CHAPTER 19. ONE STEP FURTHER TO PROPOSAL
"What the!, Arnav hissed as he stared with wide eyes at the milieu of women standing in front of him. What are all of them doing in my room? He wondered. In forefront were a mischievously grinning Geet and an excited looking Anjali and behind them stood a smiling Naani and a giggling Maamiji.
"What the, what the, baad mein karo! Ab chalo!, Geet said as she grabbed her brother's hand and tried to drag him with her.
"Where?, Arnav asked as the other three followed them.
"We are going shopping!, Geet announced as they got down the stairs. Arnav noticed Shyam, Aakash and Maamaji waiting in the hall. That's when it struck Arnav as to what shopping Geet was alluding to.
"Oh no! Oh hell no! No way!, Arnav growled as he came to a stop and refused to be dragged further.
"Kya hua Chote?, Anjali asked with a frown.
"I know very well kis shopping ki aap log baat kar rahe hain! Engagement clothes ki shopping, right? I refuse. I refuse to come!, Arnav growled.
"Par kyun?, Anjali whined.
"Because I know you guys! You people are planning something! So I refuse to come!, Arnav folded his hands against his chest and glared at his sisters.
"How ridiculous! Hum aur planning? AB, you have gone mad!, Geet rolled her eyes.
"Oh no! I have not!, Arnav shook his head, "Tell me! When is the last time you ladies invited me for your clothes shopping? Let me tell you the answer! Never! And now suddenly you want me there? What nonsense! I can sense your plan from a mile away!
Anjali huffed, "Arre! Lekin har time hum gents ke liye thodi shopping karte hain? Engagement mein sabko kapde dilaane hain! Gents ke liye shopping karna hai toh gents ko toh saath le jaana padega na? Dekhiye! Tumhaare Jijaji aur Bhai, dono aa rahe hain!, she pointed to the hall where Shyam and Aakash stood. Arnav noticed the amusement on their faces at their argument and he ignored them. That's when an idea came to his head.
"Wait! Aakash is coming right?, Arnav looked at Aakash who nodded. He looked at his eagerly looking sisters and smiled at them, "Toh theek hai! Aakash knows my measurements and my tastes! He will get me the right outfit! So I don't need to go! He grinned at his sisters and turned to walk away.
"But Chote..., Anjali whined as he climbed the stairs.
"Di!, he growled, "I have work! Incase, you didn't notice, I was working when you lot dragged me out of my room!
"Fine! No need to come! We can manage without you!, announced Geet. Arnav heaved a sigh of relief and continued to climb the stairs. He didn't notice the look of betrayal Anjali gave Geet or the wink Geet sent her. Anjali grinned. Her baby sister had planned something!
He reached the top step when he heard Geet ask Maamiji, "MJ! Kya lagta hai aapko, humaare ASR sherwani mein kaise lagenge?
WHAT THE! Arnav thought as he froze.
"You know I think AB would look hot in pink. What do you think about pink sherwani, AD? Maybe with gold borders..., Geet continued to speak as the whole family turned towards the door but Arnav didn't hear further. He was too lost in the horror of wearing a sherwani. And as if that horror was not enough, the color was hot pink. He imagined himself walking down the stairs in hot pink sherwani. Oh God, the laughter, the embarrassment! No! No way!
"What are we waiting for, Geetto? Sab toh aagaye!, Aakash commented as the whole family waited by the cars. Once they exited the house, Geet had asked them not to get into the car and just wait. They didn't understand why but they did as she asked.
"Just wait! Ek aur insaan aana baaki hai!, Geet smirked.
Everyone looked at each other confusedly. Who else was to come?
"Baby! Agar tum Khuranas ki baat kar rahi ho toh who sabhi direct wahaan aa rahe hain! Yahaan wait karne ki jaroorat nahi!, Anjali explained patiently. Khurana family was supposed to go shopping for the engagement separately but Anjali had asked the family to join them. Her motive was quite simple: she wanted Maan and Geet more excuses to spend time together. She got the idea after Geet suggested taking Arnav with them as Guptas were coming for the shopping too and Arnav and Khushi would get another chance to spend time with each other. So Anjali took the same plan and applied it to Maan and Geet's situation by taking NT into confidence. And now Maan was coming too. Of course, unlike Anjali, NT didn't have to take much effort to coerce Maan into coming with them. All she had to say that Geet was coming too and Maan agreed. But Anjali knew that the same trick would never work with Arnav. He was lot more guarded with his emotions than Maan and not that receptive about his feelings as Maan either. So she had resorted to emotional blackmail which had yet to work. Oh how much she envied NT right now!
As Anjali was thinking about her bull headed brother and his habit of ruining her plans, the said brother arrived at the spot just then.
"So... what are you people waiting for? Jaana nahi hai kya?, Arnav asked as he slid into the driver's seat.
The family gaped at him with wide eyes. Didn't he refuse to come some few minutes back? Only Geet smirked, "And that was the person I was waiting for!, she announced with aplomb.
Now the family turned to gape at Geet. How did she know Arnav would come?
"People! Come on! Or else I am not coming with you!, Arnav announced and the family came out of their shock. They scrambled into the cars, fearing Arnav's threat of going back. And off went the Raizadas for clothes shopping.
As the Raizadas entered the shopping boutique, they noticed that Guptas i.e Khushi, Paayal, their mother and their Buaji had already arrived. Anjali had gotten the message from NT that the Khuranas would be a little late. The elder Guptas met the family with greetings and started to talk with them but the Guptas girls seemed to be lost in their own discussion. The younger Raizadas left the elders to their discussion and migrated towards the girls. Payal was facing them so her face lit up at seeing them and particularly Aakash but Khushi had her back to them and had yet to notice them.
As Aakash, Anjali, Shyam and Geet neared the duo with Arnav bringing the rear they heard Khushi chirp, "Pata nahi Jiji, woh laal gulaab kiske liye the lekin the kitne sundar... Haaye! Kaash koi... arre! Anjaliji! Namaste! Khushi noticed Anjali and broke off her conversation to greet the Raizadas. Once she said Namastes to Anjali, Shyam and her future Jijaji, Aakash her attention turned to Geet who hugged her while asking her, "Gulab? Kisne kisko gulaab diya? Koi boyfriend hai kya?
Geet slyly glanced sideways to her AB and had to control herself from grinning once she saw the glare with which Arnav was looking towards Khushi. Khushi didn't notice the glare and started to explain, "Arre nahi! Abhi kuch der pehle yahaan aate waqt humne dekha, ek aadmi kisi ke liye gulaab ka guldasta le jaa raha tha! Haaye! Kitna pyaara guldasta tha woh!
By now all the youngsters' attention were towards Khushi and Paayal explained the reason behind Khushi's excitement, "Woh kya haina, Khushi ko gulaab bahut pasand hain, uske favourite phool hain! Humaare bhi lekin Khushi ko unse jyaada hi kuch lagaav hai!
Soon the topic changed and everyone was chattering except Arnav. Nobody noticed the reaction to Khushi's explanation on Arnav's face. There was a soft smile on his lips and his eyes seemed to be lost in thought. As he looked at Khushi, a vision flashed in front of him. It was him on his knees with a rose bouquet in his hands. All around him were nothing but roses. Khushi was standing in front of him and they were at his poolside. The vision vanished from his eyes but the thought remained. He couldn't think about anything else except, what is wrong with him confessing his feelings to Khushi? For once, he couldn't think of any reasons not to confess.
Geet was chattering with Khushi and noticed the dazed expression on Arnav's face. She sidled up to him and mumbled, "AB! You are daydreaming! Unbelievable! Who are you daydreaming about? Your lady love? Arnav took in a sharp breath at her words and came out of his thoughts. He looked to a smirking Geet and walked away to the men's section where Aakash and Shyam were looking through some sherwanis. He moved a little ahead and busied himself in selecting a three piece suit for himself.
Meanwhile the Khuranas arrived and Naani, Anjali and Geet surged forward to meet them. Aakash and Shyam also dropped their Sherwanis to meet Dev and Maan. Soon the men had joined the Sherwani section to browse through their clothes while ladies stood on the other side talking amongst themselves. The Gupta ladies chatted with Naaniji and Daadima while looking for some Sarees for themselves. Maamaji had already chosen a Kurta Pyjama outfit for himself with the help of Maamiji and was now with Maamiji helping her look through Sarees for her.
NT noticed the elder ladies lost in their own shopping and nudged Anjali who looked at her curiously. NT nodded towards Geet who was chatting with Khushi and then towards Maan who was looking through Sherwanis with Aakash, Shyam and Dev with Arnav some steps away typing something on his mobile. His selected outfit was already in his hand and Anjali rolled her eyes at seeing a three piece suit there. Typical Chote!
Then Anjali's eyes landed on Maan again and she had an idea. She looked at NT impishly and then whispered something to her. NT grinned and then looked to Paayal, Khushi and Geet.
"Arre! Chalo! What are we doing here?, NT asked.
The young girls frowned in confusion.
Anjali explained, "Offo! Inka matlab hai chaliye humaare saath aur gents ki madat keejiye kapde select karne mein! Warna pata chala Shyamji, Dev, Chutke aur MS ne aise kapde choose kiye jo unse jyaada Bandar ko suit kare!
The girls giggled and headed towards the men's section.
"Hatiye! Hatiye! Hatiye!, Anjali started pushing the men aside and landed beside her husband, "Humein dekhne deejiye aapke liye kya kapde lene hain!
"Haan! Haan!, NT also joined the fray as she grabbed the cloth from her husband's hand and threw it aside, "Humaara kaam hai yeh! Hum hi karenge!
Anjali turned to the girls and said, "Paayal Bhabhi! Aajaao! Aaj ke baad se aapko hi humaare Chutke ke liye kapde chunne hain!
Paayal shyly looked down while Aakash looked at her with hope.
Geet nudged Paayal, "Yes! PB! Ab tak ya toh MJ ya toh AD ya toh maine kapde chune hain aapke Aakash ke liye! Lekin aaj se yeh haq bhi aapka hua!
Paayal continued to look shyly down and Geet smiled at Khushi impishly. Khushi grinned back and both the girls pushed Paayal towards Aakash. She turned to look at them with wide eyes and then she turned to front and gave Aakash a shy smile. Aakash waved to the Sherwanis and Paayal moved forward to look through them. The other people took few steps away from the couple to give them some privacy and looked around. Geet and Khushi were left to their own devices as Anjali and NT were focused on their husbands. They looked around wondering what to do. Just then Maan sighed.
Geet frowned at Maan's tired expression and dragged Khushi over to where he was standing. Neither girls noticed Arnav standing nearby checking something on his phone, the three piece suit still in his hand.
"What's up Mr. Khurana? Kya hua?, Geet asked.
Maan glared at her and Geet's eyes widened, "Oh sorry! Toh bataayiye Maan, baat kya hai?
Anjali noticed Geet talking to Maan and she looked at NT. Both ladies grinned eagerly. They had hoped that with no one else to talk to, Geet would talk to Maan. And their plan went exactly the way they wanted. Of course, there was Khushi there too but they knew that she wouldn't be much deterrent for them and they would focus on each other.
"I don't know what to choose!, Maan shrugged as he pointed at the array of Sherwanis in front of him. He was on the side of the section where outfits of lighter colors were there. Geet could see white, cream, butterscotch and many other colored outfits. No wonder Maan was confused. She looked at Maan, "Arre! Aap normally jaise kapde choose karte hain waise keejiye!
Maan huffed, "Three piece suit choose karna bahut easy hai. Lekin yeh..., he trailed off still looking confused.
Khushi remained quiet till now as Maan was her boss and she had no idea how to speak to him. But now even she couldn't resist butting in.
"Toh normally aapke liye Sherwani kaun pasand karta hai?, Khushi asked curiously.
None of the three noticed NT or Anjali eavesdropping on the conversation.
Maan huffed again, "Daadima, NT ya Anjali! Lekin aaj teenon busy hain! Lagta hai mujhe three piece suit hi pehenna padega!
"What! No way!, Geet shook her head, "Three piece suit dost ki sagaai pe achcha lagega kya?
"Haan! Geet sahi keh rahi hai!, Khushi piped up, not knowing that Geet and Maan were not her only audience. A certain ASR was also keenly concentrating on her words and her actions.
Khushi continued to speak, "Waise bhi Kajolji ne K3G mein kahaa tha, Lucknow da kurta, pathani Salwar, tab lage mard, warna lage bekaar!
Geet and Maan stared at her. Khushi frowned, "Kya hua?
Geet chuckled, "Tumhein pata hai na ki yahaan sab log daily three piece suit hi pehente hain Office ke liye? Aur tum unsabko bekaar bula rahi ho?
"Hey Devi Maiyya!, Khushi slapped her hand on her mouth making Maan and Geet chuckle. Once again no one noticed Arnav straightened up as he stared at Khushi.
Khushi tried to clarify, "Arre! Hum roz ki thodi na baat kar rahe hain! Hum toh bas special occasions ki baat kar rahe hain! Ki jo insaan ghar ke function pe sherwani na pehne, woh kya khaakh insaan hain! Arre! Kurte salwar ke kya thaath hain! Raja lagta hai insaan, ek dum Raja!
Arnav heard the whole conversation and looked down at his three piece suit. Suddenly his suit didn't look that great. Maybe I need a change in style! He dropped the suit nearby and looked around surreptitiously at the Sherwanis hanging around. His actions went unnoticed by all except Geet, whose eyes widened. Oh ho! Sherwani chuna jaa raha hai, sirf KB ke kehne pe! Superb!
Geet turned back to the conversation as Maan spoke up, "But mujhe pata nahi main pehnun kya!
Geet frowned and then looked at him, "Toh theek hai! Aaj main aur Khushi aapki madat karte hain!
Khushi took a step back in shock with wide eyes. What was Geet talking about? This was her boss! How can she choose for him? She excused herself and ran away from there to her mother. Geet shrugged and started to look through the clothes around. She picked up few sherwanis and handed them to Maan.
"All of them?, Maan asked curiously.
Geet shook her head, "Try all of them! Trial room udhar hai!
Maan looked down at the number of clothes on his hand and back at her with horror. Geet laughed at his expression but waved him off to the trial room. He tried and modelled all of them for Geet. Geet rejected some of them, was ok with some of them and some looked so good on Maan that she even whistled and cheered. Finally she was satisfied with a white one.
"Yeh perfect hai!, she told him.
"Thank you!, he looked at her intensely and Geet felt herself blush. She didn't know why but there was something in his look that made her blush. Maan's heart skipped at her blush and he felt as if all his questions were answered. I think she likes me too, Maan thought. And I think, no, I know that its about time I take this relationship ahead. Lekin kya karun? Yes, I will propose her! He smiled at the idea. I will arrange for a ring soon and then I will propose to her on her brother's engagement. Wait! Sagaai pe toh rings exchange honge na? Toh proposal pe ring hi kyun? Mujhe Geet ko aur kuch dena hoga! Lekin kya? Suddenly an idea came to his mind and he smiled. Yes! Perfect!
Meanwhile, Khushi, who was walking towards her mother, noticed Arnav look at two Sherwanis like they were aliens. He was holding both of them and looked at each of them confusedly. Khushi curiously trudged forward and noticed that one was brown and other was black. She frowned as she continued to walk towards him.
Arnav was shocked when out of nowhere Khushi materialised beside him and pulled the brown one out of his hands. He looked at her and she shook her head, "Aap pe kaala rang jyaada achcha lagta hai! Saying her words, she dropped the brown one and walked off.
"Suno!, Arnav mumbled and Khushi turned to look at him.
"Thank you!, he whispered and Khushi smiled shyly at him. She scampered away leaving a softly smiling Arnav behind.
An hour later, it was time for billing and then heading to the ladies section and Anjali came searching for her brother. She was shocked to see Sherwani in Arnav's hand and ran off to inform her family about it. Dev, Shyam and Aakash refused to believe it so they followed her along with NT and Geet to take a look at Arnav. All gasped in shock as they saw ASR standing there typing on his mobile with a black Sherwani in his hand.
"Oh my! Sherwani!, NT commented.
"Oye hoye! Chote!, Anjali cheered.
Arnav looked at them alarmed as even Shyam, Dev and Aakash commented at his sudden change of heart.
He turned more uncomfortable when Geet spoke up, "Of course AB ne Sherwani li! Khushi ne kya kahaa tha? Ah yes, lucknow ka kurta, warna lage bekaar... kya tha woh?
Arnav's eyes widened and he blurted out, "Khushi said nothing!
Geet looked at him in surprise and Arnav realised that he was implicating himself by his denial. He had to lead them away from Khushi before they realised he had feelings for her.
He straightened up and spoke up gruffly, "Who do you think I am? As if I will listen to that silly girl who has no sense of fashion herself. No sense of fashion or dressing style and I will listen to her? Ya right! This is because of one of my assistants. He told me that today's fashion is more about Sherwanis so I decided that as a Fashion House Owner I should dress in today's fashion. That is all! And you all are thinking I will change my style for that ridiculous looking girl! No way!
Arnav stomped away feeling relieved that he had spoken enough to lead them away from his feelings for Khushi. Geet, Anjali and NT shared a look of amusement. Both saw Arnav's monologue for what it was; a way of distraction so that they didn't notice his feelings. Shyam, Dev and Aakash were just confused and looked at each other wondering if anybody had any clue about what triggered Arnav's rant.
Nobody noticed Khushi standing nearby glaring at ASR. She had come to call them only to see ASR badmouthing her. Hum? Hum ridiculous? Hum with no sense of fashion? Pyaar se baat kiya toh humein akad dikhaane lage? Samajhte kya hain apne aapko! Pehle hi kya kam badtameezi karte the humse jo aaj iss harqat pe utar aaye! Hum hi ullu the jo samjhe ki aap achche insaan hain!
The shopping continued and the gents had inserted himself into choosing something for their lady loves. Only Arnav and Maan had not gotten involved in this activity. Both men were lost in thoughts and that's why there was nobody to help Geet or Khushi in choosing lehenga for themselves. If this disappointed NT or Anjali, neither showed. Even Geet and Khushi didn't seem to be affected that they had to choose lehengas for themselves. All in all, it was an uneventful shopping once the Sherwani selection ended. Soon the whole day passed and slowly the next few days passed too. Geet took a leave from her work to help with her brother's engagement and on the other side Khushi also took a leave to focus on her sister's engagement. And that's why after the shopping Maan didn't get to see his Geet and neither could Arnav see his Khushi. While Arnav was ok with it as he didn't have a clue as to what to do with his feelings for a simple girl like Khushi, Maan was not happy. He wanted to see and meet Geet but couldn't. This ended up confirming to him that his decision to propose was right. It was about time to take this relationship to next level.
Soon the day of the engagement came and the Guptas and the Raizadas got fully involved into the preparations. Evening descended and Khuranas arrived early to help Raizadas out. While Dev, Shyam and Arjun, who had arrived from Mumbai in the morning, focused on teasing Aakash, NT joined Anjali and both ladies discussed on what all they could do to bring Maan Geet and Arnav Khushi closer. They were exhausted with the ideas but refused to give up. Geet fluttered around the house asking everyone how she could help and Maan surreptitiously followed her all around, either physically or with his eyes. Arnav locked himself into his room saying he had work. All ignored him. Inside his room, Arnav tried to ignore the burning image of him proposing Khushi at the poolside surrounded by her favourite roses and focus on his work. He didn't seem to be much succeeding. His thoughts seemed to keep on going to his imaginative proposal and he caught himself often wondering about what her reaction would be if he actually did it.
Soon the festivities began and the guests started arriving. Guptas arrived and all the youngsters gathered around the new couple teasing them constantly. There were dances and song performances. Maan, Geet, Arnav and Khushi remained away from the dance floor as the dances were mainly for couples. Soon the time came for ring exchange and there were loud shouts and cheers as Paayal and Aakash exchanged rings. Aakash grinned at Paayal who shyly looked down with a smile on her face and looked at him through her lashes. It was a sweet moment for them which only sweetened when Geet insisted that the couple need to have their first dance as engaged couple. Everyone agreed and the duo went to the dance floor to dance.
As Geet stood cheering her brother and his fianc, Maan stared at her with tenderness in his eyes. It was time, he realised. He fingered the jewellery in his pocket that he had bought for Geet and tried to gather his courage. Taking a deep breath, he touched Geet's shoulder. Geet turned around with delight on her face and Maan smiled at her, "Geet! Mujhe tumse ek jaroori baat karni hai. Jara mere saath chalogi? Geet frowned but nodded and turned towards her rooms. Maan stopped her with his hand, "Andar nahi! Garden mein! Geet looked confused but nodded and walked with him to the outside.
NT was giggling about something her husband said when something caught her eye and she tugged at her husband's hand. He looked at her and she pointed to the door where Maan and Geet were walking out.
"Do you think..., NT asked nervously.
Dev cut her off, "Yup. I think too. Bro, aaj propose karenge! Kal maine unke table pe koi jewellery ki receipt dekhi thi!
NT looked at him with wide eyes and Dev grinned. She grinned back excitedly. Her Veerji was getting married!
Anjali smiled as she saw Maan and Geet walk off. Haaye! Maan Saab ki love story toh set hai! Humein pakka pata hai ki dono apne dil ki baat hi karne gaye honge! She turned around only to notice the grin on NT's face. Her smile turned into frown. Kitni lucky hai NT! Iska sapna toh kuch hi palon mein poora ho jaayega! Lekin humaara sapna... Woh kab poora hoga? Her eyes looked around solemnly searching for her Chote only to see Khushi climb the stairs. She ignored it and continued to search for her brother only to blink in shock. Her Chote was heading towards the stairs. Was he following Khushi? Hey Devi Ma! Kya aaj humaari manokaamna poori hogi? She grinned eagerly and closing her eyes, prayed for Devi Ma to fulfil her dreams as soon as possible. Waah kya din hai! She thought. Humaare Chutke ki sagaai hogayi, aur bahut jald humaare MS, humaare Baby aur humaare Chote ki zindagi mein bhi pyaar aa jaayega! Bas humein aur kya chaahiye!
And that was the update, hope you liked it!
Next update, the boys will propose and the girls will... erm... You will see!
Thank you, take care and have fun,
Kalpana
P.S. I didn't elaborate much on the whole engagement because I already did that once with DFL where I wrote almost 12000 words filled with dance and song sequences for that Fanfic. So this time, I decided to gloss over it.
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Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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