The newlyweds stood in awkward and uncomfortable silence, waiting for their better halves' to speak their heart out while their eyes remained clasped in a passionate snuggle of love.
" Whatever happened last night," Arnav began while Khushi took in a deep breath to prepare herself to heart what he was trying to say, " was a bit drastic but please don't think that whatever I said was unintended or false, Khushi."
Khushi gazed at him in a pleasantly surprised manner, relishing the wave of relief dousing the burning fire in her, and her heart finally calming down after hours of excruciating torment while Arnav's speech halted momentarily as Khushi's sudden relief, brought upon by her words, managed to confuse him about her feelings.
" I know I have not done much to make you realize the true extent of my feelings for you. In fact I did everything in the world that would show that I had feelings which were quite opposite to that of love. Have no doubt, Khushi. I know I deserve your hatred. I deserve Lavanya's hatred. But I do regret my actions. How I wish I had berated Nk when he sought to make Lavanya his, by hook or crook but there is something of that, which I would never regret."
Khushi waited him to continue with beaded eyes and bated breath while Arnav sighed, controlling his inner turmoil. " I would never regret meeting you, falling for you but believe me Khushi, I never intended for us to end up together in this way, not because I regret it but because I would have wanted you to trust me, me love and not hate me like you do now."
" I don't hate you..." The very thought of hating Arnav seemed so impossible and so painful that Khushi denied it loudly without her own knowledge.
" Khushi..." Arnav took in a deep breath to digest this new piece of information as the lady in front of him had effectively placed her stand yesterday as she stated that she hated him and now she contradicts it by saying she doesn't.
" I don't hate you, Arnav. In fact I want to love you but I am scared to love."
Khushi's words managed to catch Arnav's off-guard as he looked at her with surprise glistening his eyes and his mouth slightly open in shock.
" Khushi, what are you saying?" he asked to know if she was joking and in the end she would question if he actually believed that the woman whom he broke would want to love him and not hate him.
"You heard me right the first time, Arnav. I am scared to love, after what happened with my father. He had loved my mother immensely but she cheated on him without a moment's hesitation. That's how Lavanya was conceived. And she even left her second daughter for her various conquests. I didn't want to fall in love so that I would never live through the pain which my father did but I did. I both fell in love and managed to experience its pain and now it scares me to love you more. I am scared that one day you will realize this was just an attraction and leave me," she confessed.
Arnav felt myriads of feelings flooding him. A certain feeling burst in his chest and spread throughout his body. It felt warm, it felt soothing and it felt so much like ecstasy, which was soon overpowered by deep anguish for the pain which Khushi, Lavanya and her father had lived through but the strongest emotion he had felt was guilt. Guilt for tormenting someone already tormented, guilty for not being a person mature enough to understand the limits of revenge and expectations which fueled it.
"My mother had married my father out of compulsion," she started, gaining his attention,"My maternal side of family wanted her to marry a member of the so-called elite society and never let her live her life as she wanted. And when she found my father was blinded in his love for her, she decided to exploit it to her advantage and do what she couldn't do when she had the time. You were dragged into this due to Lavanya and your brother and I could almost relate your situation to hers."
A muffled sob escaped her lips as tears rolled down her flushed cheeks as her right hand rose to wipe them away, while Arnav suppressed the urge to erase her tears by himself, thinking that she might not prefer it, given Khushi was a person who didn't like sympathy of any kind and he wouldn't be any different.
" Khushi!"
A shout from Lavanya's voice pulled them both from their trances.
" Coming Lav!" Khushi answered while sparing one last look at Arnav before turning on her heel to leave the room. Eying at Khushi's retreating back, Arnav took a long stride to follow her to realize that he was clad in just a towel and berated by everyone in his family for daring to perform that stunt. Running to his wardrobe, Arnav grabbed whatever he could place his hand on and changed into them as soon as he can.
Slipping on the shirt, Arnav dashed into corridor, buttoning the shirt in the corridor itself and searching the ground floor for the signs of his wife, only to be disappointed for being unable to catch the sight of her.
Arnav bumped against Anjali due to his diverted attention and immediately apologized for that.
"Di, where is Khushi?" he asked after apologizing, his voice as serious as his frame of mind.
"Khushi just left..."
Rest of Anjali's answer blurred out for Arnav, who tried to cope up with the shock and failed severely at it. What could be the meaning of explaining herself and departing immediately after it, wondered Arnav.
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Edited by .MereRangMein. - 9 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
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