This is a Short Story related to Arnav and Khushi's contract/hate marriage track.
On their wedding night what if Arnav couldn't bear to let Khushi sleep outside in cold Delhi air? Can there be a different end to the torturous night? Can he really ha...
These days peace doesn't come easily to Arnav, there is a storm raging inside him. Why is his dil overpowering his dimag? Nahi hai dil ASR k seene me... he believes. Why can't he accept that she is not innocent?
Arnav is in his office... pacing on the floor, fist closed, thinking. If she really was innocent, why couldn't she tell him about Shyam? If she is not cheating with him, how could she let his Di be with that filth? She, who even Nani seemed to have so much faith in, who used to praise her sanskar and worldliness, who seemed to know so much about the nuance of a marriage- how can she let her Anjali-ji blindly worship that snake? How can she let herself become the other woman and didn't say anything? She, who is so outspoken, why didn't she scream and let his truth known to everyone!
***
Arnav had carried on with the pretense of a caring husband and Khushi as a loving wife in front of the family and outsiders. At Moonh dikhayi he had declared "Khushi meri patni hai,aur iss ghar ki bahu. Isliye kuch bhi bolne se pehle ye yad rakhiyega ki aap jiske baare me baat kar rhe hain. Wo ek Raizada hai.. [Khusi is my wife, and daughter-in-law of this house. Before you say anything else, remember that the person you're speaking of is a Raizada.]And I will not tolerate anyone speaking of any of the Raizada bahus in this manner."
Khushi was dumbfounded at his public declaration, but she knew better than to rejoice at this. "I'll never give you the status of my wife" he had said in the temple. In their solitude everything went back to their agreed upon hatred-filled way.
Arnav had started returning home late after their marriage. He had retired himself to his refuse - his work, his empire, his element. The more he thinks about Khushi, the greater conflict arises between his heart and mind. One - he knows how to control, the other - he must squash. And he needs to be in control, mai kuch galat hone nahi dunga. (I won't let anything wrong happen).
He couldn't bear to face Khushi. Whenever he came face to face with her, he couldn't come to terms that he hated her.
Even now, a single tear or a sign of pain on her face was enough to break him down completely. His unnamed feelings were threatening to overpower his hate for her. As much as he hated himself for this, he knew he had to do this for his Di. His Di, who meant the world to him. So he tried to stay away from Khushi as much as possible.
Ever since their marriage, Khushi too had been found sitting silently at the poolside till late at night. She thought everything can go back to normal as Payal is now married. But Arnav had threatened to make Akash divorce Payal if she doesn't listen to him. Helpless she gazed at the stars longingly every night, blabbering away.
Arnav made out that she must be talking to her parents. He had brought her inside on their wedding day when she was asleep, but he was the one to throw her out in the first place and never officially invited her in. So she chose to sleep outside under the stars, close to her parents. Only after she had fallen asleep, would he too slumber. Sometimes, he woke up at the break of the dawn, simply stare at her innocent face for immeasurable moments, contemplating on whether she was as innocent as she looked.
This was their new routine and they had fallen prey to this symbiotic existence.
Until one fine day, when Khushi decided enough was enough! And what a fine day it was..
*** Holi ***
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