OS: Knot So Easy (Updated Pg 12) - Page 2

waiting for the next part .. can u please add me to our PM list?

WOW very nice!!

Oh my God, you people are so sweet. Thanks! Will surely continue 😊

GooD one...Plz Pm me..awaiting next part

yay khushi went out with nk!

Hey! This was awesome! Plz continue and pm me when u do..

Hey folks, thanks for all the kind words and liking what I have written. Here is the next part. It got so long that I am posting only the Khushi part now.

Chapter 2: Tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt you

Khushi

She put the packet away in her cupboard, she was going to see it later.

Now she focussed her attention back on the little boy, he was chewing his pencil like his life depended on it. Khushi smiled. She had been smiling a lot lately. Which if you thought about it, was surprising. But something had happened over the last few weeks that even her husband seemed nice. Okay, nice was generous, but surely tolerable. Yes, they had now become like one of those middle-aged couple, the kind that learns to live together not because, but inspite of each other.

Why did Arnavji suddenly transform from Mr Ogre to Mr Tolerable, she was unsure. Perhaps it was even part of some horrid strategy that he had, something that he would throw at her at the end of this six-months-marriage thing. But she wasn't going to think about it. The little boy who had chewed away half his pencil demanded her attention now.

"Barun, Pencil chabana bandh karo. Acidity ho jayegi," she sternly commanded.

Barun made bambi-eyes at her and said, "Didi, yeh problem solve hi nahin ho raha hain."

She sighed, what was it about deep brown eyes that made her dissolve into a puddle of mush. But she loved the fact that she was taking tuitions again. Thanks to Nanheji, her new BFF, who had made this suggestion.

Two weeks back when Khushi had proposed this during breakfast, Maamiji had made some snarky comment about how this tuition business was so unbecoming of a Raizada Bahu. Anjaliji, who was increasingly becoming colder and more distanced let out an audible sigh of disapproval. Naniji refused to even acknowledge that she had heard her. Jiji seemed terrified at the whole idea and Aakash as usual did the great silent act. Shyam looked like he wanted to say something, but wisely chose to shut up. And at the end of it all, her husband made a grunting sound. Turns out it was a grunt of approval and that was the end of the discussion. Khushi had offered him a half-smile and just when it looked like his eyes were about to crinkle Nanheji came and grabbed her hand to congratulate her, "Khushiji, kitna budiya idea hain," he said and winked at her. She winked back at him. The great ASR chose to storm out from the breakfast table. So ya, what was new, she thought.

Giving his blessings for tuition classes was just one of the many things that had changed over the last few days. There were new sleeping arrangements now. She had been upgraded from by the poolside to by his bedside indoors. At first she wanted to protest, her tiny rebellion, but frankly, she was exhausted. Plus, she really needed a good night's sleep. Arnavji and she kept out of each other's way. He woke up before her and went for his run. When he returned from his run, she would have taken a shower and left the room. He started working late and on the days he didn't, she had tuition classes. They seldom met and almost never spoke.

Until this morning that is.

It must have been around 4 in the morning when there was a knock on the door.

"Bhai, bhai. Khuhiji, Khushiji," Aakash's voice called out urgently. Immediately both of them woke up and Arnavji grabbed her, the pillows and sheets and threw her on the bed before he went to open the door. Before she could offer her protest, Aakash had come in and said, "Di ko kuch ho gaya hain, Bhai."

Arnavji looked like somebody had just slapped him and then started running towards Di's room. Aakash and she followed. Di was sitting on her bed, looking white, Shyamji firmly holding her hand.

"Rani Sahiba ne kuch bura sapna dekha shayad," Shyamji told everyone.

Arnavji looked livid. I mean how can his beloved sister have nightmares. He loved her so. He looked like he wanted to kill Shyamji. He had that same crazed look that he had when he almost killed those goondas who thought she was a runaway bride. Did he..? Does he..? Surely not, she was being fanciful now.

Anjaliji looked so pale that Khushi turned her attention back to her and swiftly took control of the situation.

"Nanheji, doctor ko bulakar layiye," she said.

"Jiji, towel aur ice lekar ayiye," she told her older sister.

These were the only two people on her side after all. She made Anjaliji sit up on the bed and wiped her brow and made soothing noises. Arnavji looked at her as if he wanted to read her soul and this made her so nervous that she began to ramble on. Suddenly she found that she was in the middle of narrating the story of Lord Ram's birth. Was it the divine intervention or the eventual arrival of the doctor, who pronounced that Anjaliji had a panic attack, she wasn't sure, but Anjaliji calmed down and was pronounced okay. Anjaliji offered her the first genuine smile since the disaster of her marriage. Khushi blinked back her tears and headed to her room.

She went to sit by the poolside wondering about why Anjaliji had a panic attack. Did Shyam do something. She scolded herself for being so preoccupied with her misery that she had forgotten about Anjaliji completely. In fact, she decided that from now on, she was going to protect her from that evil Shyam. Until this marriage ended that is. She closed her eyes at the thought and just then she knew, he was behind her, her husband. She got up and was about to walk past him, but those eyes ' so beautiful and vulnerable made her stop.

"Aap theekh tau hai," she asked.

He didn't respond. And for reasons unknown to her, she put her one hand on his cheek and another on his shoulder and repeated, "Arnavji, aap theekh tau hai."

Something changed in his eyes and he said, "Khushi". Just that, no more. She knew it was his thank you, sorry or something in between. He was reaching out to her, in the only way he knew how to. Oh, this stupid and maddening man. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked. I mean, he was probably always handsome, but this sudden realization made her heart beat louder and faster. He seemed as transfixed as she was and moved closer, like he wanted to hug her and then just like that something changed, as if her remembered something and he pushed her away.

"Today I am going to bathe first," he said and walked away.

She sighed.

Once her tuition student left, she opened the packet that Nanheji had given her. As she pulled out the papers, she had a smile on her face.

Part 3 on Page 8

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/54259179

Part 4 on Page 12

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/54795192

I am unsure why the font size is so tiny. It won't change. Sorry about that, folks.

Interesting story. Very well written...continue soon :) :) :)