Khushi made an irritated sound in her sleep and turned away from the hand that was shaking her shoulder. It shook her again.
"Khushi! Wake up!" a voice said. She slapped the hand away.
"Let me sleep!" she moaned. But the person continued to shake her.
"Get up, sleepyhead! I've got something for you! Wake UP, khushi!"
Irritated beyond words, khushi snapped her eyes open and sat up. "WHAT?!?"she shouted at the intruder. It was Shaan, looking both guilty and amused at the same time.
"Sorry i had to wake you up like that, Khushi. But there's something you need to see. Come with me". He helped her up and grinned mischievously at her.
"Shaan? What are you up to?" she asked him.
"Just follow me, will you?" he said and motioned her to come along. Well, his naughty mood was infectious and she found herself tiptoeing out of the room, behind him. Silently, he led her to the guest room, where he was staying.
"Sit", he told her. Khushi complied, looking around curiously all the while. She knew he had planned something because she'd recognized his look. It was one of her trademark ones as well.. the 'I solemnly swear that i'm up to no good, at the moment' look. She remembered the times in her childhood, when Shaan and her used to drive the adults crazy with their naughty pranks and never ending jokes. She'd felt so lonely after Shaan had left for America, post schooling. She'd lost a great friend then.
"Here! Open it!" Shaan's excited voice brought her back to the present. She looked up and saw him holding a small, wrapped box. She took it.
"What is it?" she asked, puzzled.
"Just open it. I brought you a little something. Look closely. That thing's quite small". Khushi unwrapped the packet carefully, trying to guess what he might possibly have got for her. It was a small, wooden box with a red bow on top. She leaned in, as shaan had asked her to, and opened the lid gently.
"OWW!" she screamed, and jumped back, as a gloved hand sprang forward from the box and hit her squarely in the face. Shaan burst out laughing.
"HA HA HA HA! Oh my god, you should have SEEN your face, Khushi!" he cried, and fell onto the floor, clutching his sides as he laughed "Priceless!"
Khushi chucked the box at him, which he neatly dodged, amidst his fit of laughter, and glared at him. But she soon joined in as she saw the funny side of the situation, and soon they were both holding on to each other, laughing their hearts out.
"Thank you, Shaan" she told him, once they'd calmed down "this made my day"
"Anytime, Khushi!" he replied, bumping her on the shoulder with his fist. "From the moment I entered, I knew you were not your usual self. We might not have met for a few years, but you are still my best friend, aren't you? I just HAVE to cheer you up whenever you're gloomy, and you know that. So I came up with a brilliant plan. 'Use the oldest trick in the book'- the glove with the spring. It always works!"
Khushi smiled at him warmly, not knowing how to thank him enough. "You remember the time when we'd exchanged Buaji's clothes with Bauji's, in the bathroom, before she was supposed to go take a bath?"
Shaan laughed as he recollected the memory. "Yeah. Buaji stood in the bathroom for almost an hour, wondering why the kurta wouldn't fit her, before she realized that it wasn't hers in the first place!"
"She'd threatened to lock us up in our respective rooms and never to let us meet again"
"Terrified, we'd hidden in the store room for hours, fearing that she would take us away if she found us"
Both smiled at each other, reliving all the good times, when they'd been inseparable. Khushi had grown close to Tanya only after Shaan had left. but before that, he'd been her best buddy, almost like a big brother who was always there to stand up for her and protect her.
"I've missed you, big guy" she told him "and i've missed our life in Lucknow. If only-"
"KHUSHI!" came an almost deafening roar, from outside the room. Almost immediately, the door flung open and a visibly enraged Arnav Singh Raizada stormed in.
"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" he screamed, as he took in Shaan sitting on the floor with his wife, holding her hand. He strode forward, snatched her hand away, and pulled her up, in a way which was almost brutal.
"Arnavji-" she began to protest, but he was not in a mood to listen to her.
"What are you doing here? When did you wake up? I was gone for FIVE minutes and what do I see when I return? Bed empty, no sight of you and no one knows where you are! And all the while, you're sitting here, chatting away, hand-in-hand-"
"Arnavji, let go! You're hurting me!"
"Hey, man" shaan cut in, placing a hand on Arnav's shoulder. Arnav looked at him murderously. "Calm down. She didn't come here by herself. I brought her here. So just relax, okay?"
It was now Shaan's turn to face Arnav's wrath. "What?!" he spat out "you woke her up, even after knowing how unwell she is? She needs to REST, get it? tum dost ho na uske? Uski fikar nahi hai tumhe?"
"Arnavji, please! Stop it! I'm fine. There is no need for you to-"
"ENOUGH!" bellowed Arnav. He turned to Khushi. "You are coming with me, right now. NO arguments, get it?" he grabbed her hand and stormed out of the room, as Khushi threw a helpless glance at Shaan over her shoulder.
******
Dinner was an awkward affair, as everybody had heard what had happened in Shaan's room. Arnav sat at the far end of the table and had made Khushi sit with him, away from the others, especially Shaan. He'd almost had a heart attack when he'd found the bed empty, on his return from the kitchen. His worse fears had surfaced when he found Khushi sitting with Shaan in his room, with the door closed. He knew he had over reacted. But then, he always lost his ability to think straight when he was angry. So he had practically dragged Khushi to the dining hall, ignoring the looks of disapproval everyone kept throwing at him.
Anjali looked from her brother, to Khushi and then to Shaan who was sitting beside her, eating his food quietly. She cleared her throat loudly.
"So, Shaan ji. Tell us more about your work. What do you do?"
Shaan looked at her quizzically and then realized what she was trying to do. He gave her a lopsided half-smile as he began to tell her about his work, his interests and his life in America. As he spoke, Anjali found her self growing more and more fascinated by his words, his experiences and his knowledge. Shaan had managed to keep himself well informed about everything that was happening around the world and could talk to anybody about almost anything. The others gradually left the table, as they continued to talk, glad to see Anjali actually participating in any sort of a discussion. They didn't want to interfere.
Shaan actually liked talking to this woman. She might be saree clad, decked up in jewellery and make up, but she was different than those typical indian ladies, who sit at home and gossip. Anjali was an exception. From what he saw and heard, she was an avid reader and her interests ranged from reading books, to watching documentaries and taking care of sick and abandoned animals. In fact, she even told him about the hospital she'd opened for animals which were found wounded and helpless on the Delhi streets. She was indeed, very impressive. It was almost eleven when they decided to call it a night.
"It was wonderful talking to you, Anjali ji" Shaan told her. He held out his hand;. Anjali took it and sook it promptly.
"You too, Shaan ji. Bohot dino baad itni khulke baat ki hai maine kisi se"
"Anytime. And please call me Shaan" he said, as they began walking upstairs. Suddenly, Shaan tripped and Anjali bumped into him, thus making her phone slip out of her hand and fall. Their heads banged together as both of them bent to pick it up at the same time.
"Ow" Anjali muttered, rubbing her forehead. She saw Shaan doing the same and smiled.
"Aren't you going to bang our heads together again?" he asked her.
"What?"
"Well, Khushi says you should always touch your foreheads against each other, for the second time. Else you may grow horns. Haven't you heard of that?"
Anjali looked away, embarassed. "Well, yes" she said "of course I've heard of it. But I didn't think you'd actually believe in that stuff".
Shaan let out a chuckle. "I believe what Khushi says". He took a step towards Anjali and took her head in his hands. He then leaned forward and gently butted his forehead against hers.
"There.We won't have to worry about horns anymore" he said, smiling down at her. She smiled back. He realised he was still holding her and immediately let go, stepping as far away as he could, from her, without making it too obvious.
"So... Good night, then" he told her, and began walking towards his room.
"Yeah, good night" she called back.
Unknown to them, a figure stood in the shadows, as a witness to their moment, her brain working at the speed of light.
"Khushi Kumari Gupta" she whispered to herself, "its time for you to get back into action. You just found the perfect woman for your best friend!"
Don't forget to drop your comments!!! i enjoy reading each and every one of them... and mould the story the way you guys want it to be...stay tuned for the next part!! until next time then!!!!
Anupamaa
CID
708