Posted:
PART 9
The menacing way in which she called out her name, "Khushi Kumari Gupta" made him shiver realizing some punishment awaited both of them, DAMMIT!
Khushi walked out of the kitchen, scared and face stuffed with Jalebi, oh she looked so cute, he thought, imagining himself himself wiping the sugar syrup that covered her delicious lips.
"Vo, Di..." he tried to interrupt whatever his Di was saying but he was silenced by a look. Well, i dug my own grave!
"Khushiji, what are you doing here at this time?" an accusing look on her face, something that did not go well with anjali's demeanor.
"Anjaliji, actually, vo, hum..." the extrovert Khushi had no excuse this time.
"Humme apse yeh umeed nahi thi Khushiji. Hamme lage tha ke aap Chote say syaada samajdar ho." anjali reprimanded her, shaking her head in disappointment.
" Di please..." he began but was cut off again.
"Anjaliji aisa mat kaheye please." Khushi pleaded a sadness in her voice and evidently displayed on her face.
Anjali looked first at her Chote and then at Khushi's depressed face and burst out into a fit of giggles.
Anjali walked down to have happy food to rid her of His annoying thoughts. Each year since their marriage she had gazed fondly at his face at the beginning of a new year hoping to spend her life with Him. But, today was a different story. As she walked towards the kitchen she met an agitated and over flustered Arnav. It waS like he had been caught cheating in an exam. Then... He handed her a jalebi, A JALEBI, Gosh, he confessed to her, Yipeee! And she was here... Well lets we, today is my lucky day, Who needs comfort food, I have the Arnav Singh Raizada at my mercy and she contemplated ways to tease him.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry... I could not help it. How many times can you find a reason to trouble the ASR." she said between her giggles.
"Di, what the..." a dumb struck expression on his face.
"Khushiji, sharmao mat, i know everything." Anjali said, a beautiful smile gracing her lips, a smile that was lost before as she hugged Khushi.
Arnav lovingly looked over the two women that has shaped his life and promised himself that never would they be hurt again, by him or anyone else.
"Chote, go and drop her home, quick."
As Khushi walked towards her home, she was pulled back by a hard hand griping her gently.
"What are you doing, it is getting late, i need to go home." She said trying to free herself from his grip.
"Sshh..." he said, placing a finger on her lips as he drew himself closer to her.
"Good night, Khushi" he said closing the gap between them, his lips moving towards hers. Her lips trembled under his gaze, they opened involuntarily trying to drag a ragged breath and her heart started behaving erratically as blood rushed to her head and cheeks. Her eyes closed involuntarily unable to stand his constant gaze as he steadily drew nearer.
*ring ring*
Damn this phone, he thought as he received the call,
"Yes"
"Sir, i had to remind you about the meeting tomorrow with the delegates from London." a scared Aman informed Arnav.
"At two in the morning, Aman seriously." Arnav said irritated.
"I am sorry sir but it was important as you have been postponing the meeting since a week and they are getting impatient."
"Fine, set the meeting for tomorrow 10 o clock i will be there." he said frustrated and disconnected the call.
Arnav sighed and turned towards Khushi to realize she had managed to free herself when he was on the phone.
Damn you, Aman, you always call at the wrong time.
"Good night, Arnavji." Khushi said with a shy smile on her lips and left but not without a backward glance and smile for Arnav, watching her.
As the morning sunshine crept into RM, even the sunshine was amazed to find The ASR asleep and smiling in his sleep.
"Chote, wake up, you will be late for office." an ecstatic Anjali said drawing the curtains aside to brighten the room.
"Di..." he complained.
Anjali sat on his bed caressing his hair,
"Chote, its already 8:30, you will be late for office." she said.
"Di, 5 minutes... Please." holding her hand and putting his head in her lap.
First "Please" and now this, well its a start, she thought, tears of happiness springing into her eyes, her old Chote was re emerging.
"Chote, Aman had called, he said you have a meeting at 10."
"Di remind me to throw that Aman out. He is too interfering, he needs to get a life." Arnav said opening his eyes to a bright morning.
As he returned from office after wrapping up the meeting and giving Aman a piece of his mind for interfering in his life, his fingers tapped on the steering wheel as he hummed a tune he faintly remembered from childhood, lost in Khushi's thoughts.
Arnav was lounging in the living room doing nothing in particular as everyone was busy talking. He saw a serious looking Akash enter and He felt a sudden urge to ask him, "why so serious son?" in a naughty way. Out of the blue a sudden memory from his childhood returned and he smiled deciding to try it again on an unsuspecting Akash.
"Akash ye tumhare pant pe kya laga hai?"
"kaha bhai?"
"piche... Waha kaise lag sakta hai kuch? What were you doing?" he asked him in a serious voice.
Anjali as if on queue realized what Arnav had in mind, joined him winking at Nani to make sure she did not spill the beans.
"Akash yeh kaise laga?" she asked in mocked seriousness trying to hold back a smile.
"what Di?" Akash asked trying to look at his behind and turning right and left. It felt like watching a mouse trying to catch its own tail.
When they could take it no longer and Akash was tired of trying to look, Arnav, Anjali and Nani burst out laughing making Akash blush like a bride.
Akash just shook his head in astonishment, "seriously bhai?" he questioned, "after all these years you still need to practice this on me! And Di you as well!"
"arre Akash bitwa don't be sad we were bored and you entered all serious so we..." Anjali did not continue the sentence out of breath with all the laughing.
Nani looked over at her three children happiness etched on her face.
CID
41