ArShi OS: Twenty Questions

Gomti Sadan was decorated with different varieties of flowers to welcome the evening that was to witness the wedding of the only daughter of the Guptas, Khushi Gupta. Khushi sat in her room dressed in her beautiful red bridal attire, gazing at her henneyed hands. Payal and Nishat had just finished her makeup and gone downstairs to wait for the arrival of the baarat. Khushi looked up at her reflection in the mirror. She could not relate to the girl who stared back at her. A year back she had stopped short of writing on a stamp paper that she would not get married, ever. Until a year back, she silenced with just an angry glare, her parents, friends and relatives at the mention of marriage. One year back, she was made to believe that she was no marriage material, until one day, he entered her life with questions and took her heart instead of answers. Her thoughts went back to the most significant evening of her life.

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Khushi surveyed the party hall for a fourth time to find if something would hold her interest. Payal was still engrossed in a good-for-nothing conversation with her fianc Akash Raizada. Some of her friends were on the reception stage with the bride Nishat and the others were either having dinner or flirting with some of their male colleagues. Khushi retracted herself from the party hall and found a quiet place near the fountain in the garden of the hotel.

Payal was Khushi's best friend and roommate and worked as a neurologist in the hospital where she worked as a pediatrician. Payal was engaged to Akash Raizada a month ago, to be married in a few months in Lucknow, both Payal and Akash's hometown. Nishat was a very close friend who was an ophthalmologist in the multi specialty hospital they worked. She got married to her childhood friend last week in her native place and the newly married have thrown a reception party to their friends and colleagues. Khushi has never had any interest in attending parties. When away from work she could be found with a big medical book or browsing medical journals looking into case studies and recent developments in pediatric medicine.

Khushi checked her wrist watch again. Half an hour left for the time Payal said she can leave.

"The weather is so pleasant today, isn't it?""

Khushi turned around to see if she was the one who was addressed, and the man who stood there with a smile on his face and style oozing out from his 6 foot form, confirmed that she, indeed, was. Khushi got up to leave the garden to join Payal in the party hall, not wanting to strike a conversation with the stranger, although, a corner of her mind was making an effort to recollect where she had seen him before.

"Hey! Hey! Be assured that I am no stalker or a serial killer, although I am not quite sure if you remember me, Payal bhabhi's doctor friend?"

Khushi stopped in her tracks.

"You are Akash's brother, aren't you?"

The man bowed his head and gestured her to take her seat in a nearby bench.

Khushi remembered seeing him once when he had come to the hospital to pick up Payal to visit his family for a Pooja when Akash was out of town for a meeting. She hadn't had a chance to be introduced to him as she was busy with a last minute appointment that evening and they had just waved from outside her room before leaving. Now she remembered that the incorrigible man had winked at her before turning away to escort his bhabhi out.

"What are you doing here?"

"Whatever Bhai is doing. Attending a colleague's wedding reception."

"What do you mean? I thought Akash was attending it as Payal's fianc?"

"And I thought you are bhabhi's best friend and the bride is your colleague"

"Excuse me?"

"Didn't you know that Anik is our head designer and it was during one of his shows that Payal bhabhi..."

"...met Akash when she accompanied Nishat. Yes, yes, now I remember."

"No offense meant, but for a doctor, you have a questionable memory." Arnav settled down beside her when she sat on the bench.

"I don't think I should be worried as long as I remember what is essential for being a doctor."

"Point taken. Didn't you find the party interesting?"

"Never have. Brooding, boring, doctor, thy second name?"

"Rubbish. However, it would be nice to know the first and the last name as well."

Khushi gave an insignificant smile, "Khushi Gupta"

"Arnav Singh Raizada."

"Mmm"

"I guess a, Nice to meet you' is in order Dr. Gupta"

"I don't believe in saying anything that I don't mean even if it is for manners."

"Aah! That hurts. What is your specialization?"

"What do you want Arnav?"

"I want to while away time till your friend is ready to let go of my bhai."

"Then you are definitely in the wrong place. I am not a very interesting company."

"Ms. Humility. Let me decide that. Hey why don't we play 20 questions? I will prove to you that you are not as boring as you claim yourself to be."

"What are we? School kids?"

"Oh its got nothing to do with age, and trust me, I have an excellent track record of making friends through 20 questions."

Khushi checked her watch again. Twenty more minutes. Arnav didn't seem to be a bad company. She sighed before signing him to go ahead.

"Great! First question, what is your specialization?" Arnav grinned mischievously and Khushi gracefully acknowledged his smart question.

"Pediatrics. What do you do in AR fashions?"

"I am the business head. Where did you do medicine?"

"Lucknow. MD in Delhi. Who are you attached to more, your bhai or Di?"

"Di. How many siblings do you have?"

"I am a single child. I really don't know what to ask."

"You can ask me anything. From my relationship status to girlfriends, anything."

Khushi laughed, "I am not going to give you the satisfaction of pulling my leg about my non-existent interest in your private life. What is your favorite cuisine?"

"Do you know that the best way to reach a man's heart is through his stomach? Just saying. I like Chinese and Mexican, although homemade Aloo Parantha is my favorite any day. I don't care about my leg being pulled. Are you in a relationship?"

Khushi gaped at him surprised by his quick witted approach before answering him, "I was. Not now. We broke up." Khushi's voice broke a little, but she collected herself quickly, but it didn't go unnoticed. She asked him, "What is your favorite pass time?"

"I watch cricket or football on TV. Nowadays, I spend most of my spare time with my one year old niece. What do you do in your free time?"

"I have very little free time and when I have, I like to read medical books. A book worm, in other words." Khushi smiled bitterly. "If not into family business, what would you have chosen as your profession?"

"Being a book worm is not everyone's cup of tea. My profession was a natural choice. This was what I grew up seeing. If I were not a Raizada, I may have forayed into acting. Why did you choose pediatrics?"

"I love kids. What? Tough to believe?" On seeing Arnav nodding his head in the negative, she continued, "Contrary to popular belief, I was quite a fun loving person as a child."

"Then what changed?"

"Actually, nothing. I became a silent person as I grew up. No specific reason. When I got into medicine, I couldn't find anything else as interesting."

"If you say so. Your turn next."

"Hmm. What's your favorite team in football?"

"If you mean club, then its Manchester United. If you are asking about countries, then its Argentina. What is your destressing mantra?"

"Destressing Mantra...Well, Swimming. What do you do to manage anger?"

"I seldom get angry. I just go on a long drive, when I do. Where do your parents live?"

"Lucknow. My father runs a chain of sweet shops there. What's your favorite sweet Arnav and why?"

"Jalebi, because its complicated, I like complicated things. What's yours and why?"

"Same answer as yours, may be because I am complicated. Can we make it 10 questions instead of 20?"

"I count that as a question. No we can't. Khushi, loosen yourself a bit, ask me anything. How old were you when you had your first crush?"

"18. My epidemiology professor. Who was your first girlfriend?"

"Although I had occasional flings when I was in Harvard, I got into a serious relationship with Lavanya, who was a model in AR until we broke up last year."

"What happened, if I may ask?"

"Of course. I have nothing to hide. She came clean about her intentions to have used me to scale the ladder in her profession. She suddenly realized that our interests weren't matching. For example, I am not a partying person, whereas she was. Later I found out that she started dating a producer's son in Bollywood with whom she is hoping to make her debut" Arnav remarked casually.

"Aren't you hurt?"

"What is there to be hurt when everything was a pretense in the first place? Yeah I felt like a fool, but it was a valuable experience. Life is too short to be spent in hurt and grief" Arnav added.

"I wish I could practice this advice." Khushi said with a hint of sadness.

"So my next question is, your ex-boyfriend was the one who told you that you are a boring, brooding, doctor, wasn't he?"

Khushi turned her head away and nodded in the affirmative. Arnav took her hands in his and said sincerely, "Let go, Khushi. That's the only way to heal your bruised heart."

"You are right. I am trying Arnav, I am throwing myself into work as much as possible to get over it."

"You are trying to escape Khushi, when you should be facing it. In fact you should consider yourself lucky to have found out that this wouldn't work before your relationship progressed to a stage of no return or worse no escape."

"What are you doing Arnav? I haven't opened up to anyone like this and that scares me. Anyway, should we continue this game?"

"I promise I will never misuse the information you have shared with me. Lets ask some light hearted questions. The game turned heavy duty too early than I expected. Your turn."

"Who is your favorite actor?"

"Amitabh Bacchan. What was your favorite cartoon show as a kid, Khushi?"

"Tom and Jerry. I don't think we had much choice, did we? What's your unforgettable childhood mischief?"

"Oh there are innumerable. What is your most cherished childhood memory?"

"My first Mela outing with my parents in Lucknow. What's yours?"

"My first soccer match in school. I didn't score any goal, but we had won the match. I remember dancing on our dining table." Arnav laughed. "Have you held interest in any extra-curricular activities?"

"I used to be in the school choir. But that was a passing interest. Are you into music?"

"I learnt to play guitar when I was asked to join my school's band, you know, I used to think the instrument helped to attract attention from the opposite gender."

"Then?"

"Then what? I realized it was useless."

"Then what was?"

"Me. Don't you think so?"

"Do you know the spelling for humility?" Arnav laughed openly at that making her see the truth in his statement. "Your turn Arnav. How many questions over?" she said in an attempt to mask her fluttering hormones at the handsome sight in front of her.

"Thirteen. Ranbir kapoor or Arjun kapoor?"

"Who are they? Anil Kapoor. Kajol or Priety Zinta?"

"Havent you seen films in the last decade or so? Neither. Parineeti chopra. Delhi or Lucknow?"

"Lucknow. India or USA?"

"Both. I feel like I am hosting koffee with Karan. Who was your inspiration to become a doctor?"

"My tenth grade science teacher. A date with your girlfriend or a dinner with your mom on your birthday?"

"Latter, hands down. Do you listen to music?"

"Old classics. Rafi and Latha Mangeshkar are my favorites. What about you?"

"Add Kishore Kumar and Asha too to the list. Have you ever regretted anything in life?"

"I regret not having learnt any form of classical music. What about you?"

"Khushi..."

Both of them turned to see Payal and Akash standing at the entrance of the garden. They rose from the bench as the other duo started approaching them. Arnav hurriedly took Khushi's hand in his and answered her question.

"I regret not having known you all these months I have known Payal Bhabhi. Now my question, will you meet me for coffee?"

Khushi looked at him disbelievingly for a moment. By then, Payal and Akash reached them and Payal exclaimed,

"Sorry Khushi! Were you bored?"

Khushi recovered remarkably and answered convincingly, "Not at all. Mr. Raizada here gave me company. I think we should leave now. Nice meeting you Arnav. This is my card. Ask your colleague to give me a call to fix up an appointment. I will be happy to meet her." Khushi said stressing on certain words meaningfully. Arnav smiled knowingly before shaking her hands politely for a good night. She left with Payal not before throwing him a backward glance as she crossed the garden entrance into the party hall.

Arnav had promptly called her to fix up an appointment' with her. His silly game was the seed for a relationship that had progressed over numerous coffees and dinner and most importantly their respect for each other's need for their space. Arnav never had problems in accommodating her busy life in his. With Payal's approaching wedding, her outing and going out of town increased over the next few months and that gave Arnav plenty of opportunities to spend time with Khushi in her apartment. Khushi spent her free time in the quiet company of Arnav who would often gather her close to him and watched his favorite sport on TV while Khushi sat with a case study or a medical journal in hand. The beauty of their contented life, that was practically lived together except when Payal came back to the apartment in the night, was embellished every now and then by kisses and hugs, but Arnav never gave her any chance to feel uncomfortable in their relationship by carefully guarding the line she had drawn between them. Neither talked about the future of their relationship nor each other's expectations and let things take a natural course. More importantly, Arnav healed her heart with his caring love, which he had confessed a few days before. She had reciprocated his feelings too. All was well until one day, during Payal and Akash's six month anniversary party, Nani and Di inadvertently entered Arnav's poolside to witness Arnav and Khushi in an embrace.

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The noise of opening of the door to her room brought Khushi out of her reverie. Without turning to see who it was, she stood up facing the mirror and giving herself a once over and asked, "Has the baarat arrived Payal?"

"Not yet"

The deep baritone made her jump and she turned around to see Arnav standing leaning on the door with his hands crossed over his chest.

"Arnav! What are you doing here? How did you get here? Didn't anyone see you? What were you thinking?"

Arnav swiftly reached her and silenced her by placing his finger on her lips.

"Sshhh. Don't panic. No one saw me coming here. All are busy downstairs waiting for the groom. I came through the rear window."

"Do you realize its time for the Muhurat? What is so urgent that couldn't wait until the wedding?"

"I can't allow you to get married without asking the one left out question."

"I don't understand."

"Twenty questions we played on our first meeting. Remember? I realized we asked only 19 questions."

"Tell me you are kidding."

"No I am very serious."

Khushi shot him an irritated glare and said, "This better be worth the delay Arnav."

Arnav took her left hand and slowly removed her engagement ring. Khushi tried to retract her hand but Arnav held it firmly.

"Not now Khushi. We were happy in our world until one day Di and Nani walked in on us and everything changed. I want to know if this is what you want. I want to know if you are happy. More than anything else, I want to know if you are marrying because you want to and not because you have to owing to the pressure of the elders. And above all, I want to you to get married after you have answered the twentieth question which I had imagined in so many ways to make it special for you but never got a chance to."

As Khushi watched on perplexed, Arnav went on his knee and held out a diamond ring from his pocket and asked her looking into her eyes,

"Dr. Khushi Gupta, will you marry me?"

Tears flowed without her permission as she threw herself around him as she mumbled, "You gave me a scare. You are so stupid Arnav. I am marrying you, aint I? What was the need to be so dramatic?"

"I was so upset with the way things proceeded after Nani took control of everything. And the wedding got fixed within such a short span of time and you were so busy to compensate for the leave that you are taking for the next one week. And with relatives and friends hovering over you and me all the time, I never got a chance to know how exactly you felt about getting married to me, not when I slipped the engagement ring in your hand and not during the series of rituals that took place after that. Dammit, I couldn't even give you a proper proposal. So allow me to ask you properly Khushi, will you marry me?"

"I will, I will, only if you go now, the baarat can't come in without you."

Arnav slipped the ring he had chosen for her, replacing the one Khushi had nodded her head to when Di had held it out to her for her opinion at the Jewelers'. He then kissed her thoroughly on her lips, which she returned with equal fervor. He then said, "Fix your make up Khushi, you have time until I join the baarat that is waiting outside your home."

When he turned to leave with a satisfactory smile on his lips, Khushi called out to him.

"Arnav! Wait. I didn't ask my twentieth question. Where are you taking me for the honeymoon?"

Arnav answered with a devilish smirk. "Does the place really matter Khushi? Keep guessing. You will know tonight." And with that he left.

Ten minutes later, Khushi entered the Mandap accompanied by Payal and Nishat and as she took her step towards a life changing event, she looked into a pair of warm eyes that promised unconditional love and companionship for the rest of her life.