Chapter 1

Getting to Know You

She had married him. It had been a few hours now. She still didn't know much about her husband.He was good-looking, well built, handsome, a successful businessman, exceptionally wealthy.
Everything she knew about him she could have found out from his busness profile on the net. What did she really know about him or what did he know about her?
Her father had asked her to marry him, the proposal had arrived, a promise made a long time ago between two friends Shashi Gupta and Arhind Raizada. They had a long standing friendship both had thought that the marriage of their children would create this lasting bond between the families.
Arnav had put up a lot of resistance, finally giving into emotional blackmail. Khushi on the other hand knew what was expected of her.
She agreed as the dutiful daughter, but what did she expect in return friendship, companionship, trust, and above all a monogamous
relationship. What did he expect she had no idea!
She was married and waiting for him, Di had placed her on his bed arranging the lengha and gunghat the dutiful bride waiting for her
husband.
As soon as Di left, she jumped of the bed, removed her gunghat and dived into the bathroom, locking the door. There was no way anything was happening tonight. She needed time to think, she had kept her dad's honour, but what about hers?
Ground rules that's what was required. He was an excellent businessman -he knew all about deals and negotiations. That's what was needed now. A negotiation of contracts basically wasn't that what marriage was all about -negotiations and deals. That should come naturally to him.
How was he expected to take her seriously dressed in all this stuff?
Firstly it weighed a tonne and the weight of the lengha was biting into her waist. It hurt -really hurt -who the hell designed it must have been a man, otherwise would never have designed it if he had to wear it himself. Did people really wear such heavy jewellery-it was a good job that she regularly worked out and trained, otherwise there was no way that she could have carried it off. The jewellery must have weighed a tonne in itself.
Now to more urgent issues -her husband they needed to have a conversation- how was she going to begin? He was an expert at creating deals out of nothing -well here she was. She had nothing to bring to the table to offer. No she had plenty to bring to the table it was how you looked at the asset -she was the asset -marriage was about understanding and compromise. Well she had compromised -she had left what she was doing to get married. She would try hard at everything he wanted, she would be loyal ,understanding and was also a good listener -that made her half a good negotiator.
Khushi sat there on the toilet, lid down, thinking how does one even begin a conversation with a husband to whom you have been married to for a few hours, especially one to whom you have barely said anything.
Hi, hello,Sunyeh ji,Arnav ji-oh god! this was worse than when she had first got on this mad wedding rollercoaster - someone had to pull the breaks. It was going to be her. She had to explain to him what she wanted, what were her desires and ambitions. What she wanted from him? What if he couldn't deliver-then what?
What did she expect from her partner-lifetime companionship, understanding fidelity. Be allowed to develop and grow, have her own
career, follow her ambition. Be allowed to spread her wings and fly to be able to achieve her life's ambition not only unhindered but supported. Did he even know what she did or was that as much a mystery to him as he was to her.
At least she had read about him in the papers-youngest businessman successful, autocratic. Usually seen with a new model hanging off his arm in every photo she had seen of him.
"Khushi , tum teek ho?"
"Yes I'm fine - I'm just getting ready"
Arnav looked at the locked bathroom door, he had never felt so hopeless at a loss, what was the correct thing to do in a situation like this. Hell how was be supposed to know- it was his first time getting married.
What was the proper protocol to follow- he had been so busy tying up loose ends so that he could free up some time for this fiasco Di called a wedding. What had made him give in, had she simply just worn down his fences. What had she likened him to -that was it, the Berlin Wall. Well whatever had possessed him - he was now married with his wife
on the other side of a locked bathroom door. She had been in there for two hours now.What was she really doing in there?
He really knew nothing about her , he had barely looked at her through the ceremonies. He knew she was stunning and somewhere under all that wedding jewellery she did exist- he had seen her that day. If she hadn't confirmed who she was, he would never have recognised her;
she didn't look like the girl that he had first met she seemed to be weighed down and hidden under all that weight. It had been his design but it was not designed with her in mind -it was the wrong cut, colour and weight. It was a show piece only meant to be worn for short periods of time -it must have cut into her waist. He should have checked what design Di had picked for her.Why was she hiding in the bathroom, initially he had been grateful He had expected a bride in the middle of his bed, instead he found a crumpled bed and scattered rose petals trailing to the bathroom door. Well he knew where she was but how long was she going to stay in there- did she think he was going to rape her. This was going to be hell of a night.
Well trust had to start somewhere -he would give her all the time she needed. But for now his head ached, he was exhausted he didn't fancy the recliner, but it seemed the best option at the moment. He would rest his eyes a little and wait for her to come out.
Then he would talk to her- that was the one thing he liked about her - she seemed the quiet non-demanding type. She was young easily malleable to his ways -Di would soon teach her the running of the house and how he liked things. He liked order in his life, peace predictability. In business there was so much unpredictability that his home life had to be ordered and structured, everything just so perfect in its place. Peace quiet and silence.
Arnav fell asleep on the recliner; Khushi carried on her argument in her head until the wee hours of the morning. She finally changed scrubbed her face-got rid of her make took a deep breath opened the door to face her husband.
She saw her husband in sweats and with his back to her looking out the window.
The sun was already up.
Khushi's eyes grew large and round as she hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. Had she really been in their all night and he hadn't harassed her to come out. Really he hadn't. The coin fell one of two ways either he didn't care -in which case she was fighting a losing battle or he cared -then she had won the battle.
Arnav turned and saw her eyes as different emotions flickered through them.
"I didn't know what you liked so there's tea, coffee or orange juice"
Khushi thought how best to approach this one- really the whole of her wedding night she had spent in the bathroom- he must think that he got himself a real idiot here.
In the future when people would ask so what happened on your wedding night, she would say with her held high I spoke all night -well that's nothing new in itself-but when you add own my own locked in the bathroom.
She took a deep breath and spoke" Hi, I'm the idiot who you married last night, I didn't know what to say to you so I took some time out- to think what to say to you. I thought I had been in there for an hourThanks for drinks, but I haven't slept all night. Can I ask you if there is any Pepsi in the house. I need to sort out my head which thinks it has a woodpecker living inside it, banging away on the inside and my stomach is doing cartwheels. Let me introduce myself Khushi Kumari Gupta... OH I forgot the Singh Raizada part. That's the new part.. Give me time I will get used to it. Why is it always the girl who has to adapt and change ,name included -why don't men ever take the name Of there wives. But that's a topic for another day. Give me time I
Will get used to it ..for a supposedly intelligent individual I have been behaving like an imbecile. I promise I will get better with time. Also if you are going looking for my Pepsi could you see if there is any jelabi left- about a dozen or so pieces will do."
Did she even breath in that sentence and had she really just asked him for Pepsi and jelebies at 7:30am in the morning. What the hell had Di just got him into-where was that quiet girl gone, this one could babble on for the universe maybe she had better go back into the bathroom and see what came out later. No wait he needed a shower, if she went in he may not get in for another two hours.
"Khushi -I'll find you the pepsi and Jelabi -are you sure that's all you Want? Nothing ...er..um a bit more healthier ..let me come back and Then I will ask you about your night in the bathroom and what your Brain was thinking,as it seems to have been in hyperdrive."
Arnav returned with a plateful of jelabies and a glass of Pepsi.
He watched in stunned amazement as she put the glass to her lips and drank, not surfacing for air. She gulped every last drop .
" That feels so much better "
"Would you like some more ? I can get you some"
Arnav sat there watching while Khushi demolished the plate of jelabies in a matter of minutes. She had asked for a dozen, he had been Generous and placed far more on the plate. She had made short work
of the ones that he had placed in front of her.
"Khushi you quite finished ?"
"mmm that was sooo good -you sure you don't want any ?"
She looked at the plate and then back at him sheepishly -"sorry they seemed to have finished"
"That's Ok -I'm a diabetic"
"I'm sorry -does it hurt ?Not being a diabetic I mean taking the Injections? How long have you been a diabetic -is there anything you
Can't do ?"
"Whoa Khushi do you always speak ten to the dozen?"
"My Bua ji says I talk far too much and no one will ever marry me if they hear me talk"
Arnav smiled -she had a lovely lilt to her voice -for someone who liked silence he had begun to enjoy her chatter, the way her eyes smiled and kept up to speed with her topic.
"I take tablets to control my diabetes, watch my diet and exercise regularly "
"How do you exercise ?"
"usually run in the mornings- hence my sweats -that's why I was going to ask you not to go to the bathroom until I have my shower in
case you take another seven hour stint!"
He smiled at her to take the edge of his words -he was laughing at her
"We make the perfect couple Khushi -you were petrified and inside the bathroom and I was terrified of you and on the recliner.
Why did you spend all night in the bathroom ?"
"I was planning my tender and negotiations-since you are such a Formidable adversary."
"Khushi,I am your husband -here as your equal not adversary, what did you need to ask me ? What negotiations?"
"Arnav...what do you expect from me ?"
"Friendship, commitment, trust, what about you?"
"The same, fidelity and support in allowing me to carry on with my own career."
"well shall we start again- Hi I am Arnav Singh Raizad, business Entreupener and Industrialist"
Khushi held out her hand "Hi , I am Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada fashion designer with an MBA not from Harvard but from Cambridge "
Arnav took her hand in his and flicked her wrist upwards and placed a warm sensual kiss on the back of her hand.
"Nice meeting you -welcome to my world-you will fit perfectly, brains as well as beauty"
"Thank you"
"Can I have my shower or do you want to go first -we have to meet the family."
"You go -I might just take another two hours since you said I had to meet the family"
"Khushi, I'll be with you every step of the way-we don't bite."
Khushi looked into his eyes for the first time losing herself in his Depths.
Her breathing was getting shallower-things were going to be fine -just fine -infact after the storm, that she had been through she was sure she had just found her rainbow and maybe even the treasure at the end.