Arshi TS: Treachery (Part 2)

The Breeze refused to flow,

The birds forgot chirping,

The trees denied to sway,

The leaves dared not rustle,

Such was the intensity of the moment for those three gathered by the cliff.

Time was ticking away and Vinay was slowly losing patience. He knew he has put his best friend in an impossible situation but he was helpless. Helpless against his feelings, against his heart which only knew one thing- he has to have Khushi. At.any.damn.cost.

He has come prepared to die, even though he knew his khush would not let him. She wont be able to, that he was sure. But what he wasn't sure of, was how much time she was gonna take to realize this very simple fact.

As for Khushi, she had long back realized that her best friend's threat to end his life was no joke. Yet, she could not choose. She stood still, numb as a statue, stuck in a custodial of her own thoughts, unable to speak, unable to do anything except wait. Wait for some divine intervention that could end this nightmare right then and there.

And the intervention did happen. Not divine per se but just as noble.

"Khushi chooses you! announced a heavily disheartened voice of the man who couldn't let his Khushi make this impossible choice. A man who loved her enough to let her go, trusting fate to bring her back, if they were meant to be. A man who was now in the process of painfully detangling his hand from hers, closing his eyes as the contact finally broke and then walked away without a backward glance.

A man who Khushi thought was HER Ocean full of happiness, who actually turned out to be the ocean of high tides and low hopes.

***

It was the day of her wedding. A wedding that her best-friend has arranged with her and for her. Arranged everything of it, infact. Right from the venue to the food to the lights and the flowers, her wedding finery, even the groom but most importantly, the guest list!

Yes, the guest list was important.

Because it included the name of that very person who has destroyed her just a week ago. Who has broken her heart with every step that he had taken away from her. Who has ruthlessly crushed her hopes of a happily ever-after. Who made her feel so shattered, so devastated as she helplessly watched him walk away. Who has crushed her with the weight of his love by not letting her choose. Who loves her so much that he sacrificed himself for her sanity.

Who has always taken every decision of her life, out of her hands. Not that she was ever capable of making one. She has not decided to meet him, until he has barged into her life and turned it upside down. She has not decided to love him, until it had already happened. And then that day, when she has not been ready to decide anything.

She still wasn't. But now that she has seen that very stupid man entering the venue, probably to ensure the safe ongoing of tonight's event, what she could decide was to turn the tides of HER Ocean in her favor.

Vinay has been sadist enough to invite Arnav to witness his own destruction but what he had forgotten was, what he can do, his best-friend can do better!

***

"Stop this nonsense right this instant Khushi! roared a totally enraged Vinay for the umpteenth time. Not that it made any difference. His bride was literally on a suicidal mission, what with that dangerous knife like thing in her hands.

"Did you stop Vinay? Tell me, DID YOU STOP THAT DAY when you threatened to end your life if I dint marry you?

Their entire family gasped out loud as the unfolding events took an entirely drastic turn. They were already confused when a week ago, Khushi and Vinay suddenly announced their wish to get married to each other, that too as early as possible. For all they know, Khushi was dating Arnav and Vinay has been out of town to attend a special workshop or something. They could not fathom then what has changed, nor could they fathom now, what the heck was going on!

However, since they have always rooted for Vinay-Khushi as a pair, they had had no hassle accepting their wishes, though Vinay's overly enthusiasm, Arnav's nonappearance and Khushi's unsual silence pricked everyone.

But if what they had witnessed over the last week, felt weird, what was happening today was downright crazy. First, the bride's ex finally decides to show his face to everyone on the day of the wedding looking nothing short of a zombie. Then, the Bride herself arrives in the mandap, looking as though she is entering a battle-field. Next, the groom and the bride's Ex have a long intense conversation followed by an equally intense eye-contact between the bride and her Ex. Finally, as the wedding rituals are just about to start, the bride casually brings out a shiny-pointy dagger and threatens to end her life right then and there if her groom isn't switched from her best-friend to her Ex, WHAT THE $%@#!

As everyone was slowly to come to the grips with the scene they were witnessing, this new revelation, left all of them astounded.

"Khushi, what are you saying?, spoke her-to-be (or err, not-to-be), mother-in-law.

"Beta, yeh kya pagalpan hai, spoke her own father.

"Khushiii...jaan please, DONT was finally whispered by that one man whom Khushi was trying to get to react all these while and as soon as he did, she started with her own tirade-

"Aunty, I am speaking the truth. And Dad, paagalpan maine nahi, Vinay ne kia, one week pehle. And Arnav, FOR GOD SAKE, stay away from me or else I am not joking, I will really slit my wrist right in front of you

Taking advantage of khushi's divided attention as she took turns recounting the happenings by the cliff to the wide-eyed family members and threatening a terrified Arnav, whenever he ventured too close, in one swift move, Vinay neatly plucked the dagger out of her hands and safely put it out of her reach.

"Now I will see how you stop me from getting married to you. Your little trick dint work khushi but my threat still holds. Now if you are done creating a scene, shall we proceed?

He spoke in anger and frustration, simultaneously dragging her back to the mandap, not really noticing as a hand shot out and a huge slap fell across his cheek. Astonished, he looked up to see a furious Arnav towering over him like an untamed animal,

"HOW DARE YOU?

Another punch followed.

"How dare you belittle khushi? How dare you accuse her? When you threatened with your life, that was Ok but when khushi does it, she is being unreasonable, she is playing a trick now, is it?

And, another one.

"I have let your nonsense govern mine and khushi's life for far too long now. But not anymore, Vinay Malhotra, NOT.ANYMORE. If you have truly loved her, you won't have threatened her in the first place. But wo toh jane do, I had accepted that very day that it was your possessiveness speaking, not love. Yet, I sacrificed for I wasn't sure if you could literally be gone too far ahead to think rationally. I couldn't have let my Khushi live with the guilt of hurting you. So I let go.

But today, I got to know what kind of a loser you actually are, first to not confess your deeds with your family. Only a coward will choose that way out. And second, when Khushi does the same thing that you did to her, you choose not to care. How could you even proclaim to love her when her thoughts, her happiness don't matter to you? When her actions don't have any effect over you?

You are asking her to proceed, what if she kills herself at the next best chance? Have you considered that possibility? NOPE, you haven't. And this shows me that a man like you don't deserve her. Threaten all you want buddy, you are not having her, like you were boasting some time ago.

"Unfortunately, you are not having me either, Arnav were the soft words spoken by Khushi Kumari Gupta, as she succumbed to the numbness that was her calling, since sometime now.

***

"KHUSHIII...

Arnav looked up and promptly forgot to breath, forgot to blink as horror descended before his very eyes. Sheer terror gripped him and gripped hard as he saw her, his Khushi, his very reason to breathe turning an astonisher shade of green, going paler by the minute, coughing and spitting her own saliva, slowly collapsing like, a broken angel does after losing her wings.

He ran for his very life, gathering her in his arms but it was too late. She was already unconscious - leaving just a small note behind.

***

Every word of the note was engraved in his heart. He now has totally accepted that whatever Khushi has written was entirely true. She was right in testing him the way she did. Giving him the same task that he had given her- to choose. Between her life and his happiness.

Had she not pulled that entire show of, he won't have realized this today. But what hurt him the most was her obvious knowledge prior to the test. The knowledge of him failing it. Miserably!

Isn't that why she had already poisoned herself, even before entering the mandap? Because she knew he won't care for her like she had. She knew he was going to neglect her words and marry her anyway. She knew he wont take her seriously that he would think that she was just playing a trick.

But she wasn't!

While he has threatened, she has actually taken steps to end her life.

Oh how he wish, he could go back in time and prove her wrong. Prove to the entire world that khushi's actions and Arnav's words were totally uncalled for. That his love for khushi was deeper, stronger.

That Vinay Malhotra was not selfish.

Only if...!!

***

At the hospital,

"I am sorry!

"SHUT UP!

"Pleaaaseee...

"NO!

Arnav...

"I said NO Khushiii!!

"But you are crying...

"Toh! What do you expect me to do? Should I starting dancing in joy and relief that you have taken only a small portion of venom and that you have consulted your doc for this. Should I scream in happiness that your stupid strategy was to just give a Hell-Scare not just to Vinay but to all of US so that he never ever thinks of threatening us with his life again!

"umm...maybe

"Maybe? MayBE? MAYBE!!...YOUUU!!!

And he descended on her like he was longing to do, like he was dying for. And Khushi welcomed his attack with open arms, letting him vent it all out through his bruising kisses, passionate licks, merciless bites all every other sensuous punishment that he could think of, for her Treachery!

THE END