[Arhi FF] Silver Lining..link to thread 2 pg 151 - Page 26

 

He stood there on his balcony, watching the sun set beyond the boundaries of Raizada Estate. The setting sun gave him a feeling of all his burdens being washed away. He never felt this light and carefree from the time he was left on his own to deal with all the monstrous problems that came his way. The hurt, betrayal, guilt, everything was tearing him down but now after pouring out all his grief, insecurities and confusions to Anjali, he felt like there was no boundary to his relief. He momentarily had panicked that she would be shattered but she was as strong as light, broke through the darkness of the fears plaguing her and emerged victorious, understanding and helpful just as he had hoped for. She was his pillar of strength. His sister had proved yet again that she was someone who wouldn't let him be alone, no matter what happened.

Yet, he didn't have the strength to forgive anyone else. He couldn't bring himself to do it after learning the truth. His only support was Anjali and his cousin brother, Akash who worshipped and understood him more than any other member except Anjali. Even his brother in law couldn't do what Akash could do to him. Akash reminded Arnav of himself; that little confused kid who grew up to be an independent self made man. Akash was typically like Arnav and he could see himself in those brown hopeful eyes of Akash and that had made him do everything he did for Akash. But just thinking about any other person in his family made him boil in anger and he couldn't control himself. He bloody didn't give any damn as to what nani, mama, mami or his jiju would think about him. He couldn't show any sort of affection to them. They had destroyed him. They had destroyed everything he valued, treasured and possessed and now, just by showing their emotions they couldn't possibly heal his wounds in any way. They couldn't...they just couldn't!

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Vinay noticed the sad yet relieved face of his wife as soon as she came into their room. He went up to her, "What happened?"

Anjali wiped her tears and whispered, "I got my brother back..."

A slow, complete smile spread lazily across Vinay's face as he heard those words which was of extreme importance to his wife for it was the reason of her whole life. He hugged her and whispered, "That's wonderful! Anju, I am so happy...!"

Anjali disentangled herself from her husband, much to Vinay's surprise and muttered in a glassy voice, "I haven't finished yet..."

Vinay got extremely confused and asked, "Are you okay?"

"No!" Anjali replied looking straight in his eyes, "I got my brother back but I lost that trust I had in you!"

Vinay felt himself reeling as the enormity of those words hit him like a high tide. He went blank for a few moments as Anjali continued to stare at him with cold, expressionless eyes. He had no idea about what Anjali was talking but he couldn't digest the fact that she actually told that she didn't trust him. "Are you joking, Anjali?" he asked as a lump formed in his throat.

"Do I look like I am?" she retorted before she looked away and muttered, "I cant believe you could be so selfish Vinay!"

Selfish? How was he selfish? What is she talking about?  Vinay wondered before he asked again, "what have I done Anjali? Why are you acting so crazy?"

"I am acting crazy?" Anjali felt furious, "how am I supposed to act when I find out that the person whom I thought was genuinely helping me get my Chhote back was the reason why my brother started distancing himself from me!"

"What?" Vinay stared at her unable to comprehend whatever she was saying. What did Arnav tell her that made his wife behave so strangely with her? "Did Arnav tell you something about me?" he asked her, his nostrils flaring in anger.

"Yes he did!" she shouted back causing Vinay to jump back in alarm. He had never seen his wife shout. What the hell did that useless man tell his wife that she chose to fight with him all of a sudden? "I am not going to leave him!" he muttered angrily before turning around and trying to walk to the door when he felt Anjali's arm on his shoulder which turned him forcefully to face her, "don't you dare go and talk to Chhote! I still can't believe that you are acting as though nothing has happened!"

"What is it that has happened, Anjali?" he burst out, "why are you behaving so stupid?"

"Because you are the reason why Chhote is like this!" she screamed at the top of her voice while Vinay just stood there, his eyes wide, trying to process whatever she was yelling, "because you are the reason why my brother suffered so much!"

"ANJALI!" he screamed at her face and held her by shoulders, hurting her. Anjali grew limp and continued to stare back at him defiantly.

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"It was an awesome day out," said Lavanya giving Khushi a warm hug, "we certainly should hang out for more time."

"Yeah, we just clicked," Khushi nodded, "it was like we knew each other for years together."

"You just left me out of the group," Khushi and Lavanya burst out laughing as they saw Diya make a sour face, "we could never leave you out, sweetheart," Lavanya ruffled her hair.

 

"Anyway, we should get going..." Khushi muttered, giving a small smile to Lavanya. "Call me when you are free..."

"Yes, definitely!" Lavanya beamed and hugged Diya, "Meet you guys real soon!"

"Yeah..." Diya smiled, "we will call you whenever we make any plans. Di is going to be here just for another month so I really look forward to spend as much as time possible with her. It will be awesome of you join us!"

"Just for a month?" Lavanya quizzed, "where are you going after that?"

"I am going to go to California..." Khushi smiled.

"You live in California? What do you do there?" Lavanya asked, pleasantly surprised that Khushi was also a resident of the United States. Khushi answered, "Actually, I live in Minnesota but I am a researcher and my project team is stationed at California for the upcoming project. Hence I am going to go back there."

"You are a researcher?" Lavanya was awed. She thought Khushi to be an art or a commerce student. Research was definitely not an option that she had considered. Khushi smiled at Lavanya's surprise, "yes, I am a researcher. I am an oceanographer to be precise. I work for Scripps Institute of Oceanography in CA."

"Wow! Just wow!" Lavanya gushed, "I thought you were some art or commerce student; may be a year or two older than Diya but you are actually a post doc! Just wow!"

"Thanks!" Khushi chuckled, "by the way that are you doing?"

"I am a fashion designer," Lavanya muttered, "I work for AR group."

"She is so damn lucky to be working for AR," Diya exclaimed as Lavanya smiled but that ruefulness in her smile wasn't missed by Khushi who immediately understood Lavanya was not happy being there but it was not a talk Lavanya seemed keen to discuss especially with Diya around, who was the world's biggest fan of AR fabrics and probably wouldn't like if Lavanya said aloud that she was unhappy working there. Hence, Khushi changed the topic at a lightning speed, relieving Lavanya of giving another explanation to her hair brained, brand loving, AR worshipping sister who never tolerated anyone complaining about the company or the fabrics it manufactured. But Khushi had no bloody idea what was so special in AR. She wasn't the one who spoke Fashion and you and hence, she didn't even know who the company belonged to and what sort of apparels AR manufactured.

"Anyway, I am going to call you today night..." Lavanya quipped, "We'll make some rocking plans for the next month..."

"Oh yes!" Khushi nodded excitedly before they bid goodbye to each other and went back to their respective homes, still smiling at how easily they had become friends.

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The Raizada family hurried towards Anjali and Vinay's room wondering what the hell was happening there causing those two peace loving people to argue so furiously. Akash was feeling very nervous. In the living memory, he had never seen his bhai and bhabhi fight with each other even when they were kids. They were always the calm and composed people who were matured beyond their age. Now after these many years of marriage, they were yelling at each other like people battling against the enemy in the war. What the hell was happening?

They burst into the room to see Vinay and Anjali standing a foot apart from each other, their eyes blazing in fury. Akash hurried over to his bhabhi, "Di, kya hua?"

"Akash chodiye hume!" Anjali screeched, causing Akash to jump. He retreated a few steps nervously still looking at the both of them. Manorama asked her son, "Vinay! Kya hua?"

"Kuch nahi maa!" Vinay burst out, "You guys please stay out of this! Anjali has gone mad!"

"I have gone mad?" Anjali screamed causing Vinay to yell back, "HA! You have gone totally crazy! You don't have any idea what bullshit you are talking, Anjali!"

"I am talking bull..." she started to say when a voice interrupted her, "DI!"

Arnav too had heard the shouting from his sister's room and knowing full well what had caused the fights he had hurried towards their room. He now came inside and muttered, "Di, what are you doing?"

Vinay, who was furious, totally lost himself when he saw Arnav come into the room and went and pulled him by collar, screaming into his face "what the hell did you tell Anjali? Answer me!"

Arnav struggled to remove Vinay's hands from the collar of t-shirt while the whole family watched in horror. Anjali walked over to Vinay, wrestled his hands out of Arnav's collar and burst out, "how dare you speak to Chhote like that!"

Arnav immediately held his sister by her shoulder and turned her around, "Di! What are you doing? Di please calm down..."

"How can I calm down Chhote?" Anjali shouted, "How can I?"

"Di, shouting isn't going to make any good!" Arnav tried to console her while the rest of the Raizadas stood there with their mouths hanging open except Vinay who was still breathing fire.

"Chhote, are you taking his side now?" Anjali asked disbelievingly to which Arnav shook his head and murmured softly, "Di, I am always on your side and you know it! But fighting with jiju now isn't going to be of any help. What's happened is happened!"

"Then why the hell were you brooding for such a long time if you believe what's happened is happened, Chhote?" Anjali shot back effectively shutting Arnav up as he had no answer to this question.

"Di, please!" he whispered helplessly. Anjali, looking at the resigned state of her brother, started crying as she thought of all the battles he had to face because she fell in love with Vinay and married him. Arnav went and embraced his sister, rubbing her back while whispering, "Di, please! Please calm down."

Devyani who was watching all the happenings with tears of shock in her eyes, whispered, "Chhote, Anjali bitya, yeh sab ka howat hai?"

Anjali shook her head, buried herself deeper into her brother's chest, while Arnav gave Vinay a look of deepest loathing and took his sister away from the room still rubbing her back and trying to console her.