Arshi FF: Jeene Laga Hoon (NOTE pg. 68) - Page 20

Lavanya was meant to be in the first part of the story. I had it planned that way from the beginning. The only reason I had her in there was because she was the one that had to introduce Payal and Khushi to the guys. In essence, she set everything into place. Without her, none of this would have happened. Her job was done in the story, hence she was taken out. Sadly I had to kill her, but she will never be forgotten. I hope you understand. :)

when will Arshi romance gonna start...😆

Omg I've been absent for over six months, and I've returned to so many updates!

You already know how much I love this story! YJHD AND IPKKND IS HEAVEN

I really like Khushis development, she's fantastic!

And holy moly, Khushis dancing and arnav watching with his collar getting tight

Fantastic!

Tannu x

Indeed khushi kumari Gupta is indeed something. She is a true friend to arnav and a perfect companion for him.

Waiting for the next part.

Continue soon

The haldi took place in the courtyard of The Mahal. Akash and Payal sat side by side on a large white seating area. The groom was dressed in a white kurta while the bride was dressed in a yellow sari. The guests stood around as they eagerly awaited to lather the couple in the yellow paste. As promised, Khushi was the first to put haldi on both of them. Arnav watched amused as she smeared Payal's feet and arms before going straight to her cheeks. Then she leaned in a whispered something in Payal's ear, which caused her eyes to widen before breaking into a smile. Arnav was confused as he watched Khushi repeat her actions on Payal again, putting more haldi on her. She did this with Akash too, whispering in his ear before repeating her haldi process. After she finished she went back in the crowd and let the rest of the family do the haldi.

Arnav was about to go to her and ask why she did the haldi twice, when he heard Akash call out for him. Apparently, he wanted his brother to put haldi on him. Although hesitant, Arnav came forward and put haldi on both Akash and Payal. Just as he finished putting a spot on Payal's nose, she pinched his cheeks, leaving a stain of haldi in the process. He smirked and went back into the crowd, standing next to Khushi.

While they watched Nani, Anjali, Aman, and Payal's parents do the haldi, Arnav glanced from time to time at Khushi, watching the cheerful expression on her face as she observed the scene before her. He looked down at his haldi-ed hands before smiling evilly. Carefully, as to not get caught, Arnav stood behind Khushi and smeared both her cheeks with haldi from behind. She gasped and turned, staring at him in shock. He raised his eyebrow and smirked, giving her a now we're even' look. She smiled and pulled him back to her side as they resumed watching the families put haldi on the bride and groom.

"So what was with you putting haldi on Akash and Payal twice?" Arnav asked.

"Oh," Khushi looked at him and smiled sadly, "The first time I put it on them was on my behalf. The second time...well that was...on Lavanya's behalf."

Arnav froze as she had said that. It was the first time since his arrival that Lavanya's name had been brought up. He still remembered the day he found out that she had passed away. It was hard for him to hear considering she was such a good friend to him. However, he didn't come her funeral, and he knew that if he came back he would be questioned as to why he didn't attend. He hoped Khushi wouldn't ask. It was still hard for Arnav to come to terms with the loss. Hearing that Khushi put haldi on Akash and Payal in Lavanya's name overwhelmed him.

"I know that even though she is not here, she would've definitely wanted to take part in everything," Khushi added. "I just wanted to do that so Akash and Payal wouldn't miss her while going through their ceremonies."

"Khushi I-."

"I'm not going to ask why you didn't come, Arnav."

He looked at her, surprised that she knew what he was about to say.

"I understand how hard it is for you to deal with loss. Remember when you told me about your parents?"

Arnav nodded.

"I figured you wouldn't come, but I knew you felt the loss."

Arnav stared a Khushi blankly. How was it that she understood him so well? He didn't even say anything and she knew what he was thinking about. Had their friendship really become that strong, even before? Whatever the case was, he was grateful that he had someone who understood him without any need for explanation. Arnav was snapped out of his thoughts by the feel of Khushi's hand on his nose. He looked at her confused as she laughed while pointing at his nose.

"That is on La's behalf," she said.

Arnav touched his nose and felt the yellow haldi paste on it. He wanted to be angry but he simply couldn't. Knowing Khushi did this to try and make him feel better, only made him smile and laugh as well. She sure had a way of making him smile and forget his troubles. They both turned their attention back to the haldi ceremony just in time to see NK take a handful of haldi and smash it all over Akash's face. Everyone laughed and clapped while Akash gave NK a death glare as he ran behind Anjali. As everyone laughed at the sight, Arnav was finally beginning to understand what Khushi had meant by enjoying these happy moments.

~

While many family members and guests had gone to the dining hall to eat, Khushi, Arnav, and NK stayed back in the courtyard and cleaned up, at Nani behest of course. Akash and Payal had gone to shower before coming back down to help the three of them. Arnav, NK, and Akash were putting away the chairs, while Khushi and Payal were disassembling the seating area where the bride and groom had sat.

"I can't believe NK did that," Payal giggled while she moved pillows aside. "That was too good."

"And then he hid behind Anjaliji," Khushi laughed while she unscrewed some bolts.

"I'm just glad he didn't do it to me."

"He knows that you would be the one to chase after him. Remember when you attacked him at the lodge in Manali?!"

Payal sat on the grass and laughed out loud, "I remember! What did I say? Oh yeah! Attack on Nandkishore!"

NK, who had heard the battle cry from Payal, dropped the folded chair he was carrying and raised his hands frantically, "Na beta na!"

Khushi and Payal looked at each other before they both leaned against each other laughing. Arnav and Akash let out a small laugh as well as they moved closer to hear the conversation.

"Don't worry, you're not going to be attacked," Khushi managed to say as she stopped laughing and stood up.

Payal stood up too and smirked, "...Yet."

NK's eyes widened before he backed himself up next to Akash, "She's not really going to attack me, is she?"

Akash looked at Payal then NK, and shrugged his shoulders, "It's Payal. She might."

"It's probably best if you don't try and provoke her, NK," Arnav said.

NK ignored Arnav's comment and turned his attention to Khushi, "You'll protect me from your friend, right Chasmish?"

"Why do you still call her Chasmish?" Arnav asked. "She doesn't wear glasses anymore."

"She still does, but on very rare occasions. The name just sort of stuck," Akash answered instead. "Even I call her that from time to time."

"Chasmish? Will you protect your dear friend, Nanhe?" NK asked.

"Ummm I'd rather not be a part of this battle," Khushi raised her hands in surrender. "I'm just the doctor. I'll heal your injuries if she causes any damage, but that's about it."

NK gulped and looked at Akash," Akash, mera bhai?"

Akash shook his head, "You're on your own after what you pulled during the haldi."

"I knew that was going to come back to bite me in the-."

"Aman get back here!"

The five friends stopped as they heard the sound of Anjali's voice resounding through the courtyard. They turned towards the direction it was coming from and saw Aman furiously walking down the open hallway in the courtyard with Anjali angrily following behind him.

"Aman!" Anjali shouted.

"I don't want to hear it!" Aman shouted back.

"Aman Mehra, you stop right there!"

Aman stopped and turned around to face her. He and Anjali were now standing in front of each other. The five friends glanced at one another, wondering what was going on. They were a good distance away from Aman and Anjali, but they were shouting so loud that they could hear them perfectly.

"Anjali I don't want to talk to you right now!" Aman yelled.

"Well too bad!" she retorted. "Why are you walking away! Running away from our problems!"

"We weren't having any problems! We were fine! Then, for some stupid reason, you had the nerve to try and compare me to Shyam!"

"Oh! What's wrong! I tried to explain something important to you, but you completely disregarded it! Just like him!"

"How could this be so important that you had the nerve to compare me to him! Was there some great political campaign that made you the next Jhansi ki Rani?"

"You're blowing things out of proportion!"

"Everyone blows things out of proportion at some point!" Aman pointed a finger at her. "But that does NOT give you the right to compare me to your first husband! I told you before I am nothing like him, and the fact that you compared me to him shows how much faith you have in me!"

Anjali remained silent.

Aman dropped his finger from her face, "What do you think, huh? That just because I don't talk to you for a few hours means I don't care about you! In case you haven't noticed, I have been busy taking care of OUR family! Making sure that Akash's wedding goes smoothly and that YOU don't overwork yourself! So I'm sorry that I was so busy that I didn't get a chance to talk to you! God Anjali! Do you even hear how childish this sounds!"

Her anger began to deteriorate as Aman's words began sinking in. She didn't realize how stupid she sounded until he had explained their scenario to her. She couldn't believe that she had compared him to her worthless first husband! Had her hormones devoured her common sense? She reached out in an attempt to apologize, but Aman took a step back. He was still furious.

"I can't believe you would even think about comparing me to him," Aman fumed. "I have done everything to keep you happy! I never asked you for anything! I never EVER wanted to think I was like that guy, the one who wasn't worth your time! But you said it, and it makes me wonder if you think I'm even worth your time!"

"Aman no," Anjali's eyes filled with tears. This was the last thing she wanted him to think. She loved him more than anything else in this entire world. She couldn't live without him. She adored him. Had her words stung him so deeply that he questioned her feelings for him?

"You know what? Let me know when you figure it out!" Aman shouted before turning on his heels and walking away, leaving Anjali alone in the hallway.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she called out to him, "Aman! Aman, wait! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it! I-AAHHH!"

Anjali screamed as a sharp pain stabbed at her stomach. She clutched her belly tightly as she bent down on the ground, the pain so bad that she could barely stand straight. The gang ran to her as they all watched in horror as Anjali screamed.

"Di!" Arnav, NK, Payal, and Akash yelled.

"Anjaliji!" Khushi yelled.

Arnav was the first one to Anjali. He slid on his knees to her and pulled her against him. She rested her head against his shoulder, one hand holding his arm and the other against her stomach. Aman, who had heard her scream, spun around and found, to his horror, his wife in pain. Forgetting his anger, he rushed over to her, but was immediately blocked by Payal. The rest of the gang surrounded Anjali as she screamed again in pain. Aman tried to get to her, but it was no use. After the fight, Payal wasn't going to let him anywhere near Anjali.

Arnav looked at Anjali as he spoke frantically, "Di? Di! What's wrong?"

"Chote, it hurts!" she held her stomach tighter.

"Sh*t," NK said, "What do we do?"

Akash looked at Khushi, "Chasmish, can you check her?"

Khushi nodded. Amongst everyone, she seemed to be the most calm. She had watched Anjali fight with Aman and was concerned that the stress might affect her, and now, seeing that it was, Khushi was very worried. She stared at how Arnav shielded Anjali from the rest of them, holding her against him like a child hugging his most precious object. She knew that he loved his sister more than anything and would fall apart if anything happened to her. So she offered to help.

Khushi knelt down by Anjali, "Let me see. Anjaliji, where does it hurt exactly?"

Anjali held the area where it was hurting. Khushi placed her hand on where the pain was and felt around. Everyone watched as Khushi went into her serious doctor mode. Her entire focus was on Anjali's health. Even Aman, who was trying to push Payal aside, stopped as he watched Khushi examine his wife keenly. When Anjali let out another scream of pain, Khushi looked at Arnav, who looked back at her worried.

"We need to get her to a hospital," she said. "Now."

~

They had been sitting in a waiting room for a few hours now. Akash and Payal were pacing around. NK was sitting beside Nani, who had been informed about the incident and brought to the local hospital in Udaipur where Anjali was being examined. Arnav was sitting at one end of the waiting room, his penetrating gaze on Aman, who was sitting on the other end of the waiting room with his face in his hands. Khushi was in the room with the main doctor of the hospital. After much arguing, she was allowed to go and examine Anjali, since she knew her well.

After Khushi had given Arnav the orders, the five friends had sprung into action. Akash went to take care of the guests while Payal took Aman to get the car. NK went to inform Nani and bring her along, knowing she would want to be with her granddaughter. Arnav carried Anjali in his arms, while Khushi stood beside him, offering reassuring words to Anjali as they made their way to the car and to the hospital.

Now, the family sat in the waiting room, eager to hear any news on Anjali. It wasn't long until Khushi came there, a blank look on her face. Arnav and Aman were the first ones to reach her. Both men loved Anjali above anything else and worried about her health. Their eyes searched Khushi's face for any indication on how she was. Their gazes questioning, scared, and worried. She watched the two of them stare at her with bated breaths, while the rest of the family stood behind them to hear the news.

Khushi's eyes looked at Arnav before turning directly to Aman. She didn't need to say anything. When she shook her head, Aman knew what had happened. His eyes closed as a tear escaped his eye. He looked down at the ground as his shoulders shook. He had begun to cry. Arnav held Khushi's arm and turned her to face him. He knew what the shake of the head meant, but he didn't want to believe it. To confirm it, Khushi spoke the words that broke not only Arnav, but the rest of the Raizada family.

"Anjali has lost the baby."

Not only was Aman in tears, but so were Nani and Payal. NK and Akash struggled to fight back tears. They all felt a sense of grief knowing that the little bundle of joy they were all waiting for was gone. They didn't know what to say or do. It seemed that silence was the only answer for now. However, while they were in tears of grief, Arnav had another emotion erupting within him.

Even though he hadn't been home long, Arnav could see how much Anjali already loved the child within her. She adored it and couldn't wait for its birth, especially after everything that had happened during her first marriage. Now that the child was gone, he knew she was going to be devastated. Arnav felt a fire burn within him as he looked at the one he felt was responsible for all of this.

Aman walked over to Khushi and asked, "Can I see her?"

Khushi shook her head, "She's suffering from the trauma and went into shock. We had to sedate her in order to calm her down. She will wake in-."

She gasped as, out of nowhere, Arnav grabbed Aman and slammed him against the wall. He stood in front of him, holding him by his shirt, their faces only inches apart. Aman stared at Arnav, shocked that he had done such a thing. Akash rushed over and tried to pull his Bhai off of his jijaji, but it was no use. Akash looked to NK for help, but NK simply shook his head, knowing that he could do nothing. No one could tame the great ASR when he was angry.

"Arnav what are you-," Aman began.

"This is all your fault!" Arnav shouted. "I trusted you with my Di! It's because of you that she is in here! It's because of you that she miscarried!"

"Just hear me out-."

"No! Your fight stressed her out! She lost her baby!"

Aman shoved Arnav back angrily, "It's not just her baby, Arnav! It was mine too!"

Arnav was about to step forward when Khushi finally decided to intervene. She stepped in between the two men, facing Arnav. He looked at her, shocked that she had come between them. Not only he, but everyone else was shocked to see Khushi take such a drastic step. They were worried about what Arnav was going to do. However, they were stunned to see him control his anger in front of her.

"Khushi," he said lowly. "Move."

"Arnav," she said. "You need to calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down. He is at fault here!"

"No he's not. No one is!"

Arnav looked at her confused, "What do you mean?"

She glanced at everyone else who was looking at her intently before answering, "This isn't Amanji's fault. It's not anyone's fault. Anjaliji has a weak womb. This is the reason she miscarried. It's also the cause of her first miscarriage."

Aman spoke up, "So is she...going to be okay?"

Khushi took a deep breath, "Because of her weak womb, Anjali will not be able to carry a child, ever."

"What?" everyone spoke in unison.

"Khushi bitiya," Nani sobbed. "Isn't there anything you could do to help her?"

"I wish I could, but there isn't any medicines or surgeries that would help." she answered. "The head doctor and I discussed this already."

Arnav clenched his fists. His anger died down, as he looked at Aman apologetically. He could see how broken his brother-in-law was, and felt bad for wrongly accusing him.

"Jiju," Arnav said. "I'm sorry. I didn't-."

"It's okay," Aman replied as he composed his tears. "I get it."

Overwhelmed with all the news, Nani sat down in the chair and cried. Payal sat down besides her and comforted her, telling her that it was going to be alright.

"It is going to be alright," Payal reiterated.

Nani shook her head, "History is repeating itself. She miscarried before and then Shyam left her. She miscarried again. Who knows what will happen next?"

Aman understood what Nani was saying. He walked over and knelt down in front of her.

"Nani," he said. "Don't think like that. I am not Shyam. I'm not going to leave Anjali, ever. I love her."

"But beta, she can't have any children. You always wanted-."

"I wanted children, I know. But I can live without them. I can't live without Anjali. Please, don't degrade my love by comparing me to Shyam."

Nani placed a hand on Aman's head, giving him her blessings. She knew he was made for Anjali, but this was also true, that he was a wonderful human being. Aman looked at Khushi and stood up.

"Please Khushi," Aman pleaded. "Let me go to Anjali."

There was a pause before Khushi nodded, "Okay. I'll take you to her."

"I want to see her too," Arnav said.

"No," Khushi said. "Right now, Anjaliji will need her husband more than anyone."

"But-."

"I know she's your Di, but right now your Di needs her husband before anyone else. If she wants to see you, I promise I will run back and get you. Okay?"

Arnav hesitated before final agreeing. He watched as Khushi took Aman with her to Anjali's room. She hadn't returned to get him, and he understood that Anjali needed to mourn the loss of her child with Aman. Everyone remained silent in the waiting room, knowing that the storm that had entered their lives had come and gone, taking the innocent unborn child as its victim.

**********

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Next update: Anjali's pain, Arnav's helplessness

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