Khushi cut the call immediately and felt terrible for lying to Payal, for Amma, Babuji and Buaji did not want her to go... But she had to. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to stay here. She grimaced thinking that she didn't have it in her to go through another phase of 'I hope tumhe koi farq nahi padtha's and getting pinned to walls...
She had gone home from the temple and begged to let her leave to Lucknow. They had said she couldn't go alone and when she had asked them to accompany her, they had refused, saying that they had nothing left there. They asked for a proper reason... But she couldn't bring herself to say it. She had had a hard time in admitting it to herself in the first place, and so verbalising her feelings were out of question.
She had been ready to confess to Arnav yesterday night, but what she had seen made her realize if he loved that Myra she was nobody to step in between.
She was alone at home, as her parents and Buaji left her, saying she needed to cool herself down. They had gone to the temple and Khushi had stayed back, saying that she had just been there. And on impulse, she had gone to the railway station and got herself a ticket to Lucknow. She would leave a letter to her parents, apologise profusely for her behaviour and let them know that she was in Gomti Sadan itself.
She wondered whether what she was doing was really worth it, but then again... nothing is worth it if it is killing you emotionally...
She needed to see Jiji once before leaving and tell HER the truth, at least about her love for Arnav... She knew (rather THOUGHT) she wouldn't have to face Arnav as he would have gone to office. She wouldn't tell anyone that she was leaving; she would act perfectly normal as if nothing had happened... For all she knew, they might call up Amma and Babuji. (Then why did she tell Payal, you may ask. Simple. Elder sister, confidante... You get the idea? But she didn't know it was on speaker hai na?)
*Let me remind you (again) that Khushi was an impulsive person. She would do things without thinking about its consequences ESPECIALLY before her marriage.
Payal stared at the phone that her sister had suddenly disconnected. She tried to call again and again, but it was switched off. She called home, but no one picked up either.
"What happened Payalji?" Anjali asked.
"The call is not getting through..."
That Arnav was shocked, would be an understatement. "Well, yes Jiji. I am tired of this unpredictable life in Delhi. I want to go back to Lucknow..."..."Jiji, let's not talk about that, hm? Fine, you want to know why I want to go back to Lucknow? I just want things to be the way they were before... Um, well you know...?"..."Jiji, they agreed."..."Today evening..."
"She's leaving? Just like that...? I don't understand... Buaji had assured me that Amma and Babuji would not let her go..."
Arnav looked up to see that Payal was muttering to herself. Everyone looked tense and even Mami was silent.
Khushi was leaving today evening... Leaving to Lucknow...Out of Delhi... Out of his life.
That thought jolted him back in action. He needed to know when she was leaving. He looked at Payal. "Payal, any idea what time she'd leave?"
Payal shook her head in negative. Arnav called up Aman. "Hello, Aman? SMS me the timings of all trains that will leave to Lucknow today evening. And no. I won't be coming to office today..."
When he disconnected the call, everyone was looking shocked at him. "What? Didn't I clear all your doubts few minutes back?" he asked exasperatedly.
"Y-You said you wouldn't go to office..." Anjali said.
Arnav rolled his eyes. "Obviously Di! It's not like I can sit in my office and plot how to stop Khushi..."
"How ARE you planning to stop her?" Akash asked curiously.
"Well, I don't know..." Arnav said annoyedly.
"What! But you just said-" Anjali started.
"Di, right now, all I can think about is to find out which train she will use to go to Lucknow."
"Then what?"
"I-I don't know dammit!"
Just then his phone beeped. He checked his message and was glad that Aman was such an efficient employee. He turned to Payal, who was looking at him suspiciously. "Alright! Yes, she left yesterday because of me cuz I tried to make her jealous, but it didn't work did it? Now please go through this list and point out which are the probable trains she'd take? Please?"
Payal hid a grin and looked at Arnav's phone and frowned. "There are two possibilities." she said, tapping her finger at two points on the screen. "ABC Railways at 1630 hours and XYZ Railways at 1800 hours."
"Well, in that case I am going to have to go to the station at five itself..." Arnav said.
"That is your plan?" Akash asked.
"Thats the best I can think of now! Do YOU have any better ideas?" Arnav growled.
"Well, you could wait till she cools down a bit and then-"
But Arnav cut him off. "Then she'd think I don't care at all!" Arnav said and was about to add something more when he saw the dreamy expression Di's face.
"Di?" he called.
Anjali was startled. "Huh?"
"What happened to you?" he asked curiously.
Anjali blushed slightly and smiled. "It is so... DDLJ type... My Chhote is Raj and my Chhote's Khushiji is his Simran!" she said, her voice taking on an extremely trance-like quality.
"DDLJ? What's that? And I am Arnav and not Raj! And now who is this Simran in between? Di, are you alright?" Arnav frowned.
"Bhai, does it matter?" Akash asked.
"No, no. Of course not." Arnav said.
And just then, the doorbell rang. "What now?" Arnav thought annoyedly. He stormed to the door in frustration and opened it, ready
to yell his head off at who it could be. He stopped short when he saw Khushi looking for something in her bag. Without looking up, she began to speak. "HPji, just one second haan? I needed to give you something..."
Arnav quirked an eyebrow, and crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe as she continued with her search. "I am sorry HPji! I think I forgot my wallet at home! I just wanted to pay you for all-" she stopped as she looked up atlast at Arnav.
He watched as she grew pale for a minute and then regained her composure. "Arey, A-Arnavji? Y-You didn't go to office?"
"No Khushi. And what do you-"
"Arey Jiji!" she cut him short as she saw Payal walk up behind Arnavji. She pushed her way past Arnav as he looked at her, surprised at her nonchalance. "Jiji, I have something very important to talk to you... About..." she trailed off as she saw all the Raizada members gather around the two of them. "Yes, I wanted to talk to you about, um... uh... How you... Er How you are liking your stay at Shantivan. Yes. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Jiji, how are you liking it here? Are you missing me? Of course you are missing me. That's why I wanted to talk to you..." she caught Payal's hand and took her to the kitchen.
"Khushi, if thats what you want to talk to Payal about, why not right here..." Arnav asked, looking smugly at Khushi.
"Wh-What. I mean, no. These are girl talks. You wouldn't understand. Chalo Jiji..."
With that, the two sisters disappeared. Arnav and the other Raizadas + One Jha looked at the retreating forms of the figures, and it didn't take them long to realize that Khushi thought they didn't know she was leaving.
Five minutes turned to ten, and then to fifteen. Now, it'd been half an hour since the sisters had left. Arnav went out to the poolside feeling utterly stupid. He walked around the pool, feeling low. That was when he heard voices... Looking around, he realised that it was from Akash and Payal's room. (IDK if any of you managed to figure out RM's altout, but I couldn't. So I am going to assume that all the couple's rooms looked in to the pool ;P )
"Khushi, I am not letting you do this! I knew you were lying!" Payal hissed.
Arnav leaned closer to the glass, not Caring that he was being unethical.
"Jiji please! I will apologise later! And yes. Yes I lied, or you would have stopped me!"
"There you go! I knew Amma and Babuji wouldn't let you go alone!"
And then Arnav understood... She had been planning on running away! Guilt ate him up as he realised the extent to which he hurt her.
"Jiji please..." Khushi plead.
"Khushi solving problems helps rather than running away from them!"
"WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW JIJI! You are married now! Do you know what it's like to have your hopes up and have them crash down again?!"
Arnav couldn't help but flinch at he unhidden hurt in her voice, as Diwali played itself in his mind.
"Khushi, that's not what I meant..."
"NO Jiji... I can't stick around to hear myself break because this time, I cannot be strong..." she whispered.
Arnav did not know whether to be sad because she was hurt or happy that it had always been 'farq padtha hai' for her as well...
"I am leaving Jiji. I will go from the poolside. Tell everyone that I got a important call so I left through the backdoor. And now that I am sure you will tell Amma and Babuji, I am going now itself. My luggage is packed and is with Happyji. Bye Jiji... When I am gone, do tell Anjaliji, Mamiji, Naniji, Shyamji and Nanheji that I said bye and that I hope to see them sometime in the future, because I don't think I will ever come back here..." Khushi said.
She put her hand on the handle when Payal said softly. "And what about Arnavji?"
Ignoring the question, Khushi stepped out of the pool and bumped into someone. "Yes Khushi... Payal is right. What about me...?"
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