After After-Aarohan,

Varanasi 2005

“Oww…”

“Watch it,” He bristled even as he lifted his eyes and turned to see who had brushed against him this violently. As if there wasn’t enough going on in his head already. Somebody had to go ahead and make it…

“Oh! It’s you…Hi,”

Arjun stared at the young girl even as his head swam for a second. “Krishna?”

“Shhhhhh,” She hissed, her brows crunched violently as she stepped closer. “Don’t call me that. It’s Tripti. And you were the one walking with your eyes glued to the phone.”

Arjun stared back at her in incredulous wonder. But he didn’t have time to babysit at the moment. So he bit out a tight smile and apologized quickly before looking away and taking a few steps.

“Uh…Arjun…” Krishna called out from behind making him groan. But she was Kavi’s sister after all. So he took a deep breath and turned around, hoping that his annoyance didn’t show on his face.

“When you see my sister, can you please tell her that I have gone back home? Not that I think she cares about me tonight but still…”

Arjun nodded his head. “Yeah, ok. Will do. Bye.” Then he turned away again and quickly dialed AV-Sir’s number again on his phone. He needed to find AV-Sir and talk about what he had seen on the stage today. Then again, he bit his tongue as he cancelled the call and let his hands hang loose. What had he seen anyway? Two people singing together and enjoying every moment of it. But…He turned around before his head burst wide open. He needed to distract himself.

He saw Krishna walking away.

“Krishna,” he called out even as he jogged up to her. “Are you walking back alone?”

She turned around, her eyes wide in her face. Coal black and stark against her skin. He wasn’t sure why he was noticing that. Perhaps because he was so used to the hidden gaze that Kavi usually bestowed on him. Kavi…He took a deep breath. Shit!

“Err…no…Anusha and I will go walk together.” She said and pointed to the girl standing next to her.

Arjun blinked as he realized he hadn’t even noticed the other girl. “You will be fine?” He asked again, almost glad that he didn’t have to deal with conflict in wanting to take some time away from the Aarohan venue versus staying back and dealing with what he needed to.

“Sure,” Krishna and looked at her companion who nodded furiously, a glint and half a chuckle evident in her eyes.

Something in the way Kaveri’s sister shrugged, tipped him over the decision point. Or was it because this was Kaveri’s sister. Yes, he acknowledged, that must be the reason he found himself saying, “No, I think I will come drop you both. It’s hardly any distance…”

Krishna’s eyes widened again. It was charming and annoying in equal measure. “No, no….Anusha and I will be fine, right Anu?” She turned to her friend quickly before looking at Arjun again. “Really, you don’t need to drop us. I mean it is still just in the campus.”

“We have instructions to not let girls walk back alone to the hostel.’

“But…”

“Yeah I know both of you need to head back to the staff quarters not the hostel. That’s even further away and deserted at this time of night. Let’s go. I’ll be back in time…”

Krishna frowned. “Perhaps I should just get Di and then the three of us can go…”

“Kavi will be late. And I will accompany you even if she comes with you.”

“It makes no sense. I mean, no offense but you are hardly Salman Khan”

Arjun stared at the younger girl incredulously. “Did you just…? Never mind…I am apparently given to do things that make no sense. So let’s not argue. The sooner we head out, the sooner I can be back.”

So the three of them set out. Arjun remained quiet all through the walk even as the girls chatted away non-stop. Any other day he would have joined right in. Especially since a lot of their conversation was in fact an Aarohan critique which Arjun wasn’t sure he took very kindly to. Especially when it came from school going girls barely out of their pigtails. But then he had been the one to insist he accompany them.

Plus there was this entire mess about AV-Sir and Kaveri that refused to resolve itself in his head. What he had he been thinking saying yes to AV-Sir singing all these wonderful songs with Kavi? What had been thinking asking AV-Sir to do something like this for him in the first place? For a second he had even wondered if all he had wanted to do was sub-consciously prove that Kavi was never meant to be with him at all. No, he told himself. He really had wanted this to work. Technically, he could argue that it might still work when he told her how he felt and what he wanted later today. But suddenly, that seemed like a ship fated worse than the Titanic.

“Are you okay?”

Arjun blinked out of his little irritated train of thought and looked to his left to see Krishna looking at him curiously. “Yeah, why?”

She nodded her head and then was visibly nudged by her companion, one she ignored with the ease of one who couldn’t be bothered with such girlish gestures.

They continued to walk for a few more minutes before they reached Anusha’s residence – one of the new blocks right at the entrance of the residential area meant for staff. Anusha thanked him and gave Krishna a hug and hurried away with a giggle that Arjun couldn’t help ignore. He however, did use the moment to thank God for not forcing a sister on him, if these two fifteen year olds were anything to go by.

“I can manage from here.”

Arjun fixed Krishna with a stare and wordlessly continued to walk.

“You must really like her a lot.” She said as she caught up with him.

Stunned and yet sensible enough to not show his surprise, Arjun turned to look at Krishna who still had the curious expression on her face.

“I mean, she says you cannot stop talking and that you are incredibly funny and that you keep things interesting between the two of you and here you are…so….so….I want to say sadu…” Krishna pointed out. “So either you like my sister a lot or you really dislike me…well…not me – I cannot take it personally – you don’t even know me – so you must dislike being stuck minding school girls. Which also points out to you liking her a lot – why else would you be here dropping Anusha and me off – no one really does that…”

“Well, she certainly was right about your ability to talk without preamble.” Arjun replied wryly even as his lips curved into a smile. He wasn’t sure if it was what Krishna was saying Kaveri said about him or the way Krishna herself called him out on his obvious regard for her sister. Either way, there was something positively endearing about this girl. And potentially infuriating. Like looking into a mirror.

Krishna grinned. “Can’t blame me.  I can’t walk in silence. That’s for your friend to do.”

Arjun shook his head and took a deep breath. He couldn’t deny being uncharacteristically grumpy to a girl who he should be extra nice to in the first place. “How did you like the evening?”

“My sister the heroine. It was wonderful. And that person…Arnav Varun…goodness, no wonder Kaveri is in love with him. I am half in love with him myself, though honestly he looks too good to not be taken already. I mean I hope he isn’t. He would be a wonderful jeeja…”

His insides seized and clawed at his skin. “She said that? I mean she likes him?”

“Nope. She has said nothing at all. Which should be the biggest clue of all time.”

Arjun looked at Krishna who was smiling at something in the distance as she continued to walk. It seared through his skin and curved into bitter words on his lips. “He has a girlfriend, yes.”

Krishna looked at him, her eyes wide and her mouth pulled down almost comically. “Damn, I really hoped I was wrong. Does Di know?”

He shook his head.

“Oh!”

He looked away from the younger girl even though he knew she was staring at him. And he knew she knew how he felt about her sister now. How or why, he couldn’t care to analyze? Or the fact that it was a little child talking to him like she was his agony aunt of some sort.

“Oh shit… Oh wow…Di really…”

He looked at her unblinkingly as they came to a stop in front of the low rise apartment which housed the Guptas.

“You should tell her about…well…his girlfriend and about…”

He didn’t want to listen to a fifteen year old tell him what he needed to do. Especially when she was a pompous know-it-all like Krishna Tripti Gupta. “I need to head back. So please go in.” He said as softly and as kindly as he could. But the fact that he was upset with her clearly caught on with Krishna Gupta. He had admit the girl was ages ahead of her sister in her ability to be aware. He just didn’t know why it bothered him so much.

“Thank you for dropping me home.” She replied just as coldly and turned to walk away from him in a visible huff. He felt guilt slap the insides of his mouth but he bit it down and hurried back.

————

“Dude, where have you been?” NK-Sir shouted even as he appeared at the top of the steps leading to the auditorium. The crowds had thinned considerably at this hour but there was still music in the air, rambunctious and full of high spirited laughter. How NK-Sir had recognized him in the now dim lighting, was always going to be a question unanswered, especially given the twinkle he could see clearly in his senior’s eyes.

“I went to drop…” Arjun shook his head, deciding against sharing too much information, “Why? What happened?”

“You have no idea what I found out today. I mean, you have NO idea what I found out today.”

“Nishant-Sir, you sound like me. And that can’t be a good omen. Because it would mean I need to sound like you and that…”

“Kabhi toh bakwaas kam kiya karo, Agarwal. You want me to tell you or not?”

Arjun took a deep breath and looked at his watch. He needed to go find Kaveri. But clearly NK-Sir wasn’t one to be dismissed today. “Of course, I want to know,” He said as he smiled sweetly.

“Bhaiyya is engaged.”

Arjun stayed silent and unmoved for a long moment and then blinked. “What?”

“His family is here and…”

“Yeah his mother and sister…He mentioned it to me last night. But that was because it is his last Aarohan.”

NK-Sir rolled his eyes. “Who the hell cares about something like Aarohan? They are here to confirm his engagement to his girlfriend.” He stopped to lean in and peer into Arjun’s eyes. “You do know he has a girlfriend, right?”

“Yeah I do. But…I know just that.”

“Of course. No one else knows more than that. The man has some stamina for secrets. Four years and not one soul knows more than this…and today…Apparently his sister is the complete opposite of him. Dheeraj and Hemant met her earlier today and they’ve declared they are shifting loyalties. She told them all about AV-Sir and his girlfriend’s love story – total Bollywood – she’s a Muslim. Can you believe it? Apparently the families are very close…rather were very close till the news of their relationship broke and then…They’ve finally come around now…after four years of knowing and fighting…”

Arjun’s brow dug deeper into his skin. “Really?”

“Yeah,” NK-Sir nodded furiously, his eyes still dazed. “I mean obviously Bhaiyya’s story would have to be as filmy as that but still…I would never have guessed.”

If Arjun were to honestly analyze his feelings, he knew he still didn’t buy the whole story. Something didn’t add up. And yet…what did he know? Perhaps all this tension was the reason AV-Sir remained so tight-lipped about his relationship. Suddenly all those tense silences and solitary sojourns made a lot of sense. And the doubts about him harboring feelings for Kaveri shimmered warily.

“Where is he? We should go congratulate him.”

“I just did. He was heading towards the backstage area. Apparently he wanted to say thank you to Kaveri….who by the way was looking so lost…make sure she gets back home safe…it’s pretty late,”

Kaveri. Shit. He needed to tell her. Maybe AV-Sir felt nothing for Kavi. But she…it was so evident. And her finding out about AV-Sir from someone else when he had known all along…and her sister knew he did…No, he couldn’t risk that…Even if tonight was not the right time for him to declare his feelings, he knew he would one day and to be able to do that, he needed to be in the clear with her…

“Okay. I’ll see you later. Thank you, NK-Sir.” He said somberly and headed past Nishant Kumar Pathak up into the auditorium only to see Kaveri standing right at the entrance, her eyes stuck to the narrow pathway leading out of the auditorium, like she was waiting for someone.

He took a deep breath and allowed his facial features to relax into a smile. He walked up to her quickly and placed a hand on her shoulder, allowing her warmth to seep into his skin even in the little moment that ended too soon as she turned around, her eyes wary and waiting, like she knew what was headed her way.

“Kavi, here you are and I have been looking for you all over.”

————–

The decision to not tell Kaveri about his little plan with AV-Sir or about how he felt for her, came swift and sure on his second trip to drop a Gupta sister home that Aarohan night. That he wouldn’t end up telling her about either for years after was never planned the way it worked out. When Arjun and AV-Sir met alone the next time, the topic of how either of them felt was ignored. Neither did, however, pretend, that there wasn’t something they had put into motion and killed quite brutally that night.

For the rest of the year, Arjun met AV-Sir like he did during the weeks leading up to Aarohan. The two of them laughed and shared stories – some even about Kaveri Khushi Gupta. But every word was uttered with knowledge of an invisible boundary that neither had had the courage to cross.

The only time one of them broke the pact was the night of AV-Sir’s farewell from IE-V. And even then, there was alcohol to loosen tongues and force apologies out of guilty mouths and repentant hearts.

“I’m sorry,”

Arjun had smiled then knowing he meant to apologize to the girl they had only meant to do good by and had ended up hurting nevertheless. “I’ll make sure she forgets about you, AV-Sir.” His words had slurred as much as his seniors even as each one of them avoided the other’s gaze.

“Make sure she knows how you feel, Arjun” AV-Sir said even as he looked out into the hostel lights blinking in the distance, his legs swinging in the air as they sat solemnly on the parapet wall they had first conspired on.

In the years between that last night and the first on the River, Arjun and AV-Sir spoke exactly eight times. Six of those conversations had been initiated by Arjun – the final one just days before the camp when he had called to confirm that AV-Sir’s presence at the camp – while never mentioning that both Kavi and he were headed in the same direction.

How he had not guessed that things would pick up exactly where they had been left off years ago, Arjun would never know.

River Song, Music and Lyrics

Song Title: Sach Mere Yaar Hai

Album: Saagar

Singer: S. P. Balasubramanian

Music: R. D. Burman

Lyrics: Javed Akhtar

Sach mere yaar hai

Bas wohi pyaar hai

Jiske badle mein koi toh pyaar de

Baaki bekar hai

Yaar mere

 

 

Notes:

  1. Apologies for the delay my dearest friends. Too many things, none pleasant happened to keep me away from my promise. Nevertheless here I am. I hope you aren’t too disappointed
  2. Next Update: Thursday, Dec 22, 2016, late night IST

274 thoughts on “Chapter Twenty Three (IV): Changing Hearts, Changing Minds”

  1. Freezing here too in Delhi 😜 though not as much as you girls seem to be … brrrrrrrr 🌬⛄️ ❄️☃️❄️⛄️🌬

    So finally Arohan over and done with leaving emotions running high … songs were sung with so much feeling that everything that the singers were trying to convey to each other was so apparent 😍 which is the exact opposite of what pyare Arjun wanted and thought 😐 and he knew that he had blundered big time because the feelings were crystal clear for all to see …
    So wanting to run away from the scene of crime he bumps into Tripti who further confirms the truth he is so desperately trying to run away from 😱
    God … one blunder and he goes on to making more by keeping information to himself instead of sharing it with Khushi whom he considers a very dear friend …
    I totally blame Arjun for all that they are going through today at the river … if only he had not put that weird plan into action … if only he had considered about Khushi’s feelings for AV and warned her about his girlfriend …
    but then it all boils down to “if only ” …. 🙁 so much heart break could have been prevented … but then if not for Arjun … would there have been a story at all 😜

    Tgankyou Meera for taking out time and giving us this fabulous story …

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  2. Meera, I guess you closed Arjun’s story with this update.

    I really want to give Arjun the benefit of doubt, but unfortunately I cannot ignore the part that he always hid information from Khushi and disclosed partial information as when the situation suited him.

    Telling Khushi about Arnav’s engagement to Saira, particularly in front of Arnav was really like hitting below the belt. Maybe he panicked as he guessed that Arnav felt something for Khushi and so made sure that Arnav never crosses the invisible line Arjun had drawn.

    What Arnav felt during the days leading to Aarohan and later on was not under his control. But Arjun had it under his control. He could have been more open with Khushi particularly after Arnav graduated.
    Arjun could have come clean with Khushi long time back and he should have won over her love and trust gradually.

    And for me the final nail in the coffin was him hiding the information about Arnav’s presence at the River.

    It is kind of a surprise that Khushi is friends with Arjun even in the present while she shunned Arnav away.

    So Tripti also knew a part of the story. Did Khushi and Tripti talk about it?

    I am sure Khushi never gave Arnav a chance to explain himself and left River with a lot of misunderstandings between them.

    Will wait and see how Arjun got her forgiveness.

    Remembered the below song and thought that it is apt for all the three of them.

    Maahi Ve Mohabaatein Sachchiyan Ne
    Mangda Naseeba Kuch Aur Hain

    Maahi Ve Mohabaatein Sachchiyan Ne
    Mangda Naseeba Kuch Aur Hain

    Kismat De Maare Assi Ki Kariye
    Kismat De Maare Assi Ki Kariye
    Kismat De Maare Assi Ki Kariye
    Kismat Tey Kiskta Zor Hai

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  7. Hai meera
    I am really sorry dear for not commenting for long.. may be a few months.. its neithr bcoz i didn like the chapters, nor bcoz i didn hav anything to comment..
    Got soo busy these days dat i was not able to get some free time for myself… huh….
    Okk… now the reason…
    I wanna share this happy news with u meera and my dear river friends…
    I delivered in september 19th… and hav a cute baby girl…
    So was really busy with the baby.. now she is 3 months old..
    and i was able to send u this msg today..since she is sleeping now..
    And about river…
    I hav been reading it..cudn read it at one stretch… but was able to finish it atleast befr ur nxt update… :)
    And abt river…
    I started loving arjun too…lol
    Ok.. ryt now i know everything is in a mess…
    Arnav ..he is clueless..doesnt know wat to do… i think he has already started leaving everything upto fate

    Khushi… she is angry , hearing all those things.. i just hope that she wont overreact, but i am pretty sure that this is wat will happen ..coz or else how that 3rd part wil be possible ..hai na??

    And about Arjun… i don kno wtr u remember.. in the initial chapters i hav commented that i don like arjun at all.. so much of negativity n all tht…
    But now i realise arjun is not that bad… aftrall he also behaved just like any othr human who is protective of his friend as well as his heart wud.. i liked him at that moment ” wen he realised that he had to tell abt saira yo khushi since tripti already know it”..
    I liked him den…(well the irony is its the same moment in 1st part wer he tells abt saira that i started hating him..)yeah may be he is protecting himself without thinking abt wat it will do to khushi, but again he is optimistic that he will make khushi forget arnav..
    So .. i started loving arjun too..but not more than arnav..
    he is always a true gentleman… even though i didn like how they played with khushi… everytime we can see a true gentleman in arnav in alll these mess…like how he repeatedly told arjun dat this is wrong n all those things…
    And i think… der will be arnav s POV abt aarohan in 3rd part… ( am i close in guessing??)
    1st part khushis pov
    2nd part arjuns..soo

    Okk…. pheww..
    Finally i. Commnted here aftr a loooonnng time..

    Okk …… bye..
    Loveyou

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    2. And one more thing… i know i am telling this again n again… river is just amazing and u meera, u are awesome…
      Sometimes aftr an update.. i will think dat ‘ ok ,now the story will be going in fat direction,’ but in the nxt update u will come up with something ,dat nobody wud hav predicted… i think u are an extraordinary genius… u kno dt, dont u?? :)
      Eagerly waiting for many more wonderful chapters of river… :)

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      1. ” fat direction”… rofl…
        Ok… i meant “dat”
        There are soo many spelling n grammar mistakes.. please bear with me… i wanted to finish the comment bfr my baby wakes up, so i was typing so fast…

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  8. Meera,

    Among all the stories you wrote, this triangle love story wins the trophy…..And you have written the emotions of these male characters brilliantly…I think Arjun-AV bond was amazingly drawn…compared to your earlier stories, where male characters like Arnav and Aman in CW or Aman and Arnav in Emerald isles or Swami and Aman in WW, this AV-Arjun bond has more depth and intensity and majorly there is these hidden words in their interactions which conveys lot more…

    Tripti is outstanding and rightly as Arjun put ” more aware” than her sister…

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  9. Fabulous update meera. The way you pen down Arjun’s feelings, his insecurity and hasitation is marvellous.
    He didn’t know how to handle this situation and end up messing. Why he find so difficult to tell Khushi about he feels. He was so scared of her answer that he didn’t express it till now and now when he finally did, he again mess up things for all three of them.
    Just like Arnav said, if he would have told her before, lot of things might have cleared. He could have get her answer and she would have been clear about Arnav when he met this time.
    Arjun is the one who make things more complicated. Even now he did this just because he can’t see her going with Arnav, as this time Arnav is not in any relationship.
    I am scared for Khushi. After so many years she found her love and now because of this misunderstanding she is going to lose him.
    I don’t blame Arjun at all. He is just a human being and people do make mistakes. It was tie time and situation which was not in their favour. Looking forward for exciting twist waiting for us.
    Sorry for commenting so late. I was out of town for few days.
    Thanks for outstanding update.

    Archna

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  10. See didn’t I say this.. Krishna ka Arjun.. maybe der se hi sahi..
    About changing hearts… I feel like a fool.. for not knowing so much… for being unaware how fiercely Khushi was protected by these two amazing boys.. now men (as in men will be men😉).. n now for being in place where I can’t be mad at any of these two or even you Meera..

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  14. Thank you for giving us this update despite your hectic AD and sincerely appreciate this. It was indeed an pleasant surprise and it definitely made my whole weekend very jovial despite brutal AD which is the reason for writing so late , but I was here in between whenever I could 😘😅.

    I absolutely loved this perky , spunky, perceptive and straight talker Tripti. I love her already and this further refreshed my memories when I used to crave( still do) to have a younger sister with whom I could gossip in bed in nighttime😭. Oh well—I still have loving cousins who are no less than sisters and I should not complain. She is a total contrast to introvert Khushi and yet they have very strong bond. I am surprised how come tripti never discussed about Aarohan and AV with Khushi later or may be elder sister Khushi was too smart to show her true feelings and may be snubbed( I mean by showing nonchalant attitude to the topic)her off as elder one can always do to their younger siblings sometimes😜🤔.

    Am I wrong to say that I noticed few sparks between Tripti and Arjun which Arjun did not pay much heed as he was thinking about Khushi only at that time—-well well, only time ( I mean author sahiba) will tell what future has in its store for them.

    After reading Arjun’s POV– I am now confused esp the last lines— did he stage camp meetings by making sure AV ‘S presence and why he kept that fact hidden from both of them— not sure whether it was an innocent action vs planned ulterior motive — now after reading all his POV — I was getting comfortable about him but why the last lines in this chapter and his deliberate omissions and than some of his actions at river are not sitting well with me . I am still not sure why he proposed after 4 years esp when AV was there and he saw them together not indifferent from each other esp Arjun already had inclination about their feelings during Aarohan time. Something seems fishy here but I may be wrong and will wait patiently for you to show us the truth. I never liked Arjun’s behaviour when he was pushing Khushi to say yes in the morning following his proposal previous night esp if he is a true friend to her—–sorry lavs—- no chappals but I am still not proving him guilty but there are many loopholes for suspicion.

    Arnav ke bare me Kya likhoon— hamari Sohni is enough to tell all the details. I am having withdrawal symptoms for Arnav now despite the fact that you have unraveled him mesmerizingly. Meera I have to ask you— how do you do this— I mean we have read so many interludes on our enigmatic AV sir and indirectly from Arjun’pov and still he is mysterious and why do I feel that when his POV will come — hamare hosh urh jayenge( including Khushi). He is honest, true gentleman, and possibly these points are his weakness also.i will wait desperately for AV’s POV and his feelings and emotions right from first day to Aarohan and post Aarohan till river—- THATS IT 👼.

    There is not much to write about Khushi as we all know she absolutely deserves this transparency from both of these two and some me time to introspect herself . Hope to see a very strong and self confidant Khushi in future— than only my aatma will Rest In Peace .

    I have only one question for you—-.was that S there at Aarohan night?

    Hum kal phir ayenge update ke bad— tab tak ke liye—this one is for Arnav—-

    Ham labbo se Kah na paye,
    unse hale-a-Dil kabhi,
    Aur vo samjhe nahi yah,
    Khamoshi kya cheer hai…….❤️.

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  15. Men are from Mars!! I guess so…😊
    Most of the time this is the problem in any relationship…we try to do good but good never comes out…I have so many questions I want to ask Arjun…why did he hide such a big thing from Khushi? What was he trying to do when he didn’t tell Arnav that Khushi was going to be on camp? I feel he was secured till he found Khushi to just himself and kept enjoying his life in the normal way but as soon as he was faced with losing her, everything started coming out…too bad Arjun..

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  16. Thank you for this beautiful update.Liked Tripti and Arjun’s interesting conversation…They both know about Khushi’s feelings for AV..but why Arjun never said anything to Khushi in the past .. is strange. eagerly waiting to read more of this wonderful story.
    Take care…
    A Very Happy and prosperous 2017 to you,your loved ones and River Family…

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  17. Hi Meera

    Wonderful chapter as always. Now we know about Arjun’s story. Indeed he is in love with Khushi but after knowing his friend’s feeling, he shouldn’t have done that.. waiting eagerly to read how the river 2 ends and river 3 flows..

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  18. one of the best part of reading your stories… not only you get to read a phenomenal story.. but also get to read really different view of your fan following :) most comments are very thoughtful, and of diverse perspectives.. so, thank you to all those wonderful readers that take this story to the heart and discuss as if you are a character of the story!! thank you for making the story more enjoyable!!

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  23. Thank you for the update Meera. I guess Arjun has a lot to redeem , Some of the choices he made because of his insecurity, immaturity, & jealously has hurt Khushi a lot. Cant wait to read how this is going to happen in the coming chapters.

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  24. *pop* there goes the bursting of the bubble. Doing stuff in an ignorant manner is as it is harmful but after realising the sheer madness of the disaster yet not doing anything to even try to make up for it is unpardonable.
    I loved tripti’s entry. Insightful!

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  25. Suddenly all those tense silences and solitary sojourns made a lot of sense. Arjun’s pov seems to clear off all the confusions and ways things happened. He did realise it himself that she liked AV Sir a lot and then Krishna’s approval proved everything for him. So it was apt to not tell about his feelings that night. But four years and they could never talk about all that happened. And again he knew Arnav was going to be there at the camp they both were heading out to. Don’t know why he kept that information secret again from both of them.This was all misinterpretation of Khushi’s feelings and keeping her out of all the developments that necessarily centred around her.
    Loved Arjun’s conversation with Krishna. He sees a mirror in her, someone so much like him who can read Khushi and him too so well. Would love to read more of her and what she did with the information she had on Arjun knowing about Arnav Varun having a girlfriend. Being a sister who knows Khushi’s feelings she could have talked about it, but we all know Kaveri Gupta and her penchant for keeping everyone out of her feelings sharing.
    All of them seem correct at their place, but without thinking how it was going to hurt Khushi. Arjun said cassette seems so impersonal as something to reveal his feelings. Does he know that Khushi has a cassette made with songs by her favourite singers which Arnav Varun got to know from Arjun himself? We are clear on so many fronts but still doubtful about Arnav’s pov. May be we will know more about him in the present! 😊

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  26. Meera …

    What a wonderful update .
    A very apt song from ” Sagar ” too .

    The best love triangle I have read till date .

    I wish I could express what this story of yours makes me feel .
    Love all the characters , with all their human weaknesses n flaws .
    Simply superb .

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  29. Even her sister recognize the love Arjun has for Khushi. She rather wish it was Arnav. I feel for Arjun…poor guy had no solace place. Not professing his love to Khushi…you snooze you lose…he missed his chance. Innocent & not stepping on each other’s toe hurt them more so.
    Giving cassette of his choice of songs is one way to tell her he cherished their moments & what had transpired between them in spite what the outcome could be. Arnav wanted her to remember him.

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  30. So this is the closure of Aarohan from Arjun’s side. He has undoubtedly been one of my favourite characters, but in this Chapter I feel like blaming Arjun for all the misunderstandings the trio is facing now. He was the one who came up with the idea of the Playlist which led to Khushi to believe/imagine that Arnav had harbored feelings towards her and which would eventually feel like a betrayal from his side. Although Arnav has to share his part in the blame, we do know his confusions and complications. But Arjun had always shared a more friendly rapport with Khushi. So his silence in declaring his feelings, making Khushi aware of Arnav’s engagement in his presence while he was still not sure about the intricacies, just after what Tripti had disclosed and not letting Khushi know about Arnav’s presence at the river is hard to ignore. But we all do such mistakes when in Love, we tend to see things in a tunnel vision and inspite of trying to be fair we do end up making choices suitable to our needs in that situation.

    Absolutely loved the conversation between Arjun and Tripti. Do I see a possible future for both of them or am I just caught up in the web and imagining things. Its surprising that even Tripti could see through Arjun and even more surprising that she could speak to him about it. Tripti’s character is very endearing.
    Thank you for a wonderful Chapter Meera.

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  31. Ok i know I have jumped from last chapter i commented to this, but the suspense was killing. I was so happy that Khushi had selected Arnav but now i am so angry at both these men. This was so wrong on so many levels. Maybe she’ll forgive Arjun but not Arnav, at least not easily. He sang those songs not just for fun or to show his feelings or to make fun of her feelings but to voice someone else’s, GREAT!! your writing is so refreshing Meera! Just loved all chapters till now

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  33. I always felt bad about khushi hurting a friend like arjun but wat had arjun done….he had a lot of secrets which led to khushi’s sufferings…
    I know why he doesn’t confessed because he thought that khushi will forget arnav at some point of time…their meeting after ten years was he least expected….I can’t believe it that he knew it’s not a crush…she really loved him then…but after years also he acted like he thought she had a crush on arnav

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  35. The way you weaved the story between the three is commendable. It is quiet realistic and plausible.
    Tripti know something about it too while Khushi was in the dark all along. That hurts. It hurt all three of them. I am dreading for Khushi. Arnav and Arjun know where it all got tangled and they may dislike each other, but, one days she had proposals from two important men in her life and now she was left with vacuum in her heart. Can Aditi and Aman do something about it?
    Can’t wait to find.
    Cheers…….

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  36. When I read it first time and now I am reading, again… I still blame Arjun first and then Arnav…
    I really feel bad for Khushi.. They both played with her…

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  37. Tripti is an astute, intuitive, independent girl with superior intelllect
    How else did she guess that kh was not only in love with AV , but Arjun was in love with kh too
    while kh only knows her books, practicals, lab & grades
    Did Tripti have adolescent feelings for the charming, witty, protector ( of sorts for the night )
    Will wait & watch
    Arjun is guilty of hiding things from Kh
    Omission is as good as lying
    Specially about AV ‘s break up & his presence in the camp

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  38. Hence I said Tripti suit’s better with Arjun! Even after being younger and having met him for the first time she knew what was cooking, while our heroin was unknown to everything!

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