© Lucky
EPILOUGE
Final Shot
[NOT PROOF-READ]
{_-_-_-_-_}
Sorry if this shot isn't per your expectations...
(This has come out longer than I thought!!)
{_-_-_-_-_}
After 6 months:
"Saale Shaab, you'll never get what you want. Khushi-ji is mine and will always be. And if she isn't mine, then she will not be anyone's," Arnav heard Shyam but he just stood there tears running down his cheeks and his mouth slightly agape breathing in through his lips.
Suddenly Shyam pulled someone out of the dark keeping his hand around the person's neck a gun pointed to the forehead. Arnav gasped seeing the person's face in the dim light.
"Khushi," even he couldn't hear his voice. It was nothing but a soundless whisper.
Khushi stood numb with tears in her eyes, sobbing too quietly in the silence around. He wanted to pull her out of the leech's hands, but wasn't able to. If Arnav took a step forward to pull Khushi to himself, Shyam took a step back his lips curving more and more into a brute smirk. Arnav just shook his head negatively not able to find his voice through the big lump in his throat.
"Kyun saale saab? Afraid? Already?" he asked mockingly. "This is just nothing. When I pull this trigger...' he said pressing the finger on the trigger making Arnav let out a whimper. '...then you'll understand what the real fear is. You were very hell bent on taking my Khushi-ji away. So see this I'll take her away from you, now." Saying Shyam pulled the trigger the shot echoing in the silent barren land.
"KHUSHI!!" An ear-piercing scream is heard in his room as he opened his eyes sweating and breathing heavily. His hand involuntarily went to the place beside him and not finding anyone there, the tears that dried earlier became moist again with fresh tears.
"Khushi, Khushi," he whimpered breathing heavily as he hurriedly stepped out of his bed from under the covers his body shivering with fright and dread.
It's a night mare, just a bad dream. Night mare! He kept chanting but his heart wouldn't calm down until he will see her with his own eyes and assure himself.
He pushed open the door of the room beside him and sighed leaning tiredly on the door at the threshold. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply imprinting the serene face of Khushi sleeping under the white covers, her face a flush of light pink, her mouth lightly agape and her hands clutching the pillow beside her to her chest as if her life depended on it.
Meeting her 6 months back, trying to talk to her and woo her, he realized that she really did change into a different girl. A girl who has shed her past fears and emerged out as a strong woman. Her fears of dark and loneliness gone, she's now an epitome of a female ASR. She isn't heartless, but still hostile towards everyone around her except the ones she feels close to her. Just like he had been in the past, and now in the present before 6 months. After Khushi left him even his family didn't come into his close people's list.
~
Khushi stirred in her sleep adjusting the comforter around her. Opening her groggy eyes, they clashed with moist brown orbs looking directly at her from far away. She sat up with a jerk to see Arnav leaning against the door his eyes though on her but were with a faraway gaze. She sensed his body rigidness as well as his tears. Even in the dark.
"Arnav-ji," her low whisper sounded loud enough to bring back Arnav from his thoughts. He looked so vulnerable at that very moment Khushi would've cried.
She has left a strong man, a man who has the ability to see past his fears, who can control his emotions, a man who was like a pillar to his family. From the time she's been seeing him, for her, he looked nothing like the ASR she knew about. In these few months she has seen his weakness, his tears, his pain everything in him, his words and his actions. If not for her treacherous heart which as usual worries over him when he's in pain, she started melting.
The result is the present. She's now living with him in his new apartment, in which apparently he's been living since he cleared all the problems at his home regarding Shyam's matter, with just a wall keeping them away. She denied sharing a room with him, at least until she overcomes all her fears regarding them both and feels to become his wife whole-heartedly. Arnav agreed.
She couldn't understand why he stayed away from his family, alone here. Not until every family member apologized to her, including Mami who surprisingly hugged and kissed her saying sorry numerous times she lost count of it, and then later Payal explained what and all happened right after from she left RM.
To be honest, even she didn't think that far. Yes, she held the Raizada's guilty for the cause of her pain, but not to the extent Arnav held blamed for. That was the starting of her melting point. After that what all she has come to know only had her moving towards Arnav. She tried to restrain, but couldn't. She tried to mock, but couldn't. The emotions that played on his face whenever she brought down his pleas had hurt her heart more than she thought.
If she thought being away from 3 years had reduced her feelings for him, then she truly is dreaming. If anything, her heart has weakened more in his matter. A day didn't pass in this 6 months where she didn't give a thought of leaving all her inhabitations and run into his arms and kiss his pain away. But then the pain she faced would stop her. If only that day hadn't happened, life would've been different for them.
Now seeing him in such pain, such vulnerability had her legs moving without permission. Arnav caught her midway and pulled her to himself sobbing in her arms like a baby. The fear of losing Khushi, the reality of having been lived without her has struck him really hard where the mere thought of not being able to be with her killed him. He pulled the strings, blackmailed her and finally brought her back home as she is. As his wife.
"Shh...everything is fine. Don't cry," Khushi kept saying into his ears as he held her tightly his tears drenching her kurti clad shoulder. She don't know anything but to calm him down.
"Please don't leave me," came his broken cry halting her hand in mid-air that was previously running down his back. "Please Khushi, I'll do anything. Any damn thing you ask me to. But don...don't ever leave me. I won't be able to live without you. Not anymore. I'll di..."
"Shh..." Khushi silenced him her eyes now moist. What has happened to this man? He isn't her laad governor. He isn't the man who finds solace in being alone rather than sharing his worries with anyone around him. For the first time in all these three and half years she doubted her decision of leaving him. But then his words were pointed at her self-respect, her frailness. She couldn't take it then. And she couldn't take it even now having her love in her arms crying his heart out pleading her to not leave.
Pulling him along with her, she made him sit on the bed and held a glass of water near his lips. He gulped down the water like a thirsty man in a desert. Keeping it back on the bedside table she sat down beside him caressing his hair. Soon her hands were left mid-air as he placed his head in her lap his arms circled around her waist his face pressed into her stomach. There was nothing intimate about that. For Khushi she was consoling her broken love. For Arnav, it was an assurance. To himself that Khushi is beside him.
"Kya hua, Arnav-ji?" she asked mildly stroking his hair and nape soothingly.
"Nightmare, bad...bad dream." His voice quivered as he said. His hands tightened around her more.
"Nothing happened. All are fine, everything is fine." She consoled.
"Shy...Shyam tried to kill you. A...And I couldn't do any...anything." he closed his eyes tightly again tears making their way down his cheeks.
"There's no one to harm me, Arnav-ji. See, I'm fine. And Shyam is already dead, isn't he?" he vigorously nodded his head in positive. "Then? See, no one will take me away from you." They sat in his silence for some time with the company of the only sound. Their breathing.
"Marry me!" his voice was so low and muffled that for a moment, she thought she was imagining his words. Before she could ask him to come again he got up from her lap cupping her face.
"Marry me, Khushi. Please," his eyes held the plea his words couldn't. "If we marry then no one will be able to take you away from me. Please. Not even my family or your family. All...all are bad. I don't trust them anymore to keep us together. We'll get married again. With all the rituals. Please."
"But..."
"It'll be the wedding of your liking. Just like you've always dreamed about it. You'll be married to me like a princess. You're no less than a princess to me. Whatever you say, it'll happen. However you want it, it'll be done the same way. But please marry me. You wanted to marry like in a fairy tale right? We'll get married just like that. Don't you want to fulfil your dream?" he asked innocently.
"However I want it?" she questioned cocking her head. He nodded a small smile making its way to his lips. "Anything I say?" again he nodded in positive. "Then we'll have our wedding with our families." She bargained to her limits.
His smile faltered for a second before his lips curved into a full blown smile his head moving up and down in positive. His word of anything meant any-DAMN-thing. What if he didn't forgive his family completely, for that matter he couldn't forgive his own self? Khushi wants them to be there, so they'll be there. And no one will dare to hurt his princess. Not even his own kin.
"You'll marry me," his happiness had no bounds. "We're going to get married. We'll be married." He tried to get everything straight to his brain confirming every of his thoughts praying he wasn't dreaming this up.
"We'll both be in the same room. We don't have to take sepe..." he stopped as his forehead knitted in worry. "We'll be in the same room right?" he looked up at Khushi with so much hope and barely concealed curiosity she could do nothing but drop a loving kiss on his forehead. And then he went on and on about telling her how their wedding is going to be like asking her opinion in every of his words.
His words, his excitement, his unconcealed glee gave a glimmer of the Arnav's lost childhood to Khushi. Arnav promised to rid his guilt and Khushi's pain by creating fresh and beautiful memories, while Khushi promised to self to love Arnav unconditionally for he forget all his pain and become her laad governor once again.
That night, two pained and broken souls found their solace again in each other trusting to heal themselves in their company. The night ended beautifully with two hearts beating rhythmically in sync with stars twinkling in joy.
~
"We're going to get married." Arnav was curt as the next day he assembled Gupta's and Raizada's in RM with Khushi sat beside him in his arms.
There was silence for a moment before everyone erupted into loud squeals and hoots of joy were heard as everyone celebrated on the news of wedding they were waiting to happen. Everyone congratulated Khushi and Arnav. Arnav remained stiff in everyone's arms his hand never leaving Khushi though she's being hugged by everyone.
~
"Arnav-ji, where are we going?" Khushi whined for the umpteenth time but Arnav didn't budge.
"Under the note of surprise, nothing can be revealed." He replied with a charming smile making Khushi pout. "We're almost here Love. Just a few minutes," he lovingly squeezed Khushi's hand in his.
And then they reached. Khushi was left open mouthed when she gazed at the wide garden full of green and red and yellow. The bushes so caringly tended bloomed red roses, while there were yellow chrysanthemum flowers bloomed in between. Amidst the bushes was a stone ledge and on it is a proudly grown thick magnolia tree spreading out its leaves and branches like wings of freedom.
As Khushi stood taking in the fresh air, calm greenery in the silent place, Arnav walked before her his gaze fixed on the tree memories rushing in his mind. This is his heaven place. Where he first discovered his liking towards the plants. Where he learnt on how to tend the plants, where he spent almost half of his childhood seeing his mother skipping around from one bush to another, smelling the roses, checking the chrysanthemums, watering the plants, planting new ones. This is the place where he felt that he's alone with his mother. This place assured him of his mother and her presence. This has been his secret which even his Di doesn't remember anymore. She was only brought here once but when she accidentally damaged a rose here, he gave strict instructions to his mother to not let his Di come here. Or else the whole garden would be destroyed by her. Di didn't complain much as she never was into plants and such. That is when they planted the roots for magnolia.
His hand on the tree he closed his eyes remembering his times spend with his mother here. She used to be a happy soul just like Khushi. Always smiling but yet a bit timid in nature. Khushi, if he thinks now, remind him so much of his mother.
Khushi just watched as Arnav returned back to her, a small content smile playing on his lips. Taking her hand into his he stood under the shade of tree and cupped her cheeks.
"Khushi, You know when I was small? This is where Mama and I used to come. This is the place where I used to pester Ma asking her every silly question a 5 year-old mind could come up with. Once I questioned her about Angel's. Mama laughed and said that Angels are god made gifts who are given to those special ones of god who is kind, accepting, selfless, and forgiving. Then all these felt like such huge words yet simple. I didn't knew then that being that sort of person isn't easy. And in the mad rush of being for my family and earning money I have lost my mother's Chotte. I no longer was the one who would melt at Mama's words, who would whine to not sleep alone and be with Mama, who felt that being in my Mama's arms would take away all my problems. I have become all alone. Di kept me sane but not comfortable.
I only ever was a 14-year-old when I lost my mother. I wasn't mature then, I was a carefree boy who was teasing my sister on her marriage, appreciating her on her clothes. And in the next few moments my life has come crashing down seeing my mother take away her life. Just because of a third woman in my parent's life. I went numb to feelings, Khushi. I was no longer my mother's kind and selfless Chotte. I've changed so much, so much that I started losing my mother in between.
That is when you've come into my life, a lightning bolt. Whenever I met you, you've brought back a piece of my mother with you. I started becoming the Chotte once I had been. The changes made me restless. I used to be on the top notch of my anger and then suddenly I would smile thinking about you. I was believing myself to have become crazy. I've done everything that I thought could make me normal, make me the ASR again. I gave you hurt, started a relation, though platonic, with Lavanya, I tried breaking your will at every point I got a chance at. Yet you bounced back. Just like my mother.
You know Khushi? I always used to tell Nani and Di that I will never become the one like my father? But unknowingly I had done everything my father did. Hurting the soul that loved us, showing her low, pointing out her weaknesses hoping that would break your happiness and zeal of life. But failed when both of you as you fell, yet and again got up and came back with new zeal. I accepted my defeat before my feelings at last Khushi but my father didn't.
Khushi, I can never take back whatever the words I hurled at you. I can never undo that I ever did with you to hurt you. But I want to say, before my mother, in her presence, that I'll rectify every of mistakes I've done to you. I cannot make everything alright by own. But I promise whatever it takes for me to keep you happy, I'll do everything.
I want to move on in my life Khushi. I'm tired of being numb to feelings, being against love, being against the belief. And I can never be able to do this all alone, Khushi." Saying Arnav went down on one knee while Khushi just stood still tears flowing down her cheeks seeing the pessimist speaker give a long speech.
"Khushi," he looked up at her his gaze soft and his eyes brimming with the love for the lady of his life. "I cannot ask you to marry me as we're already married and are going to get married again. But I want to ask you, will you be with me all my seven lives? As my wife, as the girl who can even shoot down ASR with her enthusiasm, as the sole owner of my heart? To help me move on? Will you be with me in every hurdle and happiness of my life, Khushi?"
She couldn't find her voice at that time. Tears clogged her throat, as she found it hard to control the river flowing through her eyes. She nodded her head vigorously with a smile so wide that could put the sun to shame playing on her lips.
He smiled, a real heart felt smile as a tear fell down his cheek. Bringing out a box he took her arms into his sliding in the bangles in her arms.
"Mama's," he informed as he dropped a loving kiss on the bangles on both of her wrists. "Meri angel mujhe milgayi maa," he whispered it to the tree above as the leaves ruffled as if showing his mother's happiness.
"Arnav aur Khushi..."
"Hamehsa!" Khushi completed it for him.
"Hamesha," he agreed pulling her in for a kiss that kept out his all love, respect and gratitude for the woman who came to save his life. From the evils outside as well the evils that he carried with in him. Now he's a completed man getting back his Mama and his love at the same time in the very place where his heart lays.
The sun shied away seeing the much in love couple and their passion for each other, hiding behind the clouds. And shone secretly as drops of rain fell on the earth, bringing the couple the blessings of the almighty above, a blessing of a happily ever after.
----------------------------------THE END-------------------------------------
Forgive the spelling and grammatical mistakes, if you find any. And yes, you're free to point out! I'm all open for corrections. So yes, you're open to point out and show me my mistakes. :-)
I hope this is okay? Please do let me know about this through your comments...
Follow the blog and leave your words. They mean the world!
Read,
Comment,
+1 and
Follow ;-)
Cya all soon fellas,
Lots of love,
No comments:
Post a Comment