SS | Snares of Love ~Ch2~ 20/6 - Page 3

Awesome concept
lovely prologue
continue soon
thanx for the pm
Twinkle

Interesting concept. Cant wait for the update.

sounds tooo interesting!!!
eager to read mre of it!

Nice story..
Plz continue soon and thanks for the pm..

wow...nice strt...

Interesting.. Looking forward for it. Continue soon.

congrats...

prologue
wow awesome...
very interesting...
cont soon dear...

I just read this. :O

Chapter 1: Tough Beginnings

"Di, I love Lavanya! You know that! I can't marry Khushi!"

"Chhote, Nani doesn't approve of Lavanya!"

"Di, it's MY life, not hers!"

"She is looking out for your best Chhote! Please… For me? If it was Ma you wouldn't have refused right?" she plead.

"FINE!" Arnav said, hoping Khushi would disagree knowing that he was in a relationship with Lavanya.

He walked out, annoyed that Di always blackmailed him with his dead mother's name…

*

"Khush, come on! You need to move on!" Lavanya plead.

"Khushi bitiya, Nihaal is gone! You need to forget him!" Garima plead.

"YOU tell me what I should do…" Khushi said softly.

"Get married…" Garima said.

Lavanya nodded her head in agreement.

Khushi fell onto her pillows and sighed. "Alright Amma. You pick the guy for me. I will marry whoever you choose for me…"

*

Khushi stood in Arnav's room, by the bed-post staring at the floor. She was married now. Maybe she could have another life… A new life…

The door opened, and she heard heavy footsteps come towards her. She shifted on her feet nervously. And then came the words she had least expected…

"I married you only because Di and Nani insisted. Don't expect any love from me at all. I love someone else…"

Her head shot up, thoroughly confused. "Then why did you agree to marry me?"

Furious, he grabbed her arms and yelled "Why did YOU agree to marry me when you knew I was in a relationship?!"

"What are you saying! How would I know?!"

"Are you telling me that you didn't know that your best friend was in a relationship with me?" he asked skeptically.

"Lavanya? But she is in London now… That's why she didn't attend my wedding…"

"Well, how convenient! Best friend is out of town so you decided you'll get married to her boyfriend?"

Khushi pushed him away and screamed. "I have NO idea what you are talking about! Are you telling me that you and Lavanya were in a relationship? That is impossible cuz Lavanya would have told me!"

"EXACTLY my point! Why would your best friend not tell you about me?" he asked.

"I DON'T KNOW! She didn't tell me!"

"You know what, you are just after my money! Anyways, we're gonna be a happy couple in front of the world, but in this room you mean nothing to me. We will end this marriage after six months…" he said stiffly.

"Six months?"

"Yes. Then I don't know what you will do, but I am going to go marry Lavanya… You sleep on the left side of the bed, and I will sleep on the right…"

"Fine." She said softly and walked off into the bathroom to change.

*

"Hello, La…"

"Hey Khush!"

"Are you in a relationship with ASR?"

Silence.

"La?"

Sigh. "Yes Khushi…"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Lavanya panicked on hearing her broken voice. "Khush, are you alright? What happened?"

"Amma got me married to him…"

"What?"

"Yes La. If I knew I would have refused the alliance… And NOW he tells me that he loves YOU!"

"Wh-Why did he agree when he loved me?"

"Oh, I don't know! Maybe you should ask him!"

"Oh God, Khush please don't cry. Please? I am so sorry…"

"He is accusing me La…."

And Lavanya heard with disbelief as Khushi narrated the incidents to her.

"Oh my God. Khush I am so sorry! I am coming to Delhi right away…"

*

Arnav looked up from his files to see Lavanya standing in front of him. He smiled at her, happy that she had come back earlier. He gave her a hug and asked her to sit down. She sat in front of him and looked at him with an emotionless face.

"You're married…"

Arnav's smiled faded. "Oh. SHE told you did she?"

"Well, SHE is my best friend and has a name! KHUSHI!" she said.

"Well, YOUR best friend agreed to marry me despite-"

"NO ASR! She didn't know…. I did not tell her!"

"What, why?" he asked, trying to push away the guilt he felt for his behavior towards her.

"I-I didn't want anyone to know. Yet. But how could YOU! WE were in a relationship and you agreed for the wedding…!"

"Chill Lavanya! I did this under pressure from Di and Nani! It's only for six months anyway…"

Lavanya was shocked. "What! Six months! Do you even KNOW what marriage -! Urgh! How could you!"

Arnav shrugged casually.

Lavanya's temper flared. "I can't believe this! What did Khushi say…?"

"She agreed"

Lavanya closed her eyes and reigned in her temper. "I will talk to you later…"

And she left.

*

Khushi stood in the kitchen, tuning out everyone's voices, sinking back in to the little world she had created for herself, pondering over her life. She stirred the pot of curry absent-mindedly and out of her trance when she felt searing heat on her wrist.

She let go of the ladle and examined the burn on the side of her wrist. She blew on it for a few minutes and went back to cooking, ignoring the pain.

"Khush?"

Khushi looked up, to see Lavanya standing next to her. "La?"

Lavanya gave a weak smile to her. Khushi hugged Lavanya tightly and began to sob. "Why me?"

Lavanya sighed, feeling guiltier than ever. "I am so sorry Khush" she whispered.

"Don't be La. I should be sorry…" Khushi started.

Anjali walked in smiling. "Khushi, you guys head upstairs. I'll bet you have a lot to catch up on."

Khushi nodded and the two headed upstairs.

"So?" Lavanya asked.

"So what?" Khushi asked, turning to fold clothes.

Lavanya turned Khushi around. "Khushi, marriage for six months? Are you crazy?!"

"Well, what do you expect me to do?" Khushi asked.

"You should have denied him! Left him then and there itself!"

Khushi looked up at Lavanya and shook her head. "Its not that easy La… What will I tell Amma? And what will I tell his family?"

"But Khush, after six months-"

"Yes, I know that after six months the truth will be brought to light…"

"Then why Not NOW?!"

"After six months, I am leaving…"

"Leaving?"

"Yes, I will go away somewhere. I can't face Amma or anybody else for that matter." Khushi shrugged.

"Khush, but you-"

Khushi gave La a small smile. "Everyone doesn't have happy endings La. Maybe I am just one of them…. It is alright."

Lavanya gave up for the moment and hugged Khushi. "I am sorry…"

*

Khushi sat by the pool, looking at the stars. How she longed she could go up there! Her father had once told her that people who died became stars. She grimaced at the thought of her father… Her parents' failed relationship was no one's fault really. They just fell out of love.

That had made her feel that contrary to beliefs of Indians, marriage wasn't necessarily the ultimate commitment. Neither was love.

But then, Nihaal came….

She still remembered the first time she had seen him. Six years back…

-2008- {June}

It was her first year in B.Arc. She was standing in the campus of IIT Mumbai. She bit her lower lip, and clutched her satchel tighter. She looked down at her simple red-with-white-stripes ballet-type shoes. Her skirt flowed to a little below her knee and was white in color. Her top was a simple red tank top. Her hair was tied up in a pony and she leaned towards the mirror of a bike parked nearby and checked her face. Good enough! She decided.

"Don't worry… I am sure you will look okay!"

She whirled around to see a guy with a white Being Human T-Shirt, wearing jeans.
Before she could stop herself, she blurted out. "Are you a Salman Khan fan?"

He frowned. "Yes I am… Are you?"

Khushi smiled delightedly. "Yes I am too! I'm Khushi!"

"Glad to know you're happy! What if I wasn't a Salman Khan fan?"

Khushi frowned and then smiled again. "I'd still be Khushi…"

"Nice! So what's your name?"

"I just told you! Khushi!"

"Oh! Your name is Khushi! I thought you were glad I like Salman Khan!"

"That I am…Whats your name?"

"Oh sorry, I am Nihaal. Nihaal Sharma. This is my second year."

How things had changed…! And 17 months later he had asked her out, then 3 months after, she had agreed….. She had had the best time of her life…. On their graduation day, he had proposed marriage to her…. Almost a month later, she finally agreed. And when he had to bring his family to meet her mother, he had left. Just like that.

And now, two months later, here she sat… By a pool, married to stranger who hated her.

*

Arnav walked into the house and stormed into his room, frustrated at Lavanya for not picking up his calls and his eyes fell on Khushi. She was sitting by the pool, her knees to her chest and gazing up at the sky.

He walked up to her. "What did you tell her?"

She looked up, startled and asked "Tell who?"

"Lavanya."

Her eyes hardened. "The truth. No more, no less*"

He grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her. "She's not talking to me!"

"That's a problem between you and her" she said calmly.

"You sadistic woman! You're here enjoying my hard earned money and-"

Khushi's temper flared, and she lost her cool. "For your information Mr Raizada, I haven't spent a single penny of yours! Who am I to you to spend YOUR money! I have a job of my own and I earn well enough to look after myself and also a child if need be! If I was your wife, I would have taken every insult hurled, but I am not! So mind what you say to a GUEST!" she bit out. "And in front of Anjaliji, I had no choice but to spend your money, and the amount I have spent is in your drawer inside the cupboard!"

Without waiting for his reply, she walked inside the bedroom and slumped onto her side of the bed.

*

While serving breakfast next day, Anjali caught Khushi's arm. "Arey Khushiji, what happened here? Are you hurt?!"

Khushi smiled. "No Di . I was about to fall off the stool yesterday and Arnavji caught me just in time. A bit too hard, so its red…"

Anjali smiled at Arnav, who was staring at Khushi with shock.

*
As Khushi followed Arnav to 'see him off' Arnav suddenly caught her hand and asked "What was the need to say that!"

KHushi looked at him skeptically and asked "What else was I supposed to say? Your Chhote manhandle me and said I was stealing his money…?"

Arnav grit his teeth. "And why are you calling Di by her name when she isn't there? You called her Anjaliji yesterday night and Di today morning... Why?"

Khushi narrowed her eyes and said in a deadly whisper after pushing herself away from him "In case you're forgetting, let me remind you that I am your wife in front of others only. When we are alone, I am not related to anyone in this house!"

*Yeah, that is Henry the Penguin's Dialogue from Oswald… -.- (i.e: 2 Marshmellows. no more, no less)

Really really intresting concept n an amazing update.