Part 2:
"...He aimed his pistol to shoot him. A piercing scream shook the afternoon air, destroying the stillness of the day. He ran towards the man and held him face down, just so that he doesn't escape."
With that Khushi closed her book. It was a very gripping tale, but she had lost her interest. A certain someone was haunting her and her thoughts.
Five years back, she had never imagined herself to be in such a state. She had rejected him and it was again "she", who had been repenting all through these years.
She yearned for him, yet she couldn't have him. She sighed as her mind traveled back .
After her college life was over, she had gone abroad to do her Masters in Literature and had returned back to become a Professor and a writer too. Her parents were happy, her career had rose and her ambition of writing had been successful too. But there was this pinch of regret that always lay right next to her heart. Her every conversation with Happy Ocean kept disturbing her to the point of making her lose her focus. His proposal was registered and recorded in her memory. But the only thing which made her to get back on track was her reason behind her rejection. She had a hope that he meant those words, "I will wait for you." She wanted him to be proud of her. She was in denial for few months before she realised that she was always smitten by him. She had already lost herself to him, which is why she had rejected every other man's advances. She did not get what she was looking for in them. They were not Arnav and she didn't want to accept them. She hadn't seen him after that day, until...
*****************
As he laid on his bed, after yet another hard day, he couldn't help but think about her. After all, he was living for her and waiting for her.
The very day, she had rejected him, he had discontinued his studies. He decided to write civil service exams. He had plans of doing that after his Masters. He knew he cannot resist seeing her everyday and maintain his promised distance. So, he decided to throw things at the hands of fate and had gone away. He didn't want her to hate him. He had not seen her, yet he knew she would have made herself and her parents proud. He was happy with that. They had not met until...
****************
It was a very fine day and Khushi didn't know why she was very happy. There was an extra bounce in her steps, something that was missing for so many years. She had just got down from her bus, to go to her college, when she heard a very husky voice. "Your purse, Miss."
She had turned only to stop short in her tracks. "Is it really him?" She was stunned out of her wits to speak. She had mechanically taken her purse and he had walked away without uttering a word. He didn't even show a hint of knowing her and this wounded her heart.
This had happened exactly 10 days, 230 hours, 13800 minutes before. "Did he really forget me?" With this, Khushi slept off, hoping for a better tomorrow.
***************
It was mid afternoon when her friend called.
"Hey Khushi."
"Hey Madhu. How are you? What's up?"
"I am great and you know what, there is an alumni meet planned in our college. It is tomorrow."
"I can't come, I have a very important class. Sorry Madhu."
"Iss baar I am accepting none of your excuses. Come there or forget me. Bye."
Left without any option, Khushi went there, for the meet. She never knew the meet will open many closed doors.
"Hey Khushi. How are you? I hope you remember me?", asked Aman, who happened to be her senior in college and a very close friend of Arnav. This is why she still remembered him.
"Oh yeah. Hi. How are you?"
"Am great." And this very easy flow of conversation, suddenly turned awkward with Aman mentioning about Arnav and his still bachelor days. "He is waiting for His Angel or that is what he says." This was all that was needed for her to know that he was waiting for her. Khushi had named her blog as "Angel" initially.
That night Khushi Gupta had decided. Now it was her turn to pull him into her web of magic, just like he had done five years ago. So with a renewed zeal, she slept waiting for her better future with him. But the question that still haunted her was, "Why hasn't he approached me still?"
****************
Arnav looked at the tenth card in anger and annoyance. This person is hell bent on making my life hell, he thought. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He threw the card in sheer irritation. He wanted to burn those cards. This time the person had chosen these words, "Hi handsome! I hope you don't throw me out again too! I would like to say closer to your heart and mess up your brain."
This cheesiness was so not his style. To his pure anger, he didn't know who was sending him those cards. Every time the person sends from a different location and this happens to be that jobless idiot's work!
To his dismay, he got another card which went as follows, "Stop cursing me IPS! Don't you want to meet me? Aww I know you want to. So come to Starbucks at 6 today. Will WAIT for you."
He wanted to go to Starbucks and empty all those cards on the person's head and get away from there. But even if he didn't accept, he was very very curious to know who was sending him those cards.
****************
As the smell of the cocoa waffled through the air, Arnav found himself staring back at her. "Khushi?" He was surprised.
"Hi Arnav", she remarked very casually, as if their meet was the most natural one to occur and it did look like she was waiting for him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Um.. You know they have recently shifted my classes to Starbucks."
"What the! Khushi stop it."
"Well don't you want to see your secret admirer?"
"What? It was you?", he asked her. "Is she for real?", his mind questioned him.
"Yes", she told him. Now Arnav didnt know for which question she had answered. Maybe it was her, but she was not for real. Or maybe she is for real but she didn't send them. Or maybe both.
"Why?", he asked her, finally deciding on his words.
"Interesting question."
"What?", he asked her, still confused.
"Okay.. So Arnav have you forgotten your vocabulary? You know "what", I would love to know "what" will come after your various "whats" and "what" exactly are you implying with every "what" of yours and which "what" do you want me to answer first?"
"What the Khushi?"
"Again what? Seriously Arnav?"
"Maybe we start with why you sent me those cards?"
"You know there is a small story, I wish to tell. There was a boy, who you know loved a girl. But she refused him foolishly and he promised to wait, only to never approach her again. Seems familiar?"
"Khushi stop this. I know what you mean. But what do you expect me to do, when you have been married?"
"What the? I have been married? Whom? Maybe you can identify my husband?", she spoke through gritted teeth.
"You are asking me? Shashank told me you married Arjun Sinha?"
"That was the other Khushi who studied in your branch. You you you... quit talking to me. I did so much for you", she said, pointing at the card and the cake.
"I am leaving and don't you come behind me. Jerk."
And here ended their kahaani.. Phir se! Or did it?
***************
Well no. It didn't and Arnav made sure of this. After all, he didn't become an IPS so easily! But he never in his wildest dreams imagined that Khushi Gupta would go for a complete image make over. "Was she really the shy queen?", he mused. "And cheesy? Khushi and cheesy? When did this even happen?"
"Arnav stop thinking of this and go to her man", his mind scolded him. Of course his mind wanted to have more of happy moments with her. It was frustrated and rightly so since it was forced to play all sad moments and the very same moments again and again. "Oh I need a change too", his mind told his heart.
As Arnav entered Khushi's college, he was surprised too see it decorated completely. And Khushi's cabin was covered with red roses! What the! "It is teacher's day. So we have decorated", told Khushi's students. Phew! He breathed a sigh of relief.
So, he entered her cabin and waited for her. He had very strictly warned anyone from entering. He was an IPS officer, after all!
Just then, Khushi entered like a newly blossomed rose covered in red. He couldn't take his eyes off her and so couldn't Khushi. "Wow", they exclaimed jointly. And their eyes clashed.
"Arnav? What are you doing here?"
"Well I just wanted to end that good, sad story on a positive note", and with that he went down on his knees, grabbing the nearby rose.
"Khushi, I am sorry for misunderstanding and making you wait. I hope you forget that. I have already done this and I am saying it again, I don't know how to do this. I promised to wait and I will. But I hope I can end my wait today. I love you Khushi. Will you marry me?"
"Oh Arnav. I love you too." Khushi ran into Arnav's waiting arms, her earlier anger forgotten. "I was waiting for so long. I am so happy", she chanted it again and again and so did he. He finally got his happiness.
"Arnav, these decorations are awesome. You needn't have taken so much effort. You still remember that Red Roses are my favourite. How sweet. I love you so much."
"Oh anything for you, Khushi."
"Excuse us, ma'am. Can we come in?"
"Yes you may", said Khushi, moving away from Arnav.
"I hope you liked our arrangements and a very very Happy Teacher's Day to our best professor ever."
If looks could kill, Arnav would have been dead and gone.
"I hate you Arnav. You jerk. Get lost!"
"Khushi! Wait let me explain"
**********************
They met on Janmashtami, he proposed on Raksha Bandhan and she accepted on Teacher's Day. This lovable story is bound to bloom and blossom!
Edited by Sadh123 - 9 years ago
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