Chapter 37
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[MEMBERSONLY]
[NOCOPY]
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Part 7: Day 7
Section 4
It was noon before Arnav woke up. He blinked his eyes against the sunlight stealing in to his room, murmured "Khushi...", and realised that his cheek was pressed against something warm, soft... his Khushi.
He lifted his face from her bosom to look at her. She was sleeping the sleep of the weary, her eyes firmly shut, her breath even, her face relaxed.
Arnav melted. If only he could wake up every day in her arms! His caramel eyes softened, and his hand came up to brush an errant strand of hair from her cheek and behind her ear.
Khushi moved her limbs restlessly, frowning slightly. She rolled over him and swung her slender leg over his hip. Finding a comfortable position, she continued to sleep.
Khushi and her taekwondo poses, he thought, an amused, tender smile on his lips, relishing the feel of her against him.
There was a knock on the door.
"Arnav Bitwaa! Khushi Bitiyaa! It ijj 12o'clock, Hello Hi Bye Bye! Uttne ka iraada naahi he kaa? You have missed breakfast. Ab lunch bhi miss karoge kaa?" Mami asked.
"We are coming, Mami." Arnav said, a smile in his voice.
Khushi jumped up, shaken out of her sleep by Mami's sweet voice.
And looked in to the face of her smiling husband.
"Khushi..." he murmured.
Khushi stared at him, disoriented, for a moment, and then leaped out of the bed and made a run for the bathroom.
Arnav smiled at her, gazing at her back as it vanished in to the bathroom.
Anjali came down for lunch, and the whole family shared the meal, sitting around the table, laughing at NK's jokes and Mami's comments.
Khushi was seated by Arnav, and he watched her smile at the rest of his family. She made sure that her eyes did not meet his. The revelations of the night had weakened her resolution to leave and she couldn't have that happen.
"Di, Mr. Roy will be here at 2pm. We need to meet him." Arnav said. "I have transferred everything that belonged to you back to your name."
Anjali nodded, smiling. She had forgotten about that. It was the least of her worries.
"I have cancelled the joint account, Di." he said.
Anjali nodded.
Arnav hesitated. All the others looked at him and at Anjali, knowing that more pain was in store for her.
"Di, Mr. Roy will inform you about your legal status. Whatever you want to do, we can..."
"I want a divorce, Chotey." Anjali's voice was low, but firm. "At the earliest. But without giving Shyam Manohar Jha a paisa more."
Arnav nodded. The rest of the family heaved a sigh of relief.
"I have set a private detective to look into Shyam's past, Di. I am sure we will get enough and more ammunition to strengthen our case. And..." Arnav hesitated, looking at Khushi.
She looked at him, her eyes filled with enquiry.
"Di, Khushi, Payal..., when Shyam asked Buaji for Khushi's hand in marriage, Babuji was suspicious of him." Arnav said softly.
Every eye around the table was fixed on him.
Under the table, Arnav grasped Khushi's hand gently.
"Babuji followed him one day to the temple. He saw you with Shyam. He was filling your maang and you were trying to touch his feet. Babuji realised that Shyam was married."
There were loud gasps from the listeners.
"Sasiji found out!" Nani exclaimed.
"Then bhy didn't he tell ujj? Or kick him out of their housewaa?" Mami was loud in her surprise.
"How could he tell us, Manorama?" Nani asked. "He had a stroke and became paralysed. Laagat he, finding out about Shyam caused him to have a stroke!"
"No, Nani. Finding out the truth about Shyam did not cause Babuji's stroke. Shyam caused it by attacking Babuji and throwing away his medicines..."
All sat silent around the table, shocked beyond words at the cruelty Shyam was capable of. Khushi's eyes filled, and tears trailed down her alabaster cheeks silently. Arnav tightened his hold on her hand. Payal sobbed, her hand covering her mouth. Akash placed his hand on her leg and squeezed gently.
"He knew that Shyam was married. He did not know who Di was. He realised that Di was my sister when she went with all of us to Buaji's house with Akash's proposal for Payal. That is why Babuji had a fit when he saw Di." Arnav explained.
All looked at Arnav with shocked and moist eyes. The damage one scoundrel had done! Would the trial and tribulations of the Raizadas never end? Nani asked Devi Maiyya silently.
"I am sorry, Khushiji, Payalji..." Anjali finally managed to say. "Sorry for marrying such a sorry excuse for a man. Sorry for believing in him. Sorry for not believing in you..." Her voice was low and tired.
Khushi wiped away her tears with a shaking hand. Payal tried very hard to stop crying.
"It is not your fault, Anjaliji. You are as much a victim of that ghatiya man as we all are." Khushi managed to say.
"We didn't know what he was. You too had no idea. He managed to fool all of us." Payal excused Anjali. "We treated him like an older brother... and he..."
The door bell rang. HP came in shortly to announce Mr. Roy.
All got up from the table, their hearts heavy.
Arnav bent his head and dropped a kiss on Khushi's cheek, uncaring of who was watching. Akash almost swallowed his teeth at the sight of his undemonstrative, khadoos brother kissing Khushiji.
"I need to see Babuji..." Khushi whispered.
"Take Payal and go home. Let Mohan drive you. Send him back once you reach Buaji's house. I will come and get you when the meeting with Mr. Roy is over." Arnav spoke in to Khushi's ear.
She nodded.
"Inform your Amma & Buaji about this. They don't know yet." Arnav told her.
"This is what Babuji wanted to tell you the last time we were there." Khushi realised.
"Yes. He too has filed a case against Shyam." Arnav said. He threw his arm around Khushi's shoulders and hugged her. "Call me when you get home, Khushi." he added, whispering against Khushi's hair.
Khushi nodded.
Arnav's meeting with Mr. Roy ran late. Very late.
Akash said, "Bhai, shall I get Payal & Khushiji from Buaji's house? It is getting very late."
Arnav looked at the clock and nodded.
Akash's phone rang. Arnav had switched off his phone after receiving Khushi's call that she had reached Laxmi Nagar safely. He hated to be disturbed by the phone when he was in a discussion.
"Haan, Payal?" Akash spoke in to the phone. "I will come now to get both of you..."
Arnav looked at him, all his attention on the call.
"Oh..." Akash sounded disappointed, but resigned. "You want to stay there tonight...?"
Arnav paled.
Payal spoke for a few seconds. And then Akash said, "I understand. It is OK, Payal. Stay there tonight."
Arnav switched on his phone. There were 3 calls from Khushi. He called her, excusing himself to Mr. Roy.
"Arnavji..."
"Khushi..."
"I would like to stay here tonight. Woh kya he, Amma and Buaji are very upset. They have been crying over Babuji from noon, blaming themselves for having trusted his care to Shyam when they needed to go out to meet the doctor or get provisions..."
What could Arnav say?
"I... I will come to get you in the morning..." Arnav said, feeling his heart sink.
"We can come by rickshaw..." Khushi offered. "You need not..."
"I will come to get you in the morning, Khushi." Arnav stated, his tone making it clear that he would brook no argument.
Arnav paced the length & breadth of his room after a late dinner. The room felt empty without Khushi. He rubbed the back of his neck, and looked at the laptop waiting for him on its table at the foot of his recliner. He had a lot of work to finish, but...
Laxmi wandered down the corridor to his room, and peeked inside.
Arnav looked at her. "Come in." he invited.
Laxmi took a step inside and looked around. Khushi, who could be depended on for treats and intelligent conversation, was nowhere to be seen.
She stepped back slowly on her four legs, turned, and left the room.
Arnav stared at her retreating figure, helpless, alone...
He looked at the clock. Twelve. Only 6 more days. Just 6 more days to win Khushi over, to convince her to give him a second chance, to keep her with him till the end of time...
Arnav rubbed his chest, feeling an unusual tightness there.
He walked to and fro, devising many ways and means to keep Khushi with him. He looked at the bed, all neat and tidy. He was tired, but he did not want to sleep without Khushi. He continued to walk around the room, his brain working furiously.
He walked to the window, and looked out at the pool and his sleeping plants. A gentle, cool breeze played with the curtains and blew it against his face. Arnav shut his eyes, feeling the soft touch.
Images rushed in to his mind. Sharing a bed with Khushi on New Year's Eve, Khushi dancing on Desi Girl, Khushi in his arms, as supple as a reed as they danced to Teri Meri... the song had never appealed to him before he had danced to it with her, saving her from sure defeat and public humiliation...
The mehendi function... He had returned her earring, taking immense pleasure from her nervousness at his nearness... The mehendi lady had written 'A' in her mehendi by mistake, and he had caught her out...
The kiss he had stolen by the pool... A smile teased his lips.
She had met his challenge and kissed him the next day...
She had taken the sari of his choice, and had smiled at him, turning back to look at him. The terror he had experienced when he had thought her to be in the ambulance! NK had escaped being torn in to pieces by the skin of his teeth!
Her child-like joy in the chudi he had bought for her...
Arnav smiled, clutching the curtain. Going to Buaji's house with Payal's joda just to see Khushi... helping her serve food...
His smile widened. And the blush on her face and the bashfulness in her eyes as they had struggled to meet his when the Guptas had arrived for the wedding!
The haq with which he had demanded to talk to her, her hesitant "Kiss bare mein?" and his authoritative, "Bas baat karni he!", the way in which he had crowded her against the mirror and played a trick on her with her bindi...
Arnav swallowed hard.
What if Shyam had not written that message on the mirror? What if Khushi had not gone to the terace? What if Arnav had got a chance to talk to Khushi? What would he have done?, he asked himself.
Arnav looked at the pool. He would have completed what he had left hanging on Diwali night. He would have kissed her tenderly, then hard, then slowly, then demandingly, then...
And he would have told her that he loved her, that she mattered to him, told her farak kyon padta he, asked her to marry him... She would have agreed. Both families would have been delighted. And on the 15th of August, both Payal & Akash and he & Khushi would have been celebrating 6 months of wedded bliss. But when had happiness come easily to a Raizada?
Arnav sighed, letting his lashes fall.
Khushi looked at her Jiji.
"It feels strange, doesn't it, Khushi? To be sleeping in this bed, together, after so many months?" Payal smiled shyly.
Khushi tried to smile. Soon she would be sleeping here permanently, alone. Provided Buaji did not kick her out when the contract marriage ended.
"Tumein pata he, Khushi, I was so worried for you. I wondered how you would sleep alone, without me, after I got married. Anyway, you did not have to spend even a night alone. Arnavji saw to that..." Payal giggled.
Khushi turned her head away. Payal thought that Khushi was feeling shy.
"Khushi, tumhein yaad he, we spoke often about marrying brothers so that we could be together all our lives. Did you ever think it would happen like this?" Payal asked, her face tinged red.
"No, Jiji, I never thought it would happen like this." Khushi sighed.
"It is all because of Arnavji." Payal admitted, grateful to him from the bottom of her heart. "Who else will permit his brother to marry from a poor family like ours?"
"Yes, Jiji, it is all because of Arnavji." Khushi agreed, but Payal had no idea what Khushi was blaming Arnavji for.
Payal finally fell asleep. Khushi got up and walked to the window of her room. She looked up at the moon and the stars shining against the backdrop of the dark sky. Her eyes filled with tears.
Just six more days. After that, Khushi Kumari Gupta would be walking out of RM.
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