ArShi FF: Homebound

Chapter 9: Harmony

"Shyam ji is not who you think he is."

Lips parted, Arnav leans back in his seat, his bewildered expression giving away his obvious confusion. Of all the things he prepared himself to hear from Khushi's mouth, this was not on the list.

"What are you talking about, Khushi?" He leans forward now, slightly annoyed by why she chose to bring up his brother in law while he is trying to confess his feelings.

Khushi starts to shake. She thought she could do this, even when she blurted out the sentence, but now, looking at Arnav, she falters as she realizes that she will have to expose the horrifying truth about his beloved sister's husband. A trembling breath escapes her.

Arnav notices her hesitation, taking her hands in his without a second thought. "Hey, look at me," She glances at him with wet eyes. 

"It doesn't matter what you're trying to tell me, just know that I trust you. I know you, Khushi. Please don't hesitate. It's me." He stresses on the last part, coaxing her to meet his earnest gaze. His understanding attitude and the honesty in his words gives her the courage to steady herself, fight back any tears and grip his hands tighter with her own.

"Arnav ji, what I'm about to tell you may sound ridiculous and hard to believe. But there's a lot I need you to know, and I can't keep it in anymore because I feel like instead of protecting lives by keeping this a secret, I am destroying them." Her voice quivers yet her intentions stay strong.

His thumb caresses her knuckles, the worry in his touch evident.

"I'm listening. Please, tell me what's going on."

His support and willingness to listen was all Khushi needed to tell him everything about Shyam – from the first time she saw him when he saved her from goons in Lucknow, to him finding her in Delhi and living with them as a paying guest, to her family fixing her engagement with him – she told him everything, and he listened, dumbfounded.

A painful minute of silence goes by.

"Your fiancée... his name was-"

"Shyam. Yes..." Khushi finishes his thought, nodding at his face of realization. "I knew Anjali ji's husband's name was Shyam as well, I just didn't know that they were the same person."

"And then your engagement broke..." Arnav says, as if reliving the moments of the past when he found out about her engagement, to when she cried in his arms by the poolside.

"Yes, because I caught him in Shantivan. I had my doubts, but I didn't want to believe that Shyam ji could do such a thing to Anjali ji," She looks down in disgust, "We all found out about his reality, but decided to stay mum to protect her marriage. I thought he would change, but..."

She stops when she looks at Arnav, rage and doubt and betrayal and pain swirling in his bloodshot eyes. She decides to plough through, her loyalty to the truth weighing greater than her fear of rejection.

"He kept on bothering me, trying to find ways to talk to me and..." She looks at their joined hands, a part of her glimmering with hope at the fact that he's still holding on, and continues. "That day when you brought me Chinese food at the hospital..." A small smile gives way at the memory, but quickly fades. "He came in when I was alone and you left to escort Nanhe ji home."

Arnav immediately glances up to her, a whirlwind of unreadable emotions portrayed through his gaze. His hands slowly retract from hers, forming fists and resting on his sides.

Her lone hands feel cold on the table. She decides to hide the way the loss of contact affects her.

"Shyam ji is a vile man. He's dangerous and cunning, and he will do anything to get his way. We need to expose his truth to everyone, especially Anjali ji. She loves him to the point of worshipping him, this can't go on! She needs to know the truth, she has the right! Arnav ji you have to believe me, we need to- Arnav ji?"

She stops once again, her breath getting caught in her throat as she sees him, his rage and fury now replaced with utter despair and defeat.

"She does. Di worships him. How could that bastard..." He punches the table without a thought, his teeth gritting as a lone tear escapes his eye.

Khushi sees a waiter glance at them curiously from the loud noise, and she takes Arnav's hands in hers again. Her own eyes well with tears.

"Arnav ji, I know this is a lot to take in. I want the best for Anjali ji too," Her voice breaks as she sees his lips quiver. "We need to find a way to lay the truth out for Anjali ji. But before we do that, I need to have my family on our side. I know they want the absolute best for your family which is why we've chosen to stay quiet for so long... but I need to convince them and make them understand that this can't go on. And they need you to reassure them that you're on truth's side as well."

Arnav manages to nod, still lost in the magnitude of this revelation. He looks directly at her after a while, the intensity in his eyes catching her off guard for a moment.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why didn't you, damn it?"

A hiccup forms in the back of her throat and she swallows, whispering to prevent her sobs from overcoming her.

"I couldn't see you in pain, I couldn't tell you that your Di's husband is doing all this behind her back, I knew it would break you... I didn't know if you'd believe me, if by telling you I'd lose you." She looks down, unable to meet his eyes. "I just couldn't."

"What made you tell me now?"

The simple question stuns her.

"You were... about to tell me that you lo-"

She catches herself, her eyes shooting up to meet his distraught ones, trying to find a way to recover.

"I just didn't want the union of two families to begin with such an enormous secret... I didn't want anyone to live a lie."

Silence.

He stands up and she stands with him, their hands still joined. He takes a step toward her, his expressions shifting from defeat to resolution.

"This was the right thing to do, Khushi. I wish I had figured it out sooner, I can't stand knowing that that bastard has been living in my house, cheating on my Di and I couldn't save her from it..."

She rests her palm on his left cheek, trying to convey her emotions through touch.

"This is not your fault, Arnav ji. I shouldn't have kept this from you for so long. The best thing to do now is to find a way to tell Anjali ji, to expose Shyam ji. Give me some time, once I'm able to convince my family that telling the truth will do more good than harm, we'll have their support behind us and we can reveal everything to Anjali ji and everyone else in Shantivan." She can see the pain he feels, the dread of having to face his beloved elder sister and tell her the truth that will shatter her world.

"I'd like to talk to your family. I want to assure them that they need not hold this secret for any longer."

She nods, in awe of how perceptive and sensible he is being at a time like this. His trust in her astounds her and fills her with gratefulness. She wishes to tell him how much this means to her but can't seem to form the words to do so. For now, she focuses on supporting him, in every way that she can.

"Everything will be alright, Arnav ji."

He nods, trying his best to mask his inner turmoil by putting on a brave face.

Just has he's always been, putting others before himself.

"Let's get you home. I'll come to see your family tomorrow morning."

And with that he helps her put her leg braces on, before they walk out of the restaurant with her arm linked in his for support.

---

A/N: I have always wondered how it would go down if Khushi had mustered up the courage to tell Arnav, and if he had listened and trusted her. </3

- Rain