Chapter 24
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[MEMBERSONLY]
EXPELLIARMUS 2013-08-03 06:06:31
Please scroll up for Part One
12) Hamesha...
(Part Two)
Arnav smiled at her look of astonishment as he opened the front door of his home for her.
She hesitated before walking inside the arched entryway, and he took her hand in his as he followed.
"Welcome to Shantivan, Khushi."
This time, he was surprised too, and he looked up quickly at Nani, who had just come down the stairs.
"Nani? I thought you were at the temple..."
"I'm leaving in a few minutes, bitwa. But obviously Devi Maiyya wanted me to delay my departure by a few minutes. How else would I have seen this welcome sight?"
Arnav turned towards Khushi, anxious to see her reaction.
His intention had never been to hide her from Nani, but had rightly guessed that things would be overwhelming enough without adding the stress of meeting his grandmother to the mix.
But now as he took in her pale, shocked face, he could see that Nani wasn't the cause after all.
Her eyes were fixed on the portrait of Anjali in the living-room, and she took a few stumbling steps back before he caught her and pulled her to a halt.
"Anjali would have been happy too, bitiya. In the days before her wedding, she spoke to me about you, and how lucky you were to have a brother like NK..."
Khushi's eyes lowered, and he knew instinctively that she was fighting tears.
His grip on her hand tightened, and she looked up at him immediately.
"Nani, I think we should go into the study."
His grandmother looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
A few minutes later, they were all seated in the study, and a tray of tea had been placed before them. Khushi wasn't drinking anything though, and his concern mounted.
"Bitiya...I know that this is difficult for you. Truth be told, it isn't easy for any of us. But if there's one thing I've learned over all these years, it is the importance of forgiveness. For one's own self, too."
Khushi looked up at Nani, then finally addressed her.
"I'm sorry, Devyaniji. I'm here in your home and I haven't even greeted you..."
"There's no need to be formal, bitiya. Now let me get to the point, because I have to leave in the next few minutes if I have to get there in time for the aarti. "
Arnav interrupted immediately, not sure that Khushi was ready for an interrogation at this point.
"Nani, can' t this wait..."
"No, bitwa. We have waited long enough, and wasted too many years as it is. It's time now to leave the past where it belongs and focus on the future, which is much more important. So Khushi bitiya...you and Arnav are now together, I presume."
As he watched, a change seemed to come over Khushi.
His grandmother's no-nonsense direct approach seemed to have made her more comfortable, not less.
She straightened in her chair, then nodded.
His grandmother smiled.
"Good. Now here's what I wanted to say. Forgive me for not giving you time to adjust to things before laying this before you, but I'm really pressed for time here, in more ways than one. I have a proposition for you."
"A...proposition?"
He was as puzzled as Khushi obviously was, but he waited for Nani to continue.
"Yes. As you know by now, neither of my grandsons is interested in the political arena. But I have my sources, and they inform me that you are very much the opposite. I have heard only good things about you, and your dedication. Which is why I wanted to ask if you would be willing to join us, so to speak."
He knew where this was going, and he stood up immediately.
"Nani...no. I'm not going to let you pull her into this dirty cesspool..."
"I think that's a decision only she can make, bitwa. So what do you say, Khushi? I would be willing to take you under my wing, and groom you for public office. We would start at the grassroot level, and you can work your way up the party ranks...all with my support, of course. You would be able to do much, much more if you were actually in a position of power, don't you think?"
He looked quickly at Khushi, but she was staring at Nani.
"Devyaniji...with all due respect, have you forgotten that I belong to a different religion? How would that affect your vote-bank, if I were to join you?"
He couldn't believe that she was actually considering this.
For a moment, it was as if the two women in the room had forgotten his existence as they seemed to speak a different language altogether.
"That's a valid question, bitiya. And I'm glad that you are frank enough to bring that up. But with all due respect, I have seen much more of this world than you have. Instead of harming us, I do believe that your religion would actually help us in bolstering our image as a secular, inclusive party. It's something that I have been striving towards for a long time, and the presence of a honest, genuine person such as yourself would go a long way towards that goal. So now, what do you think?"
He wanted to pull her out of her chair and take her far , far away before she was tempted to give in.
Politics had robbed him of far too much, and he couldn't bear to see her getting sucked into all this.
But before he had a chance to say or do anything, her soft, yet firm voice froze him in place.
"Devyaniji, I see your point. And I'm honored that you have chosen me for this. But before I tell you my decision, I'd like to discuss this with your grandson. In private. This decision isn't mine to take alone, not anymore."
His eyes widened in surprise, and so did his grandmother's.
But then she smiled, and stood up to face them.
"If anything, I am more sure than ever of my decision, bitiya. Discuss this with Arnav, take all the time you want. And when there is good news about this thing...or anything else, I want to be the first to know."
Khushi folded her hands in a namaste, and Nani did the same in return.
When she left the room, he wasted no time in pulling Khushi out of his chair and walking out of the room.
"Arnav, what are you..."
He walked up the stairs, not stopping until he reached the door to the terrace.
He pulled it open and stepped outside, the finally let her go.
Dusk was just beginning to fall, and the first stars were just visible in the graying sky.
She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at him while he spoke.
"I thought you would accept her offer right there and then."
"Not without talking to you, Arnav. "
"Khushi, I don't like the idea of you..."
"I know. I saw your face when Nani made that offer. But can I ask you for something?"
"Anything."
"Can we please save this discussion for later? So much has happened today, and I just feel like I need a moment to process everything. For now, can we just forget everything else and...savor this moment?"
He smiled, then walked up to her.
"So what should we talk about?"
"Nothing. Anything. Wait, let's talk about the stars."
"The stars?"
"Yes. My Amma always said that the brightest stars in the sky were our loved ones."
He stared up at the night sky, then laughed.
"You don't really believe that, do you?"
"Why not? It isn't about what I believe. It is about hope, and reassurance."
"Is that the same reason why you believe in God?"
"God exists, Arnav. Whether we believe in him, or not...he exists."
He shook his head, then then took her in his arms.
"We're chalk and cheese, you and I."
"We have almost nothing in common, do we?"
He raised his hand to her face, then trailed it down, smiling as her eyes closed of their own volition.
"And yet, you were ready to change your whole life for me."
"And so are you."
"Do you realize that we are two very weird people, Khushi? Here are we are, making all these grand gestures and noble sacrifices...and we don't even have a formal relationship yet. "
"I've thought about that. And there's something else. This...thing between us...whatever it is...we've never been able to name it, have we?"
"Do you mean giving it an identity, a name like passion..attraction...admiration...or maybe..."
"...love?"
Her voice was quiet, yet hopeful.
He leaned forward to kiss her on the lips, letting his body do the talking for him.
They remained that way for a few moments, quietly acknowledging that it wasn't time yet.
They had come a long way, but there were still miles to go before they came to that point. The journey had begun, and they had faith.
For now, that was enough.
He leaned away finally, then ran his thumb over her moist, parted lips.
"Does it really matter that we haven't given this...a name?"
She looked at him with clear eyes, then smiled at him.
"Nothing matters, except you."
"And you."
"Hamesha."
*****************************
A/N: This was the last chapter of this story, lekin picture abhi baakhi hai!
Replies to PMs/Scraps will also be delayed over the next week, sorry about that!
Thank you all so very much for staying with me on this journey, hope to see you in a few days!
-Juhi.
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