Chapter 129
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[MEMBERSONLY]
[NOCOPY]
[NOCOPY]
(Thanx a million, Naughtymallu!)
FINDING KHUSHI
Part 31
Anamika looked at the army of Raizadas and Guptas in her house and the pile of gifts on her lap.
Ganesh, ASR, Babuji, Mamaji, Akash, & NK were smiling. The ladies were excited and happy. Gaurav was staring at all of them, shocked. Scooby was weaving his way between the feet of the guests, sniffing at their clothes, hoping that someone would slip him a sweet from the many boxes on the low table.
"What... why...?" asked poor Anamika.
"This is the rasam of shagun, bitiyya!" Nani explained. "The groom's family gives gifts to the bride to welcome her into the family."
"The bride is booked by the broom." Mami added. "Now she can't run away, Hello Hi Bye Bye!"
Gaurav choked.
"Look at all the rasams with attention, Bitwaa." Buaji teased Gaurav. "You will have to do all this soon, Nandkisore, when you get married."
Gaurav's face took on a look of horror. All giggled.
"Have you made a guest list, Anamikaji?" Anjali asked.
"Or drafted an invitation card? We have to get it printed.", Khushi smiled.
Anamika looked at Ganesh, disconcerted. He smiled.
"The thing is, Khushi, we don't have many people to invite. I would like to invite Sana & Vinni and their familes. That's it from my side. Gaurav and Anamika, I feel, would like Koel and the other ladies in the main studio to attend the function." Ganesh looked at Anamika. She nodded.
"There is no one else except all the Raizadas, NK, and the Guptas." she said. She turned to look at Gaurav. "Is there anyone...?"
He shook his head, smiling at her and Ganesh. "Just Scooby."
All smiled.
"Don't you bant to inbite the princejjejj and the actors who buy your clotheswaa?" Mami asked curiously.
Anamika smiled. "They are business acquaintances, not friends."
Buaji hesitated. "Bitiyaa, you and Ganesh Bitwaa know a lot of people. Rich, powerful people..."
"Phillum actors..." Mami added.
"Are you sure you don't want a fancy wedding, Bitiyaa?" Nani completed Buaji's question.
"I don't. We don't." Anamika said, smiling at Ganesh.
Ganesh smiled at her and Gaurav.
He said, "15th was supposed to be ASR and Khushi's wedding. Let that happen. After their shaadi is over, Anamika and I can marry in the same mandap."
"Don't you want two mandaps, bitwaa?" Nani asked, anxious.
"No, Naniji. One will do. We can marry after ASR & Khushi." Ganesh smiled at her. Anamika nodded.
"Then, why don't you have your sagai, sangeet, mehendi, & haldi along with Arnav Bitwaa and Titliyaa?" Buaji asked.
All nodded eagerly.
Ganesh & Anamika smiled at them, accepting their offer.
"Then it is sagai on Monday for both couples." Mamaji declared.
A loud cheer went up from the crowd.
Arnav and Khushi and Anamika and Ganesh went ring shopping at Maniram Jewellers. It was a huge showroom with acres and acres of display counters.
"What would you like?" Ganesh asked Anamika.
"A diamond?" she replied with a smile. "I think engagement rings are supposed to be diamond rings."
Ganesh smiled, and asked for engagement rings to be shown to them. Trays and trays of glittering stones as big as eggs were placed in front of them.
Anamika looked at her slender, long ring finger, and then at the eggs in front of her. She leaned into Ganesh, and whispered in his ear, "Can we have a simple ring, with a small diamond? I don't think I will be able to carry any one of these rings around by myself. I will have to ask Koel and Gaurav to prop me up."
Ganesh chuckled.
Khushi looked at the sparkling diamond rings placed in front of her with a jaundiced eye.
Arnav bit back his laughter. "Kya hua, Khushi? You don't like any of them?"
She shook her head.
The assistants moved the samples away, and replaced them with more diamond rings.
Khushi frowned.
"You don't like diamonds, Khushi?" Arnav asked, laughter bubbling away in his heart.
"Arnavji, they are so... sooo dull. Pheeka! There is no colour in them! What is the fun in wearing a ring with a stone that has no colour in it?" Khushi scrunched up her face.
The sales assistant's mouth fell open in shock. The nitwit was refusing diamonds worth a king's ransom for cheap stuff?
Arnav's body shook with laughter. He asked the assistants to show them rings with precious stones, that too colourful ones.
Khushi looked happily at the sea of ruby, emerald, jade, amethyst, sapphire, & turquoise rings laid out before her.
She dug through them, examining them carefully before discarding them. Arnav sat watching her, amused.
"Arnavji, can I take this?" she finally asked, pointing to a white gold band with two heart-shaped rubies. "It has both of our hearts in it."
Arnav nodded, swallowing hard.
He took the ring out of its box, and, holding her hand in his, gently placed it on her ring finger. Her hand trembled.
"Lagi tumhein?" he asked, concerned.
She nodded.
"Kahan?" he asked, looking at her finger for a cut or a bruise.
"Here." she whispered, placing her right hand on her heart.
Arnav looked into her eyes for a moment, and in front of the startled eyes of hundreds of assistants and customers, the normally undemonstrative, khadoos, akhdoo Arnav Singh Raizada kissed Khushi Kumari Gupta's rosy cheek.
Anamika picked a slender platinum band with 9 small diamonds on it.
"OK?" she asked Ganesh.
"You like it?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Then it is perfect." he said.
Anamika leaned against his huge, hard body, taking in his warmth and his sandalwood fragrance with pleasure. She had been cold for so long!
Ganesh took the tiny ring in his big fingers. "You need to try it for size." he said. "Shall I...?" he looked into Anamika's eyes. " Or you can..." He held the ring out to her.
Anamika looked at the ring and at Ganesh's kind eyes.
Slowly, she extended her hand.
Ganesh put his left hand out, palm open. Anamika placed her hand on his. Gently, he pushed the ring up her long ring finger.
"It is a perfect fit. Beautiful!" Ganesh murmured through a closed throat.
Anamika looked at him, his head bent, his eyes on the ring on her finger. "You have made a perfect choice, Anamika." he said.
She smiled. "I have." she said softly. She leaned forward and pressed a hard kiss on his cheek.
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