Part 63
*excuse the no-quote for this chapter*
The day had come to an end and the whole family sat in the waiting room, deciding who was going to stay back with Shashi.
"you girls go back home," Garima said, "I will stay the night, and then Payaliya you bring Buaji in the morning with you.
Everybody nodded.
"Khushi bitiya" Garima continued, "you should go home too. You and Arnavji have been here since morning
Khushi looked up at Arnav and he stared back at her.
"If you want, you can go and stay at your parents with Payal and everybody," Arnav suggested, but Garima shook her head.
"No beta" She said, "Khushi will go home, and then come here tomorrow" She finished in a stern voice, and whatever protest Khushi had died in her throat.
She nooded, and then stood up, immediately enveloping her mother in a hug. "Keep strong Amma, I'll see you tomorrow"
She said her goodbyes to Payal and Buaji, and then walked down the hall with Arnav.
Anjali and Shyam had gone back home just before dinner on Garima's insistence. Khushi had been grateful for Anjali's company and distraction as she had fretted over her father's condition. She had been aware that Arnav had organized his work from the hospital, and from the snippets of conversation she overheard, she was also aware that he had organized for her father to be moved to another hospital.
She wasn't sure what feeling it was that gripped her heart at that moment, but she looked up at her husbad in admiration. He walked besides her, his head bowed down as he looked down at a message on his phone, his mouth pulled down at the corners, and his eyes intently focused on what he was reading. She noticed that despite spending the entire day at the hospital, despite the slightly wrinkles in his shirt, he still looked impeccable. His shirt was still tucked into his pants, and he walked with confidence down the hall. Her eyes drifted to his hands as he held the mobile device, and she noticed that he kept his nails trimmed and neat, not a single sign that he let any aspect of himself be presented in an untidy manner.
She sighed as she looked ahead, but her head snapped back to him when he asked her,
"Tum theek ho?"
Khushi immediately nodded in response, but then stopped as she thought about it, "I don't know" She finally admitted, looking back ahead but aware this his eyes were still focused on her, "It's still sinking in, I think."
She took a shuddering breath, and wrapped her arms around herself as they stepped out and the cold chill in the air immediately nipped at her.
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, hoping to bring some warmth in, just as Arnav called the driver.
Noticing her shiver, he silently slipped off his coat, and held it out for her. Khushi looked at him, ready to refuse, but saw that he was looking away as he spoke on the phone, simply waiting for her to take the coat.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed the coat, placing it around her shoulders and immediately reveling in its warmth.
She inhaled deeply and was immediately hit with Arnav's scent. It was a unique scent of his cologne and his body wash. She had learnt to identify which was his body wash after having shared a bathroom while in Shantivan. Every time she would enter the bathroom after he was done with his shower, she would be hit with the fresh smell of lemons, and his cologne was a deep woody scent.
She inhaled again, not realizing her eyes had closed automatically, tightly wrapping the coat around her.
"Khushi?" Arnav interrupted her thoughts, and her eyes snapped open, a deep flush immediately settling on her cheeks as she realized that he had caught her. He chose to not say anything but continued with what he was going to say, "The driver is outside. There is traffic to come to the entrance, I told him we'll meet him outside"
Khushi nodded and started walking to the car when suddenly a flash on her right hand side startled her and she jumped as looked around frantically. Another flash blinded her, and Khushi immediately raised a hand to cover her eyes.
All of a sudden there were more flashes, and Khushi hardly had time to comprehend what was happening, before Arnav's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush against him.
"Do not say anything" He whispered into her hair, as he started to guide them out the entrance, one arm protectively in front of her as he tried moving the reporters to the side.
They were all screaming at her at once, everybody trying to get a response from her, and Khushi could hardly make out the words as they spoke.
Something about a divorce, something about a pregnancy, and something else about the hospital visit.
Too preoccupied in following Arnav, Khushi paid no heed to the reporters.
Arnav's hand on Khushi's waist tightened as they reached the car, and he wrenched the back door open, his hand now on her lower back, urging for her to get in.
Khushi immediately sat in, and shifted to the other side of the car, make space for Arnav. He got in after her, and then closed the door, telling the driver to go home.
Khushi didn't realize it, but her body had been trembling and her hands shaking as she absorded what had happened.
"You get used to it" Arnav said bitterly, as he focused on making sure they did not hit any reporter.
When Khushi did not respond, he looked at her, and saw her face white as a sheet. He placed a hand on hers, and asked, "Are you okay?"
She finally nodded, and then admitted, "I don't think I'll ever get used to that"
Arnav nodded but did not say anything, moving his focus back to guiding the driver.
But Khushi's focus was still on Arnav.
More specifically his warm hand that continued to rest on hers.
********
Shashi looked at the woman sitting opposite him. Her eyes held his gaze, a soft smile sitting on her face, as she waited for his response. Her expression was of helplessness, and acceptance. Helplessness because of the circumstance she found herself in, and acceptance because she could not see any other way out of it.
Shashi waited. He waited to see if she would say something more, provide more insight, or give more of a background into this deal. But she said nothing.
He sighed, and looked up at the ceiling, his frustration starting to build up, and his hands clenched into a fist. He knew it wasn't right to release his anger at her because she was just a messenger, and possibly as badly stuck in it as his family was; but he was still livid. He wished that Garima was here. She always knew what to say in situations where he could not think. She generally kept a cooler head between the two, and he knew that she would have bought more time for him to think if she was here.
But she wasn't.
And neither was Khushi.
This wasn't something he could decide without discussing with them first.
"Devyani-ji, I cannot commit to anything right now-"
"Shashi-ji, that is no longer in our hands. When the contract was drawn, these were the deeds that were decided upon"
"But, I refuse," Shashi said quietly, his eyes unwavering from the old lady in front of him, "And so will Khushi"
"If she does, you know what will be owed to the Raizada family"
Shashi banged his hand on the table, his anger visible on his face as he leaned forward and hissed, "How dare you threaten me my family with something that none of us started"
Devyani adjusted the pallu of her sari, wrapped it around her shoulder and pulled it close to her chest, "I am not threatening Shashi-ji. I am simply iterating what is there. We wish this deal did not exist, but unfortunately if Khushi says no then we will suffer far more than you or your family would."
She got up, and looked at him with pity in her eyes, "I am sorry to do this to you. I cannot imagine the position this contract has placed you in. But you need to understand that Khushi's acceptance of this proposal will be the right move for both the families"
"And what about Arnav? Shashi asked quietly, "What has he said?"
"He will say yes," Devyani said firmly.
Devyani watched the daughter-in-law of her house buttering the toast in front of her before placing it on Arnav's plate.
Her face, which normally held a joyful glow, was completely pale, her eyes were puffy, and her lips were pulled down into frown, as she refused to make eye contact with anyone.
Devyani continued to watch her as she placed a newly buttered slice of toast on Anjali's plate, before grabbing another and starting to butter that, vaguely aware of the acknowledgement that Anjali had passed her.
Devyani entered their house, her hands clasped together in a Namaste and a soft smile on her face. Garima bowed and returned her Namaste, as she ushered her in. She saw Shashi sitting on the rocking chair, and he got up, greeting her as well, but his smile did not reach his eyes.
She could not blame him. The circumstances under which both the children had been married were less than ideal. And he knew her grandson she knew that he took time to adjust, while Khushi was trying to mold herself to the family.
Devyani took the seat they offered and accepted the offer of tea, wrapping the pallu of her sari around her shoulder and looking around, the smile still resting on her face.
"Boliye Devyani ji" Garima said as she sat with a tray of chai, "What was it that you needed to discuss"
"The contract" Devyani said, and she saw as Shashi's shoulders stiffened and Garima stifled a small gasp.
"Is there a problem? Is Khushi okay? Did something happen?" The questions poured out of the worried mother's mouth, and Devyani shook her head, raising a hand to stop her.
"Nothing has happened. I just..." Devyani took a deep breath and continued, "The rishta has started off with deceit. The kids don't know all the conditions of the contract, and I was wondering if..."
"What conditions specifically?" Shashi finally spoke up, his shoulders still stiff, his face expressionless, but he was mindful enough to not raise his voice in disrespect.
"The divorce" Devyani finally said.
She watched as Khushi finally placed the last piece of toast on her own plate, and then sat down. Bringing the toast to her mouth, she nibble at it.
"I will drop you to the hospital and come around lunchtime to see how uncle is doing" Arnav said, and Khushi nodded.
Devyani continued looking at both her kids. The way Arnav's eyes occasionally slipped to Khushi, and he would regard in silence for a few seconds, before turning back to the newspaper in front of him. Khushi continued to eat her breakfast in silence, but her trained eyes did not miss the slight distance between Arnav and Khushi's elbows on the table.
She watched as Arnav shifted and his elbow touched Khushi's, and she noticed the small flinch on Khushi's face, as she discreetly pulled her elbow off the table and ran a hand up and down her arm. She noticed the awkwardness between them, but at the same time she noticed something else. There was a comfort. They were finally comfortable in each other's presence almost as though they were finally starting to accept the reality of their married.
"Shashiji, please!" Garima said, her hand immediately going on his knee to stop him from saying anything he would regret.
Devyani remained quiet, understanding that bringing up a divorce after the wedding is the last thing anyone would want to talk about but it was necessary. They needed to be on the same page. She could not handle the burden of this on her own.
"Devyaniji..". Garima started to speak, her voice faltering, "We are aware of all the clauses, but we don't know why you are bringing up the divorce now?"
"Yogeshji had asked me to not tell the kids about this clause," Devyani said, her hand tightening around her pallu as she remembered that conversation, "He said that he knew of the Gupta's sacrificial nature, and he knew that Khushi would have in a heartbeat signed the divorce papers if she knew it would rid everybody of the problems"
She paused, gauging their reactions, "And so we kept it a secret from them. We chose to show them the clauses that would incentivize them to sign the marriage certificate not those that would make divorce an option-"
Shashi immediately cut her off, "Are you saying that you are considering a divorce Devyaniji?"
"No" She immediately responded, her heart stilling at that thought, "Absolutely not! But shouldn't the kids be made aware of that choice?"
"Is there a problem in the relationship?" Garima asked, "Is Khushi bitiya not able to adjust? Is Arnav...?"
Devyani shook her head, and admitted honestly, "Khushi bitiya is wonderful. She has accepted us as her own"
"Devyaniji, we are simple people" Garima finally said, "It would devastate our family if our daughter was to get a divorce and her marriage was to dissolve."
Devyani closed her eyes in defeat, "But the kids should be made aware"
"They are trying to make it work right now because they know they have to," Garima said, and Devyani saw as pain flittered across her face.
"She is my daughter" Garima said, "I know that she would give it her 100% in this marriage. But I also know that if we tell them the divorce clause she will feel like she has been used as a pawn in a weird twisted game."
Devyani had returned that day with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had felt that deceiving the kids would result in consequences far worse than anybody could have imagined, but even Khushi's parents had felt that it was best to keep divorce out of the question. The kids had to make it work.
As she saw the interaction between Arnav and Khushi, she slowly leaned back as a small sigh escaped her lips. Maybe letting them believe that they were stuck together would be beneficial for everyone in the long run. She could not imagine a better partner for Arnav anyway.
********
Arnav watched as Khushi walked towards the entrance of the hospital, his eyes trained on her till she had walked inside and disappeared from view.
It was only then that he ordered the driver to head towards AR. The vision of her dupatta and hair being lifted with the wind as she walked away from him replayed in his mind. He remembered the sway in her hips and the way the kurti had come in at the waist, and then flared below, ending just below her knee. He swallowed hard as he stared out the window.
He looked back to where Khushi had been seated moments ago, and then stared back out the window, her scent still lingering around him.
He felt restless and his knee was bouncing up and down. He continued to stare out the window and an impatient sigh left his mouth. His stomach was knotted up and he wasn't sure why he suddenly felt so frustrated.
But then it dawned on him he wanted it to be lunchtime already so he could be back at the hospital and around her.
Ufff Yeh Love Hai Mushkil
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