The morning sunshine and the chirping of the birds forced Khushi to open her eyes, and the moment she did, she found herself in a strange place. A moment was all it took for her to remember that she was in her husband's room on his bed. However, the husband was missing. She got off the bed to see if he was at the pool side, and found it strange that he had gone somewhere this early. After knocking on the bathroom door thrice, and making sure he wasn't inside, she decided to have a bath. Picking up her clothes from the closet, she walked to the bathroom, and fifteen minutes later, she was out. She stood in front of the mirror as she wiped her wet hair with the baby pink turkey towel. She looked down at the table and saw the nuptial chain and the tiny box of vermillion. Picking up the chain in her hand, she touched the diamond pendant on it. Memories of Rishi began to flood her brain, but she refused to make herself weak. She knew she had to stay strong. She was not forced into this marriage. She willingly agreed to let go of her past and become a mother to Samrat. It was time to put her thoughts into reality. She hooked the chain round her neck and picked up the box of vermillion and applied a pinch of it in her parting of her hair. She stared at the reflection for a moment and sighed. "Welcome to the new phase of your life, Mrs. Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada" she said to herself and then went downstairs.
When Khushi went to the kitchen, she saw that Payal and Ratna were already in there. Ratna smiled at Khushi when she came into the room. "I'm sorry Aayi, I slept off. I wanted to wake up early, but then..." "It's okay, Khushi. It's your first day here. No one's going to punish you" Ratna chuckled and Khushi just smiled. Payal, who had just finished kneading the dough for chapattis, turned around and smiled at the two. "Anyway, work is almost done, Khushi. Just the chapattis to be rolled and fried. We can do that later. First, you need to make some sweet dish. After all, it's your first day in the kitchen!" Khushi nodded with a smile and recalled how she made halwa the first day when she was Rishi's newly-wedded bride. She had almost burnt it, yet poor Rishi ate it up because she had made it with a lot of love. "So, what are you making today?" Ratna asked, snapping Khushi out of her thoughts. "Make halwa. I love halwa" Payal said excitedly. "Actually..." Khushi spoke slowly, "I was thinking of making kheer. If that is okay?" Khushi did not want to start the day by remembering Rishi and the things she did for him. Somehow, the idea of serving her husband and his family with the dish that she had made for her ex-husband did not seem very good to her. Payal looked at Ratna, who nodded subtly. Payal smiled, "Oh yes, I love kheer too. In fact, I love any sweet!" Khushi smiled at her and proceeded to prepare kheer, while Payal helped her around.
It took her twenty minutes to get the sweet done, and Ratna and Payal appreciated as they tasted it. Khushi was just thankful she did not burn it. She was determined not to repeat mistakes from the past. "Khushi..." Ratna said to her, "It's almost eight o'clock. Please wake up Samrat? He's fast asleep in my room" Khushi nodded and Ratna watched her leaving the kitchen to wake the boy up. Payal placed her hand on Ratna's shoulder. "Aayi, are you going to talk to Arnav about shifting from the apartment and staying here?" Ratna sighed. "Arvind said he'll talk to him during breakfast. I hope Arnav agrees. If not, I will talk to him later, and make him understand" Payal just shook her head, and went ahead with rolling out chapattis which were to be fried.
Khushi entered the room and saw little Samrat fast asleep on the huge bed. He was lying on his tummy, and one of his leg was over the pillow that he was hugging by his side. She sat next to him and ran her fingers through his soft hair. She sighed when she saw him cuddling close to her. She wanted to just hug him tight, for he looked so cute while asleep. "Samrat?" she called out to him and he just stirred in his sleep. "Samrat? Get some baby?" She touched his cheek and he mumbled something after turning his head to the other side. "Samrat, wake up sweetheart? Won't you listen to Mommy?" she said, bending down and kissing his cheek. That seemed to do it because his eyes shot open and he sat up. For a minute, he was unable to believe that Miss Khushi was in front of him. "Miss Khushi?" he said, rubbing his eyes, confirming that she was really there. "Mommy!" she corrected him. He sheepishly grinned at her with his sleepy eyes and messy hair, and she thought he looked like the most adorable little kitten. Kitten! Her mind was threatening to bring back memories.
"Yes, Mommy!" Samrat said, drawing her attention, "I almost forgot you married Daddy yesterday" Suddenly his lips curled and he said, "I asked Daadi to let me sleep with you yesterday, but she did not let me." His face brightened up and he continued, "But then, Daadaji hugged me and I slept so well" His expressions then turned serious, "Tonight, I am sleeping with you. And if Daadi asks you, you too say that you want me to sleep next to you, okay Mommy?" Khushi smiled at the velocity with which the expressions of the child changed. It was as if she was watching an animated series. Her little baby Samrat was utterly adorable. "Alright, I will tell Daadi that you are sleeping with me tonight, okay?" He grinned at her and sat in her lap, hugging her. "I'm so happy you're here! After such a long time, I know what a hug from Mommy really feels like" Khushi felt her heart contract at his innocent statement. Her little boy missed out on so many things, a warm morning hug from his Mommy being one of those. She breathed deeply, trying to hold her tears back and kissed the top of his head, "Now Mommy is here, right? You will always get morning hugs and goodnight kisses. Mommy will always be with you" "Pinky promise?" he said, extending his little finger to her, and she smiled at her son. "Pinky promise!" she said and entwined her little finger with his.
Kissing his little hand, she carried him to the bathroom so that he could brush. After he was done, she asked him to get ready for bath and suddenly, he looked mortified. "What happened Samrat?" "You're going to give me bath?" He asked and she saw his eyes widen. She smiled and nodded her head, mentally giggling at his expression. "But you're a girl; not a boy. Only Daddy gives me bath! I'm not removing my clothes in front of you, and you are not going to give me bath!" This time, Khushi laughed and he frowned, thinking that his Mommy was making fun of him. She saw that he felt bad and apologized immediately. "I'm sorry Sam, I did not mean to make you feel bad. But now, I'm your Mommy. All Mommies bathe their little babies." Samrat looked at her, embarrassed and hesitant."Samrat?" she called out again and he pursed his lips. "Okay. Turn around, and don't turn till I tell you" Khushi sighed. Kids these days! She did as she was told. Samrat quickly took off his shirt and pyjamas and hopped into the tub. Hugging his knees, so that she wouldn't see much of him without clothes, he told her to turn. Khushi had to control her giggle when she saw him sitting in the corner of the tub like a mouse. She poured some bubble bath into the tub, and lathered it up. "Samrat, you need to come closer so that I can bathe you!" Samrat looked skeptical. He couldn't let her see his wee-wee. "Samrat Raizada, come here right now, or else I am coming into that tub" That did it. Sam quickly scrambled to her and sat in the tub, close to her. "Mommy, girls are not supposed to see a boy's wee-wee" he said, unable to hold his thoughts in his head. Khushi shook her head and smiled. "Sweetie, I'm your Mommy. There's no need to be shy. But if you're not comfortable, I'll ask Daddy to bathe you from tomorrow" Samrat shook his head. "No, it's alright. Abhi told me that his Mommy gives him bath. So I guess its okay. Daddy doesn't like when I splash water on him and keeps screaming at me to remain straight" Khushi tilted her head slightly. "But you did not splash water on me, Samrat?" Samrat smiled naughtily and said, "Not yet!" and he began to splash water on her. It took a moment for Khushi to realize that she was drenched from head to toe. But her childishness overpowered her and she too splashed water on him. Ratna, who was quietly watching the two, covered to mouth to refrain from chuckling. She just watched with a smile, as the mother-son duo kept playing. A while later, she went away, leaving the two on their own.
Arnav returned from his morning jog and went straight to his room. He saw that Khushi wasn't anywhere. Probably in the kitchen, he thought and tossed the sweatshirt into the laundry hamper. After a bath for ten minutes, he got ready in his regular formal wear to go to office. He did not want his work to suffer due to the circus in his personal life. He was still knotting his tie when Khushi came into the room, all drenched. He frowned looking at her, and was then amused when he realized why she was drenched. She smelt like bubble bath, which meant that Samrat must've been the cause for her to get drenched. She saw him looking at her in the mirror and smiling. His smile told her that he knew the reason behind her wet clothes. She huffed and picked up another set of clothes and went to the bathroom. "Just a useful tip" Arnav said as she stepped into the bathroom, causing her to stop in her track without looking back at him. "Next time you want to bathe Sam, please save your bath after his! He's worse than Bruno when it comes to taking bath" Khushi just smiled, "I'll keep that in mind" she said and stepped into the bathroom to change. He chuckled as he heard her.
When Arnav went downstairs, everyone was already seated at the dining table. Arvind scowled when he saw Arnav dressed up. "Going somewhere, Arnav?" he asked, to which Arnav, without looking at his father, said, "Yes. I don't want to keep my work pending" Ratna frowned and looked at Akaash, and he shrugged his shoulders and looked at Arvind. "Nonsense!" Arvind said, and Arnav looked up at him as he helped himself with a chapatti. "Arnav, you will not be going to office for a week! No arguments." Arnav looked at everyone at the table, and all seemed to agree with Senior Raizada. "yes Daddy!" Sam exclaimed, "Please stay with Mommy and me for a week at home? Please?" "Yes Arnav" Akaash joined in, "Samrat is right. There are people in your office who work for you. And it's not like the building is going to crumble down if you don't go. Stay at home for a week" Arnav covered his face with his palm. Why did his family have to be so overpowering, dominating and manipulative? "Alright. I'll stay" he sighed. "We did not give you an option, anyway" Arvind said, while Arnav frowned looking at Ratna, who blinked her eyes, asking him to stay calm.
Khushi came downstairs and Ratna looked at her with a smile. She looked absolutely pretty in a mango-yellow salwar. "Arey Khushi? You changed your dress again?" Payal questioned her. Khushi looked at Arnav, who stifled a giggle, causing everyone's eyebrows to rise. "Samrat drenched me when I was giving him a bath" Everyone looked at Samrat, who grinned slyly. "But Mommy, you had fun! And bath time has to be fun, right?" Everyone smiled to themselves at the boy's answers. He proved that he had inherited his communicative skills from his father!
"Khushi, kheer?" Ratna whispered and Khushi nodded. In a minute, she was back from the kitchen with several bowls of kheer. Khushi served Arvind first, and then the rest of the family. Arvind appreciated her culinary skills and took out a note of five hundred rupees. "This is for you, beta. Keep it. Shagun hai" he said and Khushi took it from him. "Wow Mommy! This tastes yummy! Just like how Daadi makes!" Samrat said and Ratna patted her Laddu's head.
Khushi then looked at Arnav, who had finished the bowl of kheer, but had not yet said anything. She waited for him to say something, but he only joined his hands after food, in a silent prayer after meals, and got up. Everyone expected him to say something, but he just walked past Khushi to the kitchen with his plate. Khushi realized that he wouldn't appreciate and that she mustn't feel bad. Maybe he wasn't used to complimenting someone. Ratna looked at her and raised a brow, asking her what happened. She shook her head with a smile. As Samrat finished his food, she took the plate inside the kitchen, where Arnav was still washing his plate. "Why are you doing the dishes, Arnav? I'll wash it" she said, trying to take the soapy plate away from his hand. "It's mine. I ate in it. Why will you wash it?" He pulled the plate back and washed it. After wiping it and placing it on the rack, he turned to her, "By the way, kheer was very nice. I'm glad I married you. At least, I get to eat yummy kheer" Khushi kept staring at him, and only when he laughed, she knew he was trying to pull her leg. For the first time, Arnav attempted to flirt with her, light-heartedly. She smiled as he passed by her, shaking her head at what he said. "But yes" he said, causing her to look at him, "Kheer was absolutely delicious" He walked out from the kitchen and she was left, looking at his back.
By noon, Khushi was busy with Payal in the kitchen, and Arnav was busy in the room, going through some files. He was interrupted with a knock on the door, and when he looked up to see who it was, he saw Ratna standing at the threshold. "Got a minute, Arnav?" "Of course, Aayi. Come sit" Arnav said, and pushed the files aside, making place on the bed. "Arnav, I needed to talk to you something important. Hear me out, and wait till I finish talking before you interrupt me." Arnav knew that this was another task for him to do, without any option. "Go on, I'm listening" he said, closing the laptop. "Arnav, your Dad and I, want you, Samrat and Khushi to shift back to this house." Arnav was about to interrupt but one glare from Ratna was enough to remind him not to talk. "Arnav, Khushi will be lonely in that flat. And she will always be surrounded by memories of Rishabh and Garima, if she is left alone there. We all want her to move ahead, right?" Arnav did not utter a word and kept looking straight ahead at the pale-coloured wall. Ratna knew she had to use a stronger reason in order to convince him. "Arnav, you go to office and Samrat goes to school. What if she needs something? Or there is some medical emergency? Who will take care of her?" Arnav remembered her episode of epilepsy and shuddered at the thought. He had promised Garima that he would take care of Khushi. He could not break his promise; he had to keep his word. Moreover, what was so bad about moving back to the Raizada Mansion? Samrat would love to spend time here. There would be a wonderful chance of Samrat bonding with his grandpa. Arnav too could come closer to his Dad. Khushi would be happy to stay in a huge family; something that she had never done in her entire life. Most importantly, it was Khushi's health that concerned him. God forbid, if something would happen to her, at least someone would be here to take her to the hospital. If they were to stay in the flat, she would be all alone and... He did not even want to think further. "Alright. We'll stay" he said. Ratna's jaw fell open. She did not expect him to agree so quickly. "really?" she asked and he looked up at her with irritation. "Do I need to sign a stamp paper and get it notarized, and then put it up in the newspaper? I told you already. We'll stay here. Now, can you please allow me to do my work? Dad anyway ordered me not to step out to the office, so at least, let me sit here and complete what I am supposed to do!" Ratna patted Arnav's head with a wide grin and left in a hurry. Perhaps, she wanted to tell Arvind. Arnav threw his head back and sighed as he leaned against the bed post. So many things were happening so fast!
Arnav was still lost in thoughts with his eyes closed, when he heard faint screams and squeals. They seemed to be coming from the garden outside, and it sounded like Samrat. He got up and rushed to the window only to see Samrat jumping and giggling, as Bruno was pouncing on Khushi; jumping and trying to lick her face. Khushi tried to dodge, turning her face from side to side, when Bruno tried to lick her. Arnav smiled as he saw Khushi giggling and trying to push the Golden Retriever away. But even before Arnav could blink, he saw Khushi being pushed to the ground by the dog. "Samrat, get him away from me" Khushi squealed, and she giggled as Bruno tickled her by licking her face and ears. Samrat only fell on the ground, holding his tummy and laughing, as he saw Bruno "attacking" his Mommy. Almost five seconds later, Khushi felt Bruno being pulled away by his collar. She sat up to see Arnav holding Bruno by his collar and glaring at Samrat, who had stopped laughing by then and was looking at the ground. "Samrat Raizada, this is the last time you are..." "Arnav..." Khushi interrupted him, and Samrat took the chance of running to Khushi and hugging her. Khushi carried Samrat as she hugged him back and looked at Arnav apologetically, "It wasn't Sam's fault. I asked him if I could meet Bruno." Arnav still looked at her, not really convinced with what she was saying. "Really! It's true" she said, hoping that he would believe her. "Are you alright? Bruno did not bite you, right?" Arnav asked after a prolonged silence. She shook her head and told him that she was perfectly fine. "And you..." he said, looking at Bruno, who whined as he looked up at his Master with those adorable, big puppy eyes. Arnav sighed for a moment when he saw Bruno look at him like that. But then, he straightened himself and said, "No more jumping on her and licking her, okay? Or else, Daddy is going to be very mad at you!" Khushi smiled at the way Arnav spoke to the furry fellow. He then took Bruno to the kennel and tied him up. When Arnav came back, Khushi smiled at him. "What?" he asked. "Daddy?" This time, he too smiled. "Yeah! Sam's made it a habit by addressing me as Daddy when he used to speak to him. So if you ask Bruno where's Daddy, he'll come running up to me" Khushi was surprised at how animals understood humans. She never had a dog. Rishabh hated dogs, cats, rats, birds, and pretty much every other animal. She shook her head, trying to get that thought away. Sam who was being carried by Khushi, looked at Arnav and said, "Daddy, that makes Mommy as Bruno's Mommy too!" Arnav ruffled his boy's hair and kissed his cheek. "It does. She is his Mommy too!" Sam raised his fists in the air with a giggle while Arnav carried him from Khushi. "Look Mommy, I'm superman!" he squealed as Arnav lifted him in the air and turned him around. Khushi smiled in a newfound admiration for Arnav; of course, just as Samrat's dad, nothing else, she told herself.
The rest of day passed quickly. Arnav kept himself busy with his laptop and files, and Khushi kept herself busy with Samrat, Ratna, Payal and Kavya. After dinner, Ratna was about to take Samrat with her to her room, but he cried and made a fuss saying that he wanted to sleep with his Mommy. Khushi too agreed and Sam hurriedly jumped into Khushi's lap. Ratna had no choice but to give in. When Arnav came back to the room after a shower, he saw Samrat already asleep as he was cuddled up in Khushi's arms. She smiled at Arnav and looked down at Samrat, who slept like a baby koala. "He must have been so tired with all the jumping and his mischief that he did today!" Arnav whispered as he sat next to Samrat and touched his forehead. She nodded in agreement. Arnav ran his hand in Sam's hair, and the boy stirred in his sleep. Khushi and Arnav froze. They both knew it would be difficult to put Sam to sleep if he woke up. Not only that, he would be extremely cranky too. Both of them relaxed when Sam's breathing was deep, indicating that he had fallen asleep. "Goodnight" he whispered to Khushi after placing a kiss on Samrat's head. "Goodnight Arnav" she said as he walked towards the recliner with his pillow.
Somewhere in the middle of the night, Arnav felt like there was an earthquake and someone was shaking him to wake up. When he sat up, he saw that a teary Samrat was trying to wake him up. "Daddy, something is happening to Mommy" he said in a soft cry, weeping bitterly. Arnav was alarmed, and rushed to the bed, to Khushi's side, hoping it was not what he feared. Another attack? No God, please! He saw Khushi breathing rapidly and shivering in her sleep. "Khushi..." he patted her cheek, but she refused to wake up. Her body felt warm, really warm. "Be here, I'll get Daadi" Arnav said to Sam and rushed out of the room. Samrat sat next to Khushi, scared to touch her feverish body, and he kept crying, fearing that something bad was happening.
In a minute, Ratna came to the room and Khushi was still shivering, muttering something. "Rishi..." was all that she and Arnav heard. "She's having a bad dream, Arnav" Ratna said, with a slight relief. "What is happening to Mommy? Is she dying?" Samrat asked in a hiccupped breath. Ratna carried the frightened boy in her arms and hushed him. "No baby. Mommy is having some bad dreams" Then turning to Arnav, she said, "Arnav, be by her side. I'll take Samrat. Let him sleep with me" Ratna said. Arnav hesitated, but agreed when he saw Samrat disturbed. It was best if Sam did not see his Mommy like this. Ratna took Samrat with her, after telling Arnav to get some rest.
After they left, Arnav sat next to Khushi and leaned against the bedpost. She was still frowning and mumbling something that he could not understand. Arnav placed his hand on her warm forehead and she woke up with a start. She looked up to see him next to her. "Where's Samrat?" she asked in a trembling voice, and he told her that he was with Ratna because he was scared when she had a nightmare. Khushi felt genuinely bad for frightening the boy. But Arnav gently patted her head and comforted her, asking her to go to sleep. "Talk to him tomorrow. Sleep now" he said. Khushi felt exhausted and dosed off to sleep. And watching her fall asleep, he too drifted off to sleep.
Khushi's first thought when she woke up the next morning was that she couldn't remember a time when she felt more comfortable. She was warm and cozy and snuggled against something solid. Sighing in contentment, she smiled and savored the last remaining moments where a part of her still enjoyed the relaxing feeling of sleep. She inhaled, noting a pleasant scent. It wasn't common, though it struck her as familiar. She took another deep breath and tried to place it. It was clean and somewhat spicy. She found she liked it. Then an image flashed in her mind. Arnav Singh Raizada was tying a nuptial chain round her neck. And that's when she realized where the familiar smell came from. She also realized that her arm was draped over something warm and solid and alive. Her eyes flew open and she gasped. Arnav was sleeping on the bed, instead of the recliner. And at some point in the middle of the night, she had rolled over to his side of the bed and snuggled against him. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders, and her arm was over his waist. Bolting up, she squirmed back to her side of the bed, not wanting to wake him up. However, when he felt the bed shift, his eyes opened and he looked at Khushi who was attempting to go to her side of the bed.
Arnav realized the situation and sat up in his bed. He looked at her and she looked at him. It wasn't like they were teenagers. Both of them were adults, and both of them knew that nothing had happened between them last night. But, lying so close to each other the whole night, they did not know what exactly to say to each other. Arnav was the first one to speak up. "You were having a nightmare. So I came here, next to you. Samrat was frightened. He slept with Aayi." Arnav was only rambling now, "And because I was up so late last night, I couldn't wake up for a jog" Khushi nodded and drew the sheets up her neck. She was fully clothed, but she could still feel his hand on her shoulder, and it made her feel... different. "I'm sorry, Arnav. You had to stay up late because of me" she mumbled. He too muttered "It's okay". Silence stretched. Without another word, she excused herself to use the washroom for her morning necessities. Arnav agreed and fell back into bed as she proceeded to the washroom. Once she was gone, he heaved a sigh, "Welcome to the new chapter of your life, Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada"
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
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