Wedlock Part 26

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Part 26 

Trendy Pub 

The place is loud and busy. Weekend has just begun. Khushi and some of her college friends have come here in South Africa for a get together. 

“I told you guys, it will be crowded. Partying on the beach would have been better” Khushi Gupta screams aloud, little pissed off and drunk.
“Chill Khushi” Tanmay, her ex college friend interrupts. “You wouldn’t find such handsome men around on a private beach though” 
Khushi stops drinking. 
“Tanmay… since when did you start showing interest in men?” she teases. 
“Oh Lord. I said this for you girls. Not for me. I am happy being committed to Neha” 




He cuddles Neha, another batch-mate whom he has been dating from past few months. 
“Guys” Joanna joins back the group. She had been to the washroom. “Enough of drinking and dancing, how about some games now?” 
“NO” Khushi denies. “We are no more kids to play games. Look around JO! We are adults. Let’s behave like one”
“Stop being a spoil sport Khushi. Let’s spin the bottle for truth and dare. What say?” 

Everyone apart from Khushi agrees, hence she has no choice. They begin the game. Neha chooses to say the truth. She reveals something about her first crush which even Tanmay wasn’t aware of yet. He is upset but soon cheers up. Joanna picks the dare and manages to irritate the bartender by her flirting skills. It’s finally Khushi’s turn .

“Of course, Dare” she exhales. “Give me something hard Guys!! Come on!!” 
Joanna takes out her mobile and shows a picture to her. 
“Can you kiss this guy?” she asks.
Khushi tries to concentrate on the man in picture. 
“Damn!! He is too… Hot” Khushi kisses the mobile screen. “Done. It was so simple” 

Tanmay laughs. 

“Darling.. she means kiss the guy in real”

Khushi rolls her eyes. 
“Okay.. How can you be sure he is around here?” 
“I took this selfie outside the washroom where this guy had been talking to someone over the phone. He is definitely here. Find him.. Kiss him..” 

Khushi nods. 
“Here I go…” 

She picks the half-filled bottle of Champagne and gets in the crowd. She is pushed by people but she doesn’t care. She is on a mission. And she will succeed in it. She knows her friends are watching her, so she cannot turn back now and prove she cant dare. At the other side counter, she finally sees the glimpse of the same man she has been asked to kiss. 

“He is here, guys. Watch” she says dialing one of her friend. 
“We are watching” Joanna shouts from the other end. 

Khushi makes her way to the high chair at the bar counter where this man is stylishly sitting and enjoying his drink. She really finds him very attractive from his back. He has those ripped muscles to die for. And his hair… perfectly combed and thick enough to brush her fingers in them. He turns to his side, to talk to the man sitting next to him. That’s when she notices his smirk. He has lips to die for. Is he single? She hopes he has no date tonight because whatever she is going to do with him now, wont make his date go well. 

She reaches him. 

“Hi” she calls. 

Arnav Singh Raizada turns around. He is not very fond of women who have no control over alcohol. 

“Yes?” he asks trying to be as formal as possible. 
“Uhh.. I … I want to..” she mumbles but fails miserably to warn him of her upcoming actions “Forget it” 

Saying that she wraps her arm around his neck and raising on her toes, she kisses him hard. He is undoubtedly shocked. When she pulls away, his eyes spat fire at her. That’s when she notices he has two guards along who are about to drag her away but if they are still holding up its only because he has gestured from his hand, asking them not to. 

“You have guards?” she asks little surprised. She then pats her head. “What am I asking? Of course.. they should protect a sexy man like you” she winks. 

He is insanely quiet as if words fail to form a sentence in his mind. 

“Thank you” she murmurs.. “For this” she touches her own lips which are still quivering from her previous precious actions. “And sorry..” 

Arnav clenches his jaw seeing her stumbling. She did this in the affect of alcohol. No one ever has dared to get this closer to him. 

“I should go” she stumbles again. “I…” her eyes start closing. “I am going to fall” 

This is all she manages to tell him before closing her eyes. Arnav Singh Raizada strides to her and holds her before she can collapse. He looks around to see if anyone recognizes her or comes forward to claim knowing her. And when no one does, he calls the lady bouncers who rush to him gauging the situation. 

“Take her in lost and found area. I am sure someone will come looking for her” 

The sturdy girls hold Khushi’s fragile body. 
“And if no one does and she doesn’t wake up, that’s my number” 
He hands his card to them. The girls take Khushi Gupta away and whilst they are still on their way, a group of youngsters come and identify themselves as Khushi’s friends. One of them even comes to Arnav and apologizes. He tells Arnav that they had been playing this silly game and that’s how she ended up playing this stunt. When the group leaves with unconscious Khushi, Arnav looks at the guards. 

“I want the CCTV footage deleted. Understood?” 
“Yes Sir” 

One guard leave to ensure this happens whereas the other follows Arnav out of the Pub. After having a terrible time at work, he wanted some relaxation, which is why he came here along with his guards. Who knew this one decision could change his entire evening? 

“Kuch yaad aaya” (Remembered anything?) Arnav Singh Raizada asks her again, and this time his voice comes from behind her and not from the phone call which has gone dead.

Khushi jerks and turns around. Her husband is back and she thanks God that she didn’t have to play that silly game of finding him in this crowd again. So, that’s why he called her here. To remind her how they actually met the first time which obviously he remembered but she never did. She didn’t even recollect that incident or his face until Arnav put his efforts today. Damm!! This is so embarrassing. She never had a good impression in his eyes and this one scene added more dirt over it.

“Yes” she stammers.. “I .. .I remember now” she looks down feeling immense guilt. “But that was past.. And I really regret drinking above the limit because if that’s what it makes me do, then.. its bad!! You are right.. I should be avoiding alcohol not just during this deal but even after that. It was a different phase of my life. I do regret.”

Arnav keeps listening to her. He is glad that she remembers.

“Do you understand that one scene could have worse repercussions had it not been me? Any guy would have taken your advantage”
Khushi pouts.
“I know. Stop making me feel more guilty”

Arnav keeps staring at her.
“I get it” she suddenly interrupts. “That’s why you wanted me to come here with you. So that you could make me count my mistakes?”
Her heart thumps analyzing the other angle of this incident.
“But wait. I didn’t remember your face but you did. Even after this, how could you agree to marry me? You knew I was so .. so different than your type”

Now she is on the right track, he thinks.
“Because I don’t think you will spoil your entire life for revenging me for that kiss”

The moment she says this, she feels flushed and unfocused.
“Uhh..mm. I mean.. why did you marry me?”  Her head spins uncomfortably analyzing his unsaid response.
Arnav exhales.
“I never thought I would give you any credit but you are the first woman to do something so impactful on me” he confesses. “I was smitten by you for no idea how long” he adds.

Khushi feels her feet unsteady. What is that supposed to mean? Was it love at first sight kind of for him? His dark eyes watch her intently.
“Meaning?” she asks.
Arnav pulls her in his arms.
“Why do you think I proposed your father for giving your hand in marriage to me?”
Khushi gulps. He was really smitten. But that one meet which was so uncanny and unprepared, can lead a man like Arnav Singh Raizada to want her? Should she be proud or scared or worry about his next motives? Is he trying to lure her like Lavanya warned her about? She shrugs his arms and moves back.
“But that incident doesn’t mean a thing to me” she confronts with some strong voice.

Arnav raises his brow.
“It doesn’t?” his voice turns husky. “Then why are you sweating in this high AC” he wipes the sweat bead formed on her forehead.
Khushi swallows hard, glancing anxiously at him. The best way not to make him get more involved in observing her reactions, is to make him talk more.
“Why didn’t you tell me this prior?” she snaps.
“When? After our marriage? I remember you packing bags and running away without even having that curtesy to inform me” he scowls.
“Before the marriage” she snaps again. “You proposed for my hand and Dad agreed for whatever profits he saw in this partnership. But you could have talked to me once. Met me. You didn’t even show interest in knowing me more than that one night in this Pub.”

Yes, he repents that now.

“I was busy. Apart from marrying you, I had an empire to run and somehow the right time never clicked. I thought I would share this on our first night of marriage but you know what show you gave me then”

Khushi fumes

“Show? I didn’t give you any show Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada. I was intoxicated. That was my only fault that night and you.. you presumed me giving such similar shows to other men, thought I was characterless and very cheap to be your respectful wife and hence you fled back to your home. You left me alone in that hotel. You narrated the entire scene to your Nani and she started hating me more than she ever could. You both disgusted me, insulted me. What other choice did I have then? You knew how I was before we married and even then you made me your wife. It’s your mistake which made you repent and hence you ensured that you never bother where I was, how I lived, when I was gone. All you cared was satisfying your manly ego thinking you made one wrong decision of getting me into your life and kept rectifying it by keeping me away to survive, until one fine day when Di decides to see us both together again and happy.”

Her eyes tear the very next moment she completes this bunch of statements in one breath. Arnav is dumbfounded. Tears affect her vision but she doesn’t care.

“I am sorry” he mutters while she furiously stares at him. “I was wrong to leave you like that. I thought I did the right by letting you live a separate life. I made myself busier and cut myself off from any such relationships again and I still repent for doing it. You had no clue we met here. I should have used the opportunity to share this with you much prior to our wedding. If I had done that, maybe we would have never ended up separating.”

Khushi is shocked that he is finally opening up and accepting his mistakes.

“I wasted your life.. made it more difficult. I should have taken the responsibility of our marriage and worked on it rather than pinpointing you for that one night and letting you go way”

Khushi shuts her eyes. She had yearned to hear this from him. He was too adamant to accept his mistake before. She hadn’t expected him to do so, that easily.

“Forget it” she sighs “Why are we even discussing this?” She says disappointedly and tries to leave when he holds her hand.
“Because it matters to me now”

She hears it very loud and clear. She is unable to believe what he just confessed. It matters to him? He comes and stands before her again.

“I got to know the real you when we started staying under one roof. Your attachment to Di, your fears, your comfortless position in your own house, in between your own family is what made me realized I was totally wrong in judging you. I wouldn’t say you were always right Khushi. You did a lot of mistakes too but it was my duty to get you out of it because that’s what we committed for when we married, didn’t we?”

Khushi smiles sarcastically.

“I don’t know what you committed for, but when I signed the marriage papers Arnav, I just had one thing in mind. I didn’t want the marriage. I didn’t want to be passed on from my father to some other man only because I was overburdening him. So, neither this marriage meant anything to me, neither the contract we have now for keeping Di’s wishes nor the new side of your interest in me which you just confronted. I am interested in none of this. It’s too late to woe me. Love.. relationships… healthy marriage is the last thing I am looking for right now. So, please don’t keep any high hopes.”

She shrugs his hold from her wrist and walks to the exit of this Pub. Wish she could take the next flight to Delhi but she cannot. She is trapped here with Arnav Singh Raizada for the next 3 days and she the man who could put so much show in one evening for her, only God knows what lies in the next 3 days ahead for her.

To be Continued.



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