OS: Heaven Out of Hell
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.
This is sort of but not exactly in the same timeline as Wait, Please Stay and He Doesn't Make Me Cry so you can assume they're all connected if you're one of those happy ending types :P
OS: Heaven Out of Hell
Arnav could hear that everybody had come home, he could hear their joyous conversation but he stayed where he was. He didn't want to hear about the wedding. That would make it official. Khushi was no longer his; she'd never be his ever again. Not that she ever had been before. It was his own fault of course. He'd pushed and pushed her away, refusing to let himself submit to the feelings she awoke inside him.
He lay down on his unmade bed in frustration kicking off the sheets to join the rest of the mess that he'd made on the floor. Everything in his room reminded him of Khushi. Why had he ever let her into his room? Why had he ever let her into his life? His laptop lay in pieces along with the TV and numerous photo frames and glasses. It was just all material stuff. None of it mattered anymore. Nothing mattered now that Khushi was someone else's.
His head swirled with the memories he had of being with Khushi. He remembered her perfume, her laugh and the way she made him feel. He regretted not kissing her now, when he'd had the chance. But he'd been fighting his feelings, refusing to believe that what he was experiencing was anything like love. Arnav Singh Raizada didn't love anybody. Not even somebody as unforgettable as Khushi Kumari Gupta. Arnav regretted last year's Diwali every day. He wished he could have had that one memory of what it would have been like to kiss her, to feel her soft lips under his, to hold her in a way that he would never be able to again.
The past three months since her engagement had been torture. Every day he regretted his inability to express his feelings, every day he regretted rejecting her declaration of love. He would have still gone and confessed his feelings to her once he reached the realisation of love but his pride stopped him. Khushi had agreed to this marriage willingly, she hadn't been forced, she'd chosen to forget him and find somebody new to love. Arnav knew she would never choose him again, not after all the hateful things he had said to her. But how could she have agreed to marry someone else? Arnav couldn't even think of anybody else. For him there was only Khushi, there would only ever be Khushi.
The knock on his door brought him out of his reverie and the insistent "Bhai, Bhai" and "Chote, Chote" that followed just irked him more.
"Di, leave me alone!"
"But Bhai, we need to talk to you about...'
"Akash! I said leave me ALONE!" he knew his voice was rising but he couldn't stop it.
"Fine! Stay in your room forever!' Anjali called back to him.
Arnav sat up on the bed immediately regretting shouting at his sister and he got off his bed reluctantly. "Di, I'm sorry" he started but when he opened the door he saw his brother and sister had already gone. He wanted to just close the door again and go back to his solitude but he knew he had to apologise.
Arnav walked to Anjali's room and saw Akash also there who turned away from him with a shrug of his shoulders. He was going to go in but Payal was there as well and her expression stopped him from entering the room. He couldn't believe how happy she looked. He accepted that it was her sister's wedding, but didn't she give any thought to what he would be going through right now?
"Arnav Bhai," Payal started to walk towards him still smiling before his brother stopped her.
"No, Payal, leave him. He doesn't want to know. He'd rather spend the rest of his life wallowing in misery rather than take any opportunity of happiness.'
"But Akashji," Payal started to speak but Arnav interrupted, his brain having got stuck on three words.
"Happiness? What opportunity?" He rushed forwards towards them. "Akash, Di, tell me! Is this about Khushi?'
"No, no. We won't tell you," Anjali bristled but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes that she couldn't hide.
Arnav turned to Akash instead, "Akash, I'm your older brother, you have to do what I say, now tell me!"
Akash smiled at Arnav's inability to even grovel properly. "Okay, okay. You can tell him now," he directed this at Payal and Arnav turned to her in the manner of an expectant puppy.
"Tell me Payal!"
Payal hesitated only slightly before the smiles and pleading looks from the three siblings won her over. "Khushi isn't married."
"What? Khushi...You mean...She... But how?"
"She told Babuji she was still in love with you and he didn't let the wedding happen."
Arnav felt the weight that had been on his chest suffocating him for the past three months finally lift. He felt weightless, as if he could fly if he wanted to. "I have to see Khushi now! I have to tell her I love her too.' He began to rush out of the room when Anjali stopped him.
"No, no Chote, you can't go yet. There's still guests at their house. What will they think? Give them all some time. It's been a very long and stressful day."
'Okay, okay, I'll give her some time.' Arnav reluctantly agreed although every molecule in his body wanted to see Khushi immediately and apologise for not realising his feelings before, for putting them both through the hell of the past six months.
He began to leave the room before he stepped back and abruptly hugged Anjali, then Akash and after a second's hesitation he hugged Payal as well. He then bounded out of the room energetically leaving them all smiling after him.
It took him less than an hour in his euphoric state to clean up all the mess he had made. He could have gotten Om Prakash to clean it of course but he wanted to do it himself. This was the room Khushi would be coming to he hoped and he wanted it to be perfect for her. Perfect, just like she was for him. It was a completely different man that lay down on the freshly made bed than the one that had been there an hour ago. That Arnav had been bitter, angry and full of hate for the world. This Arnav was happy and consumed with his love for Khushi.
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.
This is sort of but not exactly in the same timeline as Wait, Please Stay and He Doesn't Make Me Cry so you can assume they're all connected if you're one of those happy ending types :P
OS: Heaven Out of Hell
Arnav could hear that everybody had come home, he could hear their joyous conversation but he stayed where he was. He didn't want to hear about the wedding. That would make it official. Khushi was no longer his; she'd never be his ever again. Not that she ever had been before. It was his own fault of course. He'd pushed and pushed her away, refusing to let himself submit to the feelings she awoke inside him.
He lay down on his unmade bed in frustration kicking off the sheets to join the rest of the mess that he'd made on the floor. Everything in his room reminded him of Khushi. Why had he ever let her into his room? Why had he ever let her into his life? His laptop lay in pieces along with the TV and numerous photo frames and glasses. It was just all material stuff. None of it mattered anymore. Nothing mattered now that Khushi was someone else's.
His head swirled with the memories he had of being with Khushi. He remembered her perfume, her laugh and the way she made him feel. He regretted not kissing her now, when he'd had the chance. But he'd been fighting his feelings, refusing to believe that what he was experiencing was anything like love. Arnav Singh Raizada didn't love anybody. Not even somebody as unforgettable as Khushi Kumari Gupta. Arnav regretted last year's Diwali every day. He wished he could have had that one memory of what it would have been like to kiss her, to feel her soft lips under his, to hold her in a way that he would never be able to again.
The past three months since her engagement had been torture. Every day he regretted his inability to express his feelings, every day he regretted rejecting her declaration of love. He would have still gone and confessed his feelings to her once he reached the realisation of love but his pride stopped him. Khushi had agreed to this marriage willingly, she hadn't been forced, she'd chosen to forget him and find somebody new to love. Arnav knew she would never choose him again, not after all the hateful things he had said to her. But how could she have agreed to marry someone else? Arnav couldn't even think of anybody else. For him there was only Khushi, there would only ever be Khushi.
The knock on his door brought him out of his reverie and the insistent "Bhai, Bhai" and "Chote, Chote" that followed just irked him more.
"Di, leave me alone!"
"But Bhai, we need to talk to you about...'
"Akash! I said leave me ALONE!" he knew his voice was rising but he couldn't stop it.
"Fine! Stay in your room forever!' Anjali called back to him.
Arnav sat up on the bed immediately regretting shouting at his sister and he got off his bed reluctantly. "Di, I'm sorry" he started but when he opened the door he saw his brother and sister had already gone. He wanted to just close the door again and go back to his solitude but he knew he had to apologise.
Arnav walked to Anjali's room and saw Akash also there who turned away from him with a shrug of his shoulders. He was going to go in but Payal was there as well and her expression stopped him from entering the room. He couldn't believe how happy she looked. He accepted that it was her sister's wedding, but didn't she give any thought to what he would be going through right now?
"Arnav Bhai," Payal started to walk towards him still smiling before his brother stopped her.
"No, Payal, leave him. He doesn't want to know. He'd rather spend the rest of his life wallowing in misery rather than take any opportunity of happiness.'
"But Akashji," Payal started to speak but Arnav interrupted, his brain having got stuck on three words.
"Happiness? What opportunity?" He rushed forwards towards them. "Akash, Di, tell me! Is this about Khushi?'
"No, no. We won't tell you," Anjali bristled but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes that she couldn't hide.
Arnav turned to Akash instead, "Akash, I'm your older brother, you have to do what I say, now tell me!"
Akash smiled at Arnav's inability to even grovel properly. "Okay, okay. You can tell him now," he directed this at Payal and Arnav turned to her in the manner of an expectant puppy.
"Tell me Payal!"
Payal hesitated only slightly before the smiles and pleading looks from the three siblings won her over. "Khushi isn't married."
"What? Khushi...You mean...She... But how?"
"She told Babuji she was still in love with you and he didn't let the wedding happen."
Arnav felt the weight that had been on his chest suffocating him for the past three months finally lift. He felt weightless, as if he could fly if he wanted to. "I have to see Khushi now! I have to tell her I love her too.' He began to rush out of the room when Anjali stopped him.
"No, no Chote, you can't go yet. There's still guests at their house. What will they think? Give them all some time. It's been a very long and stressful day."
'Okay, okay, I'll give her some time.' Arnav reluctantly agreed although every molecule in his body wanted to see Khushi immediately and apologise for not realising his feelings before, for putting them both through the hell of the past six months.
He began to leave the room before he stepped back and abruptly hugged Anjali, then Akash and after a second's hesitation he hugged Payal as well. He then bounded out of the room energetically leaving them all smiling after him.
It took him less than an hour in his euphoric state to clean up all the mess he had made. He could have gotten Om Prakash to clean it of course but he wanted to do it himself. This was the room Khushi would be coming to he hoped and he wanted it to be perfect for her. Perfect, just like she was for him. It was a completely different man that lay down on the freshly made bed than the one that had been there an hour ago. That Arnav had been bitter, angry and full of hate for the world. This Arnav was happy and consumed with his love for Khushi.
I can never imagine arnav like this, tbh...
ReplyDeleteBut sweet jesus, wouldn't that be amazing!