ArHi: Innocence to a half-mad city [Complete]

Posted: 7 years ago
Summary: There is a sense of attachment, detachment, affection, disregard, an unhealthy ideation for martyrdom, friendship, rivalry, romance, obsession, possessiveness and every little flaw that messes the smoothness of boundaries to bring a man to a woman with who the time stills.

This story will be very dear to me.

Make room for me
to lead and follow
you
beyond this rage of poetry.

The above bit of poetry (by Maya Angelou) is perfect summary for this novel length story.

Index:

01: Chapter 01: Where Arnav meets the world - Page 1
02: Chapter 02: Where Arnav meets the watchmaker - Page 07
03. Chapter 03: When Saturn finishes its revolution - Page 11
04. Chapter 04: When Muggles imitate the Wizarding world - Page 16
05. Chapter 05: When sunshine competes with star shine - Page 23
06. Chapter 06: When vision and olfactory senses collide (1/2) - Page 30, (2/2) Page 36
07. Chapter 07: When affections and adoration collide - Page 43
08. Chapter 08: When retrospection and introspection juxtapose - Page 47
09. Chapter 09: When you get what you need...with price attached - Page 53
10. Chapter 10: When Levee breaks... - Page 56
11. Chapter 11: When Arnav loosens his tie - Page 59
12. Chapter 12: When Arnav gets a surprise birthday party - Page 66
13. Chapter 13: When Khushi introspects on the day spent - Page 69
14. Chapter 14: When things come around - Page 73
15. Chapter 15: When saints and sinner live together - Page 79
16. Chapter 16: When friends are family - Page 82
17. Chapter 17: When sun rises at night - Page 88
18. Chapter 18: When faith is restored - Page 90
19. Chapter 19: When friends of friends meet - Page 93
20. Chapter 20: When tide's discourse trips - Page 98
21. Chapter 21: When the hand that feeds you is bitten - Page 104
22. Chapter 22: When arcs become half circles - Page 106
23. Chapter 23: When the dust settles - Page 107
Edited by RockBarbie - 6 years ago
Posted: 7 years ago

Chapter 1:

"Why do you wear a watch that doesn't work?"

Arnav looks up from the file he was reviewing and swallowed. A colleague, a family member or a peer would have received a glare, a scathing non sequitur, a segue or even a feigned ignorance. He respects the man who is curious about the state of his watch and doesn't find it in himself to brush it off.

"It belonged to my father. My mother wore it after he passed away. It stopped working the moment she died. I have been wearing it ever since." Arnav shrugs out a nominally honest reply and goes back to reviewing the file on the table.

"That's...oddly philosophical and pathologically morbid," the elderly gentleman replies. Arnav doesn't say anything further. They both pick up the discussion on inventory. Arnav shifts his left wrist to feel the heaviness of the watch.

-----------------------------------------------

"We are hosting a charity this Saturday. All proceedings go to the city's cow shelter." Anjali is excited. He can tell. Her husband Shyam, hovers in her orbit. Arnav doesn't know if that's love or protective bubble or a voyeuristic perspective. He doesn't comment on Shyam. Shyam is one subject that brings Arnav to his knees since Anjali's affection for her husband is borderline obsessive. Probably unhealthy but Arnav never comments on that.

"Okay." Arnav replies. He doesn't have time for this. Also he is too tired to argue.

"Will you be bringing Lavanya?" Anjali asks, a teasing smile, glint in her eyes and exuding kind of hope that doesn't have a room in this world.

"Lavanya and I are taking a break. Why will I bring her as a date?" Anjali's obliviousness can be easily mistaken to childlike innocence. It isn't, he thinks wildly. Anjali doesn't want to have confrontations with messy, broken, flawed things. Even relationships.

As expected Anjali's smile falters. "But you love her." And with that, Arnav's leftover calm evaporates.

"So?" He asks dangerously. For a change Anjali is quiet. Arnav is about to breathe a sigh of relief when she begins her chagrin.

"So it is expected and wished by all your family members that you bring her into the fold whenever we invite half of city's elite. So we are all hoping we don't have to dodge questions about your marriage or your sexuality or your philandering ways and actually talk about the shelter for the cows, and the problems it is currently facing." Patches of pink appeared on Anjali's cheeks - a clear outward expression of her anger with matching thorn in her voice. And in these vicious moments Arnav truly thrives.

"Or I can donate the money you make from this charity right now and cancel the party entirely. My accounts department will have one less thing to work on for the week." Arnav rarely bluffs. Anjali never seem to remember that. She always thinks I am her baby brother and not thirty something old man, he thinks in indignation. Have I become a shadow of a man she thought I would be?

Rage reigns in her eyes. Arnav finds smug satisfaction in his. Anjali thinks it's a stalemate. Arnav knows it is his win. Even when she loses an argument, she refuses to see the problem in her thought process. She isn't oblivious. She is blind, his mind supplies. He doesn't agree with that assessment.

"Your boyfriend is waiting for you in your study," she grinds out. Arnav isn't done yet.

"You should've shown him to my room." His response is callous. The verbal barrage does nothing to him anymore. He isn't entirely immune to harshness. He simply doesn't care anymore.

-----------------------------------------------

He finds Aman with an open laptop, huge mug of tea - Arnav is sure the teabag is stolen from his personal collection, a brand new Sudoku book and a frown.

"Come on in. Help yourself to some of my precious tea collection that I thought I had hidden well." There was laughter in Arnav's voice. Aman's mere presence lifted his mood a great deal. He thanked the God that he didn't think existed for giving him a best friend he didn't believe he deserved.

"Don't be a Scrooge Arnav. Sharing is caring, boyfriend." Aman unnecessarily makes a noisy slurp of his tea. Arnav bursts into laughter. The tension in his shoulder reduces as Aman gives him a fond look.

"Anjali is hell bent on proving that you and I are dating." Arnav takes the tea mug and takes a sip. His eyes involuntarily close when undercurrent of jasmine mixed with a hint of orange bursts on his tongue. The aroma flattens the line on his forehead. When he opens his eyes, Aman is watching him with a steady gaze.

"Will that be so bad?" Aman asks, not for the first time.

Arnav's quietness is a reply that Aman has received twice in the past. The way he has been falling, Aman wonders if he will ever hit the ground.

"Let's talk money," Aman says pulling his laptop and offering a gentle smile to his friend. The relief that floods in Arnav's eyes makes Aman take an urgent breath to mollify the torment this predicament had brought him.

-----------------------------------------------

Arnav walks the streets he once walked his father. He is dressed up to his eyeballs that scream "money". The cracked sidewalk is an ugly companion to his pristine shoes. He is avoiding the party at his house and everyone there. Aman was out of country while Lavanya had politely declined. Lavanya wasn't avoiding Arnav. She was avoiding his family. He didn't blame her for that since he was doing the same.

His shoes gathered a healthy layer of dust and grime as he walked the older part of the city, its old buildings now woven with modern ones. The view settled the rattling in his ribcage just before he tripped over a crack. He chuckled at his clumsiness hoarsely as a sturdy hand reached out to study him.

"Are you okay?" A man asked, watching Arnav's hobbling feet.

Arnav nodded and smiled a thanks.

"You can sit there, in that shop, for few minutes to rest your toes. They wouldn't mind," the stranger offered a kind advice. Kindness, like compassion was a rare commodity in this world. It was probably the first time it was offered to him without strings attached in several weeks. The thought churned his stomach.

"Thank you." Arnav's absent reply doesn't bother the stranger as he walks away.

Arnav looks up from his feet and glances at the shop. A startled sob like laugh escapes his throat and makes his eyes wet.

WATCHING. That's the name of the shop that sold and repaired watches.

His wrist burns with memory of his father's watch. He ignores it as he wobbles inside.

 

TBC
Posted: 7 years ago
Edited - I just used another spot on the next page - :S

Happens when you are trying to live up to the author's genius! Kya bolun ab!

Edited by meera30 - 7 years ago
Posted: 7 years ago
Am on the first page ... 🥳🤪
Posted: 7 years ago
Loved the summary :) I am in for this ride.
Posted: 7 years ago
Love the shop name.. Ha ha. Just a quick question are you nervous or in hurry? just felt like this was not your best shot.. Love the start, characterisation everything... Just felt a little rushed...

But I m super excited to read the story further..did you say novel length.., for that muaaahhh
Posted: 7 years ago
Interesting start...
Looking forward to read more...
Posted: 7 years ago
Shop name is watching!!!???
Interesting.
But lavanya and arnav!!!!???
Wilb waiting for more to know.
I loved arnav anjali TALK!!??
aman arnav boyfrnd!!??
Posted: 7 years ago
New story wohooo!!
Interesting start and that's the best name a watch shop can have:-P I think all watches have stories who cares about the number of scratches or the number of times it stops get it repaired and the story continues...
Loved it!
Posted: 7 years ago
Originally posted by N0306


Love the shop name.. Ha ha. Just a quick question are you nervous or in hurry? just felt like this was not your best shot.. Love the start, characterisation everything... Just felt a little rushed...

But I m super excited to read the story further..did you say novel length.., for that muaaahhh


Not nervous. Not rushed. Nope.

Its intended to be this way.

Sorry, if it was disappointing.

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