Maybe he does love Lavanya she thought painfully; he should love her. And hadn't he said that just because you can't see something, it doesn't mean it's not there? She didn't know what she was thinking questioning him like that, she'd lost her mind just because 'ASR' had taken somewhat of a backseat this past day or so. 'Maaf ki jiye ga, humme aisa sawal nahi pooch na tha,' she spoke very carefully, only looking at him sideways. When he didn't respond after a few seconds, she reached for the car door with her left hand only for him to reach across her and grab it, making her turn to look at him in shock. She was facing him now and it felt like she was surrounded by him in the already enclosed space.
***
Arnav didn't know why he'd held her back; he should be glad she was going without an argument but her words had made him think. Her hand felt warm in his and she seemed as surprised as he was by the way her fingers curled around his as though they were coming home. He tried to focus; she'd asked him about his marriage... the word 'marriage' felt more like a noose around his neck than anything else and his hand tightened on Khushi's unconsciously. He supposed she was right, his impending marriage to Lavanya was a deal of sorts but there was nothing wrong with that, it made perfect sense... so what if it didn't feel right? His world didn't spin on feelings the way hers did - or the way he'd thought hers did.
He looked into Khushi's face and saw she was staring at him with those wide, knowing eyes of hers, searching his face silently while he thought. He spoke quietly making her jump a little in the tense silence, 'Agar meri shaadi ek deal hai... toh phir tumhari shaadi kya hai Khushi?' He watched her face closely and saw that he'd surprised her, her eyes growing bigger than he'd thought possible. He looked down at the hand he was still holding and the fingers that were still holding his trustingly.
He saw the loose ring that had stolen his peace slip down to her knuckle and fought the sudden urge to pull it off and throw it into the gutter where it belonged while he waited for her to respond. Instead he lightly stroked the pale pink scar it exposed on her finger with his thumb; the scar he'd given her, he thought with some pain, wondering how much longer it would remain there on her finger. He looked up and asked the question again, not knowing why it meant so much, why did he need to hear her say it? Wouldn't it just hurt him more to hear her say she was in love?
'Tumhari shaadi kya hai Khushi?' His voice was as soft as velvet as he looked into her eyes and continued to stroke her finger, taking care not to touch the offending ring. He could see she was trembling slightly and her fingers tightened around his for a second before she slipped them out of his hand, almost taking the ring off. She looked down at it and he thought he saw a flash of bitterness in her eyes before it disappeared and she looked up with sad eyes speaking almost numbly, 'Humari Amma Babuji ki khushi...'
There, she'd said it. She didn't know what satisfaction he'd get from knowing she was only marrying for her family's happiness but she couldn't keep it in any longer. Anjali had asked her so many times if she was happy and she'd been able to dodge her prying questions but she couldn't dodge these eyes. Her finger still tingled where her ring should be, where he'd left his mark in more ways than one and even when she pushed the ring back over it, she could still feel it burning away underneath. He hadn't said a word since she's spoken but it looked like he hadn't expected her to say those words; he looked shocked and confused and... sorry? She couldn't bear the pity in his eyes, it was worse than if he'd shouted and screamed.
Finally he spoke, sounding even more confused than he looked, 'Lekin Khushi tum ne toh... I mean you're so -' She didn't let him finish and his words pushed her to reach back and open the car door. 'Ek minute Khushi - wait!!' But she ignored him and slid out of the car, only stopping for a second, 'Aaj aapne jo kuch bhi kaha uss ke liye shukriya, meri Jiji bohth khush rahegi waha pe...' She smiled through her tears and then shut the car door to his confused face and hurried into the house, not wanting him to see her break down, only looking back once before heading in.
He watched her go feeling strangely numb; he'd known she wasn't fully happy but he'd still expected her to say something else - something more. He'd always known how important she thought marriage and love was - she'd told him enough times - and yet here she was, marrying as a compromise to keep her family happy. The numbness was wearing off quickly and he felt a surge of anger at the people who were making her do this. He was itching to go in there and say something but he stopped himself; he had no right over her, he told himself painfully and he somehow started the car and turned it around.
He drove home in a daze, not knowing how he got there and saw Akash heading into the house ahead of him. He knew he should go in and find out what was happening but instead he sat there for a while in the dark, thinking about Khushi, remembering her unshed tears as she told him it was her parents wish. He didn't know why it bothered him since he'd been the first one to tell her that feelings meant nothing but for some reason it bothered him a lot. He wondered if she even knew what she was doing and whether she realised that sure his marriage might be a deal but by the sounds of it hers wasn't far off from one either...
Oh Asma this was the best part. For a second I stopped breathing after listening to his question...how did you think about this question? So wish that he had given her ride home in today's episode but oh well. I am more satisfied after reading your version. Really her marriage is also a deal, there's no love in it.
I hope these two realize their love for each other before it's too late.
Thanks Again 👏 🤗
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