CHAPTER 8: ON HIS DEMAND

CHAPTER 8 (It's either me or her!)

 

It had been two hours. Khushi didn't get chance to see either Aryan nor bhua Ji. She felt as she lost the very part of her life. But she didn't know why she felt that way but she couldn't able to help herself. She prayed to DM that to take care of her brother and bhua Ji.

***

She waited at the airport until bhua ji's and Aryan's flight took off, in Arnav's private aeroplane.

Khushi had no idea when she would be able to see both of them. She promised her dad, the day before his death, that she would take care of her brother and Bhuaji but circumstances left one another promise broken. She wanted to be with them, she wanted to be their support but nothing she could do now, and it was all for their good.

As night grew darker and darker, 

black clouds hovered in the sky, 

leaving orange rays of sun fade away, just like her happiness from her life, as the night dominated, however, the only difference was everything was snatched from her in a fraction of moments. 

At present it looked like she was alone. Alone like nobody. "Was their anyone who even care if she is alive or not?" She thought

"Mam, shall we go?" Khushi's newly appointed bodyguard said.

She quietly wiped her tears and nodded weakly, and started walking and her bodyguard followed her. Even though she continued taking one step forward her mind screamed to take one step back. 

Was that even a option? As an answer "No" was a straightforward reply.

Khushi hadn't gone quite far when dozen of news reporters came running towards her. She got startled even her bodyguard didn't know what to do.

"Hello, Mrs. Raizada. How are you?" one of the male reporter shouted. 

Khushi gave them a smile and resumed her walking.

"Please excuse us!" Bodyguard replied as he tried to shove reporters away from Khushi's way. 

Camera flashes blinded Khushi and reporters screaming made her head spin. 

One after another questions were asked to her "Mrs. Raizada how do feel to be a wife of the rich business tycoon? Are you aware that Mr. Raizada was first going to marry his girlfriend, lavanaya? If you were, what happened between them that cause them to break up their ages of relationship? We have heard that you belong to a very poor family. Why did Mr. Raizada chose you as his life partner? Were you guys dating before?"

 

 But she neither had answer to any of the questions they asked nor any idea. 

She didn't know anything about Arnav. "Did Arnav have girlfriend and whom he was suppose to marry? But why did Arnav leave her or he still was with her? Why did Arnav choose her over her long time girlfriend?" Khushi thought

Khushi's bodyguard couldn't able to control the press so he called few other security guards and under few minutes everything was under control bodyguards were success in pulling Khushi out of the mess. But she was left even more tangled in her thoughts and more disturbed than before.

Bodyguard opened the door of the BMW to let Khushi into the car but she stood there for a while before sitting into the car, she looked in the sky and with the down heart she finally sat into the car.

Rain had finally stopped, but still weather was gloomy. Khushi who loved rain, now had started to hate it. 

She was in the midst of her thoughts when her bodyguards phone rang.

"Hello, yes sir!"It was Arnav's phone.

"Where are you?" Arnav asked.

"Sir we have just picked Mrs. Raizada from airport, luckily everything got under control and Mrs. Raizada is safe and she would be home in another 2 hours," bodyguard replied.

"Okay, just do one thing pick me from the office."

"Yes, sure sir. We get there in 15 min."

 Saying this he hung up the phone.

"Driver, change of route. Turn to AR groups. We have to pick Raizada sir!" Bodyguard said to the driver.

 And the driver did so went to the AR Groups. 

Right after 15 min driver parked into the parking lot and Arnav had just came followed by his bodyguards. Arnav's bodyguards sat in their own car (that was for them) and Arnav got into his BMW.

Khushi's bodyguard greeted Arnav and went to the security car.

Khushi's hands immediately clenched into a fist, her brows furrowed in anger, she looked outside the window not bothered to look at him, otherwise she would loose herself and would do something that would do not good to anyone. Neither her nor him.  But unfortunately, she wouldn't have been able to spoil a single strand of his hair. But she had lot of questions to ask and she needed answer to every other question no matter what. But top of everything, at the present time she was too tired to argue.

"My Nani has come from the U.K. today," Arnav started his conversation with Khushi but without looking at her. "And I want you to behave as I said before like we love each other."

Khushi didn't look at him but she tried concentrating on what he was saying. "She doesn't know under what circumstances we got married. Just keep your mouth shut as much as you can," Arnav finished his conversation. 

Khushi was aware of Arnav talking but everything faded away. 

"Am I clear?" Arnav said as he looked outside the window. When he didn't get response from her, his anger took over his calmness.

"Am I clear I said?" Arnav repeated his words.

"Yes!" was her mild reply and she laid her head against the window and closed her eyes.

Arnav unclenched his fist and he again looked outside as he inhaled a quick sharp breath to calm himself.

"Turn on the freaking AC," Arnav commanded his driver. 

Driver immediately turned on the AC. 

Khushi had fallen asleep. Arnav tried to keep a safe distance between her and himself but Khushi's head hung in between of the free space. Arnav didn't do anything for a while but later moved in the middle seat and put her head on his shoulder. And she snuggled into him, held his arms tightly to get little warmth. Khushi was shivering due to the AC the temperature in the car had gone really low.

Arnav gritted his teeth and asked his driver to turn off the AC. Even though the temperature was normal after few minutes, Khushi cuddled further into Arnav's neck. Khushi's silky smooth hair tickled his neck. Khushi's hands tightened around his arm, as she was enjoying the warmth she was getting being so close to Arnav. She even unintentionally moved towards him. Arnav tried to free his arm from Khushi by gently moving her head and he was successful too but he shortly held Khushi's head that was going to hit the window and again put her head back on his shoulder. But all of sudden Khushi dug her nail into Arnav's arm as she was having a bad dream. 

"Arnav ji please I want to meet my brother ask bhua ji to let me please!" Khushi pleaded Arnav in her sleep. 

Arnav shut his eyes. 

"Please Arnav ji I..."Khushi stopped mumbling and drifted back to sleep.

A strand of her hair came in her face. Arnav looked at her innocent face, her eyelashes fluttered as her strand of her hair disturbed her sleep.

Arnav reluctantly moved his hand up to her face. He slowly removed the strand away from her face and put behind her ear. And she again snuggled in him as she found comfort in him.

By the time they reached home Khushi was still sleeping. Arnav had no idea what he should do whether to wake her up or not, however, he went for the first option.

"Khushi!" he said. Khushi didn't gave any response. He again called her name. She moved a little bit but she was in deep slumber. Arnav moved her head gently from his shoulder and opened his seat belt. He balanced her so she didn't fall and got out of the car and opened her side of the door. And opening her seat belt he picked her up in his arms and took her inside the house. 

"Nani must be home," Arnav thought but he didn't thought of her about much but Khushi, who was sleeping. She hasn't had slept properly for three days straight.  Arnav took her to his bedroom and laid her on the bed and put white covers on top of her. 

"Doctor said she has fever...and also her sugar level went really low!"

Arnav remembered Mary's words and he stopped in a midway but looked at her without any sign of concern on his face battling with himself he actually brought his hand up to her head to check her temperature and found that she still hadn't recovered yet.

"You love her!?"

Arnav instantly moved his hand away from Khushi.

"Nani!" he said as he heard her voice. He couldn't able to tell whether Nani asked him or told him whether he loves Khushi. 

Well the answer was right in his mind. "No" he would never ever be able to love her.

Arnav walked out of the room towards Nani and closed the door behind.

"When did you come Nani?" Arnav completely ignored Nani's previously asked question.

"That wasn't the answer to my question!" Nani simply replied back. Arnav didn't look at her and kept walking with her.

"It shouldn't matter Nani!"

Nani went to the living area and sat on the sofa and Arnav too sat beside her.

"Why did you marry her without telling anyone?"

"I did what I felt was right to do Nani!" Arnav replied. But in any ways it wasn't a question for which he wasn't ready to answer or was not aware that he would be asked this question by his family.

Nani was still wasn't satisfied.

"Chote, I know that in our family we have given everyone freedom to do whatever they want to do. But we never thought that our own child would take such a big step of his life without expecting to tell anyone," Nani said as anger filled her voice but she was trying hard to control herself.

"The answer is very facile Nani I loved her and so I married her."

"Why didn't you let us know?" Nani's calm mind was slowly fading away.

"You know the reason, Nani. The explanations that have already given you are the only answers you would get."

"What about lavanaya? Was love, you said you have for her was just nothing? What about engagement with her? Do you even know what people are talking about us and what media has to tell the world?"

"I don't care about the damn world!" Arnav grunted. "And yes I never loved lavanaya you were the one who wanted me to marry her."

"So you never wanted to marry her?" Nani asked as she got up from her seat and angrily asked him but she was shocked.

"No!" he shouted as he turned around.

It was so loud that it broke Khushi's sleep. She got up.

"ASR?" another shocked voice thundered against RM walls. 

"Lavanya Bitiya!" Nani said her eyes wide open in shock and Arnav's expression was beyond shocking.

Suitcase from Lavanya's hand fell on the floor. And she weakly walked towards him. Tears made their way out from her eyes. It was clear that another heart was shattered, there was another broken soul. 

"Why you did this to me ASR? Why?"

Now Lavanya was standing right in front of Arnav.

"Give me one reason!" Lavanya shouted. 

"Do you think that my heart was a toy and you played with it and when you got tired you just threw it away. Who gave you the right to play with anyone of your choice? Do you even have any idea what my family and your family has to go through because of you? Few months ago the person who promised me to be my lifetime partner decided to marry someone else."

"Lavanya bitiya there is no point in talking to him," Nani said as she walked towards Lavanya and put her hand on her shoulder to comfort her. 

Khushi walked towards to the source of loud noises. Her head was still spinning and most of the sounds mingled in the wave of her dizziness in her brain but another loud shout completely brought her back to her senses.

"No! He has no right to do that what he has done to me," Khushi heard lavanaya saying but she didn't know at the moment who she was. When she finally saw three people in the living room her mind reeled and he kind off knew who those people practically could be. Lavanaya, and Nani.

"Why I am even talking to you? Where is your so called wife Mrs. Khushi Singh Raizada?"

Lavanya looked around and there was Khushi standing upstairs.

"Please, come down!" Lavanya said and her cold voice frightened Khushi. Obeying her command Khushi came downstairs.

"So, you are Mrs. Raizada. Am I right? How shameless you are?" 

Khushi looked at the person in front of herself (Lavanya) and Nani, who looked at her in anger.

"As, far I have heard about you, you lost your father a month ago and your brother is in hospital right? I am sure you must have shamelessly trapped my Arnav in your love to get few money to give your brother a treatment."

Lavanya's words stabbed Khushi's heart. 

"What are you saying?" Khushi said as she sobbed. 

"Why did you do even worse than that?" another disrespectful words came from lavanya's mouth.

"Lavanya please ask me whatever you have to ask me but don't bring her into this," Arnav spoke up.

Lavanya clapped her hand three times and said "See how bad he felt. It means you really meant what you said."

"Keep your hand on your heart and say that you never loved me."

Arnav was going to say something but he resisted to speak.

"What should I take your silence as? Today you have to tell me. I want the answer. Whether you ever loved me or not." 

"Look lavanaya we can talk about this. But first calm yourself!"

"You asking me to calm myself?" Lavanya asked. "Me?"

"Lavanya ji!" 

"You stay out of this!" Lavanya warned Khushi and Khushi flinched. 

"Okay, since you haven't answered me. It's quite sure that you have to take decision it's whether me or her."

"Lavanya bitiya we can handle this but please don't take any decision in a hurry."

"No Nani enough is enough" Lavanya shouted "and you get out of here!" she said to Khushi.

Arnav glanced at Lavanya and Khushi held her dupatta tightly and looked at Arnav. Her heartbeat increased in panic.

"Please lavanaya ji don't do that!" Khushi pleaded. 

But lavanaya was adamant and she didn't hear her. She gripped her arm and drag Khushi to throw her out of the house. 

***