"Pack-up!"
The moment the photographer screamed the words, Kripa ran to Angad with a jacket. She herself, was wearing four layers under her coat, with gloves, boots, a scarf, and a beanie, yet she was freezing. Angad was dressed in a pair of jeans and a light sweatshirt that said DKNY across it, with glasses, and a head covered with snow.
It was there last shoot in Venice, before heading to Milan tonight.
While Angad, Kripa, and one of the distributors talked to Angad, they walked back to the car. Kripa could, like she had been for the past few days, only think about the letter she had read and the girl in that letter.
What bothered her was that she'd forgotten about Aasiha when they went to dinner the other night and when she asked him to kiss her again. Disgusted with herself, she asked herself, how could have I forgotten?
Was Angad really responsible? The question haunted her the entire night after they had dinner and he'd kissed her. The moment was so… perfect, Kripa thought looking at him as he continued talking to the other man. More than that, she knew perfectly, that she was attracted towards him without a doubt, which was wrong. So very wrong.
Once they were at their car, Angad turned to look at Kripa. It really surprised him when she walked past the car, lost in her own world.
"Kripa!" He waited for her to turn, but she didn't. "Kripa," he called again and watched her turn this time.
Shocked at herself, even slightly embarrassed, she walked back to the car. Then, without any eye contact or any words, she sat down in the car.
He saw she was upset. As strong as she was, it was difficult for her to hide her emotions, they way she felt. But, sadly, she wasn't the type of person who told you why she was upset, sad, angry.
She was, stubborn, he decided, looking at her, as she looked out the window of the car, dazed about one thing or the other, fiddling with her hands. Linking them together, then unlinking them. Her restlessness, as horrible as it was, made him smile. And, it even annoyed him a little.
"Kripa." He took her hand before she could link them together again. "Are you angry at me?"
She was able to take her hand back since his grip was gentle. Like always. Like him. "Why should I be angry at you?"
"Then you're angry at yourself?" he asked further, hoping she would look at him, at least.
"No."
"Alright." He scooted closer to her and turned her face. "What's wrong?" He asked her once she was looking right at him.
"Nothing." When she was about to turn her face away, he stopped her by framing it.
"You can't lie when you're upset, Kripa. And, I don't want you to be lying to me. I care for you," he said when her face was still expressionless. "We both know I care for you more than just a friend."
"I work for you." She said taking the hand off her cheek that was still resting there. And, I was working for Ethan, she thought and squeezed her eyes shut, tightly. He ditched me.
"You do, yes." Her eyes were still closed. "Look at me, Kripa. Please." When she did he forced her to place her head on his shoulder. "You hold to much within you Kripa, way to much." He didn't touch her physically then, he knew she didn't want that. She needed someone who could listen to her without asking questions. "And, I'm willing to listen. Without questions, for as long as you want me to."
"I'm a horrible person." She whispered almost to herself than telling him.
"No you're not." He wrapped his arm around her then, and gave her arm a light squeeze. "You're a wonderful woman, Kripa. Strong and independent."
She wanted to tell him everything but the car stopped and they were already at their hotel.
"I checked out and I called the hotel before we left the location. Our flight leaves in an hour. I'm sure our luggage is already in the lobby." When he didn't reply, she reached to open the door.
"We're driving to Milan."
"Whatever suits you. I'll cancel the tickets."
She hated sitting in a car for long periods, so it shocked her that she'd agreed so quickly. Her life was a mess. Ethan ditched her. Angad played with someone she once knew so well. Aasiha… she was the only one who'd always understood her. And, for the first time in so many years, she missed that her mother hadn't called her once in the last few months. Her brother was getting married, and she hadn't even bothered to call and congratulate him.
"You're a human made of stone, Kripa." She said looking at herself in the ladies room before leaving. It was karma, she decided finally, that she was in such a mess right now.
She got out of the bathroom and was told by the receptionist, that Angad was already in the car, waiting for her.
She sat down in the car and decided to ask Angad about Aaisha. "Angad."
"Yes."
"I want to ask you something."
He looked at her. She was looking right ahead at the road, with a stern face. "Sure."
"I know I shouldn't have, but I still read that letter you got a few weeks ago."
She cared, he thought, wondering why. "Yes."
"Aaisha, Angad," she closed her eyes, "is my sister. Why did you do that to her?" And, why she thought wanting to cry, did her mother tell her Aaisha was getting married three years from now? Now she understood why Aaisha hadn't called her since. If she remembered right, the last time she talked to her was the day before she was, supposedly, getting married.
His life had just turned upside down for the second time in his life. "You won't believe it if I told you Kripa."
"I still want to know."
"Fine. I'll tell you when we get to Milan." He waited just a moment before speaking again. "I'm not playing you, Kripa."
When she turned her face to look at him and smiled, it surprised him. "I've been there once before Angad, if you did it again, I wouldn't be as hurt the second time around. The pain's always more bearable when you know what it feels like."
********
His room was on the second floor or the house, as was the room she picked, but it was on the other end of the second floor.
She sat down on the floor, in front of her bed, and looked through her phonebook, in her cell phone. When she found Aaisha's number, she looked at it, and her picture, that she'd fed in the phone.
The tears were just about to fall, when he knocked on her door. "Kripa."
She wiped the quickly, but didn't stand. She didn't have enough strength to stand-up and face him right now. This was the man who'd cheated her sister. How could she have forgotten it when she was laughing and having dinner with him. How could she have forgotten it when he had kissed her to the other night. How could she have forgotten when he'd moved her heart by placing that kiss on her forehead that night.
She hated him, he saw it in her eyes and sat down beside her on the floor.
"I'm the oldest child of my parents, Kripa. I have a younger brother and a younger sister. My younger brother is only a few minutes younger to me. My mom had twins, me and my brother Adi. It sounds like a story I know, but it's not. Adi was always the more out going guy, it was easy for him to get girls, and it soon became a game for him. Three years ago, our family decided we would go to California to visit my Mom's side of the family there. Adi, was also doing a summer course at Pepperdine University, it was a perfect time to stay with them. He made friends with everyone at the session very quickly. All his friends planned a picnic there and Aaisha was there, with one of her friends."
"Was a student at Pepperdine?" She asked.
Yes."
"I'm glad Dad let her study at least."
"We both became friends really quickly, but she liked me more than a friend, right from the beginning. She was the type of girl I always wanted to be with. We began meeting more often, and I knew I was falling in love with her." She looked at him then and saw a small smile on his face. "But, Adi didn't like the fact Aaisha didn't pay any attention to him. He took advantage of us being twins. I was out of town for a few days and he took advantage of her and the moment. A week before we had to leave, Aaisha told me she was pregnant and I couldn't figure out how. I though she was lying, angry I just left her and came back to New York. A few months later, Adi called me and told me everything. We both tried finding her, but we couldn't. I gave up. He was in love with her, without even knowing it, and I'm sure he continued finding her even when I stopped. When you gave me her letter I couldn't believe it. I've called her three time since then Kripa and I've never been able to talk."
"Do you still love her?"
"A part of me does. Help me face her Kripa."
"She has cancer." She said coming to terms with the fact. "Angad." She turned to him then, sitting on her knees. "She has cancer."
He saw pain in her eyed. He wanted to hold her and comfort her, but he didn't have guts. He didn't even know if she believed him.
"Will you help me?"
"The address she gave you in the letter, I never read it."
"She's in Milan."
"We should go find her. She needs us, Angad. She needs you." She said slightly calmer. He watched her eyes change in front of his, and realized she cared about the entire matter for more than her sister.
********
She walked around the house later that night unable to sleep. As she walked, she began working out all of Angad's appointment in her mind, to find out when they would find time to find Aaisha.
She was passing Angad's room, when she heard his phone ring. He was sleeping already, she knew and walked inside to pick it up.
"Hello." She said walking back outside.
"Hello. Can I talk to Angad?"
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, he's sleeping. Who is this?"
"You must be Kripa."
"Yes, I am." She was surprised the lady knew who she was.
"I'm Angad's mother. I was just calling him to see how he was."
"Oh. I'll tell him."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye." She ended the call and looked at his phone. She could smell his cologne, she though and smiled, all the different ones he liked to wear. Shaking her head, she walked back into the room and placed the phone back on the dresser. As she turned around, she found him laying, with the blanket kicked away. With a sigh, pulled it over him. Still looking at him, she sat down beside his pillow and brushed his hair back. He was different. The way he made her feel was different. Impulsively, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his forehead, just way he had so many times before. The gesture was so simple, so friendly, but it moved her every time. She'd always thought kissing someone's forehead was such a parentally gesture, but he'd proved her wrong.
When she turned and rested her cheek against his forehead, still caressing his hair, she realized how hot he was. Taken back at the heat, she quickly took his hand to check his temperature and found it to be extremely high.
"Angad." She shook him until he opened his eyes, pale as ever.
"Kripa? What's wrong?"
"You've a high fever, Angad. We should call the doctor or it's going to turn into pneumonia and then you'll have to go to the hospital and stay there. And-"
"Shut-up Kripa!" He yelled when he was sure she was going to verbally write a book of possibilities. Sighing, he took her hand and pulled her beside him, upon seeing her scared face. "I know I have a fever. I already took an Advil."
"You should have taken two," she said frowning.
He rolled his eyes. "I took three, actually."
"Oh." Absently, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Your mom called a few minutes ago." And, she'd been thinking about calling her own mom since then. The only problem was, she didn't have guts to call her and even say sorry. She'd been so rude on the phone last time, when her mother had only called for her well-being.
"What did she say?"
She snapped back and sat-up quickly. "Nothing much. Just told me to tell you she called." She stood up. "I'll turn the heating higher. Go back to sleep."
"Hmmm. Kripa."
"Yeah?"
"How did you know I had a fever anyways?"
"Oh… I… I was putting your phone back and I noticed your blanket wasn't on you, and I was moving you hand and I realized you had a fever."
"Sure?" He took her hand and pulled her down again.
"Yes, I'm sure." She allowed him to link his fingers with her when he kept her hand in his. It was in his eyes, she noticed, that pulled her towards him even when she didn't want to be with him. "Good night, Angad." She simply leaned forward and touched her lips to his, let them lay there for a few seconds and then left him alone. Even as she walked out of his room, heard him say good night back to her, she wanted to turn right back around and sit in his arms.
Once she was in her room, the door was locked, she let out the breath, that she hadn't realized she had been holding. She leaned against the door, in her dark room, and closed her eyes as a smile crossed her lips. There was no point in denying that she'd fallen in love with him in those last five minutes. But, at the same time, she couldn't decide how it could have happened so quickly. She'd just broken up with Ethan. How could it be that she was feeling what she was, for Angad?
What about him? she asked herself stripping out of her cloths and walking into the bathroom. He had told her that a part of him still loved Aaisha.
He'd kissed her, she thought turning the tap on and then walking around to light the candles she'd set earlier.
Impulse, she decided as she let herself sink into the foamy, soapy water. He cared for her as a friend, maybe even sympathized with her for everything that had happened. She had, as he knew, lost her job and house. Then, he'd run her over with his car. Following, the terrible break-up with her boyfriend. Her sad, sad family history. What his brother had done to her sister…
She let out a breath and closed her eyes again. He didn't love her, she decided, and opened her eyes again. But she did. And, she also knew that this wasn't the same type of love she'd thought she'd been in with Ethan. This was stronger. Much, much stronger.
He was responsible for helping her find who she really was, and what she really wanted in life was more than what she had when she had smashed with Angad's car nearly three months back. Life was money for her then. Now, life was Angad Khanna and love for her. It was the true meaning of life, just the way she'd never wanted it to be.
Ironically, she'd lost both. The first one didn't matter anymore. She didn't want the position as editor-in-chief anymore. She wanted Angad by her side, forever. She didn't care for what he owned, too much. Yes, it would make life easier to have lots of money and people working all around the house for you. Still, she had realized in the last couple of days that his money couldn't make her feel better when she was sad or down. It wasn't his money she could share her joy with, either. It was the way he held her, close comfort, that made her feel better. It was the way he made her smile by just holding her hand when he did, that made her feel better.
But all this was still non-sense. Three weeks after New Years, she'd have to leave, back to her job. He'd find someone else to take her job, and they would both be going their own ways again.
She got out of the water, drained the water, and gave herself a quick rub under the shower, then got out.
Minutes later, she watched herself dress in front of the mirror. There, she thought, looking at herself, was the Kripa Kapoor that she had asked to stop breathing a long time ago. There was the old Kripa Kapoor who believed in fairy tales once, who was again breathing because of Angad.
She pressed her lips together, rubbed the towel in her hair and then laid down in bed, pulling the pillow beside her in her arms.
She had never wanted a man in her bed. It wasn't important for her. But she knew now, that if she had to lose herself to anyone, it would be the man who helped her find herself.
Thinking about him, she closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
She dreamt of roses, chocolates, wine. Angad. She was walking towards him, slowly, his arms spread wide open, inviting her. But as she got closer to him, she noticed that the entire time he had been stepping away from her. Each step she took towards him, he took a step back. More out of reach than the last time. Finally, he stopped with the white gate behind him. And, her surroundings suddenly turned black from white, including her cloths. He pointed towards a mirror then, and laughed.
She found herself sitting across him, and Ethan was standing in the middle, behind a round table.
"Here's the Kripa you trusted so much Angad. She isn't what you always thought. This is who she really is." He smirked and asked hem both, "Love?"
She replies by saying, "Lust."
He replied by saying, "Need."
She saw his shocked face. Satisfied, Ethan asked them, "Money."
"Life." Confident with her answers this time, knowing no one could change it, she sat back in the chair comfortably and crossed one leg over the other.
He smiled looking at her, throwing her off balance again, nodding his head again looking at the candle between them and then replied. "Commodity."
She sits back in the comfy armchair, uncomfortable, and waited for the next question.
"God." Ethan asks already knowing their answer
"Inexistent." She replied to quickly, knowing she was wrong this time, and looks at the man in front of her.
"Love." He replied looking at the lady across with dreamy eyes. "You."
"Angad Khanna?" He asked the her, a wicked grin.
"My key to success." Upset with everything, she answered, and sat there still, afraid of his answer, to the next question.
"Kripa Kapoor." Ethan asked Angad.
"Inexistent." With that he got up and left the room.
She had tears in her eyes as he walked away, and she looked at Ethan. "You'll never be happy, Kripa. Never. He might have loved the Kripa who was a lie, but he won't love the real Kripa." Laughing he left the room, leaving her alone.
Kripa looked away from the mirror and towards Angad who had tears in his. "You really thought I would love someone like you, Kripa? You're a lie. A cheat. A deception. You're fake. You're heartless. And I hate you."
"Angad no." She walked forward to touch him, but he walked right out of the door behind him.
"Angad!" she yelled and fell on the floor. "I didn't do anything, Angad."
"Kripa."
"I didn't do anything."
"Kripa, you're dreaming." His voice sounded distant.
"He lied to you. Ethan did. I've changed"
"Kripa. Kripa, wake-up."
"Angad." She felt him close. Then, she felt him shaking her.
"Kripa, you're dreaming. Wake-up."
Her eyes flew open. She realized she was sweating horrible, when her room was freezing at the moment. "Angad." She reached for him, he was really there. "Angad."
"I'm right here. You were dreaming." He wiped her forehead with a handkerchief, brushed her hair back. She sat up and embraced him, shivering out of fear.
"What time is it?" She asked drawing a deep breath.
"Nine. Are you okay? It's freezing in here, anyway."
"I forgot to turn the heater on in my room last night. You're fever," she recollected looking at him, "do you feel better?"
"I'm fine." he replied still confused why she was repeating his name again and again in her dream. "You have to tell me what's wrong, Kripa."
She took the hand that caressing her cheek. "Nothing, Angad." She rested her face on his shoulder, still holding his hand. "It's just been a hectic week, I was just having a terrible dream."
"Fine, don't tell me. Come down and have breakfast. I've found directions to Aaisha's house."
"Oh." Was she still in love with him? She thought feeling depressed. No, she shook the thought away, she was her sister, and Angad was her love, she wanted to see them both happy. If them being together was going to be the way, she was going to let them be happy.
Hey guys,
Hope you enjoyed this part! Took me forever to write it. I've changed my mind, i'll post the stem of the next three choices, with the last two you didn't pick. And, then you'll have to pick out of five choices.
Here's the link: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/511972/my-next-angad-and-kripa-ff-voting-ended
Love ya loads,
Neha😛
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Kumkum Bhagya
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