Khushi looked at her cup of coffee as she stirred it. Arnav hadn't spoken to her ever since they had that argument. She had called him up twice, yet he hadn't picked her call nor had he returned the call. She even sent him a few text messages, saying that she was sorry and wanted to talk to him, but he hadn't responded. Here, she was remembering him every single second, yet he did not care to even talk to her. Had he really meant those words? Would he leave her? He said that he wanted her. And he invoked feelings in her that she never knew existed. Each passing moment, she thirsted for him. She did not know why she felt restless, but she knew that something was amiss. She had read so many novels where it was said that absence made the heart grow fonder; love knew no distance and that true love can bridge even the greatest distances. And this true love was supposed to make your heart feel warmer, irrespective of the distance. However, Khushi was feeling quite the opposite. Her heart ached and she had lost interest in everything. She felt sicker as each moment passed. Movies and romantic novels had explained about the sweet pain of passion; that pain in love feels wonderful and is sweet. Instead, she was suffering. With each moment, her chest felt heavy and her breath became more shallow. How in the world could this be love? Wasn't love supposed to feel good? She recalled the last words of their argument. What if Arnav never came back? What if he told her to go away from him? Would she be able to convince him otherwise? Would she be able to forget him if he were to push her away from him? She mentally slapped herself at that thought. But did he really mean it that he would let her go? Maybe, he was just lusting after you; and now that he knows you are not going to give into him, he is sleeping around with wh**es. He isn't coming back. And you're the reason, Khushi. You pushed him away; her mind told her. The thought pained her and she banged the spoon on the saucer with a slightly greater force. A few people sitting around the table where she sat turned their heads to look at her. She nodded apologetically and picked up her cup and sipped her coffee.
Karan looked at her, while she was lost in her own thoughts. Even though she sitting with him since ten minutes, she hadn't spoken a word. "Khushi, are you okay?" he asked her, yet again. She nodded with a smile and went back to her thoughts. He hadn't expected such cold behavior from her. The Khushi who he knew back in college was never like this; she used to be warm and bubbly, and chatting something all the time. The Khushi in front of him sat there like a rock. When he had asked Gauri about Khushi's relationship status, Gauri had said that she was single. But when he shook hands with Khushi at the cafe, he saw that she wore a ring on her finger; the diamond was the size of a rock. Was she engaged? Married? was Gauri lying? He couldn't figure out. Presently, he saw Khushi looking at the ring and thinking. "Khushi, if you're not feeling well, we can go home. We can meet some other time when you're feeling fine" Karan finally said, fed up of her icy attitude. She looked up at him and shook her head, "I'm sorry Karan. It's just that I'm a little low today" He raised a brow, "Relationship problems?" He hoped not. He hoped to have a chance with her. Khushi may not have been the girlfriend type, who you would date, or even take to the clubs and show her off to your friends. But she was the kind of girl you would take home to meet your family. Karan was 26 years old, and his Dad had begun to look for proposals. Arranged marriage was never a sane idea, according to Karan. How could a person spend the rest of his life with a stranger? He had decided that he would get married to someone whom he knew as a friend. And the day he bumped into Gauri seemed to be an answer to his prayers. Gauri had given him Khushi's number and asked him to call her. Karan always knew that Khushi had a soft spot for him. In fact, his friends at the basketball court always gave him funny looks when Khushi spoke to him. Her cheeks had a perpetual blush and she smiled like an idiot whenever he looked at her. It was obvious that she had a huge crush on him, just like most of the girls in college. But what set Khushi apart was her innocence; she did not even realize how beautiful she was. However, he chose to be just friends with her. She wasn't the girlfriend material. He had taken an interest in the basketball team's head cheer girl- Sonali Chawla. But a bad breakup with Miss Chawla after two years made him realize that he should have considered a relationship with Khushi. By then, it was late. She had changed her contact number, and he had no guts to go to her house. After all, her Dad was a professor, and all professors are scary, by default! But he had found himself to be very lucky when Khushi had agreed to meet him for coffee. Hopefully, he could woo her and she would be charmed! However, looking at her current mood, it seemed to be a distant dream and a herculean task.
Khushi heaved a sigh. She felt bad that she treated Karan this way; meet him for coffee and then drown in her own thoughts, while sitting without even talking to him. "Nothing like that, Karan. No problems. I'm just upset my husband hasn't called me, yet" Husband! The word seemed so melodious to her. Picturing Arnav as her husband in the true sense gave her a sense of pride. Involuntarily, she smiled as she thought about her man. Karan choked on his coffee when he heard her. "H... Husband?" Khushi saw the color on his face drain away, and she knit her brows in confusion. "Yes, Karan. Husband. I'm married. Didn't Gauri tell you? I thought you knew!" she said casually. Karan shook his head negatively, "No, Gauri did not. She told me you are single" "What?" Khushi said a bit louder, least bothered about a few people staring at her. "No Karan. I am married. I do not know why Gauri said such a thing!" She knew very well why Gauri had said such a thing. She wanted Khushi to hook up with Karan after she went away from Arnav. Perhaps if Gauri would have done such a thing, just two days back, Khushi would have been thankful to her. But right now, Khushi was irritated. Imagining another man in a romantic sense was something that Khushi did not entertain, not even in her thoughts. She gulped her coffee that had now turned cold and looked at Karan, "I'm really sorry Karan. But I have to go" She had seen the look of disappointment on his face when he learned that she was married. Things began to make sense to her as to why he wanted to meet her. Karan stood up and held her hand, "When can I see you again, Khushi?" She frowned. "Karan... I..." "Just as a friend? Please?" She pulled her hand away from his hold and looked up at him. "I don't think it's a good idea, Karan. Anyway, I will let you know. If destiny really wants us to meet, we shall meet again. Until then, goodbye" Karan saw her walking out of the cafe, without another glance behind. A pair of eyes watched the entire scene and then, the person picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Hello, Ratna Raizada?"
Ratna was relaxing at the spa and getting her back massage done, when her phone rang. She saw the ID and asked the masseuse to excuse her for a minute. After the masseuse left the room, she answered the call. "Yes, Raghu. Tell me" "Madam, Khushi had come to meet a guy at the cafe. He seemed to be her friend. Close friend. Khushi left in a few minutes in spite of the guy trying to hold her hand and stop her" Ratna smiled with her devil-red lips. "Good job, Raghu. Now, find me the details of this close friend. I need it by evening" She disconnected the call even before he could respond. She gave no option to her right-hand-man. And Raghu was too loyal to Ratna. Why wouldn't he? She paid him well with loads of cash. Raghu rose from his seat and followed Karan, all the way to his home.
Khushi was fuming by the time she reached the house. Arnav hadn't called up yet. A mix of worry, anxiousness and anger filled her. And to top it, Gauri lied to Karan about her being single. Seeta saw Khushi storming in and knew better not to talk to her when she was angry; Khushi's loud footsteps told her that she was really pissed off. Banging the door of her room with a loud thud, she threw her bag on the bed and picked up her phone to call up Gauri. "Hey Khushi!" Gauri picked on the first ring, "How did the date go, eh? There's no need to thank me. Now, give me every single detail as to..." "Why the hell did you tell him that I am single?" Khushi growled over the phone. Gauri was taken aback at Khushi's tone. "Khushi, you are single. That Arnav Singh Raizada married you by proxy, and it's all a farce. You are..." "Shut up Gauri!" Khushi raised her voice and Gauri was shocked. "My marriage with Arnav is not your concern. It is far from being a farce, alright? And who the hell gave you the right to go and start looking for prospective matches for me?" "Khushi, what is wrong with you?" Gauri yelled back, "I was just trying to help you. You did have a crush on Karan and I thought..." "That is your problem, Gauri. You think, even if you are not required to. First of all, you give my number to Karan and then you tell him I am single. Gosh, it was so embarrassing!" Khushi ran her fingers through her hair in desperation. Gauri took a deep breath, "Khushi, nothing is embarrassing! You're just being silly! And what do you mean by your marriage is not a farce? That beast Arnav Singh Raizada..." Khushi grit her teeth. She had just about enough. "Enough Gauri. I will not tolerate anyone talking anything ill about Arnav!" She screamed into the phone, and continued, "Gauri, you really want to help me out? Stay away from my life. Stop dictating me, and trying to tell me what I must do. I am not a baby, and I can decide things for myself. And of all the people, I don't need you to look for matches for me. If Karan is such a nice guy, you hook up with him. I am happy being married to my husband- Arnav Singh Raizada. So, stay away me and my life!" Khushi cut the call and threw her phone on the bed. Breathing rapidly, she knew she was rude to Gauri. But the girl deserved it. Moments later, once Khushi calmed down, she sat on the floor and hugged her knees. Hot tears fell off her cheeks. She hated everybody around. Everyone seemed to be hell bent on making her life miserable. "Talk to me, Arnav. Please..." she whispered, hoping the winds would take her message to the one she loved.
Arnav was furiously typing on his laptop. He had to send a few mails before he left for another meeting. He was still angry with Aman. Why the hell did he have to say that Alaine was having lunch with him, alone? Couldn't he tell Khushi that Elliot was with them too? "Fool" he muttered. He was angrier at Khushi. She had no right to speak those harsh words. She did not trust him, in spite of him trying his best to tell her that he loved her. Did she not realize that he had eyes only for her? She believed him easily when he said that Alaine was intimate with him. But she did not believe him when he kept showering his love on her? Why was she hell bent on torturing him? How many times must he keep proving that he loved no one else, but only her? Well, he did not utter those three "magical" words to her. He did not believe in saying them out. He always believed that emotions were to be felt, rather than expressed. Expressing feelings meant giving immense power in the hands of the other person, who could break you down anytime with it. He had not given that power to anyone, not even Khushi. Yes, he was madly in love with her. But that did not mean he would give away all of his secrets. Giving his secrets away would be as good as giving her a dagger and asking her to kill him. And he had no intention of getting himself killed. At least, not anytime soon. His dark past was still hidden from Khushi. He did not even want to think of how she would react if she knew. Would she walk away? Or would she pity him? Pitying would be worse. He could bear to watch her walking away, but pity was something he could not deal with.
Aman walked into the room and saw that his Master was still upset. "I'm very sorry, Sir. I shouldn't have hidden from Madam that Sir Elliot was with you for lunch. I did not mean to create trouble" Arnav looked up at Aman and saw remorse and regret written all over his face. Aman was truly sorry. Arnav sighed and shook his head, "What is done cannot be undone, Aman. Just make sure you do not do it again" Aman bowed his head. He was truly sorry. He expected Khushi would express her love for his Master if she were to become jealous. He hadn't really known what went wrong between the couple, but he was sure that something wasn't right between them. His Master looked visibly upset. Arnav's phone rang, again. It was Khushi. She had been calling him since their ugly fight, but he refused to pick up. He knew that they would not be able to solve a spat over the phone. They would end up arguing again. And Arnav did not want to invest his energy in fighting with her. He would sort out everything, face to face, once he would land back home. One thing was for sure- he wasn't letting her go. He recalled how he told her that he would not come back and would never cross paths with her. It pained him. The thought of never seeing her again seemed to have a heavy effect on his heart.
Aman saw Arnav's phone light up and was sure it was Khushi. She had called him too, asking him to convince Arnav to talk to her. But Aman had orders. He was asked not to disturb him, especially with Khushi's calls. He kept making some excuses when she called to talk to Arnav, and when he ran out of excuses, he stopped picking the call. He felt horrible. After all, he was responsible for it. If he hadn't lied, nothing would have happened. The phone stooped ringing, and then after a minute, it lit up again. "Sir, at least listen to what Madam has to say?" Aman said, unable to stop himself. Arnav raised a brow. "She's my wife Aman, not yours. I think I know what I'm doing. If I need your advice, I'll make sure to ask you." he replied in a dry tone. Passing a file to his Master, the purpose which brought him to the room, he went back to his room.
Arnav looked at the screen of his phone, flashing Khushi's name. He tried to avoid looking at it. She must have been really sorry if she had to keep calling him. Or what if there was some emergency? What if she wasn't keeping fine? He picked the phone and looked at her name. If there was an emergency, Seeta or Hari Prakash would call him up. They had strict orders to keep him informed if Khushi required anything. He kept staring at the phone which vibrated in his hand. Closing his eyes, he faced the screen downward and placed it on his bed. "I'm sorry, Khushi" he murmured. She needed to learn that he was hurt too. If he were to forgive her easily and talk to her like nothing was wrong, she would end up repeating the same mistake again. She had to learn the importance of words. She spoke carelessly, as if her words had no value. She had to learn that every word which left the mouth was like an arrow; once released, you cannot take them back. And while they have the capacity to hit the target, they can sting like hell as well! Arnav pushed the phone away from his sight and buried his nose in his work. He was disturbed, but he would never let his work suffer. He would deal with his personal issues once he was back home.
Karan Singhania was busy exercising in his gym, when he heard the doorbell ring. He rushed outside to open the door, only to see a beautiful woman standing in front of him. She did not look older than thirty, and was dressed in black formal pants with a beige blouse. She tapped her stilettos as she looked at him from head to toe. "yes, Mma'am. How may I help you?" he asked her, as he looked at the gorgeous woman. "I'm Ratna Raizada, a board member from Raizada Industries." "Raizada Industries?" Karan repeated, as if dazed. Of course he knew about Raizada Industries. It was one of the leading firms of the country. "Please come in, Ma'am" he said, and she smiled icily at him. Taking a seat, she scanned the house. It was small when compared to her royal Mansion but was decent enough. "Madam, can I get you anything to drink?" Karan asked, and Ratna spotted the greedy pup in him. This guy was buttering her and she could see through it. "Nothing for me, Karan, thank you" she said and motioned for him to sit next to her. "I have a business proposal for you, Karan Singhania. I heard that your Dad's business is going down in ruins, and you've come to India to start off something on your own" Karan was surprised. How did she know? But then, she was a powerful person. She had her sources. But he wondered what she had to do with an unimportant person like him. Ratna smiled as she saw the confusion registering on his face. "Karan, don't be so confused. I have come here to discuss a something. I have a win-win business proposal for you" He had a frown on his face, "What business proposal?" "The one which can fetch you One Crore rupees, which is more than enough to start up a simple business" Karan's eyes widened with a spark and Ratna smiled. She handed over a cheque to him and he noticed that it was signed with an amount of One Crore. Karan nodded greedily, "I'll do it" Ratna's lips pulled into an evil grin.
Four days passed by. Nothing had changed. Khushi kept calling him and Arnav kept avoiding her. Khushi lied back on the floor when Arnav did not receive her call, yet again. "Talk to me once Arnav. At least hear me out" she pleaded, looking at the phone. Seeta knocked the door, "Madam you haven't had anything to eat since three days. Please let me bring you some dinner" It had been three days since Khushi was surviving on water alone. "Keep it in the fridge. I'll eat later" she said between her sobs. Seeta was now worried. "Madam, you did not eat, even though I kept the food in the fridge. Please let me bring you some food. You will fall sick." "Go away Seeta" Khushi cried out. Seeta had no choice left, but to inform Arnav.
Arnav was about to have a nap after his dinner, when Seeta called him up. He felt an unknown fear and answered her on the second ring. "Saheb, Khushi madam hasn't been eating three days. She has locked herself in the room." Seeta said in a panicked tone. Arnav was alarmed. "She's not been eating since three days and you inform me now? What is wrong with you, Seeta?" Pausing for a minute and regaining his composure, he said, "Fforce her to open the door, get into the room and make her eat. Right now" "But Saheb, I tried that. She shouted at me, asking me to leave" Arnav sighed and ran his hand over his face in desperation. His stubbornness had gone too far. And Khushi was not better than him. she was stubborn too. "Seeta, I'll talk to Khushi and convince her. You please get her to eat something. And once she's eaten, give me a call" Seeta agreed and cut the call. He never expected Khushi to stop taking food just because he wasn't picking her calls. It was a childish thing to do. What is the point of starving yourself for the sake of another person? He leaned against the bedpost and dialed Khushi's number. Taking a deep breath, he waited till she picked up.
Khushi was staring at the ceiling as she felt the phone vibrate. She looked at the screen. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at it again. It was Arnav. Fresh tears welled up in her eyes. She picked the call, "'Arnav? What the hell? I've been calling for five days and you don't even have the courtesy to pick my call. Did you even call to see if I was dead or alive? Or maybe, Alaine Dubois kept you busy?" Arnav sighed. Khushi realized she had spoken too much, again. He called her after five long days, and the only thing that she could say were some more rude words. The vindictive snake was back to bite. "I heard you aren't eating." He said calmly, least affected by her talk. "Why do you care?" she asked in a shaky voice, almost ready to burst into tears. He closed his eyes. He knew she was in pain, and it hurt him too. "Eat something" he said to which she denied. "Khushi, if I was there with you, I would have made sure that I fed you myself. Don't make this difficult for both of us. Eat something Khushi, please." he spoke, and Khushi nodded as if he had hypnotized her. He continued, "Seeta will bring you some food now. Please eat it." "Okay" she softened and Arnav was glad that she wasn't stubborn at least this time. Seeta was already there when Khushi unlocked the door. She smiled at her, placed the tray of fruits and milk on the table and left the room. "Arnav, I'm sorry for what I said" she said with a heavy voice. He sighed again. She truly was sorry. Her voice was an evidence of her apology. "We'll talk when I come back home." He said. "And when will you be back?" she asked. "Two days later" he said. She listened to his breathing, and felt some new energy within her. "Arnav... I wanted to..." "Goodnight Khushi" he said and cut the call. Khushi looked at the receiver and held it close to her chest. "Come soon, Arnav" she said with a soft smile between her tears. At least, he spoke to her! She couldn't wait to see him.
Her phone rang again. She picked it up in a hurry, "Hello Arnav?" she said breathlessly. "Karan here, Khushi..." "Oh" she said, feeling somewhat disappointed. "Khushi, I was wondering if you could accompany me to the club tomorrow" "I'm sorry, Karan. I cannot" she refused him. "Tomorrow is my birthday, Khushi. I thought that I could catch up with a few friends. But I guess, friends last only as long as you have money and fame. It's okay; I understand. Why would a millionaire's wife want to be friends with a broke like me?" Khushi closed her eyes. How could she hurt Karan on his birthday? And he said he wanted to take her to the club as his friend. And if it is a party, then all of his friends would be there too. Surely, theer was no harm in going for a friend's birthday party. Moreover, she did not want to be misunderstood by him. She had read about his father's business in the newspapers. She did not want to make him feel that she did not want to be friends with him because he was no more rich. "Okay, I'll come" Karan's voice sounded happy, "Alright, I'll pick you up at eight" She refused, "Karan, I'll meet you at the club. And I would want to reach home by ten" "No problem Khushi, thank a lot, bye" Khushi took a deep breath. She could definitely use some time with friends. It would help her cheer up.
"So? What did she say?" Ratna Raizada asked Karan when he called her up. "She agreed" he said in a soft voice, "But Mrs. Raizada, I'm not very comfortable doing this. I mean, she's married and..." "...Her marital status is not your concern, Karan. Do this for me, and I will reward you with another fifty lakh" Karan smiled greedily. Poor Khushi! She doesn't even know what is going to happen! Ratna thought as she cut the call.
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