Blind Dreams

The Beauty and the Beast

Arnav drove off to the quiet roads, aimlessly, taking turns along the road as he wished, just like the way his life has been taking for the past year. His mind went back to the old romantic moments spent with Khushi. Gradually a small smile appeared on his gloomy face. He reminisced about the crazy first memories he shared with her. Ever from the day she had fallen into his arms, his life has taken many unexpected twists; And after all those wonderful times his inner self is not still able to digest the fact that he has to choose between his love and his own sister. For every romantic moment with her as his heart would show, his mind gave him a flashback of all the caring moments he has had with his sister. Now he has become an analyzer; To see who deserves more points, his heart or his mind only to find the results are equal. Oh! How much he wished that he would be able to travel back in time and change everything. Just then Khushi's words came into light "Get used to it because money doesn't give you every right". The words which came out from the mouth of the same person 1 year ago, that same person who would by then was the last in the world for Arnav to seek advice from. "Yes! If money gave me every right, I would have had the privilege of saving my wife's and my sister's life long ago" he thought to himself. Just then he saw his phone blinking for 9 missed calls from Aman and this was enough to break his concentration over the deep thoughts. Somehow he felt an urge to stop the car and have a look around. To his amazement he has arrived at the place where he made the biggest mistake of his life.

(Payal's and Aakash's Room)

Payal: Aakashji please talk to me. You haven't talked to me for three days now. I have made your favorite dish.

Aakash: Payal, please don't disturb me. 

Payal: But Aakash...

Aakash: Enough Payal, Di is not in a good condition, Bhai and I are stuck between work, and you are busy making fancy dishes just to impress me. Do you think that by making this dish this you could make me forgive you? Never, you promised me that you would never keep any secret from me. And now that you have done that I feel like you might have been hiding other things from me too.

Payal: Aakash I'm tired of this; how many times do I have to explain to you that I did all these for the happiness of your family. If I've told that to you, your family would have been broken long ago. Would you have wanted that to happen? Tell me Aakash. In fact, Khushi asked me not to tell.

Aakash: Payal enough with all this Khushi this? Khushi that? If Khushi asks you to divorce me, you would even do that. You are a member of the Raizada Parivaar and you only think about Khushi. For god's sake just think about my family too. I don't want anything else. In fact, all I wish as of right now is my family to be the same it used to be.

Payal: Aakash I didn't want to be a burden on you or your family...

Aakash leaves the room in frustration causing Payal to silently break down. She whispered "Why Aakash ji? Why? I thought you would understand me. And now I've become a PROBLEM for you." I came here with a happy news for you and but you seem the least bit interested about my life and our marriage.

(Arnav's POV)

It was close to midnight and the sky was clear with not a single cloud at sight. The light emitted from the moon was more than enough for Arnav to walk up the stairs carefully. On his way up, he once again recalled what happened right here just a few months ago. His anger intoxicated him with feelings of revenge, that he was unable to choose between what is right and what is wrong. He didn't even have time to think that he's hurting the person whom he loved. And today for the first time in his life he found it strange going to the place he didn't believe in and never went without the force of his family. He took step by step; one at a time, and with each step his guilt took over him.

He took his first step as flashbacks of the fashion show rolled into view. In his state of guilt he remembered how he pushed her towards the stage like an emotionless man, how he misbehaved with her and made her cry the first time they met. The night ended with him ruining her sister's marriage and leaving her to face the consequences.

With his second step he remembered the way he humiliated her in Lucknow, releasing the clips of the Fashion Show just because the poor girl was trying to make realization dawn upon him how important believing is.... He didn't consider that to be a mistake until three days ago when Khushi spat out the truth in front of the whole family. His reckless mistake acquainted Khushi with his sworn enemy. It was probably one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

Third Step – The way he tore off her dupatta stuck on his rearview mirror that reflected the way he tore her dupatta on New Year's Day.

Fourth....... Eighth – The time when she came into his office and the way he made her life a living hell...How he let go of her hand deliberately, How he scolded her for ruining the Model's dress and challenged her to wear a similar short dress, The way he made her work on rain and that too overtime, When she got stuck in the building, how rudely he handled her not even thinking that she has not eaten the whole day until she went unconscious.

Ninth.......Fourteenth – For scolding her a umpteen amount of times unnecessarily including sight of her presence around the house, When Anjali went missing, For inserting the idea of marriage to the others' minds, Gifting the sari as a tip, Swearing that they wouldn't talk to each other, most importantly the way he was unable to comfort her during her father's illness, and playing with her emotions on Diwali Night.

By this time two droplets of tears have managed to escape from both of his eyes. Within those past fifteen minutes he felt like he has revised all the events of the past year only to arrive at a conclusion that for the past year he hadn't done anything but hurting his one and only beloved. Ever from the day he misbehaved with her at the Fashion-Show to this date he had only misunderstood her and ill-treated her for no reason. "Khushi", he whispered to the silent wind. "Not bad Arnav Singh Raizada you broke her heart for...how many times did you say?"; He heard his heart asking him as if even it is mocking his arrogance. He finally managed to raise his leg for the fifteenth step just in place to reach the top. With that step he saw two people. One's eyes filled with hatred and disgust, and one desperately trying to find the answers she wants in those eyes...

(Khushi's POV)

She took her final Shalwar Kameez out of the Almirah and folded it neatly, tears were glistening on her eyes. It was a Yellow and Green one and its arms were adorned with her usual Pom-Poms. The old Shalwar Kameez awakened old memories in her. She searched for its Dupatta and found it torn from one side, because of Arnav's doings. It was the same outfit she wore on the New Year's day, which was deliberately ripped by Arnav in an attempt to receive his call. She smiled between tears wishing for HER old Arnav; Even though she was not ready to accept the fact that she had already fallen for him at that time, now she knew that she had always loved him, also she wished that she had confessed it at that time, for none of these problems would have happened if she had done so. She packed all her clothes in the suitcase and quickly scribbled down a note for Payal. Much to her relief she found no one in her Jiji's room. The letter was kept on her dressing table as she knew Payal was the only one in her room because Aakash has already gone out for a business deal for three days. Khushi left their room hoping that no one would see the letter except for Payal. Unfortunately it never happened so.

(Arnav's POV)

Arnav stared into the eyes of the Beauty in front of him. Those eyes were questioning the angry beast innocently, and it pained him right on his heart to witness her state of helplessness now, in Arnav's point of view, which was completely different to that of ASR'S which he had used on her 5 months ago. Yes, this is it, this is where Arnav Singh Raizada made the biggest mistake in his life, the place where he crushed the dreams of a beautiful, innocent girl; the place where he married her forcefully, the place where only Arnav Singh Raizada could make a mistake. In front of him was his beautiful wife and himself in a flashback of what happened 5 months ago in the same place. An old man was making his way towards him, "Son are you fine?" to which he replied with a dubious "Yes, I am". For a very solemn minute past that encounter, nothing happened. It was the calm before the storm, it was the guilty Arnav before the ruthless ASR. When all boundaries were crossed, Arnav drove carelessly back the road in search on relief and solitude, the nearest pub.