Learning The Alphabet... Arshi Style! [COMPLETED] - Page 20

"Careful, Khushi!" he thundered, already recognising his wife.

Her eyes were sparkling and she held a large bowl of kheer in her hands. He felt himself frowning harder.

"Khushi? Phir se? Aaj subhe hi tumne kitne besan ke laddoo khaaye? Ab yeh kheer? Doctor ne kya kaha tha?" (Again? How many besan laddoos did you eat this morning? Now kheer? What had the doctor said?)

She smirked and pulled at his cheek. "Sugar-free hain, Arnavji!" (It's sugar-free, Arnavji!)

He narrowed his eyes. "Iss mein rice hai. It's-" (It has rice in it. ...)

"Achha baba!" Khushi rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Hum nahin kha sakte, aap thoda to kha sakte hain? Varna Di bura maan jaayeingi, na?" (Okay, fine! I cannot eat but you can at least have some? Else Di will feel bad, won't she?)

Arnav gave her a half-smile as she raised a spoonful to his lips. His hand hovered protectively against her bump. "How is she?" he demanded to know when he had swallowed.

She giggled and shook her head. He would ask her these questions about how she and the baby were feeling every five minutes, even if that meant leaving his first love, aka his laptop, to raid the whole house for her.

"Hum aur aapka beta dono theek hain." (Your son and I, both are fine.)

"Maine kaha hai, na, tumse? Beti hogi!" (I have told you, haven't I? It's a girl!)

She sighed again, keeping the bowl on the table near his laptop as she stood up with quite some difficulty.

Arnav's eyes narrowed. "Where are you going?"

"Ek ghante mein humaara appointment hai, na?" she smiled. (I have an appointment in an hour, right?)

***

Her hand tightened around his. This was the bit she loved most about visiting the doctor. Soon, faint but strong dhak-dhaks filled her ears like music. Only, this time, it was not really hers. It was that of the life inside her. It was her baby's. She felt him clutch as her tightly too as tears sprang to her eyes over again. She turned her head to look at him. Her Arnavji.

His eyes were glazed, overflowing with a mixture of pride and happiness, and he was smiling. That full-blown smile that always knocked her over. She did want a son, one exactly like him, but she also realised she was ardently wishing his wish came true... She wanted to do anything to keep this look on his face, she wanted him to smile like this when he would first hold their baby, and yes, coming to that. She knew it was the norm for the mother to be the first person to hold her child but she would give him this right.

He had changed himself so much for her. He loved her so much. He loved this baby so much. She could definitely sacrifice this little joy for him, couldn't she?

"Mr Raizada? Mrs Raizada?" the doctor's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you still sure you don't want to know the gender of your baby?"

Of course she wanted to know. Like any curious mother, she wanted to know. But she turned to him. She left the decision to him. And Arnav blinked his tears away, shaking his head.

"We are sure. We don't want to know," he replied, his gaze fixed on the screen where a barely discernible black-and-white image of the foetus. "We'll wait."

He pressed a kiss, prickly from his unshaved jaw, on the back of her hand, his eyes still on the screen. He wanted the surprise of knowing if he had a son or a daughter when his baby would be in his arms. He didn't really care if it was a boy or a girl. He just wanted a healthy baby, Khushi and his baby. And he wanted her to be fine too. That would be enough for him.

***

She was sitting on the edge of the pool, her feet and calves dangling in the water as she smiled goofily at her reflection. Khushi didn't even hear him coming in. It was only when he had sat down beside her, handing her the iron tablets that she looked up at him, her grin still there.

"What?" he chuckled. "Aise mujhe dekh kar hass kyun rahi ho?" (...Why are smiling like that?)

"Kyun? Usse pe bhi tax lagta hai kya?" she teased. Arnav rolled his eyes and she leaned into his side, laughing. "Hum bas soch rahe the." (Why? Is there some tax on that? I was just thinking.)

"To tum sochti bhi ho?" he countered naughtily, earning a smack on the chest but he pulled her even closer. (You think too?)

"Ab sirf do mahine baaaki hain." (We just have two months now.)

"Hmm... Usske baad..." (...After that...)

"Aapko Papa bulaane vala koyi aayega," Khushi whispered. He looked at her, an unknown pride suddenly filling him up. He nodded wordlessly and rested his cheek on the top of her head. Now that she had said it, he could actually imagine a little girl – who, curiously, looked exactly like the one-year old Khushi he had often seen in old photographs – peek at him from behind those curtains. At once, he felt even more protective of his wife and child. His arm went unconsciously around her waist and onto her large bump. (Someone who will call you Papa will arrive.)

"Arnavji, ek baat poochein? Aapko beti chaahiye, na?" (Arnavji, can I ask you something? You want a daughter right?)

He sighed heavily with a half-smile playing at his lips. "Doesn't matter, Khushi."

"Nahin, aap humaari baat to suniye! Agar humaari ek beti ho, to aap unse bohot pyaar kareinge na?" (No, you listen to me! If we have a girl, you'll love her a lot, right?)

Arnav pulled back to make her look at him. "Of course Khushi, main-"

"Aap suniye to! Achha, to aap voh bhi honge na... kya tha voh? Haan! Protective?" (Listen! So, you'll be that too... what was it? Yes!...)

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you want to say here? Beti hai meri, of course! Koyi bhi dad apni beti ke liye-" (... She's my daughter, Of course! Any father would-)

"Haan, haan! Theek hai, ab aage suniye!" she whined impatiently, making him raise an eyebrow. "Sochiye, humaari beti badi hogayi hai, aur kaam karne lagi hai-" (Yes, yes! That's okay, now listen! Just imagine that our daughter has grown up and has started working-)

"Why will she need to work-?"

"Shh!" his wife scowled at him. "Aap bas humaare savaalon ka javaab dijiye! Haan, to humaari beti kaam karne lagi hai aur usske boss bade khadoos hain. Hamesha usse daante rehte hain, usski beizzati karte hain, besharmi se pesh aate hai, humaari beti ka dil todte hain. To aap kya kareinge?" (... Just answer my questions. Yeah, so our daughter is working and her boss is very short-tempered. He is always scolding her, insulting her, behaving badly towards her, breaking her heart. Then what will you do?)

Khushi smiled naughtily. He didn't need to answer that, really, because his face, contorted with fury, was saying everything she wanted to know.

"What the-?" he gritted out, staring blindly at the water, while his muscles had coiled tight with outrage. "Usski itni himmat? Agar ek din meri beti se koyi ounchi avaaz mein baat karne ki koshish bhi kare to main usse nahin chhodounga! I'll kill the bas***d!" (... How dare he? If someone even thinks about doing that to my daughter, I won't leave him!...)

She laughed as he said exactly what she had wanted to hear. She rested her forehead on the curve of his shoulder, the giggles rippling uncontrollably through her body.

"What the-? Ab... Why are you laughing, dammit?" he snarled, turning on her.

But Khushi grinned up at him without getting scared and hugged his arm. "Arnavji, agar humaare Bauji ne bhi voh kiya hota jo abhi aapne kaha, to hum aaj yahaan nahin hote!" (Arnavji, had my father done what you want to do, we wouldn't be here today!)

Arnav blinked at her, suddenly realising she had set a trap for him and to his own surprise, he found himself smiling too.