Chapter 8

'Khushi Kumari Gupta! You have some explaining to do.' Preeto demanded wagging her finger and narrowing her eyes at her best friend. She had been worried sick for Khushi. The streets of Laxmi Nagar were ripe with gossip and she didn't know why no one had a clue where Khushi was. She had tried calling, went over to her Bua ji's, even marched up to Shantivan but everyone had refused to cooperate, uttering ugly things about her. She had always considered Khushi her sister, they had grown up together. That is why she had donned Kali Maa avatar whenever they had tried to talk anything bad about Khushi. Now, one look at her friend and her anger evaporated. She rushed to where Khushi was sitting and took her in a tight hug.  

'Preeto? What are you doing here?' Khushi asked pulling away from her friend's embrace, happy to see her. She had been so disoriented up until now that she had forgotten to even contact Preeto to tell her what had happened. Although she was over the moon to get support from unexpected sources, she was happy to see a friend that had always been there for her.  

'I've been looking for you all over Delhi and then I met this idiot...' Preeto ranted, pointing at Aman and shooting daggers at him. 

'WHAT THE HELL?' Aman exclaimed. He had been asking around the neighbourhood about Shyam and Khushi's relationship when out of nowhere this stupid girl had come and bitten his head off. After that, she had demanded to take him where Khushi was and had been glaring at him the whole ride like he had kidnapped her friend. And now she was calling him an idiot. 

'You insinuated that my best friend was having an affair with a married man!' Preeto scowled at him. She didn't like this man. Period. The way he had been asking around sceptical of the relationship Shyam and Khushi shared, she knew what he was thinking. Although it was common to think that a girl was involved with her fiance but seeing her Khushi's struggle with the whole engagement, she couldn't help but give him a piece of her mind. Preeto looked ready to pounce on Aman if not for Arnav's intervention. 

'What the f*ck, Aman?' It was Arnav's glare that made Aman gulp. He was tired of Aman's petulant behaviour. Aman was a friend more than his employee and Arnav trusted his judgement in everything but he didn't know Khushi at all to make such assumptions. Deep down, Arnav did appreciate Aman's protective nature but now he was getting tired of this. 

'Oh is that Laad governor? He's hot!' Preeto's gushing voice that made Arnav turn to look at her. He was stunned, to say the least, when he saw her checking him out openly and tried hard to fight off the blush at the open admiration amidst amused glances of everyone else. 

'Yeah, but he's taken. His cousin however is not. Nice to meet you, pretty. I'm NK.' NK introduced himself and moved forward to shake hands with the beautiful girl who had barged into the apartment and started talking a mile per minute. In a yellow chikankari kurta with ripped jeans and a colourful cloth satchel hanging across her body, Preetika Kaur might look like a simple girl to the general population. But to NK, she looked exotic. He was delighted when she kept her hand in his and blushed a little before telling her full name. Khushi, on the other hand, would've fainted in shock seeing the ever-confident Preeto flush on NK's comment and give him a shy smile. 

'We were asking around about Shyam. Out of nowhere she comes and starts lecturing us about manners. She's crazy.'  Aman statement was enough to bring Preeto out of her la la land.  

'EXCUSE ME? Are you...' Preeto shrieked, a comeback ready on the tip of her tongue. 

'ENOUGH!' Arnav's voice boomed. His head was going to burst. There was so much patience Arnav Singh Raizada could show without his morning coffee. He was satisfied when everyone stopped and looked at him in alarm. 

'I told you that Khushi's not like that. I know your concerns but I don't appreciate your lack of trust in MY judgement.' Arnav snapped at Aman making his message clear and was awarded a guilty nod. 

Turning towards Preeto who had a smug expression on her face, he raised his eyebrow and addressed her. 'You're team Khushi. I get it. But I asked him to gather evidence against Shyam to prove Khushi's innocence.' 

'Stop making googly eyes with Khushi's friend and order us some breakfast.' The next target was NK just for the heck of it. The guy hadn't done anything but why not make it even for calling him Nannav all the time. He felt a sadistic pleasure when NK flushed a little. 

'And you, come with me now!' Barking orders at everyone, he grabbed Khushi's hand and started dragging her towards the room for some privacy ignoring NK's mock salute with an aye aye captain and Preeto's giggling. 

**********

'Tum theek ho?' Arnav asked Khushi making her sit on the bed and kneeling in front of her, taking her hand in his own. She looked better than last night but the sadness lingering in her eyes was apparent. She nodded to him and squeezed his hand to reassure him.

'The wedding...' Khushi implored willing the answer to be a positive one. Although Akash ji had refused to let the wedding happen, she hoped against hope that some miracle had happened and the wedding had taken place after all the fiasco. Seeing Arnav shake his head in negative, her eyes moistened and she rushed to find a solution.' Can't we talk to Akash ji and explain everything? There must be some way.'

'I know my brother, Khushi. As much as he's angry for Di, he'll be more upset because Payal didn't confide in him.' Arnav confessed. It was true. Akash had taken Di's side but the accusation for Payal in his eyes was clear. Truth and honesty were the two things that Akash held above everything else. The guilty gaze of Payal had sealed the deal for him. 

'Its not jiji's fault. I told her to. Amma made us swear.' Khushi pleaded. Payal's heart breaking the second time because of her was too much to handle. Payal's protest at hiding the truth still afresh in her mind, she felt even more guilty. Amma had made sure that both sisters swore on their Babu ji not to let this secret out for the possible ramifications it might have. Now, seeing its consequences, Khushi wished she had pushed harder for everyone to reveal Shyam's true face.   

'Yes, but she chose to hide such a big truth from her husband to be. She was going to start a life with Akash. He had a right to know.' Arnav countered. Guptas had clearly taken this extreme step to secure Payal's future but it went beyond him that why the sensible girl, who had refused Akash's proposal because of Mami ji's distaste for their status, wouldn't want to prevent her married life starting on a lie.  

'I didn't tell you either.' Khushi whispered regretfully, looking down. 

'Yes and that's your only mistake. But let's face it Khushi, I never gave you a reason to trust me.' Arnav said tilting her chin upwards urging her to look in his eyes and letting her know that he didn't hold her responsible. His past behaviour and words about her intentions came back to him with full force, bringing a wave of shame. Arnav had known that Khushi wanted to tell him the moment he had asked if her fiance had hurt her but the uncertainty had washed over her on seeing who she was talking to. She had wanted to protect him and his Di from the hurt they would've faced eventually. Then how could Khushi think that she deserved to be hated or abandoned? He conveyed all this through his eyes and saw a drop of tear making its way across her cheek. 

'I wanted to tell you. Anjali ji's managlsutra broke and she was.. I thought you wouldn't believe me. Amma, Bua ji said..' Khushi's incoherent words broke his heart a little. She was too young and innocent to be burdened by this. The weight of hiding the truth, Shyam's advances, Anjali's allegations and above all, her family's disownment was too much to bear. He had been abandoned once. His Chacha had thrown him out of their own house and Dadi had turned away to Ashram. It was the betrayal of the worst kind and no one deserved that. He wiped Khushi's tears and asked her to stop crying and when she didn't, he said the only truth that came to his mind. 

'I love you.' Arnav's confession seemed to have done the trick for Khushi immediately stopped crying and widened her eyes gaping at him like a fish causing Arnav to chuckle and say sheepishly, 'Made you stop crying.'

'Arnav ji.' Khushi said his name in an unsure murmur. She had heard him claiming her as the woman he loved last night but hearing him say these three magical words to her directly was another feeling. Confusion, uncertainty, guilt, warmth, happiness, Khushi felt it all. 

'Don't ask me when and how. I thought I didn't know the meaning of love. But you're it for me, Khushi.' Arnav declared. The feelings had always been there. When he saved her in the rain, when he saw her in that red sari, when he ran to save her from that collapsing guest house, when she told him she was engaged and every time when he shouted at her that he didn't care. The problem was that he cared a little too much. 

'Khushi seriously har baat pe rona zaroori hai kya?' Arnav teased seeing her smiling through her tears and laughed when she hugged him hiding her crimson face in the crook of his neck. 

'Hum bhi aapse bohat pyar karte hain.' Khushi's quiet admission made his heart swell with happiness and he tightened his hold on her, both of them finally basking in their profession of love. 

**********

'Love birds got time for us commoners?' NK snickered seeing the new couple coming out of the room hand in hand. Preeto whistled at Khushi's embarrassed face and even Aman cracked a smile. Arnav just rolled his eyes and started helping himself to the breakfast that was already laid out.

'Aman? What's the status?' Arnav inquired. 

'Some witnesses confirming his stay at Gupta house and receipt for the engagement ring and a bracelet. Nothing concrete yet.' Aman replied. Shyam had covered his tracks well. There were no pictures or tangible evidence to place him near Laxmi Nagar, just some neighbours that had seen him as Madhumati ji's paying guest. The investigators were still working on it but it would take time which they didn't have. 

'I need to talk to Di.' He needed to talk to her, to make her see some sense. Even if he couldn't prove Khushi's innocence at the moment, he could create enough doubt in Di's mind against Shyam to remove the blindfold he had woven around his sister's eyes. His heart knew how much he hated this part. His Di didn't deserve this. She worshipped her husband and what had he given her in return? She had already gone through so much with her polio, their parent's untimely deaths and her broken marriage. Only now she had started to live her life, basking in the love of her husband. And now, that fraud had cheated on her. The history was repeating itself but he'd damned if he let his sister take the same path as his mother.