Arshi FF: Jeene Laga Hoon (NOTE pg. 68) - Page 31

I am glad your exams are over and that they went well. Hopefully that means you will update faster. Otherwise one tends to loose touch with the story and while you may still get comments, rather than meaningful ones, they will all be fairly basic.

Anjali and Aman are truly greatful towards khushi for bringing aditi in their lives.

While khushi is happy that aditi has found a loving and caring family.

Waiting for arnav to realise his love for khushi.

Continue soon

The atmosphere of Shantivan had changed with Aditi's arrival. The cheerful aura returned once again. In the following months, Aditi became an active part of the family. She slept less and was more active, allowing her to develop at an exponential rate. Everyone was having fun with the baby. Each one of them had a special way of spending time with the child.

Anjali and Aman had never been happier. Their family felt complete with their daughter's arrival. While Aman went to work, Anjali spent every waking moment with the baby, playing with her and talking to her. She constantly kept the child cradled against her chest, right next to her heart. Every time she looked down into the chocolate brown eyes that stared so innocently back at her, Anjali had never felt so blessed. Her maternal instincts had kicked in, and everyone could see how natural she was at being a mother.

Aman had a different way of spending time with his daughter. When he was with Aditi, he would lay her down and do anything he could to get her to laugh. He would make silly faces, blow on her stomach, and make funny noises in order to get her to giggle. At first, Aditi stared at him like he was so deranged human, but as he continued to do it, the more she got used to it. She even smiled on a few occasions, but never really giggled. Sometimes he playfully threw her up in the air, which Anjali reprimanded him for, but he was always careful. This was his baby girl, after all. Like Anjali's maternal instinct, his internal instinct as a protective father had kicked in instantly, especially when Payal and Khushi teased him about Aditi's marriage in the future. He had just gotten her, and they were talking about her going away? Nope, she wasn't getting married until she was at least fifty! The comment made everyone laugh.

Nani adored her great-granddaughter. When it was her turn to spend time with the baby, she would use it telling her stories. They were anything from stories of the family to the Ramayana to fairytales. Sometimes Aditi would listen intently, her gaze focused on the elderly woman, while others time she would fall asleep listening to her Nani's soothing voice. Even after she was long asleep, Nani would stare at the infant in her arms, often wondering how they were blessed with such a miracle.

Akash's style was definitely unique. He spent his time outside with Aditi. He'd carry her around against his chest, holding her so her back was against it, and she was looking out ahead with him. They would stroll around the garden of Shantivan, while Akash pointed out all the sights. He told stories about how he, Anjali, and Arnav would play in the garden, chasing each other for hours. He showed her the fountains and the fish pond, which she seemed a little frightened by. Although, Aditi didn't say anything, her eyes darted everywhere Akash pointed, observing with obvious fascination at the world around her.

When Payal came over, she loved sitting on the swing in the backyard of Shantivan with Aditi. They wouldn't speak. Payal simply held Aditi and swung in the swing, letting the breeze flow through the back porch. Sometimes she would be allowed to feed Aditi, and when she did, Aditi would look up at her, wondering who the familiar woman was. There were times when she would wrap her entire hand around one of Payal's fingers, making Payal smile as she thought about one day having her own kids.

NK had two different, but funny ways of spending time with the new baby. Because of the postponement of the engagement and the drama that had gone on in the family, he had stayed back longer than planned. Therefore, he was managing his company from Delhi, which was a lot harder than it seemed. He would spend most of the morning on the phone and having video conferences, and in the evening he would relax with the family. However, when it was his turn to play with Aditi, NK would sometimes do so while working. He would be in the study, holding Aditi in one arm, while talking on his bluetooth and looking at his phone in the other. When he wasn't working, he would sit on the couch and watch cartoons with Aditi, setting her in his lap so she would have a clear view of the TV. Their favorite show was Tom and Jerry, well it was more of NK's favorite show. NK and Aditi's time together was such a funny sight that Anjali had sneakily took pictures of them watching TV and NK working.

Whenever, Khushi came to Shantivan, she spent her time playing peek-a-boo with Aditi. This was their special game. When someone else tried to play peek-a-boo with Aditi, she would give them no reaction. However, when Khushi played this game with Aditi, she would clap her hands and giggle. She would show off her toothless smile as Khushi disappeared' and reappeared', wondering what type of sorcery she was doing. Other than playing peek-a-boo, Khushi sang lullabies to Aditi, which not only soothed her, but also everyone else that was around to hear it.

However, the cutest way of spending time with Aditi came from none other than Arnav. His initial hesitance around the baby had disappeared. Arnav would spend much of his time designing clothes for her, some that she would wear now, and some that she would wear as she grew older. Aditi had a one-of-a-kind wardrobe. He would carry her around in one arm while using his free hand to sketch patterns for her outfits. There were times when he tried to get her to hold the pencil and scribble something, and sometimes she would, but most times she would just look at her uncle like he was crazy. What was even cuter was when she received her new outfits, Arnav would have Anjali change her into it so he could take pictures of her. He had just as many pictures of Aditi as he had of Khushi. She had become his muse. Anjali couldn't help but laugh at her brother's antics. She had never seen him adore someone so much!

~

As time went by, and everyone adjusted to life with Aditi, Akash and Payal decided that it was time to get married. Seeing the love between Aman and Anjali, along with the completion of their family due to Aditi, the two of them were more excited than ever to be married. The rest of the family, along with Payal's parents, agreed that things had finally settled down to a point where they could resume the wedding preparations.

This time was not going to be as grand as they had earlier planned. They decided to keep it small and in Delhi, and with only close relatives and friends. An auspicious date was just a week away, giving them a limited amount of time to get everything ready. A small venue was booked for the wedding, and preparations for Akash and Payal's wedding began once again.

Since the sangeet and haldi were already performed, the only ritual they wanted to finish was the mehendi. The festivities were held at Shantivan, which had been decorated with grand splendor once again. Aman had hired workers to get the place decorated in time. It had taken the decorators an entire day to make the mansion look nothing less than a palace. That evening, when Payal's parents and close friends began arriving for the mehendi, Payal was dressed in a red and gold sari, sitting in a chair having her mehendi done; one woman designed her hands and another woman designed her feet.

Other girls were getting their mehendi done as well, and it was amongst this crowd that Khushi was having hers done as well. Dressed in a purple lengha and white choli, she sat in the middle of the group as another woman decorated her hands with mehendi. Anjali sat beside her, having hers done as well, while Aman held Aditi, who was dressed in her uncle's creation of a soft blue anarkali. He stood with Akash, Arnav and NK. The four of them were dressed in different colored sherwanis. Aman was in brown, Akash was in gold, Arnav was in black, and NK was in blue. They stood around while watching the women perform the mehendi ceremony.

"I'm glad we aren't doing a big wedding," Akash said. "To be honest, I was going crazy with the huge arrangement the first time around."

"This small gathering is much better to be honest," Arnav said.

Aman laughed, "You're saying that because you've never been fond of large parties."

"So?"

"Well whatever the case," Akash looked at Payal and smiled. "Payal seems happy."

"Oh ho!" NK chuckled. "Lover boy over here!"

"Shut up, NK!"

"Akash is right," Aman said. "It's not just Payal. All the girls seem happy."

Arnav looked in the direction of the girls and saw that Aman was right. Payal, Anjali, and Khushi looked happy as they were having their mehendi done. They were sitting, talking, and laughing with one another, something they hadn't done in awhile.

Once the mehendi was completed, the women waited for their hands to dry. They danced around to music and spent time with the others that were there. Anjali was introducing everyone to Aditi, while Aman held her next to her. This left Khushi and Payal alone in their world, which wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was an opportunity for them to enjoy each other's company. Both of them rushed to the dance floor and began dancing together, especially when their favorite song Tu Meri from Bang Bang played. They continued to dance, and it was in the midst of the fifth song that Khushi suddenly felt hungry. She excused herself from Payal and the girls she was dancing with and went to the kitchen to find something to eat. The food and snacks were all laid out on the large island in the middle of the grand kitchen. It was enough to make her mouth water. Just as she was about to grab a plate, she stopped. Her mehendi was still wet and she would mess it up if she touched anything. Khushi stared back and forth from her hands to the food, not knowing what to do to solve her predicament.

She was so busy trying to figure out what to do that she failed to notice Arnav watching her from the doorway. He had been watching her since she had been dancing, getting captivated in her dance moves once again. His eyes trailed her figure as she swayed to the music, making the collar of his sherwani feel like it was suffocating him again. Arnav couldn't stop himself from glaring at the other men who had noticed Khushi dancing, oogling her like she was a rare delicacy. Arnav knew he cared about Khushi, and seeing those men stare at her did not settle well with him at all. He was ready to bust all their faces up.

As his protective instincts began kicking in, Arnav took a step forward to the dance floor, planning to take Khushi away from the lusty eyes. But then he saw her head to the kitchen, the eyes of the other men following her as she disappeared from sight. Arnav headed to the kitchen. It was the perfect opportunity to make sure no other guy would try and make a move on her. As long as Khushi was there, he had this protective, possessive instinct towards her, making him feel like she was just his. He understood he had become very possessive of her recently, but didn't understand why. All he knew was that it wasn't going to stop...his heart and mind wouldn't let him.

Arnav was now leaning against the arched entryway of the kitchen, watching Khushi as he understood her problem. He felt bad as he saw her sadly stare at the food, longingly. Clearly, she was hungry, but unable to eat. He wanted to somehow make Khushi feel better. Arnav didn't like seeing her look so glum. She stood staring at the food with a sad pout, sending a spark through Arnav's body. What I wouldn't do to kiss that pout away...wait...WHAT?!...What am I thinking?! God, what has gotten into me lately?! Everything I think about has something to do with Khushi. First I become this overprotective bodyguard and now I want to kiss her? Control yourself, ASR.

As he returned his attention back to Khushi, an idea came to his mind on how to cheer her up...and tease her a bit. He cleared his throat to get her to acknowledge his presence. She looked away from the food and saw him standing in the doorway. Khushi watched as he walked up to her. Before she could say anything, he grabbed a plate from beside her.

"Man, I am starving," he said. "This food looks amazing. I wonder what I should eat first. Definitely the jalebis. Maybe some pakoras."

Khushi watched with her mouth open as Arnav piled food on his plate. Drool almost dripped out of her mouth as he took a huge bite of a jalebi. It was her favorite, and she knew he knew that. She was jealous that he was eating it while she was stuck watching him. Arnav stood in front of her and continued to eat while trying to keep a conversation with her. After awhile, Khushi understood that he was doing this to tease her. The way he glanced at her to gauge her reaction every time he took a bite was enough to convince her of her theory. He knew she couldn't eat because of her wet hands, and was messing with her.

"This samosa is really good," he teased. "You should try some."

"Arnav, you're so mean!" Khushi whined.

"What did I do?"

"You know I can't feed myself and you're eating in front of me as if you have never eaten food before in your life!"

"No, I'm not."

"You know you can't lie to me, Raizada."

Arnav knew she was right. He was never able to lie to her, "So? It's not my fault you can't eat, and I can't help it if I can eat while you can't right now."

She pouted, "So mean!"

Khushi turned and was about to leave when Arnav grabbed her upper arm, stopping her. She turned back to look at him angrily. Careful not to ruin her mehendi, he led her to the empty dining room, where he sat her down in a chair. He moved the other chair and sat down so that he was now in front of her. He set the plate on the table.

"I'm sorry," he said as he looked at her.

She huffed.

"Come on, Khushi. I was just teasing you."

"You are so mean, Arnav! And to think I..."

He looked at her intently, his heart pounding in his chest, "You what?"

Khushi looked away from him, "Nothing."

Arnav stared at her for a minute before he sighed in defeat. He really wanted to know what she was about to say, but knew he wasn't going to get it out of her. Instead, he took a piece of jalebi and held it in front of her mouth. Khushi turned and looked at him, wide-eyed. She couldn't believe it. The Arnav Singh Raizada had to only apologized, but was trying to feed her with his own hands. He stared at her with those molten eyes, silently asking her to forgive him and eat. Either he didn't like seeing her in such a predicament or he really wanted her to forgive him. Whatever the case was, it was enough to melt Khushi's anger. She smiled and took a bite of the jalebi.

Arnav smiled, "So has Dr. Khushi Kumari Gupta forgiven me?"

Khushi took another bite of the jalebi, biting the tip of his finger in the process. He jerked his hand back as he hissed and looked at her in shock.

She smirked, "That was for teasing me. Now, you are forgiven."

He smirked before he began feeding her again, making sure she wasn't able to bite him once more, "I never got to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For what you did for Di and Jiju. I-."

Khushi shook her head, "I keep telling everyone that they don't need to thank me! Why do they keep doing it?"

"Because you did something no one else would have ever done for us," Arnav stated as he took a bite of a jalebi.

"Your family treats me like their own. The least I could do was treat them like family, and with that comes with the duty of doing whatever it takes to give them happiness."

"I guess."

"Anyways, I should be the one thanking you."

"Why?"

"For supporting me and helping me talk to Di about the whole adoption process."

"You were right in your place. It was a good idea. Why wouldn't I support you?"

"Because I'm just someone who-."

"You're not just someone, Khushi," Arnav said seriously. "You never have been and you will never be just someone."

Khushi stared at him in awe for a moment. Her heart beat loudly in her ears. He really did consider her as someone important in his life. Although she wasn't sure how important, she was glad to know that she mattered to him like he did to her. Arnav watched as a gentle smile came on her face. He didn't understand why he felt the air around him calm down when she did, but he couldn't help but smile knowing that he was the cause and the recipient for the smile. Arnav didn't want Khushi to think that she was just someone', because she wasn't. She was important to him as a friend. However, deep down, he felt that calling it friendship was an understatement. but he didn't know what other name to call their relationship by if it wasn't friendship. So he let go of the thought, knowing that if he tried to figure it out he would screw his relationship up with Khushi.

Arnav continued to feed Khushi and himself. The two of them continued eating and talking. Even after they had finished the food on the plate, they continued to sit at the dining table and talk. It was as if they had forgotten about the mehendi ceremony going on in the room next door. Time seemed to have slipped passed them. They were so lost in their own world that they failed to notice Nani secretly watching them from the kitchen.

**********

So cute! I love Arshi. Let me know what you think by leaving your comments and feedback below!

Next update: Nani confronts Arnav.

Thanks for reading!