Aarav and Anita stood up from sofa.
"Khushi!!", whispered Anita and before anyone could react sound of slap came across on Arnav's cheek. Arnav was forced to take a step back with the intensity of the slap..
And for a moment Anita and Aarav regretted the decision they had taken years back seeing Khushi and Arnav like that.
"How dare you do this Chotey??", Aarav screamed making everyone flinched..
"Then what should I have done Papa?? Should I have waited till Krishna to come here and gets married to my wife or should I have wait till you would have haunt someone for her or should I have wait till she chooses someone to gets married.. You tell me till when should I have waited?? In childhood you all took a decision of our life when we did not know the meaning of this relation.. All these years I grew up with her but still none tried to make me understand what was that in my heart I feel for this girl.. it was something beyond that I could never understand..!! And what wrong today I did?? I just gave it a proper name.. I just refined our relationship status that you all stamped years back.. Now there will be no question, there will be no doubt. That's it.. I am married to Khushi.. And I never regret my marriage..", Arnav's words were sharp and clear.
Between all these Khushi felt left out. Anita Mumma and Aarav Baba did it for their son's wellness, and today Arnav did same thing again because he wanted his doubt, his question regarding his feelings for her to come to an end..
Then where was she?? Where was her feeling?? None asked her.. none cared to understand her.. Not baba Mumma not even Arnav..
Before anyone could understand Khushi ran away from there to her room. Tears fell from her eyes more as one by one incident started playing all over again. Closing the door with thud she locked it from inside and rushed to washroom. She wanted to meet none, she wanted to hear none, she wanted to understand none's point!!
Opening shower tap she stood under it, taking the bottle of shampoo she squeezed mercilessly and started rubbing her head, her hair vigorously as if trying to wipe that scratch of vermilion from her hair partition. She rubbed her body, her face, her neck and pulled away that black thread from her neck that Arnav had tied.
Then her eyes fell on her ring finger, she tried to pull that ring away from her fingers but failed!! Angrily she hit her fist against wall, that made her fingers to hurt but ring never came out. She hit her hand again and again.. That ring was as stubborn as them..
***************************
Sitting on his green recliner Arnav tried to stop any noise hitting his ears, he shut his door, pool side door, then pulled the curtains.. But her whimper, her cry, those broken things sound from other side of the wall made him mad!! Ruffling his fingers through his hair, Arnav left from there taking his car keys.. He could not stay there, the pain in her cry was as sharp as knife, he could not bear that.. even though he was much more aware of the reason all these.
He knew.. whatever did happen hurt her as well as his parents!! His chosen words, his chosen action brought them heart break but he was not ready to understand anything.. Because his heart was broken. He had also never plan to get married to her like this.. Forget about marriage, he was so confused about those strange feelings his heart was telling him to understand.. And to be true.. He was trying.. somewhere!! May be he had also started to watch..that dream to find each other together !! And he was happy with that.. But yesterday.. everything came to pause, making him to do something he had never thought to do.. to her..to himself as well!!
**********************
"All these happened, but none called us?? You should have called us Mumma..", spoke Anjali before heading upstairs. She opened Arnav's door first but his room was empty..
"He is not home Anjali.. ", whispered Anita trying to control her tears..
Shaking head, Anjali rushed to other room and knocked the door..
"Khushi.. Khushi.. Please open the door.. Please open the door.. Please let us talk.."
"There is nothing to talk Di.."
"There is.. we can.. We will find a way, please open the door and talk to us.."
"I'll not.. And there is no way any more Di. Please go away, I don't want anyone to find a way for me.."
Anjali tried to speak but Karan stopped her.
"Khushi.. Open the door please.. Don't you trust your Jiju.. Come out, we can talk. Fine.. Let's do what you want.. Tell us what you want Khushi?? We will do that.. I'll talk to Arnav, I promise.. I'll make him understand..."
Suddenly door was opened..
Anjali smiled widely and tried to touch Khushi.. but she moved away.. Her eyes were on Karan..
"I want Divorce.. Ask him to divorce me.. the end of everything.. I want DIVORCE from him.. from this marriage.. Can you give me that Jiju??"
Karan opened his lips to say when Khushi moved to Anita..
"You say you love me same like Di and Arnav.. Then you will help me, right Maa?? Please ask him to divorce me Maa.. I don't want this marriage, I don't want him in my life.. Ask me to let me go from him!!"
Tears fell from Khushi's eyes, Anita stood immobile..
Khushi met everyone's eyes.. Her dry lids started getting moisten when she met with silence, gasp escaped from her lips..
"Kya hua?? Am I asking too much?? You all wanted to find a way and I want this way.. He started everything and I want everything to end.. He gave our relationship a legal status and I want it to end legally only.. I don't want this marriage.. I don't want to be his BRIDE!!", she screamed and looked away when her eyes met with that man because of whom this is happening.
Her eyes became more teary when she saw him at the bottom of the stairway, she quickly wiped that away and looked away. She so wished to ask him so many question.. to ask him why!!
Anita tried to touch her hand but Khushi moved away..
"Don't come near me Maa.."
Again she shut herself inside the room.
"What should I do Anjali?? Neither Khushi nor Chotey is ready to hear anything.. How will I make them understand under what situation we took that decision??"
"Shh Maa.."
"Please tell them to talk to me.. None is talking to me since that day."
"Maa.. Stop crying first.."
Seeing Anjali failing to pacify Anita, Karan got up and sat on other side of Anita..
"Maa.. Stop crying first.. You will fall sick other wise..
"I'll fall sick.. Do you know they both have not eaten a single morsel since yesterday.. She has just locked herself and he is not at home any more.."
"Have patience Maa.. Please give them time. And this time please..please don't make them do anything we want.. Let them decide whether they want to continue this relationship or end it here.."
"But Karan.."
"Trust me.. It's not even 2 days and we can't see them like this, then how can we see them like this for entire life if they don't want to continue this marriage.. they will get nothing but pain.. If they wish to continue then none will be glad than us and if they wish to end, we should respect that decision Maa.. Let them decide.."
Anjali looked at her husband, Karan assured through his eyes.
Being a son-in-law of this family, being a brother to both Arnav and Khushi..Karan wished the best for them always!! He did not know whether he should question on the decision taken years back.. Even if he did, that would change nothing!! But we can rectify our present, we can give it a try for a better future.. And Arnav and Khushi deserve better.. than this bitterness and heart break!!
Anita looked down, Anjali wrapped her arm around her and stroked her back..
**********************
It's been few days now..
Standing by the window, Khushi wiped her eyes again and again. Tears refused to stop but she did not wish to shed more tears. She can't let him affect her this much, she can't let him hurt her anymore, she will not ever come in front of him who just broke her heart. She switched off all the lights, locked windows, covered curtains and came to bed!! Her whole body was shaking, sitting on bed she decided to do that which would help her distract her mind.
Looking around she found her painting kit then the canvas. Taking her long steps she reached near there, her fingers were trembling so much she could not even hold those brushes. Taking a deep breath she tried once again and this time she remembered him!! She once again remembered that man who had introduced her to the world of colours.. he was the same who had showed her this dream!!
Her eyes became teary again..irrespect of her choice.
Brushes fell from her eyes, angrily she threw canvas and kits away..
"Why did you do it?? Mujhe laga.. sayad kuch.. badal raha hai.. kuch thik ho raha hai. Par tum ne.. sab barbad kar diya.. Mujhe meri hi najron mein niche gira diya tumne Arnav!!", she whispered staring at the family photo frame she has always kept in her room which was taken years before.
( I thought.. I thought something is changing..for Good!! But you.. you destroyed everything..)
Coming back to her previous window panel, she stood leaning against it. 5 days of that night and her crying and cursing these 5 days and nights.. How many days does she have plan to spend like this?? Was she going to cry and pity herself for another 5 days or 15 days or 30 days.. Because deep down she knew she was not going to cry herself for entire life. She does have a life, she does have some dreams.. And that man who had once introduced her to these dreams, can't crush it himself. Because she would never permit him this, to hurt her again!!
Wiping her face, Khushi took a deep sigh and her eyes moved back to her canvas laying on floor. She can't afford to give herself that life that her biological mother had!! She will never forgive him..
She is Khushi and she knew where her happiness lies.