ArShi SS-Love in Delhi University~Thread 1 - Page 79

Arnav's boots crunched on the snow, leaving a crushed trail behind. It was well past midnight and it was insanely cold but Arnav Singh Raizada had to find his solace out in the open air. As the winds hit him again, he pulled his black parka in closer, trying to evade the cold. The walk in the hours of darkness wasn't unusual for him. He had coursed this trail almost every other night, making him memorize every bit of its detail. He knew the third tree around the bend had a couple's name carved on it and that the swing on his left had a broken latch that had not been mended in three months. His fingers, protected by the black leather gloves, traced the tall rusted wire mesh fence, enjoying the rhythm it created. His eyes were on the empty pavement, lit up by the yellow street side lamps.

The festive season of Christmas and New Year was over but she did not call. Not once in last month did his cell phone flash the name 'Khushi'. Even though he said that he didn't believe in childish fantasies but he couldn't help but wish to get his Khushi back for Christmas. Never voiced but the wish lingered in his heart secretly but hopelessly tonight, with every single step of his, his hope had started to fade a little more. Things were strained and stretched and it was getting hard for both of them to hold onto but not once did his faith falter but did she give up? Did she lose her faith in their love? Did she decide to move on? As the questions started haunting him, warm tears trailed down but no one could see them, hidden under his dark parka hood.

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Past

When Khushi entered the Gupta House, she was greeted by a stern-faced Buaji and a crying Payal and what followed thereafter was pretty brusque. Slaps from her Buaji reddened her cheeks and the tears had refused to cease. Her education was at stake and her reputation in the 'society' had gone down the drains.

"Kitne din se mil rahe ho uss ladke ko?" her Buaji had asked severely. (For how long have you been meeting that guy?). 'Four months' came Khushi's meek reply. "Dilli aate hee tumhare pankh nikal aye? Hay re Nand Kishore! Hum chotte ghar ke log hain! Samajh kyun nehi ata tumhe! Tum humse nehi sambhale jaoge! Main tumhare Amma-Bauji ko phone lagata hoon!" (You grew wings as soon as you stepped into Delhi! Hay re Nand Kishore! We belong to the middle class! We have to work as per the norms of the society! Why doesn't this girl get it? I can't handle you anymore. Its time I call your parents) cried out Buaji as she turned away to exit the room. Sobbing, Khushi tried to hold her back with all her might but was of no avail. Things were pretty heavy in Gupta House and the people outside watched this drama to their heart's content.

It was late; Khushi was on her bed, sobbing on her knees, waiting for her Jiji's return. She was 'supposedly' talking things out with their parents. Khushi couldn't believe what had happened but tried imagining what her Jiji had informed her. It was a third hand story. Payal wasn't present when it happened. She just reiterated what Buaji had told her gushingly over the phone.

Natasha and Anjali had come over to their place around the afternoon. The entrance of their big white SUV into the narrow lanes of Lakshmi Nagar had drawn a lot of unwanted attention. Natasha had supposedly insulted Buaji at her door, in view of the full public, calling them cheap opportunists. She had claimed that girls like Khushi trapped rich young men only for their own fulfilment, need and greed which could not be satisfied by their family poverty and in return, girls like these gave 'everything' they had for the men to enjoy.

The gifts in her hand had made the matter worse. It was interpreted in the most appalling way ever. "Ye humare janamdin ke toufe hain" Khushi tried to explain but was just mocked back in anger. Buaji almost believed what Natasha had told her. (These are just my birthday gifts)

Buaji had made her call Arnav and promise to never meet him again. A weeping Khushi had done it with a stone on her heart.

Arnav smiled as he heard his customised Khushi-calling ringtone. He rushed out of the washroom and received the call.

"Hello? Arnav Ji?" she sniffled and Arnav's heart skipped a beat.

"Arnav Ji! Aj se hum apse nehi mil sakte" she pleaded, with drenched cheeks. (I can't meet you from now onwards). Buaji's glares didn't let her explain any further.

Arnav's mind filled with gruesome pictures of what could've happened. "Kya hua, Khushi? Are you ok? Did anyone hurt you?" he asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice but all his questions went unanswered as the line from the other side went dead after the repetition of the same ghastly sentence from his Khushi.

"Khushi? KHUSHI!" he screamed but there was no one to reply to his calls. Something had gone very wrong and his heart feared its outcome. He tried calling back, not once, not twice, he had lost his count but every time the operator chimed the same "The number you're trying to call is currently unavailable. Please, try again later". It was almost like he had taken the instruction a little too seriously. Hours passed and his attempts remained futile. Little did he know that the phone he was trying to reach wasn't in the hands of its owner any more.

Arnav went berserk. He was lost again. The paced up and down the room, not knowing what lay ahead. He had to figure out, yes he had to and for that he had to meet her in person. She'd sneak out, wouldn't she? Like she did on nights when he came to meet her? Of course she would. He hated the feeling in his gut. He was getting sick of it. He was no stranger to this feeling but every time it hit him, it felt like a brand new punch, knowing exactly where it hurt him the most.

He got up and picked up his keys from the table. He strode out his room, the hallway and just as he entered the living room, he faced the last person he wanted to meet, his father. The lady in his arms was invisible to his deathly glares. He brushed past them, ignoring their words. He was deaf to them. He was deaf to the world. As he was about to exit the porch and step out in the open, he got a call from Payal's number. The number was saved as Khushi had called him up from this number a couple of times in cases of 'emergencies'.

"Hello?" he almost whispered as his heart raced.

Payel had no time for greetings and went straight to telling him about whatever had happened. There was no urgency in her voice and the emotions behind it remained undecipherable. She knew he wasn't at fault but didn't he promise that he would keep her safe? She blamed herself for whatever was happening. She knew Arnav wasn't at a place where he could've shielded Khushi from harm when he himself was so vulnerable to it yet she gave into his demands. "Why did I?" she had asked herself and the reason came flooding back, his confidence and his strength. She had let herself into believing that the boy could make it right but she was wrong and she had no one to blame and thus there was no wrath in her voice when she spoke to Arnav.

As she unfurled the unholy events of the day to him, Arnav's eyes grew from pained to bloodshot. His fingers curled into a tight fist and his veins showed. He should've known. He should've known it was a game plan. He knew his dad wanted his share of properties but never in wildest dreams did he imagine him to stoop down to this level of low. He was literally shivering in anger as the master plan unfolded before his eyes.

Abhay Malik knew that his son was no less than a stone in his resolve and he would be a hard nut to crack and thus he waited in the bushes patiently, waiting for his Achilles heel to show. Malik was getting impatient and was losing his drive but the love of his life, Natasha held him back. She had set Anjali to work when they had started to lose out on fortitude and was rewarded grandly. Anjali had informed them about the new girl in his life. They had waited back patiently, looking for the right moment to strike and when it arrived, they had given their best. They knew it would be long before Arnav would break and give up whatever he had in possession. His pride and ego had too much of its play in his life.

Arnav slumped down against the wall as the call from Payal ended. Whatever faith he had in humanity vanished into the air. First his mother and now Khushi? He had married his mother with the sole purpose being her being an heiress. The brutality hit him hard. It was like the gun shot he had heard seven years ago. It had killed his childhood along with his mother. Hiding his face in his knees, he watched as the scenes started reeling before his eyes. It was like someone had tampered with the tiger's old wound, making him more fiery than ever but isn't that what his dad wanted?

He had had enough of it and it was time for him to move on. Just three months of college was left and after that, he would leave for Harvard. He wouldn't need this money then, he had received 100% scholarship from the university. He wanted the property? He could have it for now but it would be before long Arnav would come back and win it back. Even the cool winds failed to soothe him like it always did. Arnav was set in his resolve. He would make his own money, his own empire and win back whatever he had lost to the murderous world. Payal's voice pointing at his failure made him stand up back on his own two feet and walk back and do what was needed to bring his world back in place.

Every step he took firmed the thought in his mind. He'll give everything up for now but once ready, he'll win them back too. Khushi was another world and to set that world right, he had to set the present situation right. He entered the living room with confident strides and calculating eyes and the scene before him disgusted him like never before. Malik was on the couch, his one hand twirling a glass of scotch and the other, snaked around the waist of his mistress. As he walked up to them, they faced him with fake cheer.

"My Boy!" boomed Malik's voice with plastic happiness. "How've you been?" he asked. "Won the world with your righteousness, eh Son?" he mocked as Natasha's tinkling laughter added a more vile effect to it. Arnav had no time for games and ties. He went straight down to business.

"Want my property, Malik?" asked Arnav. He was an unpolished fighter and his years in Harvard would set it right but he didn't know that right then. He was born with the uncouth business ruthlessness of his father but it was still undiscovered and that was the biggest mistake Malik made. He undermined his opponent, thinking him to be a Mama's boy. Little did he know that his son had the same genes when it came to playing games. The only difference was that Arnav as a person had inherited his mother's values and that is what held him back from turning into a beast that his father was.

Malik just raised an eyebrow to his question. "Do you want it?" he asked again but continued anyway. "You want it? You have it. I can live on my own. I'll sign the papers the day I leave for Massachusetts (Harvard) and sever all the ties that I ever had with you" the words gushed out. He turned back immediately, trying not to watch as the couple gloated their temporary win and saw Nani standing by the hallway arch. She was looking old and frail, a look which he had never seen before. It was like she was defeated in her spirits.

He started walking up to her but she turned away. As he called out to her, she did not respond and started her way back to her room, up the stairs. He rushed and held her back by her shoulders but Nani just brushed it aside and walked on with tears streaming down her face. It was the first time Arnav had seen his Nani unguarded. He stood there, trying to gather himself before he could go and talk to her about what he had in mind. He took his time as he framed what he had to say. Nothing uncertain was to slip out that would make Nani question his plan and once ready, he walked up to face her.

He knocked but there was no reply. Not trying any harder, he entered the room and saw his Nani on the rocking chair, staring out of the French Windows, into the open. He didn't like it and the thoughts in his mind started fading away. He held on tight before his resolve could subside. He didn't want to let her down but it was necessary. Malik needed to feel his victory so that Arnav could strike him when he was unguarded. There was no way he could've won over a prepared Malik.

He quietly walked up and sat down at her feet. Resting his head on her knees, he waited for her to caress his hair but that did not happen. She was too hurt to see his grandson give up so easily. This was the last thing she wanted to see while she was alive. She stayed at RM to provide whatever support she could but today, everything went down the drains. She had lost her battle against the beast that had killed her daughter. The greed that had snatched away everything she held on to.

Arnav was devastated when he didn't feel his Nani's soft finger on his head but he couldn't blame her either. It was only but natural. He had to explain before anything else would happen. He gripped her knees in closer and started talking. He started off by telling her what they had done to her Khushi, how Natasha had gone up to her place and called her a gold digger and other few such names. Nani gasped in terror. He told her about Anjali's betrayal. He moved on to explain what Malik's plan was and Nani just shut her eyes tight, chiding herself for misunderstanding her grandson. She ran both her hands through his hair and held him in closer but he did not look up even once.

Instead of looking up, he dug in deeper and revealed what he had planned for his future. How he planned to build his own empire and win back what he had lost today. "Naani, main ye apse vaada karta hoon ki ye sab jo abka hai, apko main wapas de ke rahoonga. Sab pehle jaise theek ho jayga Nani! Sab pehle jaise theek ho jayga. Main sab theek kar doonga" he promised as he finally looked up to face his Nani with red eyes, hoping to restore what she had fought for all her life. (Nani, I promise I'll return all these to you. All of these, which rightfully belongs to you. I swear everything will go back to normal. I'll make everything go back to the way it was. Everything is going to be okay eventually, Nani. Eventually.)

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Chapter 11: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/72677044

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