Arshi FF: The Valiant Knight - Thread 4 - COMPLETED - Page 34

Author Notes:

Apologies for the delay. This chapter has been the toughest of all chapters I wrote from across all my FFs mainly, well you will know once you read this Arnav's journey and Khushi's longing in love. Especially this part alone took me 3 days and for first time I realize its very tough to portray Arnav and reason his principles and thoughts. Hats off to all those writers to write for Arnav and who makes his character so alive.

Now many requested some romance. I hate to be spoil sport here... This is love story bounded by emotions and pain. Romance is threaded into it but not main thought behind the plot and believe it is the least factor in this FF.

And coming to separation, all I can say if there is one, I wont drag it for the saking of making them devdas types, at the same time I wont compromise the story that revolves behind the separation.

And once you read it, please do give me some love as this is the most difficult chapter of this FF and it will only get worse (from writing aspect to nail the emotions - not from the story aspect)

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Somethings to remember when you read the update:

Italics are used to denote the past sequences or in very rare cases for emphasis.

Bold is used for the present dialogues.

Regular without bold and italics is used to describe the present emotions of the characters

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Love

An intense feeling of deep affection.

With his muscled legs swaying lazily on the red carpet of Private Jet, Arnav Singh Raizada grinned wrinkling the corners of his eyes behind the sleep mask, not completely assenting to the choice of words in the Lexicon for Love.

The expedition to the infectious 4 letter word started as a plague in his smart-turned-absentminded brain 24 hours ago when his flight to India was stalled due to unforeseen weather conditions.

24hrs ago...

Unable to return to the hotel due to severe snowstorm, the three As were advised to wait in the Presidential Member Lounge in the Logan International Airport, hoping to take off any moment much to Arnav's desperation to see his wife.

The moment he heard the news of delay in departure, Arnav Singh Raizada diagnosed himself with unknown disease showing peculiar symptoms loud and clear, such as fidgeted heart in restlessness, wrenched guts in anticipation, and the hankered mind in torment all pointing to one direction, to a woman thousands of miles away but closer than ever. The only woman who could cure his illness has successfully managed to throw him into abysmal of melancholy in their 2 week 1 day separation.

Irritated, frustrated, and disappointed Arnav shoved his hand over Aman and Adi's face gesturing DO NOT DISTURB with the urge to sort few things that he had been stalling precariously for last 2 weeks.

Lounging in the white leather recliner looking over the pearl flakes kissing the glass panes of the lounge, he had no choice but ponder over the reasons behind his never fading smile, despite so much loneliness and sadness around, in her absence.

The very same feeling that had been taunting him for last 14 days, from the moment he parted from her and drove away to Mumbai Airport for his flight to Boston.

On that night of parting, seeing her through the rear-view mirror, one thing was made boisterously clear by his conscience that he was leaving himself with her. Not a part but a whole of him and the pain was no less than a determined affliction raising an intriguing question Why?

The question he didnt care to ponder at that time drowning himself in her thoughts. But the distance during these days made him realize the importance of her presence around him. A man who never thought of anything but business, started to ignore it pre-occupied with her thoughts in wake and sleep. The only saving grace being the possibility that he will see her in few days, he sucked down his frustration, counting down the number of days impatiently. The final straw being today, with further delay in departure, he realized he will lose his sanity entirely if he goes one more day like this without seeing her. Adding to that, she didnt respond properly as she heard the news of his delay and he understood she was pissed as much as he is. In a way, the sense of mutual yearning from both ends gave him sadistic pleasure to his insane part.

Frown lines disappeared forgetting the flight delay as he realized, He cannot live without her.

The new revelation promptly triggered his mind to pick up the phone to call her to hear her voice. He mentally calculated the time difference and noted it must be 1AM in Mumbai. She must be sleeping. He deduced. Shoving the phone into his trouser pants, he sighed in utmost desperation, similar to how he felt as soon as he landed in Boston weeks ago.

After landing in Boston, while the other two men retreated to their rooms for power nap before dinner, Arnav paced across the hotel room desperate to hear her voice. Neither he could call her considering wee hours of Mumbai due to the time difference, nor could he calmly sit at one place, tirelessly his feet pacing the length of his suite. One hour passed, two hours passed, million specks of dust were brutally buried in the carpet with the force his feet charged across the room until they stopped abruptly. A wide grin larger than life plastered on his lips as his eyes read the most beautiful words in his life... well even a letter from her would have sounded beautiful for him at that moment.

If you are done smacking the brains of invisible & visible particles with those shrewd brown eyes, ____ fill up the blank and put those words into action...

His shaking fingers almost gave away in excitement as he speed dialed her number...and in a ring, he heard the most anticipated voice of hers, a little dry, little croaky, her morning voice. He realized how much he missed her voice filled with sarcasm. He remained silent for very long secs..He flomped on the couch and whispered away...Khushi...Just about anything but keep talking...and that moment his eyes closed in their own volition feeling immortal calmness in his life with every word that came out of her mouth, his mind poking a nagging question Why? Why her every word is special?

A question he didnt care to explore at that time too busy listening to her with undivided attention.

Speaking of her voice reminded him the voice mail she left few days ago along with Ashu Rahul...and instantly plugged his phone to his ears to hear it yet again.

Bhaiyya We miss you...Di, you too tell him...Jaldi Di..<after long pause> I...I...Ashu & Rahul wants me to say I miss you...<after pause> Rakhthi hoon...

The shyness with a pause as if she is expecting him to magically say something in response and her disappointment ending the call made him realize he is wanted, more than he imagined. A smirk ...very happy smirk played on his lips. And every single time her voice would involuntarily close his eyes as if she is right in front of him doing it with her own hands, de-stressing him and making him crave to hear her more and more...

Made him realize that there was and will be no way his morning would go well without hearing her because he realized he likes...correction..he loves her voice just too much and he can go dumb all his life if need be, by just listening to her.

Dammit! Arnav sighed and got off the chair in need of distraction. Her thoughts creeping up his mind and never to leave. He walked out of the lounge to grab himself a drink and he realized something is amiss. He patted his hands across his suit coat to check for wallet and everything seemed to be in order until his eyes fell on his feet. He rolled his eyes in frustration and hurried away before anyone notices him limping on one shoe. And this was not the first time in two weeks that he got so distracted. Sometimes a tie mismatch, sometimes uncoordinated socks, sometimes forgetting to brush his hair and many more instances, most of them pointed by his dear friend Aman. Every distraction ended with Why? By then he got used to the repeated needling question but he didnt dare to think through the reasons at that time as he started feeling jerky with his emotions and they only pent up with each day passed.

He reached his seat and slipped his other foot into the shoe but not before smiling at himself in disbelief. In fact he realized how each distraction brought huge grin on his face instead of anger which is so unlike his character. He started to enjoy this frenzy filled with her face, her banter and her altogether, no matter how embarrassing the situation was, giving him many reasons to smile that never crossed his lips and never reached his eyes in the past.

He realized She is the only one who could fill his life with limitless smiles. That moment he fell in love with her audacity to pull such stunts even in her absence.

Aman who sat in distance observed his friend who had been acting lunatic lately and wondered what is making him smile so much. If Aman thinks this is Arnav's best laugh, he is highly mistaken.

The Raizada's conversation on marriage tops the chart any time till date and for some reason, walking back to the coffee shop, Arnav chuckled remembering the same conversation that cracked the life out of him and the topic was if she was happy with the marriage.

Everybody who tasted my food loved my cooking, including Aman. You are the first person who never complimented my cooking. Does that explain how happy I am with this marriage?

Well I eat everything, that explains...

<No response from Khushi, the habit she lately developed to get things done in her way with her husband>

Fine, Let me try...I think your eg..He stopped, he was about to say something but it didnt sound right to his own ears and in the meantime our impatient Mrs. Raizada took it all wrong.

See I told you. You are such miser with compliments. I whipped up..Khushi paused mentally counting.. 4 eggs and you had all of them.

Yes, I had those. I dont disagree with that fact but..

All you had to tell was You enjoyed eating MY EGGS But NO why will you say. You are Arnav Singh Raizada and Arnav Singh Raizada doesnt believe in paying compliments to his wife.

Arnav tucked his lips stifling his laugh and cleared his throat to explain in his defense. Two things: one I am not stingy with compliments, I do give when appropriate. Two, I am very positive I never had YOUR EGGS Khushi.

Liar. The other night, midnight, You had my eg...She stopped as it all made sense to her and she literally prayed her enemy GOD to suck her up into unknown vacuum. Eventually she hung up the phone not before whispering Pervert...

He guffawed at the very thought of her clamping her mouth and closing her eyes, the famous involuntary move when she is highly embarrassed.

Fumbling for his wallet to pay for the coffee, his fingers grazed the blue velvet pouch, the hidden treasure in his suit pocket. Treasure that reminds him the shining sparkle in her eyes, that mirrors every emotion they portray as if just for him...soulful, clear, and glint of mischief.

Speaking of the secret behind the treasure, one morning few days ago, he had a beautiful dream of his life wiping the nightmares for the very first time.

Wearing a churidhar in snow white, the same shade as sparkle in her eyes, She called him by his name with her arms spread in the air, her eyes staring at him mirthfully. Then appeared Rahul and Ashu from behind her back, all three breaking into giggles and running towards him, collapsing him onto the ground, giving him a groundbreaking hug, showering butterfly kisses over his chuckling face. His chest welled up, and reverberated in indescribable happiness as he felt he gave away his heart for her to beat and her eyes slowly veiled up shyly to make love to his own dazed eyes, repeating every word she said on the night of their first kiss.

I always wondered why that night 15years ago was the last time I cried. That little boy was the only man I admired in all my life. We didnt know each other but shared the same pain. I knew we both lost everything we had that night. I cried along with you that night. You made me stronger that night. You made me believe that there is lot worse happening in this world than I was already facing. You made me understand that is how life is and that I should never give up. You, your tears, your perseverance gave birth to new Khushi, that night.

He woke up playing her name repeatedly on his lips. That morning her eyes paved a path to new dream, a peaceful world assuring him that he deserves the most to make it into reality. In the next few hours, he found himself selecting the heart shaped solitaire crowned on shining platinum circle. Simple and exquisite, just like her! Because somewhere he knew what all these special emotions meant but he just kept stalling it feeling overwhelmed with so much happiness at the time.

Taking sip of his coffee, he closed his eyes revelling the first, best and only dream of his life and he trusted Khushi if not himself, that she will make it happen come what may.

And not to forget her soulful confession that repeated even in the dream, he promised he would never forget; the meaningful words he would remember till the last letter until his last breath. All thanks to one woman who started making him feel like king. The woman who admired him from the day her eyes fell on him, the woman who cried along and understood his pain secretly when he was nobody and nothing. And most importantly, for the woman she is today, she gave him all the credit which screamed how much he means to her and that he is her life.

Arnav smiled remembering the most beautiful moments of that night, how perfect she fit in his embrace, how satiny her lips felt making him go gaga like teenagers sneaking behind the tree. Every single night he thought about their kiss and he had no answer why it felt so special except the fact that it happened with Her and only Her.

As he thought more about that night, an incredible realization hit him that Arnav never had any say when it came to emotions in the past but all that changed with her one soft touch on that night, the moment she kept his hand on her heart.

That realization shocked him implying the inevitable four letter word as he remembered he broke all his shields and trusted her letting her take lead of his emotions and thus ended up sharing his inner turmoil to someone other than his heart. He realized he valued her heart as much he valued his. They both are no less nor more than each other.

It was no longer a fight between them, It was never a physical attraction at first place that tied them in a bond. It was much more purer than anything else, he realized they are bound by their pain, by their past.

She gave new meaning to his life.

She gave everlasting smile to his soul.

She gave immortal peace to his troubled mind.

She gave eternal bliss to his heartless heart.

Most importantly, She spread this fog of love, peace and happiness around him showing that Arnav Singh Raizada can express his feelings, flower his emotions, and steam his dreams into reality.

If there is anything that Arnav Singh Raizada values most in his life that is LIFE. While life has taught him survival, love was never a part of his life. And so he had always scrupled the existence of that word, always considered it as for the weak people. And Khushi seems to be changing every opinion of it, making it more reasonable, absolutely true & unique with every moment he shared with her.

His heart rejoiced and shuddered in joy accepting the reason of his heartbeats pounding for her. If this is what is called Love, He whispered away telling his heart that he had irrevocably fell in it with Mrs. Khushi Singh Raizada...his wife, his life, his every reason of existence from this moment on...

Revelling in the new revelation, he grabbed his bags and followed the other two men to board the plane with a wide grin on his lips, whispering My Posy...

The next one hour he found himself taking the window seat in his private jet away from the two men, savoring his new found solitude, and browsed his phone to find the universal meaning of Love.

In matter of few seconds, he closed the browser smiling to himself that he has better and many more definitions for the new word in his life.

He punched few keys to the lady behind his smile and eagerly hoped for her response knowing that its midnight in Mumbai.

I am here, waiting for YOU (with happy smiley) was her reply after few mins...

He grinned and turned his phone off but not before reading her response once, twice, and many more times and closed his eyes behind the sleep mask thus ending his expedition.

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Part 2 Coming Up...