ArShiFF: The Dawn of the Dawn - Thread 1 - COMPLETED - Page 54

NK, take me away. Please take me away from here. My dad will get me married to that man.

Cookie, calm down. Tell me what happened.

Khushi explained her conversation with Arnav taking short breaths inbetween.

Cookie, come with me.

Where?

We will go Bangalore. I have house there. We will get married and settle down there.

That doesnt work NK. You are underestimating my dad and now this Arnav Singh Raizada. That man pulled himself out of ditch overnight. Wherever we go, he is going to find us. We have to get out of the country.

Country? Impossible Cookie. I am just a middle class software guy and I cant afford leaving job and parents.

But I am willing to leave my everything, cant you do that for me?

Cookie your parents are against this relation, not my parents. And I need to be in job to support both of us. So why should I leave them?

I am not asking you to leave them. I am asking you to be away from them and from all these people until things get settled. You are talented, I am sure you will find another job.

Cookie dont talk insensibly. I cant take you outside of the country. I just cant afford it.

He is right, she is losing her mind amidst all three men. I understand, I cant blame you in this. She sobbed hiding her face in her palms.

Why dont you sign the papers now?

We will have rights only if I get married to him.

Then get married and ask 50% as your share.

What? Khushi chinned up and looked at him in shock.

Look Cookie, I am being practical. I cant take you outside country and you will not come to settle within country. Only option for you is to get married to him and sign the papers. If you are anyway signing the papers, why cant you ask your share. It will help us setting up our family. Once you get your share, we can leave that man and go anywhere you want. Dont you think?

What are you saying NK? Do you even realize what you are saying? She just looked at him stunned and little disgusted.

I know its sounds pathetic. But we have no choice here, do we? Put through your conditions that you want your share, you will leave on the same night of your marriage and most importantly no publicity of your marriage. I dont want your photo popping up in all channels. It would then become hard for my parents to accept you.

I cant believe you just said that. Marriage is every girl's dream NK. And I dreamt of my marriage with you not with bloody Raizada. How easily you said that? Marry and walk off relation? And what do you mean it will be hard for your parents to accept me. So if they dont accept, you will leave me?

NO, I didnt say that. We should have some support system in life, right? Thats what I meant.

Khushi felt disgusted with his suggestion and stood up to go.

Cookie. NK held her hand from behind. Think about it Cookie. We have no choice left. I am just being practical. But thats the only way we can be together.

Somehow she didnt like the idea and more so because he said it. He should be feeling possessive of her instead he is giving her away which didnt make sense to her. She walked away in tears without saying anything.

NK truly loved Khushi for what she is until he saw her status 4 years ago, when he first came to Mumbai to visit her. Her mansion in the heart of the city, luxury car, and her lavish life in total shocked him and changed his reasons for loving Khushi. He still loves her but unfortunately he started loving himself and her money more than her. He very well know that she will never agree to elope in India considering her dad's abilities. He will have to work his way cleverly in order not to lose her golden fortune.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Its 12:30AM on the clock, Khushi sat on her bed with her legs folded at her knees. She has finally decided what she should do and what makes her happy. NK's idea may be very upsetting to implement but thats the only solution she could think of at the moment to be with NK. She mentally convinced herself that NK is right but she is going to put her own conditions to Raizada. She wanna get over with Raizada as soon as possible. She wanna talk to him right at that moment and put her conditions forth. She hesitated for few mins and finally punched in keys to the Raizada number.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is Cookie. Need to talk to you. Its urgent. Can I call you? Thats the text message Arnav received. He checked his watch and it read 12:45AM.

A winning smile appeared on his lips. He replied S, just a single letter. How can she be polite with so much hatred. He wondered. He smiled at the first impression she made with her politeness. He liked it. It was very sincere of her.

S? Khushi read his message aloud and peeved. What an arrogant meathead he is? Cant even type full word. I hate him. She muttered to herself dialing his number.

If you really hate me, you should not be talking to me at this hour. Khushi gaped hearing his deep voice at the other end. She then realized that he must have heard her last statement.

Ignoring his mocking statement, she got straight to the point without wasting any sec.

Condition 1: After bidaai, I need a ride to a location and we will part ways for good with no strings attached.

Condition 2: Before I sign Property papers, I need the divorce papers signed by you.

Condition 3: I want court marriage and I will not tolerate if I am touched inappropriately during the course of ceremony.

Are these 3 conditions enough for you to understand how much I hate you? She spoke as feisty as ever.

If it was any other woman, he normally would have burnt them into ashes. But she sounded so polite and smooth even in her so called threatening conditions, that he couldnt help admire her. That one quality made him want her more.

I am not convinced. We will argue about the hate part later. Coming to your conditions, I dont agree with third. I have to have Engagement and Marriage in traditional way.

I am..

I am not finished yet. I have many friends who are public figures. I cant afford to hide and marry and get divorced in the next moment. Divorce, I have no say about that if thats what you want. He paused for few secs for her to react and say something but she remained silent. Then he continued, but the marriage should happen on my terms.

I dont approve of it. I dont want that grand scale wedding.

Ms. Gupta, I am a man who earned my keep. I will not let anybody ruin it in anyway. I worked hard to make my stand in this society and its time for me to flaunt it. He spoke with grim determination and continued, I am not any ordinary cheap street romeo to take advantage of any girl. I am classy and I maintain my standard. There is going to be media out there, I dont want us to be like poles apart. I dont act cheaply, I can assure you that. The last statement came out of his mouth involuntarily. He had that urge of making her feel comfortable of him. He can understand how tough it must be of her to accept the proposal but he needs to give it a shot to fulfill his father's wish. What happens next moment after marriage is something he had to leave it to their fate. He thought as he waited for her response.

She remained silent as she thought about it. He is neither saying he will not touch her nor saying he will. She is scared, not that he is going to take advantage of her, but if all this make her lose NK for whom she is taking in lot of Raizada rubbish.

Fine! Thats all she said and she hung up the phone without any OKs or Byes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arnav leaned against his chaise and thought about Khushi. Several questions raised and lot didnt make sense. If she loved someone, she should have eloped with that man without agreeing for the marriage. Its not like I am going to stalk her. May be Mr. Gupta might. That explains her reason for agreeing to the marriage. But what is that idiot NK doing? Is he OK with the marriage? He better know of it if she is going to with him later. If he knows, how can he let her get married to another man, Or is she hiding it from? He mentally discussed all these possibilities. He was never concerned for any other person as much as he is today. Dad, I am putting up all this bullshit just for your one promise. You better owe me one. He spoke looking at his dad's photo hung on the wall. Just then he received a phone call from her again...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Khushi disconnected the phone after agreeing to the marriage. She closed her eyes and all she could imagine is her marriage with Arnav in next few days. It sent shivers down her spine. She got scared and felt vulnerable and hopeless. As her eyes got teary making her vision blurry, she dialed a number from recent calls list.

The man looked at his watch and it read 1:15AM. As the man at the other end received her call, she sobbed in the phone, without saying anything. There is no Hello or Hi. She sobbed and he heard it painfully. He closed his eyes in guilt. Then came her words in feeble tone.

I agreed to the marriage, just as you asked me NK.

The moment he heard her say NK he opened his eyes in shock.

Then she continued, I am not liking the feeling that I will be his for few days. Do something NK, I dont wanna go through this mental torture. Please do something, I just wanna get out of this mess. She sobbed uncontrollably and helplessly.

He heard, heard enough to understand what she was asked to do and how helpless she is now. He felt angry with her choice of man who is ready to give her up to another man.

Khushi...he called her name softly as if all their pain is tucked in that one word and with the way he called her name, she unknowingly became calm as if a father is comforting a panic child. This is the first pain they are feeling, sharing and understanding without each other consent.

He called her name again ever so softly, Khushi...thats when it dawned to her. She was called Khushi not Cookie and the voice is not NK's. She realized and checked her phone display. She felt stupid and disgusted to even speaking to him about her insecurities. She was about to hang up on him when he warned her,

Dont. Never hang up on me when I am speaking to you. He demanded sternly. She fixed her phone to her ear, blindly following what she was asked to do.

Tum teek ho? [[Are you OK?]] After a pause, He asked her with genuine concern.

After ruining my life, you are asking me if I am OK? Only Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada can ask such questions. But let me tell you, I am fine. SUPER FINE.

That mocking spunky statement ticked him off. Here he was trying to be nice and she is back to square one with her frisky attitude. He thought. Yeah I can see that how fine you are. I am surprised NK is all fine with this. What a true love, shortened, just the way his name is.

Shut Up! What do you know about him to even have an opinion?

Dont you dare use that word again Ms. Gupta! Nobody is allowed to shut me up. And I dont need to research much about him to know what an asshole he is to share his girl friend to another man.

How disgusting are your thoughts? Dont you dare speak a word against him Mr. Raizada. You put us in that compromising situation. Anybody would do the same especially when they have to deal with greedy people like you.

I wont. I will never ever give up anything that I think is mine. You should reevaluate your priorities.

She hung up on him again.

Dammit! He threw the phone on his bed as guilt enveloped his soul.