Series of FF's on Arnav & Khushi : updated pg 165 - Page 33

hi chicky chick

So sorry couldn't comment. Was busy. Will read and comment

oh chick

OHHH MYYY GOOODDD! CAN YOUR FF GET ANY BETTER! SERIOUSLY THIS IS MY FAVOURITE, I DONT FALLOW ANY OTHERS EXCEPT FOR THIS... ADN MY OWN OFCOURSE! THANKS FOR THE PM AND PLEASE UPDAT AND PM ME SOOON!

thanks again for the pm loved the part and waiting for the next one

Awesome update...now waitin for next update anxiously

'NAHIN', Khushi said softly but firmly.

She watched apprehensively, as he looked up from his place at the desk. Her voice seemed to bring him back from somewhere.

'What did you say?' he asked quietly, as if confirming what he had heard.

'Humne kaha … nahin … I will not marry you' she stated firmly again, requesting her devi mayyiya silently for the strength to see this through.

'I don't recall asking you,' He pointed out harshly. 'You will do what you are told…'

'… or else…' she challenged him, taking a militant stance with her hands on her waist.

Arnav give her a brief look and walked towards where she was standing.

Uff, why couldn't he remain where he was … at a distance … so that she could say what she had to, and not worry about his proximity, she groaned inwardly.

Soon he towered over her.

Khushi could sense the fury in his stance, as she mustered up all her bravado, and continued to stare up at him defiantly.

'You are very fond of sacrificing yourself for your family's safety and wellbeing. So here is your chance again,' he said harshly, in a dangerously low voice. 'Lets make it easier for your tiny brain to understand this – if you do not do as I say … I will destroy ever thing that is dear to you,' he stated with a deathly finality.

'First I will destroy your family … then you … then that cheating …'

'Par humne kya kiya …' her voice trailed off, when she saw him stiffen.

'YOU'… he spat out the words at her, 'you are the cause of his unfaithfulness to Di. He has obviously gotten taken in by your false innocence, like every one else.'

'But your charms do not work on me. I know exactly what you are,' he continued in that cold calculating voice that Khushi had come to fear. 'Get yourself organized,' he dismissed her, ' tomorrow we get married. I need to sort out that …'

'Why don't you let Anjaliji decide what she wants to do about her husband?' Khushi ignored his command. 'Why can't you let people take their own decisions … make their own choices.'

'Don't you DARE say anything to Di, you …' he held her shoulders with both his hands and shook her violently.

'Aap …' Khushi started.

'BAAS' he thundered, shaking her once again. 'Now GET LOST and be ready to go to the temple with me tomorrow morning.'

And saying so, he pushed her out of the door, and banged it shut on her face.

**

By afternoon Khushi was pacing the floor outside his study, while jiji and Akash were locked in there with Arnav. He had summoned them shortly after dismissing her, and Khushi did not even have a minute to answer jiji's quizzical look as they shut the door again on her face.

'Great!' she muttered, 'but … poor Anjaliji,' she thought of all the fasts and prayers she always offered for the wellbeing of her husband … and he…' She recalled all the times when she had been taken aback, by his suggestive comments; comments that he had covered up later. But thinking back now, Khushi felt dirty and soiled suddenly. She had put her faith in such a man, and held him in such high regard.

The door opened interrupting her musings, and she felt herself being enveloped in a hug by jiji and a smiling Akash jiju. 'Khushi!' exclaimed jiji, 'you never told me… and all this while we thought that you both …' Khushi could only stare with her mouth open over jiji's shoulder at those smoldering eyes, where she only saw hatred for her at this moment.

'Come on,' Jiji pulled her towards her room, 'we have so much to plan … this is so sudden … we have to call amma babuji …'

**

On seeing the mute figure of Khushi, jiji stopped her chattering suddenly. They were in Khushi's room and jiji was talking nonstop about shopping, and getting ready, and the paucity of time.

'Khushi?' jiji asked her gently, 'you want to do this, no? … He's not forcing you…'

'Nahin jiji,' Khushi smiled brightly as her sister, instinctively covering up her own feelings. She flushed, as she realized that she was lying blatantly to her sister.

Mistaking her blush, Payal hugged Khushi, 'I'm happy that you have found happiness also.'

'Now, let see… we need to get you a sari … but let's call amma first', Payal started her nonstop, excited chatter again.

**

By evening Khushi was getting a splitting headache. The rest of the day had passed in a flurry of activity, and the stress of pretending that all was well, had started to tell on her. She felt the worst about lying to jiji, amma and babuji. If they ever came to know what she was doing, they would be completely heart broken.

A million questions raced through her mind all day – what had he told Lavanya ji? What had he told her family, Anjaliji and nani? There had been no calls from the Raizada House, and Khushi found that odd. Had he even told any of them yet?

She finally got one of her answers, when jiji let slip, that Arnav had requested them to wait till they were married tomorrow morning before telling nani or Anjali, as he wanted to sort out the Lavanya issue before he took Khushi home.

Jiji was making him sound like one sensitive man, caring for everyone's feelings, and it was making Khushi more and more sick. Why was this happening? She questioned for the millionth time since morning. And she was going to marry him tomorrow …

Seeing the strained look on Khushi's face, jiji offered to get them some tea. Alone in her room, Khushi looked about at the clothes and jewellery scattered all over her bed. She felt totally numb. Jiji had insisted on immediately taking her to Chandini Chowk, where they had selected the sari. What would have been a happy occasion for Khushi, where she would have loved to plan and organize her own wardrobe, was soon becoming a chore for her, as she just played along disinterestedly. The only time she actually put her foot down was to dissuade jiji from buying an expensive elaborate red bridal sari. She had chosen a simple cream and gold Kerela-style one instead, shying away from the red one immediately.

'No, I'll wear my own jewellery,' she insisted, when jiji pulled her towards a jeweler a little ahead of the sari shop.

'But, Khushi…' jiji started

'Nahin jiji.' Khushi stated firmly. 'Just the new sari is enough.'

Now sitting in her room, with the sky darkening outside, Khushi looked at the sari peeping out from its tissue wrapping. Jiji had taken out Khushi's jewellery box and had been deciding what all she could wear, offering some of her own too for tomorrow morning.

Payal walked in with the tray of tea, breaking Khushi's chain of thought. On the tray was also a cone of mehndi, that jiji proceeded to apply on Khushi's palms after they had had their tea. Khushi looked at her sister's bent head, as she worked painstakingly, and felt a gush of love for her. She was trying her best to make this day special for Khushi as much as she could. With a sob, Khushi suddenly reached out and hugged her sister, all the pent up emotions just spilling out in her tears.

'Khushi!' a taken aback Payal, put down the mehndi, and gently gathered Khushi in her arms letting her cry. Pre bridal nerves were common, and here her bubbly sister was going through a rushed marriage, without any of her family close by. Payal quelled her sudden anger at Arnav for making them miss out on the proper festivities of a wedding.

From the bedroom door, which Payal had left slightly ajar on her way in, Arnav watched as Khushi sobbed uncontrollably in Payal's arms. A muscle twitched in his jaw and his eyes melted at the sight. Only to be covered immediately with the cold mask, as he turned and stormed out of the house. He too needed to be alone.

**

Surprisingly Khushi slept like a log. Must have been the pressure and fatigue of the previous day, or the presence of jiji next to her, who had insisted on spending the night with Khushi. Turning to see the bed empty where jiji had been, Khushi shut her eyes and said a small prayer for all of them that everything would go well. She even added a prayer for Arnav, who she understood was going through battles of his own. After all if any one ever hurt her jiji …

Again her thoughts were broken, by jiji's walking in with tea and a million instructions - Her clothes neatly ironed were laid out for her; she had to have a bath with a haldi and chandan paste that was already placed in the bathroom; amma has also said…

Within the next one hour, jiji helped Khushi get dressed for her wedding day. Never in her wildest dreams had Khushi imagined it to be like this, as she sat at the dresser and watched jiji braid her long hair in with a red and gold parandi and some frangipani flowers plucked from the poolside.

The final touch was a set of green glass bangles that jiji opened and put on Khushi's slim wrists with tears in her eyes. Their parents should have been here, doing this, both the sisters were thinking.

'Chalo, no crying now,' jiji wiped her tears and gave Khushi a shaky smile. 'I'll go collect everything, you wait here till I get back.'

Khushi sat at the edge of the bed, wondering what was coming next. 'I can't do this,' she stood up suddenly and started pacing the floor chewing her freshly painted pearl pink nails.

Thoughts of her parents and Arnav's threat came rushing back, and Khushi sat down with a thud as the enormity of what was going to happen next suddenly hit her. She felt cornered and helpless. She was being made to pay for something that she had not done. The self-pity gave way to anger, and Khushi pursed her lips in a stubborn motion, as she swore not to make this any easier for him too.

'You are going to get as good as you give, Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada,' she vowed softly, 'If you think that you are getting some docile girl into your life, you can think again. You may have succeeded in getting me to agree to this – a battle you have won right now. But the war has only just begun.'

woohoo!

way to go...

Battle Cry!

ARRR!

i have lost it today so any sane comments from me would be too much to expect!

but my friend aaj kuch aur maanga hota toh woh bhi mil jaata

so yeah..i am going to bed with sweet dreams

good night!!

Brilliant...Yeh Arnaav ko bhi daath deni padegi...pya kameena dimaagh paya hai...making Aakash and Payaal feel that they have fallen in love with each other...and want to marry right away...ooo...so dreamy...except for Khushi...this dream is but a nightmare...a repetitive one!!! Me looking forward to Khushi giving it back to him in full measure!!! He should be made to suffer thru all of this too...

@ vru - well you read and get a good nights sleep ... we have the marriage ceremony to attend tomorrow - must look fresh and pretty!!!