||~Something About You~||#10 *COMPLETED*

Sitting cuddled up in Arnav's arms after he had just declared his love for her, Khushi decided this had to be what satiation felt like. She was in paradise & she had someone to share it with. & that someone was the infamous, the notorious ASR! It didn't get any better than that for her!

Sometime later Khushi pulled back from Arnav's embrace & said softly that they should go back & join the wedding rituals taking place outside. Arnav hesitated as he thought about whether to ask her if she had something she'd like to say back to him, but then he decided against it. They all had to choose their own moments & no one else could decide it for them. So he just bundled Khushi up in his arms, & standing up with her cuddled in her arms, he pressed a kiss on her forehead & then let her down gently. Then he told her to go ahead & that he would follow her a little later. Khushi nodded, suddenly feeling very shy to even look at him for some weird reason, & then she went out of the Guesthouse in a half-walk, half-run with a sudden bounce in her steps. & it was actually a freaky irony, that the thing Arnav was thinking about right then back at the Guesthouse, she remembered as soon as she reached the Mandap. That in her elation, she had forgotten to say 'I love you' back to him.

As Khushi sat down gloomily in her place behind Buaji, she thought, in her defense, she had said 'I love you' back to him the minute he had said it, albeit silently in her mind. & she said 'I love you' to him in her mind so frequently these days, that she hadn't even noticed until she was climbing up the stage to the Mandap that she had actually said it silently again today! She shrugged & tried to concentrate on the weddings happening before her. The Pheras were done, & now the Panditjis were giving the brides & grooms Aashirvaad. After that the grooms put the vermillion on the brides' parting & tied the Mangalsutra around their necks. & then after some more Mantras, both the Panditjis together announced that the wedding rituals were completed, & the now the brides & grooms should stand up & take the blessings of their elders. As Payal-Akaash went to Shashi & Garima to take their blessing after taking Devyani & Manohar-Manorama's blessings, Khushi saw with a sudden overwhelming melancholy that, both her Amma-Babuji were crying, although Shashi was trying his best to blink away the moistures in his eyes. He wasn't very successful as Payal, after briefly hugging her mother & wiping her tears away, hugged her father, & then started crying in earnest.

Khushi sniffed loudly, & then suddenly halted when she saw a hand extend in front of her, coming out from her back with a white hanky on it. Khushi looked around at Arnav surprised, & then seeing his eyes twinkle with a teasing gleam, she looked ahead again & said fumblingly, "Wo.. Jiji.." Arnav came closer still to her, bumping her back with his chest, & said in a sudden gentle voice, "I know. Your sister is getting married. She's leaving you guys. & you're upset. Par Khushi, har baat pe rona jaroori hain kya?" ("But Khushi, is it necessary to cry at everything?") It was said with just a tiny little hint of teasing in his voice & Khushi ended up breaking in a giggle.

~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been an unspoken rule in the Gupta-Raizada double weddings that before the wedding, every preparation had taken place keeping the brides' wishes in mind, & then, after the weddings, every single thing had been scheduled as per the grooms' wishes. That's why it had been decided that neither of the couples would wait for any sort of reception & would leave straight away for their honeymoons, gifted to them courtesy of Arnav, as soon as they could, as both Rohan & Akaash had to get back to their works soon. Especially Rohan, who was employed in a bank & didn't own his own business, he could only take a week, mostly 10 days off for the honeymoon, as he had already been forced to take a leave from 1 week before the wedding. Hence the families had decided not to hassle the couples with an extra reception, & to throw them a party sometime later in the future. So, both the couples were set to leave for their honeymoon in Italy & France tomorrow night. As a result, the mingling at the dining area after the Pheras kind of became an impromptu reception for them.

Arnav was faced with a strange predicament while he stood at the side of the dining area, supposedly put there by his Mamaji to supervise the servers & waiters. Khushi, much to his annoyance, motivated by her over-enthusiasm, was serving food to Gupta family's close relatives around 2-3 tables. She was running like a butterfly from the tables to the back makeshift kitchen, laughing & joking with anyone & everyone in between. The problem was, suddenly a flock of good-looking, but obviously good-for-nothing boys, & Arnav refused to dignify them by calling them 'men' even mentally, had started circling her like sharks! Some were relatives, some Chankyapuri locals & some friends of either Akaash or Payal. They were being overly courteous to her, helping her carry bowls of Daal or Puris, where no help were needed, & one of them even carried the end of Khushi's Dupatta for sometime on the pretext that it was going to fall into a bowl of Daal when she was serving earlier & it could get ruined if not for his careful intervention! Arnav was minutes away from going & stage an intervention of his own, when Rohan came & joined him.

Rohan took one look at Arnav's face & said amusedly, "Why are you looking like someone punched you right in your guts?" Then when instead of answering, Arnav remained gloomily silent, he added reassuringly, "Arnav! Anjali is only moving to Nikunja from Shantivan! & even our new house is 5 minutes away by car! & I promise, I'll always take as good care of Anjali as I have been doing for the last 9-10 years!" Arnav sighed defeatedly as he knew the last comment was a shot at him for leaving abruptly like that 10 ears ago, & then just because it was his best friend, he felt an overwhelming urge to confess what had been bothering him, & he said complainingly, but carefully keeping his personal feelings aside, "Look at that! How those rascals are revolving around your sister! What's wrong with boys these days?!" Rohan looked sideways at him at that, his eyes surprised, & then he said incredulously, "Exactly the same thing that was wrong with boys always! Boys that age go to weddings for only one reason.. Scout girls!! Have you forgotten how we crashed that industrialist's daughter's wedding in the Chanakyapuri community centre just days before you left for the US?!"

Arnav threw Rohan a look of pure dislike as he berated his best friend silently for his lack of brotherly outrage at boys ogling his 'Bachchi'! Then he said derisively, "Then I guess you'd be OK if those boys went & started scouting Di & Payal after sometime, huh?" Rohan snorted in an offhand way & said in a very confident tone, "They wouldn't dare! Not at their own wedding, & never in the future. They know those girls are taken!" Just then Arnav spotted a particularly stupid guy picking up a napkin Khushi had just dropped after wiping her cheek with it, & to his utter fury, that guy first sniffed the napkin & then very casually pocketed it! Arnav gritted his teeth, & then boiling silently, he unleashed all of his rage on his best friend, "Is it written over them, that they are taken? You are over here, & Akaash is not there too! & these guys are like vultures! I'd be very happy when someone will go & hit on Di & Payal! That'll teach you & Akaash not to invite boys in family functions ever again!"

This time Rohan turned fully towards Arnav, & said in an astonished voice, "What's gotten into you? Stop talking nonsense! So what if I am here? No one will ever hit on Anju! She wears the Mangalsutra given by me & her Sindoor with my name on it! That Mangalsutra & Sindoor always signifies to each & all that she's mine, even if I am there or not!" & suddenly, Arnav felt like the picture infront of his eyes was a lot clearer! He looked over at Khushi, glowingly beautiful, surrounded by admirers, & then he looked over at Anjali & Payal, both seated on throne like chairs over the small stage on the side of the gazebo, already done with eating after Garima & Manorama had fed them. They were treated with such reverence & respect, & whether or not their respective husbands of a couple of hours were present by their sides or not, everyone knew & respected the fact that they were taken & they were not to be disturbed with shows of their unashamed admiration. He himself remembered checking a woman's ring finger for a sign of her relationship status before deciding whether she was fit to be his flavor of the month or not. He suddenly began wishing he had the ring he had got for Khushi with him right at that instant, but as it was he had kept it on the top shelf of his cupboard that morning when he had sent the shoebox to Khushi via HP.

& Arnav was already feeling very caged & hassled, when to his disbelief he heard Rohan say something as if just to add salt to his injury, "But you know what? You're right, Arnav! I mean, boys will always flock around such a pretty girl as Bachchi, so we should do something about it pretty fast! As it is, we were thinking about doing something about her marriage before we had to move away from Nikunja.. that's only about 5 months from now! & since, now Bachchi knows everything about Massiji & her past, I think, now we'll be able to go ahead with her alliance talks with complete honesty & I guess, it won't be long before we'll find some decent, good-hearted boy who'll value Bachchi for all that she is, & not care about what happened in her childhood!" Arnav looked bewilderedly at his not-just-best-friend-but-also-only-brother-in-law, & debated whether to shout at him or just go away from there. There he was, complaining about guys flocking around Khushi, his Khushi, & then there Rohan was potentially marrying off Khushi, his Khushi, within the next 5 months!

In the end, feeling incredibly cornered, Arnav said the first idea that came into his mind so as to divert Rohan's mind from the topic of Khushi's impending wedding. "Well, you know.. I could talk to them about letting you guys stay on Nikunja for longer than the 5 months!" & he immediately prayed Rohan wouldn't hear the note of panic in his voice. But Rohan didn't look worried about any of it as he smoothly shook his head, & said gratefully, "No. Your friend.. Mr Saagar Ahluwalia.. he has done too much already! He has already paid more than the market price for the house & he let us stay on for 6 months. No, we wouldn't wanna impose on him! In any case, Babuji & Amma had talked to me about it before. We'll be actively looking for a groom now that we have me & Payal all sorted out!" & Arnav fisted his hands to contain his anger, as he was dangerously close to blowing his lid off. Fortunately for both of them, Anjali chose that moment to come over & as soon as she came, a look passed between the very new Mr & Mrs Rohan Gupta, & nodding slightly at Arnav, Rohan laughingly joked to Anajli, "You know what? I think your Chhote is reacting very badly to the thought of your impending Bidaai! He has been barking at me constantly since the last 2o minutes. Leash him, Anju!" & then he left to go towards where his family members had sat down to dine at last.

Anjali giggled more at her brother's threatening narrowed gaze that followed her husband than her husband's joke, & then linking an arm through Arnav's right one, she leaned sideways on him & started tentatively, "Chhote, I know you were only thinking about our happiness when you gifted Akaash & Me that honeymoon package.. But I am afraid, Rohan & I are gonna have to decline." Arnav turned towards Anjali surprised, Khushi momentarily gone from his mind, "But why Di?" Anjali turned towards him too, "You've gotta promise me that you aren't gonna start yelling & stomping your foot around, OK? Promise me, you won't try to change my mind! It's something I wanna do! & Rohan supports me.." Arnav stopped her exhaustedly, "Di, come to the point!" & Anjali blurted out hastily, "I wanna go to Sheeshmahal to have my honeymoon! I have talked to the staff there, they are expecting us! & Rohan doesn't have ay problems! & I wanna.. It's the house I was born & brought up in, Chhote! Now that I am finally happy in my life, I wanna be able to go back there without the past overwhelming me.. overpowering me!" Arnav looked intently at her, & he could see she had already made up her mind, so he sighed unhappily, & just murmured, "Whatever makes you happy."

~~~~~~~~

As Arnav looked on at Anjali & Payal excitedly standing up over the stage & all of Payal's friends, plus Samiya & Khushi assemble eagerly under the stage directly infront of the brides, he truly felt like he was watching a circus. & then they started shaking the long, messy bangles-with-chains things, which Khushi had called Kaleere, over the top of the girls' head, as the girls kept squealing animatedly. After much vigorous shaking, all of them shouted happily as Payal's Kaleeras broke off first, & they landed on two girls' heads, whose names Arnav gathered from all the shouting that issued, Kalyaani & Saiyyu. All of their friends looked very happy at this incidence & seemed to tease the girls, Kalyaani & Saiyyu, relentlessly with the implications. & then Anjali started shaking her Kaleeras more enthusiastically over Samiya & Khushi's heads, & they abruptly broke off. & to the mingling crowd's cheerful shouts, both of the broken pieces dropped over Khushi's head, & she gathered them down in her hands laughing good naturedly. & then Arnav understood what this circus meant, as he saw his Mamaji come forward & kiss Khushi's forehead while he said loudly, "So, it's all set then. Next we're partying in Khusi Bitiya's weeding, hain na?" & instantly Arnav remembered what Khushi had told him that day in the mall, "..Kaleere is tied to the bride's hand & she shakes it over the head of unmarried girls before her Bidaai & the girl on whose head it lands, is the girl most likely to be married next.."

& Arnav suddenly started feeling short of breath. Everyone & every damn thing had to be about Khushi's wedding today?? To whom?? He hadn't even thought that far.. He didn't know if he was ready to go in that zone yet! Marriage meant commitment.. Commitment meant promises.. Promises meant he could break them.. Like his father did! Wasn't love enough, that without even thinking about that everyone was after some legal words written on a certified paper? & just then the person of all of his thoughts & feelings appeared infront of him, "Arnavji! Did you see? The Kaleere fell on my head!" & she flashed a really bright smile at him before continuing, "Oh! Bhaabi is looking for you. It's time for Bidaai.. Oh, & you know what? I am so excited!.. I am going to Lucknow with Bhaiya-Bhaabi tomorrow!"

Arnav looked in a shocked silence at her after her last declaration. She wanted to go to Lucknow? The city he hated the most! & if she went with Rohan-Anjali, that meant she'd stay in Sheeshmahal.. the house where he lost everything he used to hold dear to himself. Everything! Suddenly a sense of foreboding spurted inside Arnav, as everything inside him just screamed, No, he couldn't let Khushi go there! He had to stop her. Arnav started gravely, "Khushi, ride with me on the way back-" But he had to break off as just then Shashi called out to Khushi from a few feet away, saying Payal's Bidaai was starting, & Khushi immediately turned to go, but before she went, she turned & said apologetically, "I can't, Arnavji. Jiji wants me to ride with her." & then she was gone. & as Arnav looked at her retreating back, an ominous apprehension that had nothing to do with his sisters Bidaai, & everything to do with Khushi, filled his heart completely.

He hadn't even crossed the threshold of his room when he started calling Khushi. When she didn't pick up his third call, as she was probably busy &, unlike him, actually enjoying the same rituals in her own home, he threw the phone off angrily over the bed & after pacing around the low table in front of the recliner in his room restlessly for 3-4 times, he wet out on the poolside, extremely agitated, & then thumped down on one of the recliners set by the pool. The fact that he didn't want Khushi to go anywhere near Sheeshmahal, was an understatement. Sheeshmahal. The whirlpool that had snatched every precious thing in his life from him. His Ma. His childhood. His innocence. His Di's happiness. He remembered when Akaash had sent him pictures of the renovated Sheeshmahal to him after Arnav made him acquire it from his paternal uncle. The study, where he had once spent afternoons away, reading to his heart's content, when he had been 11-12 years old, had only reminded him of the ugly confrontation that he had accidentally come to witness between his parents that fateful night. The winding staircase that led to the attic, where he & Anjali used to store their treasures, had only reminded him of his mother's disappearing Saree pallu, & then a gunshot. & the garden, his beloved sanctuary, where he used to spend hours, caring for his plants, talking to them, had only reminded him of how his own Chacha had made both him & his vulnerable sister stand out there in the chilling rain, only hours after he had come back from cremating his parents, until Nani came to take them away.

Arnav suddenly sat bolt upright on the recliner from is relaxed posture. No! Nothing good had ever escaped unscathed from that place. & he wouldn't let his Khushi go over there. Never!