Chapter 18
Even before the door opened, Khushi's rapid heartbeat already told her about the arrival of someone special. She narrowed her eyes at the clock ticking away indicating 10 in the night and tapped her foot impatiently as NK opened the door grinning at the prospect of seeing Nannav being scolded like a child.
'You're late! I've told you so many times not to drive at this time but you don't ever listen. I'm not talking to you.' Khushi complained while setting up the table, knowing that he would've skipped dinner like always. Why was it so hard for him to just stop worrying? She knew that if roles were reversed, she would've done the same thing but that did nothing to ease her worries. Arnav ji driving alone at night without his dinner perturbed her. She was concerned for him. This being the daily occurrence, it was common for the other residents of the house to see Khushi red with anger and a smirking Arnav. However, a little while later after their balcony escapade, Khushi came out red for entirely another reason and Arnav still smirked.
'Not even to me?' A familiar voice full of warmth asked.
'Nani ji!' Khushi squealed in joy and jumped to hug the older woman who had been nothing but kind towards her. Even when fingers were being pointed at her, this woman had asked everyone to give her a chance to at least explain. Seeing her here made Khushi's heart swell with happiness and she looked over at Arnav to see him smiling knowing that the surprise was worth it.
'We could go back if you want...' Arnav teased. He chuckled at hearing a dramatic NO from Khushi and proceeded to join everyone in the living room where Khushi was enthusiastically introducing Preeto to Nani. Nani had been a pillar of strength all of his life even when he had closed himself off and refused to share his feelings. She had always been there for him in her own way. Sure, they had disagreements on many things but her love for him was undeniable. She had come into his room tonight and demanded that he take her to Khushi. Who was he to deny a chance to see his lady love and make her happy at the same time?
'Forgive me bitiya. I couldn't come earlier.' Devyani Singh Raizada saw the young woman in front of her and immediately got transported to the time when she was wronged under her roof. But she was proud of her grandson. The way he had stood for his love and declared his unlimited trust in her confirmed whatever dreams she had for Khushi bitiya and her Chotte. The circumstances were worst but at least they were together. All these days, she had tried picking up the broken pieces of her family but she had failed. She had silently watched the alterations between Anjali bitiya and Chotte, seen the morose expression on Akash bitwa and the gloating face of someone whom she considered one of her own in the past. Knowing that Arnav would never share his grief with her, she knew that she could at least meet and console the innocent soul. Now seeing this group of friends, she felt at a little peace.
'No Nani ji, I'm so glad that you came.' Khushi shook her head and smiled. And happy, she was. She met Arnav's eyes and blinked in gratitude and then her expressions turned worrisome.
'I've eaten already.' Arnav answered, ignoring the amused glances everyone gave both of them. He watched Khushi's cheeks and nose turn red at NK's whistling and grinned.
'Whatever happened that day...I couldn't stop it. The things Anjali bitiya said, I'm sorry bitiya' Nani apologized regretfully, taking Khushi's hand in hers. She didn't know what else to do other than apologize. She had never seen her granddaughter so angry and the cheap words that she used for Khushi still left a bitter taste in her mouth.
'It's not your fault. It's a misunderstanding.' Khushi replied, squeezing Nani's hand in reassurance. She never blamed Nani for anything. She hadn't done anything to apologize for. Her coming here to meet her was enough. She had her blessing and support. What else did she need?
'But at least one good thing came out of it.' Nani commented playfully. Taking a dramatic pause and chuckling at the confused look on everyone's faces, she added. 'Chotte would've taken ages to confess his love otherwise.'
'Yeah, how did he do that exactly, Nani?' Preeto, who had been silently observing the exchange between her best friends and ASR's grandmother, spoke this time. After the initial reluctance, she had chosen to give benefit of doubt to the matriarch of the Raizada family. She was genuinely remorseful at what had happened and it wasn't like she had done anything. Khushi was happy with her presence and that is all that mattered. Her penchant to tease ASR was an added bonus, she thought mischievously.
'This is the woman I love.' Nani declared imitating Arnav reminiscing the time he had made the same declaration. She looked over to both Arnav and Khushi gazing at each other and turning pink with embarrassment. It was a sight to see her Chotte who was so confident and in control of his emotions to let loose like this. But that had been the case every time he had been in the vicinity of Khushi bitiya. She looked around to see the possible new couple laughing at their friend's expense and smiled secretly. If her guess was right, these two were already on the right path. It felt good to be happy after days of despair. She couldn't control her laughter when she saw Khushi mumbling an excuse about making tea and right on cue, Arnav following her 5 seconds later.
While Khushi boiled water for the tea and arranged some snacks on the tray, Arnav watched her move gracefully. He cursed the idea of an open kitchen in front of the living room. He couldn't even hug her in front of everyone. For starters, Khushi would kill him and everyone else would just have too much fun. He looked over at NK and Preeto laughing with Nani and smiled. It felt good to see Nani laughing after so long. The clouds of despair that had gathered around Shantivan was getting to everyone involved and at Nani's age, it was impossible not to get affected. He felt a familiar hand on his shoulder and turned around to look into the knowing gaze of his Khushi.
Together, they brought the tray with some snacks to the living room and NK was about to comment something ridiculous but Arnav's glare did the job and he kept his mouth shut... for some time. The discussion around was light and healthy until Nani ventured into the territory that hadn't been touched.
'What are we going to do, Chotte?' Nani asked worriedly. While she did enjoy the space these youngsters had created for themselves, this was a temporary solution. She did know that they were planning something. She was old, not stupid. Chotte would never let someone cheat their family. When Guptas had told her the story about their perfect Damad ji, it seemed a little too elaborate. But then his absences, his oversweet nature, Khushi bitiya's innocent face and Chotte's own conviction had proven that it was the dreadful truth. This one hit too close to home. She hadn't been able to get out of the trauma of losing her daughter to a man's infidelity and now her granddaughter was suffering the same. But it was different. Her daughter had chosen to kill herself but Anjali was on a path of self-destruction. She was deluding herself to believe something that was far from the truth and that was even more dangerous. But Devyani Singh Raizada would be damned if she let the past repeat again.
'Nani, we'll expose him. Di needs to understand that he's not the man he portrays himself to be. I won't spare him. Don't worry.' Arnav promised.
'Anjali bitiya is holed up inside her room all day. It's like she has no life left inside her.' Nani whispered. It was so painful to see the young woman that was once happy in love and the peacemaker in their family living like that. Her movements were mechanical, she did not smile and cowered away from every interaction. They had tried to get through to her but this was the first time she had shut everyone out, including her brother.
'Doesn't Anjali ji have friends?' Khushi asked abruptly, an idea already forming in her mind.
'She did but they drifted apart after she got married.' Nani revealed. Arnav and Anjali had left a life behind in Lucknow when they came to live with the Raizada family. Anjali had deliberately cut contacts with her friends not wanting to revisit the past. On Arnav's insistence, she had joined college to continue her education that was left incomplete with her impending marriage. There, she met some good friends who did not care about the past or the scandal or her limp. Anjali blossomed in their company and everyone was happy. That was until she met Shyam and everyone became secondary in her life.
'Nannav, why don't we call her friends? It'll be a good change for her.' NK inquired. Keeping Di in a positive company and making her realize that she had so many people to support her could be a good thing. May be she could open up to her friends like she couldn't with her family.
'I was thinking the same thing. They can also make Anjali ji more emotionally independent.' Khushi advised, looking around to know what everyone thought of her idea. Her eyes stopped on Arnav who seemed quite impressed and nodded towards her, encouraging her to continue. She cleared her throat before explaining, 'They can sow the seeds of doubts in Anjali ji's mind. She'd be willing to listen to them. They won't be biased.'
Arnav gave it a thought. The plan was brilliant. His plan was simple. Make Di realize that Shyam was a fraud and put him in his place. He wasn't capable of thinking about the emotional ramifications of all of this ordeal. He was a brain person. Maybe that is why Khushi and he made a great team. They brought different aspects to the table that complimented their relationship beautifully. Di was emotionally vulnerable and saw Shyam as a solution to all the problems in her life. That kind of toxic dependency made her see her husband as a God. Reconnecting with her friends would surely make her realize that there was more to her life than taking care of her husband.
'Yeah Nannav, give them a call. They'll be so happy to hear from you.' NK exclaimed getting a death glare from his cousin and a laugh from Nani. Oh, those teenage days when he visited the Raizada family and saw the beautiful friends of Di. But they seemed unaware of a little boy's crush. Nannav, on the other hand, was quite popular amongst the ladies even at the age of 23. NK still remembered the flirting gaze of these friends when his cousin came from his jogging, how they sighed and looked at him dreamily even when they were 2-3 years older than Nannav. He had tried jogging once, came home grinning hoping to get the attention but those friends had just pulled his cheeks and called him cute. Nannav had caught on to the act and obviously smirked.
'Your Arnav ji had quite a fan base from a very young age bitiya.' She remembered the giggling and gushing whenever Chotte was in the house and Anjali bitiya's friends visited. Those truly had been the better days. Anjali bitiya never left a chance to tease her little brother who apparently was the crush of everyone in her friends group. Chotte would lock himself whenever they came to visit and it was a sight to see if they caught up with him. She looked over to see Khushi bitiya raising her eyebrows at him and Chotte giving her a sheepish smile.
'Why am I not surprised? Preeto winked at ASR who rolled his eyes.
**********
After making sure that Nani was comfortable enough to stay the night and everyone was asleep, Khushi made her way towards the balcony with a cup of coffee and some jalebis. These leftover jalebis had come in handy after tonight's revelation. It was stupid. She wasn't concerned about some friends of Anjali ji's who were probably married with children now. Arnav stood there as usual looking at the moon and a peaceful look on his face. He was a handsome man. Who wouldn't fall for him? He had a past. It didn't matter. It meant nothing. Although the idea of someone even gazing at Arnav ji dreamily made her want to gouge that someone's eyes out. But it was okay. It didn't bother her at all, she thought biting into a jalebi again.
'If you're done admiring me, you're welcome to join.' Arnav offered without turning back. Of course, he knew she was there the whole time. Even if her anklet didn't indicate her arrival, his heartbeat did. They were weird like that. Arnav had accepted that finally. He turned back and held his laughter on seeing her muttering under her breath biting into that favourite sweet of hers and glaring at him all at the same time. His breath hitched when he saw the sugar syrup shining on her plump lips and he took quick steps to take her lips into a slow and passionate kiss. Oh, the things Khushi Kumari Gupta made him feel.
'Jealous, sweetheart?' Arnav asked, a little breathless. It was actually quite funny to see Khushi become the victim of the green-eyed monster. When he had heard that Khushi was engaged, it had driven him crazy. He had cut himself with the garden scissors, preponed his own engagement, taunted her to the point that she would just scream and tell him that she cared. Even the possibility of her being someone else's, or someone even thinking about her in a romantic way made his breath stop. He looked down at Khushi in his arms playing with the collar of his sweatshirt and sighing.
'You know I wanted to kill your fiance. And the guy that pushed you in Nainital. And NK.' Arnav declared.
'Why?' Khushi asked in a whisper. It was endearing. Her Arnav ji hardly shared his feelings but whenever he did, it spread warmth and happiness inside her whole being. It felt surreal.
'Because you're mine.' Arnav confessed. It wasn't that he owned Khushi. She was her own person and he respected that. It was just that ever since he had laid eyes on her, he had felt that they belonged together. Arnav shook his head at her teary eyes and added, 'And I'm yours.'
This time Khushi did not hold back. She pulled Arnav closer by his collar and placed her lips on his. Smiling at his stunned face, she told him in action what his words meant to her. He was right. They did belong together. And they always will.
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