Arshi OS: The unanswered call-Epilogue added 2/16/17 - Page 2

Epilogue

9 months later

Shantivan was decorated beautifully. It was lit with over a thousand fairy lights interspersed with orchids and roses. There was a jubilant air all around and the excited chatter of the guests was heard over the music. It was after all the event of the year. There hadn't been a Raizada wedding in over 10 years. Today was the Roka ceremony.

You are cordially invited to the Roka ceremony of Akash Singh Raizada with Sheetal Mehta

Said the invite which was delivered along with a goody basket containing gourmet chocolates and other goodies.

Khushi looked around the celebrations and felt happiness fill her. She looked around for her family. Her family she thought...they were her family much more than the family she had been born into or had been given to. Manorama chachi , Manohar Chacha, Naani, Daadi, Uncle, Aunty, Anjali Di, Aakash and Arnav. Even the Prakash brothers deferred any problems to her. She seemed to have melded into the family like she had always been here. When she had been introduced to Sheetal's family, she had been introduced as Khushi, another daughter of the house. It had brought tears to her eyes. In the nine months she had stayed here, she had learned to live again, to love again, and to enjoy all the small pleasures life had to offer. And the main person who was responsible for all the changes was Arnav.

Arnav, just thinking about his name brought alive the butterflies in her stomach. She thought back to the morning nearly a week back. The designer from AR had brought home a whole bunch of designer sarees and anarkalis from the fall lineup. They had the first pick due as always but because there was a wedding in the house, the outfits were just a little bit more bright and on the grander side. Khushi, being Khushi was hesitant to pick something that was bright and so embellished. She kept looking trying to find something that wouldn't make her stand out when Arnav out of nowhere came in saying loudly "The red one is for Khushi.". That had been it. No one seemed bat an eyelid and went about picking whatever they wanted from the rest of the outfits. She could do nothing but gape at him which he ignored, as usual. Later, she had found him in their' place talking to poor Aman and watering the plants. She had tapped on his shoulder once to gain his attention and when that didn't seem to end his phone bromance with Aman, had started muttering to herself. She was upset and she needed to talk to him. He had looked at her with a faint smile and cut his call.

Flashback (italics)

"Now tell me. What happened? Naraz ho mujhse?" he asked her.

"Haan. I am upset. How could you do this? How could you just say in front of everyone that Khushi will take the red saree? As though I can't make up my mind, As though I have no choice..what if I had liked the green saree better?" she complained pouting a little.

Oops thought Arnav.

"So you are upset that I choose the Red saree for you or that I choose a saree for you or that I choose the saree in front of everyone?" He enquired tongue in cheek.

"Huh?" She looked so adoringly befuddled that it was all he could do to keep himself grabbing her and kissing her senseless.

"Let me answer all your questions in reverse. I choose a saree for you in front of everyone because I wanted to choose for you and that is our family. I don't see anything wrong in it or feel embarrassed about it. I choose a saree because sarees suit you..and now for the final question...I choose the red one because red is my favorite color, I wanted to see you in red and you look beautiful in red" he replied looking at her keenly, trying to see if she understood his unsaid words. But all he saw were the hidden demons roaring back to life.

"I am not beautiful"

"Listen to me Khushi Kumari Gupta, listen well and get it into your head..you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I am going to tell this to you every day for the rest of our lives" he answered through clenched teeth.

"Ha, everyday for the rest of our lives? Kyun? Planning to remain a bachelor for the rest of your life kya?" asked Khushi trying sound nonchalant even though her heart quaked in fear and her ears didn't particularly want to listen to his answer.

"I don't know..I am not sure..you see, the only woman I want to marry got upset because I choose a saree for her. I am not sure if she would ever say yes to my proposal"

"wha..what? Ho..how can this be possible? what you are saying?" Khushi could hear heart hammering. Lub..dub..lub..dub..it was so fast that she feared that it would stop altogether.

"I love you Khush. I Cannot imagine my life with anyone else other than you"

"I know you love me...as a friend right? Friends don't marry each other just because..." she didn't know what to say..she couldn't think.

Arnav closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself. This was it..this was the moment. He couldn't hold it in any longer.

" No Khush, I love you, not just as a friend but as a person, as a woman, as a partner, as my everything". His heart was hammering. He was never good with words but she needed the words and he was struggling to make her understand something he barely understood himself.

"I don't know how, I don't know when..all I know is that it is true and it has been true for a long time now. In every girl, I looked for you. Every time I was happy, I missed you, Every time I was sad, I needed you. You are my all, you are my beginning, you are my end, you are my everything. I don't know if this is the right moment..or if there ever would be the right moment. But it needed to be said and I couldn't hold it in any longer."

"But what about Payal?" came the faint query.
Arnav closed his eyes in agony. Those were the days he hated to remember. He hated his younger self so much that he wanted go back in time and punch the living daylights out of the cocky idiot. It wasn't possible and he had to settle for the laden guilt he would feel in his heart forever and beyond.

"Payal was a mistake.a mistake so terrible that I am still getting punished for it. My punishment for the mistake was losing you Khush! And finding you battered and broken was.." he couldn't continue. His throat closed as he relived those terrible days of finding her living dead.

She couldn't see him berating himself for something that wasn't his fault. She hugged him tears pouring out of her eyes.

"I am sorry Khush..so sorry. If I could, I would go back and fix everything. I would have killed myself before I let anyone hurt you. I would never have let any bast*d touch you ever!"

"Shh..its not your fault. It never was..and I know you wouldn't have let anyone hurt me ever!"

Arnav set her back from himself slightly. This needs to be said Khush. Lets finish this topic once and for all..

" I was attracted to Payal. I liked her. She was different from all of you. She was trying to break free from her ultra conservative family but had no courage to go against them. She challenged me, they challenged me. I felt as though I was the hero of some bollywood movie who I had to save the damsel in distress. I think that the concern I had for her, I mistook that for love. To me, it was in this day and age who does that to their daughters? You know, they didn't even want her to study in college? She had never gone to a movie with her friends..I wanted to show her all that she had missed. I wanted her to live a little. And that was it. We had nothing in common. She didn't make my heart race, I have never thought of her when I was in pain and at the end of the day, I didn't want to lay my head down in her lap and go to sleep."

" Whatever it was, it wasn't love. I know because her leaving didn't break me but loosing you broke me. Everything reminded me of you..I couldnt eat, couldn't sleep.. couldn't function. Technically, learning about your marriage should have made me angry that you were living your life while I was left alone on the altar. Angry I was, not because I was left alone, but because you were with someone else. It devastated me. Instead of thinking about Payal who I told myself I loved, I was mourning your loss. I knew then how utterly stupid I had been. A fool, an idiot. My stupidity caused me to lose the person who mattered to me the most."

"But you were going to marry her!!" came the pained whisper "I thought you hated me!!".

"I did hate you...for all of 2 days!! Then the hatred turned into anger, anger to worry and worry to abject misery. Without you I wasn't me. Khushi ke bina Arnav adhura tha. (Arnav is not complete without Khushi). I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to marry Payal. I don't think I ever looked past getting her out of her family's clutches..Never thought it through .I don't know..all I know is My heart has only wanted you and will only need you..hamesha!"

She looked like a train had run over her. Revelations she had never expected. She had been content in knowing that she had his friendship back. Had never thought beyond that. Marriage? Again? The very thought shook her. She didn't know if she was ready. She didn't know if she would ever be ready. What if she disappointed him? What if he realized after marriage that she was not what he thought she was? She would shatter. She wouldn't survive the heartbreak. Not again.

"You deserve someone better, someone who is whole..what if, what if I am not able to give you what you need? What if we can never have any babies?" came her pained whisper..her inner most fears laid bare.

Arnav took Khushi in his arms. She fit him like she was always meant to be there

"Shhh!! Don't! Just don't say anything..not yet. I love you! I want spend my life with you because I love you not because we can have childeren... if we have kids it will be a blessing, if not, there are so many children in this world that need parents and we can adopt as many as you like. You are all I want Khushi!"

"I know once you loved me..more than I did, more than I deserved. I will wait..i will wait till you think you can feel for me even a tenth of what you felt then. I will wait. I will wait till eternity for you Khushi. Just..just don't leave me. I wouldn't survive it another time!" he had voiced her unsaid words..

Present - Just after Roka ceremony of Akash and Sheetal

He had been waiting Khushi knew. He never asked her what her decision was but it was there in his eyes. They had gone back to being themselves the next day. Just Arnav and Khushi..but there was an awareness now. Something extra, something unnamed and something beautiful. Now everytime he said something or did something, Khushi could see his love for her as a man instead of just his friendship.

The entire family apart from Arnav and Akash was seated in the living room. They were tired. The ceremony had gone perfectly and the mood was joyous. Nobody wanted to retire just yet.

"Khushi" she heard Anjali di call. "Didn't you decide to wear the pale peach lehenga for the roka? This is the saree chotay had selected right? You said you didn't have the right accessories for this didn't you?"

Khushi could feel a crimson tide flood her face.

"It's the saree my son had selected for her Anju, why wouldn't she wear it?" teased aunty.

"Don't tease her everyone. Come here beta, come and sit next to me.." said nani coming to her defense. "Come and sit for a while. You have been running around for the ceremony. Did you have your dinner?"

Before she could even form a reply, "Arnav bitwa tho zaroor khilaya hoga" quipped chachi trying hard not to laugh at the expressions flitting on Khushi's face.

"arey! Don't tease my daughter!" shielded uncle with a gentle smile on his face. "Why wouldn't he feed her? He's her ..." he paused and Khushi's eyes flew to his face. Did everyone in the house know what was happening between her and Arnav?

"best fried afterall.." he finished trying hard not to get up and dance in joy. He was sure there was going to be another wedding in the house soon. He had no doubts in the ability of his son. As far as he was concerned, love was the main thing. If there was love everything else was immaterial. And even a blind man could see the love these two had for each other. It was now just a matter of time.

*

"I want a very simple wedding. Just the family. I don't want anything else"

Arnav turned around slowly. Did he hear right? Should he ask her to repeat what she said? Maybe it was wishful thinking?

"huh?!!" Khushi smiled at the flabbergasted expression on Arnav's face. She walked slowly towards him "I said I want a very simple wedding.."

"I heard you the first time..I am just wondering if I am dreaming..Ahh! Why did you pinch me?"

"To make you realize that you are not dreaming."

"I don't know if I will be any good in marriage but I want to try. I want to try for you. I want to try for me. I want to try for us. There was never any question of my love, Arnav. You were my love, you are my love and you will be my love forever..but I was just scared...I don't know about what. I want to stop being scared. You are my courage and you are my strength. There is no identity for Khushi without Arnav. It makes no sense not to take the final plunge" She finished with tears in her eyes.

"Shh...don't. Don't say anything. I don't need to hear it. I love you!" Arnav hugged her tight to himself. They were home.

**The End