Arnav returned home late night from office and entered into the room calling for Khushi.
"KHUSHI!"
"KHUSHI!"
"KHUSHI!"
"Khushi dammit, where are you?"
He looked around frustrated to find the room silent and no one there. He opened the wardrobe to fetch clothes for the night when his eyes landed on the side where Khushi's clothes used to be and found it empty. With that reality dawned upon him, Khushi is not here anymore, she has left and he is again he's all alone like before she came into his life, his room.
He turned back closing wardrobe only to see Anjali standing in front of him.
Arnav: "Di! What are you doing here? You should have slept by now."
Anjali: "Hearing you calling for Khushi I have to come here, I think you forgot she is not here anymore. "
Arnav: "Di!"
But he was Interrupted by Anjali.
Anjali: "I'll heat up your dinner for you tonight but from tomorrow come back on time because no one will be waiting for you, everyone has their own life to look after. "
With that, she left without looking back at Arnav- who felt hurt with her behaviour; maybe because he wanted her to understand him as she knew everything about the past.
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Arnav ate his dinner silently as Anjali served him without any interest. Tonight dinner seems tasteless, the taste he got habitat from last two years was missing and he knew now maybe he would never get to taste that food.
Arnav: "Di!" Arnav called her looking at her figure walking away.
Arnav: "Are you angry?"
Anjali: "It's late! You should sleep now."
Arnav: "Di please, whatever I did was for only Khushi's happiness and she also agreed on understanding."
Anjali(turning towards him in anger): "Oh yeah? I have seen and heard enough of how you declared your decision of divorce, how she tried to make you understand and how you ignored everything because of your insecurities."
Arnav: "Di at least you understand."
Anjali: "What should I understand? That you don't want the past to let go therefore you pushed your happy present away and let her go, actually no- you asked her to leave."
Arnav(broken): "Di... Di I can't ..... I am scared.... I can't forget those words and...." Again, Arnav was Interrupted by Anjali.
Anjali: "Enough! She never meant that she just wanted you to turn as a good human being but in your fear you are doing which she actually feared."
Anjali: "In you insecurities, you unknowingly doing of which you were scared. You are actually proving her fears right..."
Arnav(crying): "Di... "
Arnav cried and Anjali realised what she had said!
She clasped her palm on her mouth crying, knowing she has hurt him in anger but before she can do anything Arnav left from there to his room and slid down closing the door behind him. It was like everyone is making him remember that painful past from which he has been running from long.
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Next day Arnav woke with red eyes due to an uncomfortable and sleepless night he spent. He kept sitting on the bed for some time before realising Khushi wouldn't come with his morning coffee anymore. He had never really said but her smiling face after opening his eyes in morning used to make him feel refreshed and content.
After that everything was a mess; it took him a lot of time to get ready for office then that tasteless breakfast he used to have before Khushi came in his life.
Anjali looked at him struggling and felt bad, she also wanted to apologise for last night but Arnav was hurt and didn't hear anything.
He tried his best to get engrossed in office work but words of his Di, flashes of past and those teary and questioning eyes of Khushi didn't let him and soon he left office premises.
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Arnav entered in RM late night to find Anjali waiting for him, however much he was hurt by Anjali's words, he loved her a lot.
Arnav: "Di! You're still up? You should be sleeping by now. It's not good for you to not take enough rest in this condition."
Anjali: "I am Sorry Chotte!"
Arnav turned quite before looking somewhere else hiding his pain.
Arnav: "I am tired Di! I am leaving for my room, you should also sleep."
Anjali: "No! I know you didn't have your dinner, so I am coming with your dinner, you go and get fresh till then."
Before Arnav could reply Anjali left for the kitchen, sighing he also left for his room where now only darkness waits for him.
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Anjali: "Chotte I didn't mean that!"
She said nervously to Arnav who was having his dinner silently.
Arnav: "It's Ok Di!"
Anjali: "Chotte please stop destroying your own life, Khushi Ji loves you and I know you know it also."
Anjali: "And about past stop thinking so much whatever she said was her fear and concern, she never meant that."
Arnav: "But you think now her fears are turning true!"
Anjali: "Chotte I was just angry, I wanted you to realise what mistake you're doing."
Arnav: "Di whenever I try to move forward her words really scare me coming back to me again and see now unknowingly I did that."
Anjali: "No chotte your heart is honest, it can't deceive anyone. But now you can do is bring Khushi back here where she belongs, rectify your mistake before it's late. You Love her chotte, accept it before it gets late and your fears destroy what can be your beautiful present."
Arnav hugged Anjali from her waist crying first time in her embrace after all this fiasco. He needed this support.
Arnav: "Di I don't want her to get hurt Di, she is too innocent for that. And me? I am still struggling with demons of past, she deserves better Di. "
Anjali: "May be she deserves better but all she needs is you and you know You need her. Last two years you have lived with her was less painful than the past. "
Arnav: "But..."
Anjali: "No But's and If's! If you want to see her happiness then accept your feelings which make you scared. Only this way you'll get her happiness and yours also because your happiness lies in each other."
Anjali: "Think about it!"
She said patting his shoulder looking as he sat there lost in thoughts and walked away.
Arnav (to himself): "Di is right but I have really hurt her, will she accept me?"
Arnav: No I can't sit over here thinking about this. Tomorrow I'll go to GH and bring back Khushi, with this thought he slept waiting for tomorrow.
*****;**********************
Arnav was ready next day, a smile lingering on his face. He just signed Anjali about his decision who smiled happily and he left to GH to bring back his Khushi.
To be continued......
Proofread by ShaniceKazmi