*this OS is an abridged/shorter version of the Wohi Din, That Day Again Epilogue Series, submitted as a contest entry for the ArShi 9th Wedding Anniversary Contest;
Wohi Din, That Day Again!
by dramebaaz.af
Arnav Singh Raizada had been pacing in his room for the past fifteen minutes, hoping for his wife to come at any moment but it had begun to feel as if nothing he wanted was ever going to get down. He was just about to leave the room when a message popped on his phone. He picked up to see. It was from Aarav, who had returned back to the States for the new semester, wishing him a Happy Anniversary.
He smiled whilst replying back before leaving the room to search for his dear wife.
“Aaj tak much bhulne nahi diya ke mein ne pehli kuch anniversaries mix up bar dein thi aur aaj yeh khudi gaeb hai!” He mumbled as he wandered towards their children’s room to find her asleep in Esha’s room. He pushed open the door to see her asleep against the bed frame, with her hand on Esha’s forehead. His brows furrowed at noticing that the little girl’s toes were wiggling out of the blanket spread. He pressed the night lamp open to see that despite one of Khushi’s palms covering her eyes, the girl was doing her best to slowly slide her face from underneath her mother’s hand.
“Esha?” He said in surprise. If Esha was like anyone he would say it was Khushi. Not only were her eyes a spitting image of Khushi’s but Arnav had been pleasantly surprised at every turn to see the extent the little girl made everyone run after her. He kneeled next to Khushi and slowly lifted her hand off Esha’s face to see her eyes widen at seeing her father. He smiled and raised his brows at her at which she pretended to close her eyes shut as tightly as she can.
"Esha!" he called out. She opened one eye while keeping the other close.
"Mein Ma ko yahan se le kar ja raha hoon, par aap sojao! Theek hai?" he stated, hoping for her to comply. The little girl slowly nodded in agreement with a defeated frown on her face. He leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead and stood up to pick Khushi into his arms. She was still as light as a feather in his arms. Her arms instinctively found their way around his neck, clutching onto his collar. He smiled, satisfied before nodding at his daughter and pulling the door close behind him. He felt the need to check up on Aryan, their youngest as well but with Khushi in his arms, he let the thought go and headed back to their room.
He placed her on the bed and pulled the sheets over her, knowing full well the presents he was hoping to gift to her at midnight would have to wait for tomorrow in itself.
**
Khushi woke up stifling a yawn to see her husband missing from their bed. Before she could process the change in setting from the one remembered last night, her morning daze was broken with the sounds of the bathroom door opening, and her husband stepping out wearing chinos and a towel hanging around his neck.
"Aare tum uth gayi!" he exclaimed as he kneeled to sit across from her. She pulled her knees closer to her chest and leaned against the headboard smiling at him. Their brief moment of serendipity was interrupted with a loud knock on their door. "Kon hai!" he yelled harshly at which Khushi tried biting back her giggle at.
"Chotte hum hain!!"
"Di?" he turned to look at Khushi again. "Itni subah?" he questioned at which she shrugged, confused just as him about the early interruption. He picked up the shirt thrown on the recliner, putting it on as he opened the door with a glare and frown settled on his face.
Anjali stood in front with a breakfast tray in her head, accompanied by Aryan, Esha, Diya, and Aditiya and a tablet facing him. "Happy Anniversary!" she chided pushing past him into the room. Their children jumped onto the bed, onto their mother, Esha settling herself in between her mother and Aryan by sitting on her brother's lap. "Hiii Maaa!!" Aarav's voice boomed from the tablet tearing up Khushi. Aditiya seated himself on the recliner, poking the wet towel Arnav had thrown there a minute ago while Diya had decided to lean
"Arre Di?" the chaos that ensued in their room with the arrival of everyone had Khushi flustered for a second.
"Hum app dono ke leye lain hain, breakfast in bed! Happy Anniversary!" she said placing the bed table, and the tray in front of them while Arnav stood with his arms crossed in the middle of the room, still appearing displeased from the intrusion this early in the morning. Anjali took one look at her brother before pulling her daughter and Akash's son away from the family to head back downstairs. "Esha, Chotte ke chotte, aap dono bhi aajaye!" she gathered the crowd before exiting while smiling as sweetly at her brother as she could.
He closed the door behind to see Khushi asking Aarav about his midterms. After hearing her advise him to sleep on time and do well, she hung up saying she'll call him after his classes end tomorrow morning. She looked up to see him and then looked at the breakfast on the tray. "Di kitni achi hain!" she exclaimed clasping her hands together just as Arnav seated himself across from her again.
"Haan subah subah, 8AM pe apne ghar se yahan aai sirf hume kamre mein breakfast dene!"
"Arnav ji!" her tone disapproved of his comments.
"Kya!" he replied admonished at her tone
"Aap kuch kehne wale the na?" she brushed off his kya by shaking her head before asking him about what he had been wanting to say earlier.
"oh haan!" he smiled moving closer to her, "aaj ka poora din, I have it planned by time so get ready, becuase hum bahar ja rahein hain!"
"kahan?"
"Farmhouse!"
"Sirf hum dono?" she questioned pushing the blanket off herself to get started for the day.
He nodded, observing the apprehension on her face. Despite faithfully running her dabba service and a fine-dining restaurant throughout the past nine years, Khushi's hands-on parenting rarely let her want to leave the children behind in a house full of people. She met his eyes looking at her with anticipation and hope and smiled in agreement.
She headed to the bathroom to freshen u, walking out minutes later to see Arnav picking up a piece of toast to eat. She smiled at him as he stopped midway, "Mein tumhara wait kar raha tha par thanda ho raha tha na!" —She chuckled at his response before joining him.
**
Khushi instructed Hari Prakash to sent the package in the guest room to the farmhouse as she turned around to crash into Payal who had been standing right behind her, looking over her shoulder.
"Kiya ho raha hai!" she questioned, poking in her nose in matters she knew Arnav doesn't generally let get others wind of.
"Kiya jiji! Humein dara diya!"
"Bata na Khushi! Kiya diya Arnav ji ne tumhe?" she probed further
"Abhi tak toh kuch nahi!" she lamented, "par hum bahar ja rahein hain toh shayed tab!" she responded shrugging her shouders. "Acha ab humein tayar hona hai! tum bachon ka dheyan rakhna please!"
"Haan acha theek hai!"
**
Khushi stepped down the stairs wearing a bottle-green sari, bordered with silver and grey sequins and mirrors to find Arnav dressed in a black kurta! She stood shocked for a moment to see him wearing the kurta she had gifted him last year. He had laughed initially and only tired out for her to model but the box had been left untouched.
While Arnav had finally put his Di's given kurtas to use during festivities, Khushi's felt that her attempt had failed when he would chose an older white kurta or one of his suit over this one but standing on top of the staircase, observing the smirk at his face at seeing her gobsmacked, she saw what her Laad Governor had done. She stepped down the stairs, linking her arm into his as they walked out before finally saying what they both had been dying to say out the family or house staff's earshot.
"Aap kafi ache laag rahein hain!" she remarked just as he opened the door for her to sit in.
"Tum bhi!" he replied helping her in, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek.
The twenty-six minute car ride was silent and radiated palpitating tension that had settled between the two. They had stepped out of the car for Khushi to see that every corner of the house was decorated with flowers and fairy lights. She gasped at the decor, however the admiration fell short when her husband came in front of her eyes again.
After being served lunch which consisted of both staring at each other, Arnav dismissed the staff present there and pulled out a packet wrapped in sparkling blue gift paper.
"Khushi!" he called after her, seeing her standing by the roses planted outside.
"Ji?"
She walked up to him, standing so close to him that one can mistake them as being glued to each other. She looked up at him, still not over him wearing the kurta she had specifically gotten for him. She felt that all of her adoration of her beautiful husband was falling short.
"Pehle apna gift toh le lo!" he remarked seeing the glint in her eyes. Nine years of being together had Khushi made somewhat as stubborn as him when it came to wanting each other's physical presence around themselves.
"Deejiye!" she exclaimed excitedly, still not breaking away to look elsewhere with her hand forward. He placed the package in her hand.
She finally looked at the gift with crinkled brows, unsure what it could hold. It didn't look like a box with clothing nor did it appear to be jewelry that she was usually used to receiving. She raised her brows at him to ask to have him nod at the package in her hand. She was quick to rip apart the wrapping paper to find three folders inside. She opened them one by one, before looking at him in confusion.
"Woh, I—" he cleared his throat, "Ab jitne shares company mein Di aur mere hain, utne hi tumharein hain! aur yeh baqi, thats just paperwork sare restaurants sirf tumhare naam par hain. Aur yeh Sheesh Mahal ke papers hain. Yeh tumhare aur bachoon ke naam kar deyein hain!"
"Par kyun?"
"Kyun ke meri jar cheez pe, tumhara haq hai! Jitna haq mujh pe hai, utna hi mere saath ki har cheez pe!"
"Par aap—" before she could start, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against himself, "mera gift kahan hain?"
She pushed his hands from around her to lead him to one of the main rooms. There it was. He looked at her confused. Never been used to getting anything too big, he looked at the square box with apprehension. He moved forward to unpack it to be shocked. It was his mother's trunk. One that she cherished so much but Chacha ji hadn't let them take it back. It was the only thing missing from the mahal once he had bought it.
"yeh kaise—?"
"Woh vala nahi hai!" she clarified. The change in his expressions and confusion settled in the lines on his forehead. "Yeh woh, Di ne humaein kuch tasveerein dekhain thi! Jab hamein pechle saal lucknow mein wohi lakri aur karigarr mele toh humne socha—" she stepped closer to him, unsure of how to proceed forward.
He stood up and engulfed her into a crushing hug! "Thanks!" he breathed!
"Thank you so much! This is—" he broke away to look into her eyes, "this is the best present I've ever gotten!"
The two seamlessly fell into an embrace of comfort that slowly moved towards soft kisses, and a night that would shy away from talking about the kind of passion present in the air. The kurta that Khushi had been admiring for past three or so hours finally came off alongside her sari in the evening that followed.
It was nearing midnight when Khushi's phone lit with a text message from her sister showing an image of their kids at home watching a film with others. She showed it to Arnav while laying in his arms, content with the world around them, and the world that only included them!
"Happy Anniversary Arnav ji!"
"Happy Nine years Khushi!"
Another day, another year past by with more memories to cherish, and life opening doors for more love to come by!
[NOCOPY]
dramebaaz.af2021-10-01 04:11:00
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