Horizons of Love✓

Part 29

While family spent the week preparing for the engagement, top AR designers were busy brainstorming. By the end of week, they were able to convince ASR with their simulated designs. With feasibility analysis done, Arnav was sure it will work wonders in Western Europe, enhance AR Designs's stature which ll help AR Group's share price, more investment. Great! It has potential of triggering a huge chain reaction. A single design!

Garima Gupta got her first official contract of her life. She had to train 3 designers from AR. Amount paid was handsome. Secrecy clause and all was properly explained to the everyone. Arnav was able to convince Guptas that it was not a favor, infact opposite to be precise and it would have been same if it was Nani, Mami or even he himself in her place. They were family !! Period.        

Shashi hated this man for whatever he had done to his daughter, his rigorous efforts from past years have softened his stance. A thaw was made to today as he looked at his wife's proud face. She was really happy that her work got acknowledged. A businessman had identified something halwai had failed to. He passed a smile to Arnav for first time after remarriage-fiasco. Arnav smiled back hesitantly still not able to look directly in the eyes of old man, he was father of his wife. It felt weird. Then he realized that smile means ice may have melted? He has forgiven him, a tiny bit? Maybe. He heaved a sigh of relief. Khushi and Payal were happy for their Amma and celebrated it by treating everyone with the chaat and other things. They made sure that her purse was empty by the end, fighting among themselves for the greater share. Garima already aware of her daughters' habit, had stashed away half of it. Payal had decided to scowl at Arnav just 5 times a day instead of 7 in a goodwill gesture. 

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Khushi had seen the brief exchange between him and her father. His equation with her mother was already great. She was happy about it. 

Badaam kheer was the dessert that evening. The faint fragrance of elaichi told him who made it even before he got to taste it. She has cooked it for the first time after their separation. He tried to control his overwhelmed feelings. Unsuccessful, he took his bowl to the study where he could sob unrestrained with every spoonful, without making fool of himself in front of others.

Khushi watched him from the door for a full torturous minute struggling whether to leave or go inside. She battled with her haphazard thoughts as he struggled with freely flowing tears, his emotions that were all over the place. She was inside in a flash when he choked on a mouthful. Keeping kheer aside, she made him drink water, tilted his face upwards and caressed his back. She wanted to hate him from deepest of her soul, like really really hate him. Why couldn't she just hate him? Why was it so difficult?  It should soothe her that he was suffering so, but his tears failed to evoke any joy inside her. They made her feel hollow, a low creature, biggest criminal in the world. She closed her eyes to contain her tears, keep them stuck inside her eyes.

Dil lene waale pe zor nahin chalta
Pyaar ka ye sikka, kahin aur nahin chalta

No pressure works on the one who takes heart,
The love you have for a person cant be given to another.

Man cannot see tears in woman's eyes. True, yet he hurts her, makes her cry. A woman too hates it when man cries and what makes it worse is, she doesn't need to be the reason behind his tears, to feel so low. Hatred, she feels for him slides back into some dark corner at a single drop from his eyes. She feels helpless. His tears have power to give her sleepless nights, they are powerful enough to trigger hers which soak her pillow night after night. 

Heat of his stare brought her out of her thoughts. She sat down on the table in front of him and wiped away tears from his face. Arnav looked on as she brought a spoonful near his mouth. He opened his mouth, feeling so lucky. He wanted to smile now and irony was there was nothing left to smile about. He had successfully destroyed everything. What could have been a weekly occurrence has turned into once in a life thing. He got to eat something so simple as kheer from her hands after 914 days. They were in this situation because of him. Why was she getting stressed, it was punishment for his sins.