Khushi's eyes fluttered open when she heard a loud thud. She sat up in bed and looked around to see Arnav pacing around the room with a pile of clothes in his hand. He's packing his bags to go to Delhi, she thought and stared at him. He, of course, did not spare a glance at her. "Good morning, Arnav" she said in a soft voice to him, to which he did not respond. God, he's really angry. He deserves to be angry. I said a lot of things yesterday; she felt regret in the pit of her stomach. "I said, good morning, Arnav" she spoke again. "Morning" he said in a gruff voice, without looking at her. She noticed him clench his jaws as he spoke. "Arnav, are you still angry? I'm sorry" she said in a soft voice. He paused for a moment, which did not go unnoticed by her, and then resumed packing his bag. She was about to say something but the ringing of his phone interrupted her. He saw the ID and picked it up. "Yes... Send the cab; I'll leave in an hour's time from home... thank you Aman." He tossed the phone on the sofa and zipped up his bag after packing it. She sighed when she saw him walking out of the room, probably for his breakfast.
She frowned when he went out. She wanted him to talk, but he wasn't even interested in looking in her direction. Quickly getting out of bed, she walked to the bathroom, only to see that he had left the wet towel on the sofa. "Uff Arnav. One thing I ask of you; not to keep the wet towel on the sofa. You cannot even do that!" she muttered in irritation as she picked up the towel. Immediately, she felt the towel being snatched from her hand. It was Arnav. He had come back to the room to keep his phone for charging, and had heard her muttering with his towel in her hand. "Why do you have to leave the wet towel on the sofa?" she asked looking at him. He did not say a word. Instead, he tossed the towel on the cushion on the bed. "Cushions? Arnav? They'll get wet" He closed his eyes in irritation, muttering some choicest curses under his breath and picked up the towel to keep it on the stand. He saw that the towel had left a damp stain on the cushion, so he conveniently turned it so that it was now facing downwards. "Arnav! Now the bed will be damp!" she whined. He turned around and glared at her. She looked at the cushion and then looked at him. He did not bother turning it back. Without another word, Arnav picked his phone from the sofa, kept it for charging and began to check for mails and messages.
Khushi huffed at him. He did not even bother to say anything to her. Did you forget how you spoke to him when he came to apologise to you, yesterday? You even threw the flowers into the pool! Regret and guilt hit her almost immediately. How could she expect him to behave normally when she spoke such ruthless words to him? She had made the same mistake earlier; talking without giving another thought to her words. The impact of her words almost killed her little Samrat. And this time, she had hurt Arnav. Why couldn't she just zip her mouth. Throwing her hands over her face, she walked to the bathroom. She opened the tiny closet inside to retrieve the toothbrush; something distracted her. She looked at it and pursed her lips in a hard line.
"Arnav!" he heard her scream from the bathroom and he rolled his eyes. What does she want now? He refused to budge and pretended as if he did not hear her. She came out of the bathroom with a razor in her hand. He saw her holding it up in her hand so that he could see it. "Why is this in the closet?" she asked. He looked at her, looked at the razor in her hand and then looked at his phone. "Arnav, I am talking to you. Why is this in the closet, that too right next to my razor! How many times have I told you not to keep it next to mine. You could accidentally use mine" He sighed aloud, "Oh for heaven's sake, woman! I know the difference between your razor and mine! And if you really don't want me to use yours, "accidentally", I'd suggest you move your razor somewhere else. I need to shave every day. I don't think you grow hair on any part of your body at such a rapid rate, that you need to shave everyday!" She turned red from embarrassment. "That is not the point, Arnav. The point is..." "I don't care about the f**king point." He said in an irritated tone, "Just leave the f**king razor in the f**king closet; use the f**king bathroom and just f**king leave me alone! Damn it!" She stood rooted in her spot and stared at him wide-eyed. He too glared at her and continued to use his phone. She fumed as she went into the bathroom. "Arrogant, foolish jerk" she muttered loud enough for him to hear, when she closed the door. "Stupid twit" he murmured as he scrolled through his phone.
When Khushi came out of the bathroom, he was nowhere to be seen. She arranged the bed after folding the duvet and went downstairs. "Good morning, Ma" she said when she saw Ratna at the dining table with Arnav. The rest of the household had not yet woken up as it was still early morning. "Good morning, Khushi" she said. Arnav coughed up when he got choked on a bite and Khushi immediately poured a glass of water and handed it to him. He ignored her, took another glass and poured water for himself. Khushi frowned and placed the glass which she was holding, next to the one from which he drank. He shot her an angry glance. But then continued eating. Ratna pursed her lips as she saw them both. Obviously, Khushi was trying to talk, but Arnav was angry. So it couldn't have been about previous morning's argument. For it was a fight about the previous day's issue, Khushi should have been the one who was angry. There must have been some other tiff about which he was mad at her. "Khushi," Ratna said to her, "Beta, please bring that bowl of curd from the fridge" Khushi nodded and walked to the kitchen. Arnav saw her back as she walked and continued eating.
"What is it, Arnav? Don't try to deny it, because I know something is wrong between you and Khushi. Out with it, immediately" Ratna spoke sternly. Arnav swallowed the food in his mouth and looked at his mother, "Yes, something is wrong. But it's between Khushi and me. So I'd request you to stay out of it. If any of us need your advice, we'll ask you. And please don't bother asking Khushi after I'm gone." Ratna narrowed her eyes while he ate another morsel. "So, in polite words, you are telling me that worrying about my children and hoping for their happiness is none of my business?" Arnav nodded his head, "I'm glad you got what I'm trying to tell you" Ratna knit her brows and huffed at him, "Fine. I'll stay out of it. But please, talk to her before you leave. Don't leave the house in anger" He looked up at her and with a polite smile, he said, "Ma, not your concern' means it is not your concern."
Just then, Khushi came out with a bowl of curd mixed with sugar. Ratna said, "Arnav, this is the first time you're going on work, after your marriage." Arnav rolled his eyes knowing that his mother must've planned something very cheesy and melodramatic. "This time, your wife will wish you luck" Then looking at Khushi, she asked her to feed him a spoonful of sweet curd. Khushi gave him a spoonful, but he took the spoon from her hand and ate it. "Thanks" he mumbled and went upstairs. Khushi placed the bowl on the table and excused herself. Ratna watched the two of them go to the room and prayed that their differences would be sorted out at the earliest.
As Khushi entered the room, she saw Arnav busy searching for something. "Looking for something?" she asked him, but he did not respond. Instead, he kept looking through the drawers. Khushi took a deep breath. "Can I help, Arnav?" she asked him again. He let out a frustrated sigh and said, "I'm looking for my ticket." She nodded and walked to the bedside table. "It's here" she said, withdrawing the ticket from the drawer and handed it to him. He nodded while muttering a thank you in a formal tone. Picking up his bag, he took his phone and placed it in his pocket. "When will you be back?" she asked him and he did not respond. When he was about to walk, she called out to him. "It's bad luck to call someone from behind when they are going somewhere" he said in a dry voice. Khushi felt like a bolt of lightning struck her, giving her a sense of deja vu. She had been through this same situation, more than a year back. When Rishi was leaving from home, she had called out to him from behind. And then, after he left from home, he never came back. She began to fear, hoping nothing would happen to Arnav. She could not bear the idea of any harm coming to him. Keep him safe, Lord. Give me all his troubles instead, she prayed, not even knowing how those words came to her mind.
"I'm sorry Arnav" she said breathlessly. Arnav frowned when he heard her voice almost in a whisper and turned around to see what happened to her. He paled slightly when he saw her kneeling on the floor, with her hands on her knees and tears in her eyes. "Khushi, are you alright?" he asked and rushed to her side. No doubt he was angry with her for talking rubbish to him, but he could not bear to see her in pain. She looked up at him and grabbed him by the collar. "Promise me you'll come back safe" Arnav frowned when she said that. "Khushi, what are you..." "When Rishi had left the house to go to a meeting at Delhi, I called him from behind. I stopped him from going. And then, he never came back from Delhi." Arnav's eyes, which were full of concern for her, turned cold when she mentioned Rishi's name. He held her hands and freed the lapels of his coat from her hold. "Why do you even care about me? It shouldn't make any difference to you whether I come back or not. After all, I cause problems for everyone, right?" She held his wrist to stop him from going away, "You're still holding on to that? Please forgive me, Arnav" He glared at her, "Would you forgive me if I said such things?" She became quiet. The silence between them stretched. The grip on his wrist loosened and she looked at the floor, unable to meet his accusing stare. "I thought so" he said and pulled his hand away from him. Just before he walked out of the door, she said, "At least tell me when you will be back?" He frowned, "Why?" She took a deep breath, "Because, I'll miss you." He closed his eyes when she said that. He knew she lying; his brain told him that, even though his heart wanted to believe her words. She was probably just trying to make him talk to her. She did not actually care about him. She could never care for him, nor could she love him. She only cared and loved one person- her dead husband, Rishabh. Even his name made Arnav envious. "I don't know when I'll be back. You'll know when I come home" he said and walked out, without another glance at her. She sat on the floor, leaning against the bed, "Come back soon, Arnav... and come back, safe" she whispered in prayer.
Arnav placed his luggage in the living room and rushed towards another room. He tiptoed into his parent's room, where Sam was fast asleep. Arnav sat at the edge of the bed and ran his hand through his son's soft hair. He wanted to see his baby and hug him before he left. Samrat stirred in his sleep and muttered something. Then, he sat up with a start when he saw his Daddy dressed up. "Daddy" he said in a sleepy voice and extended his arms to him, so that his Daddy could hug him. "Hey buddy!" Arnav said as he hugged Sam and made him sit in his lap. Sam leaned against his Daddy's chest and snuggled closer, taking delight in the warmth of his Daddy's crisp and expensive suit. Also, his Daddy smelled great; he loved the soap which his father used. Unfortunately, he could use only the kid's soap that had a weird fruity smell. "You're going? Don't go, Daddy" Samrat stretched like a lazy cat and Arnav smiled. "Daddy has to go. Daddy has work, right?" Sam looked up at his Daddy's face and curled his lips. "But I'll miss you. Don't go" Arnav patted his little boy and kissed his cheeks, "You have Mommy with you" he said with a small smile. No matter how angry he was with Khushi, he knew that no one loved his son as much as she did. Samrat frowned, "I know that. But I'll miss you, Daddy" He clung around Arnav and wound his hands round his neck. "It's only for a week buddy. Then I'll be back" Samrat looked at his Daddy's face, "Week? Isn't that seven days?" Arnav smiled at his boy, "Yes, seven days." "But Daddy, Daadaji said that next week we are going to the resort for picnic" Arnav sighed, "Sam? Again resort? I thought I made it clear that I don't want to hear another word about that resort. I won't be able to come..." Samrat scrambled away from him, "I don't want to talk to you. You always do this. You don't have time to take me anywhere. And now, when everyone is going, you don't want to go. I'm not talking to you. Go away." he said and disappeared under the quilt. Arnav shook his head, "Sam, I don't like it when you're stubborn. See, Daddy's going if you're not talking." Sam did not peek out. "Sam, I'll count till three. After that I am going, and then you'll feel bad that you should have said a goodbye to Daddy before he left." No response. "One..." Arnav looked at Sam, who was hiding under the quilt. "Two..." Arnav waited. "...And, three. That's it. Daddy's going. Bye"
A few seconds later, Sam peeked from under the quilt when there was absolute silence around him. His sat up and saw that his Daddy was nowhere to be seen. His lips curled and tears filled his big black eyes. "Daddy..." he called out softly, hoping that he would come out from where he was hiding. He realized that his Daddy had actually left him and gone. Big fat tears dropped down his cheek and he began to sniff. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms grabbed him from behind. "My brave little boy is crying?" "Daddy!!!" he squealed and hugged his father. Seconds later, he was wriggling out of Arnav's hold, "You're very bad. You scared me. Bad Daddy!" He was whacking his Daddy's chest with his tiny fists. "Awww I'm sorry" Arnav said, holding his son's wrists in one hand and his own ear in another. Sam pouted, but then hugged his Daddy. "I love you, Sam" "I love you more" Sam said, giving him a toothy grin. Arnav kissed his nose, "I love you most" Sam giggled as Arnav ticked his tummy. Carrying his baby in his arms, he walked to the living room.
Ratna and Khushi, who were in the living room, saw Arnav with Samrat in his arms. "Mommy" Sam screamed and jumped out of his Daddy's arms to run to her. Khushi hugged him, and after placing a kiss on her baby's cheek, she carried him. "Daddy is going" Sam said to her in a low voice as he fidgeted with her nuptial chain. "I know" she said in the same soft tone. "Did you wish Daddy for a safe journey? Did you kiss Daddy?" Ratna smiled to herself and Arnav and Khushi stared at each other in complete awkwardness when the boy spoke. "Mommy? You did not wish Daddy?" Samrat looked at their faces in complete horror. Mommy was supposed to wish Daddy good luck, just how she wished him every morning while going to school. He got out of his Mommy's arms and ran to his Daadi. Tugging at the end of her saree, he said, "Daadi, tell Mommy to wish Daddy" Ratna smirked, "Khushi, won't you oblige to your son's wish?" Khushi looked at Samrat, who looked at her with eager eyes. "Come on, Mommy. Wish Daddy..." Khushi then looked at Arnav, who looked at his phone, uninterested in the drama going on in front of him. "You deserve to be left alone. You don't deserve to be loved" She took a step ahead and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "Safe journey, Arnav." "You deserve to be left alone. You don't deserve to be loved" He closed his eyes for a moment, clenching his jaws when she pressed her lips into his cheek, trying to forget her words; then he looked at his son with a smile. "Happy now, Sam?" Samrat clapped his hands and tapped his tiny feet happily, "Yes, Daddy. Very very happy" Arnav shook his head, and ruffled his hair. His phone rang and when he answered the call, he was informed that the cab was waiting for him. Touching his Mother's feet, he sought her blessings. "God bless you, Arnav. Come back soon" "See you, Arnav" Khushi said to him. "Bye" he said in a low tone. "Bye nahin kehte... When we say Bye, we reduce the chances of seeing the person again. We must always say see you'. It always gives us hope to see the person again." He looked back and smiled sardonically at her, "Is it so?" She could see the coldness in his eyes, but before she could say anything, he said, "Bye" Her felt as if her heart ripped to pieces; he said Bye, as if implicitly telling her that he did not want to see again. She stood at the door, watching him walk out the door. She wanted to call out to him; probably to just look at his smile, hoping that he would just look at her the way he always looked at her- with gentleness and concern. She went outside the main door, to the porch, and saw him walking to the cab. She felt her vision go blur and she realized her eyes were turning moist. A tear dropped down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand. "Come back soon, Arnav" she whispered.
He did not look back at her. He could not. "You deserve to be left alone. You don't deserve to be loved" Her words were burned into his mind. Why would he turn back? Was he expecting her to stand at the door and wave out to him? He knew that if he turned, he would only be disappointed. She wasn't standing there. She was probably recalling memories of her dead husband. And he knew better to live without hope. He had been living fine for all these years. After all, no expectations just meant no disappointments. The cab slowly moved out of the driveway and his heart asked him to turn just once. "You deserve to be left alone. You don't deserve to be loved" He closed his eyes and rested his head against the seat as he recalled her words, once again. One week later, he would be back. Not a very long time. Seven days, all alone, would probably give him enough of time to forget everything that hurt him.
Khushi sat on the steps and watched the car move away. She raised her hand to wave at him, but he never turned back to look at her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she withdrew her hand back. She released a shuddering breath trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. As the car moved, she felt as if her world was slipping away from her fingers. The more she held her tears back, the more she they threatened to all off. She did not even understand what was making her feel so horrible and hurt. She heard Samrat call out to her. "Coming Sam..." she spoke aloud, hoping that she did not choke. Wiping her tears, she went inside, hoping that a span of one week would pass quicker than expected.
Shiv Shakti
Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon
Cricket
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