Arhi SS: Chamkili. Part 9- 'Laying the Groundwork'

Hey Guys, this has been written in almost one go and I have not even read it twice, so please forgive the typos. Anyway here is the update, hope you guys like it, please do let me know.

                                 Laying The Groundwork...

Samay noticed Khushi’s bent head, her continuous mumbling and her nervous fingers wrapping and unwrapping the duppata around her fingers, she looked adorable and he couldn’t help a slight smile from taking residence on his handsome visage. He saw James’s twisted smirk and right then he knew what was to follow, well ofcourse he did, after seven years of his friendship with James he would know at least that much, wouldn’t he?

James then turned towards Celina, who herself was sporting a slight smile on her face. Lavanya had told her that they could trust Khushi on this project, but Celina had had her qualms about this recruitment and they were valid ones, considering Khushi didn’t have any form of formal training or degree, in fact even Mr. Singhania had shared her doubts but he had had to put his guns down in front of his much younger and if you asked Celina much shrewder fiancée. But she would have to give it to Lavanya, Khushi seemed promising and the best part was, the promise in her was so very unique, one of a kind probably and the no formal degree thing probably played a part here.

“Okay guys now as our colleague Khushi has very accurately pointed out, the fact is that there is indeed nothing extraordinary about these clothes.” James paused for a moment, smiling at Khushi as she stared at him wide-eyed. He then continued,

“So that’s the challenge people, we have to find a way to add that missing bit of extra to the ordinary.” James finished his little speech as others busily took down notes.  

“But remember these clothes are daily-wears so the fancy frilly stuff has to be to the bare minimum, we’ll probably have to invent some new techniques here, its not gonna be easy. Other factors that we need to keep in mind are the climatic conditions of Europe and particularly Spain and choose the textile material likewise. Also the fact that our clients want to hire an Indian firm for this job means that they obviously want some Indian ethnic touches to these designs.” Celina finished highlighting some of the major pointers of the project and then signaled Samay to takeover from there.

“Now James and Celina have already said most of it, so I am just going to add a little bit here. Now as you all know the project is quite profitable, and not just financially but otherwise too, as this would mean opening of a new market for us. The Armada’s is a huge firm and is perfect for launching KaLa into the Spanish markets, and this stands true for many other Indian firms as well, so it goes without saying that we have very tough competitors in the run for this project. And well it goes without saying that the contract goes to the lowest bidder.  Hence, apart from designs and textile and other such stuff we also need to focus on cost management. So guys we need to hunt for cheaper stuff but the compromise on quality has to be minimal and designers we’ll need your special assistance over here for whatever little flaws the textiles might have the supremacy of designs needs to cover it. In short we need to get the best designs done on okayish textiles.” he bestowed a sexy smile particularly on his female companions sitting in the conference room before continuing further,

“Okay people I am not going to bore all you creative types with my bland money talk, Celina and I will be handling the financial aspect of this project so we’ll be in constant touch with you guys but for now moving ahead I would now request my co-project manager, the lovely lady in blue to start with her presentation.” saying that he winked at Khushi making her realize that she was the lovely lady in blue. She blushed a little feeling somewhat uncomfortable but then moved to the centre and started with her presentation,

“ Samyji, Jamesji, Celinaji, Koyalji, Rishabji, Sonalji…” all the eyes were now rounded and fixed on Khushi, Koyal and Priya were in fact trying hard to control their erupting giggles, while a playful smile played at Samay’s lips… and surprisingly this time it reached his eyes.

“…Abhayji, aap sab ko hamari taraf se namaste.” Khushi smiled broadly at all he co-workers before continuing further.

“So my presentation is about the Indian ethnic wear and frankly speaking I don’t really know a lot about designing and I am really nervous right now.” she said while wiping a thin layer of sweat off of her forehead, and resumed once again whilst stammering a bit initially.

“So… I… I… Oh yes I am here to talk about the chicken-kari, an exquisite Lucknowvi specialty. Okay so the basics first, two most important things about Chicken-kari are, the compatibility as well as the contrast between the thread used and the ground fabric. What I mean is you cannot use very thick thread on a silk cloth, while on cotton almost all threads work, also the color contrast between the base material and the thread is indeed very essential. And I won’t speak much about color coordination for all of you sitting over here would have better knowledge of such technical intricacies than me, as for me, anything that appeals my eye, mostly clothes with gotas stitched to it.” She then started pairing various fabrics with suitable threads, while talking about the uniqueness of each. A few minutes later Celina interrupted her,

“Khushi don’t you think this silken fabric a little fragile gor this thread, it might rupture the cloth.” Celina said pointing towards a particular combination.

Khushi instantly realized her mistake.

“Oh I am sorry Celinaji, this must have slipped unnoticed, I’ll be more careful next time.” Khushi apologized and corrected the combination, while Celina smiled and patted a shoulder lightly. The meeting then continued as everyone pitched in their ideas for the project. Khushi sat there a little excited and a little bewildered…
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“Are you hundred percent sure about this?” Sheetal frowned slightly as she heard whatever the person at the other end of the phone line was saying.

“Okay just keep track of all the happenings around this and keep me informed.” She said in a conclusive tone and then kept down the phone before dialing once again,

“Yes Sneha, could you please tell me whether or not Arnav is free right now, I need to discuss something important with him. Please set up a meeting at the earliest possible.” she asked Arnav’s PA. She knew better than to call him on his mobile or his office line directly, she needed to maintain a completely professional front, it was very important for her plan.

“I am sorry ma’am but he is not in his office.”

“Does he have an appointment or a meeting some place else?”

“I am sorry ma’am but I have no idea as he got his schedule cleared for the next two hours, so its probably not work related, I guess its personal.”

Sheetal felt a little sting in her heart on hearing this, for she had a faint idea what this ‘personal thing’ could probably be. Well there was nothing she could really do about it and so she decided to wait those two hours, she’ll see him then, and anyway she needed to think this through, her plan needed to be flawless, the stakes were too high. But the real question was, did she really want to do this…
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“Hey Khushi, Mr. Singhania wants to see you in his office.” Samay informed Khushi who was busy discussing the design plans with Koyal and Abhay.

“Oh! Okay! Koyalji Abhayji I am sorry that I have to leave in the middle of this but we can continue once I get back, until then could you both please think of some color combinations for the chicken-kari garments and we can discuuss the cuts and designs once I get back.” Khushi asked a little apologetically.

“Yeah sure!” Koyal replied while Abhay just nodded his assent. Khushi then moved towards Mr. Singhani’s office and soon Samay catchedup with her.

“Samayji I know where the office is, you don’t need to follow me, I won’t get lost.” Khushi smiled at Samay walking beside her, not too close but not far as well.

“Oh right! I just keep forgetting that you are not eight anymore.” he smiled at her before quickly adding,

“Nothing much has changed though.” he then winked at her.

“Ji?” Khushi frowned in confusion. He smiled and said,

“Nothing.” Well flirting with someone who had no clue about flirting was actually kind of lame.

“ So, how is Payal?”

“Jiji is fine. She is also married now and the best part is we are both married in the same family. It’s like a dream come true, you know I always thought that we’ll both be separated once we got married but…” Khushi kept rambling on but Samay was no longer with her, he was sixteen again and back in Lucknow, and lost in those beautiful dark eyes that were looking down coyly as she struggled to control her deep blushes and that shy smile that lingered on those beautiful lips despite her best effort to control it. She was a vision, a vision so enchanting and breathtaking that his mind was often tempted to conjure her image when he was alone. He wondered if things would have been different had he not left Lucknow all those years ago or had come back sooner to claim what was his. Well it was useless wondering and Samay Joshi did not indulge in anything that utterly useless. He was brought back to present as the peon’s shoulder crashed into his, Khushi was still busy rambling about her in-laws and her sister, he cut her in,

“So Khushi, what did you say your husband’s name was?”

“Ji Arnavji.” she blushed a little at the mention of his name.

“And your and Payal’s husband’s are brothers, you said right?”

“Hmmm.”

“So do all of you live in the same house?”

“Yes. Maniji, Mamiji, Di, Jiji, Jiju, Arnavji, me, Hari Prakashji, Om Prakashji and lakshmi. Actually there is also mamaji, Jiji’s sasur, but he has been away for quite sometime now.” Khushi chatted happily.

“Oh that’s must me nice, I am sure. So what are your husband’s like, I can tell your Arnavji is really amazing by the twinkle in your eyes.”

Khushi smiled coyly at this, she couldn’t bring herself to talk about Arnav at this point and so she just started talking about the awesome life, she was pretty sure her Jiji and Jijaji had.

“Aakash Jijaji is also great, he loves Jiji so much. And he is a very nice man, level headed and very dedicated towards his work and family, he also helps Arnavji with the business.” Samay couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of jealousy, they all had each other while he was alone in this world, all alone.
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Aakash sat beside a conscious and fidgety Payal, truth be told he himself was no less nervous. He looked at his wife and squeezed her hand trying to reassure her, she struggled to smile at him… to smile for him.

“Mrs. Payal Singh Raizada.” the peon called stepping into the hallway.

“Yes.” Aakash replied on her behalf.

“The doctor will see her now.” the peon said signaling towards the cabin. Aakash and Payal stepped towards the cabin.

“Hello doctor. Aakash Singh Raizada and this is my wife Payal.” he shook the doctor’s hand and took his seat while Payal folded her hands n a quite namaste before taking her seat.

“So Mr. and Mrs. Raizada, how can I help you?”

Payal’s head was still bowed as she felt her husband give her hand a comfortable squeeze once again.

“Well the thing is that we have been trying for a child for quite sometime now but…” he felt a little uncomfortable and so left the sentence hanging.

“Ok, how long have you been trying? Well the thing is the younger generation nowadays is so habituated to everything instant that they don’t realize that somethings just take sometime and its just normal.” she looked at the couple sitting across the table.

“Well I know that Dr. Sinha but it really been a while now, in fact we have been trying for almost six months.” Aakash looked a little exasperated and did a very poor job a hiding it from the two women in the room.
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Khushi realized that she had been continuously rambling and apologized for it, Samay just smiled at her and joked about how it was just a side-effect of womanhood. Truth be told, Khushi was actually beginning to feel very comfortable around him, so very herself in such a short span of time that thinking about it now, she was quite surprised at herself. And to think that just yesterday she had almost literally ran for her life on seeing Samayji in KaLa. Was it a sense a familiarity and belonging you felt when you met another brown skinned Indian in a far off country, say England. Well she did realize that it indeed had a lot to do with her Arnavji. In fact the way he had maturely handled her little panic attack last night had made her realize just how stupid she was being about this whole crush thing. Wow she did it again, she smacked her head mentally as she realized that this entire morning she had been calling her Laad Governor names for the same mature response that she was praising right now. As she neared Mr. Singhania’s office she wondered if everyone’s brain was as messed up as hers or Devi Maiya had shown her some extra love in that department. Well, the latter seemed more probable.

Lost in her thoughts Khushi didn not see the slightly raised ground near the cabin door and stumbled on it. She closed her eyes anticipating the fall, as well as the physical pain and the social embarrassment that would normally follow a fall, but none came. To her astonishment she felt two strong hands grasp her around her waist…

That was how Arnav Singh Raizada saw his wife when he turned towards the door following Mr. Singhania’s gaze… he saw his wife in the arms of ANOTHER MAN…

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: Ok so while at home I have nothing much to do and so I started watching IPk from the beginning for the fourth time (oh yes I have all the episodes saved on my Lappy :) ) and thats when I realized that there are many factors and many plots and sub-plots and major and minor characters that made IPK a sensation. And I wanted to attempt to bring that back... if I am successful to bring even one percent of the old IPK back , my work's done :) So this chapter was mainly about laying the groundwork for all that is to follow and believe me friends there is a lot. So please do let me know what you thought of this update, your response keeps me motivated :)

Love,

Srija :)

Arhi ff Chamkili. Ch-8B. 'That Which is Unsaid'-2

                                                  

Hey guys, this chapter here goes out to my friend Lara, for literally forcing the story out of me. Lara believe me when I say this story wouldn't have been going on if not for you. Love you dear :)

                                                                Ch-8B  

                          That Which is Unsaid      

      "Why me Devi Maiya? Why Me?"

 Khushi finally let out a frustrated growling plea as this silent contemplation was getting too much for her. She was supposed to meet her project team in less than an hour and she was still struggling with a colorful mountain of ground fabric that needed to be coupled with suitable threads, which was... well just another heap of unorganized mess. Khushi knew that chickankari was no child's play and when working for a reputed fashion house one could never be too sure or too perfect and was also aware of her highly unprofessional behavior and in fact hated herself for it, but then she was helpless, for the thoughts of a certain Rakshasha Laad Governor just wouldn't leave her alone. She desperately needed her tension buster, her darling jalebis, unleashing all her tangled thoughts into the twisted knots of her favorite sweet, whether  or not anyone got it but jalebi making was cathartic for her. But then again she couldn't risk being branded 'the Sankadevi of KaLa', it was a little too soon for that. While cursing the bane of her existence Raizada she shuffled her jhola and pulled out a box of chana, finally sighing in relief.

Last night she had been petrified, oh yes as much as the Rakshasha loved her, cherished her with a passion worthy of a prince charming, the fact remained that he was after all the Rakshasha of her life. And so when she had come face to face with her past she was shaken, quite literally in fact and had ended up hallucinating about the multiple ways he could, or better still, multiple ways he most definitely WOULD torture her, using methods, which if you asked her were as plausible as Arnav Singh Raizada murdering her with a pechkas and Salman Khan offering his condolences on her death. But then when she had finally come clean, confessing her past sins, he had done the one thing she had never imagined in her wildest of dreams he would do, he had laughed. Laughed in that honest child-like manner, for her it was nothing short of magical and so she had stood there, spellbound in that moment, forgetting the regrets of her past and disregarding whatever their future held. But if she could revisit the moment, she most definitely would and for reasons more than just wanting to hear him laugh again. She would then , hear him laugh once again but then when  he stopped she would ask him, why did he feel like laughing? Why was his response so different from hers? For she had almost died of jealousy when she had come to know of Sheetalji and his past but knowing about Samayji didn't seem to bother him at all, so then was she too immature for him, were they not as compatible as she thought they were? But then he had been jealous of Nanheji, oh yes she was sure of it, so then why not now? Or... or maybe he just didn't love her anymore... But before she could pursue this thought any further Celina knocked at her cabin door updating her about the meeting in twenty minutes and a hassled Khushi was back to her heap of unsorted textile and tangled threads.

The meeting started with Celina and James' combined presentation on the current fashion trends in the European market with special focus on Spain, they showed some images of the ethnic Spanish male and female costumes but then soon James added

"But well this is not exactly what our buyers are looking for, their target this time is the everyday wear, here are some pictures to give you a better idea." And Celina put on a slide show of people at malls and offices and parks and pubs.

"So guys any comments?" asked Celina after the slide-show was over. And all was quiet for a while as everyone raked their brains trying to figure out what it was that they were missing. And just then Khushi blurted,

"Its nothing extraordinary!" it was the first thing that came to her mind and honestly speaking she didn't really intend on saying that out loud, she was, well just thinking aloud. All heads turned towards her and with raised eyebrows and slight tilt of her head Celina signalled Khushi to continue further. A wave of panic engulfed Khushi as she wrapped the end of her dupatta around her finger and wondered if what she said offended Celina or James in anyway, she knew that they were the most experienced professionals in their team, what if the designs they had just shown were in fact designed by them. And in that moment of utter helplessness she turned towards the only familiar face in that entire room, Samay Joshi. She didn't know why she felt a little guilt somewhere deep within while turning towards him for some semblance of moral support... a little bit of warmth in that cold board room. Samay smiled at her and that smile urged her to go on. But that wasn't enough for her, nobody ever was... she needed him, her Arnavji in that moment, right by her side, holding her, filling her with his essence, his warmth, his power. She knew he would come to her aid whenever she needed him and' he did. Closing her eyes she smiled a little as her Arnavji made an appearance in front of her mind's eye, and she knew everything will be alright.

"Celinaji, Jamesji I didn't mean to offend anyone and I am sorry if I did, Devi Maiya ki kasam it was totally unintentional. All I wanted to say was just that I see people wearing dresses like these everyday, jeans, skirts, t-shirts and the likes, there was nothing new about these designs. But then again I hardly know about the technicalities of designing..." she trailed off.

Samay smiled at her response, he had always known that she had that something in her... something that with a little push could lead to great things. And he for one had always acknowledged and admired that spunk in her. For a moment there he was taken back in time when he was a 12^th grader and she was probably in her 4^th grade, and a certain teacher, Mrs. Prakash probably had made it her business to lure students to her private tuitions guaranteeing them better marks in exams if they joined her private classes and when Khushi had found about the same, she had made heaven and hell meet fighting against the injustice. Samay could still see the almost impractical verging on stupid valor in her, only Khushi could inspire  in him the contradictory emotions of respect and pity at the same time... this woman was an enigma and Samay found himself getting helplessly drawn towards her... He found himself wondering what her husband was like...

Author's Note: Hi guys, so once again too little, too late, huh? But yarron life has taken a really tough turn and out of no where I find myself living in a flat with a friend, trying to manage everything on our own, and well that is after five years of continuous DU hostels. Anyway, I am slightly tired of all the cooking and cleaning and m hence headed home for the next 20 days. Now I am not sure if the internet would work well over there, but if it does I would be updating the 3rd part of 'Untouched' very soon followed by 'Tangent Worlds'. Finally I just want to say, sorry for the ramanchi regarding the teaser, I was having some fun guys 

Love Srija

Arshi SS Chamkili, ch 8. 'That which is unsaid'

CHAMKILI

                    Part-8A

                       That which is Unsaid- A

Insomnia was not unknown to him. Since the age of fourteen, it had been his constant companion. Accounts and reasons were variables, this feeling of void, of restlessness, the infallible constant of his life. Work issues did consume a lot of his thoughts and of course bred a lot of his worries, after all managing a-now-international-firm was no child's play and neither was he a magician. But he was skilled, organized and calculative; a perfect mix of viability and vision, professional front thus didn't give him any nightmares. His Ma's scream, his Dad's betrayal and that dead look in his Di's eyes had haunted his nights for as long as he could remember, blurring and even blocking all that was good and beautiful in life. And he suppressed it, vehemently, locking up the shadows somewhere deep within him, only the doors could not hold and the darkness had started to seep out of that little corner and stealthily consume him... his entire being. But not anymore, life had finally relented and had gifted him his own guardian angel. She helped him embrace his past, accept open-heartedly the good, the bad and the ugly, because he couldn't let it go until he acknowledged it existed. That very same angel lay sprawled over their bed, her hand gripping his waist, while her limbs were tangled around his thigh, her lips slightly parted as she snored very... unh inelegantly... but that was his Khushi, crazy but cute. She touched him and he started to heal.

But Arnav Singh Raizada was not some fifteen year old teenager, he knew very well that 'happily ever after' was a myth created by mediocre fiction, a myth created to keep the inhabitants of a social unit in the line, promising an everlasting bliss in exchange for their acquiescence to the norm. And Arnav was amongst the few who didn't take the bait. He knew his life with Khushi was the best one could ever hope for, much more than what he actually deserved, and yet it wasn't without its glitches, its own catch and misses, it was all part of the game, and he was all for it. Like tonight, it was a night of contentment but was not without a slight hitch.

Samay, the name occupied most of his mental space tonight, how could it be any other way, for anything even slightly related to his Khushi warranted his absolute and undivided concern. When he had first heard the name in her panic-ridden voice he had assumed the worst, after all Shyam, the man who had done everything in his power to destroy Khushi's life and had actually been successful in completely obliterating his Di's life was never far from his mind. Hence when she had finally clarified that she was talking about some Samay and not Shyam, pure relief had washed over him. And then when he had heard his wife confess her 'sins' in all morose seriousness, he couldn't control the full-blown laughter that escaped him. But now that he thought of it, his reaction had successfully surprised him as well, had his initial reaction not been that of overwhelming relief, he was sure he would have felt what he was feeling now, blatant possessive jealousy.  Well, not that he was complaining, in fact far from it he was glad he reacted the way he did or else his innocent wife would have once again become the victim of his misplaced anger and Arnav Singh Raizada was done doing wrong by her ever.

She had tried making him jealous on various earlier occasions, conjuring that Banke Laal guy from her weird imagination or harmlessly flirting with N.K during Aakash's wedding. Well of course he knew that her crazy plans had more to do with getting some reaction out of him than anything else, yes, he knew it even then and yet he would be lying if he said he was completely unaffected. Hell the NK fiasco scared him to death, he had never hated that buffoon more in his life. But by the time this Baanke Laal episode came up he was well aware of his minx of a wife's crazy plans and weird imagination as well as her tendency to employ these to rile him up and hence it didn't bother him much. Also by then he was in a much better and surer place, as was their relationship. He couldn't help but smirk at his hollow arrogance and blatant hypocrisy, as the fact stared him in his face that Samay wasn't a creation of Khushi's pretty head and neither did he seem a clown like his cousin and that bothered him, hell who was he lying to, he was petrified dammit! This Samay person seemed like the ideal man, the kind of guy parents want for their daughters and levelheaded daughters want for themselves... the kind of guy Khushi's parent's would have wanted for her... probably she would have wanted for herself... Bothered by the direction of his thoughts, he shifted on his side, facing her, while his grip on her hand must have become painful as he saw Khushi wince and frown in her sleep. Loosening his grip, he enveloped her more fully, as if wanting to hide her from the world, keep her for himself... only himself, contain her... consume her such that no one would know her to be distinct from him. His wife snuggled into him further, attuned to his needs, as if that was the only natural way to be, nothing out of ordinary. He would never acknowledge it in front of her or anybody, for that matter, but for the nth time Arnav Singh Raizada was both thrilled and humbled by the realization that Khushi's undying love for him had more to do with the mysterious workings of her dimag, or dil as she liked to call it, than with him actually deserving her, and in instances like these he was most grateful for her crazy dimag. And yet why was that sinking feeling somewhere within him intensifying with every single heart beat? He snuggled further into her chest, desperately needing to feel her warmth, and her arms came around his head, as if anchoring him to herself.

………………………………………..

Author's Note: Hey guys I know this is very less after very long, but I feel like I am going through a major writer's block. Anyway, I am working on it and will hopefully come through soon. Do let me know what you thought of the chapter, will wait for your comments, they are a big help to me so please do write down whatever you feel like.

Love

Srija :)

Arhi TS: Untouched Part 2.

                              UNTOUCHED                                              

                               Part 2

                               A Year Later {1983}

Arnav Singh Raizada wanted her.

He was dwindling in the desperation of his want… slowly but surely burning in it. His foot moved over the clutch of his Toyota MR2, as he firmly pressed the accelerator with his other foot, shifting gears to further speed up the already speeding vehicle. The relatively clearer roads of Delhi at around mid-night further gave him the opportunity to unleash his unbridled passion… but a misplaced passion it was, for the actual object of his fiery and fierce passion lay wrapped in the comfort of her innocence… blissfully ignorant of the storm that roared within him, threatening to ravage the very last shred of sanity he had clutched onto for his dear life. How could she not see… how could she not hear… how could she not feel it?

Arnav Singh Raizada wanted her.

His mind wandered back to that decisive night, it had become a habit lately it seemed, when suddenly his mask of carefully cultivated control had come undone, laying bare the passions and desires that befit an animal more than a man, a highly cultured one at that… well at least according to ‘the Book’ it did. He had wondered about the suddenness of this want and the magnitude of its escalation had worried him to no end… oh hell who was he kidding, he was terrified dammit! And yet all he knew was, he wanted her.

The sound of sehnai mixed with a flurry buzz of random sounds… noise, had filled the air… an indistinct buzz, a dim haze, that was world for him in its complete essence… utter mayhem. His posture reeking supremacy, his stance authority, his nose aristocracy and his eyes… well they were closed… shutting off the world, even if momentarily… attempting an escape, even when aware of its impossibility. Well no amount of Off-Broadway or Off-Off-Broadway could prepare you for when you are actually thrown amidst the chaotic drama called life and no amount of Nietzsche and Beckett could prepare you for the actuality of absurdity. Arnav by twenty-seven had learnt this lesson well and hence harbored no delusions of any possible alternative or escape… and yet he just wished to mute this bedlam even if for just a moment. Was it too much to ask for? And as if in answer to his silent plea a sudden hush enveloped the surrounding, only to be filled with the melodious cham-cham of… anklets?

The frown lines across his forehead eased and a calm that seemed like a distant dream suddenly appeared within reach again… just a few more steps and he could touch it, embrace it… But just like that, it had melted into a dream again… untarnished, untouched, unreal. The melodious chime had stopped.  Frustrated, he had opened his eyes to a vision of fire, well that is what she seemed like in that heavily embroidered red and gold lehenga…

His eyes searched desperately for the source of that melodious chime, probably the only hope for his salvation… but the voluminous lehnga did a pretty good job shielding those from his maddened gaze… and yet a pair of unbelievably delicate toes managed to peek. And as his gaze got fixed on those unearthly toes covered in intricate patterns of henna, he was reminded of something that he never thought, he even knew, ‘apke paon dekhe, bahut haseen hai. Inhe zameen par na utaryega, maile ho jaenge.’ ‘So beneath all this façade of cynicism, Arnav Singh Raizada was after all a closet romantic.’ Some invisible force lifted the contours of his lips and he couldn’t stop a loop-sided smirk from taking residence on his face, well temporarily though. For the next moment his eyes scanned through her form, and as he saw her sitting in front of the holy fire, a chilling realization dawned upon him… HE WANTED THE BRIDE… Shayam Manohar Jha’s bride.
***********************************************************

She glanced at the antique wall clock and then at the food spread across the huge antique oak-wood dining-table for the nth time, stifling yet another yawn. It had lately become an everyday thing, him returning home at these ungodly hours and her stifling yawn after yawn, splashing cold water on her face, forcing herself to be awake, waiting for her husband, who didn’t care… AT ALL. Why would he… what was she to him? Oh yes, a trophy wife… whose sole purpose was to accompany him to those excruciatingly tedious parties, linking her arms with his, wearing a smile on her face… a smile that was no different from any other smile in these parties. Well, appearances were all that mattered in this dreary world of power and politics and Khushi was tirelessly working on her mask… mask of a happy wife of a perfect man who would be just the ideal leader to guide the nation to its ultimate success and happiness. Who cared if she was barely seventeen, even eight year olds were trained for cold-blooded combat in this lethal arena of politics.

Spreading a hand on the table she rested her head on her forearm, closing her eyes, wondering, like she often did, what her life would have been like had she had enough courage that night to just walk out of the altar… and towards her freedom. A sigh escaped her lips, ‘if only she had had the courage…’ As she laid there in a semi-awakened state, the darkness behind those shuttered eyes was soon filled with images… images of that night, for the clasp of that nightmarish reality had never slacked on her. Relatively freer of the conscious control, her subconscious conjured that night again…

It seemed like past, present and future were all flowing into one another, submerging the neat boundaries of time, an invention man prided himself on, and yet wasn't it just another of his hollow hubris, for when were they ever really separate? As she sat beside that lecherous man who didn’t even ignite fear or disgust in her anymore, she could hear the Pandit chanting some mantras that didn’t mean anything to her, she saw right through the sacrificial fire, her stare blank. The only thing she could actually feel was a burn on her back… as if something was piercing right through her. The comfortable shroud of numbness slipped a little, as she shifted her head slightly to the right and her gaze locked with his. Something flared that very moment… a fire more destructive than the one that had consumed Sati. What was it? Desire… Passion… Desperation?

What she saw in those hypnotic eyes screamed danger for her, and though she couldn’t clearly decipher the message, yet she could feel something similar bubbling inside her but what she knew by now was that sensation was a dangerous territory, numbness was just so much more comfortable. His gaze disturbed her, disrupted her sense of peace and dismantled her guard, and as the hold of her recently found solace slack a bit, she felt vulnerable once again, alive... but vulnerable and that terrified her. ‘Who was he? And why did he have so much power over her?’ the inexplicibility of the situation tormented her already bruised heart. He seemed as arrested as she was, just as lost and probably even equally affected and yet he just sat there, unmoving, like a statue. She looked once at the man sitting beside her, holding her hand for some ritual, sickly massaging it under the pretence and she shrank in disgust once again. Her gaze flitted towards the stranger again and as he held her gaze, she couldn’t help but wonder, what if he would have been the one sitting beside her, holding her hand and offering ritualistic aahutis in the sacrificial fire? She wasn’t sure if she would have been happy even then but one thing that she knew was, it would have been different with him… good different… at least better. But when had fate ever cared about the goods and the bads, it was as reckless and relentless as ever. Khushi sighed in resignation and willed herself to look away from where her heart had her eyes glued.

She heard some shuffling and that finally brought her back to reality, to Shyam Manohar Jha and his mother Mohini Jha. She was whispering something to her son and he seemed shocked at first and then frustrated, enraged in fact. Mohini told the Pandit to halt the incantations for a bit and then moved towards the visibly confused and aghast Guptas, Shyam followed her, their knot wasn’t tied yet and how she wished it remained that way. She subconsciously moved her duppata to herself. The entire Jha and Gupta clan went inside and Garima warned Khushi to just wait there for it was inauspicious for the bride to move out of the altar until after the wedding. ‘But why just me, why just the bride, every single time!’ she had wanted to protest, but as always, she just held back, for arguing didn’t become a good woman or so they said.

When everyone went inside she sat there alone, the pandit was giving her weird glances and so was everyone else. She turned to find her friend Preeto and saw her avoiding her eyes and hiding behind her mother. She wanted to see him once again, the stranger, to know what he thought of her but the thought of seeing malice and disgust in those gorgeous brown orbs made her close her own light honey ones. Why did it matter so much? She asked herself, but she had no answer, she just knew that if she would see distrust and hatred in his eyes her… her… whatever was left of her universe would crumble down. With her eyes shut, she could now hear the buzz growing around her and slowly the incoherent buzz became faint whispers. She heard someone saying, ‘wonder what she must have done?’ and then another random voice said, ‘she looks so sweet and innocent, such a beguiling exterior.’ and then she heard a man, probably her neighbor Sunil uncle say, ‘you can never truly understand a woman, they are just the biggest con artists ever, you must have heard of a woman’s triyacharitra and that too in Kalyug, good lord save us.’ She wondered how many of them really knew what had happened and if they didn’t, how could they be so sure that it was her fault, this entire mess? And yet somehow, it always was... it always was the woman.

When she couldn’t take it anymore, she just got up and headed inside the house, she could hear some shocked gasps following her movements and the Pandit called her back saying how inauspicious it was for the bride to leave the altar before the wedding rituals were done, she halted in her tracks and a sardonic smile played on her lips, ‘was it ever right? Couldn’t they see it, how blind could someone be?’ and with that thought she moved ahead in her tracks and as the ritualized betel leave and the consecrated yellow thread fell from her hands, she didn’t bother picking those up. Once she was inside she headed towards the inner living room from where she could hear loud voices coming her way,

“Mohiniji please, I beg of you, please think about our family’s name. The rituals have already started, the entire town is here, how will we explain it to everyone. I beg of you please don’t do this.” she could hear her father pleading.

“I am sorry Shashiji but I really can’t do anything about it, you should have told us about your financial condition sooner now there is nothing that we can do.” Khushi saw her would-be mother in law tilt her chin up in arrogance as she came and stood by the door.

“But Mohiniji, you never said anything about dowry, you said you just wanted an alliance with our family, so what has changed now?” she could hear slight frustration in Aakash’s tone, well a delightful temper wasn’t one of his accomplishments.

“Look son, there were so many rich families who  wanted to have an alliance with us but we still chose your family because I don’t believe that money is above everything and knowing your Amma and Babuji I was assured that they would have definitely raised their daughter well. But that doesn’t mean that I’ll get my only son married into some beggar household. We have some status in the society and now that our daughter is betrothed to Arnav Singh Raizada, we really need to maintain some standard.” Khushi wondered why the name sounded familiar. She was busy figuring out where she had heard the name before and also wondering about her level of detachment from all the drama, when she saw her father throw himself at Shyam’s feet,

“Shyam babua, please save us this social infamy. This will mar our family’s reputation, who would ever want to marry our daughter after this.” She heard him break-down, finally. The man who had been the rock of the household for all these years now lay crumbled on the floor, defeated by life, finally.  She fisted her hands into painfully tight balls, shut her eyes and yet she didn’t utter a word. Well Shashi had himself taught her that ones karma is one’s own and one cannot share it with anyone. Her father had brought this upon himself, upon her and upon their entire family and now he’ll have to face the consequences of his choice. All she could do was turn around and there he was… the stranger… 
*******************************************************

Arnav jerked his car to a stop in front of a humongous structure, Shantivan. And yet somehow since that momentous night his steps would always falter a bit before entering his own home. He so desperately wanted to leave it behind, that night, but for reasons he didn’t want to acknowledge, it had become the centre of his universe. As he strode towards the entrance, he couldn’t help but wonder what his life would have been like had he taken a different route that night, would life have been easier or would he have lost the very source of gravity that gave him a sense of belonging? His brilliant brain that had lately been reckless and destructively distracted conjured the image of those honey springs once again… those enchanting honey springs that knew the charm to heal and invigorate but could also curse one to a life of such painful longing that even death seemed helpless to free you of this misery.  And that night those springs were flowing…

 While sitting outside he just longed for her to look at him once, he wanted to assure her that things would be fine. But well she didn’t, ‘was she afraid of him?’ the thought didn’t sit very well with him. He could hear the hushed whispers about her character or rather about her characterlessness and he was enraged, how the hell could these morons not see that that broken woman in red was all that was good and pure left in this world. At one point he was at the verge of just getting up going up to her ‘and… and… and what?’ What the hell was he supposed to do? His generally practical dimag was acting funny tonight, and well dil wasn’t something he believed he possessed. He was still struggling with himself when he saw her leave and as he caught her eyes for a fraction of a second, he could see agony tearing her apart and well, that was it for him, he followed her inside, not caring what others said about him, about her. ‘She needed him and he would be there for her, no matter what.’

He had seen the entire drama unfold in front of his eyes and he was disgusted at the thought of having a matrimonial alliance with a family like that. Oh yes it was an alliance, nothing more, nothing less, a bond based entirely on mutual political and economic aspirations. He had witnessed the cold in her eyes when her father had thrown himself at Shyam’s feet. He didn’t understand her… or maybe he did, wasn’t he going through the same with his marriage? And then as she turned around her moist eyes met his inquisitive ones across the length the corridor, and he knew all the answers right then, he knew her right then for in her tears he had witnessed the helplessness of a daughter but also the rage of a woman failed by the ones who claimed to know and love her the best.

She bent her lashes trying to cover her pain from him, as if saying,

‘I am sorry you had to witness all this mess.’

And he took a slow, determined step towards her, replying without words,

‘Don’t hide yourself, I’ll find you.’

She raised her eyes and attempted a smile, saying wordlessly,

‘I am fine.’

He frowned, unrelenting,

‘It doesn’t reach your eyes.’

She shuttered her eyes for a second and then met his gaze a bit more confidently, making a little more effort, so that her smile seemed more convincing, as if saying,

‘Really everything is fine.’

And he smiled a bit holding her gaze, words were not needed,

‘It will be. I promise.’

Her smile seemed a little genuine by then and then something occurred to her and looking deep into his eyes, she asked wordlessly

‘Who are you?’

But the answer never came as Shyam’s figure crowded her vision. Probably he hadn’t seen Arnav yet, or the tightening of his fists, flaring of his nose, vibration of the vein on his forehead and the red, enraged eyes would have warned him to run for his life. Arnav was now in the hearing range and he could hear the snake hissing,

“Wish I had finished what I started yesterday, but anyway we can finish it some other time, its not like you’ll ever get married after this. I am sure even if useless otherwise you’ll be a good fuck.”

Arnav’s gaze was now fixed on Shyam’s sinister face that was further darkened by the sickening smile that it flaunted. Arnav wanted to punch that smile out of his face but he could do nothing because Khushi didn’t need anyone to do it for her. Her slap resounded in the entire corridor and all the faces turned towards her, Most of them gasped in horror, but Aakash smiled indulgently and in Arnav’s eyes one could see the glint of pride and amazement. Funnily enough it wasn’t the tears of helplessness in her eyes that helped him make his final choice. No, it was her dangerously alluring charm and her free-spiritedness that sealed the deal for him.

Mohini was cursing Khushi and her entire family in the name of Ram, how dare she being a woman, slap her son. HER SON! She thanked her stars for saving her family from such a disgraceful Dayan, what would have become of their family had they gone ahead with the marriage.

“Your daughter is possessed by the demon. Sita-Ram Sita-Ram its Kalyug for sure, women insulting their would-be husbands, slapping them. Ram Ram!”  She said adding stress with exaggerated hand gestures. She then turned towards Arnav, finally spotting him in the vicinity,

“Arnav beta, now don’t you blame us for our decision. Aree, we were in fact reconsidering our decision because I felt pity for this girl and for this family and this is what we get in return? Come Arnav beta, Shyam, we will leave now, or who knows next she would slap me, this shameless girl.” She grabbed her son’s wrist pulling him out but he resisted and so did her would-be son in law.

Shyam had been quiet all this while, but there was something so aberrant about his silence that it terrified Khushi to the core, much more than his menacing words had earlier. Arnav sensed her power slip as Shyam took a step towards her and involuntarily she shifted back, only to feel the stranger’s hand gripping her waist, enabling, in fact forcing her to maintain her stand. Breathless with shock and excitement at his first touch, she stared unblinkingly at his beautiful face, all other thoughts lost in the haze of the new found ones. And yet the object of her fascination currently had no eyes for her as he was fixing his nemesis with an unwavering gaze. And then it happened, he saw the mask slip off Shyam’s face and he witnessed unadulterated vengeance, pure malice and naked insanity. He couldn’t see an ounce of humanness in this man standing right in front of him and he was glad Khushi hadn’t seen what he had.

Shyam then all but hissed, the sound of his voice anything but human,

“Don’t forget this day… because I won’t.”

Khushi had shifted closer to Arnav, wrapping her hand around his arm, not wanting to see this man, she hated so passionately and he in turn engulfed her form a little more securely. Shyam started moving out when Mohini said,

“Aree Damadji aap bhi…”

“He is no longer the son-in-law of our family Ma.” and with that he had moved out taking his mother with him.

There might have been some commotion in the room because, obviously all the Guptas were indeed quite broken, but the man and the woman, practical strangers, standing in the corridor, her clinging to him and him holding her, have no recollection of it whatsoever. They didn’t know how long it had been when they heard someone shriek,

“Babuji!”

And finally the spell broke. Khushi snatched her hand from his arm, where it had been wrapped for god knows how long and stepped back, self-consciously righting her perfectly placed dupatta. She ran to her father as she saw him huddled at the foot of the arm-chair fiercely clutching his chest. Arnav hurriedly dialed the number of Dr. Goenka, his acquaintance, who also happened to be at the wedding. As he stood there at the door, he took in the entire scene, her father’s short breaths, her mother’s teary wails and her bhai and bhabhi’s attempts at controlling the hazzard and then his gaze zoomed at her, Khushi, well he assumed that was her name. She was standing at a little distance from the others and he saw a tiny drop of tear hanging at her lashes. It wasn’t the tear drop that was tearing him apart, after all it was only natural to cry in such a situation and he knew that he could handle. It was the look in her eyes, that haunted look, a mixture of fear, desperation and… guilt? His right hand moved to clutch at the cloth covering the left side of his chest. The numb pain he was feeling there seemed so unreal, so inexplicable… so impossible and yet it scared him because he knew exactly what it meant.

The doctor had diagnosed Shashi Gupta with a minor stroke and had recommended some medicines along with complete rest and no mental stress. How ridiculous his advice had sounded to even himself, but alas duty was duty. Aakash had instantly sent a servant to get the medicines, while Garima sat there beside her husband, slowly rubbing his palm, trying to soothe his pain, sobbing quietly in hers. The guests had returned with the baraat, this indeed turned out to be one of the most entertaining nights for most, providing them with gossips to last for months to come. But he didn’t leave, well he couldn’t, those eyes won’t let go of him.

Arnav decided to not intrude on the family and so he made himself comfortable in the outer living-room couch. He might have dozed off for a while, but when he had finally opened his eyes the sight that greeted him didn’t seem any less surreal… he was gazing at an ethereal nymph and it seemed that she was there just for him… or why would she be wearing red? But then as she was handing him a glass of water, some of it spilled on his shirt, jerking him out of the sleep induced haze.

“Oh I am so sorry, I just thought you held the… the… but no its all my fault, its all my fault…” her hands were violently shaking, there is only so much one can take and she had crossed that limit long back and somehow Arnav felt he knew more than what he had seen tonight. He held her hands in his and placing the glass on the side table, he slowly enveloped her in a warm embrace, one of his hands holding her firmly by her waist and the other running soothing circles on her back and she stayed there, cocooned by him feeling safe and wanted after a long time, in fact she felt human after a long time of feeling like an object that could be bartered and tattered, used and abused as per one’s requirements. And so she wrapped her arms around his form as violent sobs raked her form…

She had stopped crying for sometime now and yet neither of them made any effort at moving out of the embrace, neither wanted it to end… ever. But alas! like all good things do, this did too… A creaky door opened somewhere and Khushi opened her eyes, stepping out of the embrace instantly, shock over their intimate position evident in her eyes. She ran back inside and as he saw her retreating figure, he knew that no amount of political and financial success would mean anything if he couldn’t share his life with her. Once his decision was made, he approached the elders of the family, who were more than happy to abide by it… and yet again no one… NO ONE bothered asking the woman in question… after all she was just a kid, barely sixteen, what would she know of life… they knew better.

“Amma Babuji, I want to talk to him alone.” all eyes turned towards her, but she had already started walking out of the room.

“Arre Khushi what are you upto now? Wasn’t ruining one wedding enough? If you want us dead just say so why are you putting us through all this. Khushi!” Garima called her daughter but she didn’t even look back once, Arnav followed behind.

“I don’t need your charity.” she said without any prelude.

“I am in politics, I don’t do charity.” and he was just as blunt.

He opened the doors of Shantivan and there she was, dozing off at the dining table, her head placed atop her stretched arms… the woman he could not live with… the woman he couldn’t live without… the bane of his existence… his wife, Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada.

Author's Note: Hey guys, so I know its late but you have no idea how busy life has been, for starters I am now done with my Masters and so any day now I'll be kicked out of the hostel and hence in desperate need of an apartment and a job. So I guess you'll forgive me for the delay. But yes please do let me know what you thought of this part. And well this was supposed to be a three shot, but there is so much more that remains to be told and this is already 9 pages on word document, so I really couldn't have gone any further. Anyway I'll be splitting the 2nd part in A and B sections, coz well part B is basically a followup from here. Will try and update part 2B sooner.

Love,

Srija :) 

IMPORTANT NOTICE

               IMPORTANT NOTICE

Hello Guys!

Ok, so I am trying to redesign my blog and hence have also decided to rename it. I know how frustrating it is when you continuously follow a blog and suddenly one day you find it no where, well believe me I have been there... and I have hated those cruel people :p But I don't really like being hated and so here I am informing you all that in two to three days time my blog address which is right now; arshilover04.blogspot.com will change to something else and hence you might face difficulty finding this blog. Also, probably from now on you might need a blog invite to visit this blog. So guys, if you are interested, please just mail me your request and I shall mail you the new blog address. Also you can just PM me if you are on India Forum or even just write your own email address in the comment box over here, whatever means you prefer. The relevant details follow this note.

Finally I would just like to thank all my readers for liking my stories, it really means a lot to me. Also I'd like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.

Love 
Srija :)

PS: 1.) Email: srija.singh04@gmail.com
      2.) IF link: http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3515478&PID=79636508&#79636508
Just drop in a comment here or PM me and I shall PM u the new blog adress.
Extremely sorry for the inconvenience.