ArHi FF: Keep Loving Me, Will You? [Complete] - Page 79

Chapter 29: Triangle of Love

"Akash wants to meet you" Khushi murmured the words softly and apprehensively as she lay on the bed next to Payal.

Arnav had dropped her home in the evening and had promised that he will come for dinner to her house the next day. Khushi had smiled and then quickly hugged him goodbye.

After walking inside her house, Khushi had been surprised to find Payal sitting with their parents, her head in Garima's lap while her Babuji was smiling as Payal narrated them about her day at the school.

Seeing Khushi, Payal had smile faintly and Khushi would have smiled back if only she hadn't noticed that the smile quite didn't reach to Payal's eyes.

At the dinner table, Khushi had tried catching Payal's eye several times but Payal had barely looked up from her plate, though she continued to take part in the conversation going on at the table.

Now, as Khushi and Payal lay on the bed, Khushi hadn't known if she should first ask about what was on Payal's mind or if she should tell her about what was on her mind. She had decided to do the latter first, thinking it might spur Payal into telling her about the rest of the things.

After she said the words, she heard Payal inhale a sharp breath.

"Who told you that?" Payal spoke after a few second's silence.

"Arnav. I went to see him today" Khushi replied, looking towards Payal but Payal was looking towards the ceiling, at the moving fan.

"I was hoping you would do that once you had figured out that you cannot live without Arnav. I tried talking to you but you had shut me out" Payal replied, finally looking towards Khushi.

Khushi instantly felt guilty. Payal had tried so many times to talk to her about Arnav but Khushi had refused to say anything more than that it was over between her and Arnav.

"How did you know I'll go and talk to Arnav, Jeeji?" Khushi asked, turning slightly so she could face Payal.

"Because you love him and when someone is in love, the mere thought of spending the whole life without them becomes unbearable. It is only a matter of time before the other reasons become insignificant. Love conquers all..if it is true enough" Payal's words affected Khushi deeply and she realized that's what had exactly happened with her.

One minute, she had been so sure that everything between Arnav and her was gone forever and the next minute she had realized that she couldn't live with that. Despite all the mistakes and heartaches, she had to give herself one last shot at happiness. She had to make sure she had tried her best to get Arnav back before giving into the abyss of pain and loneliness.

And her effort had counted. It had changed so much for her. Arnav had reciprocated her love and had welcomed her back. His love for her was indeed too strong. She will do everything in her might to prove that she deserved him. Starting with trusting him! If Arnav thought that one last meeting between Payal and Akash was going to silent all of this for good, she will talk to Payal about it.

For now, Khushi looked at Payal in awe.

"Is that what you felt for him..for Akash?" Khushi asked her sister.

"I did. But now it seems like that it was years ago" Payal replied and then she looked back at the ceiling.

"I am very happy for you, Khushi. You deserve all the love that is there is in this world. Everything that you did for me..not even a real sister would have done for me" Payal's words were hushed and tears stung Khushi's eyes. It had been years and years since Payal had spoken about this. Never in so many years, had Payal used the word 'real sister'. For Payal, Khushi had always been her sister. She had told Khushi the same when Khushi had arrived in the house.

"I am your elder sister, Khushi, and you're my younger sister. Okay? You have to listen to me all the time and do everything I say. I'll take care of you" Payal had said to her, one afternoon, when Khushi had been teased by one of the colony girls that Payal was her fake sister. From that moment on, Khushi had obeyed her elder sister and Payal had really taken care of her. And when the opportunity presented itself for Khushi to do something for Payal, she had done it, although, in the end she had failed to go through with the act.

"Please, Jeeji. You are my elder sister and I am your younger sister" Khushi replied, holding Payal's hands and gently pressing it. Payal smiled and pressed it back.

"Yes. We are" She replied, and before Khushi could say more, Payal asked Khushi.

"Did Akash say why does he want to meet me?"

Khushi was surprised to see Payal taking the news so calmly. She wondered how she would react when she tells her why Akash wants to meet her. Should she tell Payal?

"I think it is best if you hear it from Akash, Jeeji. He has requested Arnav that he wants to meet you one last time. But, the decision is yours. You can say no and I'll let Arnav know that you don't want to meet Akash" Khushi said, choosing to keep quiet about the marriage portion. It was not her place to tell Payal about it. If only for Arnav, Khushi was willing to give Akash a fair chance to meet Payal and say whatever he wanted to. She will not say or do anything to hinder this.

"Do you think I should meet him?" Payal looked at Khushi.

Khushi shook her head.

"No, I don't want you to meet him, Jeeji. He did awful things to you. He hurt you and made you miserable. But, despite all of this, if you want to meet him, I will understand" Khushi answered and Payal seemed distracted for a second.

"Today, Babuji and Amma came to me with a marriage proposal" Khushi's eyes widened hearing the words from Payal's mouth. Khushi knew that her Babuji was looking for suitable matches for Payal but she had no idea they fix it so soon. Just this afternoon, when Arnav was on his way to drop her home, she had been thinking about suggesting Aman's name to them.

"Marriage proposal? Who is it? Is it Sri Dhar uncle's son?" Khushi asked.

"How do you..Did Babuji tell you?" Payal asked instead and Khushi nodded her head.

"Babuji told me. But he asked me not to tell you anything until things get clearer" Khushi replied, observing Payal in an attempt to gauge her reaction.

Payal slowly nodded her head once and then went back to looking at nothing in particular.

"It doesn't matter. I already said yes. His name is Mukesh and Babuji thinks that he is a good choice for me" Payal replied.

This time it was Khushi's turn to be surprised.

She immediately sat up on the bed, staring at Payal.

"What are you saying, Jeeji? You said yes? How is that possible?" Khushi demanded from Payal, her voice loud thus making Payal cringe.

"Shh. Don't be so loud, Khushi. You'll awaken Amma and Babuji. Talk softly" Payal admonished Khushi.

Khushi scowled but lowered her voice as she asked Payal further, "Why did you agree to the marriage proposal, Jeeji? Why would you do that?"

Payal sat up to on the bed, bringing her knees together and resting her head on them.

"I didn't agree for the marriage per se. I just said I am willing to meet the boy" Payal replied, confused as to why Khushi was acting more distressed than excited. She had assumed this news will cheer up Khushi just as much it had cheered her parents and Buaji.

"Just said? Do you know how big a deal it is to meet a boy, Jeeji? It is a big deal. How can you just agree to that? He is a total stranger. We don't even know what kind of a man he will be" Khushi went on, trying to make Payal see sense.

"Everyone is a stranger before we know them, Khushi. Besides, this will make Amma and Babuji happy. They are very excited about this. Babuji said that..he even talked about my pregnancy to these people. They are still willing to accept me" Payal answered, this time her eyes sad and down casted, which made Khushi angry.

"Stop talking about yourself as if you're some discarded piece of furniture, Jeeji, which these people are willing to accept and use you to decorate their house. You're an independent and strong girl. Anyone will be lucky to have you. And about your pregnancy, Akash broke the trust which you had so slowly developed. It should speak ill of him. Not you, Jeeji. So, please never talk about yourself in that degrading manner" Khushi interjected fiercely, making Payal swallow the lump in her throat and nod.

"Not everyone has the same logical thinking as you do, Khushi. But, I get what you are saying. And, Mukesh is a good person. He and I were in the same class back in Lucknow. Remember?" Payal said.

"I don't care, Jeeji. What I want to know is how can you say yes' to a person you haven't known or met from past ten years when there is a perfectly good option available?" Khushi asked impatiently.

Does Payal not feel anything for Aman at all? She wondered.

"What do you mean, Khushi?" Payal asked, looking at Khushi with confusion.

"I mean there must be several other boys who will be better than Mukesh" Khushi quickly corrected herself. She was in a moral dilemma. Would it be right for her to tell Payal about Aman's feelings? Especially when Aman himself had sounded unsure?

Khushi was getting frustrated with not being able to tell Payal anything.

"I don't know about that, Khushi. Besides, I have agreed to meet Mukesh only because Babuji wants me to. I had no option" Payal replied.

Khushi could understand that but she wanted Payal to know all her options before hurrying into anything.

"So, will you meet Akash?" She asked her.

Payal seemed to consider the question for another two seconds.

"Yes. There are some things that I have to discuss with him" She replied and Khushi nodded. She held herself from saying that she didn't think this was a good idea.

"Is he still in the hospital?" Payal asked Khushi.

"Yes. Arnav said the doctors might discharge him in two or three days" Khushi replied.

"I'll go see him tomorrow" Payal said before she lay down on the bed again.

Khushi followed the suit.

"Aman sir is a very nice person" Khushi commented out of the blue.

She heard Payal take a deep breath at the first mention of his name.

"He is. Do you know he has a six year old daughter?" Payal's voice was suddenly filled with affection while Khushi’s ears perked up.

“Yes, I recently learned he has a daughter. I was shocked for a second when I got to know” Khushi said, not revealing that what had been more shocking was Aman’s admission that he liked Payal.

"I know! I had the same reaction when I saw Aman at the parents-teacher meeting at the school. He never told me. But, Aakriti is a sweetheart. She is a very bright kid and I just can't help but pull her cheeks every time I see her. She doesn't like that and makes a pouty face, but then I tell her she can.." Payal's voice trailed off as she realized that she was talking too excitedly and Khushi was staring at her with an open mouth.

"What?" Payal said, looking away from Khushi to avoid her scrutinizing gaze.

"How do you even know, Aman sir, Jeeji? He never visited the house when I was working at Arnav's office and I never mentioned him too much at the house" Khushi probed.

She watched as Payal drew a long breath before starting the narration of how and when she first met Aman.

~~~

The next morning Arnav reached his office and found a bunch of girls in the waiting section. He frowned and then dialed Aman's number.

"Come to my cabin" He said, only to learn that Aman was already waiting in his cabin.

Arnav dropped the call and briskly walked to his cabin to find Aman there, sitting in one of the chairs.

"What is going on with you, Aman? Who are these girls outside and second of all, what were you thinking calling me on my cell phone and babbling just any random nonsense to Khushi?" Arnav asked straightforwardly, his mood off, as he took his seat and placed his laptop bag atop the table.

"Slow down, ASR! Those girls downstairs have come for the interview" Aman explained, making Arnav further confused.

"What interview?"

"Don't tell me that after your patch up with Khushi, she is going to be working as your PA from Gupta house. You need a new PA. So, as your manager, it was my responsibility to publish a vacancy which I did. You can start interviewing these girls right away or I can do that for you. Also, about the second matter, let's discuss it at the lunch time. Right now, I am loaded with work" Aman said while Arnav kept glaring at his friend.

"I do not need a new PA. Khushi is my PA and she will be back. You can send these girls away. After that, we need to talk. Now" Arnav stated and he noticed how Aman's shoulders slumped, as if he was least interested in the "talk".

Arnav tried not to feel guilty as Aman walked out of the cabin. Being a friend and a brother at the same time was not going to be easy, he told himself. He needed to handle this matter delicately. One wrong decision by anyone was going to disrupt the lives of other people involved. Arnav recalled how enraged Khushi had been when he had told her about what Akash wished to do.

But now, this was made further complicated by Aman's involvement. Arnav hoped Aman would try to understand his situation before he takes any step.

Thinking that, Arnav looked at the files stacked on his table and then sighed. Convincing Khushi to come back to the office was going to be a devil of a job. He'll most probably have to resort to some emotional blackmailing and if she refuses to give into that, he had other ways of convincing her. The thought brought a devious smile up his face and his mind flashed certain memories of the past day, when he had almost kissed her. It had taken a lot of restraint from him to not pull her up against his body and shower her from head to toe with scorching kisses. The thought once again made him want to do the same. Damn! He needed her in his office, working under him.

He reached for his cell phone and then texted her.

"Emergency at the office! Can you come immediately?"

He laughed softly as he imagined Khushi reading the message and jumping to all types of wild conclusions before hurrying to him.

She will come. Arnav knew. It was one of the thousand reasons why he loved her.

"Looks like your mood has skyrocketed to a very happy place" was Aman's comment as he re-entered the cabin and took a seat.

"Love does that to people" Arnav chose the words with a purpose in mind and he watched Aman catch the meaning behind his words.

"Subtlety was never your forte, ASR. I take it you heard everything from Khushi? And before you say anything, I know I messed up. And I am not talking about accidentally telling Khushi about it. I am talking about this whole 'Rabba Ve' thing that has lately started playing in the background every time I see Payal" Aman said, exposing his palms on the table.

"Hey! Don't you dare mention 'Rabba Ve'. That's only for Khushi and me. You can very well go and find your own background tune( 😉). I never should have told you about that part" Arnav scowled, making Aman look at Arnav with an Are you serious' look.

"Fine! I won't. And that's not even the point, ASR. The point is that I can't get Payal out of my thoughts. She is so wonderfully sweet and loving..."

"And pregnant with Akash's child" Arnav added, this time all humor gone from his voice. Aman looked at his friend with the same humorless eyes.

"That doesn't matter to me" He replied.

"It matters to Akash. He is planning to propose marriage to Payal" Arnav dropped the bomb on Aman, rendering him silent for a second before Aman fisted his hands.

"You told me you went to Akash to make sure he will never bother her again. And now you're telling me that bas***d brother of yours wants to marry Payal? Are you kidding me, ASR?" Aman exploded in an instant.

"AMAN! I understand that the news is upsetting to you but Akash is still my brother. Don't talk so harshly of him" Arnav warned, making Aman laugh.

"Really, ASR? He is your brother? The man who plotted against you, the man who sided with his despicable father and then risked Khushi's life? That man is your brother? What about me, huh? Didn't you once tell me that I was your brother? Or were those just empty words? You're willing to forgive Akash because he took a bullet for you? I would have done the same for you and you know it. But that's not what this is about! This is about Payal. She doesn't belong with that monster you call your brother. She will make her own choice and I am dead sure that choice will never be Akash" Aman continued, each word more forced and angrier than the last, while he glared at Arnav.

Arnav simply stared back at his friend with a composed face and said, "Are you done? If yes, then simmer down and let us discuss this like adults instead of flinging accusations at each other".

Aman said nothing and Arnav took that as the cue to go on.

"You are as much of a brother to me as Akash is. You better remember that for future reference because I won't be repeating it a third time and if you ever again bring this whole 'I am not your brother thing' up I'll personally kick your ass. Got it? Now, I am not here to make decisions for anyone. Payal, Akash and you are adults. All of you can choose what is best for you. While me? I can and I will help only passively, because there is no way in hell I want to jeopardize what I have with Khushi, because of the pickle that the three of you have created. Call this a little selfish, but all you can expect from me in this case is some advice. And that's what I am doing right now. I am simply telling you what is up on Akash's front. Akash says he has changed and I am trying to believe him, give him a fair, second chance. He wants to meet Payal once and then it will be Payal's call if she wants to be with Akash again or not. You, on the other hand, told me that you and Payal were just friends and the very next day you call on my phone and say you like Payal. What am I supposed to do? And now that we have broached the topic, tell me what is going on. Do you really like Payal?" Arnav asked Aman who had calmed down hearing Arnav's words and looked morose.

He leaned back on his chair and interlocked his fingers.

"I didn't plan on it. I just..started liking her. She's a very simple girl with simple values. From what I know, for her, love is a sweet affliction that two people share and shoulder. Once, I thought the same about love. But, after Shweta left, love was just a one-sided burden to me, one that weighed me down, painfully slowing me at ever corner of life. I see the same with Payal. She's been burned by love. I know what that feels like. The scars never heal completely. They remain behind and hurt so very often. Every happy moment is incomplete because we wish we had that person to share our happiness with. Every sadness is multiplied because there was a person who had once promised to stand by us. I know you must be thinking that this is pathetic. But, that's the truth, Arnav. And ever since I have met Payal, I have felt my life taking a happy turn. There's a silver lining and Payal is it. I no longer feel burdened by Shweta's loss because I knew it was that loss which led me to Payal. Now, I wish to make her feel the same way. I want her to move on from her pain and find someone. Someone who will heal her heart and treat her the way she deserves to be treated. Like a brave heart doll, a strong, confident woman"

"By any chance that someone is you?" Arnav asked, looking at Aman who was clearly thinking of Payal in the silence of the room that had settled after Aman's monologue.

"If Payal wishes to. But it most certainly isn't Akash" Aman added.

"So, you and I both agree that the ball is in Payal's court?" Arnav asked.

"I agree that the ball isn't in Akash's court and he damn not try to wreck Payal once again. Because, if he does, he'll have me to deal with him, and I am not his brother to show him any consideration" Aman replied.

"As you wish, Rambo! Now, help me get Khushi back to office if you want my consideration" Arnav replied, which dissipated the tension from Aman's words and he rolled his eyes.

"She's your girl. Why not just tell her that you want her back in the office and she'll join back" Aman said.

"Clearly you don't know the package that Khushi Kumari Gupta is! Just yesterday, she was ready to blow my head off because I told her about Akash wanting to meet Payal. She's no less crazy than you are! Sometimes, I feel like I am the only sane person here" Arnav replied.

"Keep telling yourself that, ASR. We won't burst your bubble by telling you otherwise" Aman stated, holding in his laugh.

"Did I ever tell you that you're a jerk?" Arnav said.

"Plenty of times, my friend" Aman replied, getting up from his seat.

"Let me know what I need to do to bring Khushi back. It will be nice to have at least one person around who is on my side" Aman grinned.

~~~

Khushi walked through the gates of the office. She had expected to feel anxious and uneasy given what she had encountered here the last time, but somehow knowing that Girish Sharma was rotting behind the bars, and Akash was still in the hospital, Khushi didn't feel too anxious. In fact, she felt a little guilty for rejoicing about the fate of the two men who had caused her harm, more so about Akash.

She had been given a second chance by Arnav, so Khushi had decided to at least consider giving Akash a second chance, which meant telling Akash to stay away from her. She didn't want to be around him.

Keeping away those thoughts, Khushi once again wondered what could be the emergency. Arnav had been too vague in the text message and when Khushi had called him to ask further, he had refused to tell her anything over the phone.

"Come to the office" He had said.

So, here she was.

Khushi noticed the guards at the front door and found new faces. So, Arnav had fired the previous ones and she hoped that was all he had done to them.

She walked into the main building and was headed for Arnav's cabin when she noticed Aman standing near the stairs. He looked distressed.

"Good afternoon, Aman sir" She wished him and Aman looked at her.

"Good afternoon, Khushi. And I know yesterday I pretended that we didn't have an awkward phone call, but I still meant it when I said you don't have to call me sir, Khushi. You don't work here anymore, so no formalities. Also, judging by the mayhem that is afoot in this office, I am sure pretty soon I too won't be working here" Aman added the last bit, once again going back to sounding distressed.

Khushi's face grew alarmed and concerned at once.

"Why? What's wrong, Aman si..Aman ji' Khushi asked, looking around the office and then towards Arnav's cabin. The office staff was doing its work like they used to. Everything seemed normal.

"It's ASR. I think he has gone nuts. Just this morning, he told me that he wants to start working from home and that I'll have to manage the entire office work. Can you believe it?" Aman said with exaggerated effect.

"What? Why will Arnav do that? He must have meant temporarily, Amanji" Khushi tried to reason with Aman who shook his head.

"Not temporarily. For unspecified period of time! I cannot handle his sudden mood swaps anymore. It's like he's lost his mind. Yes, why not? Which other businessman would think of such heresy without any proper reason" Aman continued, unaware that he was overselling his performance.

Khushi could sense that something was amiss but she wasn't going to get any answers until she meets Arnav.

But, there were some things she wanted to say to Aman too.

Deciding she'll deal with Arnav first, she said, "I'll go check on him".

Aman nodded his head and then went his way.

Khushi looked around the office one more time. She missed being here. This was where she had first met Arnav, and despite her staged entry in Arnav's life, from the first glance she had found him intriguing. He had a pull on her. All her efforts to stay away from him had been in vain and she had ended falling hopelessly in love with this beautiful man.

Sighing, she moved towards Arnav's cabin and knocked.

"You don't have to knock, Khushi" came his answer and she smiled knowing he knew it was her.

"Still, it is polite to knock. Now, what's so urge.." Walking inside, Khushi could barely finish her words before Arnav pounced on her, pulling her towards him by her waist and then silencing her mouth with his own.

He kissed her hungrily; all thoughts of restraint and taking it slow going up in flames.

She gasped at the sudden onslaught and slowly gained her footing. Her heart fluttered wildly and her body was flooded with desires when Arnav nibbled at her bottom lip.

"I needed you" He spoke gutturally, letting his lips ravish hers.

Khushi stifled a moan and grabbed tightly at his arms.

She felt Arnav's muscles tense under her touch and he let that out by bringing his tongue to action. He softly roamed it over her lips and Khushi thought she was going to crumble into pieces.

This love was so passionate and consuming.

"I need you here. At the office! Working for me" Arnav continued, his hand now playing with her waist, moving towards her behind, while his lips continued kissing her jaw, her neck.

Khushi's fogged brain took some seconds to process his words and when it did she immediately pulled back from him.

"What?" She breathed, while her gaze was still fixed on his lips which looked just as swollen as hers felt. She blushed on the inside while trying to keep her head clear.

"You heard me, Khushi" He said taking another step towards her, and bringing a thumb to her lips. He used the thumb to rub the moisture off her lips.

"I want you here with me in the office"

"No" came Khushi's answer, making Arnav's hand move back from her face.

So, he was right. This was going to be a devil of a job.

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