Love - Its Complicated! 26th Mar: Chapter 10 (E) is up on Page 71! - Page 38

CHAPTER 10 (B). BROKEN HEART, CONFUSED MIND!

For a second there was silence and then tinkling was heard and Maan turned to see his sister run up the stairs. Maan sat down on a chair in shock. Geet sighed as she took in Maan's expression. Oh Maan! What have you done! You let your anger rule you! And now you are regretting it!

Geet headed towards Maan and sat on the arm of Maan's chair. She gently placed her hand on his, trying to comfort him through her actions. For a while there was silence. And then Maan spoke up with anguish in his voice, "I didn't want things to go this way Geet!", he lifted his head up and looked at Geet pleadingly, "I didn't want things to go this way!"

Geet pulled Maan close and hugged him. Maan hugged her back, soaking up the comfort she was giving him. He pulled away and sighed, "But what else was I supposed to do?" He looked down at his hands remembering the blows he had dealt Arnav, "For Khushi and Arnav, his treatment towards her was old news. It was water under the bridge. But for me? It was new! And the hurt and pain I felt for my sister was new and all I wanted to do was hurt the person who hurt my baby sister! And when Arnav came, I simply couldn't stop myself. For Arnav and Khushi, the cruel treatment happened a year back. And Arnav might have started treating Khushi better now. But for me, seeing Khushi's tears, it felt like it happened right now and I couldn't stop myself from pummelling Arnav when he came in front of me!"

Geet smiled sadly, "You were angry at yourself Maan!" Maan looked up in shock and Geet nodded, "Haan Maan! You were angry because you couldn't protect your sister when she needed you. So when Arnav arrived, your anger found its target!"

Maan sighed as he reluctantly nodded, "You might be right!"

"Might be?", Geet was amused.

Maan chuckled, "Ok! Fine! You are right!", then he sobered up, "You know Geet, I may have fought with Arnav at that moment but I swear Geet, once my anger would have cooled down, I would have gone and asked forgiveness from Arnav and asked Naani to get Arnav and Khushi married legally. I swear Geet, once our angers had cooled down, I would have gone and sorted things out! I never would have thrown their unregistered marriage at Arnav's face in such a manner. I would have never let Khushi know about it or let Arnav be reminded about it! I would have simply asked for a proper marriage with rituals citing that I want to see my sister get married and let their marriage be legalised without them knowing about it. But..." Maan shook his head, "But then Arnav had to go and drag Khushi with him, taking her away from me. And that moment all I could feel was that Arnav was taking away my little sister." Maan looked up with painful expression, "I just found her Geet! I just found her! And there was this guy who comes and tries to take her away? And not only that, he even orders her to never meet us! At that moment, panic gripped me and I used the only weapon I had in my hand. Their unregistered marriage! I separated them and now I don't know what to do!"

Maan took a deep breath, "I feel so guilty Geet! I wish I hadn't let things get out of hand. And now my sister's heart is broken because she came to know that the marriage she believed in had no value in real world. Her marriage had no identity and that was only another wound to her already wounded soul! I broke my sister's heart Geet! I inflicted another wound on her! I feel so guilty Geet! So guilty!"

Geet huffed, "Don't!"

Maan looked up in curiosity and Geet continued, "You don't need to feel guilty! You didn't do anything wrong. They may love each other now but the way Arnav treated Khushi when they met first time proves that Arnav is selfish and arrogant. Even today he acted only in his interests and didn't think once what Khushi wanted. Do you seriously want Khushi to be with such a man? Arnav doesn't deserve Khushi. Unless he got down his high horse and respects her, we did the right thing by separating them."

Maan sighed as he contemplated what Geet said. Geet let him think and after few minutes, she suggested they go and check on Khushi and Maan agreed.

Khushi ran into her room and closed the door. She fell on her bed and started sobbing. Today she got so many shocks that she didn't know how to react. All she could do was sob as the last news she got turned her world upside down. For last few days, after getting shocks after shocks, the only thing that kept her grounded was the fact that she was married to Arnav, the person she loved. And today she was told that even her marriage was a lie. Just then she heard her Bhaiyya and Bhabhi calling for her and she did what she always did. She wiped her tears and plastered a smile on her face. With a polite smile on her lips, she opened the door.

The moment Khushi opened the door, Maan surged forward and hugged her tightly, "I am sorry Khushi! I sorry for the decision I took in my anger!" Khushi pulled away and huffed, "Bhaiyya! Humein poora bharosa hai aap pe! Humein pata hai! Ki humaare Bhaiyya humaare liye jo bhi faisla lenge woh sahi lenge! (I trust you fully! I know! That whatever decision my Bhaiyya will take for me will always be right!)"

Geet's jaw dropped open as she looked from her husband to Khushi as the brother hugged his sister and thanked her for not being angry at him. Her incredulousness gave way to anger and she grabbed Khushi and pulled her away from Maan.

"STOP IT KHUSHI!", Geet shouted and Maan looked at Geet in shock. Khushi looked stupefied. Geet grabbed Khushi by her arms gently but firmly and glared at her, "Stop hiding behind your fake smiles Khushi! Yeh jhoota dikhaava band karo! You loved Arnav! You were happy that you were married to him! And now you get the news that the marriage was fake and also that your brother threw him out of your life! How can you be so calm and cool after what happened to you? Stop hiding Khushi! Stop it! If you love your family, if you love us, you should show us your true feelings and not try to compromise with every decision we make!", by the end of her monologue Geet was pleading.

Khushi looked at her Bhabhi in shock and before she knew it her shock gave way to anger. She didn't know from where the bitterness inside her surged forward. She had always hid her true feelings from everybody. Infact, it had become second nature for her. But now suddenly being told to tell the truth, the dam holding her emotions at bay broke and she let out her anger loose.

Khushi pushed Geet's hands away roughly and snarled, "NAHI! HUM KHUSH NAHI HAI! Hum Khushi nahi hai! Kyunki hum Arnavji se pyaar karte hain! (NO! I AM NOT HAPPY! I am not happy! Because I love Arnavji!)", she fell down on her knees as she sobbed out, "Hum Arnavji se pyaar karte hain! (I love Arnavji!)"

Maan was aghast. He couldn't see his sister cry. He wanted to make her happy. And he knew exactly what to do. "Khushi! Khushi don't cry!" Maan crumbled to his knees and gathered his sobbing sister in his arms. "Don't worry! I will make everything alright! I will go and meet Arnav. I will beg him to forgive me! I will do it right away!" he pulled away and stood up.

"You will do no such thing!", Geet announced making Maan and Khushi look at her.

Geet shook her head and looked at Maan accusingly, "Once again you are making decision for Khushi! First you decided to separate them without consulting her and now you are ready to beg Arnav without asking Khushi if that is what she wants!" Maan looked down in shame but Geet was not done.

"This is why your father lost his sister!", Geet snarled and Maan took a step back in shock. Geet continued, "Nandini Buaji loved a wrong man, yes! But it was her decision! Pappaji refused to accept that and asked Buaji to choose his way or highway! But of course, Buaji was a Khurana too! Stubborness run in your bloods! She chose her way!" Geet huffed, "If Pappaji had accepted her decision to marry the goon, then the second trouble was stirring, she would have contacted Pappaji! But by not accepting her decision and trying to make decision for her, he burned the bridge between them and she had no option than to bear the pain. Infact, it hadn't been for Khushi, Buaji would never have contacted Pappaji!"

Maan stumbled back in shock and sat on the bed with thump. He never realised how high handed he was behaving. Geet was right! He was making decisions for Khushi the way his Dad did for his Bui.

Geet delivered her final words, "Khushi may not be her mother Maan! And right now she may quietly accept your decisions. But I warn you Maan! One day will come when she will resent you for making the decision for her. And that day you will loose your Khushi forever!"

Khushi looked down tearfully as she remembered the story Geet had narrated about her parents. Her sisters were killed, Bhabhi had said. What kind of father allowed that to happen? Khushi wondered.

Humaare Bauji kitne bure insaan the! (My father was such a bad man!) Khushi didn't realise that she had blurted it out loud. Maan knelt down and hugged her, "And this is why I am scared to send you with Arnav! Because he has been cruel to you once!"

"Lekin Arnavji waise nahi hai... (But Arnavji is not like that...)", Khushi blurted out as she pushed her brother away.

Geet spoke up, "Khushi! We know! Arnavji tumhaare Pappaji jaise nahi hai! Lekin yeh baat bhi toh sach hai ki unhonein tumhaare saath bahut bura bartaav kiya tha jab tum dono pehli baar mile the! Kaun sa sajjan insaan aisa vyavhaar karta hai bhala? (Arnavji is not your Pappaji! But it is also true that he behaved very badly with you when you two met first! Which gentleman behaves like this?)"

Khushi looked down sadly. Her Bhabhi was right! But Arnavji... her mind flashed to some tender moments she shared with Arnav... woh itne bure nahi hain! (He is not that bad!)

Geet noticed the confusion on Khushi's face and realised that Khushi didn't understand why Maan and Geet were not approving Arnav. Geet understood that due to Khushi's low self-esteem and blind love for Arnav, Khushi was not seeing the reality. She indicated Maan to move away and then sat down beside Khushi.

"Khushi! Main aur Maan jaante hain! Tumhaare Arnavji bure nahi hain! (Khushi! I an Maan know! Your Arnavji is not bad!)", Geet gently spoke and Khushi looked at her. "Lekin Khushi! Hum dono yeh bhi nahi bhool sakte ki Arnavji ne tere saath bahut bura bartaav kiya hai! (But Khushi! We two cannot forget how badly Arnavji behaved with you!)" She waited a second to let Khushi digest her words before she spoke up, "Aur Khushi, hum yeh sab bhool bhi sakte hain! Kyunki bhale hi Arnavji ghamandi aur ghussail hain lekin woh tumse pyaar karte hain! Aur tum usse! Aur sachcha pyaar iss duniya mein milna bahut mushkil hai! Aur agar tum khush ho unke saath, toh hum bhi tumhaare liye khush hai! Lekin Khushi, ek sach baat bataao! Kya tumne Arnavji ko maaf kiya? Woh tumhein itni achchi tarah se jaan ne ke baad bhi tumse apne nirdosh hone ka saboot maanga tha unhonein! Kya tumne uske liye unhein maaf kiya? Kya tumse jabardasti shaadi karne ki baat kehkar tumhaara jo dil dukhaaya hai Arnavji ne kya uss dard se tum baahar nikli ho? (And Khushi, we can even forget all this! Because Arnavji might be angry and arrogant but he loves you! And you him! And finding true love in this world is really hard! And if you are happy with him, then we are also happy for you! But Khushi, tell me truthfully one thing! Have you ever forgiven Arnavji? He knew you so well and yet he asked you the proof of your innocence! Have you forgiven him for that? He almost blackmailed you into marrying him and broke you heart, have you ever gotten over that pain?)"

Khushi simply looked down. She didn't have an answer. Being made homeless by Anjali and her Amma and Buaji and then coming to know about her real family and meeting had made her forget the way Arnav had married her. She never had the chance to sit down and think about how Arnav had married her and didn't seem to trust her. And now that she thought about it, it did hurt that Arnavji didn't trust her. They knew each other for a while. He knew about her enough that he should know that she is not home wrecker! Then why he didn't trust her? Why did he believe Shyamji and didn't ask her, her side of story? A tear trickled down her cheek as she realised that her Bhabhi was right. She was hurt by Arnav's actions! And as usual she was about to push them under the carpet and move on! But what else was she supposed to do? That's what she did always! She didn't know what else to do! Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as the hurt she felt at Arnav's actions came to fore.

Geet let out a sigh of relief. Going by Khushi's expression, she had gotten through her. She spoke up, "Khushi! Tum jo bhi decision logi, woh humein manjoor hai! (Khushi! Whatever decision you take, we will accept it!)" Khushi looked at her Bhabhi in confusion. Decision? What decision? Isn't it obvious that Maan didn't want her to be with Arnav because he didn't trust her? Geet smiled, "Agar tum Arnavji se shaadi karna chaahti ho toh kar sakti ho! Maan aur mujhe koi aitraaz nahi hoga! (If you want to marry Arnavji, then you can marry! Maan and I won't be against it!)" Khushi frowned and looked at Maan who nodded. Geet continued, "Kyunki hum jaante hain tum unse pyaar karti ho! Lekin Khushi, yeh baat bhi samajh lo ki shaadi mein bahut mehnat lagti hai! Pyaar se shaadi zinda nahi rehta! Ijjat aur vishwas bhi chaahiye! Un dono ke baghair shaadi ek mazaak banke reh jaati hai! Aur mujhe aur tumhaare Bhaiyya ko nahi lagta ki Arnav ne tumhein kabhi ijjat di ya tumhaara kabhi vishwas kiya hai! Warna aaj tum iss situation mein hoti hi nahi! (Because we know you love her! But Khushi, understand this too that marriage takes effort! Love doesn't keep marriage alive alone! Respect and trust is also needed! Without them, marriage becomes a joke! And I and your Bhaiyya don't think that Arnav ever respected you or trusted you! Or else today you wouldn't have been in this situation!)"

Khushi pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them as she thought about what Geet said. Geet was right, she realised. Arnav didn't respect her! Or else he would have never thought or planned to forcefully marry her! And he definitely didn't trust her! He didn't even give her benefit of doubt and asked her to tell him her side of story!

Geet spoke up, "Ab tum jaan chuki ho ki Maan aur main kya sochte hain! Lekin ab tumhaari baari hai! Ab tumhein sochna hai aur decision lena hai! (Now you know what Maan and I think! Now its your turn! Now you have to think and take decision!)"

Khushi frowned. Decision? What decision? Didn't they just tell her that Arnav is not right for her? Then what decision she has to take? She looked from Geet to Maan in confusion. Maan smiled at her. He kneeled down in front of her and grasped both her hands in his gently.

"Meri pyaari Happy! Main tumhein khona nahi chaahta! I don't want to loose you the way my dad lost Bui! You are my life! If you want Arnav, I will do anything and everything to bring him back to you! Geet and I will do whatever we can to get you and Arnav together! So it is your decision! But think carefully before you make your decision. That's all we ask! Think and do what is right for you! Not for me or Geet or even Arnav! Think about yourself! Do whatever you want! Don't do what we expect from you! We shall support you with whatever decision you take! Now it is upto you! Chalo Geet!" Geet nodded as Maan got up. He helped her up and both walked away. Khushi watched their retreating backs with blank expression.

As they left her room, Khushi looked down at her hands in shock. For once in her life, she had no idea what to do. Her whole life, someone else made the decisions for her and she followed them. Her Amma told her not to study higher. She followed the decision and killed her dreams of studying further. Her Buaji told her to marry Shyam and she said yes to that too. Arnavji asked her to marry him to prove her innocence, she quietly did that too. All her life, she took decisions based on what people wanted from her and what was good for her family. And now suddenly she was supposed to decide for herself! She was only nineteen for crying out loud. How was she supposed to take a big decision like this? On one side was the man she loved but on the other side, he never respected her or trusted her. Her mind went to the hisaab barabaar kisses, the sizzling dance on Teri Meri, his flirting. It was obvious he felt something for her. But then once Shyamji said she was his love, Arnavji believed him. That's it! Is that all he knew her? Kya aap itna hi humein jaan sake Arnavji? She remembered the other component necessary to make a marriage successful. Ijjat! (Respect!) Khushi let out a mirthless chuckle. Ijjat? Woh kya hai Khushi? Agar Arnavji thoda sab hi humein ijjat karte toh Shyamji se affair ki ghatiya baat karte hi nahi! Aur humse Jiji ka vaasta dekar toh shaadi karne ki sochte bhi nahi! (Respect? What is that Khushi? If Arnavji respected me even a little, then he would have never talked about me having affair with Shyamji! And he wouldn't have even thought of blackmailing me to marry him by threatening my sister's marriage!) She wiped her tears as she realised that yes, she was hurt by Arnav's actions. Khushi didn't know she was this hurt by Arnav's actions till Geet opened her eyes to it.

Khushi's mind went back to the turmoil she was facing now. Hum kya karein Devi Maiyya! Humein bataayiye! Ek taraf yeh sachchai hai ki Arnavji na humpe vishwaas karte hain aur na hi ijjat! Toh agar kal kisi ne bol diya ki humaara uske saath affair chaalu hai toh Arnavji kya uspe vishwaas kar lenge? Humein iss baat ka darr zindagi bhar rahega! Aur hum har waqt yahi sochte rahenge ki kab koi naya toofan aayega aur yeh humpe phir se avishwaas karenge! (What should I do Devi Maiyya! Tell me! One side there is the truth that Arnavji doesn't trust me or respect me! So if tomorrow somebody said I had an affair with them, will Arnavji believe that person too? I will be worried over this matter my whole life! And I will keep on thinking when the next storm will come and he will start distrusting me again!) But then she sighed. Lekin yeh baat bhi sach hai ki hum unse pyaar karte hai! Hum unse kaise door rahein! Unke saath rahe toh darr darr ke jeeyenge aur unke baghair jeeye toh mar marke jeeyenge! Bataao Devi Maiyya! Hum yeh nirnay kaise lein? Kyunki koi bhi nirnay hum lein, nuksaan toh humaara hi hai! (But it is also the truth that I love him! How can I stay away from him! If I lived with him I will live my whole life scared and if I lived without him then I will die every second! Answer Devi Maiyya! How am I supposed to make such decision? Because whatever decision I take, I will be the loser!) She started sobbing again!

Eeps! I can see the chappals heading towards me!

But wait! They will get back together soon! Just need to make Arnav realise his folly and then they will get back together! Promise!

See you soon,

Kalpana

(Runs away very fast!)