Parinay (by Basanti)

Part 5

Chapter 5A-

On the final evening of his trip, Arnav walked to Times square, his favorite place in New York. In the midst of a crowded Times Square he found peace and quiet that helped him gather his thoughts and arrive at a decision. He got himself a cheese and onion bagel from a street vendor, a place he frequented every time he visited New York. He got the bagel and stood at a spot not too far from the electronic display, the most popular landmark of Times Square, and absorbed the vibrant atmosphere.

His thoughts went back to the week and a half that had passed by. Arnav had left for New York with Akash a couple of days after his discussion with Kushi, where they had both agreed to use some alone time to self introspect to decide what they want from the relationship they had been forced into. His Naani and Di weren't entirely happy with his decision to leave Kushi alone, but Kushi and he had assured them that this could not be put away. Before he left for the airport he had managed a private moment with Kushi who had smiled and wished him luck, but the smile did little to hide her nervousness.

The trip had been successful on all accounts. They had been able to secure a final agreement on the deal, it would be one of the biggest revenue generating deals for AR. He had been able to channelise all his efforts and focus on the deal alone in the first few days of the trip.

On the personal front, he was able to step back and detach himself from everything that had happened to see where mistakes had been committed, how they could be rectified and most importantly what the future held for Kushi and him. A big part of his thought process was consumed by Lavanya. His contacts back in India had indicated that Lavanya had signed up to a reputed modelling agency in Paris, to find some work in Europe. She had always spoken of her dream to work in Europe like every other model aspired, not only because she could do more exciting work but also so that she could stay closer to her roots in Spain. But due to their relationship she never made the move.

A part of him was initially upset at the suddenness of her decision, but he understood that it was him who had pushed her to make this move. Her planned move to Paris was probably for the better, for her as well as for him.

When he had gone to meet her the day after the wedding, his emotions and thoughts were all over the place. He was far too overwhelmed to think straight; his need to apologise to her, to see her, speak to her, touch her overpowering every rational thought. He hadn't seen her in weeks, ever since Lavanya found out about his wedding. He still remembered the call she had made, she asked him if the news was true and like a coward he delayed announcing the inevitable. As soon as she heard it from him, she had packed her bags and had disappeared from the city for three weeks. He had made numerous attempts to speak to her over the period, but it was all in vain. So when he heard about her reappearance he was overpowered by a manic need to see her and explain himself.

He was in Love with Lavanya, she had been able to affect him like no woman before her had. Her grace, subtle charm, classy demeanour along with a beauty that put most to shame, had captivated him from the day he had met her. They got on like a house on fire and he found himself drawn to her, irrespective of the many differences in their lifestyle and upbringing. As with most women he had never thought that it would lead to something serious, so he didn't care much for their obvious differences. But as fate would have it, he had fallen in love with her. Once his family had found the truth about their relationship all hell broke loose. He understood where his Naani and Di came from, having seen his mother suffering from close quarters, due to one wrong decision pertaining to choosing a life partner. He had still nursed a hope against all rational thoughts that his family would see his love and accept Lavanya, but that never happened. And then they had gone on to use emotional blackmail- the thought of a life without working at AR group- his dream, his surname, the support of his family, the support of his Di who had been a mother to him, seemed daunting. It was the classic struggle that many young Asians go through- struggling to choose between family and love. And like most would do, he had chosen his family.