Differences Between Us :: Arshi FF [COMPLETED] - Page 42

Originally posted by: avantisharma

UnRes
awww...that was so cute...sweet...adorable...i luvd it truly...make me remember the first kiss of arshi near poolsite in ipk...i miss ipk..!

But munched on her bottom lip frantically as she paced wildly in the room while Lavanya and Shivanee eyes her in pure shock. She had still not gotten over it. Arnav Singh Raizada was there. And not only that, he had also insinuated he still wanted to marry her and he had returned her her bangles.

If someone opened Khushi Kumaari Gupta's skull in an empty room at that instant, her brain would surely jump out, whizzing everywhere and banging itself against the wall to find the answers to her questions. How on earth had he found them? Her hands immediately went to the gold hoops around her wrists. How had he even known about them?

An outstretched arm suddenly appeared to bar her way and she stopped with her eyes wide open. Lavanya was glaring at her reproachfully.

"What is it, Chamkili?" she gritted out.

Khushi frowned and turned away tersely. "Bas, hum nahin naach sakte!" (I just cannot dance!)

"Jiji ki shaadi hai, Chamkili! How can you do this?" (It's our sister's wedding, Chamkili!...)

She was starting to protest when Shivanee grabbed her roughly by the shoulders to shake her. "Tum naachogi! Samjhi? Tumhein naachna hi padega!" (You will dance! Understand? You have to dance!)

***

Finally, she sighed, they were home. She lay there in her bed, dazed, still not over the shock. She clamped her eyes tight but his face flashed in the darkness again, making her jump up into a sitting position. Khushi swiped her hand across her sweaty forehead. Her breaths were irregular.

She had ended up dancing at Shivanee's insistence and, thank God, she had not goofed up. But she had kept feeling his eyes burning onto her all night. He had not approached her for the rest of the night but he had not let her out of his line of sight either.

She got up and walked to the window, flung it open to breath the refreshing night air. Her fingers flew to her Nani's bangles again, the bangles he had brought her back. A smile slide onto her lips, widening as she thought of him again.

She was in love...

***

He was leaning on the window sill, letting the soft breeze caress his face, and he grinned stupidly, shaking his head at such a folly. He had changed. The old Arnav Singh Raizada would, by this hour, either be sleeping in a closed room with the ac on, or he would still be working. Now, sleep evaded him and he did not feel like working anymore.

The bite of the metal in his hand was what brought him back to his room. He lifted the hand to look at the intricately designed anklets he was holding. Khushi's payals. He smiled to himself. His old self would have scoffed at this, maybe even criticized. But being in love was something else.

It was true indeed. Love can reduce anyone to anything.

That day at the hotel, when he had learnt that Khushi's father was ill, he had felt his guilt strengthening. He had felt the urge to correct the wrong he had done to Payal. That was why he had immediately called Akaash. Arnav had apologised and told him everything, about how he had misled his friend into believing that Payal's feelings were not genuine. His luck, Akaash had forgiven him right away.

"I know you were thinking about my betterment," Akaash had said.

Had he not thought about Shashi Gupta, Arnav would have accompanied his friend to Kolkata too and would have asked for Khushi's hand at the same time. The two eldest Gupta sisters could have been married in the same mandap. But he knew Khushi.

Her mother would have doubtlessly jubilated but the girl would never think of leaving her father in such a condition. He had seen the father-daughter relationship from afar, and Shashi reminded him of his own father, in a way. Shashi and Khushi were perhaps the only sensible people in the family, and both always showed themselves very strong. It was very impressive, but what people ignored was that somewhere, both of them did have weaknesses. Who could understand that better than Arnav? Didn't he put up the same facade?

He had preceeded Akaash to Kolkata, just to check on the family. On reaching there, he had heard the conversation between Khushi and her uncle about the hospital bills. Curiously, Khushi had stared at her bangles for long before a decisive expression had shrouded her face and she had left. So, instead of going to meet Shashi, he had followed her to the pawnshop. He had watched her from a distance and realised that whatever she had selling meant a lot to her, it wouldn't be fair to let her lose them, would it?

Sighing, he closed the window and headed to the wardrobe to keep the anklets in one of the small drawers. After that encounter on the roof, he could feel his resolution slowly dissolving. All these days, he had stayed away from her, uneasily but surely. In fact, he had left the town as soon as he had finished purchasing her jewellery because he knew that if he met her parents, he would have ended up asking to marry her.

But now, he could not stay away from his best friend's wedding, could he? Especially since Akaash had asked him to come, not as a friend, but as a brother. And she was the sister of the bride. And she was too tempting altogether. He couldn't trust himself to stay away from her, and he couldn't allow that either for he was aware that this love, this relationship between them, needed to be given a name first. He had to have the permission of their elders, he had to marry her, particularly in the conservative country they lived in and more than anything else, for Khushi herself.

As he sat on the edge of his bed, Arnav thought again. Shashi had seemed better tonight, hadn't he? When he had shaken hands with her father, his grip had appeared strong enough. Could the old man possibly be ready to lose his favourite daughter also to marriage?

A grin lit his face. Marriage. He had always thought he would never get married. And now, he was himself brooding about when the right time would come to talk to the girl's parents. Damn! He was going mad.

Well, Arnav Singh Raizada didn't have the habit of waiting, and patience had never quite existed in his dictionary. He would talk to Shashi and Garima before Akaash's wedding, but before that he needed to speak to Khushi.

He would catch her somewhere tomorrow.

***

Khushi wasn't used to being so still so long. And having her hands in the grip of two other girls who were drawing the mehendi didn't help at all. She saw Shivanee scuttle to her side with a smirk and bent towards the girl managing her left hand to whisper something in her ear.

Shivanee's outfit: http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o573/ShikhaKhushi/378952784343_zps06753e5b.jpg

"Kya kaha?" Khushi hissed curiously. Her friend and the mehendi-wali smiled conspiratorially, amking her nervous. (What did you say?)

Shivanee shook her head. "Bas yahi kaha ke teri mehendi sundar honi chaahiye." (Just that your mehendi should look great.)

Khushi narrowed her eyes but her friend winked teasingly and left.

***

She hadn't even had the time to look at the designs on her hands properly. She only was aware that they covered every inch of her skin halfway up to her elbows. Relatives and friends were buzzing about but she wanted to escape to look at her mehendi. Khushi hastily took the stairs to the roof but the voices and laughter she heard told her it was already taken.

Frowning, she walked along the dimly lit corridors trying to find somewhere she could be alone. And alone reminded her, Mr Raizada had disappeared again it seemed. For Akaash's sake, it had been decided that the norms would be broken and males would be allowed too, yet, there was no trace of the groom's best friend.

She couldn't help but feel dejected. And that lowered her spirits considerably. She turned on her heels, convinced that she wouldn't find a place to be with herself and nothing else. But out of nowhere, a hand shot out to clutch her upper arm and pull her inside one of the dark rooms. Her shout was stifled by a large hand while she felt herself being pressed into a wall by a hard body. She struggled but the opponent was stronger.

"It's just me dammit," she heard the harsh whisper in her ear and she stilled. Slowly, his hand relax had fell from her mouth. Khushi grabbed the opportunity to squint at her hands through the dark, then sighed with relief. The mehendi was not ruined. Her head snapped up to lash him with a retort but a soft click hindered her. The room was all of a sudden filled with light and she was staring directly in those smoldering dark orbs.

"Red? Again?" he lifted an eyebrow. She frowned for an instant before realising he was referring to her clothes.

Khushi's outfit: http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o573/ShikhaKhushi/8347299_zps01e00ecc.jpg

"Laal kahaan hai? Yeh to pink hai." (What red? This is pink.)

Arnav shrugged, shooting a disarming half-smile at her. "It very close to red, Khushi." He chuckled and leaned on her to press a kiss beneath her ear, causing her to shudder. "I tried, but it's not working," he whispered. "I cannot stay away from you anymore, Khushi Kumaari Gupta."