"Miss Gupta, Mr. Raizada, you are pregnant. Congratulations!" wished Dr.Singh as she eyed the young couple in front of her.
Arnav's first reaction to the news was to look at how the lady beside him was coping up with the news. It would be completely rude of him to celebrate the news if she was troubled with it but much to his surprise, she seemed pleased, calm but serenely pleased.
Her eyes slowly turned towards him and locked with his, trying to search for his emotions. She had expected to find emotions with jubilant affiliations but his eyes greeted her with concern. A slight smile, the one AR employees would swear as 'once-in-a-blue-moon-phenomenon' by their lives, graced his lips prompting her to reciprocate the same.
"But I must warn you, Miss Gupta's body is still not completely prepared to handle the pregnancy and she must be taken care of, in the most delicate manner possible. I sincerely hope that your child makes it through and once again, congratulations," she said, noting their unvoiced understanding of each other's minutest emotions.
"Sure, Dr. Singh. That would be taken care of," said Arnav, as he rose from his seat along with Khushi to leave.
The atmosphere, quite literally, changed as they walked out of the doctor's cabin. The solitude amongst the crowd of the hospital made their insides turn in awkwardness. Khushi was unable to place her finger on what she actually felt about the news.
She was going to be a mother. She had hoped, when she let her heart guide her dreams, when she was embracing motherhood, her husband would stand by her, bearing all her tantrums, fulfilling all her cravings and destiny decided to show her that sometimes the life's greatest irony lies in the dreams we see and the reality we face. The tumultuous potion it brewed in her heart was agonizing and was asking her to run away from it all.
She was embracing the motherhood all the same but it was not with a supportive and loving partner by her side. She had a partner who was an almost stranger. She had thousands of assumptions based on him and he had managed to disprove all of them yet standing by what he was supposed to be. He was a paradox in his own sense and she was carrying a part of him in herself.
Walking beside him felt more intimate than ever. She was aware of the sight which held her captive through the corner of his eyes. She wondered what he felt about his child and the mother of his child. Was he proud like all fathers would be, or there were just some stray strings holding the situation and him together?
"Khushi!"
His voice and his hand in her way made her pause in her path. She realized that she was about to walk into the pillar . Cursing herself for her recently found habit of feeling lost, she pulled a stray curl behind her ear, straightened her already straight kurta and continued walking, that is before Arnav's grip on her arm stopped her. She questioned herself if she had not realized that the latest news had given him the liberty of holding her hand.
"Are you okay? You seem to be eerily silent," he said, concern lacing his tone.
"I suppose I am not quite sure how to take this in the right stride, Mr.Raizada. I am fine," she said, realizing she herself wouldn't buy what she uttered.
"If you say so," he said, not being the one to poke till one yielded the truth.
"You will have to shift to Raizada Mansion, I hope you remember," he prompted, hoping that she would not pick up an argument again like she did last time.
"I do. Allow me to pack my things and settle things with my family. Am I allowed to start tomorrow morning or will I be asked to join you at the Mansion today evening?" she questioned with surprising coldness which shook Arnav. Something was surely off with her, he mused.
"Tomorrow morning will be just fine, Ms. Gupta. I will send someone to pick you up at a timing of your convenience," he offered.
"That would not be required. Thank you," she rejected, with her tone as sarcastic as it was in their initial days of meeting.
"As it is fine with you. But I reserve the right to drop you home and I am not listening to any argument with that," he growled, making a mental note that he had not rested his case about the next day's transportation. He was used to having it his way and he would agree to anything less.
"But,"
"Nope, none of that. Now, don't make me carry you to the car, because I am sure that's the thing you wouldn't want to happen," he countered, knowing that she would oblige to him.
She shushed and started walking with a huff as he let a victorious smirk grace his lips, little did he know that she had not been defeated, she had retired hurt.
--------------------------------
Gupta House,
"I am pregnant," she broke the news to Shyam, the reason of her agony.
"Khushi,"
"I have to go to Raizada Mansion tomorrow. Since we work in the same call center, you will have to do some answering to Amma when she seeks information about me. I am telling her that I am selected for an impromptu trip to Bangalore along with the Boss," she continued, without paying heed to his pained looks.
She turned to leave when he ran and stopped her from going out of the room.
"I know you hate me Khushi and you are justified in doing so. But do let me bid you a proper farewell and let this Mama meet his nephew or niece," he pleaded, his tone and eyes expressing his sincerity. The Khushi of yesterday might have taken pity on him but the news of carrying another life in her had completely shaken her and had cruelly reminded her of the seriousness of the whole setup which she had tried to keep at the back of her mind to retain sanity.
She looked straight into his eyes, her eyes blank and numb, like the blackhole of pain through which every happiness had been sucked out.
"I will be a mother but not a Maa and you, Shyam Gupta, will be a brother of the mother but never Mama because that's the way you have chosen it to be," she lashed. Shyam stumbled back with the intensity of her words and she took that opportunity to walk out on him.
Just like the news of her pregnancy was the harbinger of reality to her, her words were a slap to him as he realized that the extent of his damage was more than he had imagined and wondered if he will ever be able to win her affection and trust back.
-----------------------------------
Next Day,
"Why does my Bitiya Rani look so dull? You should be happy that you have been selected for such a big thing, Bitiya but instead you have dark circles and bags around your eyes. You have not even eaten properly," scolded Garima, while Khushi watched her with a slight smile, trying to capture her motherly affections deep inside her since she would be going away from her warmth when she needed it the most.
She used to think, like everyone else, she would come to her maternal home when she was pregnant and she would spoilt rotten by her maternal family and here, she was moving away from them because she was pregnant. She felt her dreams mocking at her and melancholy plucking at the strings of her heart.
"I will miss you, Amma," she said, letting the dam of her eyes break and crying into her mother's arms. Those were the arms which refuged her when she had lost everything and once again she lost her everything to make sure that she had that one solace : her mother's embrace.
"Arre Bitiya! A mother always remains with her children, in spirit and in love, even if she is away from them. My blessings and love will be with you always and you can call me whenever you feel like," consoled Garima, as she caressed her daughter's back affectionately.
The sound of a car screeching to halt made Khushi pull back from embrace. Shyam had taken it upon himself to find transportation for her despite her numerous attempts to refuse it. Too exhausted to argue, she finally complied.
"I will take your leave, Amma," she said in a shaky tone.
"Eat on time and take care of yourselves. And just because I am not there, don't eat too many panipuris, jalebis and the like to spoil your health. Also.."
"I remember everything you said, Amma. I will follow whatever you said without fail. Now shall I leave?" she questioned, unable to bear lying to her mother anymore.
"Haan haan, dismiss my instructions. You will understand my concern when you become a mother yourself," said Garima in a matter-of-fact tone, unknown to the effect it had on her as she just turned around and let another two pearls drop from her eyes.
O Lord, why are you making it to difficult for me, she questioned the Almighty as began to walk towards the gate.
She dared not to turn and look at her mother again and she braved herself to not whisper anymore goodbyes. She straight walked towards the car in a daze, not even bothering to question why Shyam had called for a car. Shyam standing by the car signed her that he had packed her luggage into the ca, although she bore no signs that she had comprehended the message or even received it.
She was about to sit in the back seat when a familiar voice stopped her,
"Again, Ms.Gupta? Pray tell me where you have mentioned in your contract that you require me to be your driver?"
Her rationality recognized the voice. Arnav Singh Raizada was here, to pick her up, despite her refusal.
"I thought I made it clear yesterday that I would come by myself, Mr.Raizada," she spat, directing her frustration towards the man who had been reason of it in the first place.
"You said that I could not send someone to pick you up, Ms.Gupta. So instead, I came myself. Please take your seat," he said, cocking his eyebrow but her uncharacteristically dull complexion and her tired eyes had not escaped her notice. He decided that it was better that he lightens the situation rather than prodding her about her appearance.
Much to his surprise, she took the passenger seat without any further struggle and looked at him once she was done buckling the seat-belt, signing him to start.
The woman who was ready to be surrogate to provide money to her family, she was not bidding her farewell properly. The gears in Arnav's mind moved faster than ever as he noted her unusual behavior yet again. She looked down into her lap and waited for him to start while her mother and brother looked at her expectantly to wave at them like she always did.
Deciding to go by her instructions, Arnav started the engine and drove away.
Shyam walked upto his mother and questioned her,
"What happened to Khushi? She didn't wave today?"
"I think she got angry that I mentioned about her having children in future! Aaj Kal Ke Bachche, Shaadi Aur Bachchon Se Itna Darte Hai Jaise Ki Koi Bhoot Ho!" she exclaimed as she tried to keep her tears at bay and trying to forget that it would be long before she meets her daughter again.
Shyam closed his eyes in pain as it dawned upon him what had caused Khushi silence before she left. He earnestly hoped that he would be the only one to suffer for his deeds and not his sister but he knew that she was already suffering for deeds she had not committed, and it was due to him. Guilt began clawing him from within and it would be long before he frees himself from its clutches.
One set ablaze with fire of their own and other, a moth drawn to the fire. One with failed faith and another with no faith. One with broken dreams, another with passion to make every dream come true, what will happen when destiny binds them together?
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Edited by -Slytherclaw- - 7 years ago
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