ArHi SS: Do Deewane | COMPLETE | Link to Thread 2 | PAGE 1 | (4/10) | - Page 20

You are a genius...An amazing writer!

Note: For Di, because I love you damnit!

If you haven't read her story (which just hit its second thread, for just five chapters), here is the link. Go read!

Rough English translations come directly after the Hindi. My sincerest apologies for any mistakes- I learned Hindi by watching Bollywood and through a year of immersion.

Chapter Two

"Haye re Nandakishore! Tumne... tumne shaadi karli, babua?! You got married?!"

"Shaadi? Whose shaadi?"

Khushi stared at the woman in bafflement while desperately tugging her shorts down as far as they would go, trying to make herself look more presentable.

The portly woman swayed and was quickly held up by the tall man, who stared at her curiously.

"What is- Papa? Buaji? Di? What are you guys doing here?"

Buaji stood up straight, glaring disapprovingly at Arnav. Her hands placed on her hips, she stepped up to him, giving him a tight, hard slap.

"Tujhe sharam nahi aati? Yeh hai meri parvarish? Bina bataaye shaadi? Don't you have any shame? This is the result of my upbringing? Marriage without telling anyone? What if I hadn't taken a flight early? Would you ever have-"

"Chote, you got married? Without inviting us?"

"Arnav, please explain this. Who is she? Why is she living-"

"I don't understand, Arnav is married?"

"Haye re Nandakishore, Devi Maiyya, maaf kijiye, forgive me, I will make jalebis and break a narial-"

"Khamosh!"

Arnav's voice boomed out, successfully silencing the chaos temporarily.

"Impressive, Raizada. You could give Shatrugan Sinha a run for his money."

Khushi murmured underneath her breath. The corners of Arnav's mouth curved up slightly, but he quickly sobered, trying to control the rapidly spiralling situation.

"I'm not married. This is Khushi, my-"

"Haye re Nandakishore! Woh kya kehte hain, live in relationship? Haye Devi Maiyya, jai Kishenji, mere bacche ko bacha le, save my child, main aapke liye hazar narial-"

"Buaji, that's not-"

She turned on him, her eyes tearful as she stared at him in disgust.

"Pehle tum woh gandi gandi kitaben likhthe ho, woh, woh s-s-"

(First you write those dirty books with s-s-)

"Sex."

Buaji threw him a dirty look, muttering Devi Maiyya's name under her breath before continuing.

"-ke saath, aur ab live in relationship? Upar jaake tumhari Ma ko kya bataungi? What will I tell your mother when I go up? Haye re Nandakishore! Maaf kar dena mere Arnav ko, forgive my Arnav, main hazar-"

"Gandi gandi kitaben?"

"-havan karwaoongi. Yeh Arnav bhi, koi puja bhi nahi karta itna apshagun karke, doesn't do any pujas after sinning so much-"

"Buaji! Khushi is not my-"

"Aur tum!"

Buaji turned on Khushi, grasping her upper arm as she dragged her to the phone.

"Living with a boy before shaadi. Hmph. No respect for traditions, modesty... And look at what you're wearing! Itne chote chote kapde! Aaj kal ke bacche- koi sharam nahi! Such small, small clothes! Today's kids... no shame, I tell you, no shame! Call your parents! I want to speak to them. What kind of parents are they to raise their daughter without morals, decency, and culture?"

Arnav saw Khushi glance at him, silently pleading with him to clarify their relationship before Buaji got any further.

But the situation was just too amusing for Arnav to let pass, and he simply smiled innocently at her, enjoying the way her eyes narrowed angrily.

Turning to Buaji, Khushi gave her a saccharine smile, an angelic look on her face.

"Woh kya hai Buaji... My parents are Amish."

Arnav snorted, immediately covering it up with a cough.

That was what she came up with?

"Heh? Amish? What does selling mangoes have to do with a phone?"

Khushi opened her mouth, and then shut it, completely at a loss for words.

Unable to bear it any longer, Arnav burst into laughter, doubling over.

The entire room fell silent, simply staring at Arnav's uproarious laughter as he grasped the side of the couch, clutching his stomach. His entire body shook as he gasped for breath, tears squeezing out of his eyes.

He wiped the tears away, still laughing as he took advantage of the rare silence and spoke.

"Buaji, the Amish are a group of Christians who do not believe in modern technology. They don't sell mangoes. Khushi is not my live in girlfriend, nor is she my wife. She ran away from home, which is why she doesn't want to call her parents, and she is my roommate now. We are not having se-"

"Don't say that word!"

"Sex."

"Haye re Nandakishore! Badtameez!"

She turned to Khushi, worry creasing her forehead as she cupped her cheek.

"Bitiya, maaf karna mujhe. Forgive me. I did not mean to insult you like that. Lekin... aise ghar se bhaagna accha nahi hota. Running away from home like this... Mummy Papa ko tumhari fikar hogi, hai na? Won't they worry?"

"Buaji, I know... I know leaving my parents isn't the solution. They wanted me to get married, and I just... couldn't. I'm not ready to, and I would feel guilty for saying no to them. I had to leave, Buaji. My parents mean everything to me, but I had to leave so I could be independent first."

Buaji sighed, dissatisfaction evident. She faced Arnav and Khushi, a spectulative glint in her eyes as she studied them carefully.

"You say you are only "just friends". But aise "roommates" mein, it is easy to blur the lines, babua. Hamari umar mein ek jhalak-"

"Haan, haan, I know Buaij. Ma ki kasam, there is nothing going on between us, okay? And I promise that if I ever get married, I will invite you as a witness and have a pandit and pheres so that I won't have to find a stool to break and remarry."

Khushi gave him a knowing, smug look.

"That's a little too detailed of a plot for someone who claims to know the basics only because his Buaji watches it."

Buaji smacked her forehead, her mouth falling into an o' as she made her way over to the remote.

"Haye re Nandakishore! Maine do din se KDHI ke reruns nahi dekhe. I haven't seen KDHI in two days! Aaj main aaram se bait ke dekh-"

"Good god, Buaji! How many times will you watch the same show? Haven't you already watched all 398 episodes twice on HourlyMotion thanks to DismalGaze?"

She only turned up her nose, bustling over to the couch and plopping herself down in front of the TV.

"Waise bhi, you only watch those balls moving quickly from side to side. Sweaty men kicking them this way and that, hitting them hard, pushing them... you and your father never bore of that. Let me be in peace these thirty minutes."

Arnav opened his mouth to say something, but thought the better of it, only shaking his head.

He heard Anjali hide her giggles behind an exaggerated clearing of her throat as she sat down next to Buaji and Khushi, lost in the world of Kabir and Aditi.

"Aapko rukna hi hoga. You'll have to wait."

Arnav rolled his eyes as Kabir reached around Aditi, snatching his ticket from her hands against Aditi's agonized protests.

He could already hear sniffling, and stifled his groan.

"Agar aap hamare baare mae aisa sochenge toh hum bilkul bhi bardasht nahi kar payenge. I won't... I won't be able to bear it."

"Tumse bardasht nahi hoga?! You won't be able to bear it?!"

He heard Buaji take in a loud, shuddering breath, her eyes riveted on the screen.

"Dus minute hai. Ten minutes. Dus minute hai tumhare paas apna sach saabit karne ke liye. You have ten minutes to prove your innocence. Uske baad, I'll be gone."

The dramatic music began in earnest, the clock ticking ominiously behind him. He watched as Khushi began to bite her nails nervously, with his Di murmuring a series of "no" underneath her breath.

The scene zoomed out as Kabir stepped close to Aditi, keeping her from the harried travelers pushing by. The familiar strains of Khuda Ve began playing in the background, letting the audience know that the lead pair was having a moment.

Cursing underneath his breath, Arnav rubbed at his temple, only to see his father looking at him amusedly.

"Don't you get tired of this?"

He whispered harshly, trying to keep the three women from overhearing him.

His father simply shrugged, gesturing to the screen and shaking his head.

"Stop it Aditi, stop it now! I know koi nahi aane wala hai, no one is coming."

Buaji sniffled loudly, and Khushi was biting her lip so hard, Arnav thought she would draw blood.

"Mat jaiye. Aapko sach sunna hi hoga! You have to hear the truth!"

Kabir pushed her hand off of his shoulder, stepping closer to her with anger in his eyes.

"Kyun? Kyun Aditi? Kyun tumhare liye yeh sab itna important hai? Kyun mujhe yakeen dilana chahti ho? Kyun tumhe iss sab se faraq padtha hai? Why does it matter to you?"

"Kyun? Kyun faraq padtha hai?"

Aditi's voice broke just as Khushi wiped away a tear, with Anjali hiccuping on the side as Buaji wheezed loudly into a tissue.

"Kyunki baat aapki hai, faraq padtha hai! It matters because it's you! Agar kisi aur ki hoti, toh nahi padtha! If it was someone else, then it wouldn't matter. Aur agar aap bhi aise chale jaayenge toh... toh hum saas hi nahi le-"

Khuda Ve began up again, this time slower and more pained. The crying was in earnest now, with Buaji, Khushi and Anjali sitting on the couch sobbing as Kabir paused for a minute, as if he was going to stay... but then whirled around and left.

Aditi reached out and grabbed his hand, pleading with him to give her one chance to prove her innocence.

Kabir ripped his hand out of hers, before turning away harshly, ignoring her desperate calls as she sank against the glass panes of the airport.

Arnav stared at the three women in disbelief, unable to comprehend that they were crying over a daily soap.

That ended almost three years ago.

Shaking his head, Arnav walked into the kitchen, grabbing a giant pot and filling it with water.

"Arnav babua! Kya kar rahe ho? What are you doing in there?"

"Making food, Buaji. You three are busy watching that damned Bunny, so I figured I would make dinner."

"Arey, mujhe woh pasta wasta khilaoge? You'll feed me that pasta? You make good aloo puri, make that, na?"

"Buaji, I am hungry. I don't have time to make aloo puri. I'll starve by then."

He could hear her muttering underneath her breath, before Anjali shushed her as the advertisements ended.

He set out the plates just as the show finished, sorely tempted to laugh at the scene in front of him.

There were obvious tear streaks down the faces of all three women, a gigantic pile of tissues sitting between them.

"It's just- it's just so sad! How could he not believe her?"

He couldn't help himself from responding to Khushi's tearful statement, thoroughly annoyed by the obvious plotholes in the story.

"This all could have been avoided if Kabir had just asked Aditi and her family whether what Nagaraj said was true. But no, they had to have a hate marriage, and then- the stupidest plot twist of all time. Kabir got kidnapped. And you guys are crying over it."

Khushi shot him a disapproving look, affronted by his critical words.

"We wouldn't really have a story if that had happened now, would we?"

"Yes. You would have. They were already realizing their love. That night on the terrace, Kabir could have confessed to Aditi in stilted words that he has feelings for her. They could plan the wedding, Dadi could reveal that Kabir's dad and Aditi's aunt had an affair. Kabir could drive around angrily, but then show up and freak everyone out with his speech on nafrat... and then tell her he wants to marry her. Wedding happens. Flash forward to baby. Serial done."

Khushi gaped at him, her eyes narrowing angrily.

"But... but that's-"

"Sensible? Drama is there, happily-ever-after is there. Why have the contrived hate marriage, and then a second marriage because first one wasn't actually a marriage? Can't two people just get married because they want to?"

"B-Because mohabbat door jaane na de, nafrat paas aane na de. It's to prove that love can win over all."

"Love? He says he loves her once. And then again when he's busy taking pheres around a broken stool, which wouldn't have been a shaadi anyway because there was no pandit."

Buaji interrupted at this point, giving Arnav a resigned expression, as if he was a lost cause she had given up on.

"Haye re Nandakishore! How many times have I told you, babua? Bunny Singhania was shooting a movie, bechara. He was putting in hours here and hours there, he deserved a break! That is why they have this kidnapping."

"First of all, no grown man should ever be named Bunny. That sounds utterly ridiculous. Second, three years later, and that movie still hasn't released."

"Chote! Have some respect. There was some behind the scenes footage released by someone on the team. They have shot it, they're just having some issues. It'll be out in no time."

Arnav snorted disbelievingly, rolling his eyes.

"Please. The behind-the-scenes guy probably took pity on phankis like you and released because he knew it would never release."

Three sets of furious eyes turned on him, each one staring at him accusingly. Arnav only glared back defiantly, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What? You know it's true. And forgetting the idiocy of the kidnapping, he didn't even admit to his faults later in the show, or have any sort of redemption. None of the other characters know what Aditi did for them! He hands her a set of pearls, and everything is miraculously okay? What bull."

"And you could have written it so much better?"

"Yes. I could have. Not that I would ever waste my time writing something as frivolous as fanfiction."

"Because writing gandi gandi kitaben is so much better."

"At least I have sensible plots with well thought out characters."

"Heiress Chandra who falls in love and has hot, dirty sex with her bodyguard Suraj with the molten caramel eyes and rippling, tanned muscles is definitely not cliched in the least. You must have put a lot of thought into that really original idea."

Arnav's mouth dropped open in shock as he stared at her, his eyes glinting with satisfaction as Khushi quickly backtracked.

"And I only know this because Geet was telling me how many edits she had to make to that story."

"Really? Because that's a little too detailed of a plot for someone who claims to know the basics only because her best friend is my editor."

She met his dubious gaze, refusing to back down.

"Really."

There was an awkward silence as Arnav and Khushi stared at each other. Her hazel eyes were determined, chin jutted out defiantly.

Arnav found himself recalling the way her eyes had darkened that morning as she had laid on top of him, and swallowed uncomfortably. He could still feel the gentle curves of her body on his fingers, and suddenly longed to see the defiance in her eyes replaced with desire.

She became aware of the change in the atmosphere, and found herself unable to look away from his intense gaze. She could feel her heart thudding against her chest as her cheeks burned.

His dark eyes held an emotion she couldn't quite place, and she could feel a pulsing heat in the pit of her stomach as his eyes dropped to her lips.

"Ahem. The tomato sauce is good, Arnav."

The pointed clearing of his father's throat broke the thick tension, and Arnav saw Khushi look down at her plate, twirling the pasta onto her fork, clearly flustered.

She steadfastly avoided his gaze, but he could see the flush quickly filling her cheeks.

"Waise, Khushi bitiya, what do you do?"

"I'm an environmental science major. I'm currently working for a lobbyist group currently campaigning against the demolition of a park to build high rise apartments. We're supposed to meet with a mayoral candidate soon."

Turning an accusatory gaze towards Arnav, Buaji patted Khushi on the back, pleased.

"Dekha? She is doing something productive with her life. You have a good, respectable computer engineering degree. And what are you doing? Writing s-s-"

"Sex."

"Forgive my shameless Arnav, Nandakishore. What do I say when my friends ask me what my nephew does?"

"Tell them I write best-selling erotica."

Arnav said, not batting an eyelash. Buaji clasped a hand over her chest, muttering a series of prayers underneath her breath.

"If what you write is best-selling erotica, I would hate to see what bad erotica looks like."

Arnav paused, the fork halfway to his mouth. Khushi froze, realizing what she had said, and he could see her struggling as she tried to come up with a suitable excuse.

He placed the fork down on the table, leaning back in his chair as he regarded her with smugness.

"I'm sorry, but how would you know that? I thought you didn't read my novels. And for the record, my sex scenes make women reach for thanda thanda paani."

"Er... I told you. Geet uh, told me. Now if you'll excuse me, after that episode, I'm going to go immerse myself in reading satisfying, fluffy fanfiction."

She hastily grabbed her plate, beginning to clear the table. He smirked at her obvious discomfort, relishing the way she cursed him underneath her breath.

Anjali got up after her, picking up her own plate as Khushi turned around.

"Khushi, wait! You read fanfiction? Do you read Illusions by IFaraq69?"

"Ruk ja Nandakishore, main bhi aati hoon! Inn bashers ko hum yahan hi chod dete hain."

"Arey! What did I say to be included in the bashers, Jiji? I'm just sitting here minding my own business."

With that, Khushi, Anjali, and Buaji walked out of the room, leaving a disgruntled Ashwin Raizada and a baffled Arnav behind.

"Unbelievable!"

***

Note: And that is where I'll leave you today! I'll be out of town this weekend, so I do not know how much I'll get written. But I'll try my best to get a teaser up by Monday!

As always, please follow @ipkchotidesi or buddy me for update notifications.

Love always,

Choti.

Originally posted by: cineraria

The teaser. 😉

Khushi is a pankhi of KDHI, so is buaji. Does that mean they are gonna bond over KDHI? And buaji after her initial shock is gonna be all party?