Chapter 22:
"Do you think we should let them know that Arnav's going over? Give them a heads up?" Anjali asked the other women, after they had seen a smiling Arnav step out of the house, a spring in his step, but a man clearly on a mission.
Payal shook her head, "And do you think that's going to actually help any of them?" she questioned wryly. "Probably not" she continued, answering her own question.
"Hello hi bye bye, how can you say that? Think about Khushi, she'll be more prepared to see him" Mamiji pitched in.
"No, I don't think so. Trust me on this" she smiled at everyone. Khushi would, most definitely, run out of the house if she found out that Arnav was going over. She wouldn't want to face him at the moment, probably wouldn't be too ready, either, but she had to at some point, and the sooner these too got their feelings out, the better it would be for everyone, Payal thought to herself. Khushi should be at home when Arnav goes there, and then hopefully it'll all work out, she crossed her fingers, knowing it was a childish thing to do, but hoping that it would all work out for her sister and her brother-in-law.
But well, maybe that was too much to hope for.
When Arnav made his way over to the Gupta's home that afternoon, only Khushi's parents were there, and her Buaji of course.
"Arreh, Arnav bitwa, tum? Yahan?" Buaji greeted him as she opened the door, wondering what he was doing there. "Come inside, come on in."
"Khushi's not here right now, if you wanted to talk to her. She should be back though" Buaji told him after he was seated.
"That's okay. I wanted to speak with you all as well, and I'll talk to Khushi whenever she gets back," Arnav answered pleasantly. Buaji accepted his words, and, telling him that she would go get him something to eat, and would also call Shashi and Garima, she went inside towards the kitchen.
Arnav sat in the living room, his outward calm not betraying his true feelings, the raging nervousness that he was feeling. He knew that he would have to tell Khushi's parents his feelings, and knew that getting her parents approval would mean more to her than anything else in the world, but now that he was sitting there, his nerves actually started to play up.
"Arnav, it's good to see you here" Shashi greeted him with a smile, before sitting himself across from Arnav. "How are you?"
Arnav made small talk with Garima, Shashi, and Buaji, but they could all sense the underlying tension in the room, and after a few moments of silence, it was Shashi that redirected the conversation. "So Arnav, you wanted to speak to us about something?" he questioned him, giving him the chance to say what he wanted to say, already having an idea of what it was to be about. He saw Arnav nod his head, slightly hesitantly, but his voice confident as he spoke, "Ji, I wanted to talk about Khushi..." his voice then wavered, as he struggled to piece together the right words, all the things he had planned on saying instantly disappearing from his mind.
"I know that this might seem too soon after what happened yesterday, but I've come to realize that I love Khushi, I really love her. She's everything that I want in my life partner, and I promise you that I'll love her, respect her, and will be there for her for the rest of our lives. Even though it might seem really sudden, or too soon, I want to propose to Khushi, ask her if she'll share her life with me, marry me, and I wanted to ask you, all of you, for your blessing."
Arnav kept his gaze on Shashi, not flinching an inch as the other man looked at him intently, appraising him to see if he would be the perfect husband for his precious little girl. The moments of silence that passed seemed like eternity to Arnav, whose outward calm had not yet betrayed the turmoil and anxiety that was raging through him. He glanced over at Garima and Buaji, who were also watching him in the same manner as Shashi, waiting for him to say something.
But Arnav never got a chance to hear Shashi's feelings, get his blessings, as he heard an angry voice erupt from behind him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Khushi entered the house aggressively, like a fire-breathing dragon, not caring at all that her parents and her aunt were all assembled right there, as her eyes never left Arnav. "Asking my parents to marry me? I know exactly why you want to marry me Arnav, and I explained why I wouldn't perfectly clearly yesterday, so don't you dare think that by asking my parents first, you'll be able to coerce me into..into this farce!" she threw at him, not even trying hide her disgust at his words.
Arnav got up from his chair, reaching out to hold Khushi by the arms, but she angrily shrugged him away, "Khushi..Khushi, I don't want to force you into anything. I want to marry you Khushi because..."
"I don't want to hear it Arnav," she interrupted him coldly, but Arnav could already see the tears welling up in her eyes as she turned and ran into her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
Arnav refused to give in, and forgetting the presence of the elders around him, he followed Khushi to her door, knowing how stubborn Khushi Kumari Gupta could be if she set her mind to it, and also knowing that he was willing to fight, to be patient. It wasn't like he had any other option. He knocked on the door, "Khushi!" he called out to her, multiple times, "Khushi, please listen to me. Just...just give me five minutes."
When he didn't hear any response from the other side, he continued, "I just want to talk to you. Just five minutes of your time," he pleaded with her but the door remained closed.
"Just...just go away Arnav! I don't want to talk to you. And I sure as hell don't want to hear what you have to say!" she cried out through the door.
Arnav tried to get her to talk to him once more, but Khushi remained adamant about the fact that she didn't want to see him, didn't want to talk to him.
"Damn it Khushi! I love you. I want to marry you because I love you. I've realized I don't want to live without you! That's what I wanted to tell you, face-to-face. " he yelled through the door, his temper and frustration finally having gotten the better of him. "Please Khushi, can you at least open the door now? If you don't listen to me now, I'll come back tomorrow, the day after. I want to marry you, damnit. " He called out again, his voice quieter, but his anguish and agitation clear. "It's not like she can turn me away forever," he whispered to himself despairingly.
Khushi closed her eyes on the other side of the door, leaning her head back against it, as she dug her fingernails into her palms, forcing herself not to respond, not to throw open the door and run into her arms, regardless of how much she wanted to.
Arnav sighed, shaking his head in disappointment as he turned around to see Shashi, Garima, and Buaji, all standing nearby him now. He smiled at them wistfully, his eyes pleading with them to understand his plight. Shashi reached out, patting the younger man on the shoulder, "We'll talk to her. You go now Arnav" Shashi smiled reassuringly at him, and Arnav nodded, accepting his words without argument. If not me, maybe she'll listen to her dad.
Khushi remained in her bedroom for hours, and her family left her alone, recognizing that she did need the time to herself to sort out her feelings. When she didn't come out for dinner though, her mom decided enough was enough, and demanded that Khushi open the door. Garima entered the bedroom to see Khushi lying on her stomach, clutching a pillow tightly to herself.
"Khushi..." her mom came and sat next to her, patting her soothingly on her back, and Khushi just buried her head into the pillow, "I don't want to talk to you now...I don't want to talk to anyone" she grumbled.
"Then listen to me while I talk. You don't have to say anything," Garima ordered her daughter, refusing to give in to her daughter's wishes. "Why are you being so mean to Arnav, Khushi? The poor boy wanted to talk to you, he told you he loved you...in front of all of us. And I might not completely approve of such...such forwardness, but he was wiling to come talk to us about his feelings. Why aren't you giving him a chance to say what he wants to say?"
"Oh Amma..." Khushi raised her face, and looked up at Garima with tear stricken cheeks, her eyes still wet with tears, "I...I don't know what to do. I just...it's Arnav. I don't want..I don't want to be hurt by him. How do I believe him when he says he loves me? He's known me all this time, and he decides he loves me now?" she asked softly.
Neither of the two women said a word for a few minutes, each lost in her own thoughts, when Khushi finally broke the silence, "I have been really mean to him, haven't I?" she sighed, acknowledging her own behavior at last.
"And the poor boy has done nothing wrong," Garima replied sternly. "Khushi, are you sure it's..it's not your time of the month? You have been so hormonal, emotional, moody...yelling at poor Arnav today, bursting out into tears..." her mother asked her. Astounded at the question, Khushi looked up once more to see a twinkle in her eyes, and a little laugh escaped her lips. "I guess...I guess I can just I've been PMSing...good enough excuse, right?" she chuckled and Garima watched her patiently, reaching out to dry the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.
"Khushi, like your Bauji said to you...all we want is for you to be happy. And...and we know how you feel about Arnav, so don't you think you should give him a chance? Give yourself a chance at happiness? Why do you keep pushing him away? Call Arnav or message him or whatever it is you kids do these days, and tell him you'll meet with him tomorrow. Give him the five minutes he asked you for..." Garima said quietly, more serious once again.
****
"Arnav! It's nearly 11:30...can we go to sleep?" Anjali opened her bedroom door, rubbing at her eyes sleepily as she glanced at the clock on the wall next to her. Arnav ignored his sister, "You go back to sleep Di. It's your husband I want to talk to. He hasn't picked up his phone..." And with those words, Arnav called out Shyam's name, waking up his brother-in-law in a hurry, and dragging him out into the living room.
"She texted me!" he told Shyam excitedly. And in his completely sleep deprived state, Shyam had no idea what he was talking about. "Who Arnav? Why the hell do I care?"
Arnav literally took him by the shoulders and shook him, really hard, "Khushi. The woman I love. The future daughter-in-law of this family? The woman you already consider as your sister? Khushi Kumari Gupta soon to be Raizada!"
Shyam's eyes went wide as it all came back to him instantly, "Khushi texted you? After that wonderfully fabulous kick she gave you when you went to her house? Are you sure this text wasn't a dream?"
Arnav rolled his eyes, whipping out his phone as he scrolled through to find Khushi's text, "I'm not delusional. Look at this. We can talk tomorrow. I'll give you 15 minutes.' From Khushi...Now, what should I say to that?" Arnav asked.
"Ask her when and where she wants to meet. Obviously" he sighed, shaking his head, "And even if the time is inconvenient for you, you get to suck it up, cancel everything else, and go. Is that enough, or, do you want me to tell you what to say, give you little note cards, stand behind Khushi at the coffee shop with cue cards?" he asked him sarcastically, and Arnav's shoulders slumped, his face falling as he heard the exasperation in Shyam's voice.
"I just don't want to mess up..The fact that she agreed to listen to me is a miracle in itself, or so it seems..." Arnav told him, and Shyam took pity on the poor guy. "I get it Arnav..I do. I did have end up marrying your sister, if you remember? I know how difficult it is...so I'll help you" he smiled at him, and Arnav begin to shake his head from relief, a huge smile appearing on his face, but Shyam stopped him before he got another word.
"But as much as I love you my dear brother in law, I love my wife, our bed, and my sleep, a little bit more. So the next text you get from Khushi...we'll reply in the morning...Okay?" And, without waiting for a response, Shyam turned back around and heading up the stairs, back to his darling wife.
And this left Arnav sitting in the living room, still trying to formulate the perfect response to Khushi's text. I'm so happy you responded Khushi! Thank you! When do you want to meet? And where? I'll pick you up!' he started typing into his phone. No, that sounded too eager. She would probably run away thinking there was some alien inhabiting his body.
When and where?' he typed next, but deleted it just as quickly, That sounds too formal. It has to be casual Arnav. Think. God, maybe I should just wait until Shyam wakes up tomorrow, and then ask him for help.
No, no. That won't do. I have to make decisions by myself, he told himself immediately, rejecting that idea.
And so it went on, for at least another half an hour, as Arnav tried to come up with the perfect response to Khushi's text. In the end, he ended up hitting enter by accident, as he fell asleep on his phone. And the message that he ended up sending her?
Thanks Khushi for agreeing to this. Maybe we can meet at a coffee shop tomorrow? Anytime works for me, so let me know. I love you. ❤️ ❤️Arnav."
*****
So...What did y'all think?
I just want to say something and hear your opinions about it because I'm 100% sure everyone here will have different thoughts...That scene with Arnav and Shashi...where he asks for Shashi's blessing to marry his daughter, it took me a really long time to write. What do you all think about it? Everyone seems to have different thoughts about talking to the parents beforehand, so I just want to hear your opinions on that :)
Annddd...we're clearly back to some fun chapters. I don't know why I love writing about Arnav and Shyam's almost brother-like relationship, but I love it, and I'm hoping you do too, because I don't see the amount of their bromance decreasing anytime soon😆
Leave your thoughts! I would love to read them! :)
Cheers!
Naina
Edited by ..Naina.. - 11 years ago
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