Laurie.. I just combined your chapter...
The Raging Storm
Chapter 1 - Anxiety [Purvi]
Karma Group of Companies - Mumbai - Friday - 11:00 pm
'It's been exactly three months and four days since I told him that I didn't want to be with him.' Purvi thought as she finished up her contracts for the day. 'Three months and four days since my world went black; since I told Arjun our relationship was over and he was supposed to be with Ovi. Three months and four days since I sent him back to Canada with her.'
It was really late and everyone else had already gone home for the day. Purvi had accepted a new job as the managing director with the Karma Group of companies after Arjun had left for Canada with Ovi. Although she had never met the owner, she was courted by one of his aides for several days and then they made her an offer she couldn't refuse. She wanted to get away from Arjun so she asked D.K. to convince Arjun to revoke the power of attorney and she left the company.
Purvi wanted to make sure all the contracts had been finalized before she left that night. She had been working on these contracts for the past three weeks and was glad they were finally coming to a close. These particular contracts were for projects in Pune and the entire time she handled these cases all she could think of was the conference she and Arjun attended over six months ago.
"That was when he bought me that beautiful blue sari, when held me close in his arms and looked at me as if I was the only girl in the world." Purvi reminisced sadly. She gave herself a mental shake and chided inwardly, "Get a hold of yourself Purvi! You put him in his place, remember? You told him that you didn't love him, didn't feel anything for him. You set him free to be with his Ovi!"
She felt a little light headed so she stood up from her desk. "I shouldn't have skipped dinner. Aai would be upset with me if she knew that I wasn't taking proper care of myself." She shook her head to refocus her mind to the task at hand.
She reached over the desk to grab a pen and her hand brushed a framed picture of her aai that she kept on her desk. She gazed at the picture and the tears immediately stung her eyes. It wasn't just a picture of her aai; underneath Purvi had placed the only momento she had kept of her time with Arjun.
It was the picture taken of the two of them at the dhaaba on the way to the conference in Pune. It was one of the happiest times in her life and she kept the picture hidden there as a reminder of how close Arjun was to her heart. A picture not seen with any other eyes except her own.
The barrage of memories she usually kept at bay threatened to overwhelm her at the office. "Deep breaths, Purvi", she chanted, "In. And out. In. And out. In. And out." She closed her eyes and continued her intonation for a few more minutes.
"Oh God, it's not working!" she thought frantically. She broke out in a cold sweat and grabbed on to the back of her chair for support. "No. Please not now! Please!" she pleaded with her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the chair harder. "Not now!"she cried.
Chapter 2 ' Contention [Purvi]
Karma Group of Companies ' Mumbai - Saturday 12:00 am
Purvi struggled to tamp down the frantic feelings that were bubbling up from inside but within seconds she was assaulted by all the beautiful and painful memories she shared with Arjun. She barely had time to think about what was happening and before she knew it she was bolting to her private bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach.
She retched and heaved until there was nothing left. Hot, salty tears splashed down her cheeks as Arjun's face kept flashing before her eyes. Purvi squeezed her eyes shut again, placed her hands upon her ears and screamed, "Stop doing this to me! Stop it! Please."
She took a couple deep breaths to calm herself and walked over to the sink. After cleaning up, Purvi dragged herself out of the bathroom and out on to the little balcony at the corner of her office. She had nothing left inside. Her torrid emotions had left her all wrung out and she was physically tired from it all. She was the shell of the person she used to be.
Purvi stared out into the night sky. A beautiful, inky night with a bashful moon and canopy of stars sprinkled with careless abandon. A nights sky full of hope, full of dreams. All her dreams had been brutally trampled on by the one she loved more than her own life but yet she could not bring herself to hate him.
She knew in her heart of hearts that they had shared a true love. She thought 'A love that people wait a lifetime to find was in my hands for the taking'. Then in a small voice, Purvi spoke into the night, "Only that love first belonged to Ovi. I had no right to snatch it away from her. What would that have done my family? We just sorted out the problems between aai and her daughters and they have finally accepted her. I could not have been so selfish."
Purvi looked up to the heavens and sent up a silent prayer, "Arjun, I pray that you are happy and that you get all your heart's desires. I wish the best for you always, even if it's not with me. I love you Arjun'. My Arjun."
She wrapped her arms around herself as she stood there for some time as if to purge the unwanted feelings from her soul. After a while, she turned to go inside and briefly glanced at the clock. Almost 1:00 am! Two hours had just slipped away.
As she was about to step inside, she felt the temperature around her dip ever so slightly. She turned back towards the night's sky. A subtle breeze, a gentle as a lover's caress, slowly wound its way around her. The velvet current carried on it the promise of a new beginning and she closed her eyes relishing the feel of its touch on her skin.
The wicked wind picked up and playfully tossed her hair about her face. She smiled at the touch and just as she was about to move the hair from her eyes, she heard it. A voice; a voice that she could never forget. Right behind her.
"I love you Purvi".
Chapter 3 - Confrontation [Arjun]
Deshmukh House - Canada - Three months and four days ago
"You're breaking up with me, aren't you?" asked Ovi in a frenetic voice. She turned to face Arjun as he stood in the doorway. "You've been distant on the way back from India and now you're telling me that you have to go to London for a project? We just got back! There's someone else, isn't there?"
"Sachin really came through for us" Arjun thought sarcastically. Sachin had found a loophole in Ovi's contract that allowed her to perform her duties while still being engaged to Arjun. The only caveat was that Ovi had to be in Canada for the next four months to satisfy the terms of the agreement and she could not be married before then. Arjun heaved an excruciating sigh, drew a hand down his haggard face and replayed the last twenty four hours in his mind.
*** Ovi was so ecstatic when she came to Arjun's office that she was practically shrieking. Arjun was in the middle of calming her down when Manav, Archana and Purvi came rushing into his office to see what the commotion was about. Ovi explained how Sachin was able to help her resolve her case without penalty and, in her glee, she danced over to Arjun and neatly wrapped her arms around his neck.
Arjun promptly turned ten shades of red and quickly disentangled himself from her grasp. He moved behind his desk to put some distance in between them. Manav and Archana surrounded an elated Ovi as she rambled on about her plans for Canada and her upcoming wedding. Arjun took stock of the situation as he read the unexpressed emotions in three sets of eyes.
Manav's eyes were full of pride and relief as his daughter would have been able to fulfill her contract and still realize of her dreams of getting married. Archana's eyes were pregnant with unshed motherly tears. She was happy that her all her estranged daughter's troubles were resolved and that she could move on to the next phase of her life unburdened.
Duly ashamed, Arjun forced himself to look into Purvi's eyes. Those beautiful, fathomless, clear pools of love and hope were now discolored by misery, distrust and pain. A piercing ache Arjun never knew ravaged his heart as he saw Purvi struggle to keep her composure. He felt truly incapacitated as she stood aloof and hurting as he knew he could not console her in front of this audience.
He wanted to run to her and hold her in his arms so tightly that no one could tell where one began or the other ended. He needed to comfort her and soothe her so badly that his entire body almost declared mutiny against his mind to go to her. His beautiful flower was riddled with so much pain at that moment that he wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole for causing her one ounce of distress.
"My Purvi" he thought. "My precious girl! What have I done to you?" Arjun started to reach for her when he saw the most amazing transformation happen. Inflicted with turmoil, Purvi's once adoring eyes started to harden towards him. He saw her put her emotional wall up brick by brick as they continued their staring match, oblivious to the other three in the room. His flower was so strong and he admired her all the more.
Arjun witnessed the light of hope extinguish in Purvi's eyes and devastation set in. In that instant, he knew that Purvi had given up. An immense, crushing pressure settled upon his chest as he saw Purvi turn to the group and state in a calm voice, "Ovi ma'am. I am so happy things are working out for you."
The three chatty faces stopped to look at Purvi. "I think you should leave for Canada right away to make sure things are settled and that there are no more hiccups." she continued. Purvi then turned to look Arjun squarely in the eye as she delivered her final blow, "Sir, since you both are engaged, I think you should accompany Ovi ma'am to Canada and help her get this sorted. You can give her all the support she needs. I will manage everything. You can go to Canada and FORGET all your worries here."
Arjun couldn't breathe. His heart slammed into his chest as he struggled to form a protest against Purvi's tirade. Unfortunately, Archana beat him to the buzzer. "Sir, Purvi is right. As you both are engaged, if you go back to Canada with her you can provide a great support for her as she is going through this phase. It can only strengthen your foundation as a couple. Purvi can handle everything here. You go with Ovi."
'No, this can't be happening!' Arjun thought frantically. He saw Purvi turn to move towards the door and panicked. "Archana-ji you make a valid suggestion. Manav uncle, Ovi can we continue this later? I have a few important cases to discuss with Miss Purvi before our deadlines expire. Miss Purvi, can you stay back for a few minutes?"
Trapped, Purvi stood close to the door as if to make a quick exit as the others exchanged farewells and left. Arjun stalked over to her, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the corner away from prying eyes. She looked up at him, lost in his touch for a moment and then her eyes were ablaze with fiery emotions.
"Don't touch me. Don't you touch me ever again!"
"You are mine Purvi. MINE! I'm never letting you go."
"Yours? You have no right over me Arjun. NONE! Now let me go!"
"I won't let you go, Purvi. Not now. NOT EVER! You and I were meant for each other"
"If you don't let me go I'll scream and then everyone will come in here and see what you are doing."
"I don't care, Purvi. I've had enough of this nonsense! Scream if you want to! Let them come in! Let them see us! I want them to know about us! Do it!" he challenged her knowingly. He would never risk her reputation but he wanted her to know that he meant business.
Purvi stiffened in his arms for a second as she considered his dare. She pierced him with incandescent eyes, "You are a despicable man! You string along both of us, play with our emotions and now you want us to both be available to you whenever you need us?" He loved that fire in her eyes. She was radiant when she was passionate about something and in that instant, her fell in love with her all over again.
Arjun cupped her face and brought them closer to each other. Just inches apart now, he said, "I only want you." With her breath hot on his face, Arjun felt no pull of gravity from the earth. "I am not betraying you Purvi. My heart belongs to you alone. You are my life! Please don't do this! Don't push me away from you."
Arjun felt like a man dying of thirst and Purvi was his only oasis. He reached up with one had to brush away the fairy wisps of her hair from her face. "Purvi, when I see you smile I can face the world. You are my strength, my light, my home - please don't take that away from me. I need you."
At his evocative words and tender touches, Purvi's floodgates opened up and the tears flowed uncontrollably down her face. Arjun held Purvi close as giant sobs wracked her body. "Please don't cry, my love. I will set everything right -for everyone. I know you love Ovi like a sister and you can never hurt her or your parents but I PROMISE you that I will find a way out of this that will have the least effect on everyone. Please don't cry, my flower. I'm here. I'm with you. Always."
After a few minutes, Purvi went quiet and still in his arms and Arjun thought the worst was over. He carefully and slowly pulled Purvi away from him and held her half an arm's length away. He was devastated to find that her mask was firmly back in place. Her face was devoid of any emotion as she reached up and shrugged his hands off her arms.
"Sir, you are engaged to Ovi and you need to take care of your FIANCE." Purvi slowly started backing away from him, each step taking her closer to the door. "You will get on that plane to Canada with her, you will get married and move on with your wonderful lives and you will forget all about US. It's what's best for everybody. I don't love you. I don't need you. If you love me as you say you do, then I want you to get on that plane with Ovi. If you try to get close to me, you will never see me again. Will you do this for me?"
Arjun's heart stopped cold. "Purvi, listen to me" He started for her but she backed up almost to the office door in view of anyone who glanced in this direction. He would not risk her reputation being tarnished so he stayed where he was.
"Will you do it?" she asked again, this time more forcefully. He knew she was hanging on by a thread and he could not let her fall. His heart plummeted to the floor as he heard himself say, "Yes, I will do it for you."
"Thank you" she said as she turned and walked out of his office. With those two words he knew that Purvi had effectively banished him from her life. In what seemed like five minutes, Arjun was on a plane with Ovi headed back to Canada. Each mile he flew away from Purvi he felt that his soul was being crushed to the point that it was difficult to breathe.
When they arrived at Deshmukh house, Ovi's grandmother received them and went to get dinner ready to celebrate their engagement. Arjun knew he had to get out of there before he succumbed to this insanity. He told Ovi that he had another project in London and had to leave the same day. He told her that they needed time to be by themselves to sort out their lives and to make sure that they were making the right decisions for the right reasons. She did not take the news too well. ***
"There's someone else, isn't there?" Ovi repeated shaking Arjun out of his jog down memory lane. Arjun knew that he was at a crossroads and the next words that came out of his mouth would either pave the way to Purvi's heart or take him away from it forever.
He mustered up his courage to face his best friend, "Ovi, you and I have always been best friends. We have been through a lot together and I know this is something you really wanted. I love you Ovi but I'm not in love with you. I've tried to make this work but I won't cheat you. I care about you too much to take advantage of your feelings."
"I never wanted to hurt or embarrass you which is why I went along with everything up 'til now. But I can't do this anymore Ovi. I just can't! I'm going to London tonight. I will call Manav uncle and explain everything when I get there. I'm sorry Ovi. I truly am." Arjun turned and started walking towards the door. As he put his hand on the handle to let himself out Ovi asked in a small voice, "You never answered my question Arjun. Is there someone else?"
Arjun conjured up Purvi's face in his mind to give him strength. He thought of the time she came to him in the airport and confessed her love for him. That memory zapped him with enough energy to light India entirely for a month. He turned to Ovi not wanting to lie and said, "I don't want to hurt you anymore that I already have Ovi but, yes, there is someone else. She is my world and I am nothing without her. She is the only one for me. I love her."
With that Arjun left and as he shut the door, he heard the loud smash of glass behind him. "One down, many to go." He sighed as he got into the waiting car. He looked back at Deshmukh house one last time and said, "Driver, to the airport."
Chapter 4 - Confession [Arjun]
London - England- One month ago
A loud knock on the door woke him up on a dreary Saturday morning. Arjun groaned and rolled over in bed. He wanted whoever it was to go away. He wanted to be alone. Alone. His destiny was to be alone. The knock persisted. He then remembered that he gave the wait staff the night off. Muttering curses under his breath, he got up, dressed and went downstairs of his flat to open the door. To his surprise, his father and Manav were standing on his doorstep.
"Dad! Manav Uncle! What a pleasant surprise! It's so good to see you both!" Arjun exclaimed as he reached around to give them both great big hugs. "Come in. Come in. What brings you both here?"
DK stepped in and hugged Arjun again. "My boy! I've missed seeing your face. How is everything?"
Arjun rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and said, "Dad, things are going really well for AK Industries. We were able to bag some really profitable contracts over the last month and I stayed back to make sure everything went over smoothly."
Manav gave Arjun a once over and said, "You look like you have been pushing yourself too hard beta. Have you been taking care of yourself? You look like you've lost some weight."
"You know how it is Manav Uncle when you get wrapped up in your work. Sometimes you forget to eat. But, I have been taking care for the most part. You both sit and I'll arrange for tea."
DK and Manav sat in the small bachelor pad and passed a knowing look between them. Arjun came back and said, "I just rang down. The tea should be here in a few minutes" He sat down beside his father, looked at both men and calculatingly asked, "Now will you both tell me exactly why you are here?"
"We are here about Ovi." Manav started roughly. "A month ago she called us up to tell us that you broke off your engagement and came to London. She said you told her that you couldn't cheat her and that you were in love with someone else. We tried to reach you but your office kept saying you were busy and you were not picking up our calls. What the hell is going on Arjun? Why did you do this to Ovi?"
"Calm down Manav" DK soothed, "Let the boy explain himself."
"Manav Uncle, I never meant to hurt Ovi. I told you all before that she was my best friend and I still consider as such. I only agreed to this engagement for her happiness. I know she's been in love with me for a long time but I never felt that way for her. I tried to be who she wanted me to be Uncle, I really did but I just couldn't do it. I went to India to make something of myself but I guess Bappa had other plans for me"
Arjun breathed a deep sigh and got up. He walked towards the window and looked out on the morning. "I always thought the most important things in my life were business and winning. I had no time for love or even understood its meaning in life until I met a girl there who showed me the true meaning of it all."
He turned around to face the two most important men in his life. Nervously he continued, "She woke me up. She touched something in me I never knew existed. She changed me with her goodness. Me! Arjun Kirloskar! The one, who only thought about profits and bottom lines, was now thinking about the welfare of his employees! How was that even possible? But she did it. She made me realize that the important in life is goodness, treating people with respect and caring about others."
"I don't know when it happened or how but I woke up with the realization that I could not imagine my life without her. I never wanted to cheat Ovi so when I understood what was happening I tried to tell her right away. I called her so many times but we were always interrupted and I didn't get the chance to explain myself."
"Then you all came to India and threw that surprise engagement party. I didn't get a say in what was happening and I could not embarrass you both or Ovi in front of all those guests. I went along with it when I should have stopped it. Ovi's happiness was at stake too and I thought I could not be so selfish."
"Everything just started to get worse and I couldn't continue with the charade. I wanted to tell you all at your party, uncle, but then Ovi learned about the lawsuit filed against her and that took precedence. One thing came up after another and when we both came back to Canada I realized that I had to do something before it was too late." Arjun sat down, raked a hand through his hair and looked down at the floor, "I never intended for any of this to happen."
After a few minutes of silence Arjun felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Manav standing in front of him. In a calmer tone Manav remarked, "Thank you beta for trying to do the right thing by Ovi. I understood you before when you told me about our feelings for Ovi but I thought things had changed when you agreed to the engagement. I realized something was wrong on the day of the surprise but I couldn't put my finger on it and when Ovi called up last month to say that the engagement was off I put two and two together. Ovi has had time to accept this and she has moved on. She knows you broke off the engagement for her sake and she wants to make the most of the second chance she has been given. She has rededicated herself to her modeling is currently working on a few shows."
Arjun let out the sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding in. "Manav uncle, I am so happy to hear you say that about Ovi. She truly means a lot to me and all I wanted was her happiness."
DK, who up until now had just sat back to watch the exchange, interjected, "Now that's all settled, there's just one more piece of business we have here." DK pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and gave it to Arjun. "I just need your signature on this and we'll be on our way."
"What is this dad?" Arjun unfolded the paper and looked at its contents. All the color drained from his face. It was Purvi's resignation letter along with a request to DK to have Arjun revoke the Power of Attorney status.
"This letter is effective two months ago. I have been trying to get in touch with you to let you know that Purvi received another job offer with Karma Industries and she accepted the position. In her absence I have been overseeing things but I have a few other projects that I need to take care of and I need you to come back to appoint another in charge."
Arjun did not hear a word DK said. He sat frozen looking at Purvi's signature on her resignation letter. "She left me" was all that echoed through is mind. Arjun muttered, "She left me?"
Manav looked up sharply at Arjun as the fog lifted from his mind. He recalled Purvi's behavior after Arjun left. She was quiet, withdrawn and seemed to have lost her fire. She appeared to be functioning on auto pilot and now, looking at Arjun he saw a mirror image of her.
"Oh my god! The girl that you're in love with - it's Purvi, isn't it?" Manav exclaimed.
Arjun looked over at Manav with unshed tears in his eyes. "Yes uncle. It's Purvi. The girl that captured my heart and brought me to life is Puvi. She is the one who has taught me to love and to believe in the goodness of others. She is the only one for me."
"But she was at the engagement and saw you get engaged to Ovi! She would have been devastated!" Manav's heart ached for Purvi as he thought of her reaction at the party.
"Yes uncle. I couldn't do anything to stop it then and I watched her shatter into a million pieces when Ovi put that ring on my finger. It was the most horrible moment of my life. She never wanted to see me again after that. But I persisted. I couldn't let go of her. I didn't realize how bad a shape she was in until she told me to accompany Ovi to Canada to get this lawsuit sorted out. I did it for her - for her wellbeing. I thought some time apart would give her the space she needed to sort things out for herself and once she got to know that I broke off the engagement with Ovi she would reach out to me."
DK then said, "She doesn't know that you broke up with Ovi son. She left the company soon after and no one had a chance to communicate that to her. Things at her home were strained due to Manav's situation but now that's all sorted out. Manav and Archana are not going through with the divorce and they are working on moving into a new home together with their family. Purvi included."
Untold joy spread across Arjun's face. "Thank you, Manav uncle. That's all she's ever wanted. All she wanted was for her aai and baba to get back together and for her family to be complete. Thank you for giving her the best present ever." Tears flowed freely down Arjun's face as he thought about his love's happiness. His heart ached for her, for one look at her beautiful face, for one soft touch of her hand.
DK walked over to his son, drew him out of the chair and took him into his arms. "I know you are hurting son but you cannot give up. If you truly love Purvi, you must fight for her. Remember what I told you, if you don't take a risk how can you expect any magic?"
"She hates me dad. She hates me for what I did to her. She has every right to never want to see me again. If my staying away from her makes her happy then it's what I will do."
Arjun stepped back from DK and looked at Manav, "Uncle I'm sorry I lied to you and it looked like I cheated both sisters. I want you to know that my intentions were always honorable. One is my best friend and the other is my life. You are the person I respect most next to my dad and I could not come to you with this because of the situation I would have put you in at the time. Please forgive me for that."
"It's alright beta. I forgive you. I know you meant well but DK Sir is right. You need to go after Purvi. Tell her everything that happened and how you feel. She needs you just as much as you need her." A flicker of hope danced across Arjun's heart. 'She needs you' Manav uncle had said. He wiped his face and thought of the information he had just learned.
"Karma Industries you said? That's who recruited her? They are our rivals in business. I've been trying to get information on the owner but it's as though he does not want to be known. There is a conference here in a couple months and I saw their name listed under the attendees. Do you think Purvi will be here?"
"Given her position as managing director there I am sure she will be." DK agreed. "Manav, if it's ok with you I will be her chaperon if she decides to come. It will give me time to get to know her"
"I am absolutely fine with that sir and I'm sure Tej will come along too." Manav agreed.
"Ok. Then it's settled. I will wait for her here. If she doesn't come I will come for her."
Manav looked at the boy who grew into a man right in front of his eyes. In that moment her knew that his daughter would always be loved and cared for, "I give you my blessings Arjun. Go get your Purvi!"
Arjun touched Manav's feet to take his blessings. A knock on the door alerted them that the tea was there. Arjun grinned at both of them and walked over to the door.
Edited by vgiri - 13 years ago
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