"ASR!" She shrieked, her face beaming and ran into his arms. "God I missed you so much ASR!" Her voice was full of excitement. "We've only been away for a week," his voice was insipid. "I know but can't I miss you?!" Her large dove eyes now looked into his cold brown ones, the smile not once leaving her face. She stayed in the awkward embrace whilst he turned around to once again look out of the large window, his mind elsewhere.
Khushi knocked on the door for the second time, she could hear a womans animated voice inside but she had an interview and she was on time and she did not appreciate people who weren't punctual. "Khushi just enter, you know he's inside," she muttered to herself, more annoyed than was good for her, especially right before a job interview. She turned the knob, her hands already sweating, her fingers trembling and slowly stepped into face a gorgeous face lift up and glare at her. She had obviously ruined a private moment. Her eyes widened then lowered, "sorry," she mumbled, her voice almost inaudible. The woman continued to glare. "Who is it Lavanya?" Khushi looked up in shock, the voice was gruff but she could recognise it anywhere. She took in the broad shoulders, the rigid back, the familiar stance of the man standing in an embrace, facing the other way and she wanted to run back, run away and never turn around. Her heart started beating a hundred times faster than it had been and her feet started to move back of their own accord.
Arnav let out a sigh of impatience, he didn't have time for Lavanyas enthusiasm and seeing as neither Lavanya or the person that had just entered seemed to have any interest in an introduction he would have to make the effort himself. Moving Lavanya out of the embrace he turned around only to freeze as soon as he laid eyes on her. He felt a jolt of lightening hit his whole being as his mind went numb. She looked into those dark brown eyes, now clouded with an unknown emotion and their eyes held, the pain of what they had lost seeping through them, the hurt clearly evident in his eyes. His eyes slowly moved down, taking in every inch of her and then he slowly closed them, allowing himself composure and looked away clenching his jaw, clenching his fists. The pang of guilt hit her like a storm and her eyes welled up with tears. She stepped forward, she wanted to touch him, see if he was real but he was too fast for her and she looked on as he strode out of the room, breaking down from the inside as the memories hit her one by one.
She didn't even know when she had walked out of the room and the hotel onto the main road. The past always comes back and it always comes back when you least expect it to.
----
Khushi sat looking up at the open sky, full of stars and looked to the two brightest ones - her mum and dad. She closed her eyes only to replay the images of that day over and over again across her mind. Her Arnav in another womans arms, her large dove-like eyes, the hurt clear on his face, his deep dark brown eyes that had now lost the softness they had once contained and finally how he had walked away. No that wasn't her Arnav, her Arnav understood her unsaid words, her every emotion, this was someone elses Arnav it was someone she did not know.
Lafzon se jo tha pare
Khaalipan ko jo bhare
Kuch tho tha tere mere darmiyaan
Rishte ko kya mod doon
Naata yeh ab thod doon
Ya phir yun hi chod doon, darmiyaan
Benaam rishta woh...
Bechain karta jo
Ho naa... sake jo bayaan, darmiyaan
----
Anav lay back on his recliner lost in his thoughts. Di had all but strangled him to death with her death grip of a hug, everyone was happy, overjoyed even, at seeing him, knowing that this time he was going to stay but his mind was lost in the depths of a pit he had closed long ago. She had walked into his life so unexpectedly. These days there was very little that bothered him, after his sister nothing held importance in his life, but the events of that morning had shook him to the core. His mind was crumbling inside, he desired to be with her, to absorb and stand by her every problem, every little thing that dared to so much as scathe her but he wouldn't, he couldn't. He had killed that Arnav long back, she didn't deserve to put him through it again. No matter how much his mind craved to be with her he wouldn't commit the same mistake twice.
Aankhon mein tere saaye
Chahoon tho ho na paaye
Yaadon se teri faasla
Jaake bhi tu na jaaye
Tehri tu dil mein haaye
Hasrat si banke kyun bhala
Kyun yaad karta hoon
Mit.ta hoon banta hoon
Mujhko tho laayi yeh kahaan
Benaam rishta woh... bechain karta jo
Ho na sake jo bayaan darmiyaan...
----
"ASR!" Why was Lavanya so enthusiastic all of the time? How could anyone be so enthusiastic all of the time? Arnav thought to himself annoyed. "ASR! What are we going to do with the applicant you walk out on yesterday?" In the world of ASR Lavanya had learned not to ask too many questions. The man did what he pleased when he pleased and questioning him was pretty much futile. But then again maybe that was what drew her to him. "Bin it!" His words came out hard, his eyes darkening, he didn't need Khushi around, he wasn't that man anymore.
----
"Khushi bitiya, what happened to yesterdays interview?" Khushis buaji inquired breaking Khushi out of yesterdays flashback, she quickly wiped away the tears that she had unknowingly been shedding. "No buaji I don't think it'll work out, it's not my kind of place," she replied quieter than usual, the sorrow still held in her voice. "Aw that's okay then," her Buaji replied sensing her nieces unhappiness. Khushi looked up surprised at her buajis response, "it's okay?" "Yes because my friends daughter is a wedding planner and her assistant has just fell sick, you've helped organise a couple in our community and she asked if you would be willing to take up the job till the assistant comes back". "But buaji how can I do the work of a professional wedding-planner?" "No bitiya you are going to be working as the assistant and she'll pay you very well besides we are very short on money right now." Her buaji was right, she had had so many hopes on the job at AR but that was not going to happen, she knew it couldn't. The way he had looked away and walked straight out of the room still hurt like an open wound, she had hurt him and his walls were now back up and this time round the walls were thicker more layered and difficult to breakdown. "Okay buaji I'll take it," she replied arranging a smile on her face, she had to stay strong for the rest of them.
----
"I want everything to be perfect!" Anjali cried out with glee, smiling to herself. She was walking around the house trying to imagine the lounge in all sorts of different colours and then randomly shouting them out to the wedding planners assistant who was quietly noting each and every single one of them down.
"Blue and green! No there has to be red! It's chotes favourite colour! What goes with red? Oh it has to be perfect! So much to do and so little time!" "Ma'am we have two months to go," came the calm reply from Tina, the wedding planner. "I know but I can't leave it too late, we are just on colours, there's so much more to go!" But even with so much lying ahead to be done Anjali felt no irritation she was too ecstatic. Her chote had finally agreed to marriage, the engagement would be two months from now and then the wedding! She was over the moon, she was happy for him, happy that he was moving on, that slowly but surely everyone was able to move on.
"When do I see the groom? I've seen the bride but if I saw him too it would be even easier for me to help you decide," Tina mentioned for the fifth time since entering. As lovely as Anjali was she didn't seem to understand the importance of her actually meeting the couple and the man getting married didn't seem to have the least bit of interest in any of the arrangements.
"He will be here today. Don't worry," Anjali assured Tina with a smile and then stopped suddenly, "in fact I think that's him now," her smiled widened, hearing the door close behind her and she moved aside to reveal the shocked expression of an extremely handsome man, his eyes hard and pained as Tinas assistant abruptly stood up, dropping her notepad and pen in her haste, his expression mirrored in her face.
Aan... chalte the jinpe hum-tum
Raaste woh saare hain gum
Ab kaise dhoonde manzilein
Raatein hain jaise maatam
Ab tho hain din bhi gumsum
Roothi hain saari mehfilien
Itna sataon na yun yaad aaona
Banjaye aansoon bhi zubaan
Benaam rishta woh...
Bechain karta jo
Ho na sake jo bayaan darmiyaan
Kuch tho tha tere mere darmiyaan...
Lyrics credit: Darmiyaan out of Jodi Breakers.
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