Hi everyone.
This is my second OS on Arnav and Khushi.
It is inspired by the song Back to your heart by the backstree boys. It's a beautiful song and has always been close to my heart.
Hope you like the OS. Enjoy!
P.S: If you like it, please font forget to press like and comment. I would really appreciate it.
Back to your heart
Song Courtesy: Back to your heart - Backstreet Boys
He sat there, alone, in his room. All of a sudden everything seemed lifeless, he felt deprived, there was no sound of her payals, her bangles, he couldn't hear her running around, he couldn't hear a heart, one he was only too attuned to. Arnav felt alone. The absence of her presence around him felt like someone was slashing his heart with a cold knife. True, he had never acknowledged her presence in the few months of their marriage, doesn't mean he didn't like the fact that she was his, his wife! He couldn't ignore the fact that he was satisfied with the stunt he'd pulled by marrying her forcefully. Yes, he was satisfied, that's what he was. He liked to think he was deceived by the woman he had come to love, and that he had forced her into the marriage just to punish her for breaking his heart, for breaking the trust he had worked so hard to put into her.
Arnav had always been a lonely man, he'd never let anyone close to his heart, but this girl, she had broken all barriers to his heart and decided to reside there, till the end of time and his heart just wasn't ready to let go, he had to have her next to him, even if she broke his heart, even if she didn't reciprocate his feelings, he couldn't help being selfish this time, he just had to have her, beside him, for as long as he could.
It's not that I can't live without you
It's just that I don't even want to try
Every night I dream about you
Ever since the day we said goodbye
He snuggled closer to the warm figure lying next to him, his wife, his Khushi. He was elated, she was there, still with him, after all he'd done, she was still there. After the truth had come out, she'd requested to go stay with her buaji for a few days, she had said she couldn't take it, that she needed time and he'd understood, for once he'd understood and he'd acknowledged it to her.
******
He had just gotten home from office, late just like the past month and for once he didn't find anyone in the house. On inquiring, he was informed by Hari Prakash that everyone had gone to some wedding and were to return the next day but Khushi Bhabhi had stayed back telling she wasn't feeling so well. For a moment he felt a pang of guilt shoot through his heart but the second the servant uttered the next words,
"... and shyam jeeja ji returned from office a few minutes ago. He must be in his r..."
The servants words were left hanging because arnav stormed off to his room ,all ready to blast at the girl he'd married, yet again, to blame her for things he was unaware she wasn't responsible for but what he saw there was what he'd never have imagined yet dared to hope for every minute in the last one month.
Khushi stood there, with her back to the cupboard, that creep of a man, who called his sister a queen, leaning closer to her speaking in a way which made him want to puke.
"Khushi ji, I know you're not happy with saale saab! Why wont you admit it? I've always loved you, yes I made mistakes, I shouldn't have deceived you and gotten engaged but you must know I truly love you, Rani Sahiba can go to hell for all I care, I jus..."
He couldn't complete his sentence because the next instant khushi had pushed him off of her and slapped him straight across his face with all the strength she could gather.
"Don't! Don't you dare utter her name with that filthy tongue of yours, you cheap scheming creep! You don't deserve her, not now, not ever! As for me, I hate you, you ruined my life, my family's hard earned respect and..."
Shyam stepped forward again, seething in anger, and made to grab khushi when she screamed
"Done touch me! Keep your dirty hands off me you monster, or I'll tell arnavji everything, how you got engaged to me then betrayed me and my family, he'll kill you"
"Oh but Khushiji, saale saab won't believe you! Didn't he tell you why he married you? I told him you were having an affair with me, he married you to punish you for attempting to hurt his precious di"
To say khushi was shocked would be an understatement. She could see her whole world falling apart!
She fell to the ground, trying hard to block shyam's repulsive voice from reaching her ears.
Arnav chose that moment to make his presence known! He lunged forward and grabbed his brother in law by the collar and beat him up brutally, all the time dragging him to the entrance of the house and then threw him out
"Don't even think about coming back you a*****e. I'll take care of my family and my WIFE, Dare think about hurting her again and I'll make sure I kill you with my bare hands."
He would think about the questions later, he would think about his sister later, for now, all that mattered was his wife.
He ran back to his room, to find his wife in the same position. At feeling his presence, she stood up to face him, her husband, the man she loved, and asked the one question that would decide her fate, because she would only believe him, not some creep who was cheating on anjali ji. She would trust hee husband's word, she would trust the man she loved, noone else, noone else, if he said it wasn't true, it wasn't! she would trust him, only him, she needed to ask him, she needed to hear from him.
"Is it true? Did you marry me because you believed him?"
He couldn't even answer, he couldn't speak, couldn't talk about his guilt. She was asking him if he believed that lying son of a b****? how was he supposed to apologize for a crime so huge, for the sin he'd attempted.
He just nodded a positive to her and he could see with tear filled eyes of his own as she took a step back, like she only expected him to deny it, tell her he trusted her, that she could still trust him. But she composed herself, nodded once in understanding then turned around to retrieve a bag from the cupboard and started filling it with clothes.
"I wish to stay at buaji's for a few days, if you'd allow. Amma Babuji are at a medical camp, you need not worry, I won't tell anyone anything and I'm not running away, I very well remember the terns of the contract"
"I'll drop you" were the only words that escaped his lips before he grabbed his keys and ran downstairs to wait for her.
******
He had snuck into bed next to her last night - she had returned, as promised, in the evening - when she was praying to her devi maiyya like he'd noticed her doing every night, she had seen him slide next to her but without a word she had just turned the other side and slept, refusing to acknowledge him.
If I wasn't such a fool
Right now I'd be holding you
There's nothin' that I wouldn't do
Baby if I only knew
Now that he snuggled closer to that source of warmth, his wife, in bed, he realized how nice this felt, how complete he felt, how now he could acknowledge his feelings, his love for her but it also reminded him how much he had hurt this same woman...
His thoughts were interrupted as he felt khushi move against him. Her indifference had hurt him last night but he knew she was khushi kumari gupta singh raizada, she was his feisty little package, any moment she would get up now and shout at him, scream at him, irritate him, play pranks on him, ask the million questions he knew she must be hurting holding inside that pretty head of hers but she surprised him with her composure!
Khushi woke up, stretched elegantly then got off the bed and without a word retrieved her clothes and walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her! All of a sudden, arnav felt suffocated, the silence was eating at him, something was amiss, everything was wrong! This wasn't the girl he'd fallen in love with. How could she be so indifferent?
Arnav had spent the time khushi was away, wallowing in his guilt, handling his family members, making up stories for the family's son in law's absence. But most of all, hating himself, hating himself for hurting the one person who had managed to complete the impossible journey to his heart, opening gates to feelings he didn't know existed!
All the resolve he had built till now vanished; his ideas flew out of his mind as he realized the situation was even more critical than he'd thought.
Now he realized, he hadn't only hurt her, he had broken her, he had caused damage which was probably irreparable but he thought with conviction, if she could find her way to his heart, then he could find his way to hers too.
The words to say
The road to take
To find a way back to your heart
They were on their way to her buaji's house, her parents had just returned and she wished to meet them. Khushi was absolutely silent, but what hurt more than the absence of her chattering was the empty look in her eyes. It had been a week since that morning of her indifference and every morning that followed had been the same. Arnav had tried every possible thing but it had been impossible for him to get a decent reaction out of her. He didn't know what to do anymore but he wasn't ready to give up, not now, not ever! But he was desperate, if only she'd tell him how to make it all better, if only she'd guide him to her heart, if only.
What can I do
To get to you
And find a way back to your heart
He sat in office, thinking back to the events of the morning. It had been a month since that day when he'd found out the truth and things hadn't shown any progress with his wife, if anything the situation had worsened! They barely talked anymore, the only thing that still gave him some strength was the fact that they still slept together on the same bed, although she slept still as a rock, she still shared the bed.
But this morning, things had gone out of hand and arnav held his head in his hands thinking how things had gone so wrong.
******
Khushi had just stepped out of the bathroom, freshly showered when she stumbled on the carpet and fell straight into arnav's waiting arms only a few feet away near the dresser. She made to straighten herself but arnav wouldn't allow it. This was the first time they had actually made physical contact consciously in the past one month and he wasn't ready to let go so fast. He moved his hand from her waist over her back and brought his other hand to caress her face. How he loved her, this beauty, so pure, his, all his!
Khushi misinterpreted the action and pushed him with all her might, so surprised was he that he stumbled a few steps back but before he could say anything khushi was shouting.
"WHAT? WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW? ISN'T RUINING MY LIFE ENOUGH THAT YOU WISH TO FULFIL ALL YOUR PHYSICAL DESIRES USING ME TOO? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT? FINE! HERE"
She pulled the pallu of her sari down and presented herself to her husband.
Arnav was enraged, he stomped towards his wife, picked up her pallu and thrust it in her hand.
"Dress yourself properly before leaving the room",
saying this he left the room in anger without looking back at the crying figure on the floor.
******
I don't know how it got so crazy
But I'll do anything to set things right
Cuz your love is so amazing
Baby you're the best thing in my life
He got home late that night. He couldn't gather enough courage to face her now! WHAT HAD HE DONE? WHAT HAD HE DONE TO HER? How would he ever be able to make it upto her?
He entered his room to find it dark, and empty, and quiet. The thought scared him, he instantly walked to the poolside to check if she was there and thankfully she was. Clad in a grey and black tie and dye silk sari with black sequence work on the pallu, Khushi sat there on his recliner by the pool looking up at the night sky! Arnav stood by the French doors, staring at her. She must have felt him around because she turned around and simply said,
"I'm sorry for this morning"
And just like that, she turned back around and continued staring at the stars in the sky.
For a moment arnav just stood there, trying to comprehend what just happened but the next instant he was on his knees next to where she was sitting, burrying his face in her stomach, drenching her sari with his tears and kept saying,
"I'm sorry khushi, I'm so sorry khushi, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry I am so SO sorry"
Khushi ran her fingers through his hair, trying to soothe him, make him feel better, calm his nerves down a little. He kept his face burried there but had stopped speaking.
She asked him then, the question that had been haunting her for so long.
"Why didn't you ask me?" still running her fingers through his hair.
He stilled under her hand and she could feel his breathing stop, then he looked up from her lap with those eyes that held nothing but regret for his mistakes and love for her.
"I was scared khushi! I felt betrayed and I loved you! oh I LOVE you! I know nothing justifies what I did to you but I just, I had to keep you with me, I have to have yout beside me, I know I was selfish and nothing will ever justify my actions but I am truly sorry, I should have trusted you, should have asked you! I am so so sorry, just tell me how I can make it better! I will do anything, anything khushi, just tell me WHAT to do, I'll do it"
Let me prove my love is real
And made you feel the way I feel
I promise I would give the world
If only you would tell me girl
"Just be with me?"
"Always khushi, always" He said with as much honesty as possible.
She smiled at him then and looked back at the stars.
After a moment she shifted in her seat and motioned arnav to sit next to her, he complied happily.
"Can you hold me? I miss amma bauji" she said in a small voice as he placed himself next to her and again, without a word, he complied, happily! They stayed like that for a long time and slept in each other's arms.
The words to say
The road to take
To find a way back to your heart
What can I do
To get to you
And find a way back to your heart
Khushi woke up first the next morning to find herself in bed with her husband snuggling closer to her. Sometime in the night he must have brought her inside. Unconsciously, she caressed his face which woke him up, she passed him a smile and got up and went to the washroom.
When she came out, she found him sitting on the bed, thinking. When she walked towards the dresser she heard him ask, looking straight at her,
"Will you ever be able to forgive me?"
"Yes, because I love you too."
she stated simply with a smile through the mirror, with her back still facing him.
She saw a ghost of a smile appear on his lips but it vanished in an instant as he placed the next question,
"Will you guide me back to your heart?"
he said with that pleading look in his eyes, desperate for her love, desperate to have her trust him again, to trust him with her heart again.
Give me one more chance, to give my love to you
Cuz no one on this earth loves you like
I do
Tell me...
She turned around then and walked upto where he was sitting on the bed, she sat next to him with her hands in her lap and looked up at him
"Can you hold me? I need the strength"
once again, just like last night, he complied, happily.
I turn back time
To make you mine
And find a way back to your heart
I beg and plead
Fall to my knees
To find a way back to your heart
They stayed the same way for a while, him holding her tight, her gathering all strength she could from her husband, the man she loved, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I love you" he whispered in her hair and she smiled, acknowledging his feelings.
He gathered some courage and asked her again,
"Will you guide me back to your heart?"
"Yes. Because I love you too."
Note:
If you like this, you may also enjoy the other OS i wrote
"see what you've been missing?" https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/iss-pyaar-ko-kya-naam-doon/3142349/os-arhi-see-what-youve-been-missing
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