[COMPLETED] ArShi FF : Family ~ Thread#4 See page 53 (24/12)

Part 24

"So where to go first?" Arnav asked as they headed out of the house.


"Saw a market nearby while coming here ... lets explore the market first" Aryan said, his eyes on Khushi. "Fine?"

'Yes..." Khushi gave a small smile. "Market then..."


"Dad, for how many days we are going to be here?" Rehaan asked.


"For ten days..." Arnav answered.


"Hmmm" thinking for a second, Rehaan left his Father's hand and ran towards his mother , who was walking at some distance away.


"Amma, we are going to stay here for ten days" ..


Khushi smiled at his sweet voice. " So?"


" So ... Aryan bhai's birthday .." Rehaan whispered.



Khushi stopped walking and looked down at Rehaan. Aryan's birthday? In the last 5 years she had never forgotten Aryan's birthday. And this was Aryan's 18th birthday .She had been planning ahead to make a memorable celebration for him. So much so that he drops his idea of leaving them and going away. Now he isn't going anywhere, just what she wanted. But at what cost? She swallowed the painful lump. She is not going to succumb to the sadness again. Her family is here with her, making an real effort for her sake. And she won't jeopardize this.



"Khushi?"



Khushi lifted her eyes to look in the concerned eyes of her husband.


" Are you OK?"


Khushi nodded her head. "Yes..." she took his hand in hers and started walking again. "We will celebrate, Rehaan. We will make it a memorable birthday for Aryan.. " she smiled down at Rehaan.


Rehaan grinned at his mother.


Khushi looked at her left. " Its Aryan's birthday in 5 days. .. "


Arnav stared ahead at his son. Like any other time, he was alone, away from them. The physical distance he can cover, but what about the distance between their hearts? How to cover that? Will whatever Khushi plan for his birthday make a difference? Certainly not. But she will keep trying. And so should he.


"I remember, Khushi..." Arnav replied. " We can celebrate here ...whatever you plan..."


Khushi smiled and rested her head on her husband's shoulder.


They entered in the hustle and bustle of the morning market. The vegetable vendors lined up on both sides. Locals busy with their usual bargaining and filling the surrounding with lively noise. They passed them, looking at the fresh vegetables around them.


Then came the cloth stalls. Colorful clothes hanging outside to attract locals, tourist, and all. Their eyes took in the colorful surrounding, the vibrant neighboring making them forget about their grief for a moment.



Arnav tilted his head to his left to look at Khushi. Her eyes taking in the cheerful surrounding, a small smile playing on her lips. His heart filled with sudden joy at seeing her smile. Not the forced one she was trying to fool them with from the morning, but the real one. The one which comes from her heart and shines through her eyes. He knows she will be back to those forced smiles soon, but this moment is special. He is glad this vacation can give her some moments free from the grief. Last few weeks were the worst of his life. Seeing his always happy and chirpy Khushi succumbing to the grief was too much to bear, too much to take. And now seeing the small, but genuine smile playing on her lips, he felt like he had been granted the most precious gift of his life.


Aryans thoughts were not any different from his Father. From the moment she had entered his life, she had done nothing but made efforts to include him in the life she has created with his Father. Making him know what an important part of her family he is. His sadness, his loneliness had always mattered to her. Always making an effort to fill his life with some color of happiness. But he has always told her through his actions that he don't want her to bother about him. He don't want her to make any efforts for him. He want to be left alone. Because avoiding her sweet gestures was becoming difficult. How, and how many times to berate a person when she always approaches you with a sweet smile and your best interest at heart?


And then Rehaan had entered their life. He didn't wanted Rehaan to get used to her love, fearing it will be taken away from him any second, leaving him shattered. But soon she had proven she is like a ocean, her love, like ocean's water, will never get over. And he was glad, because that meant now he will be left alone as she now has another son to shower her love at. But she had once again proven him wrong. By her actions and words she had soon made clear that his place in her life and heart can never be taken by anyone. Not by Rehaan, not by any kid she might have in future. His place in her life and heart belongs to him and him alone, and its not replaceable. And it had scared him to no end. For her love was pulling him away from his dreams. Dreams he thought was everything to him. And it did happened in the last. And he despises the way it had happened.



He was so habitual to seeing this lively woman always cheerful and vibrating with happiness, that when he saw her breaking down in his arms, he felt like he was dying a slow death. This woman engulfed in her own grief had made him give up all his dreams without a second thought. He don't know how she has come to mean so much to him, but she, unknowingly, has. Its like she, with her every letter to him, had tied him to her. And now the knot was so strong that its impossible to unwrap it. Its not in his power to untie it. So strong the bond was that now seeing her smile, he felt a never before felt joy filling his heart.



"Aryan bhai, see that! Wow!!" Rehaan's excited voice pulled everyone from their thought. " See, glass blowing...Amma come.." Rehaan took his mother's hand and pulled her towards the glass blowing stall. Other two man followed them .


"Amma, its so beautiful" Rehaan said in awe.


Khushi bent to touch the beautiful, fragile looking glass wares. "This is so beautiful Rehaan" Khushi smiled. " Arnav ji, look" she picked a pink vase. " Its so beautiful... "


Arnav stood beside his wife, admiring the beautiful work before him. "It is ..."


Keeping the vase down, she picked a blue bowl and turned to address Aryan . " Aryan, see this"


Aryan shook his head, no matter what, she will always try to include him in her family, never making him feel left out. He went and stood beside her and tool the bowl from her. " It's beautiful... " He looked at the vendor who was in a process of making another glass ware. "Wanna try?" Aryan asked to khushi.


Khushi looked at Aryan and then at the vendor. "Me? No no...what if i ruin it?"


"Then we will pay him for the damage...come now" Taking her hand he pulled her to the other side of the stall.


"Can we?" Aryan asked the vendor.


The vendor nodded his head with a smile and dipped the soft glass which was attached to the end of a pipe in colorful granules and put it in the furnace to heat it. Removing it after sometimes he poured some water on the pipe to cool it down. Cooling it, he handed the pipe to Khushi.


" Blow in the pipe..."


Khushi took the pipe from the Glass smith and brought the end of the pipe to her mouth hesitantly.


"Blow in the pipe, Amma!" Rehaan encouraged.


Encouraged by her son, Khushi took the pipe between her lips and blew in it.


"Wow! The glass is inflating, Amma" Rehaan jumped up and down.


Khushi opened her eyes and looked at the glass attached to the other side of the pipe. "Is it?" She smiled.


"Yup" Rehaan answered.


Khushi handed the pipe back to the glass smith and thanked him.


"Now what shall we buy?" Asked Rehaan. And with that everyone immersed into choosing the glassware of their choice, throwing every worry away for a some time.

Hello everyone! Sorry for vanishing. But was really busy with the job and then Ganesh Chaturthi. So sorry for updating the stories so late. As now the workload is less and have some holidays, will try to update the stories.

Hope you all liked this part!