WAITING FOR YOU
CHAPTER 27 (B) The calling bell chimed and Akash went to get the door. Aman arrived and just behind them were Payal's parents. They were going on a short holiday to some religious spots and they came to tell Payal about their plans.
"Oh... The little girl is still here," Shashi said. "Where is her mother?"
"She had some work in college and she will be late," Arnav told him.
"Looks like she is not good with handling responsibility."
Aman clenched his fist.
Arnav didn't like what he heard. Still he calmed down his temper and said, "I am here to share her responsibilities. College is important and I will not make her walk out of her studies. Moreover, if I can't take care of my daughter, who else will?"
Shashi and Garima looked at each other. "What does that mean?" Garima asked him.
"I am going to marry Khushi."
"What...? You are going to marry Khushi...?" Shashi asked in shock.
"Do you think that is the right decision, Arnav?" Garima asked. "We don't know much about her and she could just be interested in being Mrs. Raizada."
Arnav took a deep breath and said, "Don't worry about that, Aunty. I know her."
Adithya noticed the Guptas enter the house and he heard them talk about Khushi. When they saw him, Shashi went to him and tried to ruffle his hair. Adithya pushed Shashi's hand away from him.
"Don't touch me," he shouted.
Everyone was shocked. Adithya was never the one to shout or yell. He always had a cool attitude.
"Adithya, what are you doing?" Anjali asked in a stern voice.
"I don't like him."
"This is not the way you talk or behave with elders. Say you are sorry."
"I won't. I don't like him," he shouted again. "He made Vaishu and Khushi Aunty cry. I don't like him."
"He made Vaishu and Khushi cry?" Arnav asked Adithya.
He nodded. "That day Vaishu cried when she saw him."
Arnav knelt before his nephew and said, "Adi, that is because he is a stranger for her. That's it."
"Then why did he come to Khushi Aunty's apartment and made her cry?"
"He came to Khushi's apartment?"
He nodded.
When Shashi tried to speak, Arnav raised his hand and stopped him. "Why were you in Khushi's apartment in the first place?"
"I went there to meet somebody I know. I saw Khushi and I went to see her to find out how she was doing."
"He is lying," Adithya said. "He was angry and he scolded Khushi Aunty."
"Scolded?" Shyam asked his son.
He nodded. "Haan, papa. He scolded her."
"How do you know?"
"Last Saturday, I was worried that Vaishu was crying when she left and I asked Aman mamu to take me to see her. He got a call from hospital and he told me he would pick me up later. I played with Vaishu for a while and then we were tired and slept off. After sometime I heard somebody's voice and I woke up. I saw him." He pointed to Shashi Gupta. "He scolded her for running away from the place he chose for her. He told her that those people came back and shouted at him. He said she was irresponsible for having a daughter at a young age. And... and he asked where Vaishu's father was. Khushi Aunty said it was none of his business. He laughed and said that he always expected her to spoil her life. He told her that she would regret it if she went to Lucknow. He told her so much and I didn't understand any of it, mamu. She cried a lot after he left. When Aman mamu asked her why her eyes were red, she lied to him that she was tired."
Arnav tuned out of the conversation. Why would Payal's father speak like that to Khushi? What did he mean when he said that she ran off from the place he chose for her? While he was thinking about the connection between them, his thoughts went to her father's will. Amar Gupta. That was the name he had read.
Gupta...?
Were Shashi and Khushi's father related? Was Shashi the Uncle, Gopal was talking about? Why would Shashi lie to Gopal that he was taking good car of Khushi when she was alone in an orphanage? Why did he have such a low opinion on Khushi? Why did Payal never recognise her?
Shashi warned her not to go to Lucknow...? Is that why she went the very next day?
His head spinned with all the unanswered questions. He then thought about the previous Saturday. There was a difference in Prem's behaviour when he was introduced to Shashi. His demeanour completely changed and Arnav remembered seeing hatred in his eyes. As soon as the introductions were over, Prem had searched for Khushi and told her that they had to leave. Prem knew about her Uncle.
When she spoke to him in Lucknow, she had told him that she wouldn't survive another rejection. It meant that the Guptas rejected her.
He was yanked out of his thoughts by two little hands which were grabbing his shirt. Adithya was almost in tears and he pulled Arnav's shirt.
"Mamu, trust me. I am not lying. I have never lied to you before. He really said all that."
Arnav wiped his tears and said, "I know, Adi. I know you are not lying."
"You are not angry with me?"
"No, Adi. I am not angry with you." He rubbed his face with his hand and took a deep breath. He turned to Shashi and said, "I didn't expect this from you."
"You trust that girl? We have known each other better than you know about her. She must be planning some sort of a scheme knowing that you and I are pretty rich."
In a flash, Arnav understood what it was all about. He realized that Payal's parents were too selfish and they were interested only in Amar's money.
"No, Mr. Gupta. That is where you are wrong. I didn't know you would lower your standards to such a level."
"Lower my standards?" Shashi scoffed. "What lie did she feed you?"
"You have got the question wrong. What lie have you been feeding all of us including your daughter, Payal?"
Payal asked, "Arnav, what are you taking about?"
"Do you want me to tell her?" Arnav asked Payal's father. "Payal, who do you think Khushi is? She is your selfish father's younger brother's daughter."
"Bu... But dad told me that my younger cousin and her parents had an accident and all three of them passed away," Payal said. "I didn't know much about her since I have met her a total of two or three times. Why would my father lie?"
"Simple answer," Arnav told her with her eyes fixed on the Guptas. "Amar Gupta was richer than your father. He didn't like the fact that he had to work too hard to take care of the house and to pay for your education whereas Amar didn't have to worry about it too much."
Payal shook her head and said, "No... That can't be true."
"Then ask your father, Payal. Why did he lie to Amar's most trusted employee in Lucknow that he took great care of Khushi and that Khushi loved them? Why did Khushi grow up in an orphanage when he took great care' of her? Why was Khushi running away from three men in the middle of the night a week after her parents passed away? Tell me, Shashi Gupta. Do you have answers?" When he didn't respond, Arnav said, "All your plans of ursurping Amar's money are now useless. You know why? Because as soon as Khushi was born, her father changed everything he had to her name. Khushi is the legal heir to all those and you don't have a damn say in it. I am going to make sure you don't get a penny out of her father's will. You sent an innocent seven year old to an orphanage. How much more cruel can you get?"
Aman said, "Orphanage is actually a heaven in comparison to what he really did to her. Am I right, Mr. Gupta?"
"What do you mean?" Arnav asked him. "You knew everything, didn't you?"
"I knew everything. I am not going to tell you what really happened. That is not a topic we should discuss in front of everybody. This is Khushi's private life and you talk about it to her when you are alone."
Arnav slowly nodded. He addressed Payal and said, "I am sorry, Payal. They may be your parents but this is my house and Khushi is going to be my wife. I do not want them in my house anymore. If you want to meet them, you can but make sure they don't come here again."
The calling bell chimed again. Aman went to get it and he saw Khushi. As soon as he opened the door, she saw the Guptas and turned away from them and concentrated on Arnav. Arnav smiled and extended his hand towards her. She walked to him and she noticed Adithya with a sad face. She looked around at everybody but she delibaretely avoided the Guptas.
"Seminar over?" he asked her.
"Yes. Where is is Vaishu?"
He raised an eyebrow and asked, "I don't get a kiss or anything?"
Her eyes widened and she playfully hit his hand. "There are lots of people around us."
"So what?" He kissed her cheek and said, "I missed you. Why don't you take the kids outside and play with them for a while? I have some work here. I'll join you as soon as I wrap them up."
"Okay."
She called the kids and the puppy and they went outside to play.
When they were out of hearing distance, Arnav asked Shashi, "Are you waiting for me to say the official words? Well then, I won't disappoint you. Take your wife with you and get the hell out of my house. And don't you dare come near Khushi again. If you do, you will have to face the consequences and I assure you, Mr. Gupta, I won't be lenient with you."
Shashi and Garima left the house without another word. Anjali touched Arnav's shoulder and he turned to face her.
"I am sorry, di. They were close to us but what they did could have completely changed Khushi. She was lucky that she was in an orphanage and not in some other place. I will not accept them in our house again, di."
Shyam gave him a pat on his shoulder and said, "It's alright, Arnav. You did the right thing."
"You guys won't hate Khushi, will you? This is not her fault. Payal, you especially. You won't be angry, right?"
"Arnav, what are you asking?" Payal asked him. "I can never be angry with her. My parents made the mistake. Not her."
Anjali said, "She is waiting outside. Go to her. You have to talk to her about what happened."
"I know. I thought we were moving in the right direction."
"You are, chote. You just have to tell her that nothing can change what you two share."
He nodded and walked out of the house. He saw them feeding biscuits to the puppy. Khushi stood with her back facing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Adi and Vaishu have named the puppy," he told her.
"They told me they have named him Tiger."
"Shall we go home?"
She nodded.
Arnav called Vaishnavi and told her that it was time for them to leave.
~~~~~~
hope you guys liked the chapter...what do you think of it...
NEXT CHAPTER -> khushi's confession about her past to arnav and arnav's confession to khushi...
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