Chapter 68

Arnav came inside the main house still jogging slowly, & he abruptly came to a halt at the extreme level of activity going around the main hall at such an early hour of day. It was not even 7am, & already all of the servants were hurriedly moving around from here to there carrying thaals, suitcases, flower baskets, sweet boxes & food ingredients towards the impromptu large open kitchen at the back of the house from the suppliers van outside. He thanked his habit of early rising, because if hadn't woken up around 5.30, & had come back to the main house to take a shower before going off to jog, he was sure someone would have spotted him coming out of the Guesthouse today. He saw Anjali was already infront of the idol of Devi Maiyya offering her prayers, an unusual rush in her movements, her damp hair indicating she had been up for atleast an hour or so. & the more unusual thing was, his Nani & Mama-Mami weren't standing in queue behind her like every day. They were sitting close to the Mandir in circle & each had a long roll of paper & a pen in their hands as they consulted some of the servants & ticked things off from the lists. & Arnav's brows actually rose in surprise, when he saw Aman was also seated alongside the elders of his family, & was taking inventory from OP.

Arnav automatically went towards them as Nani looked up at him, smiling affectionately. Just as he reached them, Anjali's pooja was completed & turning around, as she saw him, Anjali got down from the slightly raised platform of the Mandir, & coming directly in front of him, she smiled a bit appealingly & then raised her right hand up to his forehead, a pinch of Kumkum sticking to the pad of her ring finger. But giving a pleasant shock to everyone, instead of backing off or telling Anjali off vehemently, as he always did, Arnav came forward & obediently lowered his head to receive the teeka. Anjali gasped loudly, followed by surprised noises from her Nani & Mami, & then promptly applying the teeka before Arnav changed his mind, she cupped his cheek, & then pulling his head lower, she pressed a kiss over the teeka. Arnav put an arm around her shoulder & pulled her closer to stand beside him, & then asked the elders in a light manner, "Why are you all up so early? There are so many people hired to organize everything smoothly! You all just relax, take it easy & enjoy!"

Very predictably, the first person to speak up in answer to his relaxing advice was Manorama Raizada. She huffed exaggeratedly, & almost wailed, "Bituwa, how would you know what goes off in a mother's mind & her heart before her children's wedding! & if it was only Akaas Bituwa, I wouldn't be going mad with worry like this! It's my only daughter too! If something didn't go as per our plans?? We are ladkiwales too! If something went wrong & they taunted our innocent Bitiya later, then? & after what happened last time, 13 years ago.." Manorama trailed off as her throat closed up, & everyone looked at Anjali alarmingly, fearing her reaction to the mention of her previous wedding that never happened. But Anjali seemed outwardly calm as she said, "Mami, don't worry. This time everything'll be fine. I know it! & just think, if I had been married that day, Rohan wouldn't have come in my life, & Mami, do you think, anyone could have loved & cherished your daughter more than he does?" Manorama sniffed loudly as she shook her head in negative & her husband patted her shoulder comfortingly.

Arnav tightened his hold around Anjali's shoulder & as she looked at him, he searched her face intently as he asked earnestly, "Di, you're happy, right?" Anjali smiled shyly, & said briefly, "I would be happiest if I saw you finding the same happiness I did.. Otherwise, I couldn't be happier!" & suddenly, seeing the happy tears glittering in his sister's eyes & almost all the elders in his family also wiping their eyes surreptitiously with tremulous smiles on their lips, Arnav felt like this would be the happiest moment of his life, if only Khushi was here by his side. That was all the difference between happiness & euphoria for him. Khushi!

Arnav almost turned right then towards Anjali to let her know that she can be her happiest, as he had found what she was hoping he would. But then he restrained himself, as something in his heart wanted Khushi to be the first one to know. At the earliest. He tuned sideways, & pressing a kiss over Anjali's hair, he nodded towards Aman in a way that spelled 'Take care of everything here!', he started sprinting towards the stairs to go up to his room. On his way up, he tried Khushi's cell twice, but she didn't pick up, as he had expected. This was practically dawn for her, Arnav thought as he smirked to himself. But he had to do something, right now! He thought for sometime, & as soon as he entered his room, his eyes went toward his closet space, & he knew what he wanted to do. He went towards the closet, got the shoe box containing Khushi's lone sandal out from its esteemed position on the top shelf, & opening it, he checked out the sandal, all repaired & as good as new, & he took out the ring he had gotten for Khushi that he had also kept inside it last night, & kept it on the box that was also kept over the top shelf.

As he saw the ring, a sly smile crept up on his lips. From the day of the engagement, everytime he had gone somewhere, where he had known Khushi would be, he had carried the ring box in his pocket, & to his increasing amusement, she had looked for it in his pockets almost each of those times. But true to her impatient nature, she'd always give up after searching only one pocket, & ironically, each time Arnav had kept the ring box on the other pocket thinking this was the pocket she had searched last time & she'd look in there again. He was still smiling as he scribbled a note & going down the stairs, he spotted HP passing before him with a big jar of Ghee. He immediately stopped HP with a commanding shout, & as HP came forward, keeping the jar down, he handed the shoe box in his hands, & said sternly, "This is to be handed to Khushi! Only Khushi! No one else! & don't come back till you have handed the box over to Khushi! Understood?" HP nodded nervously, & took the box with such reverence as if his whole life depended on it.

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Khushi woke up for the second consecutive day with the sound of loud banging on her door. She dragged herself up from her deep sleep & pulled her body up from the bed with great difficulty. But when she heard Payal borderline hysterical voice asking her to be beside her on her wedding day & not sleep till 10am at this day of all the days, Khushi sat bolt upright on the bed. & immediately becoming aware of her complete nakedness, Khushi gasped horrifyingly & she hurriedly started pulling on her PJ, she thanked Arnav's good sense of leaving the door behind himself. She was about to run to the door, when her eyes fell on the crumpled bed sheet, & coloring profusely, Khushi frantically stripped the sheet off the bed & throwing it into the washroom to wash it when she'd take her bath later, she finally went & opened the poor door being banged out of its hinges by her sister.

Khushi opened the door to a visibly white looking Payal, & as soon as the door jamb was sufficiently parted, Payal literally jumped on Khushi & clutching the collar of Khushi's PJ top, she whispered ominously, "Buaji & Akaash's mother are driving me crazy! Save me!" To Khushi she looked on the verge of a breakdown, & gathering her wits about her, Khushi took a deep breath, & said rapidly, "Did you have your bath?" Payal shook her head frenziedly as she glared at Khushi, "You too??! Have you forgotten?! The stylist asked us not to wet our hairs today! Something about moisture or the loss of it.. That's why all of us showered late last evening, hain na?? But who'll explain that to our stubborn Buaji & my know-it-all to-be-sassuma?! First in the morning, saas came, & now Buaji is chasing me with a big bowl of hair oil.. Khushi! Do something!" Just then Khushi saw her Buaji over Payal's shoulder, coming up the stairs with great effort, huffing & puffing, yet not even thinking of stopping for once.

Khushi decided what to do instantly, & looking straight in Payal's eyes, instructed her in a no-nonsense voice, "Go into your room. Run a bath with that anti-anxiety aroma therapy bath gel the stylist suggested. Lock the washroom door & soak yourself in it after putting your hair up in a shower cap.. & don't open the door until I tell you so!" & then with a panicked look behind Payal, Khushi shoved Payal in the direction of Payal's room, & jumped like a barricade in front of Buaji. Madhumati reached her just as Khushi heard Payal's bedroom door slam, & waiting impatiently for Khushi to move aside for a few seconds, Madhumati tried to bodily move Khushi out of her path. "Arre, hatho Sanka Devi! Maharani has woken up just now! Move, I have to see Payaliya.. This oil-" She jumped into silence as Khushi suddenly shrieked, "No oil! You can't meet Jiji now till she's all dressed up, Buaji!" Madhumati looked at her youngest niece in amazement. Normally her craziness, or sanak, as Madhumati called it, intensified around the night. But today, she had started earlier in the day it seemed! She glared at Khushi warningly & started, "Arre! Why can't I meet her-"

But before she could finish Khushi was turning her towards the staircase & pushing her to go down it with all her tiny might! Madhumati conceded defeat in the face of such madness & said in an offended voice as she continued to descend the stairs, "Sanka Devi had to choose today only to go full on crazy on us! Everyone is acting weird today! Payaliya.. This Parmeswaari..! & that wretched Hariparkas too! Crazy fool.. Sitting out on the porch since early morning with a shoe box & if someone asks him about it by mistake, he's all, 'Wo, Arnav Bhaiya..!' Just that much! Bas! Everyone has gone mad in this farmhouse today!" But in the next moment, she was shocked into silence as a harried Khushi went past her down the stairs like a wind. Instantly forgetting her annoyance with her, Madhumati called out of concern for her beloved niece, "Aye, Titaliyaa! Slow down! If you fall, you'll break something!" Then as the tornado kept charging forward without paying any heed to her, Madhumati sent a prayer up to her Nandkissore that everything went smoothly in this curiously crazy day.

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As soon as Khushi stepped onto the porch, HP stood up to attention & promptly coming forward, thrust the large shoe box into Khushi's hand & then said in a voice flooding with relief, "Thank you, Khushi Didi!" & then he was gone even before Khushi could ask him what the box was for or thank him for bringing it over. He just seemed deadly relieved to get rid of the box like it was a ticking time bomb. Little did she know that, poor HP had been terrified since he had been sent on this covert mission to hand over the box to her, that if somehow he would have been forced to handover the box to someone else other than Khushi due to situational pressure, Arnav would instantly oust him from the farmhouse & then he would miss out on Akaash Bhaiya & Anjali Didi's Shaadi that all of them were so looking forward to.

Khushi clutched the box tightly to herself & ran back the way she had just come in the same speed. Getting inside her room, she closed the door & turned the lock, & immediately took the lid of the box off, & gasped loudly as her breath got caught in her throat. Her shoe! Her broken, lost shoe. Correction: The shoe she had thought was lost! But the shoe was now repaired to be as good as new, & wrapped in soft tissue paper. He.. Arnav must have gone back to look for it that night! After he had so gallantly carried her back to this very Guesthouse. This meant.. even back then she must have meant something to him. Despite the fact that, the next time they had met, he had propositioned her about exploring & all.. It was even before Khushi herself had realized what she felt for him. Before they even saw eye to eye! & he.. He inadvertently initiated this little step of their gradually coming together as one so long back?! As Khushi tried to see more of the shoe by moving the paper aside, she found a little note tucked in the side of the box. Khushi picked the note up & read breathlessly, "Red, I have something to say to you! It's important! Meet me as soon as you can!"

& Khushi felt so much like the fabled Cinderella at that moment at this gesture from him, that she would have gone up to him running in one stiletto if required, but just then Garima knocked on her door & asked if she was in the shower or not as the stylists had arrived. Then not finding any answer from this side of the door, Garima went away. & sighing resignedly at the unfortunate timing, Khushi kept the shoe box carefully inside her luggage with the contents within it secured, & then went off to shower, get dressed, get ready & then help Payal get adorned in her bridal finery too.

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Manohaar Razada practically dragged Arnav up to the Mandap built under the open sky surrounded by the shades of the various Big, bushy trees of the farmhouse. He had been waiting for Khushi at the main house since HP had informed him his package had been delivered. Since then he had been expecting her to come any moment. She hadn't. She hadn't picked up his calls. In fact she hadn't even picked up Akaash's call when not getting a hold of Payal, Akaash had tried calling her. & then Arnav had grudgingly got dressed in the Sherwani he had got from the Gupta's for the wedding, & it was pink! He had worn it thinking of Khushi, but after seeing the pink thing on himself, he wasn't prepared to come out in it in anyway, despite everyone telling him honestly that he had rarely looked this handsome in his life before. But now he had to let Mamaji drag him out, as the pre-wedding Pooja had started & after that the bride & groom would exchange their garlands. Both pair of them would.

Manohaar went ahead to the Pooja mandap, knowing Arnav would neither participate nor go near the Pooja mandap. Arnav stood a little behind the crowd of people doing the Pooja, when he heard it. That unmistakable voice.

Aaj mausam hain suhaana

Do do shaadi ka hain bahaana

La la la la la la

Kya dhoop nikli suhaani

Laad Governor ki halkat jawani

What the! What the! What the!

"What the-?" Khushi hiccupped into a stop in her make-as-you-go song as she heard the astonished & slightly outraged voice, & turned around slowly, with the huge garlands in her hands, sheepishly. & as soon as she turned Arnav gulped down noisily. To be frank, it was unfair to look like she looked at a wedding, if you were not the bride, or one of the brides, in this case. She glowed as radiantly as Arnav had always heard brides were supposed to do, but he hadn't seen it before today. & the pink-golden heavy work Lehenga-Choli, & for once, a bit of heavy jewelry for her neck & wrist, & ears seemed to have transformed her into a bride herself. & she stood there, almost glittering under the sun in front of him, making him forget all of his irritation with her for keeping him waiting or singing obscene songs about him.

Arnav gave his shoulders a vigorous shrug to shake off her effect, & without any notice, grabbed her hand & pulled her behind him towards the gazebo still being set up for the serving of the food later. & before Khushi could ask him where he was taking her he asked sternly, "My what jawani?" He felt Khushi's hand that was forcefully trying to slacken his hold on her wrist loosen a bit, as she said meekly, "Nothing! Nothing.." & when Arnav sent her a sideways narrowed eyed glance, not breaking his stride, she said vaguely, "Thakela jawani! Means like you! Very boring! &-" But she was stopped mid-sentence as they had entered the gazebo which was now empty as even the workers were attending the wedding pooja. Arnav turned immediately towards her & said intently, "This is important.. So listen carefully-" & Khushi suddenly started feeling very shy knowing instinctively what he was going to say. After the shoe box this morning, she had no doubt that he knew about is feelings too. & one look at his face told her, he was ready to face it!

& suddenly saying it verbally amidst so many people didn't seem right at all! Khushi turned away towards the opening of the gazebo & said tremulously, "I know.. I have to go!" But Arnav held her back by holding onto her wrist just in time, "Arre! Khushi! How can you know if I haven't even said what it is! Listen-" This time Khushi looked at him turning her swan-like neck & said softly, "I know what you're gonna say! Not now! See I even have the garlands! They'll need them any minute now, so anyone can come looking for me any second!" Arnav looked at the deep blush on her cheeks & he was sure she thought he was gonna say something seductive & that's what this was all about! He looked at the garlands in annoyance & said moodily, "Why are they with you then? Couldn't you have dumped them on someone else?.. & I'm not gonna talk about what you think I am-" This time Khushi too turned, irritated, & said indignantly, "I know exactly what you're talking about! That's why I am saying wait a few hours-" & Arnav could feel, he was moments away from burning his fuse, so he said through gritted teeth, "For once, talk less & try to listen! You don't know.. You can't possibly know what I am trying to say.. So shut up & stop making it more difficult for me than it already is!"

Khushi gasped loudly at the outrage she felt, & at that moment, she didn't even care about anything. There she was, trying to save him from ruining a momentous occasion for them both.. & he was asking her to shut up! & he expected to do a romantic declaration after he had just told her to keep quite?! She said grindingly too, "I can possibly know, because I guess, I do possess more gray matter than you do!" & Arnav had had it. All the waiting since morning, the tensions of the wedding, & all the commotion, & now this difficult child-woman was the last straw! He stepped forward, pulling her up towards his body by grabbing her left arm roughly, & asked hotly in a scolding voice, "What the hell do you think you know, huh Khushi?! Just tell me, what??!" Khushi had had enough too! There was a special place, a special moment for such special things! He could make such a sweet gesture for her of returning her shoe after so long, & he couldn't wait a few hours for the biggest gesture of their lives that they'll remember for the rest of their lives?! No, he couldn't, seeing as now he was basically back to manhandling her! So she just shoved at his chest to free her arm & said in an exhausted yell, leaving a utterly shocked Arnav staring at her, "Uff!!! That you love me, damn it!!!"