đ...Very cleverly written. Given in the last update he had asked her to get out...I had assumed that Khushi at breakfast was angry/deflated because of that . Scratched my head when he winked at her. Was clueless till you revealed their late night texting. Loved the surprise. So all is well between the two..No wonder he was so cheerful đ
He listens to her. Even talked to Daadi for her. The man is on a mission so she confesses to him..Will there be a date or not on Wed. đ
So I bet Anjali will check Khushi phone again given there is no Akaash to control her curiosity and she hates Sheetal. But with you one never knows đ loved the update
Wish there were more of their Texts.. That was the cutest thing ever...
SO she made him to talk to Dadi but did he actually got himself accepting the relationship with Sheetal??
Anjali is kinda nosy and the way they both (Payal and Anjali) behaving with Khushi's phone, that was kinda immature... don't know why but I am glad they didn't get to read the whole msg...
So truth and dare game, Huh??? Excited.....
Gosh, all your characters are so darned cute! I can't choose a favorite after our lead pair. Is Payal? Or Anjali? Even Akash has his moments...
When I started reading, I was scared that Arhi had taken a couple of steps back, with the way that their previous conversation had ended, and then Arnav going and talking to Dadi. I was dead sure that Arnav's hot head had prevailed and he was going to cut off his nose to spite his face. Such a pleasant surprise to know it was all Khushi's doing. And getting Dadi to accept Akash and Payal before they set off on their honeymoon - pure genius! Though I wonder what Arnav fed Dadi to bring her around?
And we have something exciting to look forward to - a date with truth and dare. Ah Mr. Raizada, you sure know how to play your cards right. I wonder what he will get Khushi to reveal? Or will Khushi turn the tables on him? I can't wait to read whats next. Please please please update soon...
oh wow that was a fantastic update.. i read it twice đ
Im so glad arnav tookt he initiative and cleared the mess he created coz of his hot head đ
loved their exchanges... eagerly waiting for the wednesday dinner.... im sure khushi will go.... arnav will some how make her go...wonder what she will choose
she is so thoughtfull... fixed 2 issues in return for giving forgiveness ... love her for that
haha anjali is really a dective...not goes past her... and payal is not less... they figure out how to unlock her phone... thank god for akash ...otherwise they would have read her message exchange with arnav
eagerly waiting for the next...pls dont make us wait toooo long
From the author's desk: Hello dearies, here I come with another brand new chapter.
but before that, two things to be cleared.
-I still get a lot of mails asking me for link for this story. I don't have it, I post it when I finish writing it.
-PM requests- sorry, I really don't have time. I try to keep up the time of once in two weeks time. Please bookmark the page and check it int hat interval.
Hope you like the chapter. There is a surprise in there for you, I am waiting to see all your reactions on it!
Happy reading!
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Chapter 15: Trials of truth
Part 1: To the rescue
âArnavâ Akaash started âthanks so much for convincing Dadi, I didnât see that coming but it felt so good, being acceptedâ
âNo problemâ
âBut, I wanted to be sure, you didnât jeopardize anything to make this happen?â
âDo you think I would have?â
âNo, I just had to ask you to be sureâŚhow did you manage to do it?â
âNothing! It was simple. Just made her realize certain facts, she came aroundâ
Akaash nodded.
âBhai!â Akaash called out to Arnav, taking the momentary solitude. The girls were standing a little further away, not at a hearing distance.
The change of tone in his voice wasnât unnoticed by the person in front of him.
âWhat now Akaash? Feeling nervous about the trip?â Arnav asked, half amused and half exasperated. Surely, he didnât want Akaash to start asking him tips. This was a honey moon trip for Godâs sake.
âNo, itâs not about the tripâ Akaash said quickly âItâs about Khushiâ
âWhat about her?â Arnav asked, his demeanor changing rapidly.
âItâs actually not about her. Itâs about her mobileâ Akaash clarified quickly, noticing his brotherâs change of appearance from being idly spirited to acutely edgy. âThis is between us, but trust me, she needs to change her mobile unlock patternâ
âWho knows it?â Arnav asked scrunching his eyes suspiciously. âAnjali or Payal?â
âActually bothâ Akaash admitted
âI canât believe this⌠who goes about giving out their phone unlock pattern to others?â
âNo, it wasnât given, it was kind of brute forced. Khushi doesnât know yet that they know itâ
âGosh! How could theyâŚâ
âYou know how inquisitive they both are when it comes to your love life.â
âLove life?â
âToday, curiosity got the better of themâ continued Akaash not paying heed to Arnavâs question
âWhat happened?â Arnav asked growing increasingly edgy by the minute.
âNothing to be worried about. Just make her change her mobile unlock pattern. I would have told her, But I didnât know how to do it without raising her doubtsâ
âCome on Akaash, I need to know what happened.â Arnav demanded. He needed to know the extent of damage done. Did the girls actually read the private messages between them? Did they answer to any of his messages? The questions were too many.
âKhushi had forgotten her mobile at the table. We heard a message beep. They saw your name flash on the screen and immediately got very excited. The phone was obviously locked and they both tried patterns⌠One of those worked. They almost read the message that you sent to her. I stopped them before they could open it.â
âWhat the !*@#â
âI know.â
âthanks for letting me know man!â
âNo problem. I ought to. I mean, knowing Anjali, I had to be sure itâs changed for her own goodâ
âI will take care of it.â Arnav assured Akaash âWhat was the pattern by the way?â
âI heard Payal mentioning it as letter Dâ
The men were momentarily distracted by the girls laughing loudly as Khushi looked mortified
âWhat are you two getting at?â they heard her asking Payal and Anjali. They saw the girls turning to look at the men. Then they saw Payal turning around laughing and walking towards the car, stopping by near Arnav
âThanks Arnav, for the morning surprise.â
âNo problem Payal, I am glad that I could do that before you guys left.â
âAnd oh there is a much bigger surprise that interests me⌠I wanted to ask you aboutâŚâ She said
Arnav quickly caught Akaash in the eye.
âHold on! once you come back, we will have ample time for a chat over coffee⌠but right now you guys are running late. Hop on to the car, you donât want to miss your flight.â
âWhat are you talking about, we have a lot of time, we definitely wonât be missing our flight.â Payal reasoned
âBhai is right.â Akaash said getting into the car âMohan says the flyover is blocked with traffic and we are taking an alternate routeâ
Mohan, the driver, looked surprised, wondering when did he tell Akaash about any traffic news but quickly catching on watching the two brothers exchange smirks, started to play along.
âYes Bhabhi, if we start now, we will be left with just about time when we reach the airportâ
âGet in Payalâ Arnav insisted holding the car door open and smiling at Mohan in appreciation. Akaash catching on his hints is different, they always did that for each other. Mohan doing it for him in a secondâs notice was exceptional.
âOKâŚTake care guys and hope you miss usâ Payal called out.
âI will miss you both. I am not sure about the other twoâ Anjali quipped happily as she waved at Payal and Akaash.
âHave funâ Arnav called out shutting the car door close as Payal got into the car.
âStay safeâ Khushi waved at them too as the car pulled out of the gates.
***
As the trio walked in, Arnav slowed down deliberately, letting Anjali pass him and caught up with Khushi who was coming behind, checking something on her mobile.
Taking advantage of her attention solely on her mobile, he pulled her mobile out of her hands before she realized it.
âWhat the!â she protested aloud
âAre you getting influenced by me? Using my dialoguesâ
âGive back my mobile please!â
âNoâ
âNo? what are you up to?â
âI am only rescuing youâ
âfrom what may I ask?â
âFrom getting addicted to your mobile?â
âI was only checking my mailsâ
âand was so into it that you didnât hear me calling your nameâ
âYou called my name?â
âTwiceâ
âeh? I didnât hear you calling meâŚâ
âThat was because you werenât paying attention. By the way, what are you hiding in this mobile that you got so worked up when I took this mobileâ
âThere is nothing in there, even if it was there, it wasnât a noble act to snatch it off my hands, not expected of a chivalrous gentlemanâ
âAre you still into that damn classic by Jane Austen?â
âWhy do you ask?â
âChivalry, Gentleman, nobility, blah blah blahâ
Khushi rolled her eyes
âBut still, my act may get classified as noble and chivalrousâŚâ he said successfully dodging Khushiâs attempt to plunge for her mobile in his hands.
âWoah! I am elusive too, that gets added into the desirability quotient of a gentlemanâ
âNo it does not. Give it back before IâŚ.â
âI just wanted to see the modelâ
âA iPhone user wants to see a simple Android? How lame it sounds!â
âThatâs because I was just reading about the weaker security in these models, just wanted to check if it is true. Do you know it is very easy to break the unlock pattern in these mobiles?â
âDonât bluffâ
âYou just hold it in an angle like this, the light reflection shows the trails of your finger print andâ he said pretending to analyze the locked mobile screen. Is your pattern something like D?â
âDevimaiyya! how in the world did youâŚâ
âI told you it is easy with Androids- unless you have a biometric systemâ
Khushi quickly took the phone from his outstretched hands.
âI will never trust you near my phone again. I am going to change my pattern anywayâ
He smiled as he walked away.
âUse the pin system, its more secure than the patterns!â he called out as he climbed up the stairs.
***
Just before the bend to the first floor landing, Arnav came face to face with Anjali.
âSo chivalrous and noble of you, my Bhai!â she said in a sing song voice.
âI had to, seeing that I had an obligation to save my sisterâs faceâ
Anjali bit her tongue, immediately noticing the anger in her brotherâs controlled tone.
âAkaash let you in on what happened this morning⌠didnât he. We were just having some funâ Anjali asked following him, she had seen the conversation below and all she was planning to do was some leg pulling. She didnât expect her brother to be upset or angry with her.
âIt wasnât fun anymore. Reading otherâs private message is hitting below the beltâ Arnav told her before he continued walking up the stairs
âAnd he came running to you to complain about my bad behavior? Wait till get I hold of him when he comes backâŚâ
âHe didnât Anjali. He wanted to protect your dignity and not let her know what you were up to. So it was up to me to stage a drama down thereâ
âBut I was only trying to help.â
âWhat help?â Arnav asked pausing on the second floor landing, as Anjali caught up with him, breathless as she had to run behind him to keep up with his speed.
âI was⌠I thought⌠you⌠I mean Khushiâ
âAnjali, I am not good with these relationship advisesâŚâ Arnav told her, in a tone that he always assumed when he would advise her as an elder brother through their years of growing up. âBut remember, there is always a limit line for interventions- even if it is for helping others- whoever it is â be it your friends, your brothers or perhaps your significant other. With all due respect to your intentions of helping them, make sure you donât cross that limit ever. Or you will lose your respect, and sometimes the beautiful bond between you and the other person.â
Anjali stood there, her eyes welling up as her brother held her hands and continued to speak
âToday, Akaash was there to save you from that situation. Imagine what would have happened if Khushi walked in when you were in the act of reading her messages? You would have broken her trust and respect in you. I had to take it upon me to make her change that password because Akaash felt that you would try that again.â
âAkaash doesnât trust me anymore?â
âAkaash trusts you and we all know how much we can trust our sisterâs curiosity to get the better of herâ
Arnav smiled at her lifting his eyebrows, and she returned a weak watery smile at him.
âPromise me never to do that again.â He asked her and she nodded.
âI promise.â
As he turned towards his room, Anjali called out
âThanks bhaiâ
âGood nightâ
***
As the couple sat down at a table of the restaurant nestled by a 7-star hotel, the waiter came forward to take the order.
âWhat would you want to have?â
âI will go with continental today.â
âSmoked pumpkin soup?â
âyeah, I am fine with anything lightâ
âok, shall we then go with Lamb patties? And baked potatoes and Aubergines?
âfineâ
Arnav placed the order with the waiter and turned to Sheetal.
âso, are you telling me that against the better judgement of your uncle, you want to take this up?â he asked her.
âMine is the better judgement by a mileâ she said confidently. âI know the stakes on the other side looks pretty bad given that you are there on this side.â
âYou are making me feel conscious and very accountableâ
Sheetal laughed lightly
âStill, I am grateful for your helpâ he told her.
âArnie, you know I wouldnât compromise on business. I am doing this on fair and even grounds. I wouldnât have tried so hard if I knew that you didnât have a chance. So donât give me that gratitude bullshit talks.â
Arnav nodded at her.
âBy the way, I need to meet your grandfatherâ
Sheetal raised her eyebrows in surprise at Arnav
âDadaji?â
Arnav nodded.
âyou want me to bring him somewhere?â
Arnav shrugged.
âDo I take it that you are asking me not to come home?â
Sheetal bit her lips.
âArnie, you know whatâs happening at home. Donât you?â
They paused talking as the waiter served them with soup and bread sticks.
âAre you scared that I will get beaten up?â
âNo, I am scared that things will escalate.â
âI donât understand why people make a big deal out of this. You people are family for Godâs sakeâ
âThe equation is so different from what you share with your brothers. Thatâs one thing I admire in your family- how close knit you guys are! So supportive, accommodative and encouraging of each other. Mine is a completely different space. I hate staying here at my Uncleâs place Arnie, itâs like fighting day in and day out. The only reason that I am putting up with this is for youâ
âI know and I am grateful for it.â Arnav told her earnestly as he put down his soup spoon down and reached out to her hand. âSheetal, I am really sorry for this mess up that Dadi created with that engagement news. I seriously wasnât aware that it was comingâ
âThatâs okâ Sheetal told him âBut you know it still hurts to think you call it a mess upâ
âSheetalâŚâ
âI got carried away for a week, wishing how wonderful it would be if it was true and to tell you the truth, I still hope toâ
âSheetalâŚâ
âAh⌠fine. I know you werenât seriously into me but itâs not wrong to wish that it may somehow work out for us in futureâ she told looking at him and quickly gauging his reaction, assured further âI am not holding you responsible for any of my heartbreakâ
âI am sorryâ
âDonât be. There are greater issuesâ
âlike?â
âMaking you meet my Dadaji. You didnât tell me for whatâ
âThere is this property down south which was one of the last acquisitions of my late great grandfather. Something that looks completely worthless, looking at it on a high level. But I am sure that there was a strategy. I have been working on it. But I want to know if my approach is right. I happened to see that the property papers have your grandpaâs signature as a witness. I am sure he will be able to help with some facts on itâ
âOh! I should have known, for a moment I believed that you wanted to speak to him about usâ
âSheetal, you want to rub it on me every opportunity you get?â
She laughed.
Food arrived.
âI rarely get such opportunities and I want to make good use of it when I get a chanceâ
Arnav shook his head.
âBut seriously, donât tell him anything about our breakup yet. I havenât told the family, given the other things that happened. But once everything gets settled, I am intending to open it up.â
Arnav nodded.
âI thought all problems started with our relationship getting officialâ
âyes, it didâ
âand so, if you are going to tell them that we broke up, it is going to settle everything wonât it?â
âand you think they will let me work on this project anymore?â
Arnav was quiet for a few minutes. The only sounds between them was a clanking of the forks and spoons.
âSheetal, are you sure you want to take this approach? This is only going to strain the relationships further.â
âLesser pain. We can stage a drama later. And seriously, I will get little more time to get over youâ
Arnav didnât tell her anything. He knew that she was badly broken when he told her that he didnât want to take the relationship any further. But given the situation at Sheetalâs family, he consented to take the news slowly to the families.
From the time Sheetalâs father told his elder brother that Sheetal was willing to strike a business relationship with the Raizadas, her uncle had displayed strong objection to the cause. She hadnât thought much beyond that he was not supportive because as a business strategy, the brothers had long back termed an agreement between them that Pratap will take care of the Delhi projects and Pratham will shift to Mumbai for his projects.
Thatâs how she grew up in Mumbai with her parents away from the family home.
But when the marriage proposal from Arnavâs dadi came, asking her hand for Arnav, that had been the last straw for her uncle. For the past month, a lot of family history had been discussed about â those that she has never heard of, those that were brushed under the rug years back- the forgotten history that painted the strained relationship between the two families- Stories that no one wanted to retell â about a daughter of the family that she has never seen, about an ugly breakup of a wedding, about a lifelong shame that the family had to be burdened with- all of which one or the other Raizada had a role to play.
Given the nuances of the strained relationship that pertained between both the families, it was rather a miracle that her Dadaji wanted to pursue the rishta in the first place.
Her Uncle Pratap and his son Samar were totally against the entire idea. Besides that, Sheetal had been struggling to convince her father about financing Raizada business. Usually, Kapoor finance decided on financing a business only after their consultant reviewed it entirely and gave a go ahead. In Raizadaâs case, she volunteered to play the consultant role, for a lot of the facts would, at present situation of Raizada finances, act against Arnavâs cause. All that she had in hand was her stanch trust in Arnavâs capabilities and it had no proof on paper. It was her biased report that had worked in favor of Arnav for the financial support from Kapoor finance.
It had been her report against her uncle Pratapâs judgement. Her brother Samarâs anger hadnât helped anyway . Rajaneesh and Pratham had skewed in favor of Sheetal for the sake of her engagement with Arnav. If she now opens up that they are no longer together, Sheetal was afraid that it will completely work against her chances of supporting Arnav at his crucial moment.
Besides, she still had strong feelings towards him that she knew that she would never be able to overcome in near future.
âI feel I am taking advantage of youâ Arnav told her after a brief silence.
âNo, thatâs not right. I want you to take advantage while you can. There is a difference.â
âNevertheless. It doesnât make me feel good. It is not my nature to accept it.â
âAh, we will make it all easy. All you have to do it say yes to meâ
Arnav sighed as Sheetal laughed
âI was just joking. Consider this as a treat from my side for our good times sake. Besides, be assured that I am not doing any charity, I know you well enough to place the stakes on your strategiesâ
âI am still contemplating if this project is worth all thisâ
âDonât be silly. I havenât forgotten what you did for me three years back, considering all that this is nothing.â
âI didnât do it expecting anything in returnâ
âDid I say so? Besides, for me, your happiness is worth all this.â
âSheetal, how do you think this makes me feelâ
âDonât get too much into your head about this, What are friends for?â
âAre you doing this in the capacity of a friend?â
âDesserts?â
âNo, I am fullâ
âOk, I am getting a choco pie for myselfâ
âGo onâ Arnav told her âYou havenât answered my question yetâ
âI know you consider me as a friend. What I feel about you is none of your businessâ
***
The days seemed to fly at the Raizada mansion in-spite of majority of the inmates not being present. It was already Wednesday morning. What with Anjaliâs persistent leg pulling or with Arnavâs cryptic messages, Khushi was still figuring out a reason not to go to the dinner with Arnav that evening.
âYou want me to pick you up for the dinner Khushi?â Arnav asked her after morning breakfast.
âDream on, I am not comingâ she told him.
âYou arenât scared. Are you?â
âDonât play that card. Thatâs not going to work this time.â
âHa, I can see that in your eyes. You are scaredâ
âI am not. Why would I be scaredâ
âBecause you know I would make you spill your secretsâ
âYou are over confident, too bad that your charm is not working on meâ
âMy charm has already worked on you and you are already thinking how to counter my daresâ
âExcuse me? I am not even going to come, let alone playing that stupid gameâ
âAfter I did those tasks for you? you arenât playing fair Khushiâ
âI donât owe you anything actually.â
âOk leave it, I know you wouldnât come because you wouldnât dareâ
He turned to go.
âWhy do you want to have dinner at that damn place anyway?â
âI can have dinner anywhere I want, as if you care to join?â
âI donât care. But at least, I would have given it a thought if it was my sort of placeâ
âNo way!â Arnav said remembering the last time they went on a date
âNothing can beat parantha galli, can itâ
âYou had your chance last time. This time I choose the placeâ
âOh I know you cannot handle that spice nor that crowdâ
âDare me and you will know what I can handle and what I cannotâ
âYou mean, I can give you anything to dare and you will take it?â
âof courseâ
âI could ask you to watch a Sallu movie with meâ
âIs that even a dare?â
âI have much more difficult ones up my sleeveâ
âOh really? I canât wait to see what they areâ
âAnyway you donât have to be really bothered. I am not planning to comeâ
âOk, I will give you a lee way. We will not start our game at 7 pm tonight. We can start it right away. Just one chance for both of us.â
Khushi thought about it for a minute. If he chose dare, she can even dare him to cancel this dinner.
âDeal!â
âLovely!â he said laying the water bottle on the table âyou spin itâ
She spun the water bottle, and it stopped pointing at him
She jumped ecstatically.
âI dare you toâŚâ
âWait, you first ask me what I would like to chooseâ
âTruth or dare?â
âTruthâ
âTruth?â she was disappointed.
âhmm ask awayâ
âWhy do you want me to come for this dinner tonight with you?â she asked the burning question that came to her mind first.
âBecause I want to spend time with youâ
âWhat? why would you want to spend time with me? Why not with your girlfriend?â
âYou get to ask only one question per chance. It is my chance now: truth or dare?â
Not willing to take truth, she chose dare. What can be ask her to do that she would be able to anyway?
âDareâ
âI dare you to come to the Kingâs courtyard at 7 pm tonight.â
With that, he turned and started to walk away as she stood gaping at his departing back.
It was then that an ingenious idea struck her.
âAnjali!â she called out âWhere are you when I need you?â
***
Arnav looked on in disbelief when he saw Khushi entering the dinner hall at the Kingâs Courtyard along with his sister.
âDamn you Khushi!â he muttered to himself.
âHi Arnav Bhaiâ Anjali called out cheerfully as Arnav glared at Khushi who was smirking at him.
âWow! So nice of you to plan this dinner out. I was really feeling so bored and depressed, with everyone leaving and the house seeming so emptyâ Anjali continued to chatter.
In the meanwhile, the other two had already started their chat on their preferred medium.
Arnav: âThis is so unfair Khushiâ
Khushi: âHavent you heard of the phrase: All is fair in love and war?â
Arnav: âOf course! This isnât definitely a war! So are you confessing your love?â
Khushi: âWhat Rubbish! There can be nothing other than war between us!â
The two was so engrossed in their messaging that they didnât notice that Anjali had suddenly gone quiet and was intently watching them having noticed the two messaging each other.
âGuys, you know what? it is not decent to chat like this when you have someone else at the tableâ she told them as they both stopped typing into their phones and looked up at her.
âYou see that outlet there?â Anjali asked them pointing out an adjoining jewelry outlet âI will be there. Once you both are done with telling each other whatever you wanted to say⌠come and get me for dinner.â She said getting up.
As Khushi looked on dumb stuck, Anjali made a move. âAnjaliâ Arnav called out making her turn around. âI love you for this!â
âI love you too bhaiâ she said throwing a flying kiss.
Khushi gave Anjali and Arnav an incredulous glare.
Behind Khushiâs back, Anjali gestured Arnav to get a move on already, earning a smile from him and then she turned and left leaving the two at the table.
To be continued.
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Long has become a standard these days. Applying the same rule to you all as well. Long comments please!
Cheers until the next update, Vi.
Edited by abavi - 4 years ago