#2: ArHi SS: !!Eclipse!! *Thread 3 link on PG 1* 22/July/13 - Page 71

Note: As already said, we have travelled past the flashbacks and this is the present track we're dealing with. 😊

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"I love you Khushi"

"No, you don't Arnav. You don't believe in love. You're forcing the word upon yourself because you don't want me to go. But as Abhay said, it's late. I have already agreed to marry him and I will"

If words could kill, Arnav would have been dead by the pain the words inflicted upon him.

"Abhay, let's leave. I need to talk to Amma and Babuji and the answers to your..."

"Let's go" Abhay cut in and moved out of the room.

"You can't leave Khushi. We need to talk" Arnav managed to say.

"You don't get the situation Arnav. I had left long back. The day I found you sleeping with that woman" Khushi replied and exited out of the room, fighting her tears.

Arnav now stood alone in the room, the silence mocking his confession.

Had this been the Arnav who once bid goodbye to Khushi in a dark room of Gupta house, he would have gotten furious after his words had been disgraced and disregarded.

But anger was not what ruled his mind in this instant.

It was only heartache which was consuming him, consuming ever since he had parted his ways from Khushi.

In a fit of anger he had declared that she brought back the worst of him but only after he had walked away from her he realised that the worst man did not exist within him.

His past self no longer breathed inside him and no amount of anger could resurrect the man he had once been.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.

In his case, Khushi's absence from his life for a month had made his heart grow realistic.

The first week he had been capricious, furious and miserable.

He couldn't come to believe that in a span of two days, he had lost Khushi.

The conversation in the office had been a blow to the utopia he had been living in.

And if that wasn't enough he shredded the remaining of his equation with Khushi by letting that wh**e sleep with him.

He was the guilty one and he did not expect Khushi to forgive him but she could have given him a chance to explain.

After all the promises of overlooking his past she had finally went ahead and judged him on the basis of his past life.

And as if it wasn't enough pain for him, she agreed to marry Abhay.

What the hell was on her mind?

Why was she pulling Abhay into this?

He tried hating her for being insensitive to his feelings.

How many times he had told her she held a special place in his heart? But she ignored all of it and went ahead with her revenge tactics.

She clearly didn't care enough for him, let alone trust him.

Yes, he was going to hate her now.

That had been his agenda in the first week of his separation with Khushi.

In the second week, he hated himself because he found himself incapable of hating her.

No matter where he was, her thoughts would chase him.

The second week was a reminder that she had not only infiltrated his heart but his bloody survival.

Surviving without her was like living in vacuum, with no air to support his lungs and lead him to a slow painful death.

It was the same week she showed up at his place with the invitation card.

He had been harsh and cold to her, trying to give her back what exactly he was facing.

But as she had left, the kiss they shared has incinerated him inside out.

He burned for her, ached to hold her close.

The next week, he realised that he needed her very much.

He realised his need for her runs deeper than he liked to admit and that this need to be together was above everything.

Above the little tiffs they occasionally had and above the falling out they recently had.

Everything could be sorted if only they stood together.

He had been wrong in taking liberties at the expense of Khushi's trust in him, be it intentionally or unintentionally.

He was wrong in expecting her to trust him after the Sheetal debacle as he hadn't apologized for it neither had given plausible explanations to cling onto.

All these realisations weren't made in a jiffy.

It cost him three weeks of untold distress and languishing.

But there was thin as thread hope because even if Arnav Singh Raizada had realised his mistakes there was no admitting them.

He was still angry at Khushi for going ahead with the marriage plan. Did it never occur to her what pain she was causing him?

Marrying Abhay was her retribution plan and he was going to let her go ahead with it.

She was testing his hard limits he will let her.

He will let her inflict the pain upon him because he rightly deserved it.

That was Arnav's last thought before he had driven to the engagement venue with his Di.

But when has destiny let him stick to his plans?

One look at Khushi's face was enough to dilute his resolves. The minute she had entered into the lawn he had wanted to reach her and hug her.

He had survived three weeks without her but now when she was before his eyes every second was getting unbearably agonising, the yearning hitting him with full force.

His palms sweated and agitation circulated in his veins as she was escorted in the center of the lawn for the ring ceremony.

He was sure any second his heart was going to win this battle against his brain, his anger, his ego and lurch his body into a response.

It all happened in the same second.

Khushi's body gave into the mental anguish she was going through and Arnav let go of all the sane thoughts.

While she passed into an abyss of darkness he made a run towards her.

Seeing her body going limp had splintered everything which was holding him back and he had dashed towards her, his lips already calling her name.

In that second when we was about to lose her to Abhay for ever the realisation had dawned.

He loved her. He bloody loved her too much to let her go.

He needed her back more than ever he had.

She was his lifeline, his assurance of a better life.

Or Damn the better life.

She was his assurance to life.

She was his life.

In these three weeks, he did not eat properly, he did not sleep properly and he did not work properly.

His body had refused to function.

And now she says it's too late?

It's never too late Khushi.

I am going to bring us' back.

Gone are the days of sitting back in his room and playing Devdaas.

It's time to struggle for his love and prove to Khushi that he can be a man of her expectations.

It's time for damage control.

~~***~~

Abhay's unwavering meticulous gaze was fixed upon Khushi as together both of them walked inside the small yet cosy restaurant.

The last night Abhay had driven her home and asked her to remain silent throughout the ride.

He knew she wanted to talk about everything which took place earlier in that day but he wasn't prepared to hear anything more than he already knew.

So, here he was now; meeting her in a restaurant after spending a sleepless night.

Khushi, who herself was emotionally wrecked the previous night now looked calm.

Maybe it was good that he avoided the discussion yesterday. Abhay told himself as they were directed to a table for two by the waiter.

"I am sorry Abhay" Khushi started without any preamble.

"Oh, so you're calling off the marriage?" Abhay asked, controlling the urge to laugh.

"NO" Khushi was taken aback by his assumption.

"Well?"

"I am sorry for...everything. Mainly for keeping you in dark, for pulling you into this mess"

"You did not pull me into this. I allowed myself into this" Abhay replied in a harsher one.

"I should have told you everything about me and Arnav before I agreed to marry you"

"Well, I knew" Abhay answered, sitting back in the chair and studying the change of expressions on her face.

"You knew?" Khushi's eyes couldn't have grown wider.

"Since the day you visited him with the invitation card" Abhay further explained.

"How?" was all Khushi could manage.

"It wasn't the most pleasing sight. He was atop you; you were kissing him like the world was coming to end. In his house, on his couch"

Khushi looked away as Abhay stopped talking and his gaze fixed upon her face. She was at loss of words and feeling extremely abashed.

"I wanted to confront you but I was too devastated to face you or talk anything about this. It was hard to get over the fact that the two most important people of my life were cheating upon me but I finally could see the real drill. Both of you weren't cheating upon me. I was simply the collateral damage, caught in crossfire of two. But does that justify everything? Both of you had no right to play with my feelings"

"Abhay you're on the wrong track. This...I never wanted to hurt you and neither was I playing with your feelings. I was very serious when I said I want to marry you and I still stand by my words. I and Arnav were a mistake. We cannot belong together. Our worlds run on different principles" Khushi tried to explain her point but she could very well tell that Abhay wasn't listening.

"All that is bullshit Khushi and I don't want to hear any of it. Didn't you know that your world was different from Arnav's when you were kissing him? When you let him touch you? Did you hesitate before kissing him back? Did you for a second think you were supposed to marry me? No, you did NOT. You kissed him. You KISSED him while I never got the chance. Abhay Singh, the man who always helped you, treated you good, and pursued you gets nothing while a man who insults you in the very first meet gets to kiss you? That isn't justice Khushi. The justice will be established when we marry and I'll own you in every possible sense"

"Abhay..." Khushi gasped in shock. She could feel the odious vibes coming from Abhay. He hated her and this marriage was his way of establishing justice?

What has she done? One mistake and she's lost the good man in Abhay.

"What? The thought repulses you? Can't even think about kissing me, can you?" Abhay shot.

"Abhay this is not you. Do you even realise what are you talking about? I know I have made mistakes. I should have told you about me and Arnav before agreeing to marry you but it was very painful for me to talk about Arnav. He cheated upon me. I was trying to not think of him" Khushi quickly explained.

"Oh! He cheated upon you? That is not something which would surprise me. I know him. I was his friend for ten bloody years. I was there when he f*cked around with girls. I was the one responsible for keeping tabs on the girls he f**ked because I did not want him to get into any issues. Had you ever cared enough to talk to me, I would have told you all of this but all of your time was spent talking to him. I would have warned you about his lifestyle had I been aware of your little fling with him. But I was a fool. I was too happy in my utopia to peep out of it and smell the coffee. He's what he is. But you Khushi? What about you? I thought you cared for me but you turned nothing different from the stinking social climbers. You are not the girl I met in Lucknow" Abhay accused her, taking pleasure in her visibly painful state.

"Crying will take you nowhere Khushi. Mend your deeds. Marry me. That's the best damage control you can do. You have broken my heart and you have to repair it. I can still forgive you. We can be happy together. Forget Arnav. He isn't a person likely to change. He'll find another woman for himself. He always has" Abhay suggested and placed his hand onto Khushi's.

"I love you Khushi" He concluded, squeezing her palm but Khushi sat still.

She was here to apologize for keeping him in dark and tell him they can together work on this impending marriage but the tables had turned.

A very different person had split out of the Abhay she knew.

What was she going to do? Can she marry this man? He's too full of hatred and viciousness and she made him so.

Is there any way out of this?

"You're right Abhay. It's the time for redemption. I have wronged you and I shall fix it" Khushi answered, resignation hanging heavy in her voice.

The look on Abhay's face was worth watching. He'd just found the lost city of Atlantis.

~~***~~

Sheetal was eagerly awaiting the call. In every two minutes, her gaze was running to her cell phone wishing it to ring.

An hour passed and it finally rang. She literally jumped from hotel bed to receive it.

It had been over twenty days since she returned back to her hotel room from the hospital. The little scar over her upper lip was going to be with her for the rest of her life, the doctor had said.

The hand which she thought was fractured was simply sprained and now worked as good as new.

After paying the hospital bill she was left with little money and the hotel room expenses were the biggest issue in her life at the moment.

In the past two weeks, she had been to each fashion house which had an opening.

But it was beyond her understanding why was being rejected every time.

Weren't these the same fashion houses which once called her daily and literally begged her to join them?

So what the f**k was wrong now?

Now when she needed the job desperately no one was ready to take her.

She was about to throw her phone against the wall as she heard another no' from the other side of phone but stopped upon realising this too would add to her piling expenditures.

God..! What the hell should I do?

She hid her face in her palms and thought until it clicked in her brain.

ASR.

She could bet her buttons upon it.

He was the f**king asshole who was screwing her professional life.

She recalled his words from the other day.

"This is going to cost you heavily" He had screamed as his sister was hauling her out of the room.

Shit.!

What should she do now?

With ASR in the background, no company was going to keep her.

Another click sound!

Yes, only this can leash ASR's wrath upon her.

The only way to save her neck.

She'll have to take the bull by horns and earn Arnav's favour.

She mentally thanked her gods for not actually sleeping with the man and grabbing her purse and phone, headed out of the room with a mission in her mind.

Time to let the little cat out of the bag and wish it would rather make than mar her life.

~~***~~

Shyam Manohar Jha was on his way to his flat when a flash of green caught his eyes. Anjali was standing by the road in a green saree while her driver was most probably trying to fix the car's engine.

Anjali was busy calling someone over the phone and the tension on her face read that something was wrong.

Shyam stepped down his own car and immediately strode towards his wife.

"Can I help with anything?"

The words pulled Anjali's attention and her face registered surprise before turning expressionless.

"I can manage on my own" was Anjali's instinctive reply.

"I know you can but I want to help Anjali" said Shyam, hoping she would spare a glance in his direction.

They were meeting after a year, actually meeting for the first time ever since Anjali had left his house. After Anjali had left him, Shyam had mostly kept a low profile and spent most of his time in Lucknow and other cities.

The call he had made to Anjali about a month back was the only communication they ever had in the past one year and it was very evident that Anjali was in no mood to talk to him.

"Anjali Bitiya, this car isn't going to be fixed any soon. I'll have to call a mechanic and get it fixed. This will take more than two hours" The elderly driver exclaimed, poking his head out of the car's open bonnet where he was fiddling with the engine.

"I am trying to call Chote. He'll send another car" Anjali replied, more to Shyam than her driver.

"I am not that bad of a company to keep Anjali. Arnav must be busy in office. I can drive you home, or wherever you want to go" Shyam offered again.

Anjali was not blind to miss the gleam of hope in her husband's eyes and mentally struggled.

"Okay" she gave in after a minute and Shyam smiled a faint smile.

~~***~~

Arnav had stepped out of the conference room and the meeting had gone well. One could say that the reason of the meeting's success was Arnav's exuberant self.

The office staff was clearly befuddled with the sudden change in their boss' comportment.

He was not behaving the gloomy self which he had been since past one month or ever since Khushi had stopped coming to office if you ask Ritwik.

Reaching in his cabin Arnav divested himself out of his coat and placed it on the back of his ergonomic chair.

A serious expression was present on his face when he dialled Abhay's number. It was high time to meet Abhay and deal with the matter.

Arnav realised that before he could start working on his and Khushi's relation he needed to talk to Abhay and make sure this wedding does not take place.

That was going to be the first step.

This wedding was not going to happen at any cost. If needed, Arnav was even ready to apologize to Abhay for being uncaring towards his feelings, for never playing the role of a good friend.

If Abhay wants, Arnav had already made his mind to apologize to Abhay's family too.

After making sure the wedding was cancelled, Arnav had to woo back his lady and convince her into getting MARRIED to him.

~~***~~

A/N: Well yes this chapter did not have much action and was kind of filler, this is one important chapter. As many guessed already, Abhay has turned out to be a negative character and will be playing villain. (Yes, feel free to hate me)

Many also guessed that Sheetal is co-operating with Abhay and Shyam which is NOT the case. Sheetal has her own motives to be a villain and Abhay has got his own. Shyam on the other hand is erm, a poor soul who's trying to win his wife back. Shyam will be playing some role in ArHi's love story too which is the sole reason of his presence in the story.

I hope this little note quenches some of your curiosity. If you have more questions, please drop them on the thread or you can PM/scrap them to me. I'll answer them when and as I can.

For PMs, buddy PMs-Of-Pearl