English Version
Part 3Closing up the kitchen and bidding a good night to the domestic help, Khushi headed upstairs, switching off the lights as she went. Her having offered to supervise the cleaning up, everyone else had already retired. As was her custom, she peeked into all the rooms, calling out cheerful 'good-nights' and when she reached Dhruv at the end of the circuit, she found him sitting back against the headboard, reading by the light of the bedside lamp.
"Good night, Dhruv", she called as she walked in. Looking up with a grin, he replied, "Good night, Bhabi... and my wishes to your commander too!"
"You young rascal! It is your life's mission, huh, to pull his leg? To your Bhaiyya's face and behind his back!"
Setting the book aside and stretching, he laughed, "Bhabi, we never had a chance of doing all this until you came into his life, our lives! But now, its just routine." Scrambling up to come near her and loop an affectionate arm around her shoulders, he continued, "Its after you came that we got Arnav Bhaiyya in place of ASR. Now, shouldn't I exploit that to the maximum?"
It was a familiar husky voice that replied, "Yeah, yeah, and who better than you!"
Looking around to see Arnav leaning against the doorway, his hands folded loosely against his chest, and a warm smile on his face, Khushi grinned back, "Now, don't drag me into this, is dhaaraavaahik mein humari koi yogdaan nahi hain."
"Ouch, Bhabi! You know it throws both of us when you bring out the heavy artillery, Bhabi! Bhaiyya, do you even understand what she's saying when she starts off in her heavy-duty Hindi?"
Chuckling at the light punch his wife threw at his baby brother, Arnav said, "Of course. Now I'm an expert in Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada's patented languages. You know, mumble, grumble, facial expressions, mime, shuddh Hindi, Lucknowi Hindi, and the multitude of pokes, pinches and pouts...", trailing of into laughter at his wife's indignant "Haww..." and Dhruv's delighted grin.
Marching up to her usband, she commanded, "Enough! You've had your fun, Bhaiyya and Dewar!" Turning to her chuckling brother-in-law, she narrowed her eyes, "And you! We'll see who comes running up time after time to get you out of bed!"
"Arre, Bhabi, what'll I do without you...", Dhruv called out at their retreating backs. Feeling his wife loosen up at his brother's words, knowing that she was putty in both their hands, Arnav tightened the arm he had across his waist, pulling her closer and grinning down at her scrunched up nose as she glanced up at him in mock-affront.
Walking over to their room, he let her free and went off for his bath, while Khushi started on her daily ritual of straightening up the room and laying out his clothes for the next day, along with making sure that his laptop and mobile were fully charged. By the time her husband emerged wet and dripping, and dragged her close to dry his hair as he sat on the futon leaning his head against her belly, Khushi had all but forgotten about being angry with him.
The usual update of the day's happenings in her life running its course as she finished off drying his hair, he leaned back to look up at her. The unguarded, vulnerable, loving face that he showed her and her alone in the privacy of their room, he asked, "Seeing how busy you are the whole day, do you even get a chance to think of me? Is that why I didn't get a single phone call from you today?"
Gathering that beloved face in her hands, she bent down to place a soft kiss on his forehead, "Do you think that's ever going to happen? That a single second passes by without me thinking of you?" Combing the damp hair back from his face, she continued, "I just didn't want to disturb you in the middle of all the training activity. Do you even know how difficult it is for me to stay away from you, stay home without even hearing your voice, the whole day?"
Pulling her down onto his lap, he nuzzled her hair, "Yes I do..."
***************
A long while later, as they lay together on the deck chair, gazing peacefully at the starry sky, on that surprisingly mild winter night, Khushi turned to her husband, "Arnavji, please give her one more chance..."
Cuddling her close, he looked down, ready to give the reasons for not giving the trainee a second chance, only to back down in the face of the open trust in his wife's face, trust in his goodness, and found himself saying, "Hmm..."
And miles away, the girl in question sobbed her way into an exhausted slumber.
***************
The next day, having been asked to wait outside by ASR's secretary, Dia sat in absolute terror, only to face a much calmer version of her boss once she was called in. Not even looking up at her, he said, "Ms. Doshi, you have one more chance to prove your worth to your Chairman. I'm willing to give you the benefit of doubt that what happened yesterday was a once-only mistake on your part. Now, mind you, this is the first time I'm giving an MT a second chance, so do not waste this special leniency you have got form me..." and continued on to describe the tasks he had lined up for her.
While he missed the series of emotions that flickered across her face, his ever loyal Aman did not. Seeing the look of abject fear turn into shock, joy and adoration as the words ASR uttered took a completely different meaning in the girl's mind, he sat back grimly. He needed to have a talk with her. Looking over at his boss, he decided against warning him that he had a besotted girl on his hands. Aman knew better than anyone that Arnav wouldn't stand the thought of another person invading in on his wife's territory. He would pack her off with nary a thought. No... he had to talk to the girl...
Author's Note:
So? :-)
Btw, I love the fact that you guys love my Dhruv so much! I do too... and there's no way that he's going to fall for someone like this... you just wait n see the story I have got for him... but is way down the line... :-PEdited by Appurs - 11 years ago
Shiv Shakti
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