Never Say Goodbye Final Part and Link to New SS - Page 32

As soon as he entered the room he smelled incense sticks. Next he saw dim lights come up above him.

When he looked up he was spellbound by a night sky ambience. The ceiling twinkled with stars. A crescent moon shone serenely. Dark blue clouds seem to float around.

Fascinated his eyes focused on the wall opposite him, getting accustomed to the light now. Despite the night feel, it was bright enough for him to see, thanks to the dim lights fitted into the walls where he saw numerous pictures.

His eyes took in the detail of the pictures. They seemed to date back to the time Khushi was born.

Her proud parents holding her.

Khushi crawling with her mother beaming down.

Khushi crying with her mother comoforting her.

Khushi walking holding her father's fingers.

Khushi on a tri cycle with her father laughing down at her.

Khushi in a new uniform and pig tails sitting on her father's bike.

Khushi in a school function, with her parents looking on.

And then there were a few pictures with some lines Khushi had written.

It was her birthday, she was older and she was holding a piggy bank. Khushi had written 'Dad that piggy bank you gave me with just 50 Rs is worth all the bank accounts I have now---'

There was another one with an older Khushi, her hair in a messy bun, with her Mom in the kitchen. She was holding a misshaped roti and her mother was laughing down at her. The lines written were 'Mom, with you I was never afraid to make mistakes'.

There were many more pics of her growing up years, all of them speaking a memory of her parents.

Further down he saw another picture, Khushi in an engagement attire, her parents proudly beaming down at her. Her father was in a wheelchair and looked frail.

It was probably her engagement picture with NK. He was in the background. The lines written below it, clawed at his heart. It said 'Papa, Mumma. Come back for one day. Just one day. I will fulfill your dream. I will get married. One day is all I ask...'

Unable to bear the emotional turmoil, Arnav turned away. And as he did he saw the wall to his left.

It had more pictures of her parents.

Each picture was labeled fondly and aptly.

'Angry Papa' 'Funny Papa' 'Crazy Papa' 'My Hero My Papa' ----and so on for every different action and expression of her father.

'Loving Mumma' 'Angry Mumma' 'Best Chef Mumma' 'My Mumma My Best Friend'----and so on for every picture of her mother in every situation.

And then there was a huge blown up picture of her parents with Khushi's words 'Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, so sorry----You were the best and I was the worst'

Arnav felt emotionally distraught reading her words.

He had never understood the depth of her love for her parents.

He had always believed she resisted him because of ego, anger and his own mistakes.

He realized how wrong he was.

For Khushi her parents had been nothing less than her Gods.

He could decipher from the pictures that they had been very lower middle class, but the love they shared had been unique and beautiful.

For the first time he understood, how her parents death had affected her and how guilty she felt for not fulfilling their only wish.

Feeling emotionally exhausted he turned around to leave when the wall opposite to him caught his attention.

There were many pictures ----of him!

Shocked, he went closer and saw each picture.

'Nutty Arnav' she had captioned a picture where he stood upside down,

'Angry Arnav' for a picture where he was glaring at someone.

'Flirty Arnav' read the caption for a picture where he was laughing with two girls.

'My Maradona and Beckham rolled into one' read a caption for the picture in which he was playing football.

''The brat' read the caption for a picture, where he was wearing sunglasses and getting off a sports car.

'Hero Number 1' read the caption for a picture where he was holding a trophy.

And there were many more, each one of him in a different situation and mood.

'My Arnav My love' read the caption for a picture of him on a bike, smiling at the camera.

When had she taken these pictures? Some of them dated back to the first and second year of college when he hardly knew her.

Had she always been in love with him? Why hadn't she told him? And yet she had stood by and watched him flirt with a host of girls and La? And she had resisted him for La?

Today was a journey of discovery for him. He realized now that Khushi's love for him ran deeper than he could imagine.

It had needed nothing to exist. Neither his callousness nor his own attitude had shaken it.

What had he done? He asked himself again.

He had accused her of two timing him, when he lived in every breath she took. He had been the reason she breathed.

Appalled with his past behavior and feeling anguished he attempted to walk out.

And then his eyes fell on the wall close to the door.

His eyes widened at the sight of the pictures in the wall.

They were pictures of him and Khushi.

There were not many because they had been friends just 8 months and dated just 6 months

But every picture was beautiful.

A picture of Khushi and him, laughing and playing tennis with the caption 'My best friend My joy'

There was the picture of both of them on the bridal wear competition night. The caption made his heart constrict 'Mr and Mrs Raizada---may be?'

There was another picture of Khushi holding a baby and Arnav smiling down at her with the caption 'You and me and our would have beens may be?'

There was one more picture from their trip for the competition in the hotel room. He was holding Khushi by the waist and she was looking up at him with a shy smile. The caption for the picture read 'This is how life with you would have been every day may be?'

Tears pricked his eyes as he turned away and then again another picture of him kissing her cheek. There was a home in the background. And the caption read 'Our little world---that was never meant to be? But the heart wishes, some day, in some other lifetime---may be?---'

And it is then he realized, she had not shut him out completely.

She wanted what he wanted.

Just as much---and even more----

Rapidly walking out of the room and closing the dorr behind him, Arnav headed to his room.

Once there he completely lost control.

'Shoot me. Just shoot me Khushi.

Your every dream, your every hope I have destroyed.

But I will make it all happen.

And this time I don't want it for me.

I want it for you.

I want to complete every dream you had---

And this time no one can come in between, not even your stubbornness. I know the only way to make you do things is to make you do it for others.

You live for others and that is how I am going to get to you---

But being Arnav Singh Raizada I won't play fair----So be prepared!