While memories last, some remain in the heart
like a warm hug, like a happy smile.. Like love.., while some remain in the
heart like a dull ache, a sad tear … Like heartbreak. But when memories are
gone, they still remain…Like a feeling, a presence.. Like the dream that is
forgotten in the morning.
It had been quite some
time before Khushi could live with the blank spaces in her memory. It had been
quite a while before those endless questions and unanswered responses had
stopped playing havoc in her mind. It wasn't the blank spaces that bothered
Khushi anymore, it was that something that resided in the blank spaces.. That
special something that had slipped out from the holes in her memory.
He carried her in his
arms, her head resting on his shoulder. She was drifting in and out of
consciousness but even in her unconscious mind, her hands didn't loosen their
hold on his shirt. It wasn't because she was afraid he would drop her. But she
felt so protected… So secure in his arms that she was scared that when he would
let go, there would be nothing that could anchor her to the world, to
something, to anything..
Khushi woke up with a
start.. It was that faceless person again, the gap in her memory. Khushi took a
deep breath and held a hand on her racing heart which was now aching with a
longing for someone she didn't remember. She jumped from the bed and opened her
wardrobe. Standing on the tips of her toes, she removed her box of keepsakes.
She scrambled through her precious collection before she found what she was
looking for, a key that was lying safely wrapped in a red muslin cloth. She
picked it up and held it to her heart. That same heart that told her that this
key belonged to him. Khushi closed her eyes, still holding the key and took a
deep breath.
"I love you" she
whispered "I will always love you"
_____
"I love you"
Anjali clutched the
woollen sweater to her heart and sighed her heart aching with so much.. Guilt,
pain and regret. If only, she hadn't trusted her husband blindly, her Rajkumari
would have been wearing the sweater today. If only she had believed in Khushi
and her brother, she would be there to hear her daughter's laughter. If only
she hadn't been so nave, some voice would have called her "mumma."
She wiped another stray
tear and looked at the clock. It was past midnight and her husband hadn't
returned. She rested her head on the dining table and thought about the morning
before.
She had returned from
the temple glad that she was home before her husband left to work. All the
walking and even the running behind the auto had started a dull ache in her
leg. The pain would be worth it. She didn't use the drivers that stood outside
her mansion. For her husband, she was a duty and one of the things Anjali had
realized too late was to not be a burden on anyone. She wasn't a burden on her
brother anymore and she wouldn't be one on her husband.
She watched her husband
fasten his rolex on his wrist, giving instructions on the Bluetooth. As she
stepped inside, he looked at her, his eyes intelligent, sharp and calculating.
Anjali stopped in her tracks, breath held, when she realized how handsome her
husband looked. Dressed in an immaculate steel grey suit he looked like someone
who had stepped out of a fashion magazine. Anjali released the breath she
didn't know she was holding and looked down knowing she was staring when she
saw her husband look at her with a raised eyebrow.
She limped towards him
clutching the pooja ki thaal in both her hands and held it in front of him. She
held out the sweet gesturing him to have it but he gave her a dry look and said
"Why would you want me
to participate in the prayers where you are trying to bribe your god with every
possible trick to bring your ex-husband back?" he mocked
"You have no idea what
you are talking about. You have absolutely no idea what my ex husband has put
me through," she replied angrily
"Temper temper..." he
said walking past her "Looks like I have touched a nerve. You are right, I have
no idea what your husband has put you through. But that sad part is, you know
exactly what he has put you through and you love him anyway."
"Shyam was a lying,
cheating son of a bitch" Anjali said not caring that she swore for the first
time in her life. If Avinash was surprised with her reaction, he didn't let it
show. he merely smiled and continued
"Sounds like a great
guy. You sure have taken a leaf from his book." he said sardonically.
Collecting his car keys,
he gave her a mock salute and walked towards the door leaving Anjali staring
after him with angry tears in her eyes.
When Avinash returned,
he saw Anjali fast asleep, with her head resting on the dining table.It was
obvious that she hadn't eaten and had been waiting up for him and he felt a
strange warmth melt the ice around his heart. His mother had been the only
person who had waited up for him.. who had eaten only after him and yet here
Anjali was, doing just that even when he went out of his way to make her
miserable. He rubbed his hand on his tired eyes and shook her awake. But she
didn't stir. He sighed and picked her up and carried her to their room and lay
her down. He saw a strand of her hair lightly touching her cheek. His hand
involuntarily moved to push it away when the glow of his cell phone which was
on silent mode grabbed his attention. He was about to press the disconnect
button when he saw the name of the caller.
He grabbed his phone and
trod silently out of the room closing the door behind him. He walked upstairs
not answering the call till he had reached the terrace. By then the call was
disconnected. He called the number which was the topmost on his speed dial.
A tender smile crept up his face when he heard the voice on the other
end.
"I'm sorry sweetheart I
walked out again after you fell asleep but I had to go. I will see you in the
morning, I promise. "
He heard her complain a
little but then she ended her call with an "I love you"
He looked at his phone
for some time, her "I love you" echoing in his ears and whispered under his
breath "I love you more"
_____
After he had made the
announcement to his staff that Khushi Kumari Gupta was coming back to AR, and
had made sure that none of them would reveal anything about her previous
experience with the company and its boss to her, even accidentally, he had seen
a few disdainful glances being passed around and another few understanding
glances too. Uncaring about any such reactions, he had returned to his chamber.
Deciding to shower her with the love that she deserved had been easy. And
planning to do it all, had been even more so. For when Arnav Singh Raizada
decided to do something, he did it to perfection. He had not earned the name
and fame just like that. He had put himself so much into the plan that his arms
itched and twitched to hold her in his arms. Where is she?! He
wondered, looking at his watch for the umpteenth time in the last few minutes.
Payal had called him to tell that Khushi had agreed to work under him after a little
explaining and that she would be at work by nine o'clock. It's almost ten,
damn it! Arnav thought, as his hands raked roughly through his hair. On top
of this, her phone was switched off. The odds seemed to be totally against
Arnav's promise to keep his calm, at least when he was with her. He was about
to call Payal and make sure that she was okay when she felt her behind him.
Surprising her when he
turned to her in a sudden movement, his hungry eyes roved over her face, and
his mouth opened to spew angry words at her. His mind venting out in the only
way that he knew of. "Where the hell were you?! You were supposed to be here by
nine! Moreover your phone was switched off. What do you have to. . ." His words
trailed off as he saw the bruises on her arm. "What happened?!" Arnav demanded,
his eyes wide with fear. He had covered the remaining distance between them in
one step and he held her arm with extremely gentle hands. If Khushi had started
to feel a little irritated when he had started to shout at her, her feelings
changed into that of astonishment now. His concern towards her was unnerving.
But Arnav, busy that he was, being freaked out at the littlest of bruise on
Khushi's arm, missed on all this.
Grabbing the first aid
kit, he made her sit on the couch and tended to the wound. After he dabbed a
little on the bruise and she had appropriately winced, he asked her how this
had happened. She smiled as she remembered how she had saved a little boy from
meeting with a terrible accident and in the process had got herself hurt. She
saw Arnav staring at her, flabbergasted, by the time she narrated this story to
him. "Kya?" She asked, not even noticing the fact that her arm was still being
held by Arnav, who was still a stranger to her. "What if something had happened
to you?!" He questioned, snapping his mouth shut. "Kuch hua nahi na? Bas, thodi
si kharoch aayi hai. I will be alright." Khushi answered, smiling contentedly.
"Khushi, you cannot risk
such things! Agar tumhe seriously kuch ho jaata, tho?!" Arnav raised his voice,
and raised from the couch himself, his breathing turning shallow and his eyes
more maniacal at the thought of something happening to her. Again. No! NO!
His mind screamed. He would not let fate play with him like
this. Not again! He watched as Khushi rose to her feet too, a frisson of
irritation in her eyes, her nose turning a little red as she prepared to
counter attack. "Agar uss bachche ko kuch ho jaata tho? Main kaise chup reh
sakti thi?! Khair, I don't expect you to understand all this, Mr. Raizada. I
know at least this much about you, that you could care less about the people
you don't know."
She turned away and was
about to leave when she remembered that she was now an employee of this
company, and he was the boss.
Unfortunately.
She would have to take
orders from him.
No other way.
Sadly, she grimaced to
herself.
Turning back to him
slowly, she stood with her chin raised defiantly. "What do I have to do?" She
asked in the same tone and finally let her eyes travel towards his, just in
time to see a knowing smile disappear from his face. She looked at him
expectantly and saw him take a step towards her. Unknowing to herself, she took
a step back.He seemed to have noticed it, and a smug smirk made way on his face
and he took another step towards her and she took a matching step backward.
This went on until she felt herself being cornered into one of the glass wall,
and she felt her heart start to race for a million dollar prize, and she
reminded herself not to hyperventilate as he bent nearer and flicked a finger
across her nose. Looking up at him in confusion, she heard him say there was
something there.
She gathered her bag in
both her fists and almost ran towards what she expected to be her cabin and
left Arnav with an endearing smile on his thoughtful face.
Khushi rushed out of
Arnav's cabin and didn't stop till she was in the confines of her own. She sank
in her leather chair and kept her hand on her heart wondering what had caused
it to beat so wildly even though she knew the answer. There had been a magic in
him, in his words, in his presence that made her heart trip, stumble and fall.
There was something in those eyes that burned with rage within a minute and
cooled down in the next.
Her mad heart didn't
stand a chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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