RATING:All agesCOLOR CODE:NarrationDialogueThoughtsSS: Life After You[CHAPTER 3]
__________A loud noise startled Khushi, waking her up from her dreams and bringing her back into the harsh reality of her life.
She threw her covers aside and got off the bed, making her way to the french door from where the noise emanated.
There she saw Arnav angrily snapping at his plants with a weed clipper.
"Arnavji..." She said, looking at him in surprise.
Arnav glared at her and then continued his angry gardening, paying no heed to her concerned tone.
"its so late...Why are you here at this time?" Khushi asked again, rubbing her goose-bump covered arms to keep warm.
"Its none of your business Khushi!" He spat out.
"Arnavji, I just.." She looked at him in confusion.
"Khushi just shut up...I can do as I please, this is my house..."He spoke whilst cutting off the stems of the flowers he once adored.
"..now why don't you just go off to sleep!"
"Arnavji, what are you doing??? Your flowers..." Khushi stopped as she noticed the blood seeping from his palm.
"Your hand...hai devi maiyya, what happened?" Khushi exclaimed in shock as she ran to him.
"Its nothing!" Arnav said, still stubborn
"I'll be back just now..." Khushi panicked, scurrying inside their room and returning with a first aid kit.
"Sit down" she pointed to the chair.
"Khushi just.."
"Don't argue with me!" Khushi glared at him and his resistance proved futile.
He dropped the clipper and sat down, then Khushi began cleaning and then bandaging his wound while he sat as non-responsive as a brick.
"And How did this happen?" She asked in disbelief seeing the older scabs on his knuckles.
Arnav just kept quiet, pretending to not hear.
Khushi saw his reaction and thinking it best to remain quiet, continued tending to his wound.
He studied Khushi's face carefully, her puffy red-from-crying eyes not escaping his sight. His heart wrenched with an unfathomable feeling of what was perhaps guilt...but he wouldn't let her see it.
She finished the bandaging and Arnav immediately stood up to leave, but her voice stopped him.
"Arnavji, I want to ask you something!"She called out.
He simply ignored her and proceeded walking away, but she spoke again.
"Why did you tell me all that in the hospital today...that you promise I was going to be fine...why were you so bothered when Dr Mehra said that..that I might have Canc.."
"Khushi please, just don't speak!" He answered, putting a halt to her question.
"I want to know...I need an answer, if you say you hate me...if you say I deserve pain then why.."
"Khushi, just be quiet!" Arnav roared, clenching his fist.
"No, not this time!" She argued and stared at him with accusing eyes
"..I need to know !..Does it really make a difference to you if I live or die" Khushi spoke between sobs
"...I just need to know...and if it does then why?" He walked towards her and grabbed her shoulder, shaking her as he spoke furiously, ignoring the stinging of his wounds
"Yes, it makes a difference...if something happens to you, then it matters!!!"
"Why..?" She replied in a whisper, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Because.." He suddenly realized what he was about to say and stopped.
"Because what?" Khushi demanded an answer from him
He looked at her pale and tear stricken face.
"What the hell am I doing?" He thought.
"Arnavji, tell me..." Khushi still begged for an answer.
"Nothing..." He said softly, while his heart said otherwise...
"No Arnavji, you have to tell me.." "I don't have to tell you anything.." He walked away and angrily settled himself onto the recliner for the night, putting an abrupt end to the conversation.
***
Khushi held the photo frame in her hand, caressing it as if it were priceless...well for her it was!
She saw the broad smile plastered on her face. It was a genuine smile, a happy one, nothing like the fake smiles she'd perfected since her marriage.
She let her fingers linger over her joyous old-self, and then her gaze shifted to the sturdy figure next to hers...Arnav Singh Raizada!
She clearly remembered the day that photo was taken. She had being trying hard to get Arnav to admit that he had bought bangles for her...but as usual, he didn't want to!
Which was why she tried all sorts of sankadevi-ness on him, including blocking his face with her bangle clad hands in every picture that Nanheji had clicked...the exact same picture that she was looking at now!
Tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably as she hugged the frame close to her chest.
So much had changed since then...
Arnavji was actually beginning to care about her, they were learning more about each other.
There was something happening between them...something magical, But then everything changed!
Her life took a turn for the worse when her 'rajkumar' had forced her into marrying him for 6 months, making a mock of all she ever believed in; marriage, commitment, everything!
And just when she'd begun to cope with her painful reality, life had slapped her in the face once more...
"Blood cancer...!" A sigh escaped her lips as she sobbed, burying her head into her hands.
*** The suns rays slipped though the curtains, entering gracefully into the room as the morning made a bright appearance.
Arnav walked out of the bathroom after his jog and quick shower, feeling much calmer than he did the previous night.
His sight moved to Khushi, who entered the room with a pile of fresh clothes in hand.
He thought about their previous night's argument and now that he was in his senses, he realized that his behaviour was not at all appropriate...he had acted out of anger.
Considering the situation and current circumstances, he knew he owed her an apology.
"Khushi..." Arnav called softly, watching as she folded their clothes and set them into their respective wardrobes.
"Yes Arnavji.." Khushi replied smilingly, which seemed strange to Arnav but he brushed it off.
"Khushi about yesterday, I'm sorry...I really think that..."
"Arnavji leave all that, you're going to get late for office...now quickly go downstairs and have breakfast with Akash jijaji, I'll be there in little while" She answered with a wide smile plastered on her face...a fake one, of course.
Arnav felt confusion laced with anger cloud his mind as he watched his wife mechanically move about fulfilling her duties.
What the hell was she doing? Why was she pretending as if nothing happened...
"Khushi, I think..We really need to talk..." Arnav's voice stopped Khushi from entering the bathroom.
She turned around and looked at him,
"Not now...I still have some chores left to do..." Khushi said casually.
"Khushi stop that.."
"What?" She looked at him startled
"Khushi please, stop behaving like this dammit" Arnav shouted.
"I..don't know what you saying.." Khushi looked downwards.
"I don't understand how you can be so casual about this...so indifferent" he looked at her with disbelief and continued
"...how the hell can you be so immature" Khushi felt anger rise from within her and her calm demeanour was soon forgotten.
"Why???...Its MY life, I will do whatever I feel like doing, I would behave however I want to and YOU can't stop me Mr Arnav Singh Raizada!!!" Arnav felt his temper rise but then his sensible thoughts kicked in, this wasn't the time to fight!
"Khushi I'm not in the mood for arguing..."
"And I am?"
"Look Khushi, I just think we need to talk about whatever's going on...We need to know what to do, for your future...What may happen..."
"Oh really...now I understand"
"What do you mean?"
"You just want to know whether I'm going to be dying right??, isn't that what you want?"
"What!...Khushi, what the hell are you saying, we've spoken about this before, and I think I made myself very clear..."
"But you wanted to talk right, so that's exactly what I'm doing!...now tell me...is my funeral going to be held here, or at Buaji's house"
"Khushi shut up!" Arnav clenched his fist, trying to retain his anger.
"Oh yeah, why would it be here?, stupid me!...I forgot that by then our contract would be over too"
"Khushi...!" Arnavs voice was a low growl
"By the way, isn't it amazing???...not just our marriage, my life has become temporary too.."
"SHUT THE HELL UP KHUSHI!!!" Arnav grabbed Khushi's shoulders as fury pulsed through him.
He saw the hot tears run down her cheeks making their descent from her pain filled eyes. He immediately let go of her, and strode out of the room in anger.
*** Arnav shut his laptop and laid back on his posh office chair, allowing his thoughts the opportunity to take over his busy mind as he closed his eyes.
He had enough of this!
Their circumstances called for mature behaviour, yet all they did was fight like kids!
He needed to talk to her, they needed to reach some sort of understanding...
With renewed determination, he grabbed his SUV keys and stormed out the AR building, heading to Shantivan...the time had come, he needed to know where he stood, where she stood...where their 'marriage' stood!
*** He ran up the flight of stairs in a hurry, ignoring the confused calls of his family members, and barged into his room.
The door flung open as Arnav entered, but he felt an strange sense of emptiness...
The usual tinkling of the ridiculous wind chimes Khushi had placed there was suddenly missing, and he looked up to find the door devoid of the previously very visible object.
Looking around, he noticed the absence of the stars hanging from the ceiling.
The multiple posters of a half-naked Salman Khan were nowhere to be seen and neither was the horrendous pink duvet.
It seemed as if every trace of Khushi had just disappeared, the room was exactly the way it was before she lived in it.
To his astonishment, this angered Arnav immensely...How dare she mess with his room,
again?..Hadn't this girl learnt anything???...and now he was going to give her a piece of his mind!
*** He strode outside to find Khushi seated on the recliner, blankly staring at the ripples in the pool.
"Khushi, Why did you..." Just as he was about to release his anger at her, he noticed her visibly trembling form.
"K...khushi...are you okay?" He moved closer to her and felt concerned at her condition.
Despite the warm weather, Khushi was shivering badly and her nails were digging into the flesh of her palm. Her eyes were still glaring at the pool, devoid of any emotion.
He felt her hand to check her body temperature..which happened to be fine.
"Khushi speak to me...are you okay?.." Arnav asked softly, still receiving no response.
"I'm calling the doctor!" Arnav nervously fished in his pockets for his cell phone, and in a hurry it had fell to the ground.
"Dammit!" He bent to pick it up but his sight rested on a blue file placed on the recliner next to Khushi.
He picked it up noticed the large
Med Life Hospital logo printed on it, which sent chills running down his spine.
He flipped through a few pages and what he saw next shocked him to the core!
The file fell to the ground as Arnav felt his heart constrict in intolerable pain.
"This can't be happening...It can't!" He chanted the same thing over and over again, his eyes refusing to believe what they just witnessed.
He looked down again, just to make sure that he wasn't imagining...yet the words
Positive test for leukemia stared back boldly at him from the offending piece of paper, before the slight wind had turned it over...
__________To Be Continued...DisclaimerThe above story is a work of fiction based on TV serial "Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon". I do not own any of the characters but the story belongs to me and I will not tolerate plagiarism.UPDATES:Readers who want to be updated, kindly buddy me and I will PM whenever I update😊
RESPONSE: I don't usually ask for comments but since this is my first ever ongoing story, I really need feedback before I update again, silent readers please leave behind even just a word to let me know if you like the story😳
INDEX of this SS on-Page 1Thanks for being patient guys😊
I just had undergone a minor surgery on Tuesday so updating was kind of hard..
-but thanks again for waiting and PM's will be sent tomorrow
Love, Tia❤️Edited by Honeybee27 - 11 years ago
CID
331