Arshi SS - Chrysalis - Completed - Epilogue up 4/19/18 - Page 7

Chapter 3

Khushi sank down the bathroom floor giving in to the tears and silent sobs that wracked her slender body. Pamela and Simran who had been the bathroom as Khushi came rushing in surrounded her, alarmed at her state as they saw her sink down to the bathroom floor. Their, "Khushi what happened? " went unanswered as Khushi barely heard them, so caught up she was, in what had just passed between her and Arnav. She did not remember anyone else being in the room nor did it seem to matter in that moment.

He still hated her...she still disgusted him was all that she could think.

She stiffened as she heard a cold

"Get out! " delivered in a tone that brooked no argument.

"But...but...this is the ladies room... said Pamela in quavery voice

"Get the hell out! " was the reply that came with just enough of a threat in it to hasten them towards the door.

She was still silent as she felt him sink down to the bathroom floor. Nothing but her occasional sniffles were the only sounds between them as he struggled to digest what he had been just told and wondered from where he should start. God! He had been such a righteous prick! How could he even begin to explain what he felt when he saw her? He needed to grovel and he would. He would do whatever it took.

Softly, for the very first time in their checkered history, he let what he truly felt resonate in his voice as he said

"Khushi, I'm so sorry!

She still didn't make any sound, nor did she acknowledge him, turning her face away wiping her tears with her hands. He sighed and got up silently. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spied him getting a few paper towels and extend it to her. She took the towels out of his hand still refusing to look at him. He sat beside her again and looked at her willing her to look at him.

"Khushi, please, look at me he said, his voice breaking a little.

She sniffed a little and then in a gesture that bespoke the innocence of a child, she shook her head indicating her unwillingness to look at him. The gesture was so innocuous, so at odds with the seriousness of their situation that he couldn't help the soft bark of a laugh that escaped him. She looked at him then, her gaze startled, as though she couldn't believe her ears. Suddenly, her mind registered where and how they were sitting and she felt herself giggle, the sound echoing through the enclosed space. The giggle turned into a full fledged laugh as she saw the eyebrow raise up to meet the hairline. His husky, bewildered

"What? " brought forth another laughing fit.

"The prim and proper Arnav Singh Raizada sitting on the floor, in the ladies bathroom?! Oh how I wish the uncles and aunties of our neighborhood could see this!! she said finally as she caught her breath.

He smiled at her explanation first, then laughed out loud, the humor in the situation tickling his funny bone. His laughter sent her into peals of laughter again, the sound of which could be heard outside. The crowd that had gathered outside the bathroom looked around at each other, every face reflecting the bafflement they felt on hearing laughter instead of the angry voices they had expected.

Finally, the laughter subsided into faint chuckles before stopping fully. In a moment of perfect understanding, their eyes caught and held. He looked deep into her eyes, with every bit of regret he felt showing, he said

"I am so sorry Khushi...I really did not know...if I had known, I would have never...It was really unprofessional...and chauvinistic...I swear I am not like that...I have never, ever thought..I never know how to react when... " he stopped, suddenly flustered, this was not the time to explain...and how to explain something he barely understood himself?

"It's okay..I know you did not know.. she said looking away.

He looked at her like he wanted to ask something but suddenly as though he remembered something, he got up like a shot.

"God! You are...you are pregnant and you...you are sitting on the bathroom floor!! Get up, please, this..this can't be good for you! He had gotten hold of her arm and was trying to pull her up.

"Slowly...are you...are you feeling okay? he asked, displaying so much concern for her so suddenly that she looked at him in shock, trying to process the shift in their dynamics.

"What?! What's wrong? "

She shook her head trying to clear the sudden buzzing that filled her ears. She stood there mute, looking at him till he began to panic in earnest.

"Khushi, tell me, is something wrong? " the terror in his voice shook her out of her daze and she hastily replied.

"No..no..I am fine..just.. " the roughness in her voice due to her bout of crying made him feel even more guilty. There were so many questions in his mind but he did not feel entitled to ask her anything. Abruptly, he felt ill at ease and unsure of how he should behave. Should he act as though everything between them was fine? Or should he go back to being aloof? He ran a hand through his hair, wondering why everything was so complicated.

"Ummm...I guess we should head out before they send a search party in for us " he said trying to fill the silence between them.

Khushi gazed at him for a moment longer than required then nodded her acquiescence. He took a step away when he heard her call

"Arnav "

He turned to see her holding her hand out

"Friends? " she asked, her eyes filled with hope and something he could not clearly see.

He felt his lips curve up in a smile and a feeling of relief fill him as he held her hand in a firm clasp.

"Friends

*

Arnav cursed blue as he heard Lavanya's voice as he entered his house late in the evening. He had been looking forward to a quiet evening with his thoughts. His mother hadn't let him have a moment's respite since he had evaded her questions the first day he came back after meeting everyone at work.

"Arnav, is this the way to behave? I specifically invited Lavanya so that you could spend some time with her. If you don't talk to her, how will you know whether you both are compatible or not? " She had complained. Arnav hadn't really felt like explaining anything to her...and even if he had to explain, what could he have said? That he was still caught up in a half-finished dream he had six years back? Well, he could have told her that he wasn't interested in marriage but that would have raised uncomfortable questions about why he was not interested in marriage. He had told her that he wasn't interested in marrying right now, but she had come up with a solution for that too. An engagement ceremony and the marriage when he was ready. Ultimately, he had taken to avoiding the subject as much as he could, but in vain as during the two weeks that followed, she had enlisted Anjali's assistance and had Lavanya over almost every other day on some pretext or the other.

He swore again as he braced himself for another round of being at the receiving end of soft stares from under the lashes. He was being a moron, he knew. It wasn't Lavanya's fault that he wasn't interested. He had always known that she carried a torch for him but had assumed that if he didn't show any interest, she would understand. He hadn't counted on both his mother and sister pushing for the very thing he wasn't prepared for.

Today he would put a stop to this, he vowed. Today, he would somehow tell Lavanya that he wasn't interested in marriage.

As he sat down to dinner, he remembered the lunch from two weeks ago where they had all been seated in almost exactly the same positions as today. His dad's enigmatic statement from that day came to mind and suddenly he needed to make sure.

"Papa, that girl...the one whose lawyer you are helping out, that girl is...Kh...Khushi?
"

Naveen looked at his son for a moment and wondered how much he should reveal. When Vikas had spoken to him about Khushi, he had been shocked to see the young girl who always had brought a secret smile on his face with her antics receive such treatment from faceless people. As a father of a young woman, he had shuddered in pain even as anger that in this day and age, there were still people with such redundant ideas. Her shocked pale face stayed with him long after she had left his office and he had vowed to do whatever it took to help her out. It was just too bad that she had decided not to press criminal charges. He could have had those bas***ds behind bars for a long time!

"Khushi? What happened to her? Is she okay? I thought she was happy in her in-laws. Shipra, before she left for the US had been singing praises sky high about Khushi's husband and in-laws Arunima's voice held a mixture of worry and surprise.

Naveen ignored Anrunima and focused instead on Arnav's question.

"How much do you know, beta? " he asked his son

"Nothing much...just that...that she is separated and that her hus...husband and in-laws were monsters... replied Arnav, the disgust and something else in his voice sending alarm racing through everyone around the table, for completely different reasons.

While Anjali, Aurnima and Dadi were concerned about the girl who grew up before their eyes, Lavanya had jitters slither up her spine at the slight inflection she heard in his voice, when Arnav had said Khushi's name. A long forgotten thought wormed its way through memory causing a burn in the region of her heart.

Naveen took his time before answering as though weighing in how much he should reveal. The revulsion he had for Khushi's in-laws was nothing compared to the abhorrence in which he held her parents. Deciding to forgo any discussions regarding them, he focused on getting the bare facts out.

" Khushi's husband, at the insistence of his parents or acting on his own, I am not sure which, with the help of her doctor had performed sex detection tests on the babies Khushi carried without her knowledge. When they came to know that the babies were girls, they administered a drug, again without her being aware to..you know he was not able to complete it. His pressure shot up every time he thought about it.

"It happened three times. " he said and stopped as he waited for them the digest what they had heard.

"But, how could they do it? It is attempted murder right? I mean, they can determine the sex of the baby only at twenty weeks and at that stage, it must have been dangerous to abort, right? It should be an attempt to murder case!! " exclaimed Arunima, aghast at the thought of a girl the same age as her daughter, going through something so terrible. The fact that in spite of all measures taken by the government, things like this still happened, made her curse the futileness of law.

"Science has made it simpler for things like this to happen. These days you can get to know the sex of the baby in as early as eleven weeks. Anyways, this could be a criminal case, but Khushi doesn't want to press charges. " said Naveen.

As expected, there were a flurry of questions which then veered to the various punishments that should be meted out to them. In all this, he was cognizant of the fact that Arnav hadn't really said anything, but seemed lost somewhere, the torment in his eyes telling their own story, till a quiet statement from Lavanya seemed to shake him out of his reverie.

"Karma is a bitch!! Lavanya hadn't meant to say that out loud. She too had noticed the silent agony Arnav had seemed to be in. The flame in her heart had burned a little brighter. The hatred she bore for the girl from college combined with the surety that she was losing her dream man to that very girl made her lose every semblance of humanity. When she realized that she had voiced her thoughts, she scrambled to make amends.

"I mean, you remember Anju, how terrible she was to us in college? You in particular. She never let go of an opportunity to torment you, right?

She stole a glance at Arnav only to quail at the ice she saw in his eyes. In desperation she looked around to the table to see various degrees of shock and disappointment etched on everyone's face.

"Yes, yes, she troubled us a lot. She made fun of the way I dressed, in those long skirts or loose pants, with my legs always covered, of how I behaved, my perpetually tear- filled eyes, even the way my brother always came to my rescue, ...but you know what? " she paused for a minute

" she has never, ever, even once made fun of my physical handicap or treated me differently because of that. It was almost as though she never noticed that I limped. said Anjali, her tone conveying her disgust and dismay at her friend's thoughts.

"And, we were all kids then " the cold in Arnav's voice could have frozen hell. He pushed his plate away and rose.

"I've had enough...I'm going up to my room he said and walked out of there before he did something stupid as wring Lavanya's neck.

Later, as his anger cooled, a thought struck him and he picked up his phone immediately uncaring of the hour the clock showed.

"Hello " the husky, sleep induced voice reminded him of malted whiskey and wood fire induced haze. He shook his head to clear it

"Hello, Khushi? "

"Arnav? Kya hua? Is something wrong? " she sounded more alert than before, and yet the sleep did not leave her voice

"Khushi, why did you not move into your parents house after you walked out? "

When he heard no reply for a minute or two, he said again

"Hello, Khushi, are you there? "

Indignation colored her tone as she struggled to make sense of his question.

"You...you called me at 11:30 in the night to ask my why I didn't move back into my parents house? " she sputtered. Voicing out her question still didn't make much sense.

It was only then, he noticed the time.

"Err...well...I just realized...sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up, I just...I'm sorry " he finished glumly. He was acting like an idiot. She had him tied up in knots. And had no freaking clue about it.

Khushi sighed a heartfelt sigh. Her relationship with Arnav had always been bizarre but since the morning had taken a more bizarre turn. She decided to answer him, only if he would let her sleep after that.

"Will you let me go back to sleep if I answer your questions? " she asked him

"Of course, for sure " he replied nodding his head even though she couldn't see.

"Bhai got mamma and pappa their green cards and they have moved to the states for good visiting rarely. The house has been locked up for a while and when I walked out of...out on Vaibhav, I couldn't have gone there because it had been empty for over two years. Then, later, I didn't want to go there...it's just too much house for one person, baba " she completed, but he heard what she didn't say even as his mind registered Vaibhav'; that her parents hadn't approved of her walking out of her husband was obvious in the way they hadn't flown back to India to support their daughter in her crisis. His blood boiled at their callousness.

"Now, can I go to sleep? " her voice was surprisingly petulant.

"Why don't you want to press charges? " he countered, his voice bewildered.

He heard her hesitation even though she tried to express annoyance.

"What is this? An inquisition? " when he didn't answer, she said, a little unsure of herself. A little girl suddenly forced to make decisions she was not ready to make.

"I...I don't want to prolong anything. I just...just want to be free...forget everything at this point. I don't have the energy to fight a prolonged battle. her breath hitched

"I just want to go back to being Khushi. Maybe it is stupid...maybe it is running away, but I just don't feel up to facing...Is that so wrong Arnav? " she asked, suddenly uncertain, needing reassurance. Her vulnerability touched Arnav deeply and he swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in his throat. The reality of her situation washed over him in waves of agony.

"I am really sleepy, now, please can I go back to sleep? " she asked with a note of forced levity in her tone.

With difficulty Arnav brought his attention back to the conversation.

"Huh?! Oh yeah...yes...just...just go back to sleep... just as she was about to wish him good night, she heard him again

"ek minute..just...on..one last question...

"Why.. he cleared his suddenly obstructed throat

"Why did you get married, Khushi?

Khushi was silent. Her heart suddenly seemed to have slowed and the blood pumping through her veins turned sluggish. Why? There was no easy answer to that question. Unwilling to examine the thoughts running through her head, she stayed quiet for another minute before saying in a soft tone.

"Good night, Arnav!

*

Khushi looked at the screen of her laptop trying to figure out where she made a mistake, but, her mind kept veering to that one question that had played in her mind like a broken record, again and again.

"Why did you get married? "

In this past week since Arnav's late night phone call, he had gone back to being the boss. A much more easy going, considerate boss, but a boss nevertheless. If she had thought they would become buddy-friends who shared confidences over cups of coffee or herbal tea in her case, she was mistaken. It was almost as though the phone call never happened. When he had stopped singling her out, he was a delight to work for. The lazy humor and easy confidence with which he approached work rubbed off on his staff and everyone was in good spirits when they came in to work. Late nights were made fun with food being delivered and loud music blaring. Every girl at work had a brontosaurus sized crush on him. Excluding her, of course. She had already been there and done that.

It was almost as though the question he had asked in a moment of vulnerability had triggered an introspection within her that she usually religiously avoided. She wondered if she should have given him some answer when he had asked her. But then, what could she have said? That she suddenly grew up after she had been unceremoniously dropped back at her door? That even while his rejection had devastated her, she had a glimmer of happiness touch her when she had seen the look of approval in her papa's eyes the next morning when he had seen her? He had expected her to run away but in proving him wrong, she had his unvoiced approval. His approval had sent a surprising shaft of pure pleasure pulsing through her. It didn't matter that she had almost done what he had expected her to do. She had, for the first time in a very long while, felt hope for the improvement of their relationship. If she couldn't get what she had wanted, maybe, she could at least do what her papa wanted, had been her only thought. After her marriage the relationship between her parents and her had improved drastically. Her parents doted on their son-in-law and she...Khushi Gupta made sure became the epitome daughter-in-law. The happier her husband and his parents were, the more affection and approval she saw in her parents eyes and manner. And, she had made sure that her husband and in-laws had been supremely happy. Not that she hadn't been happy...she had been happy too. They had let her do what she wanted...within reason of course. She sighed, her parents hadn't yet come to terms with what her husband and in-laws had done. They had initially refused to believe her, telling her that she was out of her mind but with Payal bhabhi and bhai's intervention, they now believed it, but somehow it was all her fault once again.

It had been such a shock when she came to know of her in-laws true colors. It hadn't even been her who sensed that something was wrong. It had been her bhabhi, Payal. Payal bhabhi was a gynecologist working at the same hospital as her brother. It had been after her second miscarriage that Payal had felt something not adding up. When she had asked Khushi whether the doctor was doing any more tests on her, Khushi had naively said, no, the doctor told her she was healthy and could try for a baby in three months. Payal had let it go at that time but when the third miscarriage happened, Payal insisted Khushi see another doctor who was her friend, but Khushi hesitated, unwilling to give credit to the doubts creeping up on her. She had insisted on seeing another doctor to her husband, but to her dismay, he had become downright belligerent. His reaction had turned her suspicion into belief. Overhearing his mother and him discussing this had devastated her

"She is insisting on seeing another doctor, amma Vaibhav had told his mother-in-law Raagini

"Stall her..tell her that the doctor she has been seeing is our family doctor, or is a lucky doctor or something, Vaibhav! Make sure she doesn't see anyone else!! Our truth will be out if she goes to another doctor, you fool! How could you let it go so far, gadhe!! " her mother-in-law had hissed.

In shock she had called Payal bhabhi immediately.

"I can't stay here anymore " she had sobbed into the phone.

Like a guardian angel, bhabhi had sent her cousin, Vikas. He had initially taken her to his house and she had stayed there for over a month. It had been pure chance that he had been the part owner of Animagic and she had done a course in animation. Before long, she had a job and after a lot of pleading, moved out into her own little flat. Madhu aunty, Vikas's mother, had made her feel at home and for the first time in her life, she had seen what a mother's love was like.

She had been ambivalent about visiting a lawyer, somehow, feeling as though the visit would make her nightmare real. Vikas had cajoled and pleaded with her to at least meet a lawyer, finally had told her that his fiancee's father was a well-known lawyer and she could just talk to him. If she was still not comfortable after that, then he would not pester her. When she had expressed her surprise at his engagement, he had blushingly ceded that he was not officially engaged, but had been in love with his best friends sister since forever but had never summoned up the courage to propose. Finally, when his friend had mentioned that they were looking for a suitable groom for his sister, he had hesitatingly expressed his interest and to his eternal joy, it turned out that she also had nursed a soft corner for him. They were not officially engaged but were in the process of getting to know each other better and the official engagement would take place once his friend was back.

Imagine her surprise when the lawyer had turned out to be Naveen uncle. She had been engulfed in a bear hug when she had broken down on seeing him. From that day, Naveen uncle had been her knight in shining armour. He had been with her throughout, never pushing her but always there. He had been the first one she had called when she found out that she was pregnant again, two months after leaving her husband. Shocked, she had not known what to do. He had been the one to take care of her..to give her the courage to face her situation...him, Madhu aunty and Vikas. He had come with her for her first doctor's appointment in spite of his busy schedule and never failed to talk to her at least once a day. He had kept the failure of her marriage a secret, not even letting his wife on it, just because she had asked him to. She would forever be grateful to him for that.

He had been so excited about Arnav's return. She had felt like a traitor when she had been forced to share his enthusiasm when she had felt like such a failure. She would have been lying if she had said that there hadn't been a part of her that hadn't thought about Arnav in the intervening years. Somewhere she had wanted him to see her happy and content. Hey, just because you rejected me, life didn't desert me...see how happy I am...was what she had told him, in her heart of hearts. But, life was never the way you want it to be. Who would have thought that she would be here, happy working for him, offering friendship over a handshake? Friends with the very man who had shattered her innocent heart.

"My office, 2 mins the message popped up on her screen startling her.

"Devil, rakshas!! Expects everyone to ask how high when he says jump!! Doesn't even have the courtesy to see if I am at my desk or not. What if I had been to the bathroom? He would have been mad and glared at me like I murdered someone " she muttered to herself as she made her way to his office.

She knocked on his door and went in. Without looking up from his laptop, he said

"Sit, I have something I want to discuss with you

Not bothering to answer him, still a little miffed with the high-handed way he had ordered her to come to his cabin, she made a face and him waited for him to start talking.

Arnav had been so aware of her since the time she entered his office. He pretended to be involved in the program he had been debugging to give himself the time to get his unruly heart under control. Since the day she had refused to answer his question, the walls behind which he hid his feelings and emotions came up, reinforced, strong as ever. He wasn't sure what he wanted and was even less sure of her. She had offered him friendship but he had never been friends with a girl before and had no clue what it entailed. Not to mention the fact that his heart seemed to have a mind of its own when it came to her. All it wanted was to crush her in his arms and tell her that he had been the idiot six years back. His rational brain, however, was as rational as ever, putting down his wayward emotions to unresolved feelings and colossal guilt. After all, he really hadn't interacted much with her, right? How could he even remotely feel something like love? Ultimately, he was so confused that he had resorted to being the boss with her.

He saw her expressive face convey her displeasure at being summoned and felt his lips quirk. His eyes filled with amusement and he lazily drawled

"Problem? "

She started as she rambled, uncomfortable at being caught

"No...no...no problem..what could be the problem...nothing...kuch bhi tho nahin

She felt her breath hitch as his face lit up with a devastating smile. Hormones, it was all the stupid pregnancy hormones. She forced her unresponsive heart to resume beating.

"I am taking you off the Veera project, " he said without any preamble. Veera was a movie for which Animagic had been contracted to do the animation and CGI effects. It was their most prestigious project to date and Khushi had been thrilled to be a part of it.

That snapped her mind right back to the discussion they were having. Shock held her immobile for just a moment before she stood up like a shot.

"What?? But..but why?? before he could answer, she continued holding out her hand

"No...don't tell me...I know...I know I haven't really contributed enough to the project and The small portions that I did do were buggy...but it wasn't really my fault you know. I was just nervous to work for you and that's why my work was sub-par. It was all really all your fault, you know...you shouldn't behave..behave like a rakshas, devil..you can't fire me for what was essentially your fault...you scared me so much that I couldn't focus on work!! she finished triumphantly

His expression that had been bewildered when she stood up turned to amusement the moment she started speaking. By the time she stopped at him being the devil, he was trying his damnedest to hold on to his laughter

"Oh really? he drawled again and when he saw her nod in earnest, he was unable to restrain his laughter anymore. It burst out of him with the force of a torrent, startling her at first then enthralling her. She had been too caught up in her own amusement the first time she had seen him laugh but today the sight held her ensorcelled.

When he was able to catch his breath, he said

"You know Khushi, you are really something!

Heat crept up her face as their eyes met and held. The air around them changed, became charged. She saw his eyes darken, turn almost black and they filled with an unnamed emotion that she refused to acknowledge. Something she did not want to give a name to. She had thought she had seen the very same thing in his eyes once but had been rudely shown the reality. Now, she wouldn't give credit to anything she thought she saw. She looked away and took a moment to compose herself. When she turned back, there was nothing but friendly confusion on her face.

"That I am...but why did you laugh? "

"You didn't let me finish. I meant I am taking you off the Veera project so that you and I can work on something else. Something I find far more interesting, for you too I hope. Something that doesn't have a set deadline. " he paused

Excited, she looked at him

"That sounds awfully interesting, what is it? "

"A game, animated game, I have the basic idea of what I want but I think you will be good in this sort of thing...

"But I am not a gamester "

"It doesn't matter, as long as you enjoy playing the cat and mouse game, you should find it interesting. And I don't know much gaming either...we could learn together. So partners? " he asked holding out his hand this time. There was something in the inflection of his voice that raised her hackles, but she was unable to resist the pull.

It was she who raised her hand to hold his this time. In spite of something telling her that there was more to this than what met the eye. But, Khushi being Khushi jumped right in leaving everything to fate. Their relationship had just taken another turn.

**

Note:

The next part will be the last part. Will try to get it up soon.

This story touches upon the apathy our society has towards the girl child. It is something I have personally found to be very much prevalent even today. It becomes obvious in most inane of situations and most innocuous of statements. When someone tells me how lucky I am to have two sons, it triggers a discomfort in me, the girl in me taking offense at what such statements imply. How very biased this society is..Anyways, I've read that sex determination tests are still being carried out in India in spite of various laws put in place to prevent it. It mostly happens within the upper echelons of our society from what I've heard.

A special shout out to mira and brishti84. Mira noticed right away that Khushi had not teased Anjali about her physical handicap. I could never imagine someone teasing another person for something they had no control about. It would be both juvenile and really vile. And that a person like the Arnav in this story could fall for someone who did that would be unimaginable.

brishti84 correctly guessed that Naveen was the one helping Khushi. I hope I have covered all the points that may have raised questions in your mind.

I do understand that a lot of you thought that this was breezy 'nothing awkward' story...but what to do, mera dimag hi aisa chaltha hai 😆😆

Please don't forget to leave your thoughts.