ARHI SS "LOVE AGAIN" PART-4 Page 26, 25/10

Hello Everyone,

My love for IPK and the characters did not end with the show closure or go away even after 6 months of its closure and I am many of you can relate to it. To get more of IPK and Arnav Khushi I stepped into FF world and completely entranced myself in beautiful and wonderful stories here. As I started reading more stories, I was completely blown away by the brilliance of the stories and amazing and creative writers. I am totally in awe of the authors on this forum. I was here for Arnav Khushi, but it's the writers that are making the time I spent reading the stories enduring.

Here I am making a lame and very bold attempt to write a story. Thanks to the encouragement of two of my very first and special friends on the forum, for their support and faith in me. I am doing this for them. So, if this story and my writing gets any appreciation, the credit goes to these two culprits.

I will reveal their names end of the story.

Warning: I am not a writer and probably am light years away from becoming a writer. I just want to use this as a learning opportunity and push myself to do something which I never thought will do (not even in my wildest dreams).

Disclaimer: Some of the lines and sequences are borrowed from IPKKND and I give full credit to the show. The concept is suggested by my friend. I weaved the story using words.

This story will be an SS with 5-6 parts.

So, here I present "Love Again".                                 

"Naa tumhari shakal dekhni hai, Naa tumse baat karni hai, aur yeh definitely mere haath mein hai." Arnav woke up startled from sleep his breathing ragged, trying to be in synchrony with uneven pounding of his heart. He realized that he was in his bed and not in the temple where he said those vehement filled words to her; he replayed her reply that was clearly etched on his heart and mind "aaj ke baad humhe bhi aapse kabhi nahi milna hai, Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada." They both had faithfully lived up to the very words they had thrown  at each other out of anger, ego and pride. Since that day Arnav had not seen her  and she had steered clear from any path that led to him, eventually  diminishing from his life.

Arnav threw the duvet away and sat on  his side of the bed slipping his feet into his sandals. Taking a deep breath to  piece together his thoughts, he got up from bed and walked towards the poolside. Standing near the light blue shimmering depth  he slipped his hands in the pockets of his khakis. Arnav starred at nothing in particular with  emptiness looming in his eyes. Without his knowledge his right hand moved up to his chest,gently rubbing  there,as if  trying to feel the void that made a place in his heart, ever since he walked down the steps of temple that day. Like he said to her on that day he was the writer of  his own destiny, a destiny of lonely and empty life that she had filled with her exuberance. A life filled with silence that had once twirled to the  sound of her tinkling payals, and a life similar to a white sheet, that she had brightened with like a rainbow owing to her colorful chudidaars. Yet, among all of these colors, the color red was predominant because of her reddening cheeks and nose every time his honey colored eyes looked at her filled with desire.They beckoned her to remove the distance between them, when ever his eyes travelled up the length of her body taking in their fill of her beauty. Or, how they lit up with fire every time their bodies touched even for a flick of a second. At the last thought Arnav shuddered, as if he felt her touch. He sighed  and closed his eyes remorsefully.When he opened his eyes again the emptiness was replaced with a longing for her and an ache to find solace in her presence. The sarcastic smile that played on his lips was a rueful one,  and he thought to himself, "her presence?". 

Words uttered in complete ignorance s came rushing back to him "aur aap bhi ek baat yaad rakna ek din aisa aayega jab aapko pata chalega ki aapne apne liye jo kuch bhi likha hai who devi maiyya ne aapka haath pakdke kudh likhavaya hai aur jis din aapko yeah pata chalega uss din hum wahan nahi honge". Arnav continued to smile at irony of  the fate he thought he had written  for himself; if he should be relieved that she is not here to see him in pain or regret that she is not here to relieve him of  the same pain. For past two years this was  the routine  his nights had been following religiously. Arnav walked back to  his bed thinking will there ever be a night when this strict regime will be broken? Will there ever be such a night in his life when he will walk away leaving this pain and void behind. Lastly,  will there ever be a night when his heart will be fulfilled with contentment?

Then came dawn and along with it came the unavoidable need to push her thoughts away and go about daily routine. After all he was Arnav Singh Raizada. The very man who had built up his own empire and had successfully fulfilled his duties towards his family by taking care of them in dire times.. There may not be  any balm for his ache or any emotional support but there were people in his life that looked up to him for all sorts of support. His Di, Anjali depended on him emotionally, whereas hiscousin, Akash looked up to  himfor any business guidance . No one dared to even move a paper in AR Designs without his orders or knowledge. He controlled literally everything and everyone in his world but when it came to her thoughts the word control didn't exist in dictionary. Pondering over these thoughts Arnav stepped into his closet  and chose a  three piece black suit. 

While  deciding on a grey black shirt to go with his black suit, his eyes fell on a small velvet box that was peeping out of  pile of  methodically arranged clothes. Hesitantly, Arnav picked the small velvet box  as if it were a pandora's box, maybe he knew the consequences of opening it, yet he couldn't stop himself from opening the box. Salvaging on his last few breaths,  he  prepared himself to pay the cost of opening the velvet box. Once he opened the box, the lone silver payal shone with the reflection of light right above. Arnav felt like the lone payal in the box was reflection of his lonely life. Picking up the silver payal from the box he ran his fingers over it and his mind went back to the incident associated with the payal. He had found the payal on his poolside after one of his angst fit he always threw at her; she had walked away from him and didn't realize her payal came undone. Arnav never understood why he couldn't return her payal until the night of Diwali.  

She had been a vision in the red sari; even though they were surrounded by other people in the annual Diwali party held at Raizada mansion they had eyes only for each other. His eagerness to steal few moments with her bore fruits when he found her near pool side lighting the diyas. Standing behind her he called her name, surprised she turned around and got up from her sitting position. Fiddling with the match box in her hands, eyes cast down, she tried stealing few glances of impeccably dressed Arnav. Arnav was staring at her without a blink and shamelessly.  

He started walking towards her and she didn't make any effort to move. She looked at him with puzzlement written all over her face and yet she couldn't stop the flush that started rising from her neck to cheeks. Arnav stopped  a feet away from her and had a smug of smile on his face seeing her all flustered. . Not taking away his eyes from her face, he slowly put his right hand in his blazer pocket. Very delicately and steadily he took her payal out. He held the payal in front of her and due to subtle breeze the twirling and twinkling payal had her full attention. Confusion clouded her face and then she turned  to face Arnav. Before she could gather her mixed-up thoughts and question him, he moved little closer to her and raised his left hand to cup her cheek. She lifted her eyes which were now wide with shock, like a deer caught in headlights and looked directly into his eyes. Arnav cast his eyes on her quivering lips and inched his face closer to her's. He raised his eyes a little to see the myriad of expressions  flash across her face; he saw  the change from fright to flush, shy to desire, confusion to embarassment and finally it took the form of anger. 

What she did next shocked him out of his wits, she used all her strength, placed both her hands on his chest and pushed him. Arnav almost lost his balance and stumbled backwards, he was completely taken aback by her action. He  straightened and looked at her stunned  asanger rushed into his veins. He then asked her "How dare you push me?". As if she had already collected her muddled thoughts she replied to him with marathon of questions, "what were you trying to do? And why? Why did you come so close to me? What do I mean to you? What is this between us? Where did you get my payal, how long has it been with you? And, why did you keep it with you? Why didn't you return it earlier? Why today? Please answer me, I need to know. Boliye, jawaab deejiye?"  She was breathing heavily and looked at him with hopeful eyes. Arnav was still not over the fact that she pushed him away and realized that his pride and ego were bruised and above all he felt rejected by chit of a girl, who was a mere employee in his house. How  could he lay himself bare open  and let her knew that he lost control. How could he let her take control of his emotions, he could not be so weak?       

"Tumhe jawab dene ki koyi zarrorat nahi hai. Tumhari payal mere paas thi iska koyi galat matlab mat nikaal lena, yeah mat sochna ki ek ameer adami tumahari payal apne seene se laga ke baita tha, mujhe inn sab cheejo se koyi farak nahi padata, doesn't mean a thing to me."

She asked in a weak voice,"Koyi matlab nahi hai?"

"Shayad tumhare liye hoga, tumhe laga ki tumahari zindagi ban gayi, mere liye tumahari payal ki yeah tumahari koyi ahimiyat nahi hai." He didn't  allow her the time or the chance to speak as his hurtful words sunk in and she stood there staring at him in silence.. A fit of rage took him over and he held her payal tightly in his fist and with all his energy threw it across his garden into the bushes. He then looked at her his eyes spitting fire and said " Now out!". She stood still, with tears simmering in her eyes. After few moments she walked towards the garden to look for last and only living memory of her mother. Wiping her tears that were unstoppable she started moving through the garden sifting through plants and bushes to find her payal. Her movements were urgent, desperate yet, in vain. He stood there like a statue making no effort to help her. She finally gave up and suddenly turned to him, looked directly into his eyes, she  wiped her tears and ran away from the poolside. One look at her tears smeared face his heart wrenched;  his eyes involuntarily closed  while his hands fisted to gain  control over his conflicting emotions.

Throughout the party he had dissuaded all her efforts and pleas to get him to talk or answer her questions. And the very next day he had pushed her out of his life forever when he met her at the temple.

It had taken two days for him to get grasp on his shattered emotions. He kept nursing his damaged ego and pride by telling himself that she didn't matter to him and he was the only one who had control over his life and emotions. Yet, his restlessness and the void that has seeped into his heart was escalating. Which later on he realized coined from her absence, rather presence in his life and in his house. Arnav let his ego get  best of his restlessness and didn't make any efforts to contact her. What if she rejected him again? After few days he had Aman enquire about her whereabouts and what he found out further increased his suffering. She had moved to Lucknow with her family. He kept hoping that one day she will show up at his house, smiling in her colorful churidaars. With each passing day, month and year that hope reluctantly faded away.

There was a knock on the door by Hari Prakash asking Arnav to come down for breakfast which forced him to travel back to the present. His today which was no longer inhibited by her, he thought sadly. Quickly letting Hari Prakash know that he will be down in a minute, Arnav pushed the payal in his pants pocket. Shaking his head as if to ward off her memories, he mechanically went about getting ready for the day.

Thanks for taking time to read this and I hope you liked it. Please let me know your views, I am open to any kind of feedback.

Love You All.

PS: Next update will be posted on Sunday, Oct 6^th. 

INDEX

Part 1 - Page 1

Part 2 - Page 11

Part 3 - Page 21

Part 4 - Page 26

Originally posted by: _disha_

Why was i not informed of this ???😡