There's More To Her

1. The Idiot

Payal Gupta was gifted with foresight. One that allowed her to accept her father's new wife like her mother. One that pushed her to partner with her sister in every decision she took, no matter how opposite it was Payal's sensibilities, as a reminder to her sister that she was her own and by her side forever.

One that knew that she liked the younger, soft-spoken, spectacled Akash Singh Raizada too much for her good. One that decided to decline Akash's proposal, despite desperately wanting to do the opposite.

One that realized that the older Raizada was an absolute ass to her sister and had no business giving Payal Akash's suicide letter, which was read out by Khushi who seemed all too aware of what vocal pitch and emotion Akash might have written that letter with.

"Is he an idiot?" Payal shrieked, grabbing the letter as tears marred her vision.

Arnav grumbled as Khushi jumped at her sister's tears, "I saw him going to Scandal point and I put two and two together if anything happens to him-"

"Are you an idiot?" Payal snapped.

"What the f-"

"If you knew where he's going, why didn't you stop him? What kind of a brother are you?"

Arnav Singh Raizada had mastered the art of hidden messages and nuances. It allowed him to succeed in his business at the tender age of 23. So he immediately knew that Payal wasn't asking 'what kind of a brother' he was to Akash, rather, she was asking 'what kind of an idiot' he was in general.

It was a message well received.

It was a message not so well received by Khushi Kumari Gupta, who had, an hour ago, flaunted to a skeptic Arnav that her plan was flawless.

Until the first two minutes.

Payal looked at Arnav, Arnav looked at Khushi, Khushi looked at Arnav, Payal looked at the letter. Thus Arnav and Khushi spoke, in their minds.

Fuck.

Hey Devi Maiya... why didn't I think of this?

And did you assume that your sister cannot think as well?

But you can, right? So please handle this!

You handle this, it's your sister!

Who is in love with your brother!

...

...

Point. Fuck.

Hey Devi Maiyya. Say something.

According to Khushi, acting was Arnav's only weakness but her greatest strength, and she tested this theory without fail.

"What should I say!" Arnav growled.

Once the mental conversation shifted to a real one, it was a chronic case of verbal diarrhoea.

Victim, Khushi Kumari Gupta. Cause, Arnav Singh Raizada and his deplorable dialogue delivery.

Time was of essence, and an argument with Arnav would take all of Khushi's seven lifetimes. She wanted to get Payal married to Akash, preferably in this life. So with a wisdom that often escaped Khushi, she directed her sister's attention to Arnav's car. Payal burst into a sprint, shocking Arnav with her speed.

"Was this necessary?" Arnav picked up the piece of fallen paper.

"I know the car is right in front and she didn't really have to run, but love makes people do irrational things." Khushi slipped on her jootis.

"I'm not talking about your sister's sprint, it's this plan."

"Yes. There's no way I would let Jiji reject Akash ji-" Khushi huffed and caught up to his pace.

"I get it." Arnav interrupted, knowing Khushi would launch into one of her endless rants on true love.

"You don't." Khushi countered and grabbed his arm with surprising strength, halting him.

"If Jiji didn't want to marry him, nothing could force me to disagree with her. But here's my sister putting your brother on a pedestal by believing that she's not the princess in her own story. So, I will do anything to break that belief." Khushi blinked, her eyes stinging with sudden tears.

"Yes but anything has a limit."

"If you allow the woman you hate to come into your house every single day for of your sister," Khushi choked, her grip tightening on his arm, "then I can at least hypothetically push your brother off the cliff, for my sister." She left his arm as quickly as she caught it and headed to the SUV.

And promptly the two of them sidestepped the fact that she stated that he hated her, and he said nothing because the contrary would be too close to the truth.

Alas, Khushi was a terrible actress when it came to restraining her feelings. And unfortunately Arnav Singh Raizada was quite the actor when it came to confessing his own.

A/N:  I often wondered how Payal would confront this situation, on a more serious note. Ideally she has always been unintimidated by ASR and was the least restrained in what she told to Arnav - so carrying that attitude (and giving her an edge of IDGAF-what-Raizada-you-are), I wondered how this scene might have otherwise transpired.

But I could not resist from writing Arnav's iconic "Kya Bolun Ab?"

Thank you for reading :)