I would like to THANK everyone from the bottom of my heart for taking time to read this story and sharing valuable and encouraging comments. I am really overwhelmed with the support and interest shown by everyone. I honestly didn't anticipate this. Your positive feedback has only driven me to do better and I hope I have lived up to the expectations and continue to do so. Also many of you liked the banner. I created banners for each part and the banner sets the theme for the chapter.
THANK YOU ALL.
PART 2
The moment he saw her he froze and anxiety washed him over. Arnav could not hear the noises around him or see people, all he saw was her. As if on a cue, she turned around at the same time, their eyes met and the moment was arrested.
Arnav still couldn't believe his eyes and his mind refused to register that it was really her. He could hear his heart beat louder and faster, he felt any moment it would jump out of his body. He wanted to do or say something to make sure that she was not a figment of his imagination and is for real. But he was afraid of doing it, since she might vanish, like she did 2 years ago. Just when he was ready to convince himself that his heart is swindling him, she moved breaking their moment. She started fiddling with her dupatta a habit which Arnav had come to associate with her and which he adored. Not leaving her dupatta, she gave him a small smile. If his eyes weren't trained on her, it was hard to say that she smiled. Her amiable smile encouraged him and he started walking towards her. He felt as if he was going up the stairs of the same temple where they had parted. Arnav was so consumed with her presence that he did not notice the silence surrounding him and his mind extricated everybody around them.
She was standing in a small corner caf and fortunately it was not too crowded. As he got closer to her, realization dawned on Arnav and his fears about her being an imagination disappeared. Yet, another kind of fear spurted in his heart. Now that she was in front of him, what was he going to say to her? What would he ask her? He always struggled with words and was not good with them. And, now he wasn't even sure if he could form a prim line of words. He felt like he has to go back to school to learn words, form sentences and say them out loud.
Halting in front of her he continued to look at her face without blinking his eyes. As if he was making up for all those lost moments in the last two years. He was trying to fill the emptiness in his life. Feeling a bit uncomfortable with his staring, she lowered her eyes and studied the smooth tiled floor of the caf. That's when he noticed that she looked even more beautiful, beauty that emanates from happiness and a contented heart. And just like that he asked her "Tum teek ho?" He was surprised that a minute ago he was at a loss to form a coherent sentence and now he had asked her a question. A question he asked her countless number of times but failed to ask that one time when it was required, mattered and needed; Two years ago when he walked all over her heart and crushed it.
She raised her eyes to face him and answered "hum teek hai", and followed it with a series of enquiries about his family, "Anjaliji kaisi hai? Naniji, Mamaji, mamiji, Akash sir aur Hari Prakash ji? Sab teek hai?" A flicker of disappointment crossed his face knowing that his name didn't fit in the list of people she wanted to know about. He schooled his disappointment and responded "saab teek hai". But his disappointment came out as a distressed question, "don't you want to know how I have been?" In those few words Arnav poured the turmoil he was going through for last two years and the bareness of his life. She scrunched her brows and looked at Arnav confused and slowly anger shadowed her eyes. She did not make any effort to contain or control her anger and said "what can happen to you? You write your own destiny? And for others too, no?" Surprisingly Arnav chose to ignore her taunt, because he knew she was not wrong in saying that to him. "How can you leave without telling me or informing me of your where about? And you didn't even contact me?" He asked here.
She didn't know how to react or respond to those questions. The mocking smile that played on her lips was more on the vain side and then she shook her head very lightly. "You are asking me that? Didn't you ask me to leave? Didn't you say you never want to see my face again? And why do you think I will contact you?" Arnav closed his eyes and his hands turned into fists. The past playing like a kaleidoscope in his mind, which he could clearly see even with closed eyes. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and looked at her. "You know I didn't mean any of those things I said on that day or any other occasion. I was angry and lost control. You know I, I always..." he stopped; he didn't know what to say. Turning his face sideways, he tried hard to not look into her eyes. She smirked a little clumsily and said "so every time you reminded me of my haisiyat you didn't mean it? Every time you ridiculed my beliefs you didn't mean it? Every time you humiliated me you didn't mean it? When you said I trapped you, you didn't mean it? And what about that night when you tried to ...? You didn't mean that too?" Folding her hands under her chest and standing straight she continued "You always confuse me Mr. Raizada. Do you care to explain what do you really mean?" She said all of this in one breath and didn't even blink her eyes. Arnav Singh Raizada stood stunned like he was a shooting range and she was shooting at him with her words that were tearing him apart.
"How can you talk like that after whatever happened between us, and did you not see what was between us? It meant nothing to you?" he questioned her "Aap mazak kar rahe hai na? Baathaye kya tha hamare beech, aur kya hua tha? Not waiting for him to respond, she continued, "hum baathate hai, I was a mere employee who was hired to teach your sister chikenkaari work. You never trusted me. You thought I was low class, I didn't have any individuality and I could stoop to any low for money. You never missed an opportunity to throw my middle class upbringing in my face and unleash your anger. You hated me. Hatred is the only emotion existing between us, nothing more, nothing less. That's all there is.." Arnav's shock was now very transparent on his face. Not able to believe that she was holding so much of resent towards him he asked "Don't you remember the good things I did? "
"Of course I remember and I will always be grateful for that. You paid my bauji's hospital bill, you paid my sister's college fee, you saved me from the goons and you eventually let me be with your family without any hesitation. And oh! You used to smile at me and stare at me secretly. But were those enough reasons for me to stay back or contact you? If you didn't mean any of the things then why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me what you felt for me, for us? Tears welled up in her eyes, she looked away from him. "Every time I tried changing my opinion about you or thought there is something between us, the very next moment you proved me wrong and crushed my hopes. You never understood my feelings or emotions. How mercilessly you threw my mom's only memory, her payal, it was so dear to me and meant so much. You only know the language of money and power. And your ego is bigger than everything in your life. It will never let you give words to what we had between us. It was always about you and what you wanted." She didn't want to stop and she had more to say. The dam of her restrained emotions, hurt and anger broke free and the force of those emotions was so strong that it drowned Arnav Singh Raizada.
As words kept coming out of her mouth faster than he could breathe or think, he stood glued to the ground and there was no movement in his body. She continued with the flow "You are asking me why did I leave but I am asking you what assurance did you give me to stay? You never told me what you wanted for us or asked me what I want. You never opened you heart or talked. And what was I to expect from a man who didn't believe in the institution of marriage. With a lost look on her face she looked over Arnav's shoulder retelling and reliving her own turmoil. "When I left, despite my broken heart and your cruel behavior, in some corner of my heart I was still harboring a hope that you will come looking for me and say the words that I yearned to hear from you. But neither the words nor you came." She looked at Arnav again and continued "But, why would you come, you are Arnav Singh Raizada who never goes to anybody or says sorry. Your ego and pride always leads you, as if god forgot to give you a heart. Sometimes all you need is words and sometimes words mean more than actions." Taking a deep sigh she held the chair next to her tightly to balance herself physically and emotionally.
Slowly and steadily his heart and mind absorbed her words and with that he also learned of her agony that was induced by him time and again. The moment he realized this he was jolted out his trance and stepped closer to her. His eyes noticed something and he immediately stepped back. As if he was trespassing over a border, or something close to place his hands on something that didn't belong to him.
"Black beads around her neck; is that not the sign of marriage? She is married!!"
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I know you all probably hate me by now and want to kill me too. But trust me there is more to the story and more than what meets the eye. I really hope you all like it, because I was nervous like hell when writing it and I am on pins and needles, till hear back from you. What was my thinking behind this chapter? I will share during next update.
I strongly and truly believe that whatever happens, happens for a reason and there is a silver lining to every dark cloud. So, please do not be disappointed Khushi (as in happiness) will pursue Arnav.
There were questions you all asked in the first chapter and here are clarifications:
* Arnav is meeting her after 2 years and in these two years there was no contact or communication between them.
* There is no Lavanya is this story and there will be minimal reference/role to all other characters. (Like Anjali, Shyam, Naniji and Akash)
* This story is focused on Arnav and his journey in love. So, I can't say there is any other plot in this story.
* I know the twists and turns in IPK had many possibilities and I am just exploring one possibility that always lingered in my mind.
PS: I promise next update will sooner than Sunday and buddy me for PMs.
Whenever I am reading a story I always associate it with a song. While writing this chapter, I was listening to this song and wanted to share with you. I really loved it.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnsznLWSYJs[/YOUTUBE]
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