He hugged her back and kissed her hair. "Only a fool would let you go Khushi... And Arnav Singh Raizada is no fool!"
"Says who!" Khushi muttered against his shoulder.
"What the-!" Arnav said, while Khushi chuckled and hugged him tighter.
Few moments later, Khushi blinked and realised that she was in the train and in the arms of Arnav. As if she had hair received an electric shock, she jerked and pushed him slightly. "What are you doing here? On a train?!"
"I am not going to let you leave!" Arnav said firmly.
Khushi sat down. "Why shouldn't I leave? Jiji is married and I have nothing left in Lucknow!" she said looking out of the window.
"What about your parents?" Arnav said, sitting next to her.
"They are old enough... They don't need me." she muttered, looking out.
"Your sister?" he asked, moving a bit closer to her.
"She doesn't need me anymore... She has got su-such a loving husband" her voice cracked, without looking away from the window.
He came a little more close to her. "What about Di? She will miss you, you know."
"Why does she need me when she has Shyamji and a brother like you..." She tilted her head so it rested on the rods of the window.
He moved closer and was few inches away from her. "What will you do in Lucknow?"
"I don't know... Maybe I will find someone who will love me and I will marry him" she said bitterly, oblivious to the decreasing distance between them.
The phone between them rang in 'Silent' mode, with the name 'Payal' flashing across the screen. Both were oblivious to it.
Arnav stiffened and shifted closer, and now only hair-width distance remained between them "What did you say?!" he said, in a low and deadly tone.
"I said I might get married-" she had turned around and was looking straight into Arnav's eyes. Startled by the proximity, she stuck herself to the back, muttering an 'Oh' as he came closer to her and finally not even air could fit between them.
And the poor phone, was not ringing anymore as its green button got pressed between the two. People waited with bated breath on the other side as the line finally got connected and they heard voices.
"Hello, Khushi?" Payal said, once again on speaker phone due to raising anxiety levels of the family members.
The Guptas had called the Raizadas, enquiring if Khushi was there, and that was when Payal told them that she ran away to Lucknow. Before they could panic, Anjali assured them that her Chhote had gone to get her back, and Buaji frowned at the way Anjali's voice seemed strangely dreamy and shrill at the words 'Get her back'.
And so, the Guptas had come over to Shantivan and were trying to connect to Khushi's phone and they had managed to do it. But all they heard was "Don't you dare say that again! You are mine. Samjhi tum?"
"Hai re Nandkisore! Ee ka!" Buaji exclaimed/
Anjali gasped. Had Chhote just said that! She asked Payal to disconnect the phone and to let them have their moment... But Akash was enjoying and asked her not to do it, as he had just found the perfect chance to pull his stiff older brother's legs. NK and Akash grinned at Payal while the Anjali gasped at his mischief and turned to look at her husband for help but was disappointed to find that he too was enjoying the drama...
"Nanav ki love story! Iss liye wo mujhe bhoosa kar raha tha!" NK said.
"Gussa NK Bhai" Anjali muttered.
"Yeah. Yeah. Same to same!"
Garima and Shashi exchanged a knowing smile. They had observed their daughter enough to realize that she had fallen in love with her Laad Governor.
"Hello Hi Bye Bye! Ee dono train ma romance karat hai ka?" Manorama exclaimed. "Aur Anjali bitiya, ee once in a bilu moon ka chance hai! Hamra Arnav bitua here jaisan bootiphul dialogues tale (tell) karat hai!"
"Shh!" Nani scolded, as everyone leaned to hear and Anjali decided that she might as well listen to the cheesy side of her brother when she got the chance
Meanwhile, in a train on its way to Lucknow...
Her eyes widened. "How dare you?! By what right are you claiming a middle-class, cheap girl to be yours!" she said furiously.'
Phatti Saree! Bhy shouting at our Arnav bitua hein?
"Oh no Khushiji! Nanav aapko bohot scold karega!"
Arnav closed his eyes, regretting for all that he had accused her of. "I am sorry Khushi... I never meant that!"
Khushi's eyes narrowed and pushed him away lightly. "You should go home... Your girlfriend is probably waiting"
Anjali grimaced at NK... She'd made the right guess!
NK looked sheepishly at Anjali.
She began to get up, but his hand shot out and gripped the window so she was trapped. She fell back against the berth and looked at him bewildered. "What are you-"
Arnav put his index finger against her lips, silencing her and her eyes went rapidly from his face to his finger, and her heart thudded excitedly. "I don't have a girlfriend!"
She spoke against his finger. "Fine, maybe your fiance then..."
"She means nothing to me!" Arnav replied.
"Oh you broke her heart again just like with Lavanyaji?" she asked him sceptically, and gently pushing his hand away from her mouth.
"No dammit! Just listen to me!" he said frustratedly.
"Okay, I am. Tell me." Khushi crossed her arms.
"I-I actually... Um. Khushi, Myra and me were just..." he stuttered.
Everyone was shocked. ASR was stuttering?! Apparently Khushi thought the same...
Khushi eyebrow quirked. "Arnav Singh Raizada is stuttering. This is going to be interesting."
"Khushi, don't make this difficult!" Arnav growled.
"I am waiting..." she told him.
"I was Just Trying To Make You Jealous!" He finished quickly and exhaled. Phew! He had said it. He looked up to see Khushi's face and saw he staring at him as if he had gone mental.
Everyone (except PaYash and ShyaLi) were shocked. They hadn't known about this..!
"Nanav! Ye tumhara plan tha? Naughty boy!"
"You were trying to make me JEALOUS?!" she asked incredulously.
Arnav nodded once.
"Why would you do that?!" she asked, the incredulity still audible in her tone.
"Because I..." he stopped and finally, he grabbed her hand and placed it over his heart.
The Raizadas waited with bated breath and wondered why there was pin drop silence... The youngsters exchanged a confused look and a moment later burst into chuckles and giggles, making their own conclusion that they were *ahem* kissing...
"Hein, bhy silence?"
"What Arnavji?" Khushi asked and he shushed her and asked her to listen.
Listen to what? The Raizadas and Guptas puzzled.
"Nanav gana payega kya?"
"Gayega...NK Bhai" Shyam corrected in a low voice.
Was he going to sing some song?! Anjali and Nani exchanged horrified looks. He was terrible at singing and would probably scare Khushiji away. Oh God, please don't get him to sing!
Khushi's eyes widened. "You too?" she whispered, as she felt his heart thud against her hand.
Bhaat eej happening! Ee log uke maind (mind) mein bolat hai ka!?
Arnav nodded. "Khushi... I feel as if the earth has slipped from under my feet when you walk away from me... I can't tolerate another man touching you... I see you in everything else... I love your colorful clothes and your nonstop chatter. Now, I don't know how I spend a day without your chatter... I love everything about you! I love you Khushi... I will die without you, and I realized that as soon as you walked out of my house today..."
"Hein, hamre Arnav bitua eej so romantic!" Manorama exclaimed.
"Bh-Bhai is so...so..." Akash stuttered.
"Romantic Akashji! You need to take lessons from him!"
Shyam was stunned to while Buaji shook her head at the 'modern generation' publicly declaring love in front of so many people, to which Shashi gently reminded her that neither of them knew that they had an audience, which in turn reminded Anjali to perform her sisterly duties. She felt that she'd had enough of Cheesy Chhote and if he said something so sweet again, she'd probably faint and end up getting diabetes due to excess sweetness from her diabetic brother.
Grimacing at the thought, she grabbed the phone and disconnected the call. "Leave them alone!"
"Garima Bitiya, we'll get the shagun ready!" Nani said.
Khushi stared wide-eyed at Arnav. "Wh-what?" she said, sure she was dreaming.
"I love you Khushi!" he said.
She grimaced and pushed him away. "Now I am SURE I was hallucinating. Go away!" she grimaced.
"What the! Khushi, I am here!" Arnav said, shaking her shoulder.
"No you are not. I am sleeping..." she muttered.
Arnav groaned in exasperation. "Fine. I am a dream... But what do you have to say to the fact that I love you!"
She huffed. Well, this was a dream afterall... She could safely tell the truth. "I love you too. Now let me sleep and be gone when I wake up!" she muttered.
Arnav's heart soared and deciding it was time to convince Khushi that he was real, he kissed her.
P.S- I had some problems while updating and it said 'Invalid words'... Does anyone know what that is supposed to mean?
Please help...
For now, Mishtee is gonna post on my behalf...!
