The Learning Curve - Chapter 10

'So its reached the Boiling point...'

"Thanks..." khushi heard a husky voice from behind her as she closed anaya's door. She didn't have to think twice whose voice it was but wanted to avoid him at the moment..she needed time to process what anaya had just told her and facing Mr Raizada would only make her scream at him. She ignored him and started walking towards the guest room, hoping he'll get the point and leave her alone.

"Ms Gupta...wait..." arnav called out, confused with the way she blatantly ignored him 'Yeah well...I did the same thing with her' he thought as he started following her. "Ms Gupta...Kh..Khushi..please..can we talk?" he asked nervously. He knew she was probably thinking the worst of him right now and he won't blame her for it, but he needed to talk to her about anaya.

Khushi stopped mid-way to her room and took a deep breath, 'Did he just say Khushi?' she whirled around to face those molten caramel eyes only to gasp at the immense hurt and pain she saw in them. She was stunned for a moment to see Mr Raizada looking so vulnerable, but the conversation with anaya was still very fresh in her mind.

She ignored the little jerk her heart gave at his appearance and lashed out at him "What? Now you want to talk? What happened to the 'Lets ignore ms Gupta!' game you were playing all evening?" she asked him, her eyes blazing fire "Seriously Mr Raizada, I thought you were more mature than all this...I agree that we don't see eye-to-eye but I am here for your child..I am here to help her out, not lock horns with you at every opportunity!" she said breathing heavily now.

Arnav was actually afraid of her at this point; how should he explain why he was staying away from her? He sighed as he walked towards her, but was annoyed when she stepped back "Listen Ms Gupta...i understand that I may have been difficult...and contrary to what you may think, I also want what's best for my daughter...but you can't just blame me for everything...You too have been very rude and judgmental with me...most of the times!" he said, his control slipping with the accusing look she was giving him.

"Hah! I've been rude? Mr Raizada...don't even get me started on rudeness! Because while i may have some idea about it, you have done a bloody PhD in it! How can you question me for judging you when the truth is that you are probably responsible single handedly for anaya's rash behavior! Didn't you hear what she just said? This was probably the easiest analysis any phycologist has ever done! An absentee father milord! Yes...that's all there is to it!" she said menacingly as arnav's body trembled with rage.

"Don't you dare ms Gupta!" he said in a slow but extremely cold voice "Don't you dare accuse me when you have no idea about anything! You are once again judging me by what you see superficially! You have no idea what the truth is..so don't go making assumptions based on what your meddling brain tells you!" he said pointing his finger at her.

Khushi shivered at the sudden drop in temperature,; she didn't know if it was the chill outside or the coldness in arnav's eyes but the pain and hurtful look he was sporting a minute ago had now turned into a cold and ruthless one...but she felt there was a lot of guilt and suffering hidden beneath all that cool surface. She knew this was the only way for her to crack his hard exterior; it was the only way to help anaya...and help that girl she would! Even if this man freezes her to death with his cold stare, she would probe him till he breaks.

"I'm making assumptions Mr Raizada? Really? Well then why don't you tell me why you have distanced yourself form anaya so much?! Why does she have to suffer from a feeling of alienation from her own father! Why does she have a fear of loosing her father...albeit not physically, but mentally! Why Mr Raizda? Why? Aren't you the only one responsible for all this? Tell me? Am i wrong!!" khushi whispered back to him, worried that their raised voices may wake up anaya.

"Go to your room Ms Gupta...just stay away from me you understand?" arnav said coldly as he turned back and started walking the other way, leaving a confused and highly irritated khushi behind. He walked straight towards the far end of the corridor and stepped out on to the terrace, the heavy showers soaking him wet in an instant.

...

Khushi started at him as she saw him walking out, she was stunned to say the least...she had expected him to blast off and argue more, but his hurtful way of dismissing her had really gotten to her. She narrowed her eyes and thinned her mouth as she too walked towards the way he went, 'there was no way this was over..no one dismissed Khushi gupta!'

...

Arnav stood under the harsh assault of the heavy september rains...the black clouds had descended much lower from the sky; the gloominess of the eerie night very similar to his fate..the one he had chosen himself. He fisted his hands as he remembered all the accusations khushi had thrown his way..nearly all had hit the target, but he still held on to his belief that what he was doing was for the best.

He closed his eyes as the water drenched his clothes and ran mercilessly over him, He raised his head up, wanting to scream...wanting to hit something, just so that the pain in his heart would decrease...he soo wished everything was as it was...if only... "So, the truth hurts huh?" he heard her voice again. His nostrils flared as he turned back to see her standing beneath the roof at the entrance of the terrace.

"I told you to go away...just leave me alone!" he thundered, not caring if his voice was louder than the thunder outside. Khushi stepped away from the protection of roof towards him, the howling wind and thunders were a frightening sight, but what was more frightening was the man standing in front of her; he looked downright menacing.Freddy.

She thinned her lips again as she continued speaking, once again ignoring that fact the he clearly did not want to talk to her "Why should i go away? And who are you to dismiss me like that? Just because you can't face the fact that your'e a bad father...does not give you the right to dictate others! Just face it Mr raizada...you have failed as a father...for a child who lost her mother, you should have been a pillar of support...but you failed to do that! Hiding from this fact won't change a thing!" she challenged him and was satisfied when he walked towards her, his face a mask of anger and torment.

Khushi was actually afraid that he might just strangle her if she spoke another word, but she had to probe him...she had to know why he was avoiding anaya. She stood her ground as he came and stood right in front of her, his eyes were red with suppressed anger as he spoke to her in a clipped tone"I am not a bad father...i have not failed her...and don't you dare say that she lost her mother! I am her mother and father both! I love anaya more than my own life, I'll do anything for her...she is my everything! And no one...and i mean no one can question that!" he said once again pointing at her,

Khushi calmly glanced at his raised finger and then stared looked in to his eyes, she pushed his finger down with her hand and raised her own finger at him "You'll do anything for her right? She's your'e everything? Your'e her mother and father? YET...yet you don't have a minute to spare for her..you push her away at every instance and still you say you love her? Why Mr Raizdaa? Why? Why do you stay away from her? Why can't you show this love you speak of in front of your daughter! Why Arnav? Tell me...what you don't have an..aaahh!" khushi screamed as she was pulled roughly against arnav's body, her hands twisted behind her back as he held her prisoner, his hot molten eyes boring into hers while she looked up fearfully into them.

"Because I KILLED her PARENTS! Because i KILLED BABA! Because everything i hold dear to me, DIES...its my curse! ITS MY CURSE! You get it! I keep her away from me because i want her to live...i protect her from ME! Everyone around me dies...first my parents...then Akash and Payal...then baba...Anaya is the only family i have left..she's my life...if anything happens to her.." arnav said brokenly as khushi looked on shocked.