I know I've neglected H2H this week, 'cos I was so caught up with JEALOUSY. But I decided to come back to H2H today. PMs after I write the "O" in JEALOUSY. Read on now...
Chapter 38: In which Spidermen scale a few walls.
"I have nothing to say to you!" Malena turned her back on him.
"But you can listen to me, can't you?" asked Peter.
"I don't want to."
"Oh look its Spidey!" said Arnav menacingly, as he and Khushi walked to the doorway.
"Listen, Mr.Raizada. I'm sorry about last night. I just want to talk to Malli, please." Said Peter.
"Listen, Peter, is it? Listen Peter. Malli doesn't want to talk to you now. I think you should leave," Said Khushi firmly.
"Look. I don't know who you are lady, but I am a very good friend of Malli's. I made a mistake. I want to apologize to her," said Peter irately.
"OK, good friend. My name is Khushi Gupta. Malli lives with me now. And if she says she doesn't want to talk to you, she doesn't. Leave. Now." Khushi's voice was steely, but she had a twinkle in her eye.
Peter looked from Arnav to Khushi. He realized they weren't going to let him speak with Malli unless she explicitly said she wanted to. He reached for Malli and grabbed her shoulders, and pressed her up against the wall. His face was an inch from hers, and he was staring at her with a hard, bright look in his eyes. Arnav was trying to pry him away from Malli without success. Peter glared at him with so much rage in his eyes that Arnav blinked. Malli was trying to prise herself free with no success. He held her arms so tight that she was sure whe'd have bruises to show for it later. When she grimaced lightly, Peter let go of her and pushed Arnav back roughly.
"I made a mistake OK. Haven't you ever made a mistake Mr.Raizada? One you wish you could take back? I have! I let the best thing that happened to me get away. And I want to say I am sorry. I was wrong. Would you let me, for heavens sakes?" he yelled angrily.
"No. No he hasn't. Arnav would never make such mistakes. Don't compare yourself with him. He's too good a person to hurt anyone that way. Nobody would hurt the one who loved them the most the way you did. I never want to see you again Peter. Leave!" screamed Malli, jolted out of the haze she'd been in for the last 2 minutes.
"I think you should listen to him Malli!" said Arnav quietly.
"What? I don't want to listen to him. He left me to fend for myself on the streets when I begged him to help me. Why should I listen to him?" yelled Malli.
"We all make mistakes Malli. Just listen to him. It can't hurt." Arnav walked out of the room, a little shaken.
"Go into the living room you two. I'll bring you some coffee." said Khushi. Peter smiled shakily. Malli said nothing. She merely led the way into the living room.
Malli perched herself on the couch. Peter knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. She snatched them away angrily, but he held fast. She struggled and struggled to free her hands. The harder she fought, the tighter his grip got. After a minute or two of silent struggle she gave up and let her hands rest in his quietly. He loosened the death grip he had on her clenched fists, and opened them up slowly. He held her palms lightly, ran a caressing finger through them, soothing the pain away. Then he bought her hands up to his lips and kissed her fingers.
"I will never let go of these again. Give me another chance. Please," he begged, tears shining in his eyes now.
Malli looked into his face stonily. "You can't undo the past Peter. It's done. You and I, we're not meant to be." She slipped her fingers from his clasp gently.
"Malena, don't," he pleaded.
"Malli, Peter. Never Malena. Not to you."
Peter got up. "I won't give up. I won't. You'll have to listen to me. And someday, you'll come back to me. I know you will," he said with a bravado he didn't quite feel. He walked past Khushi who was carrying a tray with 2 steaming mugs of coffee.
"Thanks Ms.Gupta. Some other time, maybe," he smiled half-heartedly and left.
"Coffee?" Khushi offered Malli a cup. Malli took it with a perfectly steady hand. She drank it without saying a word. Khushi drank the other cup, sitting with her. They didn't speak at all. And when they were done, Malli took the empty cups to the kitchen sink. "Thanks!" she said to Khushi who walked in behind her.
"What for?" asked Khushi.
"For letting me be," said Malli.
Arnav stood in his and Khushi's bedroom, looking out of the window. It was raining outside. He had always hated the rain. Too cold. Too wet. Too grey. Tiny drops of rain made little rivulets and coursed down the glass in front of him. He looked unseeingly through the window. And wondered if he'd ever be free of this heavy guilt that sat like a cancer encroaching mass in the pit of his stomach. If he deserved all the happiness he had now.
"Peter remind you of someone?" asked Khushi putting her arms around him from behind and hugging him to her.
"Peter Parker must be the English name for Arnav Singh Raizada," joked Arnav lightly. She turned him to face her. He wasn't smiling. It wasn't that kind of joke.
"Only Peter Parker is way smarter. He realized his mistake very quickly. Before too much damage had been done. Before too much time had been wasted," rued Arnav.
'Don't Arnav. Don't do this. I held that resentment and pain within me for too long. I've moved past it now. You can't beat yourself up over what happened years ago for the rest of our lives. I won't let you." Said Khushi. "You should've listened to me and made love this morning. You wouldn't be so crotchety if you had," she laughed, kissing his chin. He pulled her into a tight embrace. And didn't let her go till she complained she couldn't breathe. Then he loosened his grip, and rested his chin on the top of her head, still holding her close. She pulled away a little and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. A gentle kiss that mingled his tears, her love and their mutual respect and trust.
"If I didn't know Malli is probably guessing what we're doing right now I'd say we go for it!" grinned Khushi.
"But since she probably does know, let's not," Said Arnav, smiling back at her. "I want so save my strength for the honeymoon anyway, soon to be wife!"
"To-be wife. I like the sound of that. In a few weeks, I'll be your wife. You'll be my husband. Husband." She rolled the word around in her mouth, as if she was trying it out. "I like that. I shall tell everyone, this is Arnav, my husband!" she practiced.
"Hmmm. Now, go. Be wifely and bring me a cup of tea and some breakfast. Catching some cornflakes in my mouth doesn't count as breakfast," said Arnav.
"I will if you go clean the cornflakey mess we made in the kitchen!" she said.
"Do I have to?" he pulled a face.
"Yes. Good practice for being a husband!" she quipped.
Arnav sighed and went down to fetch the broom.
"I'm sorry about Peter," said Malli's soft voice as Arnav was sweeping up the mess.
"Don't be." Said Arnav gently.
"And I'm sorry he spoke to you that way. I know you'd never let anyone down the way Peter let me down." Malli hugged Arnav. It was the first time she'd hugged him. He put the broom down and hugged her back, his arms smoothing her back. When she pulled away he saw she was crying.
"Hey! What's this? Malena the Iron Lady in tears! This won't do. People will think you're going soft in your old age."
"Shut up Arnav!" she hugged him again, and this time the tears didn't stop. Malena's love and loss, and grief and pain, and Peter and Anshu, and her Uncle and Aunt and her Dad and Mom, she cried for them all. "When will it stop hurting?" she asked.
"Never. But the pain gets better. Give it time," said Arnav. "Now stop crying all over my shirt and go fix your face. It looks awful!" he said. Malli pulled a face at Arnav and went away to wash her face.
"You should tell her someday," said Khushi standing at the doorway.
"Tell her what?"
"What happened between us all those years ago."
"Why? How would it help?"
"She adores you. When she realizes that you can make mistakes too, she might be tempted to give Peter a chance."
"You mean she didn't..?" he didn't finish the sentence.
"She sent him packing," said Khushi wryly.
"Well, good for her. I don't like Spidey anyway. Besides, she's what, 17? Plenty of time for all that. Like when she's 30. Now, she needs to study and go to college and have a career and all that," said Arnav.
"OK. Good luck with keeping Men away from her till she's 30. In case you haven't noticed, she's gorgeous," said Khushi.
"Hey Malli, you're not dating till you're 30!" Arnav called loudly to Malli who was in the bathroom.
"Since I'm planning on dying a spinster that won't be a problem!" came Malli's reply, slightly muffled through the bathroom door.
"There! See! She's never getting married. Problem solved." Grinned Arnav.
"She isn't. But we are. Hurry up and finish cleaning. We have to send out the last few invites today. And you are helping me with it," said Khushi firmly.
"What about breakfast?" asked Arnav. "I'm hungry!"
"No breakfast today. Eat cornflakes."
"We threw it at each other. It's all gone. I thought you were going to cook something?"
"I was. I changed my mind." Replied Khushi.
"You're taking us out to Brunch Arnav. Then we're coming back and working on wedding invites. Now, go. Get Sheila ready. I'll get Nita and let Malli know. " said Khushi.
"We're not even married, and already, I'm an oppressed hen-pecked husband!" sighed Arnav. "A broom in one hand, and a kid in another. Whatta life."
He escaped Khushi's swat at his butt and went up the stairs two at a time, whistling a peppy tune.
"Hen-pecked husbands don't whistle happy tunes as they get their children ready!" called Khushi from downstairs.
"They do if it's a Sunday morning and they're finally going to get a good meal because they're going out to eat!" replied Arnav cheekily.
"Keep this up Raizada and I'll spend the honeymoon fulfilling my Dominatrix fantasies!" said Khushi loudly.
"Now we're talking baby!" replied Arnav from upstairs.
"Yuck! Will you two stop discussing your sex life so the whole house can hear. I really don't need to know about your fantasies!" said Malli, grimacing as she emerged from the bathroom. Khushi and Arnav piped down immediately, slightly embarrassed. Malli smiled lightly as she went up to get changed for brunch. She loved this family. And she loved being part of this family.
Wedding preps from next chapter. Promise. Any thoughts on this one? Let me know.
Cheers!
Vidhya
Edited by madmaxine - 13 years ago
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