A/N: Thank you so much for your lovely responses. Many thanks to my darling, NallyAshlokFan and to my lovely readers for all their inspiration and support in writing this story, this story would not have been what it is without your support.
Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction whose characters and original plots are owned by their respective authors, I wish I was one of them but I'm not. The plot changes belong solely to me, thank you.
CHAPTER - 5
Pause
Poolside before the wedding vows of Payal and Akash
"Mr. Arnav, where are you taking me? Leave my hand, you're hurting me!" Khushi screeched while Arnav dragged her to the Poolside by her injured wrists. She pressed down on the bandage to assuage the shooting pain in her slit wrist. After the pain receded marginally, she looked up into his cold dark eyes. Oh no, I know these eyes. Khushi dreaded those cold eyes.
"Oh, I'll tell you." Arnav responded. He reminded himself of why he was doing this and ploughed on, "How much do you love your sister?" Khushi turned to look at him wondering what he's getting at. He continued, "You can do anything for her, right?" He said it like a sentence but turned it into a question as an afterthought.
Khushi, unable to understand whether his hostility is due to his confrontation with Shyam's reality or something new, decided to broach him carefully. She nodded in confirmation and said, "Yes."
"Then you have to do something for your sister." Arnav said in a quiet but hard voice.
"Wh-what?" Khushi stuttered while she was trying to work out what he meant but failed to guess his end game.
Arnav turned towards Khushi and looked straight into her eyes. "You need to get married. To me. Right now."
"WHAT? What are you saying?" Khushi's mind suddenly goes blank. Did-did Arnav just propose? Oh god, leave it to Arnav to make marriage sound like a death sentence.
"You heard me right. You have to get married to me. For six months. Otherwise, I won't let Payal get married to Akash."
"Marriage? For six months? What nonsense are you talking about, Mr. Arnav." Khushi walked away from him in exasperation. Of course he doesn't want to get married traditionally. No, even marriage should be a contract with finite term for Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada.
Arnav grabbed her wrists and pulled her back to him. He pulled her close enough to hear him loud and clear. "This is not nonsense." Arnav stared into her eyes to emphasise the gravity of the matter.
"You-How can you do this?" Khushi stuttered in his arms.
"Yes or no?" Arnav muttered through his teeth.
"YES or no?" He tightened his grip on her arms. "Khushi, I'm asking you for the last time. Yes or no?"
Khushi peered into his hollow dark eyes full of wrath and hatred and, beneath it all, a lot of pain. She pulled herself free of his grip and declared, "No! Never. What do think about the institution of marriage? How can you even say something like this Mr. Arnav? And-and here I thought -
"Think again, one more time." Arnav interrupted her thoughts.
Khushi strengthened her resolve, "I told you, I -
"Come here," Arnav took her by arms and flipped her over to oversee the wedding party and guests waiting for them to arrive. The wedding was at a standstill due to Arnav and Khushi's absence. The Bride and Groom were anxiously waiting for their respective siblings to initiate their wedding vows.
"Look there, everyone is waiting at the mandap. Till the time "I" don't join them, Akash won't make his marital vows."
Khushi stood rooted to her spot, stunned by his declaration. The implication of his words froze her heart with fear. She could never let this happen to her sister again. She had already been a reason of her sisters broken marriage, she could not fail her again. She would reason with Mr. Arnav, she had to.
"Why are you testing me, Mr. Arnav? You can't do this, my sister's marriage -
"I can do this. And, I will do this. If you don't get married to me then I wouldn't let your sister marry Akash. And you know that Akash never says no to me."
"No," Khushi pleaded with Arnav, "you can't do this."
"You know I can do this Khushi Kumari Gupta. My Aunt is already against this union, she needs only one excuse to break this relationship apart. And that excuse shall be provided by me." Arnav observed Khushi's eyes finally accepting the seriousness of the matter. He decided to close the deal.
"You will accept my condition. You will marry me. Today. For six months. Khushi, you know very well that I can stop this marriage anytime. You know what, now the decision of your sister's life is in your hands." Arnav stared at Khushi's distress with impassive eyes.
"I can't do this." Khushi surprised Arnav by her refusal.
"Okay," Arnav hardened his clenched jaw, "If this is your final decision, then get ready to wipe tears from your sister's eyes." Arnav walked away from Khushi leaving her with past memories of her sister's first marriage and the thoughts of repercussions of his promised absence from the wedding.
"Wait!" Khushi screeched.
When Arnav turned to face her, he expected to find a crying mess of a Khushi accepting his proposal, but instead he found a determined Khushi wiping her tears and steadily approaching him instead.
"You really think you can stop this marriage?" Khushi palmed her forehead preparing for the impending headache this conversation was about to bring.
"Of course, I can, Khushi. Do you doubt my words?"
"I want to understand why you think your absence from the marital vow ceremony can cancel the wedding. It can certainly postpone it till the time it is permissible to be postponed but I can't possibly cancel the wedding itself." Khushi stated while Arnav started taking slow steps towards her.
"What part of Akash never says no to me can you not comprehend?" Arnav cinches his lips in irritation.
"The part that leads to mean that Mr. Akash would not stand up to defend his marriage and that he would not respect my family's honour. If Mr. Akash's consent for this marriage stems only from your acceptance and not his love for my sister then maybe she deserves someone with better priorities."
"Bravo, Khushi, remember that when you're wiping those tears from your sister's eyes. This was YOUR decision and that YOU did this for a better husband for your sister." Arnav looked at Khushi with hatred in his eyes.
"This isn't about my sister, is it Mr. Arnav?" Khushi suddenly asked. Something about the way he said "husband" like the word tasted bitter in his mouth struck her.
What kind of a question is that
, Arnav wondered. "Of course, it is Khushi. Who else is getting married right now?"
"This is not about my sister's marriage, it's about yours. Isn't it?" Khushi looked him straight in the eye. She didn't have any idea how accurate her observation was till she finally saw the flash of pain in Arnav's eyes. That flash was the answer to all her problems. She suddenly knew what he was talking about and why; she didn't any reasoning or explanation anymore.
"My answer is yes, Mr. Arnav." Khushi states without any implication.
This was the second time Khushi surprised Arnav in the last fifteen minutes.
"But," Khushi continues, "The six months shall start after one and half months."
"You don't decide the conditions Khushi Kumari Gupta -
"But I do, Mr. Arnav. Would you rather end our marriage when your sister is in her final month of pregnancy or when she's had the baby and rested a while to take the mental punch of the end of our marriage? Also, do you really want to take away her happiness and joy of organising your wedding?"
Arnav's forehead clears itself of confusion lines as the implication of her words hit him. She figured him out, it disconcerts him but it's not the first time she's done it so at least it doesn't surprise him.
"But -
"I hate Shyam Manohar Jha. I don't hate people easily, Mr. Arnav, but I hate that man. He has hurt my family's reputation. He has blackmailed me and after everything I've told you if you still think I'm a threat to your sister's marriage then I can't help your paranoia. Please try and understand, the only person that is a threat to her marriage is her cheating husband."
"Who cheated on her with YOU, Khushi Kumari Gupta!" Arnav bellowed which brought tears to Khushi's eyes.
"He cheated on me too! He pressurised my family for our marriage. He got engaged to me! All when he was already married to the most wonderful person in this world." At this, Khushi fell on her knees and sobbed. "I'm sorry for what happened with Ms. Anjali, Mr. Arnav. I'm really sorry, but I was not at fault for it. You cannot punish me and my sister for Mr. Shyam's crimes."
Arnav got on his knees to her level, "Yes, I can. You lied to me and your sister is still lying to Akash and our family. Lying by omission is still a lie, Khushi. I can never trust you or your words again. Never."
Khushi took a deep breath and said, "Then, don't trust me. But, don't sit here and tell me if you were in my place you would've done any different because I know you have and will lie for your sister's happiness. I was saving my sister's marriage, Mr. Arnav. If that makes me a liar in your eyes, so be it. My answer to your marriage proposal is still yes. Let's announce our engagement after the marriage vows."
She raised herself and took small steps waiting for Arnav to give her a reaction. Arnav remained sitting on his knees in deep thoughts. Khushi took his non-reaction as affirmation and proceeded to go back to the marriage venue.
xoxo
"Are you happy now?" Arnav played with Khushi's lock of hair while she was lying on his chest. She looked up at him and answered, "I said my piece, yes."
Arnav smiled while thinking, she looks so beautiful.
The heavens tinkled with Khushi's laughter. "I can hear your thoughts, you know."
Arnav captured her lips with his own interrupting her laughter in the best way possible.
"You were always able to hear my thoughts, Khushi."
She nodded and combed her fingers through the litter of hair on his chest. He held her hand and kissed her palm.
"So, now what?" Arnav asked Khushi.
"Now we live in heaven, forever. Happily ever after." Khushi answered.
"Forever with you, I'd like nothing better."
A/N: That's it y'all. I'm sorry this has taken so long. This SS is complete now. I may upload an Epilogue, I'm not sure. I haven't written it down yet. I don't even know what to write in it. Honestly, if you've got a scene in mind that you'd like me to reword and write fresh, I can do that. Or, I can tell you about what's happening in everyone's life. It's up to you and me. Tell me what you want. And -Prithi-, thank you for your review darling.
All my love
sri
Edited by sri_ffn - 10 years ago
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