ARHI SS: Revival (Chapter 9 posted 08/07!) - Page 17

Originally posted by: kshubhangi

Wonderful.

Originally posted by: seshatree

You write amazingly...

Originally posted by: Asha1968

Loved the manner in which Kushi has shaped a life retaining her effervescence and Arnav supporting her. Would love to see whether Arnav pays heed to Emma in his interaction with Samarat

Khushi finished applying the last stroke of kohl and pushed back her hair as she directed her gaze at Arnav's reflection in the mirror. His head was habitually buried into one of the novel's he had purchased from the small, ancient bookshop that was a few shops away from the cafe, and which he had taken to frequenting.

"Why did you leave so early today?"

Arnav lifted his head at the sound of her voice, and his eyes met deep hazel, glistening with question. The kohl accentuated the spark in them, and he felt a soft smile tug at his lips as he stood up and strode towards her, their eyes refusing to break away from one another.

He knew that she had caught upon his withdrawal and short replies once she had returned home after her shift at the cafe had ended. While, she had quietly noticed him for the first few hours, it appeared that she had finally decided to take matters into her own hands.

And even though he had sincerely hoped that she would let it go, a part of him had been prepared to eventually answer the questions he had known would be plunged at him.

He pulled a chair from beside the coffee table and settled in it, as she turned to face him. His eyes had always given away what had been brewing in his heart, and never had deep caramel been able to refuse her inquisitive glances when she had sensed him retreat into the shell she had fought to penetrate in the past.

A dark cloud seemed to take shape over him as his irritation began to claw at him, and he struggled to form a reply.

"The man?"

He grew rigid as he watched realisation filter into her eyes and the hidden emerald darken from the light glowing directly above them. For a brief moment, her eyes fell to her lap. Inhaling sharply, she faced him again.

"Samarth? That's why you left, didn't you?"

He looked away then, in a desperate attempt to shield his thoughts from her gaze that seemed to be scrutinising his every action. The image of her with the man -- her laughter and shining eyes -- that seemed to be imprinted in his mind flashed before him and he clenched his eyes shut to gain his control, which seemed to be rapidly slipping away from him.

Truth was that it had been immensely difficult for him to watch her at ease with the man -- Suhana's brother or not. The woman who had once been rattled by a single look that he cast at her, by the softest touch, and who had been flustered by the lightest flirting, had been positively encouraging it.

It had sent alarm bells ringing in his head, and the insecurities that he had been striving to shatter ever since his arrival in Shimla, had exploded through him. In the past weeks, he had made earnest attempts to accommodate to the alterations in her lifestyle. However, it was true that his knowledge about her life in her time away from him was restricted to the point of oblivion.

His limited awareness of Samarth's role in her life had agitated him to no end. And while he had understood that reaching unfair conclusions would render the gradual progress in his relationship with Khushi futile, it was his frustration that had made him snub Emma's suggestion of interacting with the man, and offer her a weak excuse before he had left abruptly to evade the confrontation.

When he had returned home, he had found his distraction in the latest philosophical fiction that he had added to his collection; however it had done little to ease his restlessness. Till Khushi had walked in. And her question had brought all his emotions ricocheting back to him.

His fist clenched, nails digging into his palm and he finally lifted his head. She was staring at him, evidently waiting for him to answer.

"That wasn't a very pretty scene."

Her gaze fixed on him; she defiantly crossed her arms against her chest and watched him breathe harshly.

"And you expect an explanation?"

"Don't I f**king deserve one, Khushi?"

"No, you don't."

Her eyes flashed with fire, and feeling her rage spiral through her veins, she turned around to leave the room. However, just as she took her first steps towards the door, she felt her hand being enclosed in a firm grip.

At once, she began to struggle as rapid vignettes of entirely similar situations and him tugging her into his harsh embrace, reeled before her eyes. This was it. The bitter truth of their relationship. Him, giving into the distrust that arose from his past, and her, bearing its consequences.

Expecting to be twisted roughly into his arms while he demanded his answers, Khushi braced herself for some brutal words even though she felt drained from the thought of repeating the process. However, she watched in surprise as he let go of her hand and came to a stop in front of her, blocking her path to the door while his jaw remained taut.

"Running away, are we? Well, it doesn't come as a surprise," he challenged.

The air crackled with tension as his well-aimed jibe hit directly at her nerve, and bolstered her anger. On meeting his taunting gaze, she watched his mouth curve slowly into a smirk. Squeezing her fist into a ball, she held her head high. And when she did respond, her tone held a sharp edge of finality.

"At least I don't squirm when I see you interact with your female friends. You really need to learn how to keep it in your pants, Raizada."

The next moments passed by, clouded in silence. Khushi's eyes widened as she realised that the words had involuntarily rolled off her tongue. And while she continued to stare at him defiantly, she felt the strong urge to tear her gaze away when she noticed his dazed state and parted lips.

As the effect of her words seeped into him, Arnav's eyes fell to his feet. The fight, the anger seemed to withdraw from his body, and he unclenched his fist. A maelstrom of thoughts shadowed his mind, coursing through him and stemmed into questions that had been buried in his heart. Questions he had to ask himself, and her.

Had he let his insecurities shake the foundations of a relationship they had only begun to nurture? But he had tried to look past it, hadn't he? He had walked away when he had thought his anger would spiral beyond his control. He had walked away, deciding to give himself time when he could have formed his own conclusions.

"And am I to thank you for trusting me, when that is what we are both supposed to do?"

Startled out of his thoughts by her voice, his head shot up. It was then that he realised that he had spoken out loud. An absolute rarity when it came to him. Her tone had softened, and her eyes glistened with an emotion he couldn't quite put his finger on. She seemed exhausted.

In that exact moment, that Emma's words came rushing back to him and rang in his ears.

Trust me, you don't want to make rash decisions and regret them later. Respect her and the decisions she takes for herself. She has accepted us for a reason. If you love her, trust her and the relationships she has chosen for herself.

Acceptance, trust, respect,

That was what she had been hoping for. That is why she had always masked the brief flickers of hope that he saw in her eyes. She doubted him. She feared that he would walk away again and refuse to accept the version of herself she had metamorphosed into. That he would not respect her, or be able to invest his trust in her or the family she had chosen.

In her heart, she had prepared herself for it. For the inevitable showdown. That was what Emma had tried to hint at, and he had dismissed her warning. She had wanted him to abandon his misgivings, to constrain his misdoubt and fury. She had wanted him to rise past the web of a past whose memory threatened to destroy his present.

As he watched the light in her eyes dim and realisation coursed through him, his doubt seemed to desert him. And regret took over. He couldn't hide behind the high wall of his insecurities and jilt her to face the repercussions as it began to collapse. Especially, when he had resolved to protect her. He couldn't bear to do it, not anymore.

They would be a family soon. He had seen his own being destroyed from mindless suspicion and lack of mutual confidence. But as against what people believed, he was not his father's son. He would not repeat the man's mistakes, least of all sacrifice his family. If he claimed to love Khushi, he would return to her the deep trust for him that had once shone in her doe eyes and warmed his entire being.

"I am sorry, Khushi."

Hearing his pained whisper, her eyes lifted to his in surprise. She hadn't expected that. However, she chose to remain silent.

"I-I was desperate for reassurance. I cannot bear live to without you, again."

A single drop trickled down her cheek. He was as vulnerable as she had been. And she knew, for someone like him to confess it to her required all the strength that he could muster.

"Do you think I would have allowed you to return to my life if I didn't know that? I never did doubt your love for me. My heart, it lies with you. But all I want in return is for you to trust me."

"I do, and with all my heart. It is me I don't trust. Or that you would still choose to accept me, even after everything."

"And it's okay to doubt yourself, as long as you believe you will be able to overcome it. And I, for one know that you'll be able to if you've come this far."

Her lips curved reassuringly, as he took her hand in his and placed it on his heart. The rhythmic thump whispered to her what words never could, and she blinked away the moisture in her eyes.

Their moment, however, was disturbed by a string of incoming message alerts on her phone. Instantly, her gaze flew to the wall clock and she gasped as she noticed the needles of the clock display a quarter past eight.

"Come on now, we're already so late. Both Samarth and Grace will be on my case if we delay anymore. I don't want to be late, especially because it is all for Suhana di."

Her fond smile, distinctly in contrast with her haste to dash across the neighbouring house amused him, and he let out a playful groan. He walked up to her, just as she was adjusting the ribbon decorating the gift that she had selected for Suhana.

"Khushi, why are you forcing me to come with you? It's Suhana's birthday dinner and I'd honestly rather stay at home that sit through her death glares."

"She isn't that bad, you know. It's just her way of making sure I'm okay. The world has been cruel to her, and she is just looking out for me."

"How has Samarth supported her?"

Her fingers paused and surprise filtered into her narrowed eyes.

"Did you have a little chat with Aunt Emma?" to which he nodded, in response.

Soon after she had started working at the cafe, Suhana had played a significant role in moulding her into the woman she had become. Her passionate eyes and sharp tongue had rebuffed any wagging tongues and prying eyes that dared to point fingers at her.

However, she had soon realised that the quick-tempered woman who could make anyone quiver with a single piercing look held an innate, soft side to her. From her experience, Suhana had learnt to create a feisty impression of herself as a defence mechanism to conceal the scars -- both physical and emotional -- that lay hidden well-honed layers.

A violent shudder racked her body as a painful memory whizzed past her eyes. Suhana's tear-streaked face in the middle of the night as she held on to her, rudely startled out of her sleep by a terrifying memory that had manifested into a nightmare.

It had been years since it had happened last, she had been told later. However, Suhana's pleading whispers for her child had troubled her for weeks, till one day when she had narrated her story to her. Her eyes had been cold throughout, distant and lifeless; as if she refused to let the past so much as walk past her.

They had been in sharp polarity to the unguarded emotion she had witnessed in her eyes that night. But Khushi had known. Even if the moon was at full beam and countless stars hung in the sky, the darkness managed to creep in. It lurked in corners, away from the moments of light and caught you unprepared, when you were least expecting it. And then, were left two choices:

to engage in a ferocious battle with it, or to give into the urge to take flight, where you always knew it would catch up.

Khushi sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be satisfied by her answer. When she faced him, he was waiting for her.

"It isn't my story to tell. But what I can tell you is, that if Suhana di saved herself, Samarth helped her survive in the world."

A/N - So here it is, folks! I apologise for the delay with this chapter. Unfortunately, AD has not been very kind with time provision this week. However, you can expect the next chapter sooner.

P.S. - A hint for the next chapter lies in the last paragraph.

See you all, very soon!