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FF: Arnav and Khushi On their way to Happily ever after
Chapter 11
The phone rang.
Arnavji backed off and Khushi slumped on the bed, all strength going out of her knees. Her heart was racing so hard, she could barely catch her breath. She put a hand to her chest, inexplicably disappointed. She shouldn't be, considering all the trouble this kind of thing had led her into. But'
She honestly had been so lost, she hadn't heard the phone at all; it was only Arnavji's vigorous search for it that had made her aware. Apparently a business call was more important than whatever moment they were having.
Or not.
She watched as Arnavji took out cell phone from his coat's pocket, glanced at it before taking out the battery and throwing the thing back down. Then he strode back towards her, his eyes smoldering.
She backed off, pulling her legs on the bed. Of course that didn't stop him and he came around from the side. When she tried to scramble away, he grasped her wrist and pulled her back in, forcing her to face him as he kneeled. And put his hand on her shoulders to keep her from slumping back.
'Khushi,' His voice was infinitely gentle. 'Tell me what you know about that whole qareeb ana thing.'
She eyed him dubiously. He wanted to talk? She wouldn't have been averse to a little more intimacy. She was having a baby already; what would one more mean? She blushed at the boldness of her own thoughts.
'A-aap ye kkiun pooch rahay hain?' She tried to yank her arm free; his grip merely tightened.
'Btao.' He commanded. She gulped, feeling her face flame.
But Arnavji wasn't letting her go, so she had to tell him about it. 'Jb hm matric me the tou'' she glanced up at him, and then hurriedly looked down. There was no way she was getting out of this one; she steeled herself. 'To hmari sahaliyun ne btaya tha ke''
'Ke?' he prompted after a second, raising an eyebrow questioning.
'K-ke'jb aik l-larka aik larki ke'' she swallowed manfully before continuing, 'q-qareeb ata hai to wo'' she blushed, unable to finish the sentence.
'To kia, Khushi?' He leaned in so that he spoke directly in her ear. Her heart jumped in her throat. It occurred to her that she was probably engaging in the same kind of qareeb ana that led to unplanned consequences. 'Wo pregnant ho jati hai!' She finished in a rush, feeling as if her eyebrows were on fire.
'Sirf qareeb anay sa?' He sounded genuinely curious.
She'd wondered about that too. If only coming close was the requirement, then she'd been close to' well not many guys but at least Shyamji when he'd hugged her and of course Arnavji. As far as she could figure out, the whole thing about Suhag had to do with emotional intimacy. And she and Arnavji had' well, they'd certainly had their moments. So, logically, it followed that pregnancy only occurred when two people engaged in the kind of intimacy she and Arnavji had indulged in, a few minutes earlier. That was the only thing limited entirely to her and Arnavji.
She couldn't articulate that much to him, though. So she just satisfied herself with 'Jazbaat bhe honay chahiya'wo kia kehtay ap ke zuban me? Feelings!'
He looked down at her for a few moments, giving her that look he reserved for her: half cocked eyebrow that made her question her own sanity. 'Feelings'hmm.'
He took a deep breath as if steeling himself against a harsh blow that needed to be delivered.
'Khushi' tm pregnant nahi ho.' Arnavji said seriously, his voice gentle.
"Kun nahi hai?" Khushi argued. " Hum pregnant hain' naniji, Anjaliji, jiji or sab keh rahy hain k hum pregnant hain' Or aap bhe humary qareeb atay rehtay hain" she continued in a lower voice "... or abi phr sy humaray qareeb aa gy hain, kahen iss say twins tou nahi ho jatay?" she asked herself.
Arnav laughed out loud. That was it; he couldn't control himself. She is soo innocent. But he still had to tell her that she was not bound to him, he could not take advantage of her.
So he tried to regain his seriousness and said "Khushi' listen, tum pregnant nahi ho'kun k.." he looked at her face, eagerly waiting for him to continue. "'Its complicated, tum Payal say pooch lena'," he finished pursing his lips in an attempt to control himself from laughing again, but he made sure he gave her a serious look. To his relief she looked convinced. But was she'sad?
"Pregnant'nahi'hain?" Khushi said, sounding devastated.
"Nahi." He said seriously, nodding his head in reassurance.
Khushi was shocked; she looked as if something had hit her hard.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Arnav had totally forgotten he was still holding on to Khushi's arms. Seeing the excited look on her face fade away hit him with the hard fact that now she knew she was not bound to him and knowing how horrible a person he had had been to her it wouldn't be shocking if she'd not want to continue the marriage.
A lump formed in Arnav's throat. It felt as if something heavy dropped on his chest'
DHAK DHAK DHAK DHAK
'it hurt too much knowing she would leave him. He could not bear it; he let go of her arms. She was in too much shock to respond.
She deserves the best '
He got up and went to the poolside.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Khushi was still sitting on the bed in a shocked state. She could not believe what had happened. She had been so happy knowing that she was pregnant and now'hum pregnant nahi hain? 'Complicated'
Aik tou ye laad governer bhe na! Agr hum pregnant nahi hain tou'kal humari shadi ka contract khatm ' ab hum inhen kia'magr hum nahi torna chatay ye rishta... Humain tou Arnavji sy'
DHAK DHAK DHAK DHAK
She put a hand on her heart. It hurt her. Tears started coming out of her eyes, She saw Arnav retreat to the poolside. Magr ye tou hum sy kuch kehtay bhe nahi hain'agr in ke dil me hmaray lia kuch hota tou kiya ye hmain roktay mt???
She was confused and so hurt, she couldn't stop crying. She didn't remember when she lost herself to the darkness.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Arnav sat staring in the water, thoughts heavy and heart heavier.
He never wanted this, never wanted to leave her, never wanted to even imagine a life without her.
He couldn't remember a day he'd spent without thinking, in some manner, about Khushi ' after they'd met, of course.
He still remembered his first look of her: standing there, beautiful and confused, wondering how she'd come on stage. And then she'd fallen and he'd caught her.
And that was when he'd known: that she was the one for him. Of course, at that time, he'd panicked and blamed her for being there for nefarious purposes; simply because no one else had affected him like she had and he, with his own obsession with material and money, had thought she'd been there to spoil his show. He knew better now; in fact, he'd never truly believed it but still he'd gone on and outed that video, causing her harm and forcing her to move from Lucknow to Dehli.
He'd done her so much wrong and yet, she'd still found it in her heart to forgive him and help him whenever she could. She was just that kind of person: kind and sweet.
And he loved her so much, it hurt him. He couldn't imagine a time where he wouldn't. Even after he'd seen her with Shyam and hurting at the betrayal of it, totally shattered, he couldn't hate her. He'd seen her as a weakness but in truth, she was his life. He needed her like he needed air to breath and that was all he knew.
The thought of a life without her was' daunting. He had no doubt he could survive ' that was what he did, what he'd done after his parents had abandoned him and he could still do it ' but it wouldn't be easy; he had no illusions. Time wouldn't heal this wound, nor sweeten the parting but'
Its not my choice to make! He sighed heavily. She deserves the best, better than me, better than someone who hurt her in innumerable ways, who doubted her and who did everything in his power to make her life hell'
He used to think he was a catch for women because of his money and his power but what was all that when he couldn't get the one thing he truly wanted, the only person he needed in his life.
But I love her' I should at least tell her that'no, I can't blackmail her emotionally, not again'oh god, I don't want to lose her!
He shook his head, to clear his vision; it had gotten a little blurry. What's wrong with you Arnav Singh Raizada? Your tears aren't getting her back'
He looked through the windows into the lit up room.
She's still inside' His practical side kicked in. This is my last day with her ' unless, of course, she changed her mind. He wiped the tears off his face. I'll just go inside and memorize her so I can remember her for the rest of my life... He was afraid that this was all he would be left with ' memories.
It scared him.
But the night wasn't getting any younger and if he spent a second out of her company, it was a second wasted. So, he went inside.
Khushi was sleeping on his bed ' in a really uncomfortable manner, her shoes still on and her hands curled about his pillow as if afraid to let go. Her face was tear-streaked and scrunched into a frown. Her hair fell over her face. His hopes lifted for a second then crashed again ' she's probably upset because she's not pregnant, must be hard to accept. He set about the task of righting her, taking off her shoes and easing her in a better position before sitting down beside her.
He gently stroked her hair away from her face, his hand automatically cupping her cheek, wanting to ease away whatever plagued her. Her frown eased and her fingers unclenched as she leaned into his touch with an audible sigh.
It broke his heart all over again. So trusting'
She looked so beautiful and peaceful. He traced his fingers over her features, memorizing each dip and curve, wondering how he would live without her.
'I love you Khushi,' he whispered, 'I always have and I always will, I wish ke me ne ye sb tmhe pehlay keh dia hota' and I'm sorry for everything' I hope ke tm mjhe maaf kr sko''
*Sad Rabba Ve*
He got in bed with her and held her hand in his. I won't sleep tonight, he vowed, I'll just sit and look at her.
He spent the entire night memorizing her.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
After spending an entire day planning for his final showdown with Arnav, Shyam returned to his hideout. It belonged to one of his clients, someone who owed him some favors. He'd seen the after effects of his surprise ' too bad neither Arnav nor Rani Sahiba were injured. He'd been hoping that it would kill at least one of them but no matter. He was going to get rid of Arnav one way or another and then, he would deal with Rani Sahiba; that wouldn't require much thinking.
Then, finally, Khushi will belong to him.
He'd been lost in his thoughts as he climbed upstairs and he didn't see the man standing in front of his door until he was within two feet of it. The man was in uniform and as he moved towards him, something clinked ' dammit, he was carrying handcuffs.
Shyam had a split second of thought: should he try to fake it, use his experience as a lawyer to get out of this? Then he made his decision and before the man could do more than grab for him, he turned back and ran the way he came from.
The main entrance was being covered by another cop and he turned just in time, taking the back door. It opened into a dark alley that made it easier for the shadier types trying to sneak out. He gently closed the door behind him and turned his back to the main entrance, walking deeper into the shadows.
Footsteps behind him told him that they'd guessed his contingency plan. He quickened his steps, taking numerous turns in the smaller streets that crowded this area. It wasn't long, however, before he started running into dead ends and the area kept getting shadier and shadier. If he went any further, the police wouldn't need to arrest him.
Again, he was faced with the dilemma: should he go further in or should he let the police take him?
There was a crunch behind him and one of the many homeless drunks lurched towards him, almost knocking him to the ground. There was stirring around him as other shapes emerged, all coming towards the rich babu foolish enough to enter their territory.
He decided.
With a hard shove, he threw the man away from him and punched the other one attempting to pick his pocket. Kicking the third one, he ran back.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''..
I hope you enjoyed this...Really sorry guys for the late post, i have my board exams coming and I'm really busy, but don't worry I've already finished this story, just writing the Epilogue, with the Happily ever after as Promised!I will try to post the next chapter asap, thanks for reading and commenting :)
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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