Arnav was very furious when he entered the house... He thought he was ready to accept their separation even though it pained him... He thought he could let Khushi go away from him if she really wanted it... but clearly... it wasn't the case... He hurried inside and threw the file on the couch... He started pacing in the room while remembering Khushi and her words... How could she act so normal? Earlier, atleast she used to taunt him... but today, she behaved as if nothing ever existed between them...
Arnav: dammit... (he cursed and slumped onto the couch)
Arnav's eyes fell on those papers again and he took the file into his hands... He held those papers in his grip and observed Khushi's signature on them for a while... He gulped down the pain he felt inside... He threw all those papers aside and got up in irritation before he saw a chit... It was the same one he wrote to Khushi, explaining his feelings to her... It was the same letter where he asked her to sign the divorce papers and go ahead in her life, if she wanted to... Looks like that piece of paper didn't change a thing in her mind and she decided to move on...
***
On Anjali's insistence, Arnav had to come over to Lavanya's house... It was Lavanya's haldi ceremony and Anjali couldn't attend it because of her recent delivery... Lavanya was disappointed with that fact which made Anjali make this arrangement... Arnav had to shoot a video of some good moments so that she could see them later... Probably, Nani might come to attend only the wedding... Having no other chance due to constant pressure from Anjali and also from Lavanya, he had to come to her place...
As soon as he entered the place, he heard someone's laughter... He knew whose it was and he tried hard not to fall into that... but he couldn't... He turned his head and saw her standing near the stairs... She was in a yellow saree again but it was quite different from the one she wore the day before... She looked beautiful but he couldn't admire her beauty without thinking about the missing pieces... the one which used to adorn her neck and the one which filled her partition since six months... They were gone... She broke the ties between them... It was so painful to watch her like that... He didn't know there was an other man, standing opposite to her, until she spoke to that person... His eyes fixed on the person whom she was speaking with... He looked like he was in his mid twenties but Arnav never saw him before... Without his own knowledge, he started walking towards them and heard Khushi speaking to that person...
Khushi(smiling): no no Vikrantji... this is not any prank... these are hundred percent sweets made with sugar and you will definitely love it...
Vikrant: but my friends told me that the members from girls side will tease the boys side members...
Khushi(still smiling): no no... It's not like that... I am not playing any prank... These are pure Lucknow sweets made by me...
Khushi was about to talk further when her eyes fell on Arnav... He almost reached them and stood at a metre distance... While Khushi was looking at him, Vikrant picked a sweet...
Vikrant: OK... I will believe you then...
It made Khushi to turn back to Vikrant, away from the intensifying eyes of Arnav... Vikrant took a bite and then he spoke to Khushi...
Vikrant: umm... nice... Lucknow girl... offering Lucknow sweets... I missed all these when I stayed in states... Obviously, there is something special in our Indian ladies and in our Indian food...
Arnav didn't like whatever he just heard... Even though Vikrant said it like a matter of fact, he couldn't tolerate that he was referring to Khushi and the sweets made by her... So when Vikrant was about to pick an another sweet, he stepped and picked the same one before Vikrant could... Vikrant stood like his sweet just got disappeared before he registered that it was taken by someone else... He looked at Arnav whose eyes got locked with Khushi... Arnav brought it towards his lips, still looking into Khushi's eyes... as if challenging her to stop him... and she did it... Khushi held his arm before he could taste it...
Khushi: Arnavji, wait... You can't eat them... You are diabetic... (she tried to stop)
Arnav: no, I am not...
He removed her hold from his arm and was about to taste it when she stopped him again...
Khushi: yes, you are... (she said trying to snatch the sweet from his hands but he didn't give up)
Arnav: I am not... How do you know that I am diabetic...?
Khushi: what? What type of question is that? and what do you think you are doing by claiming that you are not diabetic when you are actually diabetic, in real...?
Vikrant was just watching them with a surprised look... He couldn't understand anything going on between them... Arnav didn't answer Khushi... Instead, he tasted the sweet in his hands even when Khushi tried to snatch it from his hands...
Khushi: Arnavji, what kind of childishness is this? (she asked getting irritated)
Arnav: umm... OK... but having jalebi made by you is some other level compared to this one...
Khushi was confused... What was he trying to prove? Arnav then turned to Vikrant and spoke to him...
Arnav: you are right Vikrant... There is something special in Indian ladies... and Indian sweets... but don't get too attached to them... (he said while looking at Khushi)
Vikrant was hell confused of what Arnav was trying to tell... On the other hand, Khushi was glaring at Arnav to understand what he intended to point? Was he telling Vikrant not to get attached to her indirectly? but why? Ignoring Khushi's curious glances, Arnav walked away from there...
***
Arnav was standing there, trying to record the haldi ceremony but he couldn't...
Arnav(muttering to himself): dammit... there is nothing more annoying than doing this...
The ceremony just started and Arnav couldn't stand there because to be honest, he never liked attending it... He tried to hold the camera properly when someone blocked the view infront of him... Knowing it was Khushi, he couldn't take off the camera from his hands... He could see her eyes looking straight at him and she held a box in her hand...
Khushi: Arnavji... (she called him)
Arnav moved the camera slowly so that he could see her directly now...
Khushi: I will do the recording... Give it to me...
Arnav: no, it's okay... (he managed to say)
Khushi watched him trying to record again... It was so not his type to do that... Khushi let out a deep breathe before speaking to him...
Khushi: could you hold this box for a second?
Arnav looked at the sweet box in her hand while dropping his own hand, with camera still in his hold...
Arnav: huh? (he asked in confusion)
Khushi didn't wait further to place the sweet box in his hands and grab the camera from him...
Khushi(adjusting the camera): By the way, those sweets are for you... Sugar-free... (she added while starting to record the video)
A quick thought of Khushi making sugar-free sweets for him crossed his mind... but it took him no longer to think that there might be other guests who probably were diabetic like him... He was no more any special person to her for making those sugar-free sweets only for him...
Arnav: you can distribute these sweets to other guests who are diabetic here... and give back my camera, Khushi...
Khushi(still recording): I don't know who else is diabetic... Find out yourself and distribute them if you wish to... Also, forget about the camera... I am giving this to you after the ceremony gets completed...
Arnav: what was wrong with you?
Khushi: nothing... Just don't disturb me now...
Arnav didn't know what he should do... and he was confused by the way Khushi was behaving... How could she act normal as if nothing happened... as if there never existed a contract marriage between them... as if they never got divorced... as if she was completely fine with their seperation... Those thoughts not only brought misery to him but also made him angry...
Arnav: fine... Keep it with you as long as you want to... (he said in a rude tone and turned around to walk away from her)
As soon as he turned to leave, he heard a word which he didn't hear from her since few months... The very word which made him pissed off whenever she used to address him in that way... He heard her muttering 'Laad Governor' under her breathe... His heart beat raced when he could finally hear that again... but Arnav was not sure if he heard it right... He stopped in his track and looked at her... He observed her for a minute before walking away again... He might have heard it wrong...
***
While Khushi was recording the whole ritual, Arnav was looking at her from a distance... The ritual almost got ended... He saw the way she recorded everything while still getting involved in the ritual... He watched her smile when people around him started playing with haldi... He cared less of his surroundings and his eyes were only glued to her... Wish he could still have her in his life... Wish he could still have his rights on her as a husband... Suddenly he watched someone applying haldi on Khushi's cheek and how Khushi was suddenly taken aback... He could have enjoyed it if not for the person who did that... He clenched his jaw watching Vikrant giving a sheepish smile to Khushi after applying haldi... He could hear Khushi complaining something but he cared less about that... It's like everyone could get her attention except for him... especially that Vikrant... As his tolerance ran low, he strode out of the hall... He took few minutes controlling his anger when he watched Vikrant coming out with haldi bowl in his hands... He so wanted to wipe the smirk from his face... He stood there watching Vikrant walking towards him... Vikrant stopped when he saw Arnav and smiled at him...
Vikrant: hey, Arnav right...
Arnav didn't reply and stared into Vikrant's eyes with fury rising inside him...
Vikrant: hey man... I heard that you are Khushi's relative...
If only Arnav could blurt out his relationship with Khushi... He wanted to shout and ask him to stay away from Khushi... but on what right could he ask that? He lost his right as a husband when she signed those damn papers and gave back to him... Vikrant continued speaking...
Vikrant: I am sure you don't know about me... I am Amit's brother... and as you know, my name is Vikrant...
Instead of acknowledging that he was Amit's brother, Arnav spoke to him...
Arnav: I can see that you have really enjoyed playing haldi here... (he said sarcastically)
Vikrant didn't note the sarcasm and laughed before replying...
Vikrant: that was true... I missed all of these actually... I landed in India just yesterday and suddenly I feel like I no more wanted to go back even after my bro's wedding...
While Arnav was drilling holes into him through his eyes, Vikrant came up with other thing...
Vikrant: wait... No one applied haldi to you?
Saying that, Vikrant immediately applied the haldi which was still sticked to his palms on Arnav's cheek and ran away from him immediately... Arnav saw him getting out of the gates with the haldi bowl in his hands...
Unable to control his feelings anymore and not wanting to face Khushi again, Arnav decided to get out of the place... He should take a shower and rest himself for a while so that he could run away from those unsettling feelings inside him... Taking his car key out, he stormed outside the gates...
***
Arnav spent almost an hour in his shower, trying to calm his nerves... Why couldn't he accept that his right on Khushi got ended? He let out a groan for still thinking about her when his cellphone beeped with a message... It's from Khushi...
'Arnavji, where are you? Why are you not lifting my calls?' he read her message... Why was she calling him? He typed a reply to her message so that she would stop trying to contact him again...
'I got back home... and I am busy', he sent... To be honest, he was busy with the thoughts that clouded his mind because of Khushi... but the least he could do to avoid her was to tell her that he was busy... He was about to put his cell back on the table when his cellphone beeped again...
'your camera is still with me', he read her message...
'keep it with you and record the other events too if you wish... Di want to watch them as she can't attend', he typed back... He switched off his cell before he could type something stupid and send it to her... He placed it on the table and looked at the couch... He need to take those divorce papers out of his sight first... Quickly, he moved to the couch and took those papers in his hands... Not having the courage to look into them, he just placed them properly in the file and headed over to a bag... Pushing them into the bag, he thought he should meet his lawyer... He exhaled sharply, trying to avoid the pain in his chest when the thought that those papers defined their broken relationship crossed his mind... It irritated him so much and he decided to take a nap to forget everything for a while... Only if he realized that even sleep couldn't forbid his thoughts from Khushi...
***
Arnav took care of everything so that his Nani could come to Lucknow... Others stayed back as they couldn't leave Anjali behind... As for Payal, she will anyhow visit Lucknow after few days along with her parents... It's true that her parents will be going back to Lucknow as her father was almost recovering... They no more wanted to stay in in Delhi and leave Khushi all alone to suffer herself while managing the shop...
Arnav's Nani might reach in another three hours and by that time, he could finish his video conference... After having his lunch, he returned to his room to go ahead with the video conference... He mentally noted that he should visit the Lucknow branch again as he realized that there were few changes he wished to make after he visited it two days back... He saw his laptop an arm distance from where he sat on the couch... When he pulled it towards him, he noticed a folded paper fell on the ground... He saw the paper and realized that it was the same letter he wrote to Khushi and sent along with divorce papers... that same letter which didn't stop Khushi from signing those papers... Sighing, Arnav took the letter in his hands to tear it apart before he saw something... His eyes noticed something scribbled on the back side of the paper... He unfolded it slowly only to see that Khushi left a message for him...
***
Hello friends... Thank you for all your votes and comments... 😊😊
What type of message do you think Khushi left for Arnav?? Good or bad?