FF: Leaving You

Prologue:

 

In a dim room, lit by the lone dying flames of the fireplace, lay an empty silver photo-frame, shattered. A few feet away, the photograph that had once inhabited the frame burned in a fiery blaze. Two smiling faces, one that of a boy and the other of a girl standing hand in hand, contorted and burned in the heat. Their happiness, their friendship, and their love smoldered in that fire, burning to ashes as a lone man sat in the corner of the room and watched the destruction with satisfaction.

As the last of the picture was consumed by the voracious fire, the man stood and walked arrogantly towards what used to be a memory. Never again would he be haunted by her innocent smile. Never again would he remember the beautiful orbs of color that her eyes were, the windows to her soul, expressing her emotions with greater ease than words could. The cold man felt satisfied, knowing he had obliterated her from his life a long time ago, and now also her memories. Yet, his emotions betrayed him as hot tears trickled down his masculine face, stripping him of his shield, his facade, making him vulnerable again after so many years.

OS: A Midnight Stroll

The chilly air pricked at his exposed skin as he pulled his jacket closer to his body and walked briskly. He put one foot in front of the other, walking robotically, not knowing or caring where he went, where he ended up. With each step ahead, he felt his life crumble behind him. Each step led him farther and farther away from his past. A past that he once had done so much to run from. A past that he would now give up his future to have.

Weak streaks of light illuminated his face every few yards as he continued his march into the unknown. His pale face contrasted deeply with the darkness that lay predatorily around him, threatening to consume him whole. His features made him look a sickly man, one without any life, as if all the soul and happiness in him had been sucked out. There seemed to be nothing human about him. And yet, there was. For hidden in those cold, stony features lay beautiful, soft brown eyes that gave sight into his broken life and his shattered soul.

These beautiful eyes showed his anguish, his pain, his love for those he had lost. For those he would never see again. These eyes were the most vulnerable part of Arnav Singh Raizada. It had been with these eyes that he had witnessed his mother, father and sister committing suicide, ending not only their lives, but also the good memories they had shared with him. He had then known only pain. His eyes had hardened after this, not allowing the beauty of life to delude him from the fact that though life was beautiful, death was ugly. Death was the ugly part of nature that once comes, never leaves. His eyes had not softened again until he had met someone. Khushi Kumari Gupta had softened this man's beautiful yet cold eyes once again.

She had walked into his life. A ray of hope and warmth after the darkest of storms. She had walked, no fallen into his life as an angel sent from above, and made a place in his heart. With every memory of pain, she had added a memory of love, of care, of passion. She had taught him that life was meant to be lived and enjoyed, not endured. She had taught him that death was inevitable and yet had to exist. Life was more precious, more beautiful because it was so limited. Any moment could have been their last. She had broken down the walls that he had built around himself, exposing him to emotions, leaving him feeling raw and exposed. Her lively and chaotic nature had lit up his life. Only she had the ability to make him smile, to cry, to laugh, to hate, and to love.

He stopped suddenly as her thoughts consumed him. No, he couldn't bear it, the pain, the hurt. It was all too much. The moon shone down on the man in the suit sinking down on his knees in the middle of an empty street in Delhi. Seconds and minutes ticked by yet the man continued to sit on the floor in the same position, as if he had no more strength to move, no more strength to carry himself. After what seemed like ages, the strange man lifted his head, looking up at the sky. Three stars shone down on him as he allowed himself to finally let go of his emotions. "Khushi."He whispered into the wind, his husky voice breaking as he stared at the stars so far away, his tears cascading down his face, revealing his broken and tarnished soul.

Short Story: A Surprise

Part One:

One Month Ago:

"Khushiji, come downstairs! There's someone who wants to see you!" Anjali had called up to her sister-in-law
"Coming!" Khushi had replied, elated yet curious at the same time. Someone had come to see her? Could it be her family? Had they finally forgiven her? Descending the stairs, Khushi saw a tall man standing in the middle of the living room talking to Anjaliji, wearing a suit and a tie and with his eyes completely covered with huge sunglasses. Upon seeing Khushi he had removed his sunglasses to reveal soft brown eyes and smiled so big that even Khushi couldn't help but smile back at him. Then, in mere seconds, he had crossed the length of the living room and pulled Khushi into a bone-crushing embrace. Khushi, due to Shyam's constant pounces on her in the past month, had developed the ability to shove a full-grown man away from her and this is exactly what she did to this man. "Who are you?" she had shrieked then, desperately trying to compose herself.


"I'm Amar Chopra, Khushi." He had responded in a deep yet gentle voice, adding "Your brother." Not knowing how to respond, Khushi had then done what any sensible person would do; she fainted.


Part Two:


A sobbing Anjali had screamed as Khushi fainted in her brother's arms, triggering Arnav to come running down the stairs. The scene that greeted him was his sister, standing off to the side with tears in her eyes looking in horror at his wife in being carried by some man he didn't know. Rushing forward, Arnav had practically pulled the unconscious Khushi out of the man's arms, feeling a strong sense of jealousy and possessiveness. Who was this man and what was he doing with his wife?! Deciding to interrogate the stranger later, Arnav had carried Khushi to their room, called the doctor, and waited until she woke up. About a half hour later, Khushi had opened her eyes to see her husband's worried face looking down upon her, breaking into a relieved smile as she gained conscience. Looking around the room, Khushi had noticed the rest of the Raizada present in Arnav and her room along with the man who had quite recently given her the shock of his life. "Amar?" She had asked, not believing that this man could be her brother. He had smiled at her then, walking up to her and sitting down on the other side of the bed not occupied by Khushi's husband seething with jealousy.


Amar had gently taken Khushi's hand and looked at his little sister with such care and love. This was the last straw for Arnav and he had grabbed Amar's collar and pulled him away from Khushi in one swift movement, pinning him against the wall, and snarling, "I don't know who you are, but stay away from my wife."


Anjali came running then, to diffuse the situation and explained to Arnav that this was Khushi's elder brother, Amar. Shocked, Arnav's grip on Amar's collar had slackened and Amar moved away from him with a smirk on his face. Sitting down next to Khushi, he had explained everything to her. When Khushi had been very young, her brother had been sent off to boarding school due to his undisciplined ways and his parents giving up on him. Amar had been 19 years old when the news of his parent's death came to him. In one day, Amar had lost everything. His father's old-fashioned letters to him, his mother's constant packages of food sent to him practically every week, and his little sister's artwork. Even living thousands of miles away from his family, Amar had developed a strong bond with them and their loss had greatly troubled him. However, Amar did not know that his sister survived the crash and instead of returning to India, he left the job of burying the family to another family member and continued with life. This, he later admitted to Khushi, was one of his worst mistakes, for if he had returned, he would have found his sister sooner. Khushi also had not remembered her brother because when Amar got the hint that Khushi was still alive and sent a detective to find out about her, her medical history said that she suffered some amnesia due to the accident and only remembered a few events of her childhood along with the car accident. The Raizada family had welcomed Amar warmly, allowing him to live with them to give Khushi the family support that she had recently lost.


Part Three:


One month later:

Khushi woke to her husband's stubble tickling her neck as he slept on, his arms embracing his wife. She watched his chest moving up and down, and sighed in content, wishing she could just spend the rest of her life in his safe arms. Smiling, she thought of the previous night's events. A cricket game had come on and Amar Bhaya, Nanheji, and Aakashji were sitting on the couch watching each move with great enthusiasm. Arnav had opted out of the festivities however, and sat in a corner with his laptop, working away and yet still sneaking glances at the game, much like a child told not to watch TV and do homework instead. Amar Bhaya had walked up to her husband then, pulling the laptop away from Arnav and dragging him to the sofa. At first, Arnav had felt shocked at this behavior and awkward but he too joined the pandemonium, roaring when India missed a ball and cheering with exubulation when the ball was hit. Khushi was so thankful for her brother for helping her unlock the child in Arnav. But getting to this point had not been easy Khushi thought with sadness.

About a week after her brother's arrival, Khushi had found out the reason for Arnav's major marriage decision and come clean to him about everything. The lies, the engagement, and the hug. After that, Arnav's demeanor had completely changed towards his wife and he believed her completely. With the help of Amar Bhaya, Arnav had exposed Shyam for the lying scoundrel he was and Shyam was kicked out of RM and into police custody. However, that had been the least of their problems. Anjaliji suffered severe depression from the treachery of her husband but it did not affect her baby much and with the help of her family and Khushi's brother, who had found a good friend in Anjali, she too started moving on from her painful past.

Arnav looked at his wife as she stared into space, a small smile on her face. "I love you", he whispered gently against her cheek making her blush.

"I love you too Arnav" Khushi whispered back, her eyes closed committing the feel of his lips against her cheek to memory. He looked at her again, taking in her innocent face and feeling a heart- wrenching ache for her. How could he have doubted her? His Khushi? Despite Khushi forgiving him, Arnav always felt the need to constantly remind her of how truly sorry he was for doubting her and how much he loved her because he knew that his words had cut her and no matter how much love he gave her, they would only heal with time.

OS: The Video

He watched in horror as the videos his cousin had unknowingly recorded played on a loop before him, scarring him and burning into his conscience. His Khushi, the one whom he had accused, tortured, ripped loved ones from, was innocent. Di had asked him to save the video on his laptop and he had reluctantly agreed, promising himself to not watch the festivities of the wedding and bring back sweet memories that she had crushed with her betrayal. In the end however, his curiosity had overcome him and he pressed play, not knowing what he would stumble upon. There they were, the two love birds, he had thought with scorn when they appeared onscreen. His “jijaji” was once again proclaiming his love to Khushi, trapping her in his arms by the poolside. A sudden urge to throw his laptop had engulfed Arnav then as he ragged in thought of how she could bring him to their haven. Did she not respect the area where he had almost kissed her, actually kissed her, where he had confided in her? Anger was coursing through his body vigorously and he picked up his laptop, ready to fling it across the room, ready to destroy the memories when the sound of a slap emitting from his speakers stopped him. Confused now, he had put down his laptop and continued watching the video.


“How dare you?” she yelled at him. “Aapki himat kesay hui hamare paas aaneki? Aap samajte kya  hai apne aap ko? Hum to ye sumajthethe ke aap ek ache insaan hai jo hamari zindagi bachay aur jo hamere parivaar ko iti madaat kere. Paar aap to? Aap to sirf ek girehowe aadmi ho jo Anjaliji jesi achi patni ko dokha dere ho!” He had watched his brother-in-law’s face change, becoming red and purple with anger and a disgusting frown forming on his features.


"Lekin sirf aapke liye!" He had protested, trying to show her his love.
"Baas! Aab aur nahi! Hum abhi jaa kar Arnavji ko sab boltehai!"


Now, Shyam had smirked, saying "He won't believe you! Want to know why? He thinks you are a home wrecker Khushiji! He doesn't love you!" Tears formed in Khushi's eyes as Shyam told her the reason for her hasty marriage.


"Nahi, Arnavji asa nahi karsakte. Aur vesay bhi, hum aapki baat kui maane? Aap ko sirf joot bolna athahay." And with that finalty, his wife had pushed Shyam away and left. He wanted to scream with anger. How could he have thought that his Khushi, practically an angel, was ever associated with that vile man? Once again, this girl's innocence and purity had proved the almighty Arnav Singh Raizada wrong. Tears were forming in his eyes now as he hung his head in shame shocked at his own actions. He thought of how her pure mind, ready to always believe the good in others had disbelieved Shyam when he told her of his reason for marrying her. She TRUSTED you, his mind yelled at him. She trusted you even after you blackmailed her. She trusted you after you made her an orphan again. She trusted you even after you crushed her dreams of a happily ever after with her knight in shining armor. His throat suddenly became dry and he felt a pang in his heart that brought on an onslaught of memories. He remembered her smile, her laugh, her ability to even make Arnav Singh Raizada smile and melt like butter. In his anger, he had even taken this from his wife, leaving her just a hollow shell, devoid of emotions. He sank on his knees then, face smudged with tears, vowing to repent to his wife, not caring if it took a lifetime for her to forgive him and to destroy Shyam Manohar Jha for messing with his sister and the love of his life, his Khushi.

OS: Contemplations

My first OS that I previously posted on India Forums:


A sob escaped her lips as she bent her head in shame in front of her DM, contemplating the disastrous turn of events the past few hours had taken. "I don't understand," she said. "How can the people who I've loved and cared for for all these years just leave me alone here? Bas ek minute mein paraya kar diya?" Now the tears were flowing fast down her dejected face. First, she had been forced to marry the love of her life. Except he was not the same Arnav that had yelled at her for worrying him, that had gifted her bangles to see a smile on her face, that had become a waiter for her. Khushi Kumari Gupta had not married Arnav, but rather his alternate ego, ASR. She had seen this sudden transformation in the cold, steely look in his eyes and his glares of pure anger and disgust when he looked at her. Then, after being blackmailed to marry ASR, for which reasons she did not know, she was shamed in front of both the Raizada's and the Gupta's while her husband, the cause of the commotion had fled the scene. Their accusations were haunting Khushi, reminding her exactly what they thought of her now. A cheap, classless, and silly girl who had broken the trust of both families.


Khushi wanted to scream in frustration. Why her? Why couldn't they have accused, manhandled, and broken their relations with Arnavji as well? Moving to the other side of the room, Khushi rested her head against the glass door, leading out to the pool area and looked up at the stars. As the stars she considered her deceased parents shone down on her, she felt an immediate sense of loss. Without meaning to, she let out a short empty chuckle at the irony of the situation. The people who she once thought were her world were so close to her while her parents, the only ones who really cared for her, were so far from her in a place where they could do nothing for their daughter. Ap ka ashirwaad dena maa aur babuji, ab humare pas ap log ke siva aur koi nahi hai.With that said, she turned around, wiped her tears and prepared herself to deal with the storm that came with being Khushi Singh Raizada.