Chapter 4

Dynamix215

@Dynamix215

Chapter 4 ~ Expect the Unexpected I

Ashish had wanted to finalize a few important deals and things and had to close with the official work in France before permanently moving to India. He took Dee along with him.

Before he left, he had a er, 'word' with Arnav which involved a little bit of collar-grabbing and threats of destruction if his sister felt even one unit of pain and hurt, to which Arnav replied quite strongly that the Guptas seemed quite tough headed and that the fact that he loved the Crazy Gupta seemed to give them indigestion.

Though Arnav wouldn't admit it, Ashish's exit relieved him a little. That man had the ability to make him squirm under his gaze and he had such a bad timing; he would interrupt and barge in on him and Khushi everytime Arnav was this close to romancing her and make her heart melt a little at least. It was bad enough that he was terrible at these things, and he really didn't like Ashish watching him like a hawk!

Khushi on the other hand gulped watching Ashish go as she was afraid that those incomplete romantic moments would get complete, especially with Laad Governor being either in Besharam-mode, I-will-trap-you-against-the-wall mode OR smirk-mode, none of which were what she welcomed. She liked his I-love-my-laptop avatar mode as that didn't drive her crazy, but unfortunately, Laad Governor seemed to have forgotten his first love, the laptop nowadays.

"How heart-broken laptop must be!" Khushi muttered as she headed upstairs, rubbing her neck.

"And why would that be Khushi?" came a whisper right next to her ear, and startling her. She tripped, and was of course caught by him.

Khushi rolled her eyes.

Of course! She had forgotten his startle-Khushi-by-appearing-out-of-nowhere-and-make-her-fall-then-catch-her-and-look-into-her-eyes-with-mishchief-and-love mode and looking at Khushi superb I-am-so-lost-in-his-eyes mode, he'd shift to smirk-mode again.

Khushi frowned. Did that even make sense?

She glared at Arnav. It was because of him that she thought nonsense!

She straightened herself, almost shooing his hands away, while he looked at her amused. She glared at him again. "Your laptop would be heartbroken to know you have found a new hobby rather than glaring at its face and hitting its keys!"

Arnav quirked an eyebrow. "Really? And would my new hobby be?"

"Hobbibee? It is Habibi… And its Arabic" Khushi frowned. "And in this context it doesn't make sense because Habibi means honey or sweet. Since when do you speak in Arabic? And why did honey come in all of a sudden? And-"

She shut, as Arnav got into I-will-trap-you-against-the-wall mode as he stepped closer to her, making her lean back into the wall.

He bent his head and kissed her softly and said "I meant which hobby were you talking about?"

"Hobby, what hobby?" Khushi muttered dazed.

She saw his smug smirk. "THIS! This hobby was what I was talking about! Yes!"

"Hobby? What'd I do?"

"What did you do? I'll tell Mr Raizada! Your newest hobby seems to be smirking at me, trapping me against walls and being Besharam!" she said angrily.

Arnav stifled laughter. "So that means you don't like it?"

Khushi huffed. "Of course I don't like it! It makes me go crazy and-" she stopped looking at his face. "I-I mean…"

"I know exactly what you mean…" he said leaning closer to her.

He withdrew immediately when he heard a little yelp.

Anjali was standing with her back faced towards them. "CHHOTE! These things are reserved for your bedroom! Not in the corridor adjoining to all the bedroom in BROAD DAYLIGHT!"

Khushi turned tomato red with embarrassment, while Arnav only looked amused. "Well, Khushi. Let's proceed to our bedroom shall we?"

Khushi looked at him with wide eyes, her face turning redder. "Besharam!" she muttered, followed by some other incoherent mumblings as she walked after Arnav past a gaping Anjali.

*

The minute they were in their bedroom, Khushi locked herself in the bathroom, refusing to show her face to him.

"You'll have to come out sooner or later Khushi…" Arnav called smiling and sat down on the bed with a thoroughly satisfied smile.*

Half an hour passed. Arnav was beginning to worry. He got up and pushed the bathroom door and it didn't budge. He knew that the bolt inside was lose, and a little bit more push could break it. And so he pushed harder and peered into the bathroom and was shocked at the sight.

Khushi had toothpaste smeared around her mouth and she was sitting on the granite slab, muttering something.

"What the heck!"

Khushi looked up, and jumped down, wiping her mouth. "Whaaat, I was hungry!"

"Khushi, you know you could have just unlocked yourself and gone straight down to the kitchen."

"But that'd mean-"

"Oh! So Mrs Raizada is scared of me?"

She straightened herself. "NO! I will go down RIGHT now and have some snacks. See? I'm not scared!"

He took a step forward, she took two back. "If you are not scared, why are you backing away?"

"I-I because well… You are coming forward!" she said, the most plausible explanation.

"So you ARE scared?"

"NO!"

"Then don't move back!" he said, and with each word he took a step ahead.

She stood rooted on the ground, her mind telling her to not let that Laad Governor win, while her heart told her to run away or that it'd have a race to play.

By the time he was near her, her knees went jelly as she looked up at his face.

Escape! Escape! Escape!

She chanted in her head, looking around and then got an idea.

"COCKROACH!" she screamed.

Arnav was distracted. Cockroaches in RM? No way! "What, where?"

Taking advantage she fled out of the bathroom, calling behind her "Nowhere!"

*

In the evening, all the Raizadas were lounging in the living room. The doorbell rang and Khushi opened the door. An old woman in a saree that looked like from Nani's wardrobe was standing there with a red suitcase and a warm smile, which filled the eyes behind her glasses.

"Ji?" Khushi asked with a warm smile.

The woman returned her smile. "Are you the badi bahu or the chhoti bahu?"

"B-Badi…" Khushi stuttered.

The woman's smile grew more profound. "You must be Chhote's wife!" she smiled, her eyes glistening with tears.

Khushi nodded and then remembered her manners. "Arey, please do come inside. So mannerless of me to keep you waiting!" she said, and hurriedly took the woman's suitcase and led her inside.

"Bless you child!" she sighed and walked in after Khushi, as she led her into the living room.

"Who is it Khushi bitiya?" Nani called.

Khushi looked hesitantly at the old woman, while the old woman chuckled before replying "Devi, hum hain!"

By the time she had finished her sentence, she had reached the living.

"Sumi!" Nani exclaimed as she got up.

"Dadi!" Anjali and Arnav exclaimed.

*

Subhadra Mallik had been a distraught woman when her daughter-in-law had killed herself owing to her son's misdeeds. Then her younger son had looted the entire family and put them on the roads. Being in no place take care of her grandchildren, she entrusted them to her best-friend Devyani Raizada. The fact was that before she had left for good to the ashram, she had already disowned her sons. She didn't believe them to be her sons anymore. She had stayed back just for her daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

Finally, few days back she had seen news that her grandson had put her son in jail, and felt at peace knowing that crime had been punished.

It was a happy family reunion, but the atmosphere grew darker after she was told of all that had happened. She had cried for Khushi, apologizing for her sons' misdeeds… She had cried for Anjali, pitying her granddaughter's upcoming single-mother status…

She was of course, not told of the Contract marriage, for none of the elders knew about it. Also, Khushi's miscarriage was hidden from her.

Subhadra's new favourite was the bubbly Khushi.

Smilingly, she said "I can't wait to see my great-grandchildren! Only you are left Khushi bitiya…!"

Khushi's smiled faded, and tears filled her eyes. Arnav was by her side at once, while Anjali gasped and Nani looked at Sumi with warning in her eyes.

She looked around confused. "Why? What'd I say?"

"Khushi bitiya had a miscarriage…" Nani said, almost bursting into tears.

Dadi gasped, and engulfed Khushi in a hug. "I am so sorry! Forgive me!"

"I-It's alright Dadiji…"

"Of course. You are newlywed after all. You still can have children!"

Khushi looked at the floor feeling utterly embarrassed, while Arnav (though embarrassed) tried to seem smug to Khushi.

Payal giggled. "Of course Dadiji! When Khushi was a kid, she dreamt of having twins- a boy and a girl and a little boy and two girls other than the twins!"

Khushi groaned in frustration. "Jiji! I didn't know that time how-"

A sharp poke in the ribs from Payal made her shut up. "I-I think I'll just go set the table for lunch…" Khushi muttered and fled from there.

P.S IMPORTANT NOTE ON NEXT PAGE (PAGE NO.39)