"Ab vivaah sampan hua"
Panditji's words kept ringing in Arnav's ears like the sweet sound of temple bells.
Back at Buaji's place, he was sitting on the porch with Akash and enjoying a moment of quiet.
The guests were being served dinner in a small pandal outside the house while Khushi and her family walked amidst them, greeting the neighbours and thanking them for attending the wedding.
He'd been trying all evening to take his eyes off Khushi before someone noticed and made a comment. Surprisingly, no one did. Perhaps it was considered normal behavior for a groom, he thought.
And in any case, all his efforts had been in vain.
She always looked beautiful, right from her short-kurta salwar days at AR to the bright anarkali suits she wore after their wedding.
Their first wedding, Arnav amended.
But there was something different tonight. The glow of a bride? he wondered, if there really was such a thing.
Although, he thought with a smirk, her glow of happiness was less like one of a married woman and more of a child with a new toy.
Watching her talk animatedly to one of the guests, Arnav was caught unawares by an intense spark of attraction.
There was something electrifying about the fact the while the rest of the world would only ever get to see the child-like facet to her personality, Arnav was the lucky one to see the woman in her.
He boxed away, into a distant corner of his mind, thoughts of how close this had come to never happening. Allowing himself to relax gradually, he became aware that Akash was talking on the phone.
"NK bhai ka phone tha" Akash said, after hanging up. "Ma, Dadi and Di ghar pahunch gaye hai and NK bhai is coming back to have dinner with us"
Arnav nodded and they lapsed into silence again.
After the pheras, Panditji had instructed them to take blessings from the elders in the family. Out of habit, they had turned to Nani first.
She had looked chagrined as they bent to touch her feet. It was as if she was going through an internal struggle to hold herself back, stop herself from taking Khushi in her arms. And the hopeful expression on Khushi's face just broke his heart.
He had noticed that Di was absent from the proceedings and Nani informed him that she was waiting in the car-park. His frustration rising, he had watched as Nani declined Buaji's invitation to join them for dinner, folded her hands and took their leave.
It was obvious to him that both Di and Nani loved Khushi, perhaps as much as they loved him and he was disheartened by how they were allowing trivialities to get in their way. Making the same mistake as he had done.
Fortunately, there had been no time to dwell on it. Buaji had been waiting next in line to bless them, followed by Uncle and Aunty. NK and Akash had hugged him as Payal and Khushi embraced. There had been a marathon photo session at the end of which NK left to escort the family home while Akash and Arnav saw to payments for Panditji and all other arrangements before driving back to Buaji's.
"Arnavji" Khushi said, walking up the steps to the porch. "Saare mehmaano ka khaana hogaya lekin Amanji toh aaye hi nahi"
Only then did Arnav remember that his manager hadn't made an appearance all evening. Khushi had badgered him to invite Aman and reassuring her now that he hadn't forgotten, Arnav noticed a bike pull up at Buaji's gate.
"Think of the devil" Arnav said, nodding in his direction.
Khushi turned around, delighted.
Fixing his unruly forelock, Aman walked towards the house with a large gift wrapped box in his hand.
Frowning, Arnav decided that Aman took professionalism to ridiculous heights. Arnav had commissioned for a car and driver to be at his disposal but Aman refused steadfast to use them for personal reasons. While it was a commendable trait in an employee, Arnav sometimes wondered if he took it a little too far.
"Hello sir, sorry I'm late" he said, shaking Arnav's hand. "Congratulations"
"Thank you" Arnav said, turning to Khushi. "Aman, this is my wife Khushi and Khushi yeh'"
"Hum jaanthe hai" Khushi said, accepting the gift from Aman with a bright smile. "Hume parichay ki koi zaroorath nahi"
"It's nice to finally meet you ma'am" Aman said, "Shaadi mubarak ho"
"Dhanyavaad" Khushi said, 'Lekin Amanji, yeh kya baat hui? Aap itni der se aaye hai"
"Maaf kijiye" Aman said, looking appropriately contrite. "Kuch zaroori kaam aagaya tha"
"Theek hai, koi baat nahi" Khushi said, "Lekin aap khaana khaye bina nahi jaa sakthe"
She led him towards the pandal, Arnav following one step behind. Making a show of lowering her voice, Khushi said, "Voh kya hai na Amanji, hume aapse Arnavji ke baare me kuch vishes tippani seekhni hai"
Aman froze. He turned towards Arnav with such a horrified expression that Arnav couldn't help smiling. Did his staff really believe him that uptight? Arnav wondered.
Aman's features relaxed when he saw Arnav smiling and with a small laugh he said, "Ma'am, vishesh tippani toh hume aapse seekhni chahiye"
Arnav rolled his eyes.
Just as they entered the pandal, Buaji emerged, huffing that the guests had finally left and workers were getting ready to take down the pandal.
Aman tried to take his leave, apologizing for his lateness again but Khushi shouted him down, inviting him to join the family dinner inside.
Aman hesitated, turning to Arnav. It was only after he nodded his approval that Aman thanked Khushi and accepted the invitation.
However, Arnav came to regret his decision almost as soon as they sat down at the table.
With NK back, dinner was a noisy affair but he didn't miss how Khushi and Aman became fast friends bonding over a mutual topic of interest: him.
Aman regaled her with stories of how everyone in the office considered ASR a changed man since he met her and if that wasn't embarrassing enough, Khushi just had to complain about everything from his long hours at work to unhealthy eating habits in the absence of her dabba service.
This is exactly why its advisable to keep personal and professional life separate, Arnav reminded himself. Feeling vaguely grateful that Khushi hadn't brought up any of Aman's untimely phone calls, Arnav made his way through dinner.
Consequently, Aman was the first to leave when they were done.
"Bhai, hume bhi chalna chahiye" Akash said, when the table was cleared and they moved into the living room.
Buaji had disappeared into her room while Aunty had positioned Uncle's wheel-chair near the door and was rummaged in her hand-bag.
Payal nudged Akash, a shy smile on her face.
"Oh, haan" Akash said, pulling out an envelope from his pocket. "Yeh Payal aur meri taraf se hai. Once again, shaadi mubarak ho"
Arnav accepted the envelope, raising his eyebrows. Khushi, who had gone to put away their plates, wiped her hands on a hand towel and came to stand by his side.
"Bali ki tickets hain" Akash explained. "Actually maine kal dopeher ke liye tickets block kiye hai but of course, you can go whenever it's convenient"
Arnav turned to Khushi whose expression of surprise mirrored his own. Somehow, in the whole hullaballoo of their wedding, planning for a honeymoon had completely slipped his mind.
"We'll think about it" Arnav said, pocketing the envelope. "Thanks"
Akash hugged him again and turned saying, "Chale?"
Buaji came hurrying out of her room with a bag saying, "Haan babua, bahut der hui gayi hai Nandkishore"
"Aap kahan jaa rahi hai Buaji?" Khushi asked.
"Voh bitiya, hum tumhre Babuji ko Ayurved Kendra leke jaa rahe hai" Aunty said, trying to keep a straight face while zipping her purse.
"Kya?" Khushi said, looking from Buaji to her mother. "Iss waqt?"
"Aur Titaliya hum bhi sochat hai ki apan ghutnon ka ilaj kara hi le Nandkishore" Buaji said, "Bahut dard hota hai aajkal, Babua"
She turned to Arnav who tried to nod sympathetically. If there was one thing the Gupta's would never be good at, he decided, it was subtlety.
He watched with a crooked smile as Khushi's surprise slowly turned into comprehension as the family mumbled their excuses and promised to be back the following morning.
Turning faintly pink, she closed the door behind them and turned to face him.
He enjoyed watching her squirm for a few seconds.
"So, Mrs. Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada" he said, crossing his arms at his chest. "Ab kya bahaana banaogi?"
"Ji?"
"Pehle tumne kaha ki humne phere nahi liye" he said, starting to walk towards her. "Ab toh phere bhi ho gaye"
Her mouth open, she stepped backwards involuntarily and hit the door.
"And then you said, Buaji, Naniji, etc. etc. aake hume disturb karenge" he said, stopping right in front of her.
Crouching so their faces were level, he whispered, "Ab tumhare aur mere alava, ghar me koi nahi hai"
She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to think of something to say. In the end, she just blushed and turned away.
"And I really don't think Aman aaj raat ko call karega" he said, pulling back slightly and drawing his phone out of his pocket. He turned it off. "But to be sure"
Her lips twitching, her eyes followed the phone as he tossed it away.
"So ab kya bahaana banaogi romantic moments bigaadne ke?" he asked, putting his arms around her and locking his fingers at the base of her neck.
When she still wouldn't look at him, he drew one hand forward to her chin and directed her gaze upwards.
He let the back of his fingers lightly graze her cheek and simultaneously tugged at the ghunghat from behind. It fell back, the little bells tinkling but Arnav frowned slightly noting how heavy it was.
"Ar'navji" she stammered, closing her eyes as her breathing turned shallow.
He blinked in awe at the sight of her flushed face. Among the many things he never considered until he met her, was the sound of his own name.
Leaning forward, he placed a feather-light kiss on the lips that said his name so sweetly.
Her eyes flew open as she took in a sharp breath.
Smiling, he continued to caress her cheek until she raised one hand to his shoulder.
"Arnavji" she said, in a hoarse voice. "Ab hum romantic pal bigaadna nahi, banaana chahthe hai"
Speechless, he stared at her unsure if he had heard correctly.
She started smiling at his dumbfounded expression.
The last strands of resolve slid out of his hands and cupping her face, he kissed her.
He saw her eyes widen with surprise and his lips sensed her hesitation slowly turn into reciprocation.
When he pulled away, she sank into the door with her eyes closed.
"Khushi" he whispered, holding onto her shoulders. "I'll never do anything that makes you uncomfortable, do you trust me?"
She didn't know it but Arnav felt the acuity of his question with every cell in his body, his sanity hung in the balance.
She opened her eyes and looking into his, she slowly stepped into his open arms.
"Hume vishwas hai" she said, hugging him. "Aap pe aur aapke pyaar par"
He lifted her in his arms, smiling like he had just won the lottery and carried her towards her room.
Jostling her slightly, he wondered if she had any idea that she'd effectively reduced him from a soon to be thirty year old to a hormonal teenager.
He kicked the door open and Khushi let out a loud gasp.
He let her down, staring at the room in surprise.
Someone had decorated it for them. There were curtains of flowers all around the bed and a heart of roses at the centre. The walls were adorned with more flowers and serial lights that flickered in different colours. On the opposite wall were two intertwined hearts formed by tiny red lights in sequence with her name written inside one and his inside the other.
"Kitna sundar hai" Khushi said, walking to the bed and running her hand down one of the strands.
She turned to him, her eyebrows raised.
"Iss baar maine nahi kiya" Arnav said, somewhat regretfully.
"Zaroor Jiji ne kiya hoga" she said, looking around the room.
And then all of sudden, she gasped loudly. "Jiji!"
Taken aback, Arnav started to ask what was wrong but she started tearing about the room frantically.
Letting out a huge sigh of relief, she pulled out a white package from the almirah.
"What the'"
"Arnavji' she said, panting slightly. "Hum bas do minute me aate hai"
Noting the look of incredulity on his face, she said,
"Na hum romantic pal bigaadna chahthe hai aur na hum aapse door bhag rahe hai, bus do minute" she said, rambling on. "Aap khud samajh jaenge"
She paused and pulled a thoughtful expression. "Do nahi, paanch minute, hum paanch minute me aate hai"
Before he could process any of it, she hurried out of the room.
Arnav plonked on the bed, a little scared to imagine what she might be upto.
For some reason, the flickering lights disturbed him. He stood up and turned them off, leaving only the red lamps glowing
Sighing as he sat at the edge of the bed, it struck him why.
Fortunately he didn't suffer any post traumatic stress but sometimes when he was least expecting it, odd things reminded him of the warehouse and his hellish time there.
Someday, he decided, he would tell Khushi how thinking of her had kept him alive and kept him from giving up hope.
He heard the tinkling of her anklets before he saw her.
And when he saw her, his jaw dropped.
She closed the door behind her, fidgeting with the dupatta as she walked in.
She was wearing the lehenga-choli he'd gifted her.
He simply stared, committing to his memory everything from her now unbound hair to the baby pink nail paint of her toes.
"Uss din hume bahut bura laga" she mumbled, "Aap gusse me chale gaye'"
Arnav almost laughed. She was upset about upsetting him?
If he began to count the times he had knowingly and unknowingly hurt her, he wouldn't be left with enough time to make up for it. And all he wanted to do for the rest of his life was make up for it.
"Khushi" he said, trying to ignore the painful lump in his throat. "Mere saath dance karogi?"
Surprised, she nodded.
Arnav powered up his laptop, playing what he had now come to think of as 'their song'.
Teri meri, meri teri, prem kahani hai mushkil
Do lafzon me yeh, bayaan na ho pae
He took her hand in his and they slowly swayed to the music, recalling a few of the old steps and making up some new ones along the way.
All this time, Arnav had imagined that he would have to be patient for her sake. That he would have to take things slowly because it might be too emotional for her.
But as he twirled her around and drew her close, his own emotions blindsided him.
This wasn't a dream anymore, she wasn't an apparition that was out of his reach.
Khushi was his reality and she was finally in his arms.
**************************************************************************************************************
"Khushiji, uthiye"
She heard Arnavji's voice, vaguely aware that something was amiss.
"Aapki chai thandi ho jaegi"
It took some effort to open her eyes but when she did, she was treated to the sight of Arnavji perched at the edge of the bed, balancing a tray in his hands.
She blinked and sat up, staring from the tray to his bare chest.
"Aaj Buaji and Aunty ghar me nahi hai, so I made tea" he said, placing it on the bed carefully. "Aap jaldi se haath muh dhoke aaiye"
Khushi almost stepped out of bed when two things struck her simultaneously.
Pulling the sheets around herself, she felt heat rising in her cheeks as the previous night returned to her in a most luxuriating fashion.
Forcing herself to look at him,
"Aapne hume Khushiji bulaya?" she said, wondering if this was some strange dream.
"Ji haan" he said, with a crooked smile. "Aap hume Arnavji bulathi hain toh humne socha hume bhi aapko Khushiji bulana chahiye"
"Kya?" she said, his words getting muddled in her sleep clogged brain.
"Or tum mujhe Arnavji kehna band kar do and it'll be easier for both of us" he said, "What do you think?"
She continued to blink foolishly for a few seconds.
"Par hum aapko muh pe Laad Governor kaise bula sakthe hai?" she said.
He rolled his eyes. "I meant Arnav" he said, standing up.
She slid out of bed, arranging the sheets around herself carefully. Her grip on them tightened as he strode towards her.
"Arnavji" she whispered.
"Arnav" he repeated
"Arnav..ji" she said, stepping back.
"Arnavji"
"Arnav"
"What?" he said, pulling her closer.
Looking at the delighted expression on his face, Khushi forced herself to say it again. "Arnav"
His smile reached all the way to his eyes and she earned herself a quick peck on the lips.
"Come on, hurry up" he said, letting her go. "Maine Arnav special adhrak chai banayi hai, it's getting cold"
Turning away with a smile, Khushi felt as if she was only just understanding what it meant to be married.
Somehow her world had just split into two. Everything and everyone else was on one side and the life she shared in private with Arnavji on the other.
Arnav, she tried to tell herself but her mind auto corrected it.
It would take some time, after all, old habits die hard.
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