Hey guys,
This is an OS (potentially an SS) following on from the current story-line. This part is mostly angsty, but important to set-up the perspectives of Arnav and khushi on their marriage. I promise if I continue it to bring back the love and clear the misunderstandings.
Background info:
About a month into Arnav and Khushi's contract, hate-filled marriage. Arnav has been exceptionally hostile towards Khushi; swinging between ice-cold indifference and angry, heated and vicious verbal attacks. She still does not know why he married her like this and why the sudden switch back to ASR. Both are hurting deeply on the inside. In spite of this, in front of the family, they have been keeping up a front of a happy marriage, with special attention given to the SNAKE. Arnav makes a point of emphasising his 'love' for Khushi in front of the Snake with public displays of attention. However, Snake being the slimy, sick b**tard he is has taken the ArHi marriage as a blow, but not defeat. He is absolutely determined to shatter what he perceives as their so-called 'happiness' and take Khushi in one way or another. He keeps trying to create situations where he can play on Arnav's insecurities about Khushi and Shyam because he is smart enough to realise that Arnav has not confronted Khushi about the terrace scene.
Also, the whole Raizada family was initially dismissive of Khushi but bit by bit she has started to restore her good name: Arnav always defended her whenever anyone had taunted her and so Nani/Anjali/Mama and Akash have accepted that they are in love and stopped questioning their decision to get married like that. Payal is obviously very upset that Khushi did this and still won't tell her why.
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Morning.
A sudden burst of sunlight streamed through the room as Khushi opened the curtains of the huge windows that looked out onto the pool-side. She stood by the window gazing outwards, lost in her own world. His words from last night were still ringing in her ears
'ENOUGH' he had screamed as he hurled his plate across the room. She had jumped back, frightened by this outburst. He had risen, shaking with anger, his eyes dark and blazing.
'Ar..Arnav.'
'I said enough Khushi. I've had it with you and your dramas. This act of being the perfect wife, perfect bahu can work on anyone..but not me. I HATE YOU. I hate every damn thing about you but nothing more than the pretence. I don't need you or your false concern in my life. Do you understand that?' he spat at her in a deathly low whisper as he walked towards her, pushing her up against the wall and fixing her in a cruel, venom-filled stare.
'Don't you ever, ever wait for me to come back home before you eat dinner again. Say what you want to my family, but there's no need to prolong the act for me,' he added before storming off to their room, leaving her trembling against the wall.
'I hate you. I hate every damn thing about you,' his cruel words replayed over and over again in her mind as a lone tear rolled down her cheeks.
The sudden burst of light woke Arnav up with a start. Instinctively, he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the light and winced in pain as his hand knocked against the headboard when he got up slightly.
'damn it,' he muttered under his breath as he looked at his bruised knuckles, still sore from yesterday when he had stormed up to his room and punched the wall in frustration. His eyes were sore too, puffy, from a night of broken sleep. He leaned over to look at the clock on his bedside table and groaned slightly as he saw the time.
'Shit,' he thought. It was 8.30 and he had to be at the office at 9 for an important meeting. How could he have overslept so badly?
He knew why, a part of him thought bitterly. Last night, like almost every night, he had lain in bed unable to get to sleep, unable to relax until she had fallen asleep, until the sounds of stifled sobs were replaced by heavy breathing. And of course she couldn't fall asleep, lying in bed with the man she was blackmailed into marrying when her heart lay with another a few rooms away.
Anger flaring up in him, he looked over to see Khushi standing by the windows, looking the very picture of misery.
'Khushi, what the hell is wrong with you. Couldn't you have woken me up, you know I have an important meeting today!' he shouted, his voice laced with accusation and suspicion. Of course she didn't, why would she? It wasn't as if she gave a damn about him or his problems.
Khushi was too preoccupied in her thoughts to hear him.
'KHUSHI,' he yelled, angry that she was ignoring him. 'KHUSHI, HOW MANY F***ING TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU LOOK AT ME AND ANSWER ME DAMMIT!' and with that he threw himself out of bed and marched over to her, grabbing her by the arm and forcing her to look at him.
She still had that lost expression on her face. Arnav, irritated, shook her like a doll until she came back to reality.
'huh..' she said confusedly.
'Khushi, I said why didn't you wake me up,' he said in a low voice.
'I'm.. sorry Arnav, I didn't realise.. you were talking to me'' her voice trailed off again as she looked out the window once again.
Arnav's eyes followed her and his jaw set itself in a tight line as he looked out at the scene before him. Anjali and Shyam were sitting out by the pool, Shyam with his arm around Anjali's waist, feeling the baby bump as Anjali read a story out loud.
'Rani Saiba...I'm telling you there's no point in reading this story out, it's about trains! I'm sure our nani pari would rather be interested in fairies and princesses,' he cooed out in that horrible, sickly-sweet voice of his.
'Aap bhi na! how do you know it's a girl anyway. I'm sure it's a boy..a little boy who'll be just like my Chote!' she said, a huge smile spreading across her face as she cupped her husband's face in her hands.
'Saale Saab junior,' said Shyam with a smirk.
'No...our boy. I want our son to be just as honest, kind and loving as you,' she said, tears welling up as she embraced him tightly.
Unable to bear his poor sister singing that bas***d's' praises anymore, he turned away to look at Khushi, who still had that pained expression on her face.
And then it hit him. Of course she was upset. Of course she was soo lost in her thoughts she couldn't hear him shouting at her; didn't notice him, didn't acknowledge him. Watching his di with the man she loves; watching them discuss their future together; reminding her that Anjali was the one who was married to him, the one who was carrying his baby.
Arnav felt the now familiar stab of pain, as though a knife was piercing his heart as he looked at her contemptuously. Tightening his grip on her arm, he dragged her away from the window and pushed her down so she was sat on the bed.
'I know this marriage is a sham, but I expect you to at least fulfil your duties properly. Or can't you even do that?' he sneered at her before storming off to the bathroom to get ready.
His words stung her, but there was nothing new in his insults. She got up slowly and made her way to the mirror to clean-up her face. Wiping away her tears, she picked up the eyeliner and put it on slowly.
'I will not let him think he has defeated me,' she thought as she perfected her make-up; disguising the hollow, drained look her skin had taken recently. She carefully applied concealer, blusher, lipstick, anything to create the artificial, glowing, radiant look of false happiness; completing the image with the customary fake smile plastered across her beautiful face. She was just about to put the sindoor in her hair when Arnav came out the bathroom in his shirt and trousers, the towel around his neck, absorbing the drops of water dripping off his soaking wet hair.
She froze, her fingers still poised in position as she looked at him in the mirror. Why did he still have the ability to totally take her breath away?He strode over to the bed where the rest of his suit lay and picked up his waist-coat. Khushi watched him get dressed, watched the meticulous way in which he put on his three-piece suit, tie, his shoes, his watch, put his wallet in his pocket, grab his phone until he finally looked in her direction, their eyes meeting in the mirror.
Khushi had felt a flutter of emotion watching him get ready; the affectionate feeling of watching something familiar and dear. She hated herself for still loving him, for wanting him to look at her, acknowledge her, for finding him so irresistible, for weakening in the face of his magnetic, hypnotic gaze, hating her treacherous heart.
But she felt it. Even know, when he looked at her with his classic impenetrable gaze, where she couldn't tell whether the intensity in his eyes was from burning love or from burning hatred. Very slowly, he walked towards her, his eyes never leaving hers.
He clenched his fists, hating himself for being unable to stop looking at her; hating himself for losing again to her mesmerising, hypnotic beauty, hating himself for being affected by her indifference, hating himself for caring that she didn't care about him, for caring that she was in love with someone else,hating his treacherous heart.
Khushi felt her heart rate increase as he edged closer and closer. Dhak dhak..dhak dhak. Instinctively, her other hand clutched at her heart as she closed her eyes, trying to drown out the sound of her roaring heart.
Arnav watched. He felt a flicker of excitement course through his veins at the thought that his presence was affecting her so much before he came crashing back to reality. How many times had he seen her do that in the past? As if she couldn't make it more obvious that something was happening to her heart. When was the last time that she had done that?...the morning of the wedding. When he had been so duped by her charms that he had actually waited tables for her. The same day that he had seen her in the arms of Shyam. The same day that he found out Anjali was pregnant with that two timing son-of-a-bitch's child. The same day he had married her and brought this hell upon themselves.
He clenched his fists harder. He was standing so close to her that he could feel her body quivering in anticipation. He bent slowly so that his mouth was by her ear, his wet hair brushing against her neck.
An involuntary gasp left her lips at his touch.
'Khushi Singh Raizada, what the hell are you waiting for. In case you haven't noticed, you've been holding your hand up for the past 5 minutes,' he whispered in a low, hard voice, causing her eyes to fly open as she felt his breath on her face.
'I...what,' she stammered, looking confusedly into his eyes in the reflection.
'Don't think for a minute that I don't know what you are up to. If you thought I'm going to come and fill your maang for you then you're wrong.' And with that he got up, quickly turning his head away, not wanting to, not able to bear the hurt that was spreading across her face. As he got up, he stumbled slightly and knocked into her, inadvertently grabbing her hand that was still waiting above her head. Regaining his balance, he got up and left gruffly.
Khushi turned slowly and looked in the mirror, her eyes swimming with fresh tears. Her head was a red mess, he had spilt the sindoor everywhere... all over her forehead, carelessly, unwittingly, without wanting to. But he had done it nevertheless.
She didn't know if it was out of happiness or sadness when she touched her hair lightly, feeling the powder beneath her fingers, this so-called symbol of love and marriage and fixed the sindoor, before getting up slowly, ready to face the drama inevitably waiting for her downstairs.
Arnav walked quickly down the stairs, briefcase in hand, determined not to think about the morning's disasters. His phone rang suddenly, probably Aman wanting to know where the workaholic boss was on the morning of one of the most important meetings of the year.
'Yeah I know...Oh shut up Aman of course i'm coming. Until then take care of the clients. I'm sure you and Akash can handle SOMETHING without me, at least for a while,' he barked before hanging up abruptly.
'Dammit' he muttered for the millionth time that morning as he stared at his phone screen, reddened by the sindoor that was still on his hand. Mocking him, reminding him that this marriage was ruining his life. And hers.
Part 2: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/53282900
Part 3: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/53310568
Part 4:https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/53923892
I'd really appreciate it if you would give me feedback, good or bad on this attempt and I hope you enjoyed it. If you did enjoy it, please click the 'like' button.
Anaya x
Bindi
Udne Ki Aasha
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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