The Diwali of Decisions
Part 2
AN: Hi everyone, I am back with the second part of my latest story. Again, I've stuck to the canon up until the first Diwali episode, and my story takes off from there. I hope you enjoy reading this. Your comments and criticisms are always welcome. The final part will be up some time next week. Happy reading :)
Arnav’s Quandary
There was a slight knock at the door, and Arnav
looked up expectedly.
“Arnav bhaiya, your coffee.” Hari Prakash entered
the room and kept the cup on the table beside his recliner.
He felt a slight twinge of disappointment.
“Where is everyone?” he asked in a clipped tone,
eyes still on his laptop. “Bhaiya ji,
Nani, Anjali di and Lavanya ji are in Nani’s room, Mamiji has gone to the
‘temple’ and Akash bhaiya hasn’t come back from the office yet.” The answer
didn’t do anything to improve Arnav’s mood. ‘Okay, you may go now.’ The boss
barked. HP left, still unphased, he was used to his Arnav Bhaiya’s well-meaning
insolence.
Well, of course Akash was still at the office,
that’s where he himself should have been. It was f***ing three in the
afternoon, and Arnav Singh Raizada, the Founder and CEO of AR, was home
already, frustratingly failing at drafting an important mail. Oh, how the
mighty have fallen! He wanted to ask about her, but didn’t know how? He had
left early for his office this morning, wanting to avoid any chance encounter
with one Miss Gupta. While leaving though, he had overheard his di tell someone
over the phone that Khushi hadn’t reached yet. He had assumed that to mean that
she must have been on her way and had rushed out, hoping to find some semblance
of calm amidst the chaos of work.
The coffee was still untouched an hour later. He
was leaning back against the recliner, his eyes closed, his form still, a
slight frown on his forehead, the only indication of the restlessness within. Her torso wrapped in the chiffon, the red of
the saree paling in comparison to the alluring hue of her visage… he hadn’t
been able to keep his eyes off her all night, he had been hypnotized. He was
pretty sure he would have followed her off a cliff in that moment. The
realization of his vulnerability in matters of Khushi jerked him back to his
reality. He got up and moved to the poolside, hoping to rein-in his mind
through gardening. Arnav Singh Raizada
was famed for his self-control, he prided himself on his savvy intellect, his
famed ‘dimaag’, while the heart lay forgotten, somewhere deep inside, making
very brief appearances in matters of Di. Khushi, somehow, had brought the
flutter of his heart back. From the instant she fell in his arms; her eyes
glassy, her lips quivering and her hands looped around him; his heart had made
its presence known. The constant ache to possess her had followed close behind.
He had always been rather free with her; pushing
her, pulling her, grabbing her, holding her… even marking her. He had been able
to justify it all, to himself at least, in the name of anger. And so, he
embraced the anger, with all its volatility, any excuse to touch her… Last
night had shattered the pretence though, and his desire for her lay bare…
unabashed and bare. It had to be his obsession with red, the colour was
probably a siren’s call for him, it beckoned his maleness… And red on her,
magnified his obsession beyond measure... It was the siren singing his favorite Sinatra song, exclusively for him. The pull was undeniable. He found
himself facing the wall where he had held her captive a few hours back, imprisoned himself by
her allure. His fingers traced the empty wall, willing the moment back, wishing
a do-over. ‘What would you do different Arnav? Stop yourself from taking that
first step in her direction or… or complete what had remained unfinished?’ The
answer stunned him.
He would have kissed her, and she would have let
him. The slight shiver of her frame, her downcast eyes, the quivering lips, had
all been signs of her coyness, some slight hesitation even. At the slightest hint of reluctance; he would have stopped. But when she had met his gaze, in
her eyes he had seen her permission, a plea… an invitation. The memory of her
softness lay embedded in his flesh, his fingers could still feel her touch, the
image of her delicate form caged within his arms was still fresh in his mind.
Frustrated, he threw away the watering-pot, hoping to get rid of the unrest
within. It didn’t. Why couldn’t he stop himself? Why didn’t she stop him?
“Chote, what happened? I heard a loud noise? Is
everything okay?” His Di had barged in with a barrage of questions, forcing him
out of his reverie. She saw the discarded vessel and temporarily calmed down. Arnav moved
back to his room, hoping to avoid any conversation with his Di.
“Chote, why are you so distressed? Did something
happen at work?” concern for her brother evident in her tone.
“I am fine di.” He answered, looking at his
laptop, hoping she didn’t hear the remnants of the tornado brewing inside him in
his voice.
“If you say so.” She relinquished rather easily; the touch of
worry still intact though. She started to leave, then halted, turning back at
the door she asked, “Did Khushi ji or Payal ji call you today?” The note of
apprehension was palpable now.
“No. Why are you asking? Didn’t she come for work
today?” he asked getting up from the recliner. His posture, alert.
“No. Payalji had called this morning, asking about
her. She was really worried. I assumed Khushiji was meeting Lavanya at the
office or something, since she had said she’d need to go there for a few hours
this morning, so I gave her Lavanya and your numbers, I had thought she would
have called.” She seemed really worried now.
“Di, please relax. I will call and check.” Arnav
tried to calm his sister, while still feeling increasingly distraught himself.
He called the next second but got no response.
“Anjali bitiya, please come to my room.” They
heard Nani calling, probably from her room.
“Di, you go and check on Nani, I’ll try to call
again. And don’t worry, I am sure everything is fine.” The panic in his voice said otherwise.
“Chotey, I…”
“Anjali bitiya” Nani called again.
“Okay Chotey, keep calling. And let me know the
instant you hear something.” He promised and she left.
She had tried calling him a couple of times during
the day but he had wilfully ignored all attempts at contact. He didn’t want to talk to her, not when he
knew that the volcanic emotions within him would make him say something hurtful
and humiliating, once again breaking her heart… And his. After all, just last
night he had obliterated her very existence, calling her a gold-digger again, claiming
their moment held no meaning, that she meant nothing…and worst of all, he had
attacked her at her weakest. He had been
cruel to her, there was no other way to put it. He had seen the hurt in her
eyes when he had announced his engagement, he had witnessed her struggle as she
attempted to gather the broken bits of her spirit, her dignity, while feeding
mithai to his family at this ‘happy’ occasion. She even had the sugar-free ones
for him, she always did. He should have left her alone, given her time to build
her self back up again, as she always did. Any other day, he probably would have. Last
night though, he felt guilty and threatened, all at once, and so he had
cornered her, like a mad dog, clawing at the tattered pieces of her dignity.
Arnav Singh Raizada hated himself in that moment and in every moment since.
A couple more busy-tones and non-responses later,
Arnav was getting agitated. The phone was still ringing when he rushed out of
the house and to his car. As he pulled the door open, someone picked-up the
call.
“Hello Khushi. Khushi? Hello? SOMEONE SPEAK DAMMIT!”
He barked at the lack of response from the other side. The line wasn’t dead as
he could hear people speaking at the other end.
“Hello Khushi, I…” he halted midway as the voices
on the other end became slightly more audible and he heard her name.
“What has Khushi ever done to you? Why couldn’t
you show her just a little kindness.” Was that her sister? He vaguely recalled
her screaming at him when he had dropped an unconscious Khushi home. Of course,
it had to be her. He tried to focus on the voices while starting the engine.
“Payaliya, I didn’t mean for her… I mean, I thought
she wanted this.” Buaji sounded guilty.
“After she had explicitly expressed multiple times
that she didn’t want to get engaged to Shyamji?”
‘What! Khushi’s engagement! What the hell was
going on? Why didn’t he know of this? And who is this Shyam? She had never
mentioned a Shyam.’ The information, the realization, the questions had
resulted in a physical shudder. He could not and would not imagine Khushi with
someone else… “Mine” the primal being had once again reared its ugly head.
“Bitiya, Shyam babua would have been a great match
for her…” buaji seemed unconvinced herself and a male voice spoke in her stead,
“Payalji, it’s just early wedding jitters, I am sure, in time, she would have
wholeheartedly accepted the arrangement.” The voice tried to persuade, while
not sounding convinced himself. And had he heard this voice somewhere? Did he
know of any other Shyams? He didn’t have time to organize his thoughts as Payal
all but screamed.
“She doesn’t love you Shyamji, why is it so
difficult for you to understand?” there was silence. When Payal spoke again she
sounded wrecked, “My sister never wanted much in life, but she did want love…
Khushi wanted to marry for love, and buaji you wouldn’t even allow that. The
threats, the emotional blackmail… did you not see her face last night? This family
broke her. And now… now she is gone.”
Arnav panicked. ‘Gone? Where?’
“Hello? Hello? Anyone there?” he screamed into the
phone and someone finally answered.
“Hello Arnav ji, sorry I didn’t realize you were
on the phone.” It was Khushi’s mother on the line.
“Can I speak with Khushi?” He was blunt, pleasantries
take time and he didn’t have any.
“Ji, we had tried calling you, but then we found
her letter. Khushi… Khushi is gone.” And she broke, sobbing out loud.
Arnav disconnected the call as he entered Khushi’s
lane in Lakshmi Nagar. He couldn’t console anyone now, not even outwardly. He
had to get there and talk to someone, get the relevant details as soon as possible. He
had to find her. Khushi couldn’t just leave… she couldn’t leave him. Didn’t she
know , he couldn’t breathe…
He was lurched back to reality as he neared her
house and saw someone leaving.
“What was jeejaji doing here?” Arnav wondered out
loud.
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AN: Thanks for reading. See you soon with the final part.
Love
Srija :)
