Wedding, especially Indian Wedding takes time and lots of functions before the happy ever after part, so when her sister finally got married to the man who looked at her with love, Khushi was filled with happiness that were inexplainable, all the guilt she had felt over time about her sister unmarried state vanished when her sister walked hand in hand with her husband to take the elders blessing and she knew following their moment will end up with her facing him ,as her brother in law hugged his cousin and who in turn hugged his sister welcoming her to their family. 

"You are part of the family now officially" he had said while smiling towards his sister and she almost would have forgiven him for that welcome alone if not for her sister words next. 

"Marry Khushi soon, so i can have my sister be part of my new family as well" her sister answered back and smiled with the rest of her family except two people him and her. His gaze turned towards her at the remainder and she as always turned her head away unwilling to see him.

It had been hard to be angry with him, much harder to pretend to their family that they were exactly an happy couple. When he announced that she agreed to marry him, she could have killed him for the lie, because she knew he had no intention of following through with it and it had been his reaction to the possibility that she might marry someone else. And she wasn't a toy to claim his ownership on his whim and yet she stood in silence as her family congratulated them with happy tears until they left them alone

"You are angry?" he asked once they were alone as if it dawned on his that she wouldn't just go along with his plan.

"So when are we getting married, how about a joint wedding with my sister, it would be so romantic, after all you can't wait to get married" she spoke up and the fear in his face was her answer enough , he had no intention of marrying at the moment.

"I just thought.." he trailed off a little unable to complete the sentence and she knew what he had thought, he thought to say prolong the farce engagement as long as he wants and until he got tired of having her as his girlfriend then break it up with her . The great Arnav Singh Raizada didn't want to get married ever and he made that perfectly clear so many times and yet she was a fool to hope until now .

But not anymore, not when he would so carelessly announce it to everyone she agreed to marry him as if the declaration meant nothing to him except an way to keep her as his girlfriend for long, in his tiny brain he didn't comprehend how upset their family would be when they find out that the marriage wont happen, he didn't think about Khushi sister or how her marriage maybe affected if Khushi had said no to his stupid proposal in front of them as she wanted too, she held on to her silence for her sister happiness .

" Listen to me, we are done ,  I am no more your girlfriend than you are my boyfriend, but until my sister marriage happens, I go along with your lie for her sake and then you can explain to your family that marriage wont happen because I refuse to let my sister face any trouble over my actions ever again" Khushi spoke up and walked away from him that day and she ignored his calls and texts after that but when they were around their family, she pretended to smile at their teasing as if it didn't hurt her to look at him.

And he played the same role perfectly as well, not once he had told his family to stop when they began their teasing but she never missed the sign of stress in his face at the mere mention of Marriage. She always knew he hated Marriage and yet she never knew how insurmountable the task would be until then, and today the pretense will finally be over. Once her sister and her brother in law leave for the honeymoon tomorrow, she will tell her parents and he had to tell his family. 

And everything will be over between then in truth as well as their fake engagement. Maybe that was the reason her eyes misted with tears which she concealed as happy tears when her sister came to hug her, Khushi was happy for her sister that she married a man who loved her so much and so she endured her new brother in law teasing for a while about her being engaged to his cousin with a smile ,she perfected over the days. 

Just when she thought the long day was over, there he was standing beside her as if her nightmare had finally came to pay a call, she took the coward way out last night when she texted him that he should announce his family about their break up after her sister left for her honeymoon. Khushi hope had been that one month away would give everyone time to accept the new change in Khushi and Arnav relationship for everyone.

"We need to talk Khushi" he spoke up, and she didn't want to listen to him yet she had decided to listen to him, what could she possible lose anymore, after today their paths will cross occasionally but not always or so often that she will have all the time in the world to grieve her broken heart.

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It has been just few days and yet it felt like years, he never imagined Khushi reaction when he announced to their family about their marriage, he had been willing to go through it in few years time for the girl he loved but he hadn't been ready yet when she asked him, if they can get married together with Akash and Payal.

He had been hoping for a long engagement, so he can get used to the idea of marriage, so he wasn't prepared to defend himself when she broke up with him instead. Then when he regained his mind and tried to explain, she ignored his calls and texts . So he waited as he realized how important she wanted her sister marriage to be drama free, an argument  between them during any of the wedding functions wont work because if their family stumbled upon it, they wont be able to explain. So he waited for the wedding to happen just like she wanted.

When he got the text from her last night, he had been happy and hoped she was willing to talk with him, but it wasn't what he expected from her. Just an order to end things with his family after the wedding and he wasn't going to do that without talking to her face to face, he knew the reason she agreed to let him drive somewhere else was solely due to avoid their family seeing them argue, and yet over the ride fear overwhelmed as he wondered if he will be able to change her mind.

Khushi Kumari Gupta had become an integral part of his life and he refuse to lose her not yet, ASR can deal with business, Arnav or chote can deal with his family but with her , he was at a loss. So when he drove them to one of the construction sight of his new office building, he knew it would be empty enough to have a loud screaming match and also Khushi cant leave him as it was in the middle of nowhere before he fully explained himself.   If the place was of concern she didn't show it as she starred at him to speak.

" You know why i hate Marriage" he spoke up, and regretted the moment painful eyes starred back at him and he also realized that wasn't a good start , he was bungling it up all over again.

" But i was willing to marry you.." another stupid statement, he should get an award.

"And i am willing to let you go, you need not marry me as if it was some sort of punishment to you or rather as if a sacrifice, we just came from a wedding, where two people pledged to be be with each other for the rest of their lives and if you still cant understand what is marriage, then the path will only lead to pain for both of us in the end, it better to end it now for our family as well as you and me " Khushi answered back as if she was fighting not to cry in front of him .

"I Love You Khushi, does it not matter, why does just a vows of marriage matter to you more than what I feel about you, yes today Akash and Payal got married, I was there too you know and I am happy for them but I don't see why Marriage is the only goal in life either " Arnav may have raised his voice a little, he had promised to himself never to do so with her but he felt like he was losing her and he had to do something or say something to make it not happen.

"You love me?" She asked the question as if she cant believe it either and he realized he never said so in words before but surely she must have an idea why he would be willing to marry just because he knows she wants it if not for the fact he loves her .

"I don't like Marriage Khushi, but I know you want that , it was why I was willing to get engaged now and marry few years later until you broke it off , I wouldn't have said to our family we will marry if I didn't mean it " Arnav answered back and finally she looked at him as if she was believing him for the first time , as if he didn't say something stupid after all.

"So.." he asked when she continued to hold on to her silence for the next few minutes. 

" I think I love you too, it is why I am crazy enough to accept this unromantic confession of all time " She spoke as she hugged him and he felt like he can breath finally as he held her in his arms. Arnav never knew how much he missed her until that moment when she back in his life and he promised that he will do anything and everything to keep her in his life even if it involved marriage at some point of time later, back then it wasn't a concern to him ,as he thought he had a long time to think about that aspect of his life. 

That day it might have been Akash and Payal who got married, but it was also an day Arnav will never forget in his life, because that day got him ,his khushi back to his life. 

P.S : " That it for now. Let me know your thoughts and feedbacks. Hit the votes if you liked it "

Juanita Reid