OS "Khushi Khushi.." FINAL CHAPTER..Pg 17

Since the CVs refuse to move the story forward, I wrote the below to pass time until today's episode. This is my first shot at writing, so comments appreciated... Enjoy.. I have some ideas on how to take it from here... will write more if you guys like this.. Thanks.

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OS ' "Khushi' Khushi.."

They both stood there, as if nothing else existed in the world... just the two of them..

Why couldn't he take his eyes off her? Why did she taunt him so ' first refuse to accept his apology and then tease him mercilessly..

Suddenly, Arnav became aware of where he was, there were people watching them. Di knew him too well for him' would she see how intense and soft his eyes went as he held her..

"ENOUGH!!! Enough, Khushi Kumari Gupta' " He tosses her just as forcefully as he had pulled her towards him and storms out of the room.

He pauses near the top of the stairs and turned back' His heart sank' There were those tears' little drops of diamonds coming from the same eyes which had looked at him with so much fire just a while back' His heart had still not stopped beating madly' Why did he do this'

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Back at the Gupta house, as Khushi and Payal come back home,  Buaji and their mother are going out to the market. Buaji reminds Khushi to try out her "shaadi ka joda" that she has laid out on her bed.  

Khushi's eyes are all red from the incidents of the morning, but as usual, she didn't want Buaji and mother to know that she was upset and gives them a cheery send off'

As soon as they leave, Payal askes "Khushi, tum teek ho na?" Khushi nods and gives a weak smile. "Let me go and try out this dress that Buaji gave me" she says wanting to escape the questions of her sister.

Khushi gets changed and comes out, Payal comes to hug her' "Khushi, you are looking so beautiful.."

The doorbell rings'

Khushi answers' it is the Shyam, the SNAKE

"AAP! Aap yahaan kya kar rahe hain" SNAKE does not answer, instead devouring her in that beautiful red ghagra'

"Here I was thinking that I have to get to you some other way'now you are giving me ideas, dressed in that finery" hisses the SNAKE

Before Khushi could move, he brings out a handkerchief over her nose and catches her as she faints' Payal enters the room and lets out a scream on seeing the SNAKE take Khushi away'..

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"DAMMIT!! Why does she make me HOT and MAD at the same time? How can I be so out of control everytime she is near me?" thinks Arnav pacing up and down the room..

Aakash comes running to his room'"Bhai, bhai' something really bad has happened. Payalji is on the phone and I cannot make sense of what she is saying'"

Arnav pulls the phone from Aakash "Hello' WHAATTT?" His face loses all its color. "Kab hua yeh?" His voice quivers as he asks' "Aap wahin rukiye, I will handle this"

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" KHUSHI, KHUSHI'." That is all he can say as he is driving his car.. tears rolling down his eyes' He didn't even try to wipe them away' Aakash, sitting in the seat beside him thinks I have never seen bhai this way' I wonder...

"Payalji said that Khushi's ex-fiance, Shyam took Khushi away'What are we going to do bhai?"

"I am going to find her DAMMIT and when I do, Im never letting her go away, EVER'"

nice OS. Please continue

Aakash hangs up the phone "Payalji was telling me that when Shyam ji moved out as PG from their house, they had heard from neighbours that he had taken a guest house near the big mandir"

"Ok… " Says Arnav as he backs up the car and heads towards the direction of the mandir..

The thought of someone else touching her..his Khushi….arghhh….. So what if it was an ex-fiance?? He did not have  the right to touch her before, during or after the engagement… She had belonged to him, ASR, right from the first moment he caught her in his arms..

She knew that too… He knew that she knew… he thought back to how she looked back at him when the dance instructor had asked NK to place his hand on her waist. She turned as if asking his permission…. "NK wants to touch what belongs to you, Arnavji .. Are you going to let him??" she seemed to ask… And all he did was walk away… What did he want – he wanted to dance with her, hold her close, so that she could feel his heart race… If only she had accepted her apology, he would have jumped at the chance to dance with her, touch her and watch her react to his very touch…

"Bhai, the mandir is just ahead…." Said Aakash bringing Arnav back to reality..

After parking the car, Arnav and Akash start looking around for the guest house… Arnav starts getting desperate … "Khushi…. KHUSHI…" he calls out…

Something shiny catches his attention as he is walking past the gate of one of the houses…. A payal.. Not any payal, Khushi's payal… Arnav falls to the ground and picks it up… she is here, his heart sings…she must be here…

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Inside the guest house, Khushi  just regains her consciousness… It is dark and she is lying on a big bed with satin sheets… She tries to get up and realizes her hands are tied….

The SNAKE slithers into the room…"Utt gaye aap Khushi jee?"  he says, as if she had been resting instead of having been knocked unconscious by him…

"Ye kya kar rahe aap, Shyam ji? Hume yahaan pe kyun laye hai aap? Why have you tied me up?... Let me go.. now..."

"All in good time, Khushi ji… It was good that you are wearing this shaadi kaa joda. I made all the other arrangements, but forgot to buy a nice wedding dress for you"

"Whattt??" said Khushi shrinking away as the Snake came closer… "Shyam ji, do you realize what you are doing? You are married… Anjali ji…" As tears start rolling down her eyes…

"Now, now Khushi ji, you knew that we were going to get married, so why are you acting surprised now? Come, wipe away those tears… I will cut these ropes and untie you  now.. But, you should promise me that you will not run and create a scene.. I have brought the panditji from the temple and he is almost ready with all the wedding arrangements.. Just waiting for you to come so that we can do the saat pheren."

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Khushi sits there,  too shocked to react or move… Shyam takes that as a good sign  and takes a small knife and cuts her restraints…

She is sitting still as if frozen…. Arnavji…. How this will destroy him?? His Di was everything to him.. Maybe she, Khushi meant nothing to him… but when he finds out how Shyamji has betrayed his sister, he would die….

Shyam knows he has the act quickly while Khushi is still in shock… He leads her to the living room where the Panditji is making all the arrangements….

"I cannot do this… I cannot let this happen to Anjali ji… more than that, I will never be able to look at Arnavji, destroyed and defeated instead of proud and confident…"

Arnavji...He made her cry so much when she was near him, now the thought of what she was about to do for him and his sake only.. it made her smile…"I love you…" she says to her Arnavji .as she pulls the knife that she had hidden in her lehenga, ready to destroy herself… rather than destroy him….

She was so caught up thinking about Arnavji that she did not hear the door shattering and Arnav ji walking in as she said " I love you", her hand still in Snake's hand. The knife slips and falls from with a small thud… no one notices in all the confusion…

She smiles on seeing him… "Arnav…" no more ji…  But, why wasn't he smiling… he had come to rescue her after all… hadn't he… so why wasn't he happy….

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Arnav breaks through the door and first notices the panditji and the small shaadi-ka-mandap… He then sees her… wait… why was she smiling…. As he looks, she says "I love you" ever so softly… On her right, holding her arm was his ….JIJAJI…

"JIJAJI… was Khushi's Shyamji????"

Arnav looks back at Khushi…. The look of betrayal….

" Khushi Kumari Gupta…. Aakhir apne aukaat dhikha diya tune!!!!!"

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