"Rahul?" Khushi echoed in confusion and Fateh nodded.
"Like Raichand." He affirmed and Khushi sank into silence, thinking of another Rahul she'd known years ago.
She watched as Arnav backed away from him and felt her mouth drop open as she stared at the man in front of her. Rahul Singh Brar.
________________________________________________________________________
"You're making a huge mistake Anjali."
"Jo bhi ho, yeh aapka faisla nahin hai. Humne faisla kar liya hai. Hum Shyamji se shaadi karenge. Whatever, it's not your choice. I've decided. I am marrying Shyam."
"How well do you even know him?! Anjali -- he could be anyone-"
"Voh humse pyaar karte hain! He loves me!"
"Tumse ya kuch aur se? You, or something else?!"
*slap*
"Aapki himmat kaise hui?! Sab log aapke pitaah ke jaise nahin hote. How dare you!? Not everyone is like your father."
"Excuse me?"
"Haan! Sab log aapke aur aapke pitaah ki tarah nahin hote. Jo ek aurat ki zindagi ko kabu mein rakhna chaahate hain. Usse apne faisle nahin banane dete aur ant mein, ussi ko chod ke chale jaate hain! Not everyone is like you and your father. Who want to control the lives of the women around them. Who don't let them make their choices and then ultimately leave them for what was it.. being too boring."
"Don't you dare talk about my family Anjali -"
"Kya karlenge aap?! Aap apne aap ko humare sabse ache dost kehte hain, leken aap humare liye khush nahin ho sakhte?! What are you going to do?! You call yourself my best friend but you can't be happy for me."
"You know what Anjali. Jo karna hai karlo. Do what you want."
"You're leaving?! FINE. JUST LEAVE. IT'S WHAT YOUR FAMILY DOES BEST."
"No Anjali. Abandonment is what you do best."
Anjali shook her head to clear herself of the memories that seemed to haunt her more now than ever.
He had been right. She hadn't known Shyam at all. She had given up her best friend for Shyam and Shyam had kicked her to the curb. She had broken him, Shyam had broken her.
On some level she deserved it. She had been so happy to find someone compliment her despite her leg that she had missed what she had, had all along.
He was probably happy now, married, with someone who appreciated him and made him feel like Superman.
The car stopped outside of Shantivan and she sighed, slowly climbing out of it recognizing Fateh's car outside as a symbol of his arrival.
She was quite thankful Fateh had chosen not to get involved in whatever had happened between him and her and keep to his own relationship with Arnav, because everything was just awkward enough as it is.
As she began approaching the house she wondered what he would say to her if he knew about Shyam's betrayal. I told you so? I'm sorry you went through that?
Pushing opening the door, grumbling all the while about how the entire family had just left her outside, she froze.
Because he was there. Standing in front of her, touching Nani's feet, smiling at Mamiji, congratulating Akash and looking straight at her.
Anjali froze as she stared straight ahead into the eyes of Rahul Singh Brar, the man who had told her so.
_______________________________________________________________________
Arnav winced as the tension in the room seemed to increase tenfold as Anjali and Rahul came face to face.
Dammmmn, and he had thought it was bad to look at Khushi after she'd friend-zoned him. This was much worse.
"Darling, am I the only one who feels this horrible amount of tension?" Arnav slowly shook his head in response to Fateh's question and the room plunged into silence until Khushi finally spoke.
"Arre Rahul! Aap!? Aap toh aise hi gayab ho gaye teh!!! Rahul? You? You just disappeared on us!"
"Is that little Khushi Kumari Gupta?" Rahul said, squinting slightly as he looked into Khushi's face. A smile suddenly broke out over his solemn expression, lighting up his eyes.
"It is! Look at you! All grown up and beautiful... and injured. What did you do to yourself this time? And more importantly in this lot? What brings you here bunny?"
"Jiji ki shaadi Akashji se ho rahi hai! Payal is marrying Akash!"
Rahul's expression cleared again before he stared down at the ground.
"Congratulations Payal. I'm very happy to see that you were able to grow in the way we discussed. Best of luck with... the family."
Rahul's voice, which had started out warm and happy, held a definite edge by the end of his statement and Arnav saw Di wince out of the corner of his eye. Still in a state of shock at the fact that Khushi knew Rahul, he found himself unable to do much other than gape at her.
"Rahul... kya hum aapse baat kar sakhte hain? Can I talk to you?" Payal said quietly, and Rahul nodded, saying that he had to leave anyways and without a word to Anjali, bid everyone else goodbye and followed Payal out the door.
Immediately Nani began discussing how nice it would be to catch up with Rahul during Akash's wedding and Arnav immediately realized just how awkward this wedding was going to be.
