Chapter 13
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OS 1 : Knowing Khushi
Arnav looked at his sister as they all sat around the dining table, partaking of dinner.
"Did Jiju call, Di?", he asked.
"No.", Anjali pouted. "He never does, Chotey." A worried look passed over her face.
Arnav swallowed.
"He is always working, Chotey. I don't know how a person can be so busy.", she complained.
"That is because work is your Nutan, Di.", NK said, spooning kheer into his mouth.
"Nutan?", asked Akash. "The actress?"
"Souten, NK Bitwaa, Souten!", Mami sighed.
All laughed. Arnav watched his Di with eagle eyes.
She laughed with the others, although a worried look lingered on her face.
"Do lawyers have to travel so much?", asked Arnav.
Akash nodded. "I was wondering the same, Bhai."
Nani too nodded.
"I don't know, Chotey.", Anjali said. "Shyamji never talks much about work. And if I ask him, he gets angry.", she sighed.
"This ijj a mystery. Inbestigation karega padi!", Mami Bond declared.
Arnav changed the topic. This was enough for now.
This time, Arnav was more prepared to receive Khushi's call. He locked his bedroom door. Today, no one would eavesdrop on their conversation...
He placed the phone by his laptop, and sat working, stealing glances at the phone at regular intervals. When would she call?
He added a few more figures to the sheet, and peeped a glance at the phone. It lay as dead. He frowned at it.
What must she be doing now?, he wondered. Trying to steal away to her room to call him? A smile moved his lips as he imagined her crouching under a bed sheet to call him...
The phone rang. 'Happy'!
He grabbed it.
"Hello!", he said, his husky voice travelling over the distance to play on her nerves.
"Ji... Y...you asked me to c..call...", he heard her voice faintly. He could hear the sound of water falling in the background. He looked out through his window. It was not raining. He frowned. What was that sound?
"Khushi, where are you?"
"Ji...In the bathroom. How else can I call you? The house is full of people. The sagai is on Tuesday evening, & now it is Sunday night."
Arnav smiled. "The water... Khushi, have you turned on the tap?"
"Aur nahin to kya? I told Buaji that I needed a bath urgently. That it was too hot for me to go to bed otherwise. Thank God we have water supply at night. Had this been in the morning, this excuse wouldn't have worked. We don't have water from 9.30am to 1pm.", Khushi said seriously.
Arnav smiled. "The trouble you go to just to talk to me, Khushi...", he crooned.
Khushi was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Y..you asked me to call?"
Arnav smiled. He said, "Khushi, I will bring my family to the temple you frequent. Where is it?"
"On the Main Road. The big temple with the huge banyan tree in front."
"The white-coloured one with lots of steps?", he asked.
"Ji."
"We will be there at 7."
"Ji."
"Let's meet near the banyan tree."
"Ji."
"Khushi, make sure that Shyam is at home when you leave the house, and that he intends to stay there. I don't want him seeing us."
"Ji. He almost never leaves the house when he comes to stay here. But I will make certain."
He heard Buaji call, "Titliyaa... O Titliyaa... Are you planning to sleep in the bathroom, Nandkisore?"
"Coming, Buaji!", Khushi answered.
"Shall I bring your bed to the bathroom? You can sleep there if you like the bathroom so much!", Buaji said.
"I am done, Buaji...", she said. She turned the pipe off. Both buckets were full of water. "I have to go now.", she whispered in to the phone.
"Khushi, what will you call me tomorrow?", Arnav asked, loath to let her go.
Khushi frowned. "Your name, Mr. Raizada. What else? Or have you changed it?"
"Khushi, Khushi... Girl friends don't call their baaifriends Mr. Raizada. You should call me Arnav."
"He Devi Maiyya! How can I call you by your name? Paap lagega! You are so much older than me!", Khushi was scandalised.
"Oh! So you can try to strangle me. That is OK with your Devi Maiyya. But you can't call me by my name!", Arnav smiled.
Khushi flinched at the unwelcome memory of her leaning towards him with her fingers almost around his neck.
"I can't call you 'Arnav'. Calling you 'Arnav' is a sin." She thought seriously about what she could call him.
Arnav smiled. She had already used his name twice now.
"Why don't you call me 'Jaan'?", he suggested, tongue in cheek.
"What?", Khushi yelled in surprise.
"What happened, Nandkisore? Is there a snake in your bathroom?", asked Buaji. "Or a wasp in your dress?"
How could she tell Buaji that there was a more dangerous thing at the other end of the phone?
"No, Buaji. I... I Just slipped."
"Tum theek ho, Sanka Devi?"
"Haan, Buaji."
"Maybe 'Balma'?", Arnav suggested. "Saajan', 'Saiyya', 'Pritam'...?"
"'Arnavji'! I will call you 'Arnavji'!", she gasped.
"Khushi, my family thinks that we are in love. So we will have to behave like lovers do.", he warned her, trying to keep the smile away from his voice.
"Behave like lovers?", Khushi asked.
"O Parmeswari! Are you stuck in the bathroom? Faavicol Se, Nandkisore? Shall I call the neighbours?"
"Buaji, I am coming!", Khushi shouted. Then she whispered into the phone, "Hum Phoon Rakte Hein, Mr. Rai... matlab, Arnavji..."
"Goodnight, Khushi.", Arnav smiled.
"Shubh Raatri.", she whispered.
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