Arshi SS: Love or Marriage Pt8, Pg 67, 26/01 - Page 13

awesome update, do pm me when u update

yes of cource it is interesting...continue soon...

Part 2

Arnav waved as the train pulled away from the station. He turned around to look at Lavanya and NK staring at him, wide smiles on their faces.

"What?" He asked. Lavanya hugged him.

"She is amazing, Arnie. I am so happy for you."

Arnav looked confused as Lavanya pulled away. "La, what do you mean?"

Lavanya shook her head. "Arnie, you clearly like Khushi and she likes you too. What is stopping you from …"

Arnav shook his head, angrily. "La, stop it. She is married. What.." Suddenly he stopped and looked at her. "what do you mean she likes me?"

Lavanya smiled and folded her arms again. "Did you notice the relief on her face when you said that I was dating NK and not you?"

Arnav raised his eyebrows. He had noticed it too, but he thought he had imagined it. Did Khushi like him? His face softened and a faint smile appeared on his face. Suddenly his smile disappeared. "But La, she is married".

NK put an arm around Arnav as the trio walked up the stairs to the street. "Maybe she isn't happy with her husband."

Arnav stopped and turned to look at NK. "No, this is not right". He turned to Lavanya, who looked at him confused. "La, no, I cannot break up her marriage. Maybe she is not happy. Maybe she will leave her husband. But no, I cannot be the reason for the failure of her marriage. La, you know about Akash and his wife. Akash almost got divorced, when he found out Payal had been cheating on him, but then they decided to give their marriage a second chance. I was there. I saw how he suffered, La, when he found out about Payal. I cannot do that to someone. No, La, no, I can't."

Lavanya exhaled deeply. "Fine, then don't. It's your life, Arnav. NK and I care about you and we want to see you happy, that's all." She took NK's hand and walked away, leaving Arnav deep in thought.

Khushi leaned against her seat in the train and closed her eyes. Why did I feel bad when Arnav mentioned Lavanya and why was I relieved when he said that Lavanya was NK's girlfriend? Why, Khushi? She opened her eyes and smiled. Arnav! She hadn't felt this happy all her life. She had been alone, as long as she could remember. She never had anyone to talk to. Her parents had died when she was five. Her mother's cousin and her husband, her only living relatives, had adopted her. They hated kids, and had none of their own. They had treated Khushi like a maid; they made her do all the household chores. They didn't send her to school or didn't let her play with other kids of her age in the neighborhood. She had no friends, no siblings; the only person who really cared about her was her neighbor, Sunita Jha, now her mother-in-law. But Arnav, there was something about him that made her comfortable. For the first time in her life, Khushi felt like she could trust someone. She could open up her heart and share all her troubles. She hadn't laughed or smiled this way ever before. The few hours she spent with Arnav.. suddenly she stopped. Khushi, what are you doing? She froze; you are married and you are thinking about another guy. So what? What if I am thinking about another guy? He is just a friend. Oh really? Just a friend, is that why you were jealous of Lavanya until he told you that she was dating his roommate NK? Jealousy? Is that what I felt towards Lavanya? But why? No, Khushi. This is wrong! Arnav is just a friend, just a friend. Just.a.friend!

Khushi glanced at the book as she emptied the pasta from the box into the boiling water. She placed the lid on the saucepan and then looked at the sauce that was cooking next to it. She took a spoonful of sauce, blew into it and brought the spoon to her lips to taste it. Her face lightened up; that doesn't taste too bad. Definitely not as good as aloo puri! But this will be fine, Khushi. If he doesn't eat aloo puri, then you shouldn't either. She smiled and switched off the stove. She leaned against the fridge and remembered the first time she met Shyam.

It was a few days after she had moved in with her new parents. She had spent all day cleaning the house. But her "mother" had hit her, because she had missed a dirty spot on the floor. She ran outside and sat under a tree outside the house, crying, her head on her knees, her arms squeezing her knees against her chest. Suddenly she felt someone standing next to her. She opened her eyes and looked up to see a young boy. He smiled as she looked up and gave her a box. She took the box and opened it. A bright smile appeared on her face and she screamed. "Jalebi!" She took three jalebis out of the box and stuffed it in her mouth. The boy grinned as she emptied the box in five minutes. He took her hand and led her to the house across the road. A woman was watering plants; she looked up as Khushi walked into the garden. She dropped the water hose and extended her arms and called Khushi towards her. Khushi ran to her and hugged her. "It's ok, child. I am here. Don't worry. If you ever need anything, just come to me, ok?" Sunita Jha was the mother that Khushi wanted. Everytime she missed her mother, she would run to Sunita. Her parents never sent Khushi to school; it was Sunita who taught her everything – languages, math, science and arts. Sunita taught English in a local school, so Khushi became proficient especially in English. The young boy was Sunita's son, Shyam She had always wanted a daughter, and Sunita found her daughter in the form of Khushi. Shyam had been nice to her; he would bring her chocolates and jalebis every time she was sad. He never spoke to her, but his smile cheered her up every time she was upset.

But Sunita and Shyam's life changed when Sunita's husband passed away. Sunita and Shyam started growing apart; Shyam started avoiding Sunita and spending more time with his friends. When he was done with school, he moved to the US to continue his studies. Khushi was her support, ever since Sunita's husband passed away. Khushi had been there every time Sunita needed someone to talk to. Khushi owed her life to Sunita. If Sunita hadn't been there, maybe Khushi would have killed herself long time ago. It was this sense of gratitude towards Sunita that made Khushi say yes when she asked Khushi if she could marry her son. "He is a good boy. He will keep you happy, Khushi." Sunita had said. Khushi had smiled and agreed. Khushi's parents were more than happy to throw Khushi out of the house. Yes, they were upset initially, because if Khushi were to leave, they would need to hire a maid. But then Sunita didn't ask for dowry, all she wanted was Khushi. Khushi didn't want to leave Sunita all alone in India, but Sunita had insisted that she should go with Shyam. A wife's place was with her husband. Khushi's eyes teared up; she missed Sunita.

Khushi looked at the photograph on the bookshelf in the living room. Sunita was standing in between the married couple; her arms around Khushi and Shyam; all three of them were smiling. Khushi's thoughts were interrupted when she noticed that the lid of the saucepan was moving because of the escaping steam. She inserted a fork and tried out the pasta. It was done. As she transferred the pasta onto the plate, she looked at the time. It was almost 6pm. Shyam will be coming home soon. She smiled.

Khushi set the plates on the dining table and sat down on the chair, looking at the door. The clock struck 6pm and the door opened. Shyam entered. Khushi smiled and stood up. Shyam closed the door, removed his shoes and loosened his tie. He turned towards her and walked towards her. Khushi's smile widened. He reached her, looked at the food on the table and then at her, with a blank expression on his face. He walked past her, into the bedroom and closed the door after him. Khushi's smile disappeared.

******

A big sorry to those who didn't want to see Shyam as Khushi's husband. Please bear with me, you won't be disappointed. Why? 'coz Arnav will punch him.. soon! 😆

Don't forget to leave your comments! Thanks!

omg i got a shock when u mentioned shyam as her husband...

OMG I AM THE FIRST EVER TO COMMENT !!!

what's this shyam is khusi 's husband nooo

I love how observant La is xD all friends are like that though when they start talking about their friend's crush esp after they walk away from that person 😆
Looks like Arnav and Khushi have developed a connection and attraction towards one another :D loveee it!!
So Shyam and Khushi have never spoke?! EVER? That's so strange and creepy but that also perfectly defines Shyam 😆

WHAT THE???? faints wa... Arti...r u alright??? Me checks Atris forehead...fever??? call the doctors plzzz...🤢😆