Chapter 34 [B]

Chapter 34 (B)

The next morning was even more chaotic at Raizada Mansion. Both Lavanya and NK arrived in the wee hours of the morning and when Khushi and Arnav reached the table for breakfast, Khushi was instantly pulled into a hug by Lavanya.

“So, you’re the girl who thawed this ice-man’s heart? It’s so nice to meet you” Lavanya said, gesturing towards Arnav and grinning ear to ear. Khushi was surprised and blindsided for a second and then looked at Arnav who seemed perplexed as well.

“I am Lavanya. Come, sit with us” Lavanya grabbed Khushi’s hand and pulled her to the table.

“This is my brother NK. Don’t mind him. He’s jet-lagged and has a splitting headache. I always tell him to take a sleeping pill after boarding the plane but he never listens. It works wonders, you know? You get off the plane feeling fresh as a daisy” Lavanya continued speaking as she pulled a chair for Khushi and literally shoved her inside it.

“Sit, why don’t you, Arnav?” Lavanya spoke to Arnav who was still glued to where he stood, watching Lavanya’s verbal and partially physical onslaught on Khushi.

“I didn’t know you would be coming back in the morning” He spoke while taking a chair next to Khushi.

“Yes. We were supposed to be here in the evening but I made NK take an early flight. When your one and only snappish and testy cousin goes for a love cum arranged marriage, you don’t miss it. So, here I am” Lavanya spoke happily, loudly.

The excited voice was oddly similar to how Manorama will sound if she dropped the ever-present nasty streak in her voice, thought Khushi. Lavanya had bare minimum resemblance to Manorama Raizada in appearance, Khushi further observed. Her features were sharp and well-defined with a dusky skin. In sum, she was gorgeous.

“Snappish and testy?” Arnav repeated the words in the form of a question.

“Well, you aren’t exactly a very amiab..”

“That’s enough, Lavanya” The stern command came from Devyani Singh Raizada who just joined the table.

Manohar Singh Raizada stood up from his chair and helped Devyani to get in her chair.

“Arnav is your elder and you should respect him. Learn some manners from Nandu” Devyani said, making NK cough with displeasure.

“It’s NK, Daadi. Not Nandu!” He said, although politely and beseechingly.

“You’ll always be Nandu for me, Nandu. How was your flight? How long are you here for this time?” Devyani asked and the conversation went forward.

Arnav barely spoke and kept looking at his watch. Khushi noticed his restlessness and mouthed him to be calm.

Her attention was distracted when she realized Lavanya was talking to her again.

“I am very eager to see all the places in Lucknow, Khushi. I HAVE to buy those special chikan dresses that are made there”

Khushi felt overwhelmed by the sudden attention on her as she noticed everyone was looking at her, including Devyani.

“Sure, Lavanya. I’ll take you to all the places you want to go” She replied with a kind smile.

“Cool!” Lavanya replied and went back to talking to her mother about all the dresses she has brought for the wedding.

Khushi looked at Arnav again and caught him readying to speak up.

“We are leaving today” said Arnav, making all the chatter at the table come to a stop.

“Today? What? But, we just arrived. I need to go the spa and get my hair done. It’s so rough after the travel. I also have a booking at the massage place. I don’t think I’ll be able get all this done in Lucknow. There will be no time and no good places there” Lavanya’s rant came after a few seconds of silence.

“You can’t go back today. Who will take NK and Lavanya along? They have never been to Lucknow” Manorama spoke up then.

Devyani remained quiet, shaking her head.

“It wasn’t a question, Maami. Khushi and I are going today. Our flight is in the afternoon” Arnav replied, looking directly at Manorama. His strict tone caught Khushi by surprise. In all the time she had known him, he hadn’t used that tone with his Maami.

Manorama blinked at Arnav in surprise too and then looked at her husband, then back at Arnav.

“I don’t care. You take these two with you. Your Mama and I are to stay here with Sasu Ma. We need to look after her” Manorama spoke again.

“Yes. And we can’t leave today. Not in the afternoon! Right, NK?” Lavanya looked at her brother.

“Well, we can go to Lucknow by ourselves too. We can take tomorrow’s flight. It’s no problem” NK said, looking at Arnav.

But Manorama shook her head again.

“No, you don’t have to go alone. When Arnav is here, he should go back with you. It was already decided that all four of you would leave tomorrow. Now, he is changing the schedule. How’s that fair?” Manorama’s voice was sharp.

“What is the sudden hurry, Chote? One day wouldn’t make much of a difference. The wedding is still a week away” Devyani spoke before Arnav could.

Arnav looked at his Nani and then others waiting for an answer.

“Nani ji, he wants to go back because of me. Babuji called last night and said he urgently needs my help with the wedding preparations. He’s still recovering from his recent sickness and is still weak. Arnav offered to help him with some of the errands. So, we need to go back” Khushi spoke quickly.

Devyani looked at Khushi and then at Arnav.

“What kind of a man takes favors from his future son-in-law?” Manorama quipped.

“Manorama” Manohar Singh Raizada chastised his wife.

However, Arnav looked at his Maami and spoke.

“The kind of man who doesn’t discriminate between a son and a son-in-law”

Khushi looked at Arnav with grateful eyes and then focused her attention back at Devyani.

“It is important that we go back today, Nani ji” She said to her.

Devyani looked at Arnav and then nodded.

“Okay. Both of you should go. Lavanya and Nandu will go tomorrow” She said.

“But..”

“It’s decided, Manorama. Nandu and Lavanya can go together. They are adults and live alone in a foreign country. They can manage to go to Lucknow on their own” Devyani said, silencing the retort from Manorama.

“Yes, Daadi. It wouldn’t be a problem. We’ll see you there tomorrow, Arnav” NK said, nodding at Arnav.

Once the breakfast wrapped up, Khushi moved to her room to pack up and Arnav followed after her.

“Thank you for covering for me there, Khushi” He said to her.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I am just glad that we are going back today. Though, Babuji didn’t call but I am worried about his health. He must be running around too much with me not there” She said.

“No, he’s doing fine. I told Akash to keep in touch with uncle and offer his help wherever he could. He told me things are working good there. In fact, everyone is good” Arnav replied, and Khushi noticed the undertone of relief in Arnav’s voice. He was happy that Malik Uncle’s health had not worsened in the last two days they had been here.

“That’s very sweet of you, Arnav. I’ll make sure to thank Akash for keeping an eye on Babuji” Khushi replied.

“I am sure that’s the last thing he wants. He’s happy to do it. Now, I’ll go and pack my stuff as well. I’ll see you in a bit” Arnav said and after kissing her cheek, he left.

Once he was gone, Khushi smiled to herself and grabbed the towel from the chair, neatly folding it.

“WOW! That was really sweet” The voice made Khushi turn towards the door again and there she found Lavanya standing in the doorway with an amused smile.

“Lavanya! Hello..Hi. Come in” Khushi said, surpised to find Lavanya in her room.

“Is he really like that?” Lavanya asked, pointing to the direction Arnav had gone.

“Like what?” Khushi asked.

“Kissing on the cheek kind?” Lavanya said, chuckling.

“Excuse me?” Khushi said, further confused and a bit self-conscious now.

“I am sorry. I mean, it’s just that I have never seen my cousin acting so…calm and caring around anyone. The few times I have had the chance to interact with him, he always keeps to himself. You know? The quiet and stoic type! And now I see him around you! I can definitely see the change in him. It’s so strange…in a good way” Lavanya explained, taking a seat on the lounger placed in the room.

Khushi took a second to absorb Lavanya’s words and then said, “You too are not how he said you will be”.

“Really? What did he say about me?” Lavanya seemed intrigued.

“He said you that you’re tough and a lot like Maami ji. I don’t see the resemblance much” Khushi answered, recalling Arnav’s words when she had asked him about what kind of girl Lavanya was.

Lavanya gave a small laugh and shook her head.

“Tough, huh? That’s something Arnav got right. But like my mother? Maybe in some aspects! I do share my mother’s love for shopping. It’s a great stress buster. But, I’ll say that’s where the similarities stop. My mother is a lot of things but she is not an easy person to be around. I’d like to believe that I am not THAT hard to be around” Lavanya said.

Khushi didn’t know what to say in reply. She didn’t even know why Lavanya was being so nice and chatty with her.

“Well, based on my experience of an hour, I’d say you’re much easier to be around than Maamiji” She replied, hoping Lavanya wouldn’t mind her words about Manorama.

Lavanya gave a scrutinizing gaze to Khushi and then smiled broadly.

“Yes. That’s correct” she said.

“Do you need any help with the packing? When is your and Arnav’s flight?” Lavanya further asked.

Khushi shook her said.

“No, I don’t need any help, thank you! I arrived here a day before. There’s not much to pack. And the flight is in four hours. Arnav said we will leave in two hours” Khushi said and began to gather her things from around the room and placing them in her small travel bag.

Lavanya, all this while, sat on the lounger and watched Khushi.

When Khushi was done putting all her things in the bag, she sat down on the bed and poured herself a glass of water.

“Tell me what do you want for your wedding, Khushi? I need to buy you a gift and since we don’t know each other well enough at the moment, I think it is wise that I ask you. I don’t want to spend my time thinking what to buy you and then you might not end up liking it. So, help me out” Lavanya said.

Khushi smiled at Lavanya.

“You don’t have to get us a gift, Lavanya. If I am not wrong, you’re younger than both Arnav and I. You coming to our wedding all the way fro..”

“No no, I don’t believe in all that age-crap. If I want to gift you something for the wedding, then you have to accept it. It’s the least I can do to express how happy I am that you’ve turned Arnav into a non-grouchy person” Lavanya said.

“I haven’t done anything. Arnav was always a “non-grouchy” person. In fact he’s always been very nice to me since I was little” Khushi replied, smiling.

“Really? I am very happy to know that” Lavanya said, her voice becoming serious and meaningful.

“It’s just that we—NK, Arnav and I have never been very close. By the time Arnav came to live with us, Dad was already planning to send NK and I to Sydney to live with my Mama ji. We had very little time together as kids. And once NK and I shifted there for our studies, there was little interaction between us. So, we are the most dysfunctional set of cousins ever!” Lavanya said, her voice light and yet heavy.

“Well, it’s never late to become…functional. I am sure Arnav would like to spend more time with you and NK if he gets to know you want the same” Khushi answered with an encouraging smile.

Lavanya nodded and then stood up.

“I am sorry I took so much of your time. You need to get ready for the airport. I’ll get out now. But before that, I need to remind you that once I reach Lucknow, I would need your recommendations about which markets to shop from and which places to visit” Lavanya said.

“Sure. I remember. I’ll introduce you to my friend Akash. He knows all my favorite places in Lucknow” Khushi answered, unable to hold her own smile at Lavanya’s excitement.

Lavanya pursed her lips but nodded.

“Sure. I look forward to meeting this…Akash” She said with a drawl, confusing Khushi. Has Manorama already talked to Lavnaya about Akash? Khushi wondered.

“It was great talking to you, Khushi” Lavanya said, stepping forward and hugging Khushi.

This time, Khushi hugged Lavanya back.

“Now before I go, for the last time, what gift do you want for your wedding?” Lavanya said, pulling back from the hug.

Khushi smiled hearing Lavanya’s question and shook her head.

~~**~~

Both Arnav and Khushi got off the plane and found Akash waiting for them at the airport.

“It’s only been two days since you left, Bhai but it feels like two weeks” Akash said, hugging Arnav and then running a quick hand through Khushi’s hair, ruffling them. Khushi swatted away Akash’s hand and grimaced.

Arnav shook his head at the antics of his two favorite people and asked Akash, “How’s everyone at home?”

“Not much different than how you left us. Kumar uncle is doing all the running around for the wedding preparations. I am helping him and Shashi Uncle and also managing some office work. Baba, however, is losing strength every day. Just yesterday night, he…” Akash said but then stopped himself.

“Doesn’t matter, Bhai. Now that you’re here, I am sure Baba will feel better too” Akash said, reaching the parking and placing both Arnav and Khushi’s bags in the car’s trunk.

Arnav’s face had turned serious and Khushi gave him a reassuring smile.

“Let’s go home” Arnav said and got into the driver’s seat.

Khushi got into the passenger’s seat and Akash took the back seat.

Throughout the ride, Akash discussed the wedding preparations with both Arnav and Khushi but most of the responses came from Khushi.

Arnav maintained silence and kept driving. The car stopped at Chowk and Arnav helped Khushi get her bag out of the trunk.

“I’ll walk her to the house, Akash” Arnav said, holding Khushi’s bag in his hand.

“Sure, Bhai. I’ll wait here and make a quick call” Akash said from the back seat.

Both Arnav and Khushi began walking towards her home and Khushi broke the silence.

“What are you thinking?” She asked Arnav.

“Trying to figure out what I should say to him. I don’t want to hurt him, Khushi. But, how can I talk to him if I don’t talk about the past? And the past isn’t exactly an easy topic for me. What if whatever I say makes him more upset?” Arnav asked, walking side by side Khushi.

“Don’t worry about that, Arnav. I am sure when you see him you’ll find the right words to say” Khushi replied.

“How can you be so sure?” Arnav asked, halting and looking at her.

“Because deep down, you love him, Arnav. He’s your father. Why else do you think you have been so angry at him for all these years? Trust me, when you see him, you’ll know what to say. You’re ready” Khushi said, holding Arnav’s hand and pressing it in support.

Arnav nodded, taking a long breath.

They finished the last few steps to Khushi’s house and Arnav handed the bag to Khushi.

“Thank you, Khushi. If not for you, I’d have never..”

“No. You would have, Arnav. I know you. You would have realized this sooner or later all by yourself” Khushi answered.

“I’ll come see you tomorrow. And I’ll call you in the evening after talking to him” Arnav said.

“Yes, call me. But we wouldn’t be meeting now, Arnav” Khushi said, smiling.

“Why not?” asked Arnav.

“Day after tomorrow is our Mehendi ceremony. Tomorrow, I need to get my dresses collected and try them for fitting. There’s going to be no time now” Khushi said, both smiling and blushing.

Arnav frowned and then counted the number of days on his finger.

“Yes. It’s four more days to the wedding. And we can’t meet until then?”

Khushi shook her head, smiling at Arnav’s gloomy face.

“Why didn’t you tell me that before? Now, I can’t even say proper goodbye to you. We’re in public” Arnav said.

“We ARE saying goodbye, Arnav” Khushi said.

“This isn’t what I had in mind” Arnav said, shaking his head.

“What did you have in mind?” Khushi asked, eyes twinkling.

“Something that involved your and my lips and definitely less clothing” Arnav said, leaning towards Khushi.

Khushi immediately straightened and color rose in her cheeks.

“Bye, Arnav” She said rushed into the house.

Arnav stood in front of the house for a few seconds before walking back to the car.

“Took you long enough, Bhai! Were you saying goodbye to Khushi?” Akash asked from the passenger’s seat once Arnav was back in the car.

Arnav gave a long look to Akash and shook his head.

“Apparently everyone except me knows that I wouldn’t be seeing Khushi until the wedding now” He murmured and continued driving.

As minutes passed and they neared Sheesh Mahal, Arnav once again began to feel the heaviness in his bones.

He hoped that this time he could say everything he had been wanting to since the last twenty years.

“Because deep down, you love him, Arnav. He’s your father. Why else do you think you have been so angry at him for all these years? Trust me, when you see him, you’ll know what to say. You’re ready”.

He drew strength from Khushi’s words and applied the brakes on the car as they entered through the gates of the Mahal.

“Could you please take this to the parking, Akash?” Handing over the keys to Akash, Arnav got out of the car and began walking towards the Mahal with brisk steps.

_________________________

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