you see I am just not interested anymore?

Reading those lines Arnav's heart bled. He turned around to walk out of the colony. But fate had worse things in mind. Because Khushi had seen him.

She ran down. She was furious.

How could he.

No.

How dare he.

Arnav was about to walk out of the gate but her hand clenched him and she pulled him into an enclosure which would not create a scene in front of people she knew.

Khushi asked him," How dare you come to my house after everything I just said."

Arnav was still in shock. He didn't want to disturb her after the message she sent. But maybe she had seen him.

"I am sorry Khushi. I just wanted to meet you. But when you refused I was just leaving." Arnav replied trying to sound as calm and natural as he could.

Khushi grinded her teeth in anger and said,

" Why the hell can't you understand? Stay the hell away from me. And if you keep pestering me with messages I will change my number. And if I see you near my house again I will get a restraining order or even change my house if I have to"

Her words were just piercing through him. Sharper than knives. She was the same girl who had asked him to believe in love. To believe in her. And now when she had become his life everything had fallen apart.

Arnav replied calmly, " When have I ever refused you Khushi. You wont have to change your number or your address. I will kill myself if I have to but I will not disturb you ever again. I just thought we could talk one last time."

Khushi interrupted him saying " I don't want to hear anything. I deleted and trashed all the memories I had of you. You should do the same."

Arnav smiled and shook his head.

"I already did that. A long time ago when you asked me to. But what about my feelings? What can I do about that? What can I do about my heart? Do I rip it out? If I could I would have done that a long time ago."

Khushi looked at him and replied,

"You have to find a way to move on Arnav. You deserve better."

Arnav looked at her in a sarcastic manner and asked her " If I deserve better than you, why cant I have you? What if I don't want better? And who knows if there will be someone better?"

" Just give it some time Arnav. I am sure that within a year or two you will definitely forget me and move on."

Arnav smiled. She never understood his words.

"Khushi, look into my eyes."

Khushi did that and Arnav continued,

"Do you really think I will? If you remember when I met you, I was already a dead man. I was betrayed by each and every single friend I had and even the damn society."

Khushi recalled his troubled past. He hadn't ever gone into the details because he always felt the pain of the past and she didn't want to force him to tell her anything.

Arnav continued looking at the sky, recalling the past,

"It has been 12 years since that day Khushi. And I still cannot forget about what they did. You were the person I shared my soul with and you think it's as easy as pressing the delete button? The things I told you Khushi, about how you were my life and everything. I told you that because I meant it. Not because I was trying to get in your pants. When I said that you were what gave happiness to my heart, I wasn't saying some cheesy romantic dialogue to strip you and have sex with you. I said that because I meant it that day. You have not taken me seriously at all I guess. That's why you don't understand what I feel."

Khushi caught his hand and replied,

"Believe me there is someone way better than me out there. Just wait for her"

Arnav smiled sarcastically and asked her

" Tell me her name. Tell me when and where I will meet her. Then I will believe in you"

There was utter silence. It was only broken by the lightning that was thundering in the background.

" I am sorry Arnav. But I cannot name that person. But she does exist Arnav. You just have to wait till she comes. "

Arnav shook his head. Khushi was always impossible.

He added "And what if she breaks me too. I would have gone in circles and wasted another few years of my life in pain. And that time I may not even be able to tell you that what you said today was wrong. You may not even remember me in a few days, Let alone years. What then?"

Khushi was again silenced with his questions. Arnav had already seen so much. He had even asked her to stay away from him because he knew people always tend to leave him stranded alone. And he had been right. She wanted to leave him anyway. She wasn't even ready to give him the friendship let alone love him.

Khushi looked at him and added in a low voice "Arnav, my mom has brought me up and raised me. I can't betray her trust."

Arnav looked at her in utter shock.

"So you think I am a mistake? What we were was a mistake?"

Arnav never wanted to ask this question because he knew what the answer would be and how much he would break hearing it. But he did it nonetheless. He wanted to hear it from her very mouth.

"Yes"

Arnav left her and staggered back. He slipped and fell on the road. Khushi moved forward to pull him up but Arnav raised his hand and stopped her.

He got up on his own. He was fighting really very hard to control the avalanche of tears ready to break loose from his eyes.

But he still stood strong. Ever since childhood he never showed his tears to anyone. It wouldn't happen today either. He would make sure of it.

" So you don't even trust me enough to just stay friends."

Khushi replied," Its not about trust Arnav. Its what my mom wants and she told me not to talk to you ever again. Just delete and destroy all the memories we had in between us Arnav, just like I did. You will feel better."

Arnav smiled and looked to the sky,

"It appears that I was wrong about the human race. I would have better been a computer or a robot. Atleast you can reconfigure the entire system and delete all the memory. Even you treated me like a commodity Khushi. I know you respect your parents and everything. I know you don't want to see them hurt. But what is my mistake Khushi? That I belong from another religion? That's all? I mean what power did I have in that decision? If you for one second think that any god from any single religion will be happy at what you're doing, then they will prove they are not gods but devils themselves. My love was pure Khushi and if no god respects love, I will destroy them myself."

Khushi looked at him and replied, "I am sorry Arnav. I really am. But I need to do this for my mother. Its such a small thing she wants compared to what she has done for me."

Arnav laughed out, taking out his sadness,

"You still don't understand the point do you? I have nothing against you thinking about what your parents expect out of you in marrying a person of their choice Khushi. Its just that you are looking past what I feel, what will be best for me., or what brings a smile to my face. But that I guess is mostly because you don't care anymore."

"I do care Arnav. Its for your best I am doing this."

Arnav turned cold.

"No khushi. You' never did find it important to think about me. It was always you and what people expected out of you. I never came in the picture did I?"

"Arnav I am terribly sorry. But it cannot be possible. Neither friendship nor love nor anything else"

Arnav smiled at her and replied.

"I know Khushi. All my life people have treated me like a toy. When the toy is new kids love it unconditionally. Whatever happens they care for it as though its one of your own. But as time progresses that toy ends up under the bed lying there forgotten until the kids mother sees it and throws it out. Even the kid doesn't need that toy anymore so they don't stop their mother either. The sad part is that atleast toys can be recycled Khushi. But what about me? I cannot be recycled."

There was silence between them for another few minutes. Neither knew what to say to the other.

Khushi finally broke the silence," Arnav you deserve someone better. It would be best for you to go away from my life so I don't feel guilty for cheating on my mom."

Arnav stopped her from proceeding." Enough Khushi. You have said enough. The problem was never me having a problem with you obeying your parents wishes. The problem was that you never saw my suffering."

Arnav turned away from her trying to control himself. He started to walk away from her. He put his black shades on so his tears wouldn't be noticed by the outside world.

He stopped for a second. There was one last thing he wanted to be sure he tells her.

He patially turned his head in such a way that Khushi could only see his shades. His back was still facing her.

" It is true that people who break the rules of the society are called trash,

But people who don't treasure their friends are worse than trash.

However the ones who don't treasure their friend's feelings,

Are far worse than anything in existence."

And he walked on. He hadn't just said those words. He had bled them right out of his heart.

----To be Cont----

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