Chapter 61: Keyes

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Chapter Sixty-One

Keyes

Arnav impatiently tapped his foot against the marble floors, checking his watch for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes. Finally, after weeks of preparation and endless hours of anxiety, it was the night of his restaurant opening. He couldn’t even find words to explain the feelings running rampant through him. 

Rationality, of course, said there was nothing to worry about. The restaurant was looking beautiful with the final decorating touches added just that morning, the chefs were extra confident about the dishes on the menu tonight and his manager, Saket, had the evening planned down to ten-minute blocks, with back-up plans for every possible thing that could go wrong. It was amazing, honestly. Arnav had never felt more prepared in his life, not even for his board exams that had spent a solid two months studying for. 

And yet, despite all that surety, there was still a nagging feeling clutching him somewhere deep within. Perhaps it was because he saw failure up too close for way too long. He knew too well what it would feel like if tonight didn’t go according to the plan, what the whispers tomorrow morning would sound like if even one of his dishes didn’t live up to the mark, how unsettling the forced smile on his parents’ face would look like if the restaurant was mediocre… he had seen it all before and he would give almost anything not to go through it once again. 

Tonight had to be perfect. Tonight had to be successful. Tonight had to be everything everyone told him he could not have. 

But for all of those things to happen, he first needed to actually be at the restaurant. 

With only thirty minutes left to seven o’clock –the time he had invited guests to arrive by– Arnav was found pacing his living room in the penthouse, dressed in a midnight black Armani suit, waiting for Khushi to finish getting ready. If she wasn’t ready in the next five minutes, serious hell would break loose at the restaurant. 

“KHUSHII!” Arnav called, his panicked voice echoing through the still penthouse. 

“I’m almost done,” came her muffled voice in reply. 

Almost?!

“You said that half an hour ago!” he called back, unable to keep the annoyance at bay. 

She had kicked him out of the bedroom almost two hours ago now, telling him very strictly that he was only allowed see her once she finished doing her hair and makeup. He had agreed out of amusement more than anything else. He had never seen Khushi so tussled about how she looked, let alone talking about makeup. For some reason, he had always assumed she was beyond the pettiness of looks. Someone as smart as her would most definitely know that beauty lay in the eye of the beholder, not a bag full of cosmetics. 

“But this time, I mean it!” Khushi replied. It sounded like she was laughing. 

Arnav groaned. 

“Khushi,” he said seriously, briskly walking closer to their bedroom. “We can’t be late to our own restaurant–”

“And we won’t be,” she assured him from behind the closed door. He could hear her heels clanking against the floor as she hurried across the room, hopefully grabbing her purse, ready to leave. “You know as well as me that no one is actually going to show up at seven.”

She had a point. 

Even though the invitation said 7 o’clock, Arnav knew quite well that everyone would only really start showing up a good two hours later thanks to that ingrained desi clock which no one ever wanted to fix. 

“Yes, but it’s rude if the host doesn’t show on time, okay, so please–”

He broke off, for the door finally creaked opened and out came Khushi. Except, she looked nothing like Khushi…. well, the Khushi he knew anyway. 

The girl –no, the woman– standing in front of him was someone else entirely. 

Draped in the same red saree he had gifted her two nights ago, she looked absolutely ethereal against the evening light streaming in through the apartment. Her waist length hair hung down her shoulders in soft rings, while her flawless face glowed with a luster he couldn’t name. Her doe shaped eyes were smoked heavily with kohl, somehow looking even more alluring than before, and her precious lips were colored a rusty shade of red. 

But he barely noticed any of that. What Arnav was actually drawn to, was the red pigment smeared along the parting of her hair, the small black beaded chain curled around her neck and the pair of diamond earrings –an heirloom from his grandmother meant for the Raizada bahu– handing on her delicate lobes.  

The woman standing before him was not his flat mate or for that matter, Abhaya Hospital’s best resident doctor… no, this was his wife.  

“So?” Khushi asked, gently closing the bedroom door behind her. “How do I look?”

Arnav gasped for air, realizing with a jolt that he had forgotten how to breathe. What could he possibly say that would do justice to her beauty?

Stepping forward, he gently took her left hand –adorned with their engagement ring, which like the rest of her jewelry was making an appearance for the first time since their wedding– and brought it to his lips. 

“If looks could kill…” he murmured, giving her a peck. 

She glowed at that, not needing him to finish the sentence. “So worth the wait then, huh?”

“Always,” he agreed without hesitance. “But we really need to get going… Saket has called for the fiftieth time.”

Khushi giggled. “He is going to get an aneurysm like this.”

“Please don’t jinx it… There is no time in the schedule for a crisis tonight.”

“Duly noted.”

Weaving his fingers into hers, Arnav led her out of the penthouse, down the elevators, all the way to his white BMW, where the driver was patiently waiting. It was as they zoomed through the traffic that Arnav realized how comforting it was to have Khushi beside him. 

No matter what happened at the opening tonight, one thing was absolutely sure: he would be returning home with his gorgeous woman. And maybe, just maybe, if everything went well, he and Khushi can finally own up to the feelings brewing in between their not-so-innocent hearts. 

As expected, they were the first ones to arrive at the venue. Save for two reporters and his staff, all dressed in their finest, the restaurant was mostly empty. It was a shame, really. Underneath the fuchsia sky of the setting sun, the place, covered exquisitely in greenery and fairy lights, was looking like the Garden of Eden through its transparent walls.

As the driver sped off to park the car, Arnav began to hurry inside when he felt Khushi, hot on his heels, tug on his shoulder. 

“What?” he asked, halting just a few feet from the door. 

Khushi stepped forward to face him, her back turned to the entrance. “Remember what you told me on the first day of my internship?”

Arnav shook his head. Her first day of internship felt like eons ago, although in real time, it had only been a few months. So much had changed since then that Arnav wasn’t sure if he even wanted to remember those lonely, awkward days. 

“You said that although people like you and me have to give up what we want for the sake of family responsibilities and loyalties, there is no rule that we have to suffer through it.  You told me that just because I’m married to you, doesn’t mean I should give up my passion because it was obvious that I belonged in a hospital, treating patients.”

Arnav was momentarily stunned, unable to believe that she took his words seriously enough to commit them to memory. 

Khushi leaned forward to hold both of his hands in hers. “The same applies to you too,” she continued, looking deep into his eyes. “You may be Raizada Industries’ CEO and your father’s heir, but it is so obvious that your place is here. And no matter what anyone tells you tonight, no matter what review you are going to receive tomorrow, the truth is, you worked hard to be here. No one deserves this more than you.”

Arnav felt something warm slip into the pit of his stomach, her soft words igniting a fire within him. “Khushi, I–” 

She shook her head. “You’re allowed to be nervous, Arnav, I understand that, but you are not allowed to be scared. Promise me you’ll enjoy tonight, promise me you won’t be critical of yourself, promise me that you’ll be sure and confident… you did your part, now let destiny do the rest.”

Arnav glanced at the door behind her, his eyes traveling to the left-hand wall, on which, written in black cursive letters was the name of the restaurant: Keyes. 

It was no secret that he had named it after Khushi –although she was still yet to make the connection herself– but standing there, in that moment, hearing her soothing words, he realized with joy that he couldn’t have named it better even if he tried to.   

“I promise,” he finally said with a small smile. “But I think, destiny has already done its job by sending a certain nerdy doctor my way.”

She –unexpectedly– frowned. “Two hours of YouTube tutorials later, I still look like a nerdy doctor to you?”

Arnav chuckled. “YouTube tutorials for what?”

“Smokey eyes are hard, okay? I’m not naturally gifted like Lavanya.”

“Well next time, you don’t need to bother. You look beautiful even without the smokey eyes.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that… but I know you like me better like this.”

Arnav smirked, biting back a reply that would probably be considered inappropriate, given that most of his staff was staring curiously at them through the glass walls, probably wondering why they weren’t coming inside. 

Knowing he had her to himself for just a minute more, he replied cheekily: “So what shall we call you today then? Dr. Gupta’s sexy alter ego?”

Khushi bit her lip, a giddy grin spreading up her lips. “I’m sexy today?”

… and hot. But she didn’t have to know that. There would be plenty of time later tonight. 

“One of many things, yes.”

Just as the tops of her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink, the front door was pushed open by Saket, looking very anxious. 

“Why are you standing out here?” he asked. 

Khushi rearranged her expression just in time and turned on her heels. “Hello to you too Saket.”

“We’re just taking in the calm before the storm,” Arnav piped in, slipping his hand around the soft curve of Khushi’s waist, feeling electricity trickle up his fingers upon touching her bare skin. She seemed to feel it too, for a shudder passed through her frame. 

Saket was too stressed to notice the exchange. “Well, the calm is over. There are reporters here who want a one on one interview with you, the photographers need to get some candid shots for the website and the chefs have some questions about the appetizers.”

Arnav sighed. “Sometimes, it feels like you’re my boss Saket.”

“My apologies if I sound too demanding–”

“Don’t be silly,” Khushi intervened. “Arnav is paying you to be demanding.”

He smiled nervously. “If you say so… now, let’s get moving. We are already twenty minutes behind schedule.”

“How is that possible?” Arnav asked, slightly incredulous. “There is no one here–”

“Isn’t it enough that tomorrow’s press is here? Now, let’s go.”

Saying that Saket disappeared back into the restaurant. 

“It’s going to be a long night,” Arnav muttered. 

Khushi reached for his tie, unnecessarily adjusting it. “You’ll be great, just remember to stay hydrated… we can’t have your blood pressure dropping.” 

“Yes doc,” he answered drily. “Wait, I have an idea: why don’t you feature as Mrs. Chef? The reporters will have a field day and I won’t be bored out of my mind.”

Khushi grinned. “As tempting as that sounds, I can’t... My entertainment just arrived.”

She nodded over his shoulder to Mitali and Samriddhi, both of who just stepped down from a striking blue Mercedes with Bhagi and a sniggering Dev in tow. Wishing him good luck, Khushi departed to greet them and the rest of the Raizada cousins who were slowly pulling up at the curb. 

Waving to his family, Arnav took a deep breath and stepped into the restaurant, focusing his mind on the tasks at hand. 

By nine o’clock that evening, the restaurant was packed. Guests were swarming through every inch of the place, appetizers were disappearing as soon as they were brought out of the kitchen and there was a line up to get a drink at the bar. But Arnav didn’t get even a second to register any of that, for he was pulled from one conversation to another sometimes by a reporter eager to get a “quick bite” or by Saket who insisted on being “in the good books of critics” or his very own family who had taken the fully liberty to invite friends of their own and insist on personally introducing him. 

It was crazy –in a good way of course. Arnav couldn’t have asked for a better opening night. He had been dreading that the event would turn into a boring, ‘speak only when spoken to’ type of socialite party, which he had endured one too many times while handling Raizada Industries. Thankfully, his prayers and planning paid off. 

Arnav had just managed to grab a drink from a passing waiter, when Saket showed up –literally– out of nowhere. 

“How do you do that?” Arnav asked, unable to help himself. 

“Do what?”

“Find me in this insane crowd. I have been looking for Khushi for over an hour and still haven’t had any luck.”

Saket chuckled. “Your Khushi is sitting in the corner by the bar with the rest of your family. And it’s kind of my job to keep track of you, remember?”

Arnav scanned the crowd around the bar, but his eyes still didn’t find hers. 

“Anyway, it’s time for you to give the toast,” Saket continued. “You can take a mike from the DJ.”

Arnav nodded and stalked off to the bar, ignoring his managers grumbles that there was no time to waver off schedule. There was no way he was giving his speech without Khushi beside him. The main course could wait a few more minutes. 

Thankfully, he found her sitting sandwiched between Lavanya and Mitali along with the rest of Raizada cousins in a large booth beside the bar just like Saket had told him, absorbed in a conversation. Arnav couldn’t help but take a second to admire her, wishing he had a camera in hand to capture her looking absolutely gorgeous against the green foliage of the back wall. 

“Oh look who finally showed up!” said Dev, spotting Arnav.

Khushi looked up instantly, her expression concerned. He gave her a crooked smile, adding in a quick wink for good measure. 

“About time!” Bhagi added. “I was starting to think you don’t like us or something.”

“Sorry guys,” Arnav apologized. “How do you like the restaurant?”

“It’s gorgeous Bhai!” Sam replied. “You’re gonna be the talk of town tomorrow!”

Arnav smiled. “I hope so, but it all really comes down to the food and reviews.”

“Oh lighten up,” Lavanya cut in. “Haven’t you stressed enough already? Khushi told me all about your midnight brownie adventures.”

Khushi turned a nice shade of pink and looked down at her lap, avoiding his gaze.  

Arnav stared between his sister and his wife, both curious and weary of what they must have shared in his absence. 

Deciding not to poke further, especially in front of a watching audience, armed with jokes that could last a lifetime, he asked instead: “Where’s Di?”

“Somewhere with Maa, making sure the guests are feeling welcomed,” Lavanya answered with a sigh. 

Arnav wasn’t too surprised to hear that. Both his mother and elder sister believed in proper etiquette in social situations, while Lavanya like him, had always found it to be tedious. He made a note to find them after his speech and make sure they at least had something to eat. 

“Khushi?” he called. “Can you come with me for a sec?”

It was a mission extracting her from the middle of the booth, where she was flanked on both sides with people. In the end, Arnav ended up having to lift her over the booth, earning some low whistles and sniggering from every single member of his family.

“That wasn’t embarrassing at all,” Khushi mumbled, re-adjusting the pleats of her saree, once he set her down. 

Arnav merely smiled. He was used to his family’s antics by now, at times even enjoying some of their over-the-top acts to bring him and Khushi close.

“So what did you tell Lavu?” he asked as they began to cut through the crowd, making their towards the stage.

“Nothing important... where are you talking me?”

“If it was nothing important, why were you blushing?”

Khushi gulped. “I wasn’t blushing.”

“Liar liar, your pants –I mean, your saree– is on fire.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please let it go? You’ll find out by the end of the night anyway.”

Arnav grinned, satisfied. 

“So, where are we going?” she asked once again.

“It’s time for my toast.” 

“Err– good luck?”

“Why would I need that when I’m going to have you beside me?”

Khushi paled.

“Relax,” he said upon catching her expression. “You don’t have to say anything.”

“But… why? I mean it’s your night Arnav, I’m just going to look out of place up there with you.”

“Is that why you have been M.I.A. this whole time?”

Khushi shrugged. “I didn’t want to come in your way.”

Having reached the stage, Arnav halted and pulled her around to face him. “Two things: you can never be out of place beside me and neither can you ever be in my way. Tonight is just as much your night as it is mine.”

She was about to object, but he didn’t let her. 

“Saket is ready to hit me for the amount of delay I’m causing, so let’s talk after?”

Without waiting for her answer, Arnav helped her up on to the dais and confidently called for everyone’s attention. The murmurs vanished within seconds and countless eyes turned eagerly towards them, waiting. From the corner of his eye, Arnav could make out his staff bringing out glasses of champagne for the guests while Khushi nervously fidgeted with her hands beside him, a little uncomfortable with the spotlight. 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Arnav began, slipping his hand once again around her waist, trying to reassure her. 

“Firstly, thank you for being here tonight. To be very honest, I thought half of you will throw out the invitations the second you got them… I mean, who really would trust a businessman, and that too one who runs a construction company, to be able to cook? If I was in your shoes, I would have been a little scared to come.”

A few members of the audience laughed. 

Taking that as a positive sign, Arnav plunged on: “So, let me just begin by saying that I am a fully trained chef… I have the certificates hanging up in the kitchen if any of you need proof, so be assured, none of you will go home with food poisoning tonight.”

Another chuckle. 

“Not many of you know this, but the dream to be a chef started many years ago, when the pressures of family responsibilities seemed just like a myth our elders fussed about. I was young, naïve and ignorant… ignorant of the fact that this profession doesn’t pay nearly as well as the others do, that there is no promotion to strive for, no milestone to hang up in your office. My father was kind enough to tell me that back in the day, but there was just too much testosterone in my veins at the time to accept it.

But what better a teacher than experience for people like me? 

I learned as I grew up –figuratively speaking of course, because I’m not a day older than twenty-five–” –the audience sniggered– “–that being a chef was not about talent or luck. It was about hard work. It was about dedication. It was about having the grit to take criticism and failure in the face and still motivate yourself to try harder. And if you’re thinking that I have all that, then you’re highly deluded… The truth is I quit the minute the water ran a little too high and went scurrying back to the safety of my family– thank you for that by the way. Maa and Papa, I know I don’t say it enough, but I’m really glad you didn’t let Lavu scar you for life and decided to give birth to me.”

The loudest laughs came from the corner his cousins were sitting in. Arnav could literally see Lavanya rolling her eyes at him.  

He waited until the room was quiet before continuing: “You’re probably thinking, so what changed? Why am I not sitting in an AC office right now, breaking my head over why the cost of cement has more than doubled in the past six months?”

Arnav paused, watching the smiling faces in front him. Beside him, Khushi was listening intently, all nervousness forgotten. 

“I have that scheduled for tomorrow morning in case any one of you would like to offer your sympathies–” –a few members snorted– “but it was more or less divine intervention in the form of the beautiful woman standing next to me.”

Arnav turned to look at Khushi –frozen mutely to the floor, her eyes wide in trepidation– and continued, making sure she understood he meant every single word he said next:

“She taught me that success is not about getting things right, it’s about doing things that matter. She taught me that the courage to face disappointment comes not from the people around you, but from the person within you. She taught me that true strength and resilience measures more than any award or cheque… and for that I cannot thank you enough Khushi. Thank you for being the air underneath my wings.”

And not caring about the watching audience or how staggered Khushi appeared, trying to process everything he had said, Arnav leaned in and pecked her on the cheek before turning back to the audience. He could make out a few ladies close to the stage looking emotional, moved with his words. 

“And it’s after her, my wife, that I have named this restaurant,” Arnav announced proudly. “Keyes is a name that originates from old English that means ‘to rejoice’. And just like how Khushi brought me happiness, I hope, this restaurant brings you and your loved one’s happiness.”

Raising his glass of champagne –delivered faithfully by Saket– Arnav ended his speech with a classic, “Cheers.”

The audience followed suit, raising their glasses to his toast before thundering applause –no doubt started by his over enthusiastic family at the far back– broke out. Arnav waited until the waiters began to bring out the main course before turning to look at Khushi. She seemed to have a recovered a little. 

“Did… did you really name the restaurant name after… me?” she croaked. 

“Why is that so shocking?” he asked, unimpressed. Did she really not see just how much she meant to him?

Khushi shuffled her feet, looking embarrassed. “Because…. I don’t deserve such honor. All those things you said about me–”

“Are one hundred and twenty percent true,” he cut in. “Did you really think you’re the only one who is allowed to make touching speeches?”

She didn’t answer, perhaps remembering the night of the hospital awards when she won best first-year resident and left the entire audience –including him– speechless. 

“You inspire me Khushi,” Arnav continued in a low voice. “You make me want to be a better man, you make me question things I always took for granted, you make me understand what life really means… aren’t those all good enough qualifications to name this restaurant after you?”

She couldn’t answer, looking almost befuddled. Arnav gently stroked her cheek, not needing words to understand what she was feeling. Just as she found her voice again, however, her eyes darted over his shoulder and her expression shifted. 

“Hi Papa,” she greeted politely. 

Arnav let his arm drop and turned to find his father, Shankar, walking towards them. 

“Hello,” Shankar replied with a wide smile. “I hope I’m not interrupting something.”

Khushi shook her head. “Not at all… how are you? Did you just get here?”

“Just a few minutes ago, was caught up at the company. Arnav takes a day off and the place is a mess.”

That was very high praise, especially coming from his father. “What happened?” Arnav asked. 

“No,” Khushi interrupted seriously. “Today is about the restaurant. Let’s keep it that way, okay?”

“I agree one hundred percent,” Shankar added. “And if I may, you look marvelous today Khushi… Satya is making full preparations to remove your nazar when you come back home tonight.”

Khushi chuckled. “Where is Maa? I have been looking for her all evening.”

Shankar nodded to his left. “She’s over there, very angry at me for coming so late.”  

“Let me go say hi to her,” Khushi said. “And I’ll try to put in a good word for you Papa.”

Shankar smiled, grateful. 

Bidding them goodbye, Khushi departed to join Satya, leaving Arnav alone with his father outside the confines of the company for the first time in months. 

A strange kind of awkwardness settled in the air. Despite being a good foot taller than Shankar, Arnav had always felt smaller standing next to his father. It was just one of those things that he was never going to outgrow, it seemed. 

“How are you feeling?” Shankar asked.  

That was an unusual question. 

“Relieved I think,” Arnav answered truthfully. 

“Are you happy?”

Arnav stared at his father, trying to decipher his strange tone. True, Shankar had never been his number one supporter in terms of his career choices, but Arnav had hoped, given how hard he had worked at the company in this past year, their disagreements had been put to rest. Perhaps, he had assumed wrongly. 

“Maybe I should be asking you that,” Arnav muttered, waving at a passing by waiter. There was no way he would be able to have this conversation without a drink. 

Shankar shook his head. “Oh please don’t misunderstand me… what you have done” –he gestured to the room brimming with guests chatting merrily away– “is incredible.”

Arnav handed his father a glass of whiskey, not daring to believe a word he was hearing. 

“When you told me that you were planning to open a restaurant once again,” Shankar continued, accepting the drink. “I honestly thought you wouldn’t pull through.”

There it was… the disappointment and complaints. Arnav tried hard to keep Khushi’s words from earlier that evening in mind, the least bit interested in hearing the chronicles of his failures as Shankar Singh Raizada’s one and only son. 

“Don’t take it personally,” Shankar added, catching his expression. “It’s just that… I have seen you struggle one too many times in these last few years, struggle between right and wrong, that I didn’t really let myself believe that you had it in you to achieve all this.”

“But it is personal Papa,” Arnav interjected seriously, against his better judgement. “I know you meant well, I know I wasn’t always this sorted, but it was not fair of you to hold me to such unreasonable standards… just because I was your son.”

Silence.

A small part of Arnav knew this was neither the place nor time to confront his father over things that were too late to be fixed, but a bigger, more dominant part of him had had enough. His father needed to know that in his haste for greatness, he had forgotten compassion. 

“You’re right.”

Arnav stood stunned, not sure if he heard right. 

“It was unfair of me,” Shankar admitted. “Maybe if I pushed Anjali as much as I did you, then maybe today we wouldn’t be standing here, sorry for things that we cannot change.”

Arnav was not expecting that. It was obvious that his father had mellowed down considerably post his stroke, perhaps having reconsidered his life choices while being bed ridden for many months, but seeing him actually admit his regrets out loud was something else altogether. 

“To be honest,” Shankar continued, a hint of sadness coloring his voice now. “I didn’t do it on purpose… I wasn’t pressurizing you because you were my son. It just seemed obvious when you were born that you would be like me. Ambitious, business-minded, dedicated… funnily enough, you are all those things. Just not in the areas I wanted you to be.”

Arnav listened carefully. 

“But it wasn’t until I saw Khushi up there with you today, that I realized how unfair I have been to Anjali and Lavanya… they deserved better.”

“I don’t think they see it that way,” Arnav offered as consolation. It felt odd to be reassuring his father when he had wanted to rage at him only moments ago. What a strange turn the conversation had taken. “Di and Lavu are happy… isn’t that what matters in the end?”

Shankar took a swing from his glass. “That’s a pretty white lie parents tell themselves Chote… it’s what I thought of when I urged you to get married to Khushi, despite knowing that you were in love with someone else.”

Nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared Arnav to hear that. It was as if the entire room suddenly became still and the only two people present were him and his father. 

“Y-you… you knew?!” Arnav choked. 

Shankar –surprisingly– chuckled. “Your surprise is quite insulting… You all kids seem to think that just because I’m not home, I don’t notice what’s happening in your lives.”

“Why… why didn’t you say something then?” Arnav fired, his shock being quickly replaced by appalment. “And why would you agree to Alok Raj Gupta’s proposal–”

“I didn’t think you were serious,” Shankar said simply. “If every guy found their soulmate in college, angry and frustrated with their overbearing parents, then arranged marriages would go out of business, wouldn’t they?”

Arnav was too livid to answer.

“Myra was never the correct girl for you Chote. I knew, one day or another, you would realize that. It was only a matter of time.”

“She wasn’t a fling Papa, I really loved her–”

“Exactly. You loved her… you don’t anymore.”

Arnav’s head was reeling with the information. He knew –although he had never really dwelled on it– that his father had gotten him married to Khushi for the money Gupta and Sons were offering, and nothing more. But to hear it confirmed, and not to mention the total disregard for his feelings for Myra… it left a very bad taste in his mouth. 

Was his father really so heartless?

“So my feelings never mattered to you then,” Arnav muttered, shaking his head. “It was all about you and your business… what happened to me and Khushi was completely irrelevant.”

Shankar gave him a long, thoughtful look. “Is that really why you think I chose Khushi to be your bride?”

Arnav snorted. “Did you leave me with any other choice?”

His father inhaled deeply. “The reason I chose Khushi, Chote, is because she exists past her family, past her father actually… when I asked for Dr. Gupta at her old hospital, there wasn’t a single staff member who didn’t know her or have a good opinion about her.”

Arnav’s mouth might as well have hit the floor. “You knew Khushi was a doctor?!”

“Of course I knew. This was my son’s life I had in my hands– what makes you think I’m going to jeopardize it for the sake of money?”

Arnav ran his hands through his hair, wishing there was a chair nearby to sit down. How on earth was his father so calmafter dropping so many bombshells at once? 

“I know you’re upset–”

“Upset doesn’t come anywhere close to what I’m feeling right now!” Arnav fumed. “If you knew Khushi was a doctor, why didn’t you say something?! Didn’t you find it weird that she stopped practicing–”

“Of course, I found it weird. But it was written very clearly in her resignation that she quit medicine because of what happened to her mother… so, I kept quiet, knowing that she would come clean when she felt comfortable.”

Arnav didn’t answer, his mind buzzing with the revelations to say something coherent.

“Just get it off your chest Chote,” Shankar said wisely after a few minutes of pinching silence. “You deserve answers.”

“I just don’t… understand,” Arnav replied, glaring at his father. “On one hand, you say you care about me, but on the other you completely ignore my relationship with Myra and get me married to a stranger. You say you regret being harsh with me, and yet you did everything you could to make sure I take up Raizada Industries… what’s true Papa? What is it that you want to prove here?’

“You have it all wrong, I don’t want to prove anything Chote… I just want you to understand that I am human too and that I can make mistakes as well as any other. Some of my assumptions about you were wrong, but some were also right… Just as you explained in your speech today, Khushi is a strong woman, in more ways than perhaps even she realizes. 

She doesn’t lose her temper as quickly as you do, she understands that as humans, people make mistakes and she not only has the patience to accept that, but also the resilience to face it. In short, she has lived a life of discipline, and you, a life of freedom. She made you stop and question yourself and that was exactly what I had hoped for when I agreed to Alok Raj Gupta’s alliance… Khushi is everything that Myra could never be. So even though I may have let you down as a father while you were growing up, I want you to know, that as a father, I never stopped thinking about what was good for you.”

“But what gives you the right to step in and make these decisions for me? What if Khushi and I didn’t fall in love? What if I never got over Myra? Did you ever stop to think about that?!”

Shankar gave him an incredulous look. “Hasn’t Khushi proven herself? She certainly surpassed my expectations... I had welcomed her into my family, hoping she would bring stability into your turbulent life, and she not only did that, but inspired you to chase your dreams, against even my judgement. What more do you need?”

“I’m not denying that Papa, but that still doesn’t change the fact that our marriage happened for all the wrong reasons! Either it was Alok Raj Gupta meddling with our shares, ready with blackmail, or it was you, assuming that Myra was not the right girl for me. Khushi and I should have met organically, we should have had time to know each other, to understand our pasts and make peace with it... do you have any idea how suffocating it is to be locked up in a marriage that has no hope?!”

“What’s stopping you from understanding each other now? For how long are you going to insist on hanging on to Myra when it’s been clear that she is never going to come back?”

“I’m not hanging to her. But it’s not something I can just brush under the carpet either... Khushi is happy now, yes, but what happens when she realizes the extent of my past with Myra, when she realizes that Myra and I were going to have a child? What happens then?”

Shankar staggered a step back. “What child?”

Arnav downed the last of his whiskey. He didn’t know what made him confess one of his darkest secrets out loud, and that too to his father, but he was slightly glad to have it off his chest. He was seriously getting tired of people telling him how great a decision it was to get him and Khushi married. Yes, he was thankful to have found her, but he was still very much against the circumstanced that led to it. 

Lowering his voice, Arnav said: “Myra was pregnant… when she left me.”

It took his father many minutes to process that.

“So you see,” Arnav pressed, hoping his point was clear. “Myra wasn’t just a fling… Things were serious with her and you should have respected that.”

Shankar cleared his throat. “Does… does Khushi know?”

Arnav shook his head. “Not yet… but she will have to know someday.”

His father agreed. “And the baby?”

“Myra had an abortion,” he replied monotonously. Maybe he would never be able to say that out loud without having a lump in his throat. 

It seemed even his father couldn’t find a silver lining in the situation. Yes, things with Khushi were going well, much to everyone’s delight, but all of that was tottering on a very thin thread.  

“If you had married Myra,” Shankar asked hesitantly. “And had the baby… would you have been happy?”

Arnav’s answer was instantaneous: “No.” 

“Then what exactly are you worried about? Khushi may have come into your life as a forced decision, but even you cannot deny that it was always going to be her… sometimes, that’s just how love works. It comes from the most unexpected of people in the most unexpected of circumstances.”

“Please Papa, you can’t deny–”

“I’m not denying anything,” Shankar interrupted calmly. “How you and Khushi got married was wrong, and I accept full responsibility for it… I treated you like an employee of the company meant to be contained, instead of my child, who should be understood. I truly am sorry for putting you through that…”

Arnav didn’t answer. 

“However, what’s important is that even with these unfair decisions, life did right by you… and that’s what you should be thinking about. A life partner is someone who accepts you, all of you, undividedly and without exceptions… And that’s exactly what me and every single person in this room saw tonight between the both of you. So, if not yourself, trust your love Chote… Khushi is not the type of person who will let go of you.” 

Patting him reassuringly, Shankar disappeared into the crowd at that, leaving Arnav all alone to his thoughts. 

The good thing, of course, was that his father understood that his decision to accept the Gupta alliance was one of haste, rather than one of thought. There was at last, one person, who understood the turmoil he and Khushi had been through in the last few months. Maybe, one day, Alok too would realize. 

But it was also true that while the circumstances leading to his marriage with Khushi may have been wrong and regretful, the consequences were much the opposite. They two of them were, indeed, blessed to have found each other, especially in such unlikely situations. 

Isn’t that enough proof then, to believe that they were strong enough to weather through any storm, even one as strong as Myra? 

 ----------------------------------------------------

A/N: I hope 17 pages was a worthwhile present for all your patience these past three weeks ❤️❤️❤️

I thought I would be able to squeeze in the entire opening night in one chapter, but there was just too many things happening, so I decided to split into two. I hope you're ready for the next one 😉

Thank you once again for waiting so patiently for this chapter! Classes are going on at record pace, so I unfortunately will still only be able to update every 2-3 weeks, sorry for the wait 😞

Please do like & comment - due to time constraints, I cannot reply to all of your comments, but I do read and appreciate each and every one of them 

Stay safe & healthy,

Archi

P.S. - Reposting a message from ssttuuttii:

The IPKKND forum was going to be closed but with the support of so many fans, we have managed to get some success. The admins have agreed to give us a review period before they take the final decision for our forum. Keeping this is mind, a new thread with important guidelines and a list of regular activities has been made -

Link : https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/5177285

Please check it out and pitch in with your efforts accordingly. We need the continued support from all of you in the form of likes, comments and posts on the main IPK forum.

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