Chapter 3

Anjali and Satvik's wedding had been fixed and the date had been finalized to just more than twenty days. Anjali did not have any sisters of her own so she coaxed Khushi and Payal into staying at Shantivan till the wedding.

"I want to share all my experiences and emotions with you two. I don't have sisters of my own but I've always thought of you both as my little sisters."

Khushi and Payal smiled at her words and started discussing about the wedding excitedly. There were so many ceremonies and rituals to be performed and so much work was still left. Plus they hadn't seen each other in so many years, so there was a lot to catch up on.

Anjali had completed her degree in Hotel Management and was just on the verge of finishing her internship with a famous chain of restaurants. Payal had done a two year course in Political Science while Khushi had majored in English.

"But I'm eventually going to become a chef. I did my degree in English so that I could become a teacher and ear money to fund my Culinary Arts course. Satvik bhaiya has taken very good care of me all these years but I can't rely on him forever."

Anjali gazed at her in admiration. She was such a strong girl. After going through so much, she still exhibited such exemplary spirit and zest for life. She wished her Chote could learn from her But he had not come out of the situation well. He had been badly affected and had lost the spark in him.

"Waise Anjali di, isn't Bhaiya coming over for dinner tonight?"

"Yes Payal and I've made all his favorite dishes for him."

Khushi nudged Anjali and wiggled her eyebrows at her till she got embarrassed and smacked her lightly on her arm.

...

Dinner went off very well and everyone praised Anjali for the exquisitely cooked meal. Khushi noticed that Akash wasn't as shy as he had been when he was younger and she found that chatting with him was actually a very pleasant experience. She hadn't missed any of the shy glances exchanged between him and Payal and she chuckled inwardly at the thought of having something to tease them with later on. The only person who hadn't spoken a word during the entire meal was Arnav. Khushi had glanced at him a few times but he neither looked up nor participated in any of the exchanges going on at the table. As everyone headed towards the living room she decided to out her plan into action.

"I know! Why don't we play a game of cards? It'll be so much fun and we can relax after the delicious meal as well!"

She looked round gleefully and was not surprised to see Arnav give her a cold and indifferent look and make his way upstairs.

"I'd love to Khushi but Chote will never take part in anything like that."

"I know Anjali di but that doesn't mean that he can get out of it so easily. Just wait and watch!"

She ran upstairs and tip toed into his room. She could hear the shower running in the bathroom and she quickly ushered everyone inside.

Arnav walked out of the bathroom ten minutes later and looked around in shock at the state of his room.

Anjali was sitting on the bed, brow furrowed and looking intently at a few cards in her hand. Satvik was sitting a little away from her on a recliner and studying her face as she decided on her next move. Akash was sitting on the floor, opposite Anjali, legs crossed and speaking occasionally with Payal who was next to Anjali but was not taking part in the game. The fourth player was Khushi. Arnav stared at her incredulously as he took in her posture. She was sprawled on the floor, lying down on her stomach and watching the game progress with a mischievous look on her face.

"What the-"

Arnav stopped mid sentence as five pairs of eyes looked at him in annoyance. He decided to not disturb them and went towards the poolside only to discover that it was raining heavily. Cursing under his breath, he grudgingly sat down on the floor and decided to watch the game.

Anjali had just finished her move and now it was Satvik's turn.

"Hey Devi Maiya! I think I'm getting heartburn."

Everyone looked at Khushi in confusion while she continued to rub the region above her heart. Satvik shook his head in amusement and explained to everyone.

"She means acidity. Khushi calls acidity heartburn."

Khushi gave Satvik a small smile before nodding her head vigorously at everyone else. Satvik called hearts and soon she and Khushi had won the game. Two more rounds followed and both were won by them. Little did anyone know about the signals which Khushi was continuously sending her cousin.

Finally Satvik called it a day and left for home while Akash went to the study to prepare some papers for the meeting next day. Payal began sneezing so Anjali took her back to their room to give her some medicine and tuck her into bed. Khushi gathered up the cards and was about to leave when she saw Arnav blocking her path.

"Heartburn? Seriously?"

Khushi stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders in confusion.

"And you just happened to remember what fun you used to have at the club all those years back?"

Khushi was starting to feel a little nervous. What was he talking about?

"And you love diamonds? Since when?"

Before things could get out of hand she quickly replied.

"So? What's your point?"

"My point is that you were cheating Khushi. Don't think for a moment that I don't remember all the signals which you used to inform your partner about the cards in your hands. Just because I didn't say anything doesn't mean that I've forgotten. So next time, be very careful."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really?"

He was a lot closer now and Khushi felt a strange sensation at the pit of her stomach. She looked up into his eyes and was startled by the intense look in them. His eyes had some kind of magical attraction in them and she felt herself being drawn into them. She didn't even realize that he had moved his mouth to her ear and she felt goose bumps on her skin as he whispered into her ear.

"Of course you do. After all, it was me who taught you everything you know about playing cards. How could you possibly think that I'd forget?"

He smirked at her and walked past her into his room.

Khushi stood stock still for a few minutes before slowly moving towards her room. His smirk and confident words made its way to her mind and she placed a hand over her heart.

Dhakdhak Dhakdhak.

...

It wasn't very long but please do like and comment. And if anyone's confused about the signals, basically Khushi's letting Satvik know about the cards which she has in her hand by saying random things. Heart burn to indicate hearts, she likes diamonds means she has diamonds and reminiscing about the club to show that she had clubs. it might be a little confusing but I thought it would be cute to show how Arnav remembers about the signals and stuff.

Anyway, I'll try and update soon. But no promises. Ten pages of comments and you might just find yourselves reading chapter 4 😉

Chapter Four