ArHi FF : *Falling In Love II* [#5] LinkToTH6:PG1

"Falling In Love," kick started with Khushi & Arnav getting married while Khushi was in love with Shyam. The 1st season showed how they bonded and accepted life the way it is.

In this new season we will see their relationship develop as they have their first child and the role that a few people play in their relationship. Everything in life happens for a reason, so keeping that in mind let's begin the journey of Falling In Love once more!

I will be clearing my PM list after every 5 updates so please make sure you comment on my updates once you read them or atleast hit the like tab.

"The Only Thing Constant In Life Is Change"

He looked around. All he could see was steel walls. He heard cries of pain and torture, which made his stomach twist. It was all too difficult to take in. He had lost his mind. His sanity was long gone. He had hallucinations. Hallucinations about that evening, the blood, the gun, and Khushi, he knew there was no going back. Shyam Oberoi had lost everything he loved. It had been six months and everyday he woke up in this jail cell staring at the blankness of his life. He had tried to suicide a couple of times but he failed, again and again. He believed that it was God's will that he wasn't able to die. He was here for a reason. He was here to help. He waited peacefully for more information. Shyam's sunken cheeks, swollen eyes said much more than his blank face. His heart was hurting and it wouldn't stop until he made up for the wrong he had done. Would he get a chance?

"What the hell is this?" Khushi yelled, flabbergasted. She looked tired, sad, somewhere, the vivacious young woman was lost. "Ma'am, this is the Saluja project, I worked all night on this." the employee said. "This is the work you do after pulling an all-nighter? Bullshit!" she said throwing the file on the table. She was angry, frustrated and unhappy. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she wore beige pants with a black formal shirt. The employee looked down. "Go and make the documents again and if you can't, give it to someone who can! I want the work done by tomorrow morning!" she ordered. "Call Mr. Sinha in." She said sitting down. Frustration. Life had become a burden. She was so helpless. She couldn't gather herself; it was becoming tougher to keep her calm she had started to lose it. She remained tired most of the day and depression dawned in on her as she entered her big dark home. That day had changed her life forever. She hated herself, she hated her life, she just hated it all.

Running the best fashion company in the whole of Asia was not her cup of tea. She looked at her watch. 11:30 pm and she still had a lot of work. She sat back in her chair and took a moment off. She sighed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She rested her back against the comfortable cushioning on her chair. What had happened? How did she end up like this? Her voice was sore from all the screaming. How did Arnav keep his cool? How did he manage everything? She was obviously unable to do it right. Thinking of Arnav brought tears to her eyes. A shiver ran through her spine and helplessness dawned over her all over again. She had no experience whatsoever and to be shoved into this position of Managing Director of ASR industries was maddening for Khushi. She clearly couldn't handle it. She didn't know how long she was going to be able to drag her life before it gave up. But she still did it. Everyday she got up and did the same thing, day in and day out, for Arnav. He had worked so hard to get ASR industries to such great heights and she just couldn't get herself to abandon the company. She had once been a lively person, spending her time at home, cooking, watching the television and socializing. Managing accounts, making deals, handling such a huge business empire wasn't a part of her plan, but anyway, when did her plans ever work?

12:30am Khushi opened the front door with her keys. The house was dark. She quietly walked up the steps, very tired, and entered her room. Arnav was already asleep. The room was a mess. The room, smelt of alcohol. A big bottle of vodka lying empty on the floor along with two beer cans. There were packets of wafers and biscuits. Arnav's shirt lay in one corner of the room like a floor mat and his pants in another. She put the blanket on her husband as he lay there in his shorts, as still as a stone. He had passed out after drinking again. Khushi picked up the empty bottle and the cans and threw them into the dustbin. She switched on the AC. She put the clothes in the bathroom and cleaned the crumbs of biscuit and wafers off the floor and the bed.

Khushi sat in the verandah looking out at the stars. How did this happen? Why did this happen? This can't be my destiny. Her head was heavy and she was hungry. She didn't feel like getting up now. I can't deal with all this. I can't live this way. There has to be another way. There has to be something I can do. Arnav, I need you, now more than ever. I can't do all this without you. I need you to be there for me. I need your support, your love. I can't tolerate the silent treatment. I can't bear to see you in pain, especially when you don't share it with me. You are the only one I have.' She thought. She could sometimes still hear the gunshot and her cry of pain as she had fallen with her husband to the floor. She could still picture the scene at the hospital where she had cried all night. Arnav had been in surgery for 12 hours. She had cried even louder when the doctors told her that Arnav was alive. She had been overwhelmed and she just couldn't stop thanking the doctors. Life had turned 180 degrees after that.

"Khushi," Arnav groaned in his sleep. This wasn't the first time he spoke in his sleep. This had been going on for quite sometime. "Divorce me," he said again. Tears trickled down Khushi's cheeks. She didn't want to hear this every night. He said that every time he passed out. She wondered whether he meant it. Did he blame her for what happened? Did he think it was her fault that Shyam shot him? He hadn't told her anything. He hadn't let her in even once. He spoke to her in monosyllables- just a yes' or a no'. It felt as if he wasn't interested but she knew he loved her. Their love was stronger than this, she told herself. This cannot be the end of our love, our bond. She just couldn't bring herself to believe that Arnav truly wanted to divorce her. She wiped her tears and walked out of the room and into the guest room once again. She couldn't sleep near him now. He didn't want her close to him, sometimes she even wondered if he wanted her at all?

*

The next morning, Khushi went to her room. Arnav was already up. He didn't look at her. "Want a pill?" she asked. "No," he said holding up the can of beer in his hand. "It's 6 am Arnav!" Khushi scolded. "It's my life," he replied bluntly. No emotions, no meaning, nothing. It was like he stopped caring. She thought of trying once again, "Come to office Arnav, I need you there. Your company needs you." Khushi said. Arnav had never given up on Khushi. He had always seen the brighter side and so Khushi wanted to do the same. Atleast he was alive, she told herself. Arnav looked at Khushi. Office had been his place, his comfort zone but how could he go to office? He hadn't stepped out of the house in 6 months. "Come outside with me." She said walking up to him. She kneeled down beside his wheelchair. "You will be alright Arnav, the doctors said you just need to go out more often. You have to try to get up." She said taking the beer can Arnav clutched hard from his hand. "You are killing yourself." She tried to explain. Arnav wheeled himself to the window, away from Khushi. He wanted to die. Khushi got up, used to this behavior. She didn't know what to say anymore. She had tried everything except just one thing but she wasn't sure she would be able to tell him that. "I'll be waiting till you're ready Arnav, I am not giving up on you, I am not giving up on us." She said leaving the room.

*

Arnav stared out of the window. His eyes numb. I am sorry Khushi. I am sorry for everything I have put you through. I wish I would have just died the day I got shot. I can't bear to see you cry. It hurts more than my half dead nerves. Khushi, I wish I could talk to you, I wish I could let you in, but how can I do that? Look at you. You look so tired all the time, your life is completely changed because of what happened to me. How can I deal with that? I don't want you to be sad because I can walk. You deserve better. I can't be your husband, you deserve much better. I wish you would divorce me, let me wait for death, I wish you would hate me so I could die in peace. I can't die thinking you'd cry after me, I can't die thinking you would never move on. Life has changed so much. 8 months ago I would have given anything to make you fall in love with me and now...' Arnav was broken from inside. He could see no ray of hope. It was all over for him. He couldn't give Khushi the happiness she deserved; he couldn't expect her to love him in this condition. He just couldn't bear to see her cry. He had seen enough of that. This was the irony of the situation, Shyam, who was in jail, was looking for just one ray of hope so he could live a little more, pay back for every wrong he did, where as, Arnav who had a wife who was determined to get him back on his feet couldn't see any hope, he didn't want to. Khushi never cried in front of him. She cried in the bathroom, she cried when she thought he was asleep. She held him in her arms and cried behind his back. She thinks he didn't know, but he did. She blamed herself and he blamed God. God had always been wicked. He always did this to him. He always took away his happiness. He always took away everyone he loved.

All day, Arnav was lonely. It was eating on his inside. He didn't say a word. The nurses gave him food he ate it. They helped him bathe, they switched on the TV for him and all he watched was How I Met Your Mother. He had changed so much. He had changed for the worse. He had been independent, caring, emotional and very calm. Now he was just insensitive, sorry, dormant and inactive. He was dead from the inside. His hope of life had died, his will had died, he had been let down by God Himself.

*

At Lunch, Khushi got a call, "Mrs. Raizada, care to have lunch with an old friend?" NK asked. "NK! Hi, and I don't think I'll be able to come, I have a lot of work and I am barely done with any of it." She said. "Come on Khushi, you can't sit inside that cabin the whole day. Take a break, I know how much you love food." Khushi wanted to go. She did. She hadn't changed but she wanted to. "Okay, I'll be there." She said.

"Wow, this place looks packed." Khushi said entering NK's restaurant. "I know right? I am in love with this place." "Ah! I wish I had opened a restaurant too." She said sighing. "You can open a hotel with the amount of money you have!" "It's Arnav's. He worked all his life for this and now--"It'll all be alright Khushi, just keep it together." He said. "And if you tell him your big secret then maybe he would try harder too!" NK said. "No NK, I can't tell him unless he starts trying. I don't want him to feel pressurized because I'm pregnant! I don't want him to think that he has to do anything! It has to be his effort. I will stand with him until he tries himself." She said. "You can't wait much longer Khushi. It's been 2 and half months already. It will start showing in a few weeks or maybe even days, you know that!" NK said. "I know, I just can't. I can't get myself to tell him that when he's feeling so low. What if he doesn't want it but he can't say anything. What if he feels like he owes me or anything?" "Khushi! It will be a boost for him! He will feel more determined to get back on his feet, for the child. Trust me, I know how if feels to be a father! ASR needs you to motivate him not wait for the motivation to grow within him. No one knows him better than you Khushi, and so it is you who has to put a step forward, pull him up, get him back." Khushi listened intently. Maybe NK was right, maybe it would help. "So how is Sahana doing?" she asked changing the subject. She needed sometime to think about this. It wasn't easy. "She's doing fine. Teenage tantrums, you know how it is with girls. She is all for her privacy and says I hover and stuff. It happens I guess. There's not much I can do." He said sighing. "You are already doing a great job." She said. There was silence as they slowly ate lunch. Khushi was more hyper than ever. Now she would have to tell Arnav. She had no idea how he would take it. They hadn't talked about kids, ever! And now telling him this all of a sudden, that too when he was wheelchair-ridden, was it a good idea? But till when could she hide it? It would come out, maybe not now but in a few weeks. She tried to calm herself down. It's not good for the baby. "Khushi, you should tell him." NK said again as she left the restaurant.

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SURPRISE! 🤣 LOL. I was done with the first chapter and so I though of posting it one day early! [Happy Advance Birthday, Tasneem? 😃😉] I hope you'll enjoy it even though it was a sucky start!

Waiting for some feedback!

-Manjari