He Loves Me Not - Part 28

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Chapter 28

After a pin drop silence at least for a minute, Shashi speaks up.

“Love?” Shashi asks with sarcasm. “Love is what my daughter did Arnav Singh Raizada. What you did with her is called Business. You have still a long way to go to reach that level where you can call yourself as her true lover”

Arnav looked suitably shocked by Shashi’s choice of words.

“You breaking up your engagement is not going to bring her back. Khushi has decided to close this chapter forever and I am with her. Today you want her back in your life, tomorrow your affinity towards the Raizadas will grow again. I don’t want my daughter’s happiness to oscillate between you and the Raizadas. She has shed enough tears for you all these years. Now if you truly want to see her happy now, I would suggest stop chasing her. Because even if she agrees to reconcile with you, I won’t”



Arnav fists his fingers which Shashi notices. He is losing his control now, isn’t he? Wish he had shown this affection and longing for Khushi some time back.

“Frustrating, isn’t it?” Shashi mocks at him again. “To be so close to winning something and yet cannot feel that success. That’s how Khushi kept feeling all these years. Now its your turn ASR.”

Shashi makes his way out of his own cabin. He cannot stand talking to Arnav on this topic any further.

Each and every word that Shashi spoke to him today feels like a dagger piercing in his heart to Arnav. Shashi Gupta is right. Khushi has gone through such torture all the time and still smiled, stayed happy for her family. He wonders how he is going to tackle everything until he wins her back.

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

Gupta Apartment – Evening 

Khushi bends to take her father’s blessings. It’s hard to part ways from the family again but she has to do this for her own good and theirs. Shashi raises Khushi and hugs her instead.

“You sure want to go?” he asks her one last time.

She weakly nods and puts up a smile.
“Sankadevi” Buaji rushes out of the kitchen with a box in her hand. “Don’t forget to pack this.”
“Of course not, Buaji. How can I miss your sweets?”
Buaji starts sobbing watching Khushi pack the box in her bag.
“We are going to miss you badly here”
Khushi hugs her aunt and then grips her tight.
“We will see each other soon in 3 months at London. We will have a blast there” she assures.

Shashi easily reads the pain surfaced in Khushi’s tone. The news of ASR and Sheetal’s broken engagement is all over the media and Khushi saw that too, yet she chose to stand on her decision of heading back to London. When he came from work, Shashi told her how Arnav tried to know her whereabouts and he had clearly denied mentioning it to him. Khushi had no expressions of grief neither joy on her face then when she heard about it. She has already calculated all her steps this time and she is not going to turn back. None of her moves ahead is ever going to lead her to Arnav Singh Raizada. But in all this, she has lost that charm, her smile and being her father, Shashi hopes that she is able to regain all of it after she reaches London.

“Lets go. The flight is on time” Shashi reminds.

Despite telling her father that she doesn’t want anyone to drop her to Airport, she still agrees when he demands to come. Waving bye to Buaji, Khushi sits in her father’s car and they head to the Airport.

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

“She is flying back to London tonight” Aman hangs up the call he just made at Gupta residence on Arnav’s insistence to know about Khushi’s whereabouts.

After retiring from office early than expected, Aman forced Arnav to spend some time with him so that they can decide how Arnav can woe Khushi back. Arnav tells him how Shashi denied to share Khushi’s details and even though he confessed to Shashi about his love for Khushi, Shashi rejected him without a second thought. That’s when Aman decides to try from his end. He dialed Gupta House and Buaji happened to answer the call. She broke the news of Khushi’s departure to London tonight.

Arnav gets up from the couch.

“London? Tonight?” he snaps
“Yes.. 8:15 flight.” Aman checks his watch. “It’s 04:00 pm already. She is onway to airport”
“Damn”

Arnav picks his car keys and rushes out. Aman follows him too. He doesn’t want to send his friend alone.

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

International Airport - Delhi

“Dad.. I will go in now. You should leave too before they give you a ticket for parking the vehicle at the wrong side.” Khushi mutters.

The parking lot was very far from the departure gates and since it would take extra time for them to walk all the way back here, Shashi parked his car at a place where there are chances he would be have to pay a fine.
“Doesn’t matter. I will bear the fine”
“No.. Please” she requests. “We are responsible citizens of our country; we are allowed to make mistakes but not commit one on purpose”
Shashi chuckles.
“You will never listen to me, will you?”
She pouts as he hugs her and kisses her forehead.
“Have a safe flight and call me the moment you land. Eat something in the airport after all the procedures are done.”
“This is not the first time I am flying away from you, Dad. I know what to do and promise will keep calling you too until I board the flight. Happy? Now go”

Shashi admires her once again and then waves her bye, rushing back to his car.
Khushi keeps watching her father leave and then takes a turn to head inside the Airport, only to freeze at the spot.

“Arnaaaavv?” her voice clogs with tears. What is he doing here? How did he get to know she was leaving? Why is he here? Why now when she has decided to move on?

Arnav watches her painfully. Tears shine in both their eyes as he makes way to her. He looks messed up and utterly disappointed seeing her walk away from him. But that’s not his choice to make. He reaches her and without speaking a word, he snatches the bag she is holding.
“You are not going anywhere” his commanding voice makes her heart flutter. There is a pause as she swallows a sob and steals her bag again from his hold.
“You have no rights to stop me, Arnav”
“Rights?” he interrupts cupping her face, his thumbs brushing over her tears. “I want to have every right on you, Khushi Gupta”
She grips his wrists tight meeting his eyes again.
“I can’t believe I did it. I heard myself Khushi, I broke myself from that chain which bonded me unnecessarily to a woman whom I didn’t love. You made it happen.. You” he adds. “And after giving me that strength to stand up for myself, you cannot walk away. I need you now. I need you by my side, forever”

She tries hard not to get convinced by his sugar-coated words. She knows he isn’t lying. Each and every word he is speaking right now is true and from the bottom of his heart. But it is not enough to forget everything that has taken place in their lives recently.

“I don’t want to be at your side.” She uses all her strength to shrug him away and step back.

Arnav is stunned at her reply and actions.

“You came to me very late, Arnav. I have lost that desire to be yours. I don’t want to be in a relationship now. All I want now is to be myself. To do things that can support my family, keep them happy and in turn get me some peace of mind as well. So please, don’t try to pull me back into this mess. Let me go”

She drags her bags away from him.
“Let you go?” he asks in shock. “And what about us?”
“Us?” she laughs. “There was never us. It was just you and me, Arnav. And I think it will forever remain like that. Doesn’t matter how hard you try to change it now”

She drops her gaze from his and tries to walk away. The next instant, she finds herself being pulled roughly by him and she crashes into his body. His eyes are blazing fire at her. His chest expanded for a deep rough breath. They stood like that for long moment, looking at each other, with grief, anguish and desperate hope to end this clash. But nothing worked. It was like she had made her decision and he wouldn’t be able to change it at the last minute. He has to work hard to get her back in his life and he will do it no matter how much efforts he has to put in it.

The announcement for passengers on London flight to queue for collecting the boarding pass, broke her stance. She meets his scorching glance again as his hand slides through her hair to her nape.

“You want a break from me.. take it.. But I will never let you forget me, Khushi. You made me realize your place in my heart and I will never let you forget mine in yours. I will shed your pretense to move on. We have something between us much deeper and stronger which I took all this long to realize. Physical distances between us is not going to affect that anyhow. We will see each other very soon and I promise, I will go through all your tantrums to make you mine, this time, forever”

 She shivers at his determination but she knows him well. He has lived under the shadow of the Raizadas and if he really wants to do what he just said, he will have to hurt them somehow. Today he might think he has taken a side. But only time will tell which side he really choses to be in forever. Pulling apart, she drags her bag and herself away from him, his sight, his heart while he feels his breaths coming to a halt as she disappears inside the airport.

“Tumhari saasein rukh jayegi” (you will stop breathing) she had once told him when he asked her to get out of his life forever. He didn’t feel anything so strong the last time she left him, like he felt today. He can well understand how she felt all these years when she wanted him but he pushed her away. Now the tables have turned. It’s his time for redemption. It’s no less than a curse, a slow poison which he has to bear till he woes her back. And he cannot wait to start.

Aman touches his shoulder.

“Why didn’t you stop her? Why did you let her go?” he shouts in frustration.
“She needs a break from me Aman until I figure out things here and follow her to London”
“London?” Aman sighs. “You will need a good plan then. I don’t think without it you will be able to woe this lady. She is strong headed and has some great will power. If she has decided to avoid you, she will stick to her words”

That’s true. She will use every power to push him away and he will use all his strength to pull her to him. It’s going to be a rough chase!!


To be Continued.


NEXT PART



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