“Ballade No. 2” ― Franz Liszt
Lavanya starred at the ringing phone, heart aching in sync with each throbbing vibration.
Ever hopeful. Ever devoted.
Words not normally chosen to label the man gloved behind the pragmatic capitalist that was Arnav Singh Raizada.
However, as the calls continued, twice a day, morning and night, old resentments and entrenched beliefs had uprooted itself from her core.
There was never a voicemail, never a text, but thousands of missed calls conveyed a unique love letter from a man of few words.
She had been tempted, terribly tempted to let the battery drain. A silent plead for him to let go. Yet, when the cell battery flashed its remaining seconds of life, her fumbling hands would frantically plug it to the charger.
Her eyes drifted from the blinking missed call to the tranquil figure. Nausea swirled unrestrained in an empty stomach as she took in the disconcerting image of suspended vivaciousness.
“Your Arnavji is calling again, Khushi. How much longer are you going to make him wait? ”
The steady beeps of machines and ventilators grated on already taut nerves. It was also two phone calls that had altered her world.
Khushi’s distraught call from the Delhi airport; followed by the urgent one from St Thomas’ Hospital after the horrific taxi accident that necessitated immediate family response.
She should have gone to pick her up personally.
What had been so important?
Remorse. Iridescent. Sinful. Like the bitter aftertaste of dark red wine.
She couldn’t remember, the only thing entrenched now was the promise given in those last moments of consciousness- a concealment of truth.
A promise she regretted, but would not break. Not to Khushi, not to the girl who taught her so much.
Was this all they would have? She refused to believe it.
Her tenure as unwitting spectator demanded something more- a miraculous alignment of the stars.
There was a burning pressure at the corner of her eyes.
She had been so blind.
To not see that sunshine had been chiseling herself covertly into a heart wrought of iron.
So deaf. To not hear the tender strains of the weeping ballade as one soul quietly revealed itself to another.
As she had fallen into the habit in the last month, she took the charged cell phone and placed it between stilled hands.
“You know how stubborn he is. He’ll wait forever. Do you want that for him? No? Then open your eyes dammit!”
Omg hi my babies!
Hello darling ^^
My babies are alive! Thank fuck!
You guys have been missed sooo much!
As much as this one kills me, I’m glad you’ve decided to finish it K.
A love letter of a thousand missed calls is just so damn ASR.
He’s suffered enough, Khushi needs to wake up dammit and give the man one hell of a kiss! 😀
I’d like to qualify with a BARELY alive.
This is home of the heart even when the devil I work for send me to mental hell holes. 😀
Haha this has been a moody piece yes? But kisses earned are the best ones aren’t they? 😉
Wow. Long time. Loved this little piece.
Thank you Hail 🙂
Should i say welcome bk? Nah, lets start with a warm helloji? Kya haal chal ? Few words & sleep is evaded… So khushi can never torture her arnav ji willingly, so devi mayiaa took it in her hands, to see laad governor get same medicine of loneliness, helplessness & longing, which he gave to sanka devi.. but plz devi mayiaa, as lavanya said, enough is enough.. let our parmeshwari bk to her parmeshwar.. lets hope for d best in last update… & S& K its good to see u guys bk in my notification bar☺️ cheers
Ah, thank you for the warm hello.
No matter how busy, we are still tethered here in some way… mostly through longing. 😉
It is awful that I relish torturing our dear Mr. Raizada so?
Really…Is this saudade update ? I cried last time I read this. Will be back
Yes sweetheart. The perpetual rain serves as a dampening reminder of the dramatic mood yes? 😉
Thank you. I know this will be awesome read
It is raining where you are too 🤦
Heart wrenching continues. I want the “vivaciousness” to wake up please.
Hi good to see you back really missed you hope khushi will not keep arnav waiting loved this small piece hope you will continue writing pls don’t disappear for a looooooong time
Wow… Today is the first snow day and a lovely surprise from you ….
OMG! after so long. Missed you and your writing. Need to regroup my brain before commenting on this chapter.
Wow. Beautiful chapter. So good to read after such a long time. Thank you for writing this. It’s awesome. So Khushi is in coma for so long. What a twist of fate. I hope you write the next chapter soon enough. I understand AD is crazy.
Finally ur here 😄 can’t wait to read further just hope u will update regularly or at least leave a note about it. Hope khushi wake up from coma .
Well Hello darlings 😘 Boy am I glad to see that you are alive and kicking. And what a kick that was. Awesome read..so gripping and heart wrenching. You have the ability to say so much with so little words. Like a finely woven tapestry. Now I’m dying for the rest ….
Wow!!!! I missed ur writing. So happy to read this. Hope khushi wakes up for her Arnavji. Waiting for more
Welcome back. Looking forward to more from your stable.
dammit where ya’ll been! missed you so much…..
so glad to see you back and hope you will continue
xx
You have updated after a long time :-)…
Arnav’s continuous calls and waiting everyday for Khushi to comeback, made me so senti :-(. This one is short and sweet part. Hope Khushi wakes up soon…
Beautiful one
Loved it
Lavanya can see and understand Arnav’s plight for his Khushi who is waiting for her to come back to him.
Feeling bad for both Arnav and Khushi.
Hope she wakes up soon and united with her LaadGovernor.
Eager for the next one
Thanks
Chinnulu
Glad to hear from you girls….
It’s intriguing…
Whatever happened there… Want to know why this separation & no communication..
I went and read back again and it’s so intense and you bring the pain and agony in the forefront. Can’t wait to see what happens next. Khushi is in the hospital and on ventilators.
So beautiful piece…..it’s a pleasure to see your presence…….
S & K,
As ever, you and Saudade and the deep seated melancholy of this piece do strange things to people! As many of your readers have put it, it must be the blasted rain, wherever you are writing this one! 🌧💦☃️Sunshine girl myself, but this is contemplative, soulful, yearning……told in Lavanya’s perspective it heightens the melodrama. So what happened there, why this separation between Khushi and her Arnav hi, why is the poor man in so much agony, why is Khushi torturing him! Cannot wait to see a happily ever after, but then this is a Saudade update, so not sure if that will happen!🤨
Welcome back and hope to see more where that came from, girls!
❤️
Anu
Wonderful read
Poor Arnav does he know what had happened to his pagal?
hope she wakes up soon ,waiting for the next
Ohhh my God.. .. that was the best ever….
Wow after long time guys and what a beautiful update. Oh god khushi is in coma.Please update soon next chapter guys.
Oh god Khushi is in coma… Its awesome that you are continuing the story… Would hate to read it through the end
Hello ladies! Welcome back 😍 Seeing you guys after such a long time. 😭 Loved this small piece of writing for saudade. Khushi in hospital, always makes me too sad. Hope our girl is all fine though.
Please continue writing!
Hey..I here..long time or did I miss something.!
Hello , welcome back😀
Nice prologue looking forward to the story . All the best .
Cheers.
Welcome back….Beautiful writing…loved it…eagerly waiting for the next one
Beautiful one…Lavanya can see and understand Arnav’s situation…..who is waiting for his Khushi to come back. Hope she wakes up soon.
Good to see you guys after long..
Khushi is in coma.. so that’s the reason her laad governor is not able to get through her as she won’t do that to him and not for long.. Lavanya is also getting impatient as she knows how stubborn is ASR.. hoping Khushi getting awake soonish.. loved reading this beautiful piece.. Thanks for updating <3
Good to see you guys…
Welcome back. Sunshine chiseling herself into an iron heart…love that line even if I may not got it entirely right. Pl don’t leave us on tenterhooks for long.
Beautiful and very painful
Ooh my god.. u hav updated…
Missed u two…soo soo much..
And I am really really happy to see u both back…loveya
Love it! Thanks for updating! <3
Wow good to see you ladies
Great to see some activity here
Hope life is treating you both well
Please continue writing – we miss your writing
Hope u guys remember me
Oh my god! This is sooooo good… Plz Plz Continue.. I m so curious to know more..
And guys.. Welcome back.. You have been missed..
A love letter of a thousand missed calls ❤️❤️❤️
Love it..
Hi dear, Welcome back. So happy to see this. I thought you forget us. But understands, life gets hectic. How are you doing?
As always awesome update. and wish to read more. Misses you a lot. hope will soon see you both with new updates
Just found this – waiting for Diwali festivities to be over and to start reading
Fantastic one…I am eagerly waiting for the next.
Sorry for the late comment though.
Thank you SK.Arnav missed her at the airport.Khushi caaled Lavanya and then she ended up on life support machines in Hospital. Looking forward to the next update.
Khushi is unconscious ..
La has been keeping her promise to conceal it to Arnav..
But now it’s the time La must inform him..