Ishq Junooniyat (Book 3)

53. New Dawn

Few minutes after Vihaan left the place, Aarchi walked in fuming in anger, mumbling to herself.

"Aru?" Rishav looked at her concerned.

"What?" Aarchi turned around angrily and instantly calmed down seeing Rishav.

"Sorry... Didn't mean to reply rudely" Aarchi said softly, pulling her hair into a bun.

"What happened? Why are you so mad?" He asked giving her a glass of water.

"Vihaan... Again. After a whole week I finally stepped out and he was there too. We were talking but then... then I suddenly got rude and mean with him because of him and what he did in the past" Aarchi frowned and finished the whole glass of water.

"What made my princess angry then?" Rishav said guiding her to the kitchen.

"Him. It is always him. I'm angry because I am behaving like him now. I'm not a mean person but when I see him I get this instant urge to snap his neck or hit his head with a cricket bat or do something so he knows how much he has hurt me" Aarchi said fisting her hands trying to calm herself. Rishav smiled as he removed a packet of maggi from the cabinet and prepared the utensils for it.

"I hate him... but I love him too...maybe. I'm...I'm...I'm hurt papa. He was supposed to be my safe haven, my comfort zone, my home but... in these past few months I've lost a bit of me in trying to hold this relationship together. I've placed him before me and this is how he treated me. Which husband leaves their wife to celebrate their wedding anniversary alone? He has questioned my love, my self respect, my everything. He makes me feel like I did everything wrong" Aarchi hugged Rishav from behind as hot tears soon wet Rishav's t-shirt.

"I don't want to forgive him but I'm... depended on him. I don't know why but I still feel bad when I spoke rudely to him and saw him look at me with defeated eyes. But he did the same papa with me... he didn't feel bad, why am I feel bad?" Aarchi fisted his T-shirt and rubbed her nose on his tshirt just like when she used to do it as a child, every time Kaira scolded her and she ran off to her father to hide or to be pampered.

"I was worried that in the past one week I might have lost my ray of sunshine, am glad that she is still here. I'd hate for you to change because of that prick. He isn't one of my favourite people. You...you are my princess who is calm, loving, kind, full of life and definitely not a druggie or a hippie" Rishav turned around and wiped her tears and kissed her forehead, pulling her into a hug.

"That candy cigarette thing threw me off guard you know? Especially with the loud music and smoke from your room. I would have never forgiven Vihaan if changed you into that. You... you are my good girl who god gifted me after seeing your stupid brothers. A man can only be kept grounded by a girl child, and you my dear kept me grounded but you also took me to new highs" Rishav patted her back, stopping her from crying.

"Now stop crying. See... your maggi is getting cold. You hate cold maggi" Rishav served the maggi in two bowls and handed her a fork as they both climbed the kitchen counter.

"You want to listen to a story?" Rishav asked feeding her the first bite. She looked at him curiously wiping her nose behind the back of her hand.

"There was a beautiful teenage couple who had their whole future planned out... careers, family, marriage, babies, basically everything. One day suddenly the boy broke up with her infront of everyone and said a lot of mean things, more than a lot and broke the poor girl's heart which was filled with love for him. Years after years went by, the girl repressed his memories while he lived with those memories etched in his heart and soul. One day he saw an opportunity to make her his and he did... but under false identity" Rishav said the story animatedly as Aarchi looked at him without blinking her eyes.