NEW FF: THE WAIT - Part 1

PROLOGUE LINK 

CHAPTER 1



ARNAV SINGH RAIZADA



‘Life is too short. Live it fully while you have it.’ Nani always used to tell us this when we were young. None of us understood its depth until we all lost someone who was too precious to us… too precious to me.. my twin brother Dhruv. It’s been six months since that fateful accident in Greece where we lost him. Though twins, Dhruv was ten minutes younger to me and though we matched in the physical traits, emotionally, and the way we took life ahead was completely different. Dhruv’s humorous, cool and playful attitude gained him more popularity amongst the women while my broody, dominant and controlling nature attracted more enemies and competitors in every walks of life. And in all this, the only person who could handle and love both of us equally, was our elder sister, Anjali Raizada, the one who was getting engaged to her childhood friend Shyam Gupta.


The Guptas!! One of the leading industrialists in the country had friendly ties with the Raizada family from decades. Even after Dad passed away in an accident, and we lost Maa too years later due to her prolonged sickness, the ties that the Guptas had with my family never shattered. Shashi Gupta and his wife Garima Gupta stood as strong pillars to our joint Raizada family and touchwood, by the grace of God, these two families are now getting bound into a stronger relationship once Shyam and Di gets married in the coming month.

I turn off the shower knob and patting dry my body, come out of the bathroom in my white Turkish robe to dress up for the engagement party which is held in Shantivan today. Every second that passed since I landed yesterday to India for this ceremony from London has my heart beating faster than ever and no matter how much I try to avoid the feeling, I know it’s never going to let me at peace. I slide the closet door and look for my grey suit, when a small box drops down from in my hunting process and the pearls scatter on the floor. Damn hell!! I instantly, bend down and collect them before they roll farther. Each of these white pearls are precious to me.. even losing one of them is like losing my life. I put them back in the box, and admire them shining inside it, recalling the most beautiful and sinful moment of my life.

The feel of her soft lips still lingering on mine, my fingers tangled into her pearl necklace, her palms feeling up my body hungrily as we indulged kissing each other like our life depended on it.

I shut my eyes to stop these images from clouding my sane thoughts again. This moment, this memory, and touch of hers has imbibed into my heart from last six months, and spreading into every vein in my body, poisoning it with a feeling I don’t want to have for her. She belongs to Dhruv. She was never mine.


“Chotte,” Di knocks the door of my bedroom, bringing me out of my trance. I put the box of pearls in the closet before shutting the door and turning around to face my sister who had decked up almost like a bride in a maroon Lehnga. “What are you looking for in the closet? You are wearing this today, not your boring suits.”


She’s got a maroon sherwani along with her.

“Did you forget, we have a maroon theme for today’s ceremony?”

She shoves the sherwani on my chest.

“And this color always suited you.”

“Says who?” I arrogantly ask, snatching the sherwani from her and put it on the bed. “Di you know I’m not very comfortable in ethnic wear.”

“That’s unfair, Chotte. Had Dhruv been here, he would have loved to ..”

She suddenly freezes realizing she just remembered our lost brother and within a fraction of seconds tears pool in her eyes. I pull her to me.

“I wish he was alive and with us today, Chotte,” Di sobs.

I wished that too. Only if God wished the same. That’s why I don’t prefer leaving God to fulfil my wishes or my families. Whatever they want, I’ll be the one providing for them, doing anything in my power and might to ensure they are always happy and contented. After Dhruv’s sudden accident, we couldn’t even think of having an event like this in our family for at least a year. But I didn’t want Di’s marriage to be postponed for that long. She deserves to be happy and I knew this one event could give a gentle push to our family to start living again.


All these six months I’d kept myself engrossed in work at London but I knew my family here in India were missing Dhruv and still lamenting over our loss. Hence I initiated the talks with Mr Shashi Gupta and Shyam and convinced my family too to get this childhood friends turned lovers married. Nonetheless, I hadn’t thought much how I was going to face Shyam’s sister, the woman who had been haunting my heart, body, and soul every minute that passed since I first saw her. Since I first met Khushi Gupta.


“Chotte, I regret that very moment when I let Dhruv travel to Greece with his friends.” Di’s murmurs brings me out of my reverie. “Had he not been there, that accident would never have happened and our Dhruv would have been here with us..”


I don’t know what to say. A place cannot decide the fate of a person. If destiny had planned to snatch him away from us, it could have happened anywhere irrespective of what place, what time!!

“Di,” I pull her away and make her look into my eyes. “Dhruv is with us.. He’ll always be. You know he didn’t like to see you in tears ever. And if you cry today, it’s going to hurt him the most because wherever he is, he is watching us. That’s what you believe and keep saying, am I right?”


She nods gently while I wipe her tears.

“That’s it then. No more tears.”

She presses a kiss on my forehead and agrees to be normal.

“Please wear the maroon Sherwani. For me.”

I roll my eyes. Sisters are always complicated and way too dominating. No matter how much you control the world, you can never control them. I agree to do as told and only then she walks out of the room, leaving me to dress up.


KHUSHI GUPTA


Shantivan! The home of Raizadas. The place where Dhruv stayed with his family. My family and the Raizadas have been close knit from years but since I studied in London university and visited India only once every year, I wasn’t that close to the family. Then suddenly two years back, Dhruv shifted to London and we became pals. Though we had met in the childhood too, it was only after I kept meeting him constantly in London, I started falling for his charms. He was the kind of guy I wanted in my life. Completely easy to go with, jovial, and very understanding. But there was his other side too.. a side which attracted me the most to him.. his rare passionate side. There have been times when he has looked at me with indescribable emotions in his eyes, in his touch, that could swing me between hell and heaven.


“Khushi, come here. What are you doing there alone?”

Dad’s voice brings me out of my trance. It’s been a few minutes since we all reached Shantivan for the engagement ceremony which is hosted in the big lawn outside the Villa. Though the guests are all out there, waiting for we two families to join them and start the ceremony, my father is busy discussing something he wanted to share with all of us before the engagement.

I sit next to my father, smiling at the Raizada family, not knowing why suddenly they are all so keenly noticing me.

“Shashiji, we will be more than honored to go ahead with your proposal,” the matriarch of the Raizada family, Devyani, whom everyone calls ‘Naniji’ replies.

“Proposal?” I turn to my father who takes me in his embrace.

“That’s the surprise I was talking about. Your marriage.”

My heart skips a beat.

“My… my what?”

Mumma who is on my left, strokes my back lovingly.

“Your dad has proposed your marriage to Anjali’s brother, Arnav Singh Raizada, Khushi,” she exclaims.

I can’t believe he did this.

“And the Raizadas are happy with the proposal,” Dad adds.

“But I am not..” We all hear a sharp voice from the stairs.

My heart beats rapidly as I know it’s him. The man my father just proposed my marriage with and the man whose twin brother, Dhruv Singh Raizada I am in love with and will be till my last breath.

Everyone rises up from the couch in shock as he storms to the living room, except me who doesn’t even want to see him. Because seeing that face again, will remind of Dhruv.. bringing back all those beautiful and painful memories altogether, which I am not prepared to handle at this moment. Tears cloud my vision as I stifle a shudder rising in my body imagining the consequences of marrying someone.. especially the one who has the same face of the man I love.

“Arnav?” Nani is the first one to express her shock as Arnav Singh Raizada, the cold-hearted man in this entire universe as I know he is, reaches us. “Why not?”

“I don’t need to give a reason why I am not interested in marrying Mr Gupta’s daughter.” Arnav snaps.

“You need to, Arnav.” Dad mutters.

“Do I?” he angrily blurts, thrusting his hands in his pant pockets. “Then listen Mr. Gupta. There is no barter system going on here. Trading one daughter in marriage for accepting the other in the family.”

I heave a sigh of relief at his rejection for dad’s proposal.

“And the most important reason of my rejection, Mr. Gupta..” he continues and probably looking at me, because I can feel it. My body suddenly heats up with strange feelings. “You can’t get your daughter married to anyone without her permission. She’s not a business commodity whom you can trade off without knowing her feelings.”

I swallow nervously. How does he know I am not ready to marry him? My heart constricts as the next thought comes in my head. Does he know that Dhruv and I loved each other? Had Dhruv told him?

“I am not trading my daughter,” Dad refutes. “I love her and want her to get the best. How can you say that she is not ready for this alliance?”

There is a complete silence in the room and now I am aware every pair of eyes are looking at me as Arnav continues to speak.

“If she was ready for this alliance, she would have looked at me at least once during this entire conversation.”

His thoughtfulness urges me to raise my chin and finally look at the man whom I might be meeting here for the first time in my life, but his face… is so far the only one I have ever loved.

The moment I see him, my heart shudders again. Arnav Singh Raizada is already looking at me, and the way his gaze pierces into mine, I can feel that same heat radiating between us which did when Dhruv and I were close. Before it consumes me, I rise up from the couch and make my way out, ignoring my father and mother’s voice calling me back inside.


To be Continued.

NEXT PART 

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