||~Something About You~||#11 *COMPLETED*

Ok, guys, this is my largest update to date! Sorry for all the delay & confusion. Yes, my lappy crashed, but I know you guys suffered too. I am so sorry!

& update was further delayed, cos I am working on a PC after almost 8 years! & people who are used to using a lappy 24/7, know how the transition to PCs can be! & plus, I can't also log-in to my Imgur account, that coupled with the loss of lappy backup files means, I don't have the snaps I had already selected & uploaded on Imgur for usage in the remaining updates.

This update is dedicated to all of my readers. Not because you waited so patiently & not because, you guys almost daily bugged me for over half of the previous thread! But just for being you guys! Do you know how special you guys are??! I mean, someone was telling me that day, they hoped I won an FF award. & I thought, why?? It's not like it's a crest that I could put up on my mantle. It's simply for the writer to feel good & confident in her writing, right? You guys do that for me after each & every update! I mean, just go & read what anyone, except yourself, has written after any of the previous update! No writer worth her salt could ever ask for anything more than that. So thank you all! This one's for you!

Part 70

Mortification. It's a curious feeling. It has been reported to be a sensation of extreme shame or embarrassment. Interestingly though, in the words of medicine, there is something else, something way more implicational that mortification means. It means the death of part of the body.

So it was only apt to say that, mortification was what Khushi felt the moment she heard those angry words in a voice that sounded so much like her brother's, but at the same time, in the emotions it conveyed, the voice was so unlike his. An instant flood of shame almost overwhelmed Khushi when she suddenly became conscious that the task that Rohan had commanded in his screaming had not yet been fulfilled. Contrary to putting her down as bellowed, Arnav hadn't even flinched a muscle. He stood looking intently at her, quite curiously, & defiantly oblivious to his silently raging perpetual best friend & oh-so-new brother-in-law, & dumbstruck sister standing behind him. & while still under the vigilant eyes of Arnav, as Khushi hesitantly, but expectantly peered from inside the fence of Arnav's arm to look at her brother, to gauge his reaction accurately, Rohan averted his eyes & lowered his eyes, as if unable to even look at her anymore, & Khushi instantly felt something inside her shriveled up & died. & just like that, Khushi Kumari Gupta's meet up with mortification was completed.

~~~~~

Arnav felt it. He felt her. Just like the blood coursing through his veins, he felt the girl in his arms in every fiber of his being. He had felt how she was melting in his arms just after she had professed her love to him. & he had also felt her going all rigid the moment she had heard that ominous voice. & now that he saw her face flaming with mortifying red, Arnav felt a sudden on-rush of protective feelings engulf him, & without even realizing what he was doing, he clutched Khushi's arms tightly, compelling her to look up t him & when she did, he intently gazed into her eyes, his caramel orbs conveying the message to golden-brown ones, that as long as he was there, she needn't have any fears. Arnav took a deep breath, & then carefully keeping Khushi shielded by his body to give her additional time to compose herself, he slowly turned towards the others present in the hall, swearing to himself he would protect the girl almost shaking behind him from each & every possible storm that was about to come.

What Arnav hadn't considered was how tempestuous his own emotions were when it came to that chit of a girl, & how no one could shield anyone from the whirlwind that was Arnav Singh Raizada, when he lost grip of his senses. Not even Arnav himself.

~~~~~

Rohan saw the little communication that passed between the two in front his own disbelieving eyes. Bachchi.. & Arnav? Suddenly the two persons in front his eyes seemed to dissolve & shrink, & a moment later, a 3 year old Khushi, & a 9 year old Arnav stood in front of him. Arnav still had both his parents' shadow over his head, but little did that change. He was unbelievably arrogant for a kid, & unnecessarily resentful of Khushi even then, who was for all of her years, nothing, but a very cute & adorable angel. He had asked Arnav to support Khushi, who had been standing only on her right foot, as Rohan cleaned the mud she had accidentally stepped on from her left shoe & sock. Arnav had gingerly held onto one of Khushi's shoulders with just the tip of his fingers, not even letting her prop herself by the side of his body, as if she was contaminated or something, & had complained to Rohan bitterly about not listening to himself when he had insisted they left the little menace behind. He had been that resentful of the girl even at that young age! & now he had his hands all over her? & Rohan was damned if he didn't already know what this was about! After all, how many times had he had to console a hysterically distressed Anjali crying over the latest spread on a gossip magazine about her brother's most recent romp with another one of his string of conquests? So with the evidence of Arnav's extreme dislike for Khushi coupled with his almost unashamed usage of the female species in the past, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out exactly what he wanted from Rohan's baby sister, did it?

& Rohan prided himself as being a fairly non-prejudiced person. But he couldn't ignore facts. He still clearly remembered Arnav's answer when he had called him up in Boston to show him the courtesy of asking for Anjali's hand from him, before he notified either of the families, after Anjali had finally said yes to him. Arnav's precise words had been, "Why are you asking me for? You know I don't believe in these craps! It's a wonder that Di does, after all we've been through.. Just keep her happy, & you & I are settled!" & after all that, he went ahead & messed with Rohan's own sister?! Rohan looked up from his laser-like scrutiny of the floor, & just in time too, cause he saw Arnav squeezing Khushi's arms somewhat reassuringly, & possibly still looking at her eyes, where Rohan couldn't even see Khushi's face as if she was hiding it from him, & then Arnav swiftly turned, all the while keeping Khushi shielded by his own body. Rohan suddenly, for the first time in his life, understood the meaning of mortal rage.

Arnav saw the flash of rage flicker in Rohan's eyes, & it was such an uncharacteristic demonstration, that abruptly he felt the urge of something uncharacteristic too. Shame. Not shame at anything he & Khushi had embarked upon, but shame at how he had handled this whole thing. & how he had put the people he cared about now in an undignified situation. Most of all the girl standing behind him, who he can now feel had started to shake slightly. Arnav fisted his hands in agony when he looked at his sister looking at him somewhat dazedly, but still her head was held high, & the vermillion she had put on in Rohan's name shining in her parting, & she looked every bit as dignified as someone could possibly be. Unlike Khushi, whom he had given nothing but humiliation, in front his family & her own.

& out this thought, more than anything else, Arnav blurted out suddenly, shocking everyone in the process, "It's my fault. It's all my fault. I am the only one to blame here. I pursued her.. I persuaded her-" But Arnav had to stop as suddenly he felt Khushi's dainty fingers clutching his arms from behind as if to stop him. & that was exactly Khushi's intent. The moment she had heard Arnav starting to speak, she had cringed. That never-before-heard note of guilt in his tone didn't suit him at all. His deep husky tone was made for arrogance & arrogance only. & she couldn't let him take all the blame for their association. She entered into it with her eyes wide open, didn't she? So she peered out from behind Arnav, & taking in a deep breath, looked up at her brother, & just let it out, "I am in love with him. I love Arnavji, Bhaiya!"

& that had to top the list of 'things a brother never wanted to hear'! His youngest sister professing her love for a modern day Casanova! Rohan bit back a really angry yell that threatened to consume him wholly any minute, just when he felt his wife's hand comfortingly closing over his fisted one. He had completely forgotten about her presence.. forgotten that the man standing in front him was her brother also. & he could denounce Arnav from being his best friend for this betrayal of trust of his, but he couldn't make Anjali denounce her brother. & that meant, for better or for worse, he had no way of throwing Arnav out of his life, & more importantly, out of Khushi's life by any subtle means. Rohan let out a frustrated breath abruptly as he made up his mind, the time for subtlety had passed when that jerk had decided to 'pursue' his sister!

Looking away from all the persons in the room, Rohan said in an eerily calm voice, "I want to be left alone.. all alone.. with him." & the moment that it took for his wife & sister to throw unsure glances at each other, to decide whether or not to grant this wish, Rohan suddenly bellowed, "Now!" He sounded so unlike himself, & so much like Arnav at that moment, that both Anjali & Khushi shook from the shock it gave them. Khushi was about to refuse to budge from her position when she felt Arnav's hand closing over one of hers reassuringly as he gently drew her in front of him, & then looking into her eyes, ignoring the raged gaze of his brother-in-law & the concerned look from his sister, Arnav cupped Khushi's cheek lovingly, & when instead of pressing into his cheek, he felt Khushi stiffening up as her eyes strayed sideways to where the other couple stood, Arnav brushed his thumb over her cheek to make her look back at him, & then he lowered his lashes in a silent promise that he would handle everything, & everything would be alright. & then before Khushi could reciprocate in any way, he gently shoved her towards the door of the hall that led to the passageway to the main house.

~~~~~

As soon as Khushi & Anjali were out of the hall, Arnav turned towards Rohan & almost willed him silently to ask him the one question that mattered. The one question that was his only saving grace. Did he love Khushi Kumari Gupta? Because he did.. so much so that whenever she went away from him, for a few minutes it physically ached where his heart was supposed to be. So, that had to be the only thing Rohan needed to know.

For Rohan Gupta, it was the same too. He only needed to one thing. After being a very close witness to Arnav's cavorting days, & usually the first one to hear his disdainful thoughts about relationships, Rohan only needed to know Arnav's stance about them now. As far as matters of hearts were concerned, Rohan had heard as much as he needed to hear. Bachchi had said, she loved him. & if Rohan knew his Bachchi at all, he knew that it was all or nothing. That's how everything was for that baby girl. All or nothing. She lived to the fullest, despite all the demons & difficulties of her childhood, & she also loved to the fullest. & if she said, she loved someone, however unworthy they may be of a love of her kind, for Rohan, that settled matters of heart. But as a brother, Rohan knew love wasn't always sufficient. Throwing caution to the wind for love may sound very novel, & in any other circumstances, Rohan would even humor the notion of love being the only important thing in the world, but not where his Bachchi was concerned.

Rohan had seen, had heard, had felt the struggles his parents had gone through for the past 20 years or so, just to keep the hushed gossips away from Khushi's ears. & all that trouble just to keep them away from Khsuhi, because they had known clearly, that there was no way they could shut those wagging tongues. & throughout all these years, all of the Guptas, except Khushi of course, had just waited for the day, when they would be able to come out of the shadows of that secret. & once they had achieved that, lately, all Rohan, his Buaji & his parents had talked about was finding a deserving, worthy life-partner for Khushi, who would honor her, cherish her, & someone who would never taunt Khushi for a past she had no contribution in, & nor would he let anyone else do so. & now, Arnav had come, & Rohan was as sure as the daylight, that what Arnav would have in his mind for his association with Khushi, would only stigmatize Khushi again in front of the whole society if word ever got out, & this time no one would be able to keep Khushi away from all the taunts that would come her way, because this time, she would bear a fair part of the blame.

So next time when Rohan spoke, he was not the outraged friend, nor the angry brother, he was just a very desperate brother, fearful for his little sister, "Do you remember, what you had told me, the day I told you, Anjali had given her consent to marry me? You said, you didn't believe in these craps! That was the last time you & I spoke about that matter.. Now.. Now that you have got my sister so entangled with you, that she's openly announcing her love for you to her big brother.. Have you changed your mind? Has she been able to restore your faith? Would you show me the same courtesy that I have shown you.. of not messing with your sister till I had every intention of honoring her in front of the whole society?" Saying all that Rohan paused for a break. He was not used to speaking that much, being a man of few words. & the act of speech seemed all the more difficult when all he wanted to do was hurt the man standing in front of him physically & then never speak to him ever again. But even as irate as he was with Arnav, Rohan still knew that Arnav's response, whatever that may be, would be the truth. & this confidence in Arnav's honesty made Rohan annoyed with himself.

& that was a feeling that Arnav shared with him at that moment. Why was Rohan asking him about marriage & commitment? Was he supposed to lie? He never lied! Why couldn't he just ask Arnav about whether he loved his baby sister or not? Arnav had a satisfactory answer to that question. & without being asked, Arnav couldn't just go & pour his heart out in front of Rohan, could he? That's not what men did. That's what Khushi did! But she was certifiably crazy, Arnav wasn't. But he couldn't just let this opportunity pass where he could actually tell his best friend how much Khushi meant to him. So squaring his shoulders, Arnav decided to go with honesty, & said in a forgone voice, "Honestly?.. No! No, I still don't believe in marriages. I still can't believe those rituals or a piece of paper can guarantee your commitment or faithfulness. Because, it can't. However, Khushi-" Arnav had just been about to tell Rohan how Khushi had made him realize what that magic thing was that did ensure people's commitment & faithfulness to each other, unconditional love, when out of nowhere a crashing blow landed over his nose.

Arnav's hands came up to cover his nose out of reflex action as his eyes watered uncontrollably, & with his eyes still closed, he felt Rohan coming up & grab him by the collar of his shirt. Arnav pried his eyes open with great difficulty & saw Rohan's hard, bloodshot eyes looking straight at his as Rohan spat, "Don't go messing around with someone's sister unless you have the intention of honoring her. & this.." Arnav saw Rohan pulling his fist back for another punch as if in slow motion, but his whole concentration was in what Rohan was saying, "..is for kissing my baby sister right in front of my eyes!" Arnav could have ducked, but something inside him screamed that he probably deserved the punch, if not for the comparatively chaste kiss, than for all the other things he had done to Rohan's sister. But when Rohan's next words entered his ears, Arnav forgot the stinging pain in his jaw where Rohan's second blow had landed, & his eyes opened on their own volition, "Now, you will step aside! & I am warning you Arnav, if I see you anywhere near Bachchi, or trying to mess with our arrangements for her marriage, I'll forget that you're Anju's brother!"

Saying this, Rohan let go of Arnav's collar, & was about to go towards the door Khushi & Anjali had taken earlier, when he felt his left arm gripped in an iron-clad grip. Gritting his teeth at the nerve of the man, Rohan turned to face Arnav, & was taken aback for a moment at the cold fury he encountered on Arnav's face. But it was Arnav who broke the charged silence as he rasped, "What marriage? To whom?" Rohan's eyes narrowed at the gall of Arnav. He couldn't believe Arnav was still talking back to him, where he clearly was the one at fault & when he had been given the chance, he couldn't say anything to redeem himself. & now this insolent questioning of Arnav incensed Rohan further as he jerked his hand free & said disgustingly, "Why do you think I am obligated to answer any of your questions?" Then he raised his pointed index finger in front of Arnav's face & issued a clear warning, "Stay. Away. From. Bachchi!"

& Arnav could feel instantly falling down that spiraling abyss. He had felt it only once before. When Karan had started to bad mouth Khushi, he had felt this dark rage consume himself from within, & he had been astonished at the state of Karan's mangled appearance later when Aman had pulled him away. & he really didn't want something like to happen to Rohan. But for that Rohan would have to stop talking about keeping Arnav away from Khushi. Arnav took a few steps back from Rohan as he breathed in a couple of gulps of calming breath, & said in a low voice, "Just walk away now. You don't know what you're talking about. I know this must've come as a shock to you, but don't go around dictating me to stay away from-" He stopped short as suddenly Rohan closed the gap between them in agitated steps, & with his index finger again pointing at Arnav, he warned hotly, "That's exactly I am doing. Dictating you to stay away from her! & as far as her marriage is concerned, that's none of your business! I asked you a question, & you have given your answer. That was your chance to have a say about marriage, don't you think? Now, you will stay the hell away from her-"

This time, Arnav lost it, much to his own regret, & not even thinking for a fraction of a second, he grabbed Rohan's collar & hit him with a very clumsy & totally whimsical blow. & as soon as his fist contacted with Rohan's jaw, Arnav felt a piercing pain as if something cut his knuckles, & to shake off the pain, Arnav jerked his right hand off a couple of times & then looked up to see where Rohan was, & as his eyes fell upon Rohan, Arnav stumbled back from the mental blow.

Rohan was almost leaning towards Arnav when Arnav's blow had caught him unaware, so he hadn't been able to hold his ground, & he had toppled over backwards to a low three-legged table, over which some medium sized brass pots that have been used as accessories to decorate the ramp had been piled. As a result of Rohan's fall, the pots have toppled over, making thunderous sounds, but what shocked the wits out of Arnav was, when Rohan moved his hand away from over his mouth where Arnav had hit him, blood of a bright red color oozed out of his mouth.

The sudden widening of Arnav's eyes told Rohan something was wrong, other than that he felt considerably fine. But feeling something trickling down over his chin, he reached up with his right hand to wipe over his chin, & then when he held the hand in front his eyes, saw his whole palm smeared with blood. Rohan was surprised for a moment at the amount of blood, then he inspected the inside of his mouth with his tongue, & found out that he had cut the inside of his lower lip pretty badly on the edges of his teeth due to the blow, hence the monumental amount of blood. But as he rotated his jaw to inspect further damage, he found nothing else was wrong. Except that his ego was pretty badly bruised. So he ignored the hand Arnav had extended to help him up after rushing towards him, & scrambled up to his feet on his own. Then he looked back at Arnav, & said in a loathing voice, "Now, if we are all done with all the frivolous activities, let's summarize our meet, shall we? You! Away from Bachchi! Also away from our home, till Babuji & I find her a match worthy of herself!"

Now if we are all acquainted with Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada, we all know a few very typical facts about him. He has a short temper. He is arrogant. He loved his family to bits. His dependence on Aman bordered on dysfunctional. He proclaimed he was an atheist, yet he attended each & every one of the numerous Pujas his sister held. & the list is a very long one. But two interesting facts about him that frequently came out in his interactions, which left the person standing before him short of words, were, when he was very, very angry, he took absence of his mental factories while speaking. & the second thing was, being already cursed with a caustic tongue; he took it up a notch every time he was angry, almost every time tore his opponent down to pieces with just the help of his tongue. & it never comforted anyone to know that he almost always regretted his words once his temper cooled down.

& that's what Arnav did out of his anger as Rohan kept insisting on keeping Khushi away from him. He took a threatening step towards Rohan & yelled at the top of his voice, not even noticing all the commotion of the room had attracted the ladies who had earlier departed the room back in it, "You come here, stand under my roof & tell me stay away from Khushi??! Well, you have no right! & nor does your Babuji have the right to decide whom she marries or not! Because you guys are nothing to her! NOTHING! Her father killed her mother in this very town, which makes her an orphan with no parents to dictate her about her life choices, & she didn't have any siblings! So there goes your say! You have nothing on her, & you can't come in here & tell me to stay away from her & you-" Arnav not only stopped in his tirade, but he also stumbled backwards by the very forceful shove over his chest, & the worst part was he had been looking straight ahead at Rohan, but he hadn't even seen what had hit him with such blinding force!

As Arnav regained his footing, & looked up first he saw Anjali clasping onto Rohan's shoulder & trying to inspect the source of the profuse blood flow frantically, & then his refocused & fell on the tiny girl standing in front him, her hair forming a wild halo around her face & her eyes, those Golden-brown gorgeous eyes had darkened to almost black pools as tears shimmered in them. Arnav had always appreciated how expressive her face was, as it made it difficult for her to hide her emotions from him, but today he wished she wasn't so transparent to him, cause he could clearly read the question in her eyes. Out of all the questions she could ask him right then, all her eyes were asking her, 'How could you hurt me like that? Is that you who said all that? You of all people?'

Arnav didn't know how to answer her, so he took a hesitant step towards her, & tried to cup her cheek with his left hand, but as soon as his hand rose up to her neck, she slapped it away hard, & taking advantage of their closeness, whispered furiously so that the couple standing behind won't overhear her, "I knew it! I knew you would do this! & I hate you so much for it!" Arnav was at a loss hearing not only her words, but also the heightened note of distress in her voice, & as his temper was now cooling down in an exponential rate, he was becoming guiltier by the second remembering clearly what all he had just uttered, so he leaned carefully towards her, careful though not to try to touch her anymore, & said in barely audible whisper, "What, Re-?" But before he could finish his nickname for her, she held up the palm of her left hand to stop him, & Arnav immediately understood that he had just been stopped from calling her 'Red', & as he tightened his jaw, silently absorbing that blow, he heard her mutter almost inaudibly, "I knew one day you'd make me curse that day I ran back to you in the rain. One day you'd make me curse the moment I realized I loved you. One day you'd make me curse the day I ever met you! & that day is today. Aaj humein afsos ho raha hain, ki hum aapse mile hi kyun? Aap humare zindagi mein aaye hi kyun? Humne aapse itna pyaar kiya hi kyun?"

Precap:

"It's not the house! It's not driving me away from you. You yourself are! You are driving me away from yourself. No house could've ever done that."

Arnav looked on at her angry, yet at the same time incredibly sad face incredulously for a few moments, & then he gave a quick shake of his head, his anger returning again, & finally matching up to hers, "Sure.. I am driving you away, right? & you??! What about you, huh? Tum yeh sabb hone dogi, humare rishte ko aise hi khatam ho jaane dogi??! Itna easy hain tumhare liye??!" This time he saw Khushi almost let out a hiss in her anger as she opened her fisted hands & clasped at her sides as if trying not to let her hands get the better of her & she furiously rasped, "Why won't it be easy for me?? Why would everything have to be easy for you only? Why do you get to announce me an orphan, make my brother bleed, & still get to question me leaving you, whereas I can't even criticize your sister's cooking without you chasing me down, I can't even talk about your parents without you almost chewing my head off??.. Arnavji, people often build walls around their hearts to protect their feelings, but you not only built walls, you went ahead & painted them all black!! I spent days loving, caring, breaking them away! Today is about as easy as that was!"

Arnav knew when an argument was getting out of his hands, & as always, even today he hated it, so he put his hands up to stop her, & said in a tight voice, "Ok, sure! Kuchh discuss nahin karte hain! Sab kuchh yunhi khatam ho jaane dete hain!" & as soon as he finished, Khushi raised her head, & the thick teardrops clinging to her lower lashes almost knocked Arnav over, & he again forgot his anger as concern etched every line of his feature, but as he raised his hand to brush the drops away before they fell over her creamy cheeks, he realized he couldn't, because she had already started stepping away, "There's nothing to discuss! I was so eager to love you.. to be loved by you, that I made myself who you were, & how this was always destined to end. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I always knew, jaise hi hum bhoolne lagenge, hume yaad dilaane ke liye aap hume takleef pauhchaayenge, dard denge, humara dil todenge. Regretfully, my stupid heart didn't pay heed."

Part 71

I don't think after this much delay I have the right to ask anyone of anything, so...