OS: Relief

Read all my other One Shots over here.


Please note I retain sole ownership of all the works of fiction on this blog so please do not reproduce or alter my work and claim it as your own.



OS:Relief

Shyam hates Arnav Singh Raizada; the man that he can never be, the man that his wife loves even more than her own husband. Shyam imagines that Arnav looks down on him for his lack of success, lack of status, lack of money and he hates Arnav more and more each day.

Shyam sees the news clip, he sees the fear in Khushi's eyes, the anger in Arnav's and then he sees her.  Anjali had long ago taught Shyam to believe in God and he couldn't deny that this was fate. God bringing the very woman he wanted right in his path, in need of his assistance, in need of his help in a way that Anjali with the ever-lasting support of her brother never was.

Shyam watches the news clip a hundred times over before he meets Khushi again and she has taken on almost mythical properties in his mind. He imagines that this is the one woman who would never prefer his brother-in-law to him. This is the one woman that would understand what it means to truly hate Arnav Singh Raizada. He needs to have this woman in his life. He must have her no matter what it takes.

Shyam loves Khushi Kumari Gupta; the woman he wants, the woman who possibly hates Arnav even more than he does. Shyam knows that Arnav looks down on Khushi for her lack of success, lack of status, lack of money and he loves Khushi more and more each day.

Every time Khushi mentions Arnav, every time she states how much she hates him, Shyam loves her even more. He can't wait. He has to make her his as soon as possible.

It's been months and he has still failed to make Khushi his. He notices changes in Khushi but he doesn't give them much importance. Sooner or later Arnav will do something as he always does and Khushi will again turn into that wonderful woman that has nothing but revulsion for Arnav Singh Raizada. Shyam is certain she will again turn into the woman he loves but he knows now he can no longer rely on fate. He must take matters into his own hands.

Shyam can tell she no longer hates Arnav and this infuriates him. She still has occasional outbursts against Arnav but her words no longer contain the same poison, the same loathing as they did before. The only thing keeping him remotely sane is the knowledge that Arnav still hates Khushi. Shyam feels a thrill of pleasure every time Arnav talks about Khushi.

Shyam can hear the passion, the anger, the hate in Arnav's voice and he smiles to himself every time. Shyam thinks he has found a woman that Arnav would never take from him, a woman that Arnav would never strive to love, care for and protect.

Finally the day has come when Khushi will be his. She's subdued and unwilling but that doesn't matter to Shyam. Khushi's happiness or lack thereof doesn't bother him; all he wants is her hate of Arnav. He's sure he can incite that same hatred in Khushi again that she used to have and Shyam can't wait to spend the night discussing their mutual hatred of Arnav Singh Raizada.

Shyam sees the look in Arnav's eyes and he realises he has been mistaken. Arnav doesn't hate Khushi, not at all. As Arnav approaches, Shyam looks at Khushi and he feels his heart sink. There is no revulsion in her eyes, no fear, no hatred.  All Shyam can see is blinding faith, hope and love. They could almost be Anjali's eyes and Shyam loses all will to fight.

Shyam realised long ago that he couldn't fight against Anjali's devotion to her brother and he realises that he can't fight against Khushi's devotion to Arnav either.

He watches as Khushi kisses and soothes Arnav's bruised knuckles and thanks God. He thanks God for saving him from making the biggest mistake of his life once again, saving him from marrying another woman who would always love Arnav Singh Raizada more than she did him.

Shyam lies down bruised and broken next to the ashes of the fire that should have signalled the start of his new married life and he feels relieved.