-Silent Whisper-
Khushi's eyes wandered around the hall way, searching for a glimpse of the man, who was the reason of her erratic heartbeats. She had seen Aakash sneaking around, even NK had ended up fooling around with them, but Arnav was not to be seen. Her own words resounded in her head. She had told him that she prayed she didn't have to see him. Had he taken it to heart? Had she hurt him? 'No' she convinced herself, that Laad Governer didn't have such a soft heart to be hurt, rather he was the one who would hurt her time and again. But that wasn't the answer to her questions. Where was Arnavji?
She was tied, she couldn't even leave the hall room since her hands were occupied by the ladies applying mehendi on them.
She was unusually silent, not being a participant of the gossip around her. She chose to think about the one person who raided her mind and heart every moment these days. And unknowingly a smile crept up her face thinking about her 'Laad Governer' She remembered the day she had seen him laugh for the first time. His smile had made her want to smile, and it had made her feel a sense of calm nothing had ever made her feel alike. Even yesterday, even though he had been angry and charged for a fight, he had broken into peals of laughter seeing her performance.
'Was she actually the reason of his smile'? She had hardly ever seen him smile, and always wondered why he was so averse to being happy in his life. She had seen him angry, arrogant and as ferocious as a tiger most of the time, but yet somewhere she knew that this wasn't the real Arnav.
The real Arnav was who got worried to death if he didn't find his sister around him, he was the one who could do anything to bring happiness and security to her. The real Arnav was the man who could do anything to bring a smile on the face of a small child, even if it meant a ritual of freeing pigeons to ask for a wish, something which he didn't even believe in himself. The real Arnav was the one who had lend her a shoulder when she had thought her Babuji was dying. The real Arnav was the man who didn't believe her when she said his parents were looking down on her from abode, twinkling in the night sky like stars, but yet looked up in search for his mother, every night.
She was jerked out of the thoughts by a question," Aapke haath pe kaunsa akshar likhun Khushiji?"
"A" she whispered dreamily, unaware and unconscious of what she had uttered, her mind yet enveloped by the thoughts of her Arnavji. The ladies surrounding her had left once her mehendi had been applied. She smiled and looked at her hands adorned beautifully with the ritualistic green of the mehendi. But when her eyes wandered on the A printed on her hand, she gasped. When had this happened? Was she hallucinating, or was this for real?
She couldn't even recollect if it was she herself or anyone else who had asked for that letter to be written there. But even though she was alarmed, she felt elated on seeing the 'A' adorning her palm. It was as if it belonged there, and was cheerfully looking back at her on having got its rightful place.
She wondered if this was a sign. Her having seeing him first as the clock struck 12 at the onset of the year. Her coming around back to him, even if her mind kept telling her to run away, her ending up dancing with him, even when that wasn't planned to happen. And now, her hands were adorning the name of the man who had been swarming her thoughts even while she was trying to escape them. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to run away from his thoughts or him today.
Her words had completely defied what her heart wanted. She had this sudden urge to see him, she didn't want to listen to her mind which was stopping her, giving a thousand reasons not to, but her heart over powered that voice and she stood up.
"Kaha ja rahi ho Khushi?" she heard Payal exclaim.
"Hum abhi aaye Jiji," she spoke hastily, and ran towards the upper flower. She had searched for him everywhere… in his room, in his favorite garden, the terrace, but alas she hadn't found him anywhere. Tired and disappointed she started walking back towards the hall way when she knocked into someone. It was someone familiar, but the one she didn't want to be around even if she had to trade it with her own death.
She looked up to see Shyam slyly smiling at her. She instantly moved back but he seemed to be determined to not let her go away, and moved forward. She panicked, her heart pounding, but this time not with the known fizzy feeling, but an ugly thump. She scampered fearfully and ran back, as fast as she could. She entered the kitchen behind the hall way, knowing Shyam wouldn't come there.
She hurried to the cooler, wanting to have water, weary and sweating. But realized her hands were wet with the Mehendi on them. There was no one around, and she didn't have the courage to leave the safety and go out to face that snake Shyam.
She leaned against the kitchen shelf, trying to catch on her breath, when she felt a soft, caring touch on her shoulder, and she knew it was the man she had been looking for. She opened her eyes and looked into his brown orbs, which were a mirror to his concern for her. It was as if he had realized they were both endlessly staring at each other. He bought back the hard expression on his face, but couldn't help himself from worrying for her, as he saw the fear on her face and the beads of sweat on her face.
He saw her shying away from him, not looking back in his eyes. He went and filled a glass of cold water for her, went towards her and held it out to her. She looked up at him surprised, wondering how he knew what she needed the most.
She motioned her hands in front of him, he saw her mehendi filled hands and slightly smiled. She sighed, and started to move out of the kitchen, when she felt him holding her by her elbow. She twisted back to see him holding the glass of water to her lips. She was dazed by his gesture, and intoxicated by his closeness.
"Khushi.. paani?"
"Ar… Arnavji.. who.."
"Itna darr kyun rahi ho, paani hi pila raha hun, don't worry it's not poison," he smirked seeing her fearful expression, how he loved to annoy her.
"Pi lo Khushi, you look tired," he said, in a voice laden with concern, and Khushi was so enchanted by the softness of his voice, that she didn't realize when her parched lips parted herself and she stirred forward placing them on the glass, gulping down the water thirstily. She looked at him across the glass he was holding, and saw him smiling at her slightly all along.
"Tum theek ho?" he asked, when he saw her looking around warily. She nodded timidly and began to move out of the kitchen, when he called out to her," Khushi !"
She looked around questioningly, happy that he had stopped her, her heart wanting to be around him.
"Tumhari mehendi itni bhi buri nahi hai… especially the 'A'," he said ending with a wink, and smiling more prominently he left the kitchen, leaving her dazed for more than once in the same day.
She blushed, her own thoughts coming back to her, his silent concern for her, his worried eyes on seeing her tears, his lost look on seeing her dance, and his smile… his face that curved into a smile, only when she was around. A feeling surged into her, suddenly realizing why she was the reason of his rare smiles. Her mind yet battled to not believe what her heart was trying to say, mocking by saying, 'he hasn't said it yet.' But her heart overpowered her mind yet again, he may have never said those three words to her, but his every gesture told her want she wanted to hear, what she knew he wanted to say, even if he never would. She wouldn't ever admit herself, but she knew, she knew now, that they both may never give a voice to their words, but they had confessed their 'love'. Atleast he had today, and not only today, but every time he had smiled at her, it was his silent acceptance of her in his life, his silent whisper confessing, 'I love you.'
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