19/7 - Epi 301 .. Breathless :)))

Thursday 19th July

How I felt for most of the episode ... for different reasons :)

Akash-Khushi-Payal-Mami-Nani confrontation ... good, need a few more with the whole truth actually coming out ... Akash seems to be waking up slightly ... I continue to like Payal ...

ArHi ... cute, back at war, same old ... and yet new ;) ... and then more ... and more ... breathless ...
Standing in front of Nani like two schoolkids :))
And omigosh ... Arnav is not giving up easily at all, is he?! Breathless again ... Go man!!! :))

The brother makes a belated appearance ... wish Anjali would stop fondling his face so much!!! :( But she's happy that he was ready to give up his meetings for his Di ... this woman is majorly insecure, she needs reassurance all the time that he is there for her ...

Arnav offers to take Khushi ... but she's fighting fit right now ... fighting herself even more than fighting him, I think :)

And Khushi is alone in the house ... with a storm coming ... and a shadow in the house ... no, at the poolside ... breathless yet again ...
WT&%&% No Precap???!!! 

*edited*
One of those episodes that goes into the re-watch list immediately :) All the parts were good, all showed some progress, although I wonder whether the backlash about Anjali has made the cv's draw her character back from the grey slightly ... more on that later ...

So Khushi continues to try and save the world ... especially her Jiji ... and in spite of Payal warning her to stay out, she again tries to placate Akash, and undo the damage she did earlier ... this time, slightly more in character (cv's, can you please pay attention to Khushi characterization, and not mess it up just because you're too lazy to think of proper scenes? X( Yesterday's scene with Akash was really the pits) ...
And Payal gets really annoyed with her, and justifiably so ... 'I told you to stay out of this, didn't I? Why are you interfering between my husband and me?'
Khushi tries to explain again, Payal has had enough and physically drags her away ... and Akash begins to see his wife properly again, minus the haze of anger that's been clouding his vision so far ...
So Khushi's interference did one good thing ... it made Akash see that he had misjudged Payal about one thing ... 

And Mami has to put in her two-penny's worth ... but fortunately Nani is there to set a few things straight ... And Nani repeats firmly in front of Akash, Mami and Payal that 'it was Shyam's fault, and only his ... and if Payal and Khushi kept quiet, it was for a reason, and we all understand that reason ... it's easy enough to point fingers and put the blame on others, but if they kept quiet, it was for the peace and happiness of this house ... and we all need to stay united at this juncture ... because Anjali needs us all ...'
And Akash is struck by two parts of Nani's speech ... that they need to understand the reason PK kept quiet, and they need to maintain the unity of the family to support Anjali ...
So the next person to start unbending slightly will be Akash ...
And Nani reassures Khushi again without words ... she is with her, she understands ...

Anjali emerges from her room, so Khushi has to disappear with her cup of tea ... still in sombre mode, she is not allowed yet to show Di her face.
SN - Khushi, sweetheart, close your door! ... no? Too bad ... don't say I didn't warn you ... ;)

Khushi puts down cup, goes to open her cupboard ...
SN - how long had he been sitting there? And how long was he planning on staying there? :))

And jumps back in shock ... seeing one smirking, very satisfied husband sitting there on the shelf :))

And even as she jumps back and looks at him in shock ... WT is he doing there? ... he raises his eyebrow at her and gives a small grin ... surprised? And she can't help the smile that starts to her lips ... as she remembers another time when roles were reversed, she had hidden in his cupboard, and he had found her there ... and she had tried, like an ostrich, to close her eyes, hoping that if she did, he wouldn't see her ... a pretty stupid hope, but hey, she was desperate ... starting to smile at the memory, at her own stupidity ... 

And then she firmly damps down her smile ... he's still trying to win her over, but this time she's determined not to give in ... he's hurt her too many times, she always caved in too quickly, only to be hurt again ... not again, not this time ...

But it's getting more and more difficult to resist, especially when he's trying so hard ... earlier he didn't even have to try much and she would cave ... now, for the first time he is trying ... but what is he trying to do?

And so he tells her ... 'I'm trying to make you remember all the times we spent together ... do you remember?' ... the craziness, the madness which enraged him so much back then, but now when he remembers, it only brings a smile to his face ... will it bring a smile to hers as well, to remember this crazy love story of theirs?
'No ...' it won't ... she refuses to remember ... or rather, to admit she remembers ...
Okay then, bring on the next memory ... he splashes his coffee on her face ...
(SN -hope that he let it cool long enough ... yeah, yeah, I know it was actually water ;) )

And he grins again to see her dripping wet, and finally starting to lose her cool, start to become his hot-tempered tigress again ...
'Now?'
Of course she remembers ... when she threw hot tea on him and burnt him for an imagined fault ... and he never reacted at all ...
She's hopping mad now ... but she will not remember, she will not let him get past her defenses ... she turns to run ... but this time, he won't let her ... this time, or any other time ... he won't let her run from him ever again ...

And he grabs her hand ... and starts to lose it ... old habits die hard ;) ... 'Again?! When I'm talking to you ...'
Oops, NK, his Love Guru, warned him explicitly not to lose his temper ... and Arnav actually follows his advice ... because a) he's desperate, and b) it makes sense, he knows his temper is the problem most of the time ...
So take a deep breath ... try again ... in as reasonable a tone as he can manage ... 'Khushi, I'm trying to talk to you ... why are you going away?'

 There are two people in this room with hot tempers, he's not the only one ;) And he might have controlled his, but hers is straining at the leash ...
'Yes, I will turn away and go ... what will you do, Mr Arnav Singh Raizada?' 
Is she deliberately provoking him? Unconsciously, subconsciously ... pushing all his buttons, goading him ... whatever, it works because he loses it finally, too tough to keep it reined for so long, especially when hers is on a rampage ... and he drags her back to him, holding her very, very close .. unconsciously bringing back another memory ... the 'Character Dheela' one, when he was furious that she was ignoring him, and he had to physically hold her to get her to listen to him ... and she had given him a lecture on marriage ...

Now he's furious again that she's ignoring all his gestures ... 'What will I do? You know very well what I can do ...'
Not the Character Dheela memory ... an even older one ... the first time they met, when he pulled her strings for the very first time ... and broke her 'dori' ...
And he moves to repeat that scene again too ... pulling her hair to one side in a deliberately explicitly sensual move ...
(SN - Satyanash ... Khuhi, today of all days, you had to wear a suit without a dori?!)
And Khushi starts to lose her grip now ... her anger getting waylaid by other emotions, passions already running very high, but the face of those passions changing ...
Before she can lose herself in those other emotions, she summons back her anger with a huge effort and pushes him away ... and returns his favour by dashing her tea over his face ... she is angry, dammit!!! He can't win her over that easy ... she won't give in! Even though she desperately wants to ...

But this was too much for Arnav ... even NK's warning isn't enough and he loses his temper finally, and does what he does best ... pulls her back to him even closer ... 
And that's kind of that ... for both ... as the anger fades ... because under it all, they're both longing for each other ... and this is really what they wanted all along ... and they both know it ... :">

But so much is still all wrong ... so much needs to be still sorted ...

'Aap badtameezi kar rahe hain ...'

You shouldn't be holding me so close ...

'Badtameezi toh maine shuru bhi nahin ki hai, Khushi Kumari Gupta ...'

I can get even closer ... and do a lot more than just hold you ...

'Aap aisa nahin kar sakte ...'

You can't do this ... you can, but you shouldn't ...

'Kyun nahin kar sakta? Biwi ho tum meri ...'

And her face asks ... am I really? Am I really, truly your wife? Or are we just in a contract? Which is it?

'My legally wedded wife ... yehi nahin, main aur bhi bahut kuch kar sakta hun ...'

And I will ... that's a promise ...
Legally wedded wife ... for how long? With a legal contract to end it soon? End a marriage that started with force? When will her insecurities about this temporary marriage be laid to rest? Will they be laid to rest at all? Or is she a fool to keep hoping?

'Aapne humse zabardasti shaadi ki. Hum aapko apne pati nahin maante.'

She reminds him of the reality they're in.
You forced me into this marriage. You can't force me into anything else.

'Theek hai. Toh ab manva lete hain.'

Fine, no more force. Let's do it willingly this time ... both of us ...
No more force, no more compulsions ... for Di, Jiji, or anyone else ... Only because we want to ... because I want you as my wife, and you want me as your husband ...
Oh yes, she does ... more than anything else in the world ... and she loses this fight completely, closing her eyes and waiting ... as he bends closer ... and closer still ... to complete that long-awaited kiss ...

I told you you should have closed your door, Bitiya!!! HP the KMH this time ... Nani is calling ...
And Khushi shocked back to awareness as to what she was doing, swiftly jerks back ... and Arnav, equally swiftly jerks her forward again, more closely, possessively, into his arms ... she's his wife, they're not doing anything they shouldn't ... and he doesn't give a damn if the whole world knows he was making love to his wife!

But she does ... she's furious with herself, she vowed not to give in this time ... and there she goes again ... why can't she stop giving in to this man?! And she turns and runs ...
While Arnav stares after her with a very satisfied smirk ... he's got her where he wants her ... His passionate tigress is back ...the one whose heart beats faster every time he goes near her ... now he knows how to woo her back ...
(SN - typical M&B stuff ... and it had my heart beating fast :) Guess we're all hopeless romantics at heart :"> Or is it just this couple? :"> :"> =D> )

Nani with ArHi ... Nani rocks, she's too cute! :))  The startled look at the dripping wet couple ... what have you both been up to?
Arnav Khushi caught like two guilty schoolkids in front of teacher ... Arnav blames Khushi, Khushi promptly blames Arnav back, then realises what she's saying, and shuts up, completely embarrassed ...
'Hum coffee pe gir gaye ... matlab coffee hum pe gir gayi ... aur chai ...'
Nai chimes in, in Khushi's tones (Nani too cute again!) ..'chai pe Chotey gir gaye ... matlab, Chotey pe chai gir gayi ...' :))
And both are left completely red-faced ...
Arnav notices the bruises he left on Khushi's arm, and her covering them up ... he really needs anger management classes :| ... and feels guilty ...

Nani says, if you've finished throwing tea coffee on each other, means you're done, can we leave for the satsang?

Arnav knew about the satsang, but it appears he didn't know Khushi wasn't coming - his words 'hum ready ho ke aate hain' seemed to indicate himself and Khushi.
But Di is going, he's ready to accompany them, even if it means a long evening out and multiple temples ... and that Khushi is not coming ... as Nani understands why ... and so does Arnav.

And as Nani leaves, Arnav tries to see her bruise ... and Khushi is surprised ... why is he holding her hand in public?

'Are you hurt?'

'Yes, but I'm used to getting hurt by you now ...'

And the next was definitely more to convince herself than him ...'And I still don't accept you as my husband ...'
And he knows it ... :) His moves now reek of confidence ... and he's making them fast, one after the other, unsettling her completely ...
Follow her up the stairs, a quick look around to check that no one is there, while Khushi is equally nervous if anyone sees them so close ... and a quiet whisper almost into her ear ...

'Manogi ... tum mujhe apna husband maan logi ...'

'Nahin maanenge ...' struggling hard, still fighting, with herself now more than him ...
A very confident nod ... 'maanogi.'
Move closer still, so she's forced to back away ... a convenient glass wall behind her, and he knows he's got her again ... 'main manvaunga tumhein ...'
She's fighting hard, manages to get in one quick thrust ... which doesn't really penetrate his armour or dent his confidence in the slightest ... 'aaj kal aap bahut sapne dekhne lage hain ...'
Move ahead with that last word ... or it was meant to be a last word ... but he blocks her again ... and hems her between his arm and that wall ... trapped, a prisoner in his arms, but a willing one, because he's not actually holding her at all ...
And he issues his challenge ... because his tigress never backs away from one ...

'Daudti hui meri baahon mein aaogi ... Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada ...'

And she's melting very, very fast, really struggling here, drowning in his eyes ... how much she wants to do just that ...
But she gathers all the remains of her strength and accepts his challenge ... she's not his soul mate for nothing ... her tone is as firm as she can possibly make it.

'Hum. Aur aapki baahon mein. Jis din aisa hoga, hum aapko apna pati man lenge.'

Challenge accepted. And this one he knows he's going to win ... his confident nod says it all.

'Deal?'

'Sauda. Lekin iss janam mein poora nahin hoga ...' don't hold your breath, because I'm made of stronger stuff.
Sure she is, she's won all the challenges so far, ... but the sangeet one because he helped her win, and the kiss one was a bit of a cheat ... that kiss in public was not a real win. So jury is out on this one ... 
But he's completely confident of winning this one ...
'Dekhte hain.' A very satisfied smile on his face, as he steps back and releases her.
She's not done fighting yet ... 'Jab kuch hoga hi nahin, toh aap kya dekhenge?'
And discretion finally getting the better part of valour, she runs ... stops to look back at his still smiling face, and gets flustered even more ... and finally makes her escape.
And Arnav is very sure ... this one is in the bag :)

While NK wonders ... Iss War ko Kya Naam Doon? :))
NK is a bit like Khushi ... one sight of him brightens up the entire episode :) 

Arnav finally remembers his sister ... and she's warmed by his display of concern ... medicines, juice, don't fast .. and he's cancelling his meeting for Di ...
So Di is reassured ... he's there for her, and that's all she needs ... he was willing to cancel his meeting for her ... her rock is there after all to stabilise her world ... so she urges him to attend his meeting, work is important, and she'll be fine.
SN - wonder whether this was put in to re-build sympathy for Anjali's character, which took a beating recently ... also wonder while Di is happy to see him sacrifice his work for her, would she be equally happy to see him sacrifice it for Khushi?

Family leaves for the satsang ... should a pregnant woman sit in the front seat? Mami jibes at Payal again, but the morning's encounter has definitely started to soften Akash, and Payal's quiet acceptance of the taunts softens him further ... as he actually shows some chivalry and opens the back door for Payal. Not enough chivalry or backbone to stand up to his mom's nasty taunts yet, though, and insist Payal sit comfortably.
And Anjali is looking very pale and weak ... so will the family complete the satsang trip?

ArHi have another marital spat ... how many times will Khushi fold the same clothes?
Arnav's going to Agra ...

'Haan, toh?'

'You'll be alone, the family has gone for the satsang, HP is off ...'

'Toh?'

'Come with me ... you can see the Taj Mahal ...'

'I''ve seen it ... and anyway I need to clean up ...'

'Your head, hopefully ...'

'That will happen automatically when you leave ...'

And when he doesn't try to push her more, she's annoyed again ... 'I don't want to accept you as my husband, I don't want to be in your arms, and I don't want to see Taj Mahal ...'
Umm, remove all the 'don'ts' in the sentence and that might be nearer the truth ... the one she's fighting so desperately ..

'I heard that!'

'You heard it? Then remember it!'

Family leaves, Arnav leaves ... and Khushi alone at home ... trying to convence herself she's happy to be alone, without her LG's crazy love ... no, scratch that, crazy husband threats ...

And a storm starts ... and she starts getting worried ... and scared ... the lights go off ... and she's even more scared ... 
Poolside ... darkness ... thunder and lightening ... the dark shadow of a mysterious stranger ... and a weapon in Khushi's hand, a pot ... time to revive another memory?