Please note in this story, Khushi does not know about Shyam's vile attacks on Anjali. Khushi and Arnav were never in touch nor Khushi went to RM for months after Payal's marriage so she is not aware of many things happened.
Thank you for all your comments and likes... Enjoy next chapter...
Chapter 24 - Arnav slowly starts to open up!
"Wow Khushi, Pasta was so yummy... Salad and soup were super too... When did you start cooking Italian?" Arnav was curious. He knew she was an excellent cook as is. So picking new dishes was not at all difficult for her...
"I have learned lot more cooking than just Indian food after being here... I can even cook non-veg though I have not started eating yet. Ananya and Amit both eat non-veg and I have cooked for them like chicken dishes and even shrimp" Khushi told him about her new skills.
"Just great. I would love to try your shrimp or chicken dishes. I know you are one of the best cook so I am looking forward to it. I am sick of eating outside daily for the last two months in Paris" Arnav was eager for homemade dinners, Khushi used to get him home food at times but dinner was always outside...
"Why didn't you tell me before, Laad Governor? Never mind, I will cook daily at home for you" Khushi promised him. Laad Governor, after such a long time... Wow, she was coming around, Arnav could feel...
They were sitting in Arnav's balcony with cups of coffee and tea. The weather was fantastic, not too cold and a clear sky with full of stars shining...
"Khushi, I am sorry about Di's behavior and that you could not continue your trip. It was no way your fault..." Arnav was apologetic.
"Leave it Arnav. I am not at all angry with Di. I totally understand her concern. And you are ok now, is all that matters..." Khushi was very clear.
"Still I am sorry for so many things" Arnav whispered.
None of them talked for few minutes. Just sipping their hot drinks and watching over the beautiful sky...
"I wish the sky was clear like this that night. I wish I had my chance to discuss things with my mom... Things would have been different" Arnav whispered again but loud enough for Khushi to hear.
"Which night?" Khushi asked curiously. She wasn't sure what he wanted to talk about.
"Payal and Akash's wedding night, Khushi!" Arnav was guilty as ever. His voice reflected that.
Suddenly Khushi became stiff. She thought she had come a long way from all those old memories and incidents and was leading a much relaxed and focused life compare to before. But his one sentence forced her to go back in time...
"I don't mean to dig old wounds Khushi. But there are few things you don't know. I really wanted to confide in you during my last visit here, when we talked on your terrace but could not. Please allow me" Arnav literally begged.
She looked into his eyes and realized he was carrying tremendous weight of the past. She had never allowed him to speak. That to some extent explained his weight loss, sleepless nights and stress. She did not want him to suffer anymore. Whatever it is, she will listen. She can handle it as well now, she thought...
"No problem Arnav, I am here for you and I am listening" Khushi waited for him to start.
"Di was my first priority back then and is always, I am not denying it. But in Shyam's case, things were not the same as they looked, they were much more complicated" Arnav started.
"How?" Khushi was curious.
"Di's life was at stake Khushi. In fact two lives, Di herself and her daughter both were at risk" Arnav slowly opened up.
"What?" Khushi was at the edge.
"Yes, DI's car accident due to breaks failure was not an accident but deliberate attempt by Shyam to kill Di and her unborn child. There were additional couple of incidents happened. Once Di was on the pool side and was almost going to get electrocuted when Shyam put an open wire in pool water... Luckily mamaji was passing by, saw the wire in water and he saved her... Then Shyam had bought black poisonous spider and brought it at home, somehow she survived again. Believing that she was sheer lucky all those times sends shivers down my spine every time I think about it!! No one knows this, because we tried to keep it under wraps. I did not want to scare Di during pregnancy..." Arnav was telling Khushi what all had happened in RM during those days.
"What? When and how?" Khushi just stood up not knowing how to react... She never knew this.
"Yes Khushi. Imagine what would have happened if Di was not lucky... I still was stupid enough not to connect the dots and not to think deeper that it could vile attacks on her... I still don't know how to forgive myself for blunder of trusting Shyam and not enquiring properly about him..."
"I was shocked to death after I got the report from private detectives on Shyam three days after Payal and Akash's wedding" Arnav provided her new information...
Khushi's face clearly showed why he did not come to her when he knew she was innocent... Why?
"Khushi, I knew then you were innocent and I hated myself most that day for being so nasty, mean to you... This is another blunder I have to live and regret my whole life... But I still could not come to you..." Arnav confessed.
"But why?" Khushi waited to hear him out...
"If I had my men watching you and Shyam both, even Shyam had his men watching you... If he had got any hints that I knew you were innocent would clearly meant I knew he was the culprit, he would get aggressive. He would attack Di even before I get chance to explain DI what kind of person he was. And if he knew we were together, he would have harmed you too... He had seen my behavior towards you and already guessed that I had fallen in love with you even before I accepted it myself... Plus Di was pregnant in the middle of all this, complicating the situation even more... She had conceived after long time and she was very fragile... I could not afford to put her in emotional trauma immediately back then..." Arnav took a deep break and sipped his coffee.
"So many times I thought to come over to your college and talk. In fact once I drove there but returned after seeing Shyam's men there" Arnav told her...
"It was heartbreaking for me to see you in Shyam's arms on terrace and later you had asked him to divorce Di and leave her... But I did not believe it fully Khushi. Still I had many doubts in my mind and private detectives solved them... But only thing I could not do was to come over and talk to you, apologize to you... I became selfish, Di and her baby's life was at stake... And to some extent, yours too..." Arnav was almost in tears...
"Arnav, it's ok. Relax. Let's talk something else. We are here together so we can always talk later when you feel better..." Khushi was trying to talk him out of this emotional torture for now...
"Not today Khushi, I have waited for too long and paid heavy price for it..." He closed his eyes. The reality hurt him a lot...
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