Chapter 10

First published on 26/june/22

Title translation: (there are) no deals in love

--*--

That evening, when Khushi came from her best friend Preeto's house, the scene in front of her shocked her. Her babuji and her la-er-no-just laad governor were hanging out together, like two friends. Watching TV. What the-?

With that shock still in her mind, she removed her shoes and then stumbled upon a chair kept nearby and winced in pain.

"Careful dammit" "sambhal ke" both her husband and her father shouted together and ran to her side

"I have told you so many times bitiya, sambhal kar chala karo (be careful while walking)." shashi said, looking upset at her clumsiness

"But she never listens babuji, she is so careless about her safety." Arnav said, checking for any injury on her foot

Khushi was shocked, her face and particularly those widened eyes and wide-open mouth showed it! Her babuji and that laad governor, teaming up! Against her!!!

"Aur kya. aap badi ho gayi ho (you are grown up now), stop being clumsy Khushi."

"Hum thik hain (I am fine). don't worry babuji" and then turned to Arnav with anger evident on her face, especially that red nose! "Aur aap, aap humse churana band kijiye (and you, you stop stealing from me)."

"Excuse me? Maine tumse kya churaya (what did I steal from you)?"

"hamare babuji!"

"Bitiya, I am always on your side-"

"You have to be, because you are MY babuji, not this laad governor's! Par aapne humein uss laad governor ke samne danta (but you scolded me in front of that laad governor)!" she stomped her foot making Shashi and Arnav chuckle but one sharp look from her and they suppressed their laughter

"Urgh. Hum ja rahe hain apne kamre mein (I am going to my room)" she said turning to go away and as soon as she left, they both burst out in laughter.

--*--

They say old habits die hard. It was cent percent true for Arnav Singh Raizada. Sure, he had realized he was deeply in love with his wife, that what he felt for her was far beyond mere attraction or physical pull, but something akin to devotion, something he had never felt for anyone before. And that scared him

He knew how to win but not how to celebrate being in love. He knew how express hatred, but not how to profess love. He knew how to strike deals with profit and loss balance but when it comes to matters of heart, well, he had a final lesson to learn...

"Khushi, I wanted to talk to you about something." he said that evening, after they had returned to her room for the night

"Hmm, tell me." Khushi replied while arranging the pillows

"It will be 2 weeks of our stay here tomorrow. and as per our deal, I have completed my stay here like your babuji said. So." Arnav was already feeling ecstatic that, yes, he conquered yet another deal, and the end prize was his now, which was Khushi.

But she just halted in her work after hearing that, probably waiting for him to continue the sentence. But when he left it at that, she probed further

"So?" Khushi asked, turning around

"So, pack your bags. We'll be leaving for shantivan tomorrow." he said, folding the sleeves of his full-length T-shirt

"I won't come." Khushi replied crossing her arms in her front and he was shocked by her stance and her reply, both.

"Kya? But kyun?"

She looked at him narrowing her eyes and he could see she was thinking something.

"You know how to make deals, how to fulfil the bargains but matters of heart are not deals Arnavji. Aapne humse shadi ke liye pucha humne haan kar di (you asked me to marry you, I said yes), aapne humse maafi maangi humne sun liya aur (you apologized, I listened), ab aap wapas chalne ko keh rahe hain kyunki sauda pura ho gaya (now you are asking me to return because the deal got fulfilled)?"

"What else do you want, Khushi?"

"You will have to tell me ki aap ko humse farak kyun padta hain (why do I matter to you), in front of everyone." she said, what she wanted to her from so long, what he had never really said. She had imagined a thousand times, how he will express his love, his feelings for her and how she will react. But to her disappointment, all of that had only remained in her imaginations till now.

"What if I said no?" Arnav asked with a straight face. he always struggled with expressing his feelings, especially of affection. Tell him to shout at someone, he would do it at snap of his finger...

"Jab sabke saamne humpe chillane me problem nahi thi toh dil ki baat karne mein kyun (When you didn't hesitate shouting at me in front of all, insulting me, why hesitate when it is about heart-felt feelings)?" her earnest question should have made him give in, but he was not ASR for nothing.

"I thought you did not need my words, you understood my feelings." he tried to use her emotional drama trick, but if only he knew...

"Ye sahi hain. Jab nafrat kar rahe they tab toh nahi kaha ki mere dil ki baat samajh jao (when you were expressing hatred, then you never said that understand without my words)? Tab toh elaborate karke kaha tha na sab, ki ye mat samjhana ek amir aadmi tumhari payal ko apne seene se laga kar baitha hain? (that time you elaborated it in detail how I don't matter to you, how a rich man holding my payal means nothing?). Toh maafi aur pyar kyun bina baat kiye samajh jaaye (then why should I understand love and apologies without words)? Why can't you say it too?"*** she said in a high-pitched tone, remembering all the past encounters when he had used harsh words of hatred and insult. Why was he being so stubborn to express love?

"I will not do any such filmy thing Khushi and you will have to return with me." He said and switched off the light.

He had already made a plan. He had decided to use his grand-Indian-family to do the job for him. Because of their pressure, khushi will have to say yes and his job will be done...He was going to ask his family to go with a re-marriage proposal, he knew she wouldn't say no to that! She loved big fat weddings and rituals, didn't she? He wouldn't have to say a word in that case...

With that thought, he went to sleep with a confidence that all was going to be well soon.

--*--

Next day, he had returned to shantivan straight from office, but he had already explained to his Di, Nani and mami about his plan and they had happily agreed.

But when he returned and saw their sad faces, he got confused.

"khushi ji ne aane se mana kar diya chote aur dobara shadi se bhi (khushiji refused to come back or remarry you)." Anjali told him with an apologetic face

"what the? Did you tell her how grand this wedding will be? With doli(bride's palanquin) and all?" He had told them to tell her how their wedding will be, in a five-star hotel, with all grandeur and she will be taken to his home in a doli! Like a royal princess. And she still refused?

"yes bitwa, she said no to our proposal." Mami told with a sad face.

That was it. Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada was being too stubborn! But he will get her with him this time, carrying in his arms if needed!

.

.

He was at Lakshmi nagar in next 20 minutes...and found her outside, fetching the dried clothes from the rope.

"Khushi! What the hell dammit? How could you refuse? I have already made all preparations; we are supposed to be married in 3 days and you are saying no now?"

"My wish." she said, nonchalantly.

"Like hell it is! You will have to marry me!" he said, pulling her hand. But she calmly freed herself.

"I won't! Na hum aapse shaadi karenge aur na kisi doli mein baithenge (neither will I marry you nor will I seat in any palanquin). Rasmein toh waise bhi humne sari puri ki hain (we already completed all rituals), accidentally hi sahi, we had sagai, my mehendi had your name, we had haldi and then sangit too. And then, you declared in front of the whole world that I am your wife now. So, what's the need to marry again? I don't want to marry again, and I don't want to come back now. You can't force me, I'll come back when I want to." she said, and he knew 'when I want to' did not have a timeline!

She turned in her steps to go back inside. By then, almost whole Laksmi nagar had gathered outside her house, watching this banter with interest.

Arnav closed his eyes, utterly frustrated and impatient. He knew what she wanted from him. He could give that to her, but he was still holding back...and now she had turned her back. That vixen had brought him to her doorsteps AND on his knees, finally!

"Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada!" He called her and she turned only to see him sitting on the ground in between all the gathered crowd.! He smiled when she turned and looked very surprised, but he continued in a loud enough voice that everyone heard clearly "Since the moment you landed in my life you have caused nothing but havoc in it." Everyone gasped here and Khushi fumed in ager. but he continued with a smirk, "Yeah, tum kitni bhi naak laal kar lo but the truth is you have always caused trouble to me, you occupied my thoughts, changed my opinions, made me do things I never thought I would. I mean ASR- who travels in helicopters travelling in an auto rikshaw? Pfff. But you made me do it." People chuckled here, including Khushi. Some young kids had started recording this love-hate filled confession on their mobiles, "Mera sukh-chain, zindagi yaha tak mere dil par bhi tumhara kabza hain (you already occupy my happiness, my life, my heart). So, I only ask something in return..." he said, as she had started walking towards him in slow steps, her expressions had rapidly changed from surprise to anger, to shock and to joy and Arnav loved watching that like a kaleidoscope!

"Kya chahiye aapko (what do you want)?" she asked in a bare whisper

--*--

A/N - this is second-to-last chapter of BFF, next one will be the final one. As against my original plan of SS with 7 chapters, it got stretched to 11, thanks to all your demands for Arnav's elaborate redemption. Hope I did justice to it. If you think everything got a closure, what's remaining now? Then, please re-think. Also, do you think they need a grand re-marriage?

I have a long weekend next week, so I'll try to bring chapter 11, along with NSIV update :)

***-Dialogues from nsiv-1. I just loved them when I had thought of them originally too. If Arnav uttered hateful words without a second thought, words of love (and apology) should come too, explicitly. no?