"La la la la la la Kya dhoop nikli suhaani, La la la la la la hum ko hai kapde dhoni"
"Bhai?! Yeh kya... aap gana gaa rahe ho?"
"What the fff! No! I was just..nothing, what is it?" Arnav asked Akash irritably, silently cursing at himself. He couldn't believe he was actually singing that blasted song. The song had become an earworm.
"Mujhe aapse Thank you kehna tha, for helping Payal yesterday. I don't know what to do about Ma." Akash sat down on the chair in front of Arnav's desk looking slightly dejected, shoulders slouched rubbing his temples.
"Akash, Payal is your wife. Yours. Its up to you to stand up for her... regardless of who is opposed to her. I am not telling you to go against Mami, she is your mother. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't stand up for Payal." As he spoke the words he felt his heartstrings pull at him and he reached for a glass of water.
"Thanks Bhai. Khushiji is so lucky to have you. Kaash main bhi aapke jaisa hota!"
Arnav couldn't help but feel like a complete hypocrite as he showed his brother out of his office. He sank back into his oversized chair closing his eyes allowing the scenes from their bhang induced confession flood his mind. 'she has to remember. She only said she doesn't, because you did. Otherwise why would she ask? Does that mean she loves me?' He shook himself back to reality making his mind up to speak to Khushi later at night and subconsciously went back to humming the silly tune his wife had concocted earlier that morning.
***
"Dekhiye yeh kya badtameezi hai. Mujhe andar jaane dijiye!" Khushi screamed at the security guards.
"nahi madam, Sir ne kaha hai ki aap andar nahi jaa sakte!" The security guards replied, Arnav still hadn't lifted the restrictions of Khushi to enter AR headquarters.
Arnav heard the commotion, 'that voice! What the hell is she doing her now!" he could feel his temper rising and got up with a start. Suddenly a spell of dizziness overtook him and he struggled at his feet, collapsing to the floor.
"Dekhiye, hum aapse fizool mein baatein nahi karna chahte hain. Aap bus hume andar jaane dijiye."
"Bhaiya yeh kya shor macha ke rakhi hai aap, Khushiji!" Akash spotted Khushi amidst the commotion outside the office.
"Jiju! Bhagwan ka lakh lakh shukar hai aap milgaye. Dekhiye na, yeh guards humko andar jaane hi nahi de rahe."
"Akash Sir, who Arnav Sir ne orders di hai." the security guard tried to explain meekly suddenly gathering that this was probably a family tiff and feeling embarrassed to be involved in the matter.
"Arre Bhai aapke boss hai right? Aur yeh memsahib Bhai ki boss hai!" Akash explained to the guards jovially and then turned to his sister-in-law, "kyu theek kaha na humne?"
Khushi smiled but inwardly felt the pang of pain at the ugly truth of her marriage. She walked off to her husbands' office and the sight she saw made her heart leap filling the pit of her stomach with a horrifying emptiness.
Arnav was sprawled on the floor by his desk very unconscious.
"ARNAVJI!" Khushi called out but got no response. She offloaded the various lunch boxes she was carrying in a hurry and rushed to her unconscious husband cradling his head in her arms. "Meetha, kuch meetha," she remembered from the last time he had fainted in the kitchen. She rummaged through her bag and found a hajmola candy. Khushi looked around for water and picked up the glass on his table and sprinkled water on his face.
"Arnavji!" she sprinkled water and he stirred a little.
"Khu.."
"Shhh...pehele yeh kha lijiye." She popped the candy in his mouth caressing his face with her slender fingers. Slowly he came to but still had a dazed look in his eyes. Khushi helped him sit upright a steady beat returning to her heart.
"Itni bhi kya gussa hai jo subha bina kuch khaye ghar se nikal gaye? Aapko kuch ho jata to? Aap kabhi doosro ke bare mein nahi sochte hai" she scolded him unaware of the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Tum ro kyu rahi ho?" he lifted his hand up to her cheeks, wiping away the tears,
"Who kuch nahi. Hum kyu roye? Humko kya! Hum to sirf gharwalo ke bare mein soch ker chintit ho gaye. Di ko iss halat mein koi tension nahi chaiye. Ab aap uthke khana kha lijiye."
"To tumhe koi farq nahi padta?" Arnav kept his eyes on her holding her gaze while she helped him sit in his chair.
"Dekhiye agle 6 months tak aap humare pati hai. aur aap koi farq pade ya na pade, hum buss apna kartavya nibha rahe hai." She looked away and started to unpack the lunch she had bought for him.
Arnav had already gotten his answer the minute he had seen the tears on her face. He didn't need to talk her anymore. Her eyes betrayed her words. Khushi had always been his he realised, she was just waiting for him to realise that.
She placed the food in front of him and he tried to eat but was still weak. "KYA hua? Ab kyu nahi kha rahe hai? lo yeh sub humne nahi banaya! Jiji ne bhi banayi hai. to aap ko fiqr karne ki zaroorat nahi" she watched him struggle for a few more seconds and then finally realised that he was still too weak to eat. Irritably she picked up the plate tearing it away from him. She perched herself on the desk resting her feet at the corner of his chair, and brought a morsel of food to his lips. "hume aapse kuch baat karna tha." He closed his mouth over her fingers, the touch of his lips sending a jolt through her body.
"hmm?"
"who hume naukri chaiye." She tore another piece from the roti.
"What the? Kyu?"
"kyu ki hum chor nahi hai."
"Khushi, tumhari bakwaas ki liye mere paas time nahi hai. seedhe seedhe bolo kya chaiye?"
"Uss din humne aapse udhaar li thi. Woh chukaana hai. Aur aapne hisubha kaha udhaar leker na chukane wale ko aap chor samajhte hai."
Arnav couldn't help but chuckle. Unbelievable. His wife was totally unique.
"Per tum mere patni ho. Aaj subha hi to tum kya keh rahe the, mera sub kuch mein tumhari equal haq hai?"
"haan yeh baat to hai," she thought for a second but then shook herself "na baba na, pehle se aap mujhe bazaroo aurat ki tarah peshate hai, ab aapse paise loongi to jaane aur kya, nahi humare bhi atma samman hai."
Arnav swallowed hard at her words. He really had treated her dismally and the pain was evident in her eyes. He decided it was best not to push the matter now, if he knew Khushi she would get a job by hook or by crook and rather than working elsewhere it was best she worked at AR. Atleast that would keep the media away and avoid him a PR nightmare.
"Theek hai, tum kal se shuru karlena apni purani naukri."
She jumped with excitement and turned on her heel packing up the lunch.
"Waise, aap theek to hai na?" A look of concern filled her eyes and it was not missed by him and he nodded at her. She smiled with a sigh of relief and refilled his glass of water from the cooler in the corner, placing it on his table. As she walked towards the door she stopped and turned, "Suniye, hum koi haq nahi jata rahe hai per aaj aapki tabyat theek nahi hai, jaldi ghar ajayega apko aaram karni chaiye." She turned again, not waiting for a response scared that he would lash out at her.
"Khushi," she turned around at the husky voice,
"Ainda mujhse jhoot mat bola karo."
"Jhoot? Humne koi jhoot" her heart raced for a moment thinking about Shyam, she was yet to tell him that truth,
"Khaana Payal ne nahi, tumne banayi thi." He raised his eyebrows towards the door motioning her to go and leave him with his work, but not before giving her half a smile and enjoying the chaos it caused to his wife's heartbeat.
Khushi walked out closing the door behind her and as she walked off she stopped dead in her tracks.
She could have sworn she heard him sing " La la la la la, Kya Dhoop nikli suhaana. La la la la la la, hum ko bivi ko hai manana"
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