Ch 8 Updated Page 18! Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi--Arhi FF - Page 3

Arnav had finished buttoning up his coat when he heard the water turn off. He went downstairs, trying to avoid Khushi. Khushi dressed herself in a simple red saree, adorning herself with a few bangles (not too many, I'm going for the simple look), jhumka style earrings, bindhi, her mangalsutra, and sindoor. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She had waited her whole life to be dress this way, to wear a mangalsutra and sindoor. She finally had it, but it didn't feel like it she dreamt it would. Her smile faded as she remember who her husband was. She headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"Good morning Nani. Good morning Di," said Khushi with a smile.

"Areh! Khushi bitiya! Acha hua ke aap aagayi. Aap jante ho aaj aap ko kya karna hai?" said Nani.

"Ji nani, aaj humari pehli rasoi hai," replied Khushi.

"Tikh hai. Toh aap Chotey ke maan pasand kaana banaye. Hum bahar intezaar karte hain."

"It's a good thing I had to train Lavanya! Otherwise how would I have known what that Laad Governer's favorite food is! Chal Khushi! Start cooking…" Khushi said to herself.

After an hour, Khushi placed the food on the table and began to set the plates.

"Nani, the food is ready. Aap sab aajaye," said Khushi while placing the silverware. Luckily, she had the advantage of knowing her sasural inside and out before she was even married. Nani placed herself at head of the table, with Mama on one side, and Akash on one side, and Arnav on the other. Mami sat next to Akash and Mama beside him. Khushi stood behind nani's chair waiting for everyone to be seated so she could start serving. Anjali came and took the second seat down from Arnav's leaving a seat in between the siblings. "Di, why are you sitting there? Have you forgotten you seat?" asked a confused Arnav.

His cheeky sister replied, "Nope! I haven't forgotten anything, but it seems that you have forgotten that you are married now. You have a wife now, and as your wife, it is Khushi's right to that seat? Right?"

Arnav knew he couldn't argue with her so he turned forward and kept his gaze down. He hadn't even noticed Khushi in the midst of his frustration.

"Lijiye nani." Khushi began to serve

"Ek minute! Jiske liye yeh kaana banaya hai, usko toh pehle kilaye." Nani gestured Khushi towards Arnav. Khushi carefully placed helpings of each dish onto Arnav's plate while in an attempt to avoid meeting his eyes. Everyone around the table looked anxious to hear Arnav's reaction, but no one was more nervous than Khushi. "Hai Devi Maiyya. Please! Aap aisa kijiye ki usse kaana pasand aaye…verna hum toh gaye kam se!" thought Khushi while gripping her pallu nervously. "Ji, voh, khaana try kijiye," she said to Arnav, still avoiding his eyes.

"Khushi, humare ghar ek parampara hai pehli rasoi ke din, patni apni pati ko apni hatoon se kilati hain. Chaliye, Chotey ko khilaye," Anjali encouraged Khushi to feed Arnav.

"Khilaiye na Khushi bitiyan," added Nani.

"Hello hi bye bye. Humare paas all day nahi hai! Samji pati saree! Jaldi kar!" Mami was growing impatient.

Slowly, Khushi took one of the pakoras from Arnav's plate and brought it to his mouth. Finally, there eyes met. Arnav could tell she was nervous but his eyes told her to go along with it, to give in. And she did. As he took a bite of the pakora Khushi's fingers brushed against his soft lips, causing her blush even more than before. "Kaisa hai Chotey?" enquired Anjali. There was a silence and then he spoke, "Bauhat ache banaya hai." At this, Khushi's lips curved into a small smile as she finished serving food to the other family members. Khushi took her seat next to Arnav and felt slightly nervous at the proximity. Akash commented, "Bhabi! Saach mein khaana itna laziz hain ki kya kahoon!"

"Haan Khushi, itna swadish khaana! Vah!" Anjali continued to praise Khushi's cooking.

Even Mami couldn't find a single bad thing to say about the food. Mama gave a smile and an approving nod at Khushi.

As lunch was coming to an end, Nani began speaking, "Khushi bitiyan, aap ki pehli rasio mein aap safal hui, is liye mubarak. Jai Prakash! Voh zaara packet le aaye." Jai prakash delivered a flat red box to Nani. "Khushi, yeh lijiye. Aap ki pehli rasoi ki liye thofa. Kholiye."

"Nani, iss ki kya zaroorat thi. Hume saach mein kuch nahi chaye. Aap ko khaana acha laga, yeh hi mere liye khafi hain," refuted Khushi.

"Khushi, yeh iss ghar ka parampara hain. Kholiye," declared Nani.

Khushi adhered and opened the box. There, in the box, were two beautiful gold kangans adorned with countless diamonds. "Nani, thank you. Bauhat sundar hain." With that, Khushi bent down and touched Nani's feet as she was blessed by her grandmother-in-law. "Yeh kangana aap ki saasu maa ki the. Usne unki bahu ki liye rakha tha. Ab voh toh apni bahu ko dekh nahi payi, per hum jaante hain, agar voh aaj humare saath hoti na, tho usse bilkul tumhari jaise bahu chaha hoga. Yeh kangan tumhara saas ki pyaar aur aashidwad samaj ke hamesha apne haathon pe rakna. Chotey, Khushi ko pehnavo."

Arnav took one of the kangans from the box and gently slid it onto Khushi's thin wrist. He did the same with the other, looking at her eyes. For the first time that day, he noticed her. He noticed how beautiful she looked in the red saree. He noticed how the mangalsutra he placed on her neck rested right above her heart, as if it was protecting her. He noticed the delicate smidge of sindoor she placed on her forehead, declaring that she was his. Only his. He tore his gaze from hers and looked down at her wrists. Never had he seen a more beautiful sight. The kangans were made for her. At that moment, Arnav knew deep down that his mother truly would have been proud to have a bahu like Khushi.