And for the others, Here's Part 9.😊
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And as per my recently started tradition, this update is dedicated to hetaldave. This is her 2nd dedication. 😊Thank you for your quick and encouraging feedback through out this FF. This one is for you!
I really appreciate all of you, readers. I write because of you. I will continue to dedicate each update to the first reader who gave me a (long) feedback on my previous update, as a token of appreciation.
Edited: Guys, Please don't skip the videos...They are not VMs but actual scenes of IPKKND and I have incorporated these scenes into my story. So, if you skip the videos, you might not understand the story very well...
Part 9:
Khushi was eager to talk to Arnav that night after dinner...but stayed back to help Mamiji and HariPrakash clear the table. Mamiji not knowing the turmoil Khushi was in, continued with her chatter...She explained how the three Prakash brothers took turns to work for them at the raizada house...HariPrakash, Omprakash and Jayprakash...How the guests always got confused. She let out a loud laugh as she recalled. Khushi smiled at Mamiji unaware what the joke was, as she had not been listening. Her mind was elsewhere...pondering on something that had been bothering her lately.
Arnav sat by the pool with his laptop looking at the designs yet again. Their final show of the year was nearing and it was going to be more grand than it had ever been. He had gone through all the arrangements with Aman, his right hand man. Nothing could and should go wrong, he breathed. He had invited quite a few international fashion retailers to the show. He was quite confident the show would be a huge success.
He jotted down some comments as he looked at each design...He would pass it on to Aman and Lavanya the next day and they could make those changes, he decided. Just as he stared at the 5th design, he wondered if Aman had booked extra models as back up just in case someone didn't turn up or fell ill. He couldn't have any disasters this time. The thought bothered him and so he immediately picked up his phone to check with Aman...
Khushi hesitantly entered their bedroom as her eyes searched for him. She heard him by the pool talking to someone... She slid the curtains to see him sitting by the pool and as suspected, he was talking to someone on the phone...She could make out that the conversation was about work...She stood there confused waiting for him to finish the call...Should she go away and return once he finishes his phone call, she wondered.
Just then Arnav who had noticed her looking at him with an confused expression, excused himself from Aman on the phone for a minute,
"Are you alright, Khushi? Do you need something?" he asked not having the faintest clue what was going on in her head.
Khushi nodded that she didn't need anything with the confused look still pasted on her face. How can I rudely interrupt him, she thought as she replied "It's nothing Arnavji. You continue. I will talk to you later" and walked into the bedroom. Arnav was on the phone for another hour and Khushi who lay in her bed waiting for him drifted off to sleep.
The next morning she waited for an opportunity to talk after he had his shower...
"Arnavji, Woh.." She started... as he was getting ready
"Haan Khushi, bolo" (Yes, khushi. What's it?) replied Arnav, concentrating on getting his tie right.
"Hum Kal rath..."(I , last night...)
"Oh Yeah. You wanted to talk to me, didn't you? Sorry , Khushi. I was busy with work. What is it? Tell me now. Do you need anything? Is your father ok?" He asked with concern as he turned around to face her.
"Nahin, He is ok. And I don't need anything either. I just wanted to thank you for all that you did for me and my family." She said
" I also wanted to talk to you about us..." She hesitated
"Us?" Arnav asked confused. What did she mean? Was she worried that he may not pay her the 2 crores as he had spent on her father's expenses? Arnav wondered.
"Khushi, Don't worry...If you are worried about the deal money... The deal is still on...I never go back on my words. I will pay you the full 2 crores when we separate. Now with your dad unwell, the sweet shop may not be of much use, but I will set up a business that you can run" Arnav assured her.
Khushi felt a sharp knife stab her heart...as she heard him speak. She felt her tears gushing down her cheeks as she stood shocked.
"Deal?" She questioned in shock..."But you were so kind and caring towards me and my family" She heard herself saying " And I thought you had changed"
"Changed? Khushi, I made my intentions quite clear on the night of our wedding. Nothing has changed." replied Arnav firmly
"Then why did you come to hospital that day? Why did you care about me and my family? Why did you take care of all our needs? " She questioned. She did not understand.
"Khushi, Even if this is a temporary marriage...Until we are married, you are my responsibility...And so is your family... ...How could I not come for help when your father became unwell? I also know that you don't have much money...and medical treatment is quite expensive these days... how can I let you and your family suffer in that state? How could I not come there to help?" he asked with earnestness. He knew he meant well.
"Responsibility? Temporary marriage?" Khushi could feel those words sting her heart as she swallowed some of the pain. How could she have been so foolish to raise her hopes and build her dream around him again! Her heart, she knew was shattered this time...and it was her fault.
"So, you mean you still want to break this marriage in 2 months?" Khushi asked completely hurt.
"May be not in 2 months...it's already 6 weeks, Khushi. And you haven't really lived here. So, everyone will say we haven't tried to make our relationship work...But may be in another month" he explained unaware of what she was going through.
It was her fault. She deserved it, She told herself in her thoughts. How on earth did she think this man was capable of changing, She was angry at her own foolishness.
There was silence in the room for a few minutes as both stood staring at each other not knowing what to say.
"Not so soon, Mr Raizada!" Khushi said, as she realised that he was getting ready to leave for work.
Arnav was surprised by the change in her tone.
"You can't have everything your way. I agree I was a fool to believe and hope that you have changed...And I assure you that will never happen again..." She said firmly "And now coming to the deal..."
Arnav was surprised at how she appeared to be in control...and He was glad that she was finally accepting his deal...How could she refuse? It was quite a good one, especially considering her circumstances, he thought to himself.
"You can't have everything your way..."Khushi continued. "I never agreed to your deal, But today I am willing you to offer one myself...I am ready to leave you...but that won't be in 1 month...It will only be after my sister is married. ..."
Arnav was stunned. He had thought that she had accepted his deal, but here she was suggesting another. Arnav knew what she said made sense, but...
"But what if it takes a year for her to get married?" He found himself thinking aloud.
"So, be it. However long it takes, we will have to remain married. As of today, I am also not interested to be part of this sham marriage for any longer than required, BUT...I will not have you spoil my sister's life. My broken marriage will kill her chances of getting a good groom. I cannot let my fate affect her...Why am I bothered to explain all this to you? You will not understand! But don't worry, I will be making sure my Di gets married as soon as possible " Khushi blurted furiously
Arnav remained calm. He knew she had been through a lot and what she actually was saying made sense. He wouldn't want her sister's life affected because of him.
"That's fine with me" he heard himself saying
" I am not finished, Mr Raizada. " Khushi continued.
"You don't have to worry about paying 2 crores when I leave. I don't want a single rupee from you...And in this sham marriage, I am not your responsibility either...So, don't bother to feel you need to help me or my family. I can very well look after them. And as for the expenses you took care of, when my Dad was unwell, I will pay back every rupee very soon" She continued. "I want nothing from you"
"But Khushi..." Arnav started... but Khushi didn't stay to listen.
"KHUSHI, You do not walk out on me" he yelled as she walked away.
"Sorry, Mr Raizada. I will do as I please" She said and stormed out of the room. She was furious but more than that, She was heartbroken. She knew she would not be able to control her tears any longer if she stayed there.
Arnav was furious...Why couldn't she keep things simple? Khushi Kumari Gupta was like no other person he had met. And every time he thought he knew her, He was thrown away by her response. He had imagined her to be a petite small town girl...Which she was ...but yet very different. Why was she adamant about not taking his money? Why was she adamant about returning every rupee that he had spent on her family? It was after all his responsibility, until they remained married. How could this girl be so egoistic not to accept anything from him? He ranted.
This is not how he had planned things. This girl had thrown his deal upside down...Arnav continued with his rant when his phone rang.
"Hello, Haan, Akash?" he said surprised by the caller
"Bhai, Are you delayed? We are waiting for you at the meeting to finalise our show's plans" Akash said on the other end
"But that was at 10'o clock..." Arnav said staring at his watch in shock. He had not realised it had become so late. He was supposed to meet them about the show.
"Akash, I will be there soon. But postpone this meeting by 1hr. I have to make a few calls first" He informed Akash and hung up. He had lot to do before the show and he had this...to deal with at home. This is exactly why I did not want to marry, Arnav thought as he walked out of the room.
He saw Anjali talking to Khushi...
[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnPo0-6Zdxo[/YOUTUBE]
Khushi hated every moment of it...but had to do it as Anjali Di was in the room looking at the clothes Khushi had brought for her from Lucknow. Arnav quickly left after she fixed his button. Anjali left soon after eager to show the clothes to Nani and Mami.
Khushi sat in her room crying for a good while after Arnav had left...How could she have been such a fool to believe that a man like Arnav Singh Raizada would change. But she was a fool, alright! She had risen her hopes...and this time, she felt her heart crack into pieces when he spoke of the deal...
But Khushi was glad that she had told him her deal...and that she would not have his money...In this sham marriage, he considered me his responsibility...Khushi could feel her tears gush down her cheek like a stream. No, she didn't need his money...She would repay every rupee that he had spent on her and his family just as she had promised him, she decided.
Khushi paced the room thinking after she had calmed down. Now that her father was no longer working, money was quite tight at the Gupta residence. And then she also had the bills to repay...She had to find work, She decided.
The next few days, Khushi avoided Arnav and so did he. He was busy with his fashion show and was glad he did not have any further confrontations with her. He absolutely had no time for that now, He thought. And the time arrived...
[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEU64J6op24[/YOUTUBE]
The show was a huge success just as Arnav had hoped. AR designs were getting good business deals post show and Arnav was quite pleased with himself and his team. Another european client had shown interest after the show and Arnav had fixed a meeting with them...However it would have to be at Agra as they wanted to mix business with pleasure and visit Agra during their short stay in India. Arnav was extremely exhausted after the show but decided to travel to Agra to meet them, as they could open more doors for his company.
Khushi was glad that Arnav remained busy. It was 3 weeks since their confrontation and Khushi was getting ready to leave for work. She was anxious as she had not done this since college ...She had accidentally come across an advert in the paper and decided to try her luck and was pleasantly surprised when they hired her straight away. She did not think she fitted the bill...but the money was quite good and it would solve her monetary problems sooner than most other jobs would.
She was even more surprised when Nani and Mami agreed for her to work. They had suggested that she wait for some more time, as she had only been recently married...but Khushi had no time to waste. She wanted to pay off Arnav Singh Raizada as soon as she could. And so , She had convinced them to let her work straight away. Ofcourse, they had no clue what her real reasons were.
Arnav had left for Agra for a week...The timing was perfect. He didn't even have to know about it, She thought as she got driven to the hotel where she was to rehearse the next 3 days before the final show on Thursday.
The event manager showed Khushi to the dressing room and she quickly got changed following which an assistant touched her makeup. There were 5 other professional models getting ready too...Khushi felt slightly nervous as the last time she did any form of modelling was while she was at college and that too, in an all women's college. But considering this was a show featuring only Indian ethnic bridal wear, she felt slightly comfortable...Khushi knew she would never want to model for skimpy western clothes which she was sure most of the other models around her did.
Khushi was nervous as she practised the ramp walk with the other models than she had expected to be. The thought that the place would be surrounded by hundreds of onlookers made her falter for a minute and she slipped from the ramp into the arms of...
[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Layx9xra4g[/YOUTUBE]
So, that was Part 9 of my FF: The Matchmaker!
Please share your thoughts on it. Am eager to read them.
The credit for the videos belongs to the makers and actors and everyone involved with IPKKND. My story is inspired from theirs.
If any of you would like PM ( who are not getting it already) when I update, please mention it in your comment. I will be updating this story on Fridays and Sundays only, due to my other commitments. I hope you don't mind.
If you would like to read my previous fiction, here is my index- My Arhi stories
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