ArHi SS |Pareshaan| Part VI, Pg 19 (14/3)

This started off as a drabble. Then is turned into a series of drabbles. And since it kept going, I thought I'd turn it into a very short short-story of some of my (and many of your, I'm sure :)) favourite moments from the show.

Each segment of the story counts as a drabble on its own right- and each might be an interpretation/reinterpretation of some scenes, be a behind-the-scenes commentary for some, or might be entirely different from what we saw on screen.

I really enjoyed writing this series, and I hope you will enjoy reading it too! It's complete, so I guess I'll be posting a new part every two days until it finishes (which'll probably take less than a week I guess- it's a short story!)- mostly because I'd love to hear your thoughts and see what you think about each part and the style in which it's written. Just this once though, I'm posting two parts in one go, coz they're kinda (really) short.

Oh, and most importantly- this story is inspired by the song "Pareshaan" from the movie Ishaqzaade. When I first heard it, I could only picture ArHi in it :P

Index:

Part I - Below

Part II- Below

Part III- Page 6

Part IV- Page 11

Part V- Page 15

Part VI - Page 19

ArHi Short Story |Pareshaan|

*I*

***

Naye naye naina mere dhoonde hai

Dar badar kyun tujhe

Naye naye manzar yeh takte hai

Iss kadar kyun mujhe

***

Even in the sea of faces tilted up toward her, odd shadows distorting their features as colourful lights dance over their faces, Khushi's eyes seemed to hone in on him with uncanny precision.

The dais she stands on is just a few feet higher than the floor of the living-room where everyone is gathered; Khushi is even faintly conscious of the shimmery blue-white beam of the spotlight raining over her, of the muggy heat of exertion and the blaring vibrations of loudspeakers as Anjali speaks loudly and enthusiastically into a microphone just a metre away from her. She can feel the cool, smooth edges of a miniature idol being pressed into her hands, her fingers folding around the intricate structure of the statue of their own accord.

And though she is aware of all these facets of her surroundings, all these details that knit together to form her present and her reality, she cannot help but feel as though she is...floating. As though she has leapt off the edge of a cliff, but instead of that heart-stopping jolt and rush of panic, she is adrift in gentle currents as she spirals gracefully through the air, through the clouds and the skies and the heavens.

It is such an unsettling feeling that she hunts his face- hunts his eyes for their familiar disdain, his mouth for a scowl or a sneer; she is almost desperate in her search for something that she is accustomed to, whether it is his arrogance or his contempt.

But there is nothing.

The grooves of his face are smoothed out, and there is nothing there to suggest that he is mocking her, or that he is disparaging her, or looking down on her.

Instead, there is that vexing expression on his face that she has seen already once- the same expression, enigmatic but fiery, calm but intense, that had transformed his features beneath the revealing glare of the same spotlight she stood under- the only difference being, they had both been under it then...

...and they had been dancing.

Her heart skips, it stutters and then begins to burn, but the fire is not an unpleasant one. It does not singe or smart, but it simmers, and a thoroughly unfamiliar warmth is coursing through her veins even as she floats around in this seemingly endless ocean of sensation that she has never experienced before.

Not once does he avert his eyes from her; not once does he attempt to shield the mirroring fire smouldering in the depths of his caramel eyes.

And she thinks the light must be playing tricks with her, because he almost looks...content.

Scroll down for Part II!!

*II*

***

Zara zara phoolon pe

Jhadne laga dil mera...

Zara zara kaaton se

Lagney laga dil mera...

***

Khushi is tired- sleep has eluded her all night, and the activities of what feels like a cavalry of butterflies in her stomach have made her restless and edgy. She deliberately hangs back, prompting her family to precede her into Shantivan, assuring them absently that she can manage fine on her own- when in reality, she just wishes to salvage a precious few seconds to order her thoughts, and rein back her composure.

Her thoughts stray back to the idol of a deity he had sworn he would thwart her from winning, and her heart lurches out a traitorously distressing beat. She is still afloat in that bizarre state of suspension, her arms still outstretched to anchor herself, her feet still searching for solid and familiar ground. But the thoughts that have obdurately occupied her hours of insomnia are adamant and persistent and they buffet her away like a leaf in the wind before she can touch down.

What did it all mean? What did any of it mean? It had been a bet, hadn't it? A bet that he had sworn to win at all costs- a bet that entailed her becoming a slave to any devious dare he could come up with if she lost.

But she had not lost.

And yet, Khushi thinks, as she distractedly juggles an armload of bags and still manages to devour an entire box of jalebis, she has not really won, either.

Because the act that had secured Nani's prized possession as her trophy had not been just hers.

It had been his too.

What did that mean?

She did not know who had won, and she had not known who had lost, but most of all, she does not understand why.

Why he did not gloat at having to come to her rescue yesterday...why he did not remind her that she would never have won without his help...

Why he stood back and let her have a moment of glory he had vowed he would deprive her of- a vow he had spared no expense to honour.

Entangled in the heart of her web of confusion, she almost does not see him as she stumbles through the hallway of his home.

Almost.

Main pareshaan

Pareshaan

Pareshaan

Pareshaan

Her feet snag on the smooth, flat marble floor, her breathing snags halfway down her throat, and her heart snags against nothing, and there is an instant blackout of all her functioning faculties.

He has stopped as well.

She waits for him to move past her. She mentally urges him to move past her. Perhaps, once he scoffs at her presence, or better yet, disregards her completely, normalcy would return to her world.

Perhaps then she could break out of her slow-motion-freefall, and stability would return to the topsy-turvy chaos whirling all around her.

But despite all her mental urgings, he does not listen to her.

He says, in a voice that is distressingly soft and husky, and has an unsettling effect on her palpitating heart- Hi.

Aatishein woh kahaan...

His greeting triggers off hers, and she stammers Namaste and tries to scramble away before he can do anything else detrimental to the stability of her world. She fears the damage could be permanent.

Main pareshaan

Pareshaan

Pareshaan

Pareshaan

But he is intractable.

For all her haste and scurrying steps, he is blocking her way once again in just a few long strides, and everything happens so quickly that it takes Khushi another sleepless night to sort through the pandemonium it kicks off.

Because he touches her.

It is a small touch, an innocent one, almost, but it does not fail to make her gut plummet to her feet and her head reel, because he is cuffing her wrist and it could not be more different than the numerous other times he has cuffed her wrist.

His grip is firm but not bruising, confident but not hostile.

Before she can resist, he has relieved her off the bags she has been carrying.

He presses her earring into the palm he has managed to coax open, and Khushi spends the rest of the day wondering, agonising over, among other things, whether he had nicked that earring from her even when he had pointed out, through a subtle gesture the evening before, that it had been missing.

What she dithers to ask, though, is why he would do that- and not because she is unsure of the answer.

***

Ranjhishein hai dhuaan

Haan...

***

So...what do you think? I would really appreciate feedback!! And thank you so much for reading! :)

I reserve all rights over this work of fiction and request readers do not reproduce/copy/modify it elsewhere and/or claim credit.

It was wonderful to relive those beautiful moments again..

Res

a

Edited-

Teri meri meets pareshaan...

I don't know about you but all the songs that I like or I have ever liked have become ArHi-ish for me... main pareshaan pareshaan pareshaan 😛

It made sense that you posted both the parts together.

First part is about the mess that dancing with Arnav created in Khushi's heart and mind and the second part is after Khushi has spent a night untangling knots which got entangled yet again.

When we watch the show we make sense of what we see in a matter of moments, but stories like these give us a glimpse into the psyche of the character and no one does it as well as you and with including so many metaphors 👍🏼

PS- I cannot help but wish that one day you will start posting an AU competed SS...

Omg omg i am feeling that i am rewatching barun n sanaya inact the same scene...you have that sheer ability to paint the exact picture in the reader's mind through the culmination of mere letters...so beautiful.
That smirk of asr khushi's mind rambling n the pareshaan background just adds the required feeling ...yet again beautiful.
And you had me at 'aatishein wo kahan'.
Superb.

hmm...this is sweet and nice...but itne se kya hoga...meri bhookh nahi miti... aur lao!

Tht was beautiful...u write so well :)

aww she is confused
well course she is
he didnt do what he usually does
and that is making her restless
man that was a shift of things between them
cheers for pm