He Loves Me Not - Part 24

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Chapter 24

Shantivan

“Where did he go like that?” Revati asks her husband after seeing Arnav rushing out.

Ayush is in a dilemma if he has to share it with his wife yet or not. He knows Revati is not going to take this matter lightly once she knows. And until Arnav sorts out the mess, he created it is better whatever they conversed today remains a secret between the father-son.

“What did you talk to him?” Revati asks again.
“Business talks. That’s all. You don’t have to worry” he pats her arm and then makes his way out. Revati apprehends he is hiding something big. And she has always seen Ayush doing this only to save Arnav’s back. Even during Arnav’s childhood, if he ever committed a mistake, Ayush used to cover it up from her. He is repeating the same now. But what has Arnav done this time?



*******************

Gupta Apartment

Khushi after finishing her dinner, gets back in her room and once again all the happenings of the day flash in her head. Sheetal Mathur accusations, her father slapping Sheetal, Ayush confronting them to know the real truth and her assurance that she is not interested in Arnav, everything keeps revolving around Khushi’s eyes as if it is all happening right now.

“Khushi..” Shashi comes back in her room. He is holding a bowl of Chocolate ice cream. “This is the best medicine for pain”
It brings a smile on her lips.

“That’s my dialogue dad and thanks.. I needed one”

He sits next to her and they start sharing the ice cream. After some general talks, Shashi decides to share his plans.
“I am thinking of putting my resignation papers tomorrow”
“Resignation?” Khushi jerks.
“Yes.. I cannot work there anymore”
“Dad, no” she puts the bowl away.
“You think I don’t have potential to work elsewhere?”
“It’s not about your potential, Dad. But you have given so many years to that company and you shouldn’t mix your personal and professional matters”
“I won’t mix them Khushi, but cannot guarantee they would think like us. One or the other day Mathurs may coax Ayush Sir to fire me. They can do anything and after today’s incident, I don’t have much hopes from Ayush Sir either”
Khushi sighs in disappointment.
“I messed it all up, didn’t I? Shouldn’t have come to India. I was better there in London”

Tears pool in her eyes again. Yes, this is all her fault. She was blind in love to see the after effects of her decisions of convincing Arnav to admit he loves her.

“Don’t blame yourself. You did nothing. I wish we could somehow return the debts of these Raizadas”
Khushi looks sarcastically at her father. Which debts?
“The Sponsorship for London” he sighs again.

Khushi shakes her head confused.
“What connection do they have with my Sponsorship? It was by my merit, my marks, isn’t it?” her pitch increases.

Shashi lowers his gaze. Seems like now it is time to reveal the truth to his daughter.
“Dad.. I am asking you something. What has Raizadas to do with my Sponsorship?”
“It was a paid Sponsorship” he admits.

Khushi feels aghast of that truth. Paid Sponsorship? Now she remembers why Revati Raizada always kept taunting her? What Sheetal Mathur was meant by the favors which Raizadas have done on her.

“They paid for it? Why?” she gasps.. Tears roll down her cheeks again.
“I thought Arnav wants to see you get good education. So he pushed his father to make that happen. They had ties with the good universities in London and during those days I thought they are doing this because they think us as a family. But I was wrong. These people keep a count of every single favor they do on others so that someday they can make use of it”

Arnav? She tries to absorb what she just heard.

“Arnav..he… he paid for it? Not.. not Ayush Sir?”
Shashi nods. It makes her stomach wince in pain. That man wanted her to go away from his life? Because he never cared.. he never loved her.. Hence he kept pushing her away. Every single time except that one night… the night on his birthday… Nothing was right about that night.. He was drunk and any other man who knew a girl likes him to that extent would take benefit of it in his intoxicated state. He was no different. He did what anyone else would do the next day when conscious. He shrugged her off like a fly. She feels broken. All this is too much to absorb right now. She was a fool to have hopes from him.. from that one night which changed her life.. forever.

“Don’t think much about all this now. Get some rest. We will find a solution to return their money. Okay?”

Shashi caresses her head and then taking the empty ice cream bowls he makes his way out. Khushi falls on the bed, cuddles the pillows and weeps silently. He broke her heart today. She will never forgive him. Wish she could rewind her life and take off his existence from it.

******************

It was a bad day and it couldn’t get worse when she heard her phone ringing constantly. She was still sobbing under the pillows, hiding her face from the world outside who would call her a fool for wasting her important years of life in dreaming about the man who never cared for her love. The phone bell keeps ringing, forcing her to check the caller id. Arnav? Every time he tries to contact her, gives her a slightest hope that he has made up his mind. But tonight, she has lost all her hopes of their togetherness. He never loved her.. he never will. She disconnects his call. Within the next few seconds, her phone rings again, annoying her even more. She disconnects it again. After repeating the same thrice, she decides to finally answer and shut him off completely. She picks the next call.

“I am not interested in talking to you. Stop bothering me by your phone calls” she sounds disappointed and angered on him.
“Khushi.. Meet me once. I am waiting for you outside your apartment. Come down”

It shocks her. He is here? Why? Did he get to know what happened in the office? Is that why he is here?

“Return back to your family, Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada. I said I am not interested in having any conversation with you”

Her frustration is justified but he wouldn’t back down now.

“Come in 5 minutes or else I am ringing your doorbell. Choice is yours” he disconnects the call.
He would do that? Does he have that guts to ring her doorbell, face her father and speak before him whatever he has in his heart? Will he do that? No!! Not because he lacks that spine but because he loves his adoptive parents too much to disrespect their wishes. He will always hide his feelings, his pain, his likes for their convenience. And she hates that part of him the most.

She takes another minute to think what she has to do and then draping a shawl over her upper body, to cover herself from the extreme cold outside, she makes her way out.

**********************

He is standing by his parked car, on the other side of the road, which is deserted from vehicles and people, especially at this hour. A safe place for a secret talk, isn’t it? She groans at herself for even having that 0.00001 percent chance that he would have rung their doorbell. He wouldn’t!! She crosses the road and strides towards him. His eyes dart into hers with pain and longing, both. While hers, with dejection and frustration.

“You better have a strong reason to call me here at this hour. I don’t want your family to accuse me of being an opportunist now” she barks.

His face is thick with tension.
“You are quitting the job?” he silently asks.
“Yes” she replies confidently.
“You are running away? What happened to your fighting spirit?”
“You have no rights to ask me that” she growls back. “What do you expect? I should quietly suffer while your family and fiancée insult me?”
“You know I would never want that” he admits.
“I know exactly what you want Arnav Singh Raizada and that doesn’t include me.”
“I don’t want you to make any assumptions about my motives” he snaps.
“Yea, I shouldn’t. Because these assumptions have now been confirmed” she controls her tears because she wants to talk.. not weep before him and show her weakness. “You paid for my sponsorship?”

Out of all the topics already oscillating between the two, this was the last one he had expected them to discuss.
“We have enough mess to clear already, that being the last” he answers.
“Last?” she scoffs. “What the hell do you think of yourself. You were so tired of me that you literally paid to push me away forever?” she hits his chest angrily. He steps back. She is hurt and he dislikes seeing her grief-stricken. “Why dammit?” she hits him again. The third time she tries to do that, he holds her wrist and pins her to the car behind.
“I paid to give you a better life” he groans.
“Who are you to decide what suits me better? You are not my Godfather Arnav Singh Raizada. You have messed my life enough. Don’t ruin it any further”
“I messed with your life?” he snaps. “What are you doing with it then? Dad asked a proof that you would stay away from me and you gave him a bulshit excuse of marrying Akash? That too as soon as possible? How sick is that Khushi Gupta? You are playing with your life this time, not me”
“My life.. I will see what I have to do with it. I marry Akash.. have kids with him.. shift to London forever.. tumhe kya faraq padta hai?” (Why do you care?)
“Faraq padta hai dammit” he shouts at the top of his voice. ( I do care Dammit)
“Kyon? Kyon faraq padta hai?” (Why? Why do you care?)
“Kyon ki main tumse.. P…” he pauses (Because I.. )

The pause in his words make their hearts beat frantically. But when he doesn’t complete it, Khushi passes a mocking smile.
“You cannot admit it, Arnav. You cannot!!” she shrugs his arms and pushes him away.

Arnav looks down, feeling terrible for himself. Just three words, that’s all he has to say to stop her from whatever she is going through. And he cannot do that?

“Get back to your life.. your parents.. your fiancée. .Thats what suits you.. And consider this as our last personal meet. I have nothing to do with you or your family on a personal level henceforth.”

She walks off and he tries to stop her. The Shawl she is wearing is all he could get a grip off as she strides back to her apartment gates without it. Arnav fists his fingers, grabbing her shawl to his heart.

******************

When Khushi pushes the door open to get inside, she sees her father standing right before her, looking stunned.

“Where had you been?” he painfully asks.

Khushi goes speechless for a minute, fishing for a reply which can remove all doubts from her father’s head but before she could find any, he blurts out what he saw.

“What was Arnav Singh Raizada doing here? At this hour?”
Khushi skips a heartbeat. That means he saw. Her father saw them talking.. No.. Correction.. He saw that arguing.. fighting.. pinning and pushing. Shashi takes a step towards a frozen Khushi and grips her forearms.
“Since when is this going on?” he asks in a hard tone.
“No” she denies. “There is nothing between us, Dad. It never was. I saw things which he never did.. And now I do realize I was wrong. There is nothing between  us anymore.. I promise”

Tears gush out from her eyes. Shashi embraces her, his eyes wet with similar tears. He never knew his daughter was in love.. One-sided love. Wish he could share her pain.. reduce it and make her strong to face a new life again.


To be Continued.


NEXT PART


To Read He Loves Me Not from the Start. Click HERE

Books by Madhuri Tamse

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