Part 3 Heart to Heart
Saanware tore bina jiyaa jaaye naa...
Jaloon tere pyaar mein,
Karoon intezaar tera,
Kisi se kahaa jaaye naa...
Saanware tore bin jiyaa jaaye naa...
Arnav strode towards Khushi who was standing on her toes to reach the tie of the wind chimes. Clumsy at the best of times, capable of tripping over non-existent objects, she was sure to fall from a small table made to hold his laptop.
"Khushi", he murmured as he reached her.
Startled, she turned around to look at him, and as expected by him, fell like a ripe plum into his arms which were held open and ready for her.
"Oofff", her breath left her, and she lay winded in his arms.
He carried her like a precious treasure, cradled securely in his toned arms, away from her packed bag on the bed, towards the recliner by the pool. He sat her down, and kneeled by her.
"Tum Theek Ho?"
"Ji. I just wanted to take the wind chime down so that..."
"So that..."
"You are not irritated by the sound after I leave..."
"Leave? Why should you leave?"
"Why? What do you mean, why? Our marriage is over. It was a contract marriage for 6 months, wasn't it?"
"Did I make you sign a contract?", he sighed.
"No..."
"Then ours is not a contract marriage. It is a real one... for life...for seven lives..."
Her eyes grew round in shock.
"Did you forget to draft a contract? No problem. You draft one now. I will sign it."
"No", he smiled. "I didn't forget."
He took her right hand in his, and examined her beautiful fingers closely. "I always intended a marriage for life, not for 6 months."
And he waited for the fireworks. He was not disappointed.
(UltimateBarun, thanx a million)
She jumped up from the recliner, and hissed at him, furious and hurt.
"Why, did you think you wouldn't be able to deal with your kamina of a Jeejaji in 6 months? Did you think you would need more time? Were you planning to keep me with you for years as an insurance against your Jeejaji? To secure your Di's future?"
Arnav settled into the recliner. This would take some time. She had to voice all her confusion and grievances. Only then could they move forward.
"What do I look to you? A hostage? How come every mess falls on my shoulder? If your brother has to have a happy married life, I have to live with your taunts and your cruelty. If your sister has to have a happy life, if her child has to be safe, if her lecher of a husband has to be controlled, I have to give up my freedom and peace of mind."
"Akash is married to your Jiji", he inserted with a small smile, which he knew would set her off again.
"I know that. I am fed up of your anger, your unreasonable behaviour... Your brain is too complex for me. It comes up with the stupidest of ideas... and I am not getting trapped in your challenges and bets. Enough."
"Sure?", he asked in a soft murmur.
"And the way you went about the marriage, forcing me into a marriage without telling me the reason! Leaving me to face the bitterness of two families, their never-ending tears, their anger, while you ran away to the safety of your room... And then your cruelty towards me...You really expect me to stay with you all my life? I would rather die...
"I am sorry, Khushi, so sorry..."
She paused for a moment, the wind taken out of her sails.
Then she continued,"I don't want to live with a man who thinks of me as a tool that can be used and thrown away."
"I have never thought of you as a tool, Khushi. You have always been the prize", he said placidly.
"Uuhh?...I will not live with a man who does not love me..."
"Then you will live with no one else, Khushi. You will be able to live only with me."
Uuuhhh? The Laad Governor had to make even his answers confusing? As though his actions weren't enough to scramble her brains.
"You mean, you...you care for me? I don't believe it. How can a man think that the girl he l... likes is immoral, a liar, a cheat?"
"How can a man think that the girl he LOVES is immoral, a liar, a cheat, and still love her? That is the real question, Khushi."
Khushi stood looking at him for a while, processing everything that he had said.
Then she said softly, with no anger, only pain in her voice, "I will not live with a man who chooses his sister when he has to choose between her and me."
He bowed his head, acknowledging the blow. This had to be answered. But how was it to be answered?
He got up and advanced towards her, softly. Standing next to her, cupping her face in his hands, he said apologetically, "Trust comes to me with great difficulty, Khushi. My childhood, my youth, my past...It was terrible, Khushi... I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. The only person who stayed by me, held my hand through those terrible times was Di. Till I met you, she was the only person in my heart, my head, my being... the only person who mattered... the only person for whom I drew breath... for whom I slaved daily. Nothing else mattered to me. No one else mattered to me. The rest of the world never registered in my mind, only Di and the smile on her lips mattered.
And then this khadoos ASR met you. You turned my life upside down, consumed my thoughts 24x7... I had no peace. I had to keep you out of my life and my sight to get back to my normal life. I tried. How I tried! But you kept on turning up like a bad penny, till I began to look forward to seeing you turn up. Till one day, I found that you were sharing my heart with Di. And that I could do nothing about it...
When I had to choose between a pregnant Di who was going to have the shock of her life once the true face of her darling husband was revealed and the girl I loved (who was in love with my Jeejaji, was hugging him on the terrace, and asking him to leave my Di), I had no choice. I had to put Di first. If the same nightmare happens again, I would probably do the same. But I would take the effort to find out the truth of Shyam's claims about you before taking action. The only excuse I can give you is that my love for you was too new, my shock at Shyam's true nature too great... Forgive me, Khushi..."
He wiped the tears flowing silently down her pale cheeks.
"Only this matters, Khushi. Do you love me?"
She remained silent, scared of showing her heart for fear of being rejected again.
Arnav pulled her into his arms for a tight hug, held her for a long moment, released her, and walked away towards the pool.
He hit his leg against the side of the pool, and let out a hiss of pain. Khushi came running to him, and started massaging his hurt leg, sitting crouched at his feet.
"Aap Theek He?"
He kneeled beside her.
"Do you love me, Khushi... at least half as much as I love you?"
She nodded, her eyes filled with tears.
"Will you stay with me all our seven lives, Khushi?"
She nodded.
"Will you marry me, Khushi?"
She looked up at him, confused. He lifted her to stand by him, and holding her by the shoulders, asked her, "Will you marry me a second time, Khushi? This time, properly, with sagai, mehendi, sangeet, haldi etc, all relations and friends to bless us..."
She nodded, a sob escaping her.
He hugged her tight in his arms, and whispered in her ear, "Nani, Di, Buaji, Amma, Babuji, Mama, Mami, Akash, Payal, NK, Bubbly, HP, Laxmi ... our family... they will all be there to bless us." He rubbed his cheek against hers. " The whole house will be full of lights and the shehnai will be playing... I will tie the mangalsutra around your neck..." He kissed her neck and the mangalsutra. "...and apply sindoor..." He kissed her forehead. "...take seven phere with you, Khushi... garland you...I will carry you into this house with pride, Khushi. All of them will be smiling, happy for us."
He looked deep in to her beautiful eyes. "Will you marry me, Khushi, and put up with my arrogance, bad temper, takniki kharabi, my ahem... my love?..." He ran his fingers over her hair.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes...", she murmured in to his ear, touching it with her lips that were as soft as rose petals. "Because I am the only one who can manage your anger and return your love soot sameth."
He smiled in relief. With a naughty glint in his eyes, he bent his head and whispered in to her ear,
"And Khushi... I promise, this time you will get your Suhaag Raat, the one you deserve..."
Khushi blushed.
Part 4: SAGAI 1
https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/2936253/burning-in-your-love-parts-4-5-6-and-7
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