Love - Its Complicated! 26th Mar: Chapter 10 (E) is up on Page 71! - Page 42

In love with this story

How is Arnav going to ask Maan and Geet to let him see Khushi without pushing authority ? What will he do if Khushi is not ready to talk to him yet ? What if she is scared to give a chance , as she might getting hurt again..?

Originally posted by: AnjuRish

Nothing justifies taking away kushi choice in the decision

CHAPTER 10 (D). ARNAV PANICS!

"ASR?, Lavanya muttered in surprise. She was standing at a bus stop waiting for her bus when she saw Arnav sitting in the park right opposite to the bus stand. What is he doing here? Lavanya shook her head and started to cross the road. They had planned to meet each other the other day but Lavanya had cancelled the plan due to delay in her photo shoot. Maybe now we can meet and talk! As she reached the park's gate she noticed that Arnav was looking down and his whole posture radiated defeat. Lavanya blinked in surprise. She never expected to see the great Businessman ASR like this!

"ASR? Is that you?, Arnav heard and he looked up in surprise. He blinked as Lavanya sat beside him with a smile on her face.

"What are you doing here, looking so morose and gloomy?, Lavanya commented, nudging him playfully. Arnav looked down again, not knowing what to say.

"Hey! Arnav!, Lavanya was worried now. She never saw ASR behave like this!

"Is everything alright?, Lavanya continued to prod, "Naaniji, Anjali Di, are they alright? when Arnav didn't react, her eyes widened as she realized she had yet to ask about one person, "Is Khushi alright?

Arnav reacted at that. He suddenly stood up making Lavanya lean back in shock. Arnav turn towards her, "No! Nothing is alright! Khushi's family is trying to keep us apart!, he snarled.

"Really?, Lavanya was confused. She had met Khushi's family before. They seemed harmless!

"Yes!, Arnav spat, "That Maan Singh Khurana! What does he think of himself? Keeping my Khushi away from me?

"Ok! Now I am confused!, Lavanya muttered as she stood up, "What does the businessman MSK have to do with Khushi?

"Because he is her brother!, Arnav snarled.

"Wait WHAT!!, Lavanya was beyond confused now, "Explain from the start ASR!

Arnav sighed and explained about how Maan was Khushi's long lost brother and how they met only yesterday, "And today he wants to separate me from my wife!

Lavanya, who was just getting the hang of the tale, got confused again, "Wait! Wife!

Arnav growled, "We eloped. OK?

Lavanya's eyes widened. ASR and elope? What the!

"But why elope?, Lavanya questioned, "What about Naaniji and Di? How could you...

"That's not important!, ASR hissed as he turned around and glared at Lavanya, "Important is that Khushi is my wife and they are trying to separate us! Arnav conveniently ignored the fact that his marriage to Khushi was not registered and so they were technically still unmarried.

"But why would they do that?, Lavanya asked looking baffled and feeling as if there was something missing from this story! Why do I feel ASR is trying to show only his side of the story and there is more to it than he is telling me?

"I don't know!, Arnav growled, "But that is not the point! Point is that Khushi chose them above me! Them!! Above me? How could she? Where is her love now? Huh! Where is her love? Once again Arnav conveniently ignored the fact that Khushi had yet to confess her love and for that matter, even he had yet to confess his feelings. As far as ASR was concerned, Khushi was his and hence, she was supposed to choose him. Arnav was speaking irrationally by now! But then nobody ever claimed that love was rational!

"You know what!, Arnav growled, "This is the problem of you girls! He neared Lavanya and glared at her as if everything was her fault. "You lot can never make up your mind! Even you left me on the day of our engagement and this girl leaves me after our marriage!

Lavanya blinked in surprise. Arnav continued to rant, "She claims to love me but then given a choice between me and her family, she chooses her family! Dammit! Why can't you girls make up your mind?

"Why are you dragging girls into this?, Lavanya was indignant now.

"Oh really? As if you are blameless!, Arnav growled, "Who left me? Who left me at the day of our engagement?

Arnav knew he was simply picking petty fights but he was annoyed and frustrated and right now Lavanya became his target just by coming in front of him at that moment.

"Yes! I left you!, Lavanya snarled, "I left you! But I had my reasons!

Arnav grabbed her by her arm and hissed, "What reasons? What were your reasons?

Lavanya wrenched her arm away and glared at him, "My reason was you! You and your damn bloody ego!, Arnav blinked, not expecting her to reply his questions.

Lavanya pushed him away and let out her anger, "You! You and your damn ego! And your stupid belief that the world revolves around you!

Arnav looked at her stupefied.

Lavanya smirked, "What? Didn't expect me to reply? Well! Today I am going to speak my mind. Because I had it enough! I kept my hurt, my anger right inside my heart wishing you happiness that day but today I am not going to keep it quiet.

Arnav looked at Lavanya with wide eyes. Lavanya took a deep breath, "Do you remember the day I came dressed up like Khushi and you had gotten so angry?

Arnav frowned at the sudden change of topic. Lavanya continued, "You noticed that I dressed up like Khushi but what you didn't notice was that how much I had changed for you! Just so that your family would accept me, I changed not just my dressing style but also my thought process, my way of life, my outlook towards life.

For a second there was silence and then Lavanya slumped on the bench and started to speak in a soft voice, "Yes! Changing myself matured me! It turned me into a girl who wanted it all. Till then I was happy being your, the great ASR's, girlfriend. But meeting Khushi and trying to impress your family made me realize that just being your wife is not enough. I wanted a life partner, I didn't want to be some trophy wife. So yes, I am thankful to your family as they turned this silly girl into someone who is now respected by the world. But...

She looked up and glared at him, "But Arnav, after all this, the truth still remains. I changed myself for you. ASR, for you, I gave up my dressing style, my thought process, my way of life, even my identity so that I could become the perfect girl according to your family for you. I gave up everything that defined Lavanya Kashyap for you. But what did you do for me? Did you change anything about yourself for me? No I lost my identity but I gained nothing in process. Not even your heart.

Arnav felt guilty at her words. He did play with her emotions, something neither Lavanya nor his family knew. He didn't want to get married then and had used Lavanya because he thought Lavanya would never be accepted by his family as his wife. And he could remain Bachelor. But who knew that Lavanya could change herself totally for him! And she is right! What did it give her? Look! She is back to square one.

"Look ASR!, Lavanya brought him out of his thoughts as she stood up and pointed at herself. She waved her hands towards her body, "This is who I am! She was dressed in much conservative clothes than what she wore before meeting Khushi, but still the dress had a style that screamed Lavanya to him.

"This is my identity!, Lavanya continued, "But I changed everything for you. From personality to clothes! From outside to inside! But you? You not once changed a single smallest thing about yourself for me. You expected me to change myself, why? For your family. And therein lies the problem ASR! For you, its always all about you and yourself. All you talk about is I, I and I. And when you do something for someone other than yourself, its for your Di. That's it! You never once think about anyone else. It was Khushi who even taught you to think about your younger brother Aakash. Or else even he wouldn't have gotten Paayal.

Lavanya looked away, suddenly angry at herself for falling for such a shallow person. Yes, she was shallow too then. And that's another thing she hated about herself right now. Suddenly, her energy to fight drained and she just wanted to walk away from there. But before that, she had yet another thing to say to ASR.

She walked to Arnav and looked at him in his eyes, "Relationship needs give and take, ASR. It needs compromise. If one person only gives and one person only takes, that is not a relationship. That's what you did with me and that's what you are doing with Khushi now. You expect her to leave her family for you but you don't want to compromise on your need to be selfish. How much will that girl have to give before she gives up on life totally?

Arnav looked at her with wide eyes and Lavanya smiled softly, "Take care ASR! And try to be selfless once and let her go! Things will be back to normal soon. And one day you will get your Khushi back!

She turned around and walked away. Arnav walked back till his knees hit the bench. And then he sat down. He wondered if he could do what Lavanya told him to. If he could give up on Khushi, let her go. But the moment that thought came through his mind, panic set in. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. No! I have to get Khushi back. I have to! Suddenly, he got up and ran to grab a taxi. He had to reach Khurana Mansion, and he had to reach now.

Khushi sat in her room looking lost, unsure what to do or say. She was sitting on the bed with her hands hugging her knees and her head lying on her knees. She was still confused. What should she choose? Her brother was ready to support her whatever her decision was. But she didn't know what to choose. On one side was her love and on other side was her respect. Could she give up on her self respect and go with a man who expects her to give up her family just because he wants her to? She raised her head in alarm. Nahi! Hum humaare parivar ko chodke nahi jaa sakte! (No! I cannot leave my family!) She remembered the love she saw in her brother's eyes, the support she heard in her sister-in-law's words and the feeling of security her family gave her. No! Leaving them was never an option and Arnav needed to understand that.

But could she live without her Arnavji? Khushi wondered. The answer was no. She lost her heart to him ages ago. She didn't even remember when she lost it. Was it when he saved her from the abandoned building? Or was it when he took care of his Di so lovingly? Maybe it was when he almost kissed her on the Diwali night! Or maybe it was when he sneaked into her house because his brother wanted to meet Paayal. Was it when he danced with her so that she could win the competition? Or was it when he flirted with her during Paayal and Aakash's wedding? She didn't know. But she did know one thing. Her heart beat for him and him only. She couldn't live without him. But could she live with him? She remembered the betrayal she felt when he trusted Shyam over her. Yes, Shyam was his brother in law. But who was Arnav to accuse her without even listening to her side of story? They had known each other for a while and he knew her beliefs about marriage as an institution. He could have atleast given her benefit of doubt. But no! He threw away their friendship, their closeness, their feelings all away just because his sister's happiness was being threatened. Could she live with such a man knowing that next time he had to choose between her and his sister there was a good chance he would choose his sister? Could she live with that constant fear, that instability?

And what about all those things her sister in law had talked about. What about trust and respect in a relationship? He didn't trust her, that's for sure. But did he respect her? She doubted. And will she be able to live in such a marriage? Will she survive knowing that her husband who loved her, never trusted her or respected her? No, her sister in law was right. She will come to resent him and but as she respected marriage, she wouldn't even leave him. So she would be remain stuck in misery filled marriage. Nahi! Hum toh aise nahi jee payenge! Ghut ghut ke mar jaayenge hum! (No! I won't be able to live like this! I will die out of suffocation!) Tears fell down her eyes and she wiped them. All in all, her future looked bleak with him. But did she have any future without him? No! He was her life. And despite the fact that their marriage was not legal in the eyes of the world, for her the marriage meant something. She had come to accept him as her husband. And she was raised in a traditional manner. Her beliefs told her that her husband was her everything. So staying away from him was also out of option. What to do? Quit her beliefs and her love for him and stay away or kill her self respect and live with him? Hours had passed but Khushi remained mentally exactly where she was hours ago. Confused and lost!

The sun started to set but Khushi didn't notice. But she did notice when a vase in the room fell down making a shattering noise. She jerked her head up only for her eyes to grow wide. Arnavji! Her Arnavji was standing right in front of her. Dressed in the black shirt and pant he wore in the morning, his hair total disarrayed, his eyes red shot, he was looking at her like a crazy person.

"Arnavji!, Khushi whispered. He was still staring at her, his eyes drinking her in, his expression filled with pain, devastation and hurt. She blinked and realized that he had yet to vanish. He was real! It was not her imagination! She gaped at him.

"Khushi!, Arnav whispered softly and Khushi came out of her shock.

"Aap?... Y..Ya..Ya...Yahaan?, she stuttered.

A faint smile came on his face and his eyes softened a little. His voice was gentle, "Haan! Main tumhein yahaan se le jaane aaya hun! (Yes! I have come to take you away!)

"Kya?, Khushi looked at him bewildered. What did he mean by le jaane? What is he planning to do?

He took a step forward and raised his hand towards her, "Chalo! his voice was still gentle.

"Arnavji!, Khushi was beyond confused now. She stood up with a frown on her face. What does he mean by chalo?

"Par... aap... Yahaan aaye kaise? (But ... how did you...come here?), she fumbled unable to grasp the situation entirely.

Arnav's face adorned a proper smile now. He pointed to her open window, "Khidki se! Pipe chadke! (Through the window! By climbing the pipe!)

Khushi blinked. He did what! The great ASR, the prim and proper businessman, came through the window by climbing pipe like some random thief! What the!

"Lets go Khushi! Sabse door! (Far away from everyone!), Arnav continued to speak, "Jo bhi humein alag kar rahe hain, un sabse door! (Whoever is trying to separate us, away from all of them!), he almost whispered.

That brought Khushi out of her confusion. "Kya?, she blurted out again but this time it was filled with annoyance and anger. Was he really suggesting what she thought he was suggesting?

When Arnav jumped in through the window and saw Khushi, he was shocked. He had never seen her looking this sad, so defeated and so vulnerable. She looked so small against her big bed. He took a step forward, accidently nudging the vase on the table beside him towards the floor. She looked up at him and her eyes went wide. His heart thudded in his chest at the myriad of emotions lurking in her eyes. Just then she whispered his name with such a tenderness that he let go of his inhibitions and let her see the real Arnav, without his ego and without his guards up. He spoke to her with love in his voice, in his movements and in his expression. But when she questioned with anger, all his defenses came up, the real Arnav hid behind its ego and the fear he felt of loosing Khushi came surging to the fore.

In one second, he changed. Gone was Arnav, the man Khushi loved. In place of him was ASR, the man who never lost anything and who wanted what was his, his Khushi.

"Come on Khushi! Lets go! We are leaving right now!, Arnav snarled as he grabbed a wide eyed Khushi's hand and dragged her with him.

Uh oh! Now what?

Will Khushi go with Arnav?

Or will she stay behind and Arshi would be separated forever?

You will get your answer in next update!

Which will reach you by the end of October!

Till then, thank you, take care and have fun,

Kalpana

Wow. Amazing

This Arnav will never learn anything easily. So, none of Nani, NK or Lavanya's talk had any impact on him. And I thought he will think more rationally and with some Heart . He for sure doesn't deserve Khushi, atleast not yet

Loved part 10D, brilliant.