(ArHi) Arranged Marriage #4 Thread5 Link Added pg1 - Page 31

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE UPDATE

Also the preview...looks like their is going to be a fight ...i m in for it...

waiting for it

Do you want PMs? Add my twitter account, to get all the updates! No longer sending PMs via IF

twitter.com/KraniPMList

Khushi walked next to Arnav, her eyes continuously darting towards him to see that he was still absorbed in his phone, and if he wasn't texting or talking, he would pick up the pace of walking, refusing to look at Khushi while she would struggle to keep up.

The sun was slowly setting down, however the light was still around, and Khushi could feel the intense heat prickling her back, as she slowed down, picking her mass of hair and tying it back with a hair tie, letting the air cool down her neck. Looking up, she saw as a crowd of unrecognisable faces walked around or past her, however nowhere could she spot Arnav.

Frowning, she picked up her pace, and started to squeeze through the crowd, her eyes frantically darting around to find her husband.

She could feel a cold fear starting to settle in the pit of her stomach as she tried holding her emotions in check, struggling to remain calm, as she looked around, trying to find the light grey suit her husband had been wearing.

Spotting him a few metres down, Khushi jogged up to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder to turn him around, but as he turned around, Khushi stumbled back in surprise as a stranger faced her, politely waiting for her to speak up.

"S-sorry" She muttered, before turning back around, and facing the direction she had just come from. Should she have waited where she was? Arnav wouldn't have left her like that and gone? She retraced her steps, bringing up her dupatta to wipe away the sweat collecting on her forehead, her heart accelerating as she tried to look around for Arnav, tears starting to prickle the corner of her eyes.

Standing in front of the shop where she had stopped to quickly tie her hair, Khushi ran her hands up and down her arms trying to get rid of the goosebumps erupting on her flesh. Even in the scorching heat, she felt herself break out into cold sweat causing a shiver to pass down her spine, her eyes frantically looking up and down the street.

"Arnavji" She whispered, when she saw him nowhere. Digging her hand into her purse, she looked around for her phone, her hands shoving things to the side, her fingers searching for the cool metal that she could use to call him.

Taking out her phone, she gave out a sigh of relief, her hand quickly wiping away the tears. Dialling the number, she clutched it tightly to her ear, finding herself shaking as she saw the people bustle past her, some looking at her curiously, while she pressed herself against the wall trying to get her form swallowed and hidden away from people's prying eyes.

The number you are calling is currently busy, please try again later.

Khushi's head fell back against the wall as a few tears slipped past her eyes, her hand shakily rising to press against her lips, the fear slowly consuming her mind as she found herself unable to reach Arnav.

********

"Yeah John, did you get the details?" Arnav asked as he continued to race down the street, not caring about looking over his shoulder to see if she was behind him or not, "No, I want the designs emailed to me tonight so I can talk to Matthew about the deal when he decides to meet up"

Arnav turned another corner, walking down the street towards the ticketing machine where he would train it back to the hotel.

"John, I am on a holiday, not you. So get your act together and send me the details tonight. Even if it means you need to be calling up Hahn right now in China to confirm" Arnav said, fishing out his wallet with one hand and purchasing two tickets for himself and Khushi.

********

Khushi leant against the wall, her eyes distantly staring at the street in front of her, the phone on her hand vibrating every few seconds to remind her of her dying battery. The clouds suddenly covered the sky, and Khushi looked up to see the sun disappearing behind the clouds, an overcast forming, as a chilly wind blew past her making her shiver. The drizzle started, and the patrons on the street quickly took shelter in the restaurants, trying to find a table to seat themselves and eat. Khushi pressed herself firmly against the wall, her arms wrapping around her form, trying to shield herself from the sudden turn in weather.

********

Arnav turned around to give Khushi her ticket, still on the phone with John, when he realised that she was not behind him. Frowning, his eyes tried searching for the blue coloured suit that she was wearing, wondering where she had wandered off to, but he saw her nowhere.

"John, I'll call you later" He spoke into the phone, his eyes still searching for her, his anger rising as every second passed by, his patience running thin as he found her nowhere.

Perfect He thought, his hands balling into a fist, scrunching up the tickets in his hand, f**king perfect.

He started retracing his steps, knowing that she had wandered off once again, too enamoured by the new country to have kept up with him.

********

Her phone rang in her hand, and she looked down, the droplets from the rain collecting on the screen of the phone. Squinting she saw Arnav calling her. Feeling her heart leap up into her throat, she quickly answered, her throat tightening as she choked back the tears,

"A-Arnavji" her voice quivered, the emotions overwhelming her, the tears making a fresh trail down her face, as she looked up and down the street once again hoping to spot him.

"W-wh..a'u"

Khushi frowned as she heard his voice break, and she pressed the phone closer to her ear, "Hello? Arnavji, I can't hear you?"

"Khu-"

There was a silence on the other end, and Khushi pulled back from the receiver to see a blank screen staring back at her. Realising her phone had died, dejectedly she rested her head against the stone wall, the chill of the weather making her shiver as she let herself slump against the support in fatigue and exhaustion.

Why did he have to walk so fast? Why couldn't he have waited for her? Why did he have to force her to come with him, and then leave her all alone? Why could he not have come earlier, instead of leaving her to fend for herself?

The tiredness was slowly changing into frustration as she closed her eyes, her hands balling into fists, her breaths deepening as she tried to keep a check on her emotions. It wouldn't do any good to give into the anger and frustration when the situation demanded for her to think clearly. Feeling the tears continuing to stream down her face, she clenched her jaw tightly as she tried to control them, tried to stop them front railing down her face, her mouth opening as she took in a few gasps of breath. Bringing up a hand she wiped it across her face, her form trembling slowly as the white hot rage clouded her mind, her hands shaking as she tried to control herself. She wanted to go back home, she didn't want to be near him, she didn't want to be near the man who would never accept her in any way or form. He had made it perfectly clear what he thought of her, and Khushi knew that this marriage was doomed.

The words echoed through her mind, and finally Khushi felt something break within her.

Straightening from the wall, she started to walk away, in a direction she did not know. She walked slowly, her eyes downcast and staring at the street where the light drizzle slowly covered the street, turning the pavement red colour into a darker shade, her footprints disappearing with the water as it washed them away. Her body taut with anger, which was being held back by a thin string stretched to its maximum limit. She had tried to be patient, she had tried to be mature, and she had tried to adjust. But she was exhausted. Mentally and physically, thought Khushi as harshly wiped away more tears, her lips trembling as a whimper escaped her mouth, the pain of the last few weeks finally catching up to her.

She craved to be back home, with her Amma, Babuji, Jiji and Buaji. She wanted to be enveloped in her mother's arms, she wanted to fight with her jiji for the little things, and then make up for it later. She missed the small kitchen in their house, where she knew exactly what ingredients were placed where, she missed the people on her street, the movie night her colony used to have by bringing out a projector, blankets and pillows and collecting around the park to watch an old movie. She missed the festivals they celebrated with great joy and happiness, the little games she would play with everyone, the smiles on everybody's faces. She was loved there.

And suddenly she had found herself thrust into a world she was unknown to, suddenly she found herself surrounded by people she could not match up to, suddenly she found every move and action of her being scrutinised and criticised as she was looked down upon.

Khushi was tired of it; she was tired of it all, and now she had had enough.

He did not care for her? Why should she try to make the marriage work.

No Amma, she thought bitterly, every memory resurfacing opening up old wounds as her breathing deepened, her hand cramping as she dug her nails into her palm in frustration, Not anymore.

Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder, heavy breathing as the person tried to catch their breath, and Khushi knew who it was without having to turn around, her hands tightening into a fist, her knuckles whitening, and her mouth thinning into a line, she turned to face him.

As Khushi turned around, the tears in her eyes dried up, calmly looking at him catching his breath, his hair dishevelled and a frown on his face, his eyes holding the same anger they always did whenever he looked at her, his hands frustradely running through his hair, as he opened his mouth to say something, before closing it, and looking away, closing his eyes, the mask slipping back in place.

She did not move, for the first time, Khushi waited for someone else to make the conversation. She did not care about the rain that was getting harder, she did not care about the darkness that enveloped the street, save for the twinkling streetlamps, she did not care about the people bustling past her, in a hurry to reach their destination, nor did she care about the cold wind that continued to make her shiver.

He opened his eyes again, his jaw clenched as he looked at her with fury in his eyes, taking a step towards her, his hands raising to clutch her shoulders, before he stopped himself, and lowered his hands, his breathing increasing by the second as he tried to control his own emotions.

Khushi waited for him to say something, do something, the happiness, the excitement, the relief, everything wiped away from her face as she felt the numbness return, the anger slowly enveloping her till she felt nothing except absolute loathness for the man in front of her.

"What the f**k were you thinking?" He finally snapped, and Khushi did not even flinch as she stared at him, feeling empty on the inside. "I f**king told you" He said through clenched teeth, "I told you to stick with me, I told you I was not going to babysit you, but you did not listen to me" He roared, stopping for a brief second, his eyes searching her face, expecting for her to interrupt and defend herself, but Khushi did not say anything, her face expressionless, her arms limply by her side, save for her hands that were fisted up, her nails digging into her flesh.

He frowned, confusion flittering across his eyes, before he took a step towards her, his form towering over hers, and Khushi refused to bend her head back to look at him. Her eyes followed his movements, looking up at him through her lashes, before, looking down and staring at his neck which was eye-level with her. "Khushi, I am talking to you" He whispered harshly, his warm breath washing over her face, as Khushi continued to stare at the button that had refused to cooperate with him in the morning ' when everything had been as remotely normal as it used to be. "Talk to me, Khushi" He said, and Khushi noticed as alarm seeped into his voice, her face not reacting to anything, her eyes continuing to focus on the button, noting the slight hair that protruded from where the button was undone. Her eyes noticed that one button was hanging lose, and it would probably break soon.

"Khushi-" He hesitated, his hand coming up, halting just above her shoulder, while Khushi refused to react, "Khushi, talk to me" He said again, his voice softening, and Khushi noticed as the rain got harder. If she cried now, her tears would intermingle with the water, and nobody would know that she was crying, but for some strange reason, she couldn't bring herself to cry, she couldn't bring herself to feel anything, except for the rage that coursed through her veins. She could feel her nose blocking, and she wasn't sure whether it was because she had cried or was it due to the sudden chill that had settled around them. She refused to look up, and she felt his hand settle on her shoulder, her mind suddenly becoming aware of the warmth his hand provided ' probably the only thing that was warm about him.

"Khushi?" He asked again, and Khushi noticed that he whispered her name, unsure of what was wrong with her.

She finally looked up at him, her head bending back, aware of how close he had come, but her eyes and face betrayed nothing.

"Take me back home" She told him.

If Arnav Singh Raizada was surprised by her sudden demand, he did not show it. He nodded, and took her hand, which she balled into a fist, refusing to clasp her hand around his, as he guided her towards the line of cabs on the side. He knew that it would be better to take the train rather than the cab at this time because of the traffic, but he was aware that Khushi needed to be away from big crowds and in a car, which got them back into the safety of their hotel. His eyes wandered over to her, as she silently walked beside him, his eyes dropping down to their hands, his large one covering hers, her whole body stiff with tension, and his mouth dipped around the corners.

Had something happened? He wondered, as he hailed down a cab, and gave them the address. He noticed as she opened the door and slipped inside, her fists settling on her lap, her back straight, as she stared out the window, refusing to look anywhere except at the scenery and buildings that blurred past as the car raced down the road toward their destination.

********

Arnav pressed the button for the lift, waiting for it to come down, looking at her from the corner of his eyes, the blue suit she had been wearing clinging to her body like second skin due to the time she had spent in the rain, her nose red, her eyes fixed on the elevator in front of them, refusing to look up at him or say anything.

Arnav's lips thinned as he understood that she was ignoring him, and his eyes hardened. He turned his body towards her to question her when the sudden sound of the lift arriving halted him. Khushi quickly walked into the elevator and pressed herself against the far end of it, her eyes trained on the numbers flashing above, refusing to acknowledge him. His eyes narrowed and he punched in the number of their suite.

Turning to face her, he crossed his arms across his chest and glared at her,

"You didn't answer me out there" He said, "When I told you to stick with me, why didn't you?"

He saw as her eyes closed briefly, taking in deep breaths, and his eyes narrowed, "Khushi, answer me."

She opened her eyes again, and stared back up at the screen, her lips thinning, till they disappeared, her eyes red and wide, refusing to look at him, her knuckles completely white as she clenched her fists tighter, and her body stiff with tension.

He took a step towards, coming to stand directly in front of her, his own anger escalating slowly at her lack of an answer. He closed his hand around a clenched fist and brought it up, her eyes still fixated on the numbers flashing above, "Stop with the attitude Khushi, and answer me" He snapped. Khushi's eyes finally connected with his, and Arnav felt his hold on her hand go slack for a brief second as he saw her eyes tear up, before she looked away again, blinking her eyes rapidly, a tear falling down her cheek.

Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, bringing up a hand to rest on her shoulder, "Khushi did-"

The elevator binged, alerting them of their floor, and Khushi shrugged off his hand from her shoulder, and walked past him, taking hurried steps towards their bedroom.

Arnav frowned, his irritation rising and he clenched his jaw, going after, grabbing her hand while roaring out

"Dammit Khushi, how many f**king times-"

********

Khushi ran towards her bedroom, trying to keep her distance from him, lest she snapped and let go of the anger that had slowly been brewing and rising with every second she had spent with him.

As she felt his hand enclose around her wrist, halting her to a stop, causing her to take one back to keep her balance, she heard him screaming at her, and she finally snapped.

"Dammit Khushi, how many f**king times-"

Turning around, she furiously twisted her hand out of his hard grip, pulled her arms back and put all her energy in pushing him away from her with all her might. Adrenalin rushed through her, as her ears were ringing, her hands shaking, her body trembling, her breaths coming out in short gasps, as she glared at him. The tears had long dried, but instead of feeling relief at finally pushing him away, she felt her anger increasing, till all she could feel was the slow burn of it taking over her mind, wiping away all rational thought, and now she wanted to hurt him.

Satisfied at the look of surprise on his face, she took a step towards, her mouth pulling down at the corners, as she screamed out,

"Bas Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada" Her finger pointing at him as she saw the anger clouding over his eyes and before he could have a chance to do anything, she continued, "I am not going to take this anymore. What the hell do you think of yourself? How dare you do what you did today?"

"Khu-"

"I am sick and tired of telling you again and again that this marriage involves both of us. I have tried making it work, but you refuse to let this work!" She screamed, her hands flying around, as her hair stuck to her face due to the water that had collected on her skin due to the rain. She took another step closer towards him, while he stayed rooted his spot, his eyes wide, betraying the surprise and shock at what was happening, and for the first time Khushi felt satisfied at not seeing the mask of indifference on his face.

"Aap ko lya lagta hain? Humein dard nahin hota? Humari koi feelings nahin hain? You can treat me however you want and I won't say anything?" The words were tumbling out of her mouth, and she could not do anything to stop them, she wasn't sure if she wanted to do anything to stop them, all she knew was, enough was enough.

"You think that I am some middle-class girl, so that means I feel nothing? You think you have some authority over me, just because I am married to you?"

She kept taking steps towards him, finally forcing him to take a few back to keep some distance,

"Yes, I come from a poor family, but you know what Mr. Raizada, if being rich makes people turn into heartless, cold, sick monsters, then I'd rather stay poor for the rest of my life!" She screamed, her voice rising with every word, finally the tears collecting and dropping from her eyes, the wounds reopening, every taunt, every insult that had flied her way reminding her of her status in the society.

"You think women like me are after one thing? Your money?" She spat out, "You think that I would do anything for your money? Well congratulations Mr. Raizada, I have never met such a delusional, sorry excuse of a human being in my entire life. Your whole world revolves around your money, your whole world revolves around you. You have never care about anything that happens around you, nor do you care about anyone else!" She took another step closer, giving him a small shove on the chest, and saw as his head snapped down to look at where her hand had made contact, "You are the most selfish man I have every met!"

Wiping away a few more tears, she took a few deep breaths, the anger still not dissipating but a slow tiredness falling upon her. She looked up at him, her lips trembling, his eyes closed his jaw clenched and she let the tears flow silently down her cheeks,

"I waited for you" She whispered, "I kept waiting, hoping you would come, but you did not. You left me at an unknown place, where I was struggling to communicate with people, where it was hard for me to even go inside a restaurant to order some food, where it was hard for me to look at people, where it was hard for me to shop because I did not know the currency properly. I waited, but you didn't show" She said, and his eyes opened finally looking at her.

"I called you, but you did not pick up. I kept calling, but you never picked up" She stared at empty space, remembering the time she had spent on the bench looking down the street every other second wishing he would show up, "The shops had closed down, and I was left to do nothing. You still did not show up. When you finally did, you refused to talk, nor look at me, nor even have the decency to apologise" She looked back at him, her hatred and anger returning, "Of course, how could I forget, Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada does not apologise" She scoffed, and turned around so her back was facing him.

"Naniji and Anjali di had told me that you are someone who has a good heart, someone who is hiding behind a mask, but they were wrong!" She screamed out, her face twisting up as she felt the pain and anger rise, her hands trembling as she fisted them up, "Aap ghatiye kism ke aadmi hain! I have never met someone who is so horrible, mean, someone who does everything for his own selfish desires and does not even take one second to think of his consequences! Someone who does not even take a moment to think how much pain the other person goes through-"

"Enough" He whispered, but Khushi did not pay any heed to the sudden chill in his tone, her sole aim to hurt him as much as she was hurting.

She shoved him again, and he took a step back, his eyes lowered to the ground, taking in slow, deep breaths.

"Nahin" She snapped, "Not enough. If you can dish out so much pain, learn to take some as well. What do you think? You are the only one suffering in this marriage? You believe that the world starts and ends with you! But I have sacrificed a lot more than you. I have lost everything trying to make this marriage work, I have accepted your family, but have you even made the slightest effort to accept mine?" She asked, pinching her fingers to emphasise her point, "Did you ever think how much jiji and Amma worry about me day and night, wondering how you are treating me? Do you ever wonder how hard it is to get up every morning and force a smile on your face just so people would not question you about our marriage?" She asked, and Arnav continued to stare at the ground, so she took a step forward, holding his jaw and bring his face up so she could stare into his eyes. They hardened and he forcefully removed her grip from his jaw, but Khushi was adamant and kept talking, "Did you ever wonder how many times I have to tell your Di, your jijaji, your Nani that everything is fine when it's not?!" She screamed, her hair flying around, as it loosened itself from the hair tie.

"Enough, Khushi" He said again, in the same low voice, but Khushi shook her head refusing to listen to him,

"Do you ever wonder how much work I have done to keep this marriage afloat, because unlike you I am not running away, I have the courage to accept and face up to situations unlike you do! Tell me something, Mr. Raizada, do you think your Amma would be proud of you-"

"I SAID ENOUGH!" He snapped, and held her hand, pushing her back into the wall behind her, as Khushi gasped out, her eyes wide, and her mouth open in shock, her form trembling in sudden fear and shock. He continued to glare at her, and Khushi noticed the tears floating in his eyes as they turned red, his mouth back into a snarl, and she felt another shiver run down her spine, but the anger that was still coursing through her veins wiped away all rational thought and she fought against him, her body twisting under his hard grip, while he struggled to keep her against the wall,

"NO!" She screamed back, her throat aching as she felt her voice going, "IT'S NOT ENOUGH! You said that you don't accept me as your wife?" She asked, her face twisting into a snarl, as she tried to move her hands which were pressed back against the wall, firmly, "Arey aap kya accept kareinge? I REFUSE to accept you as my husband. Hum aap se nafrat karte hain, because that's what you deserve Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada. Hate is the only thing you are worthy of!" She finished, her chest heaving as she got her words out, glaring up at him with all the hatred and loathing she felt at the moment.

"I said it's enough" He whispered again, his body pressing against her, and Khushi inhaled sharply, her eyes widening, as she tried to struggle her hands out of his grip, but he pushed them back firmly into the wall, "This marriage involves the both of us" He echoed her words, and Khushi's eyebrows scrunched up together in confusion, the fight from her side ceasing slowly, "I was running away, not wanting to accept that I had been forcefully married to you, and I admit that." He said, "I did not know what you went through today, I know you called me, but I did not pick up becau-" He halted the anger for his face slipping away, and Khushi frowned as she saw him halt and stutter, "I...because'" He tried, before looking down and backing away, his hands falling away from her wrists, "I am sorry, Khushi. I am...what...happened...I..." He tried again, before taking in a deep breath and leaving his sentence unfinished.

He stared at her, as Khushi stood against the wall, the fatigue and jet lag finally catching up to her, making her completely exhausted. He looked away, his jaw clenching for a few brief seconds, before he turned around, his body still stiff with tension, and Khushi stared as he walked towards their bedroom, taking a few minutes, finally emerging in his nightwear, a pillow and blanket in his hand.

Laying down his bed on the small couch in the living room, he sat on it, resting his forehead against his hands and massaged it slowly, his eyes closed.

Khushi stared at him for a few moments, before she silently made her way towards the bedroom, and shut the door quietly behind her with a soft click.