ARHI FF: A force-field of happiness: NOTE on Page 88 (Dec 24, 2014) - Page 26

Originally posted by: st03im

I love reading your comments. You explain the scenes and your reactions so well!

I really enjoyed writing this. I was missing Arshi moments too, and it was a treat to have them back together, albeit briefly and in the past.

I found this happened alot in the show, where he'd be mad about something and he'd just see her, lost in her own moment, and whatever anger he had would just melt away. Before, he always went running back trying to hold on to his ego and anger. Now, he doesn't need to do that anymore. So he can give in.

Certainly wanted to know what happened to khushi ...and u wrote dis ...thank u sooo much ..it was great

Originally posted by: Arshix144

Aww thank you for such a sweet reply!😳

It is always great to know when a write actually enjoys writing particular scenes, it always gives an insight into the kind of things we can look forward to :) So here is my hopeful look to more Arshi moments!

You actually made me think, Arnav is forever in my bad books for some reason. Maybe because of the lack of redemption in the actual show, the lack of his redemption for his behaviour prior to Akash and Payal's engagement, lack of remorse for the forced marriage and what followed from there, during the Sheetal phase oh and what not! I am always so busy to reprimand him that I forget to notice other such moments where he has been a loving husband to Khushi hence revisiting some of the better scenes from IPK so I can be a little less harsh when I assess him! Ok this is so me blabbering but I thought to let you know that you made me think so I will end it here. :)

Aah...Arnav's lack of redemption. You know, maybe I'm the only one who thinks that he did have remorse and in a way redemption. It wasn't in your face the way we would have liked, but then Arnav's never been a man of many words, rather he's always been a man of action.

From the second he slapped Shyam on Khushi's behalf, he sought to fix all that had gone wrong with them in the first place, and yes sometimes he slipped and caved into old habits. But it was when Dadi entered that I felt he really did achieve his redemption in a way. The way he stood up for her in front of everyone was a stark contrast to when he first married her, and let her suffer everyone's taunts. Everytime Dadi was around, you could see him assessing Khushi to make sure she was ok. He allowed her in, by telling her about his past, taking her to his mother's garden. He put Khushi before Di, and he gave in to remarriage, for her and her alone. And he also acknowledges, in that scene when Dadi told everyone that they were not actually married, that he is aware of the circumstance of their marriage, and that she was not responsible. He continuously, at that time, took responsibility away from her and onto himself. His apology to her was also heartfelt and genuine. Any more than this, and Khushi wouldn't have allowed it. Her love for him was too strong to allow him to continuously act out of guilt and remorse. Arnav just doesn't express with words what we want to hear, but to me at-least, his actions spoke quite loudly. Where I wish we had been given resolution, was with the rest of the family. How much Khushi suffered never came out to the rest of the family. Not even Payal knew why Khushi married Arnav. Just how much damage Shyam caused never came out. Khushi sacrificed alot and I felt that she was never acknowledged for it, and was never given her due, from the rest of the family. And even Arnav realizing that it was Shyam who was her fiance, that could have been tied up neatly. 😊

You are an amazing writer! Thanks to shruti21 I found your FF. Read all the chapters in one sitting. And thanks for keeping up with the updates even though there were no comments at all for the first few chapters. I just couldn't stop reading once I started. Love all the characters even more than in the show - have so much depth to their personalities. Like your new additions saakshi and abhi but was concerned for sometime that she might be the one in Arnav's life now. Can't imagine him with anyone other than Khushi. You are doing a swell job keeping Khushi's memories alive and well.

Hello all! So without further ado, here's the latest chapter. A super exciting one for me. I've been wanting to get to this point since I started writing, and super happy to finally be able to write and post this chapter. As always, thanks to everyone who comments. Please keep on commenting! I'm not kidding when I say that what you guys say DOES influence the story. If you keep wanting to get PMs from me, please BUDDY ME. That done, here's the chapter.

Chapter 16 - Taking ownership

Saakshi grunted as she lifted the massive bulging suitcase from the conveyor belt and heaved it onto the trolley. She tried to tip the suitcase onto the trolley, but right as she thought she had it, the trolley rolled backwards, and...WHAM..she ended up on the ground. A worried face peered down at her as she glanced up, disoriented. "Are you ok?" Abhi asked her, pulling her back onto her feet. She shook her head to rid herself of the stars, and looked at him, a frown on her face. "Couldn't you at-least hold the damn trolley still, while I put the bag on it?" He flushed shamefully and gave a small guilty smile. "And how much stuff did you bring? That bag is bursting at the seams." If possible, he turned even more red. "Well, uh, we're here for a long time." She looked at him in exasperation, and turned away as she spotted her medium sized case, perfectly proportioned, not a bulge out of place. She turned back to him, and with narrowed eyes, asked him, "Are you trying to say, that you need more stuff than even me?" He mumbled incoherently, as she marched passed him towards the exit of the airport, a smug smile adorning her face.

She looked out at the sea of faces, and for the first time in a while, she felt nervous. There were no familiar faces. She felt a vague sense of disappointment, and then wondered why. Come on Saakshi, it's not like the mighty ASR would come to greet you at the airport, a voice in her head snidely told her. But he should, another voice answered back. Professionalism and all. As she was in the process of shushing her mental distractors, she spotted a head bobbing around in the back. As he came closer to the railings, she recognized the long lean figure of Aakash, and with a smile, moved forward to greet him, Abhi trailing closely behind, maneuvering the trolley, with disastrous results.

"Saakshi, wonderful to see you again," Aakash grinned at her, excitement naturally bubbling out of him. She shook his hand firmly, smiling back at him, all nervousness now gone. "And you too Aakash." Aakash gestured behind him, and introduced the short, lean man, with wiry spectacles. "Aman Mathur," Aakash said. "Our general manager at AR, and Bhai's right hand man. Bhai sends his regrets that he couldn't be here to greet you personally." Saakshi hid a smile, knowing that ASR had sent Aman to stand in for him. She cheerfully nodded at Aman, and then turned to introduce a rather flustered Abhi to the duo. "Well, Aakash, Aman, meet my right hand man, Abhishek Kapur." Aakash smiled graciously and shook hands with Abhi, while Aman regarded him with weariness, and eventually, hesitantly grunted a nod towards him. Saakshi imagined she could feel tension crackling between the two men, and sensed that the two aides may end up having a similar relationship as that of their bosses. With much difficulty, she controlled her bubbling laughter, and followed Aakash towards the car, while Abhi and Aman silently fell in line behind her.

Arnav was pacing in the foyer at the front of the house, his eyes ever so often going to the front door. He kept glancing at his phone, muttering muted curses as the phone remained resolutely silent. Where the hell is Aakash, he thought silently. How long does it take to drop off one woman? He had received one text from Aman hours ago, informing him that Saakshi and her assistant had arrived, and nothing since then. I should just call Aakash, he thought again, and almost dialed his number before backing out...again. No, I don't want him to think that I'm worried, or that I want to know anything about her, he told himself, and kept on pacing. Anjali and NK observed him silently from the TV room area on the landing above the foyer. "That was almost call number..?" inquired Anajali of NK. "Five, I think Di. Fifth in the last 30 minutes," NK replied as he munched on a bowl of popcorn. They continued staring at him wordlessly. "Is it safe to go and talk to him now," asked Anjali. "No Di," came the immediate response. "He almost bit my head off when I asked him if he wanted popcorn. If you ask him what he's thinking about, he may not spare even you." Anjali bit her lip, swallowing a giggle. "Maybe I should call Aakash?" she asked. Just then, the door opened, and three sets of eyes zoomed in on Aakash, who walked in blissfully ignorant of what awaited him.

Aakash was in a pretty good mood. Saakshi was an old friend and good company. And thus it was a fairly content Aakash that returned home that evening. He walked into the house, and looked up to see his brother, staring at him malevolently. "Uh...Bhai?" asked Aakash uncertainly. "Where were you? Why the hell did it take so long to get home?" Aakash looked at him in confusion. "Uh, Bhai, Saakshi arrived today. Surely you know that. Of-course you do, you sent Aman, didn't you?" Arnav ground his teeth, hiding his curses. Of-course he knew that Saakshi arrived today. But he'd be damned if he'd let his brother know that her arrival concerned Arnav in any way at all. "It shouldn't have taken this long to get home, Aakash." Aakash was torn between real confusion at Arnav's irritation, and amusement at the entire situation. He decided to play along. "But Bhai, there was no problem in taking time, right? We have no meetings right now, or anything." Arnav gaped at Aakash, surprised at his answer. "Uh..yes we do. Tomorrow. I mean, her. Saakshi. Just because she got here today doesn't mean that I will excuse her absence from the office tomorrow. She needs to rest today." Arnav heard giggles behind him, and turned to see Anjali and NK observing the exchange from the living room above him. He flushed slightly realizing that what he just said may be misconstrued into kindness. Aakash however, was on a role. "Bhai, it's Sunday tomorrow. I didn't realize the office would be open tomorrow." Arnav momentarily looked stumped, but he quickly schooled his features into a neutral expression. However, he was unable to control the anger seeping from his pores. "It isn't. But we will still be having a meeting tomorrow," he said. "Oh," Aakash responded and smiled broadly at Arnav. "You probably want to meet with her to make sure she's settled in. It's a good idea, Bhai, since there's nothing regarding the project we can do until the board meets everyone together on Monday. I saw her today, so I don't need to see her again tomorrow. Although you definitely should. I'm sure she'll really appreciate it, Bhai." Saying so, Aakash left a stunned Arnav behind him, wondering what he signed himself up for.

"By the way, Bhai," Aakash turned to address Arnav again. "She's staying at the Leela Palace, I'm sure if you ask for her at the reception desk, they'll call for her." Arnav snapped around, his brow furrowed up in confusion. "The Leela Palace? Why is she staying there? The guest house was made ready for her. She should be staying there." Aakash almost guffawed out loud. For someone who seemed so resolute to remain as far away from Saakshi Tanwar as possible, professional relationship not withstanding, Arnav had sure gone through a lot of trouble, from sending Aman, to preparing the guest house, and stocking it up, keeping Saakshi's comfort in mind. Arnav however, had not realized that his brother was onto him. "She'd already made the bookings. Abhi, her PA is from Delhi, so he will be staying with his family. Saakshi insisted on the hotel." Arnav glared at his brother, incensed. "And you didn't say anything?" Aakash shrugged. "I tried, but she didn't listen." Giving his brother another quake-worthy glare, Arnav strode off towards his room, ignoring NK and Anjali as he passed them.

Saakshi had just come out of the shower, wrapped in the luxurious Egyptian cotton robe, feeling relaxed and calm, when the angry shrill of the phone interrupted her mellow mood. Must be Ma, she thought and took the call without looking at the ID. "I've reached, safe and sound, no need to worry," she rushed to reassure her mom. "So I heard," a curt voice replied. Her jaw dropped towards the ground, as she registered that the caller on the other line was NOT her mom. "ASR," she thought out loud, not realizing that he could hear. "I arranged the guest-house for you, and I expect you to stay there." Her surprise gave way to indignation. "Expect? May I remind you, Mr. Raizada, that I am not your employee," she seethed. "No, you are my guest," he replied. "Therefore, your stay is MY responsibility." She sucked in a quick breath, enraged at how easy it had been for him to make her lose her calm. "Not your guest, Mr. Raizada, your partner. Your EQUAL. I shall stay where I want." With that, she sat on the bed with a thump, her head held high, chin jutting out, like a petulant child. "You are AR's responsibility, Saakshi, and I shall not have you stay at the hotel for an indefinite amount of time. The guest-house will be better suited."

Saakshi totally intended to be difficult and not give in to Arnav, but at that moment, she recognized that he had addressed her by her name for the first time. Not Saakshi Tanwar, or Ms. Tanwar, but just Saakshi. She gaped into the phone, feeling a shift inside her. Then she heard him sigh. "Please, don't argue with me on this one. I shall sleep better at night knowing that you are safe at the guest-house. If I, or anyone else from AR was to come to the States for an indefinite period of time, to work with your company, you would also do the same." ASR being logical? she thought surprised. He's right you know, the annoying voice in her head told her. "Fine," she muttered, again not realizing that she had spoken out loud. "Good." ASR was back. All curt, and business-like. "I will come to pick you up tomorrow and take you there." Saakshi felt a strong urge to gain back control. This display of civility from ASR was alarming her. And so she attacked. "No need for you to waste your precious time. I can make my own way." If Arnav was surprised at the force of her anger, he didn't show it. "Fine. I'll send a car." She opened her mouth to argue, but he was a step ahead of her. "I said, I WILL send a car. Listen, you're not from here, you just got here today, can you please just let me take care of at-least this much?" She slumped in defeat, tiredness from the long journey finally catching up with her. "Fine," she said resigned, giving in to him. He cut the call without any other exchange, and Saakshi, too weary to even grumble to herself, buried into the covers and went straight to bed. Arnav on the other hand, stayed up longer than her. He spent the next few hours, barking orders into the phone, hiring domestic staff, for the guest-house, ordering groceries, and arranging for the house to be in a good enough condition for his guest. Although he had asked for the work to be done earlier, in his ire with Saakshi, he had neglected to oversee the work. Now that he had taken over, he expected excellence, as he did in everything he was a part of.

As his head hit the pillow, exhaustion overcoming him, he imagined he felt cool hands on his brow, sweeping away the lock of hair on his forehead. He smiled, and leaned towards the soft touch. "You did the right thing, Arnavji," he heard in his mind, a soft voice belonging to a distant memory. And with contentment on his face, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

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That's all folks! Thoughts? 😊 Love, Shy

Chapter 17 here

lovely update..yet again. Although I love the mystery,can't wait to see how the story enfolds

*face palm*
arnav did all this because of khushi..,??
thank god.. i was having second thoughts..!!!

Finally sakshi has landed in Delhi..,her interaction with arnav is quite interesting...does she know her pari is asr's khushi?? Sakshi's connection with khushi is very intriguing ...Do we get a little flashback of the past in the next update...I'm missing my khushi so much...Thank you for this lovely update.

gud going with the suspense...thanks for the pm

Finallly! Sakshi is in delhi and will b soon moving to the guest house!
I am itching to say *let the games begin* ;)
D way tension between aman - abhi was described , i wished i could watch it!
And akash being all cool infront of bhai was really awsumm!
Nk and anjali speaking in whispers and walking on shells around our mighty ASR was really humorous!
Great update!
Thanx for d pm!