Dear readers⭐️⭐️
Thanks for your response to the last chapter of passion😃The new chapter has a new twist.😛 Maybe the events it unfolds will serve as a catalyst to make them realize that they cannot live without each other! He he!😉
Please do not copy my work without my permission. Thank you.
banner credit : sovini creation who do splendid work at https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/avatar-and-signatures-shop/3811654/artilicious-arcade ⭐️
main pareshan pareshan pareshan pareshan! (From Khushi's POV) : song credit my dear friend cheesemad/ my cheesy😃
Chapter 11
A Marriage Proposal
Khushi blinked rapidly. Her doe shaped hazel eyes stared at him in astonishment and disappointment.
"Arnav?" her lips were parched for more of him.
"Khushi I think we should not..." Arnav stopped in mid-sentence and sat up raking his fingers through his hair.
It struck Khushi then how brazen she had been. She could not believe she had all but given herself up to him... shamelessly. Anyone could have walked into the hall! Hayye Devi Maiyya! What if Arnav hadn't stopped...
She stood up with a jerk, covering her exposed breasts with the pallu of her saree and without looking at him,helter skelter ran out of the hall
"Khushi!" Arnav called after her in a ragged voice, but Khushi had already fled to her room.
Panting, she quickly entered the room and secured the lock and sank down on the floor.
"Hayye Devi Maiyya! Yeh humney kya kiya? (Hey DM what have I done?) " she said covering her face with her hands.
Arnav picked up his shirt from the floor and wore it absent mindedly. "I need to speak to her," he thought.
He walked towards her room only to find it bolted from inside.
"Khushi open the door!" he softly knocked on the door.
"Khushi please!" But there was no response.
"Look I am sorry what happened shouldn't have happened. You were only trying to comfort me but one thing led to another..."
"Please go away Arnav! It was not your fault! So please shut up and leave me alone!"
Arnav sighed and grudgingly made his way to his room. He would talk to her later.
He flopped down on his bed, his thoughts meandering around Khushi, when his phone rang. It was Aman. He was expecting this call.
" Uh.. Sir, you told me to call you as soon as I get concrete evidence."
"Yes, yes Aman, go ahead. What did you find out? Are my suspicions about Sheela correct?"
"Yes definitely Sir. She has been listening in to your phone calls and noting them date wise in a diary. I also found out that other than her salary at AR she has a mysterious source of income A good lumpsum is being deposited in her bank at frequent intervals."
Arnav's eyes glinted. "Hmmm...Yes the expensive clothes and bags she has been using lately made me suspicious. So we can assume that someone is paying her. But why? Perhaps for passing on some information related to me. But what?"
"We can always question her, ASR!"
"No Aman. That will put her on her guard, Aman! She is just a worm. We need to catch the big fish! So as of now just wait and watch..."
"As long as no harm is caused to you ASR..."
"Don't worry. I will be more careful now.That reminds me Aman. You fixed all my drinks didn't you?"
"Yes ASR. I did exactly as you told me. I also handed the glasses to you personally. I did not let any waiter touch them!" Aman answered with pride.
Arnav pursed his lips.
"What happened Sir? Is something wrong...?"
Shaking his head Arnav said gravely, "Something was wrong all these days Aman. I used to lose control over my senses rapidly after a few drinks. But that did not happen today. Why? Does this mean in earlier parties my liquor was ..."
"Drugged?" Aman completed his boss's sentence, an astonished look on his face. That was soon followed by a rush of anger directed at the person who had dared to harm the man he held in highest respect.
"B...bu..but why would anyone do that to you?" his voice rose to a high angry pitch.
"Just wait till I get my hands on the person behind this!" Arnav's voice was cold.
Aman felt reassured. "Yes Sir!" he said gleefully. All hell will surely break lose on all who had dared to conspire against ASR!
Arnav disconnected the line and lay down on the bed...there was lots going on in his life. He would have to plan his next move.
But at present he was only worried about Khushi...hope she is okay. He closed his eyes.
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Khushi could not sleep a wink. She got up from her bed and took out her clothes from the almirah and started packing them in her pink suitcase with a vengeance. She was going home...
How mad Arnav had been to see the huge pink suitcase, Preeto had lent her. A smile curled up her lips at the thought.
Hayye Devi Maiyya! I am thinking about him again! Oh no!
Babuji was coming to pick her up. In a few hours she will be home...far away from him. She did not want to face him anymore. Her heart beat loudly in his presence, he aroused sensations in her that scared her...
Not to forget... pleasured her, a mellow contentment that filled her soul, and yearned for more...this is sheer madness, she winced! I am sure Arnav doesn't go through such emotions. He is so cool. How easily he withdrew from me in the hall...while I...she chided herself.
"Tu hi paagal hai Khushi!(You are the one who is mad Khushi!)," she spoke aloud in frustration.
"Talking to yourself?" A sugary voice invaded her train of thoughts.
Khushi almost jumped out of her skin. She swivelled around and was surprised to see Shyamji standing at the door.
"Aap..? Yahan? (You? Here?)," she blurted.
Shyam walked up to her casually and said, "Actually Dadiji and Ranisahiba wanted you to attend the morning pooja. So I told them that I would inform you, since I would be passing your room on the way out. I am leaving for the city you see...
Khushi kept listening to him silently. She had an uneasy feeling that he wanted to tell her something else. And he did!
Shyam coughed as a prelude and continued with a funny lookon his face
"Anyway since you are Diwanji's daughter and I respect him very much, I want to give you some good advice. I have been wanting to tell you since I came here, I hope you are not taking Arnav's flirtations seriously. As his Jijaji, I know him like the back of my hand. He is not interested in a relationship with a woman. He wants only one thing from his girlfriends! You are intelligent enough to understand what I am hinting at!"
Khushi had never felt so enraged in her life! How dare he talk like this about Arnav! How dare he tell her such things in the guise of her well wisher! What gave him the right!
"Thank you Shyamji for your advice, but I will ask for it when I want it!" Khushi pursed her lips, and her eyes flashing she stomped off past him and made her way briskly to the pooja room.
Shyam gritted his teeth in anger and humiliation. He hadn't expected her to snub him in this way.
"You will pay for this, you ****!" he vowed as he drove out of the farmhouse.
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It was a beautiful fresh morning and after pooja Bahadur served them tea in the garden.
"Where is Arnav?" Dadi asked Anjali, adjusting her spectacles over her eyes.
"I checked on him Dadi. He is fast asleep. He must be very tired." Anjali replied over her cup of tea.
Hearing his name, Khushi choked on her tea. She was leaving and he was asleep! Kumbhkaran kahin ka! Laad Governor! Not that she particularly wanted to meet him...but how could she leave without seeing him again once, just once...
A few minutes later she found herself scalding her mouth on piping hot tea, excusing herself with an unexisting errand, and standing outside his door!
The curtains in his room were drawn. She could vaguely make out his figure on the bed, turned on his other side. She could not see his face. She wanted to turn away but she could not. In fact she walked quietly to the other side of the bed. Her heart lurched as his handsome visage came into her view.
"Goodbye Arnav," she said silently, tears stinging her eyes as she sat down at the edge of his bed.
As if he heard her, Arnav shook his head restlessly and mumbled in his sleep, "Khushi...wait!"
This was too much for her to bear. Tears spilled out of her eyes and ran down her rosy cheeks and nestled on her pink lips...that he had kissed so passionately. She backed away from the bed and turning ran out of the room her heart pounding.
She looked around the building that had been her home for so many days. Oh how she would miss this place! She did not want to leave!
Bahadur approached her and was startled to see the tears in her eyes and his soft heart melted for the young lady he had become so fond of in a few days.
"Kya hua ze Didi? (What happened Didi?)" he asked, distressed.
Khushi blinked away her tears and putting on a strained smile said,"Kuchch nahin Bahadur bhaiya. Aapko kuchh kehna tha? (Nothing Bahadur. Did you want to say something?)"
Bahadur was not convinced. He shrugged his shoulders and said, " Aapka pitaji aaya hai. Hall main hai.(Your father has come. He is in the hall.)"
"Achha!(Okay!)" Khushi said happily and rushed to the hall. Her Babuji was standing in the middle of the hall with a young man.
Khushi ran to her father and hugged him tightly.
Babuji stroked her hair lovingly and looking around the hall said, "You have done such a brilliant job here, Khushi.
"Splendid! I am most impressed!" The stranger spoke up. He looked like a nice guy.
Khushi stared at him. Who was he? Babuji read her mind and introduced the man as Pankaj to her. The man smiled widely at Khushi and excused himself .
"I will leave father and daughter alone, " he smiled sheepishly. "I will be waiting in the car, Shashi uncle." And he left, turning back to smile at Khushi again.
Khushi looked at Babuji quizzically.
"Buaji must have told you about him!" Babuji answered Khushi's silent query.
Khushi was perplexed. "What about him? Buaji hasn't told me anything."
Just then her phone rang.
"Speak of the devil...!" she joked with Babuji. But he did not smile at her joke like he usually did. Khushi saw from the corner of her eye that Babuji looked nervous! What was going on! What was Buaji supposed to tell her.
Buaji's shrill voice pierced her ears. "Titaliya, tum kuchh kapda pehni ho ke nahi?
(Titaliya, are you wearing any clothes or not?"
Khushi's eyes popped out. "Kya matlab Buaji? (What do you mean Buaji?)" she spluttered. "Of course I am wearing clothes?" she grinned into the phone.
"Arrey poori baat to suno Sankadevi. Humra matlab hai jo badhiya wale kapde hum rakkhey they wo pehni ho ke nahi? (Listen to me properly,Sankadevi! I mean are you wearing the nice clothes I had packed for you?)"
Khushi was perplexed for a second. Then she remembered that Buaji had asked Payal to pack all Khushi's best clothes before she left for the farmhouse.
She looked down at her pretty pink and green churidar-kurta and said, "Yes I am looking quite nice Buaji. Par hua kya hai?(But what has happened?)" she asked amazed.
There was a short pause at the other end before Buaji said, "Babuji ke saath ek ladka ayega...tumhe dekne...(A boy, Pankaj, will come to see you, with Babuji)
"Dekne ayega? Kyon? (He will see me, why?)"
"Shaadi ke liye aur kahe! (For a marriage proposal, why else!)" Buaji announced with aplomb.
"Shaadi! My marriage!(Marriage! My marriage!)"Khushi was rendered speechless.
"Tum bhul gayi (You forgot), Titaliya! I had told you that a proposal had come from the parents of two boys for you and Payaliya. They had no objection to you continuing with your studies and they wanted no dowry. They had seen you and Payal in Preeto's engagement ceremony."
Khushi remembered now. She recollected she had said yes to meeting the boy to get Buaji off her back! Above all she knew that if she agreed to meeting the boy Payal Jiji too would start thinking about marriage afresh. Khushi wanted her elder sister to forget the painful episode when her earlier marriage had broken up due to marriage demands by the groom's side.
But all this had occurred before she met Arnav in mid air...
"Tum kuchh paagalpanthi mat karna warna Payaliya ka rishta bhi toot jayega (Don't do something stupid, otherwise Payal's marriage proposal will also be rejected.)"
"But Buaji..." Khushi whimpered. But Buaji had disconnected the line.
Babuji gripped his daughter's hand tightly and said with a guilty face, "I am sorry for springing this on you suddenly, bitiya. Your Buaji told me that she will take your consent for marriage. You are so young. I will never force you bitiya... Had your mother been alive..."
"Its alright Babuji. Its true I had agreed to meet the boy. We will talk about this when we get home..." Khushi said assuring her Babuji and putting on a smile for him.
Inside she was extremely perturbed.
None of them noticed that Anjali had entered the room and looking at them dumbfounded.
"Whose marriage are you talking about Diwanji?Khushi's? Sorry, it is none of my business but..." Anjali said embarrassed.
Diwanji replied, " No, no Anjali bitiya, you are like my own daughter. I have no problem in telling you a marriage proposal had come for Payal and Khushi some time back. The prospective grooms are cousins. No marriage now but their parents are insisting on a roka or an engagement..."Diwanji said, looking at Khushi.
Anjali was incredulous. Then she said with emotion, smiling ruefully at Khushi, "Any guy who marries Khushi will be very lucky." In her unconscious mind she had seen her dear Chottey marrying a girl like Khushi.
Diwanji smiled and nodded his head stroking Khushi's hair.
Glancing at his watch he said, "We must hurry. Pankaj is waiting outside in the car. He has a flight to catch. That is why I had to bring him here to meet Khushi. I will just go and say my namaste to Subhadraji."
When Diwanji was out of earshot Anjali exclaimed teasing Khushi, "What?! The boy is here?"
Khushi bowed her head and bit her lower lip.
"If my Chhotey was not so much against marriage I would have chosen you as my Chottey's bride. Maa would have loved the match too." Anjali said hugging Khushi.
Arnav's bride! A lump formed in Khushi's throat as she hugged Anjali tightly.
What do you think? Where will this lead to?😛
Thanks a tonne for your likes⭐️ 😃and comments⭐️😃
See you next saturday.🤗
Edited by wiwy - 11 years ago
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