ArShi FF: ROOM-MATES by Archana Vinod (UPD PART 5, PG 7) - Page 3

Originally posted by: famiya

Superb start

Originally posted by: pravallika

Omg!!!! You will post even the next part..

Love you dear...

BTW archana is your name

Originally posted by: Lily273

Interesting. I'll be looking forward to the updates.

Originally posted by: smiley-shiney

Interesting story

Looking forward for the next updates

Originally posted by: pravallika

R u updating? ???

Interesting... Sounds different
Looking fwd to more of it

ROOM-MATES - PART 3

By Archana Vinod

Much later, Khushi has managed to get a grip on herself. Finally! Her delicate arms are wrapped around herself as she gently rocks on the bed, urging her wounded self to calm down. She buries her clammy face in her hands and squeezes her sore eyes to block out all painful thoughts and visions. And yet, the conceited giggle and sarcasm in his voice stings her badly. It keeps echoing behind the darkness of her closed eye lids. Her chest burns in agony.

KHUSHI: (weakly to herself) Stop it yaar. Just calm down. Don't let him upset you again.

But a harsh criticizing voice screams ruthlessly in her head. What the hell is the matter with you Khushi? Why in this Godforsaken world did you call him? Have you lost your mind? Have you lost your self-respect? Are you forgetting? You gave him your heart and he promised to take care of it. But he took you for granted and broke it to pieces! He ignored your tears and abandoned you! He knew you would die without him. Inch by inch! And yet, did he care enough to stop? NO! Then why the hell did you call him? You knew that he had the potential to hurt you again! Then why!!? WHY!?'

Khushi just sniffles. She is confused to the brim. The very thought of this guy makes me loathe him. I just let my anger and hatred get the better of me... it drove me to call him cause I couldn't stand to see him looking so happy. It was a mistake on my part. Calling him and giving him the message that I'm still living in my past... that I'm still getting affected by him.

She is snapped out of her thoughts as her phone starts RINGING for the umpteenth time again. It's Arnav! She sighs groggily and turns it OFF. Try calling me now sucker! Hah!

She gets onto her feet with a renewed sense of determination, washes her face and prepares to get on with life but stops before the mirror and checks out the dreary worn out image of herself. The inner turmoil seems to have taken its toll on her. She no longer looks youthful and full of zest but tired and groggy. To make matters worse, she has plumped up at several places. Emotional eating was an unhealthy something she had resorted to in recent days - gorging on super rich soulful snacks to fill up the eerie emptiness within. But the effects were of course short lived. God, I must really stop it, she thinks to herself, I can't let his memory ruin my life.

The next few days, Khushi runs around like a maniac with not even a single minute to spare. Her time was running out, fast! Running out... running out... Ran out! Over the limit! And still, no sign of hope.

She has a desperate conversation with her landlord.

KHUSHI: Please, all what I ask is two more days to find a place to stay. After that ---

LANDLORD: (cuts her out) Wah! Wah! Two days? Your contract expired four days ago. And yet, no rent, no nothing. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?

Khushi is speechless for a moment as she turns a bright shade of red. She has the right mind to grab him by the collar and slam him face down onto the steaming pavement. But just two words now - helpless frustration!

KHUSHI: Just two more days. After that you're free to fling my bags out of the apartment.

LANDLORD: Agreed?

KHUSHI: Haan.

Big mistake as she would realize...

TWO DAYS LATER, OUTSIDE KHUSHI'S APARTMENT

Khushi jumps down from the bus and rushes to her apartment like her pants were on fire! She just got a call from her roommate saying that the landlord was there... with the police! And he didn't seem to be in a good mood.

She reaches the seventh floor to find the door to her apartment wide open. And... an Arab policeman waiting outside. The very sight of the bearded cop in green and white gives her the chills.

KHUSHI: (mumbles) Shit. Shit shit!!!!

She slows down as she closes in and finds the cut-throat landlord standing with his back towards her. He has his hand over his hips as he talks to another cop in the living room. It doesn't take them long to notice her.

ARAB COP: Are you Ms. Khushi Gupta?

LANDLORD: (to the cops) That's her.

Khushi is literally frozen to the ground. Her lips are numb and her eyes are as round as gooseberries.

ARAB COP: We are very sorry Ma'am. But you have to settle all dues and vacate the premises immediately.

LANDLORD: That comes up to two thousand four hundred dirhams plus a fine of one thousand five hundred.

That gives her a heart attack! Three thousand nine hundred! I barely have one thousand in my purse. What the hell am I going to do? How on earth am I going to get this much of cash on short notice? Who on earth will lent me so much? I just cleared out and cancelled one of my credit cards last month. And the other one is over the limit already. Hey Maa, when shit starts happening, it starts pouring in from all sides.

KHUSHI: Can I have a word with my roommates?

ARAB COP: Sure. No problem.

Khushi proceeds to her room and finds her roommates standing in a corner of the room. They are obviously shaken up with all the action and the apparition of cops in the area. One of them reaches out and holds her hands as a gesture of comfort.

ROOMMATE-1: Khushi... what's all this?

KHUSHI: (sighs) What to do yaar. I'm in trouble. I need to pay them three thousand nine hundred bucks. Problem is I just have five hundred to give away. If you... (pauses as she begins to feel embarrassed to "beg" for help)... if you could just help me out... I promise that I'll pay you guys back in instalments.

They shift their weight uncomfortably and exchange glances as they stand around and twiddle their thumbs. Though Khushi had been expecting this reaction from them, she had been half hoping that being her roommates, they would jump in without second thought to "deliver her from the storm". Hah! High expectations.

ROOMMATE-2: (in a low voice) Actually... you know na how things are... we just paid the bills with the measly salary we got a few days back. Then to Western Union... we...

Khushi does a good job of keeping a straight face in spite of the pressure building up in her chest. She's on the verge of breaking down. There have been several occasions when she had selflessly helped them out, but now... in her hour of need, all of them back out. But isn't that how the world works?

ROOMMATE -3: Yeah Khushi... wish we could help but you know... hope you understand...

KHUSHI: (smiles weakly) Hey chill. No worries. Erm... I'll just try a few more doors and then, well, let's see...

ROOMMATE-1: We're so sorry.

KHUSHI: (slaps her playfully on the arm) No nothing. Chill. Really. It's okay.

Khushi steps away and tries calling up a few of her friends and colleagues for help in vain. It's all the same thing. Low pay stories... piling bill stories... sending cash to family in India stories... Oh, she gets a bit lucky with her colleague Richard. He's ready to help her out with even five thousand bucks. But, he needs to have her for a night. Just for a night...

KHUSHI: (to Richard) Erm... that's so sweet of you Richard. You're really very generous.

RICHARD: So shall I come over?

KHUSHI: Yes. But stop by that tree on the sidewalk and scrape your thingy off before you do.

RICHARD: Huh? Thingy? Which tree?

She simply hangs up, irritated and flustered. Things looks so bleak that she is practically clueless. A chill shudders down her spine as the cop glares at her for a moment and looks away.

LANDLORD: So. What's your plan?

She begins to answer, but stops midway as she gets a call on her phone - partly, she's pissed off to see Arnav's name flash on her screen again. But partly, she's hopeful. The woman in her coaxes to CANCEL his call with a "screw you" message. But somewhere under the deep layers of buried hurt, a voice tells her that her ray of hope lies there.

... TO BE CONTINUED

honestly, seeing Khushi this down, hurts badly...i thought i wud get to read how Arnav had to beg her to stay with him, n she turned around her life, n became nice n cool, n showed him what he missed...

Oh poor khusi feeling so bad for her but im sure there mustbe some reason for arnav to take such harsh decision.