FF:Khushi's wish fulfilled;Ch7pg29(25/4) - Page 18

a very sensible and well written story. I liked how Khushi is behaving v matured and being very protective of her kids. I had read this FF days b4 but 4gt the name now causing me to search and find it through names of their kids. dear writer if any possibility, continue soon.

Heyy luved all the chptrz... and update the next part soon..:)

👏👏lovw it...great job...amzing...👏👏

OMFG... i love it. Update woman

A/n: An update, finally! I know its been long but I sure hope atleast a few of you are still following the story!

A note to the people on my PM list- I've decided to do away with the PM list; its really hard for me to find time to update stories these days and PMing takes more time than the update in itself! So my humble request to the readers; Buddy me for PMs. Or leave behind a comment/PM asking me to send a request and I will. It makes it a lot more easier for me without having to feel guilty about not PMing people!

Chapter 7: An Apology; half accepted

Anjali observed Khushi as she sat in the drawing room, playing with Diya; just as she had known, something clattered to the floor and was followed by Khushi's exclamation for her favorite deity. She was flustered; that much was evident and Anjali chuckled to herself. It had been a few years since she and Chote had married and yet, one gesture from him affected her this much…

It had been that morning, Anjali and Ankit had been getting ready for school in a hurry and Khushi had had to run around from room to room like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to get everyone everything on time.

Anjali had often asked Khushi to let her help but Khushi had staunchly refused saying, "Di, its bad enough that you have to look after these devils during weekends; I can't let you run behind them on weekdays too. It would spoil your daily routine; I can't have you missing the Aarti or your morning exercise regimen; your brother would have my head if he knew."

But that morning, she had been surprised to find not Khushi, but Chote in the kitchen, trying to make tea, by the look of the things he had around him. He was sighing in exasperation and Anjali was sure she heard a muttered 'Dammit' from him before she made her presence known. He had blushed; her Chote, who absolutely abhorred any show of weakness, had blushed crimson at being caught doing something as mundane as making tea. As quickly as the expression had come, it was gone and he put his face in a plain mask as he asked her to help him with making tea.

"Why do you want to add sugar, Chote? You aren't supposed to take it; and either way, you don't even like tea!" she had exclaimed, wanting to tease him further. It wasn't every day that she caught her little Chote doing things for his wife. He brushed her mocking aside, just like always.

"I was just making tea for Khushi; she didn't have a cup since the morning and…"

"How do you know?" Anjali asked, her eyes twinkling in mischief as Arnav once again was at a loss for words.

"She is only ever this rude and noisy and scatter brained when she has missed her morning tea; not that she isn't otherwise. Di, will you help me or are you going to just stand there and ridicule me?" he had snapped; even his rude tone couldn't seem to put off the smile on her face as she walked into the kitchen and stood beside him, instructing him and supervising as he brewed tea.

"Thanks, Di. You needn't have bothered, I'd have made myself a cup once Anji and Ankit had left," Khushi remarked as she sipped the steaming hot liquid, rejoicing in the sense of freshness that reverberated through her. It took her a few more sips to realize the difference, "Di, this doesn't taste like the tea you normally make…"

"That's because I didn't brew it; Chote did," Anjali replied with a serious face, tilting her head towards where the object of their talk was sat, pretending to read the newspaper while actually eavesdropping on their conversation. Though he'd never admit to it, he actually loved watching his Di and Khushi together; without their knowledge, of course.

"What?" Khushi asked, her utter disbelief reflected in the way she almost dropped the cup she was holding. She looked at the cup weirdly, as if Anjali had just told her what she was drinking was the juice of Aloevera. Placing it gingerly on the table, Khushi waited a few more minutes before she lifted it to her lips again; behaving so precariously with the cup that Anjali wondered if she was expecting a time bomb at the bottom.

"Why Khushi, is it too sweet for you to drink?" Anjali asked purposefully, half her mind concentrating on the reactions her brother was sure to be pulling behind the paper.

"J…ji?" Khushi, who had been lost in wondering the reason for the sudden gesture finally came out of her reverie. Of course, Arnav only ever did nice things for her when he'd done some big mistake. She normally melted and forgave him but, not this time. This wasn't a forgotten birthday or wedding anniversary or the absence from a Pooja; this was his trust in her which turned out to be non-existent.

Khushi placed the cup back on the saucer just as the thought arose and claiming to have work in the kitchen, left without another backward glance. Which was good because if she had, she'd definitely have seen the hurt look in his eyes as Arnav watched her form retreat.

"What did you do that has her so angry, Chote?" Anjali had whispered, but she had only received a huff as an answer. She didn't push much, Arnav would anyway come to her for help when he ran out of ideas.

Anjali shook her head in resignation; playing Cupid to these two was fun, surely; but the only thing was that whenever she'd thought they had gone two steps ahead, it became apparent that they'd gone eight steps back.

"Idiots; the pair of them," Anjali had muttered as she went about to look after her chores…

Anjali was pulled from her reverie as the door bell rang. Hariprakashji opened the door and stood back as a bouquet of flowers walked towards her…wait walked? Anjali reached the drawing room just in time to see Arjun taking one of the roses out from the bouquet and give it to Diya who was jumping up and down in delight, calling the entire household to meet her new Uncleji.

Anjali descended the stairs slowly; whether as an after effect of her prolonged emotional turmoil or not she didn't know, but Anjali's leg had been troubling her more than normal in the past years, ever since Shyam left and she wasn't as agile as she had been before. Arnav and Khushi fussed over her, but Anjali remained stubborn; she knew they'd make her bedridden otherwise and she was barely the age to restrict herself so.

When her feet reached solid ground, her eyes sought those of the visitor and she smiled, begetting one in return. She had missed him, Anjali realized. Arjun had barely ever visited her after her marriage, opting to stay back in Mumbai when the rest of his family had been present. She hadn't been in any state to rebuke him about it then, though lost as she had been in her newfound love.

"Couldn't stay away from the big, bad Raizadas, could you Arjun?" she asked laughingly and he grinned, pulling another rose out of the bouquet to place it in her hand. He placed the bunch on a nearby table and gave Diya and her a regal bow, "To the irrefutably wonderful Raizada women," he replied in all his posh accent, making Diya and her break out into laughter.

Khushi came out to look at what the commotion was and seeing Arjun, she wiped her hands on her handkerchief as she came forward to greet him. "Arjunji! How nice of you to visit us so soon!"

"Are you angry with me?" Khushi looked at Anjali, confused. Had she said something wrong?

"No, no, you said everything right. Its just…Anjali has a habit of acting all formal and stiff when she is annoyed with someone and I wondered if she passed it on to you," Arjun explained, comprehending Khuhsi's confusion as Anjali smiled indulgently.

"Oh so that's why Di used to be so polite to me back when I worked in AR! Because she was irked with me for troubling her dear Chote! Am I right, Di?" Khushi exclaimed in mock realization, her natural dramatic tendencies coming to life when she saw a kindred soul.

"You worked there, Khushiji? That brat never told me! So it was actually office romance, was it?" Arjun asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"I'll answer that, on one condition," Khushi replied solemnly and before he could ask, stated, "Please do drop the Ji. It makes me feel odd; kind of like when someone calls me Mrs.Raizada or Ma'am."

"Of course; shall I call you Bhabhi then?" Arjun asked, taking a seat on the couch, holding the bouquet of roses close to him as if he was guarding it. If Anjali or Khushi thought it strange, they didn't comment.

"You're forbidden from doing that," Khushi replied, shocking him, "You're a part of AR, right? Arnavji hates anyone from the office calling me Bhabhi. Its either Ma'am or Mrs.Raizada," Khushi replied, her distaste evident.

"He can be as disgruntled as he wants, Bhabhi but I'm going to call you Bhabhi from now on. Is that okay with you, Bhabhi?" Khushi chuckled, nodding.

"So now tell me, how did Arnav manage to get so lucky?" Arjun asked, seemingly annoyed with his friend's good fortune. "He always was way too lucky, wasn't he, Anjali? I'd have to work so hard to get something and he'd have it without having to sweat. Dratted good luck of his," Arjun mumbled, making Anjali laugh.

"Arjun's parents were rather strict about money and luxuries…" Anjali began to explain when Arjun cut in.

"They were misers, you mean," Arjun put in helpfully.

"Oh, hush, Arjun! You were incorrigibly spoilt even then! I shudder to think what would have happened to you if they hadn't put their foot down. You'd probably have turned out to be a lazy, fat couch potato!" Anjali exclaimed and seeing the outrage on Arjun's face, Khushi honestly thought he'd get angry.

He merely laughed and said, "I think you're mistaking me for Chote dearest!"

Khushi was intrigued now. She rarely ever heard anything about her husband; certainly nothing about his childhood so she prodded further, "Arnavji?"

Anjali started, as if she had just noticed her presence. Khushi hadn't failed to observe the level of comfort that flowed between the two either. Something was definitely there; or had been there, of that she was sure of. Collecting herself, Anjali explained, "Oh yeah, Khushi. Chote used to eat so many sweets that Amma used to make, na?"

"Sweets?" This was another blow to her; Khushi had never imagined Arnav eating sweets. To her, he was always Diabetic.

"Of course! Chote wasn't Diabetic back then; he used to gobble up sweets as and when Amma made them,"

"And he stole half of what Auntyji gave me," Arjun added helpfully, earning a slap on the shoulder from Anjali.

"Oh stop pulling his leg so, Arjun! He just liked sweets. Chote used to be chubby back then," Anjali continued, only to be interrupted again.

"You mean fat," Khushi thought Arjun was annoying Anjali purposefully, seeing the deliberate way in which he tried to draw her out.

"Arjun!" she exclaimed before breaking into a smile, "Arjun used to tease him all the while about it; it used to annoy Chote to no end."

"Auntyji used to click away so many photos of us then, right Anjali?" Arjun reminded and Anjali sighed wistfully, "We left them all when we left Sheesh Mahal."

"Not all; there are still the ones I managed to sneak away with me when I visited," Arjun reminded; it seemed to excite Anjali greatly.

"You should definitely bring them one day, Arjun. We can show Chote to Khushi then!" Anjali's voice took on a definite cheerful tone, making Khushi smile too. She hadn't seen Anjali this worked up about anything before.

"She won't need pictures; that Akdoo's son looks just like him," Arjun grumbled and Anjali retorted, affronted.

"Don't even think about insulting her darling Ankit or Khushi will be at your back with her Jalebi making tonks!" Anjali warned him, all the while laughing.

"Oh gosh! Of course; the mother is ever so protective of her son, isn't she?" Arjun's eyes twinkled and Khushi knew he was deliberately trying to tease her. She had so far remained silent, content with just listening to such light hearted conversation after so long.

But apparently, Arjun needed more than one person to converse with him. "Of course, the son never complains when he is being pampered," she spoke back, raising her eyebrows.

"I see Arnav's rubbed off on you too much," Arjun replied and when Khushi looked at him uncomprehendingly, he pointed to her face, "That expression; that's typical ASR."

"Oh, not just this, Arjun. All her swears of 'Devi Maiyya' turned to 'What the's and 'Unbelievable's!" Anjali complained, adding in a stage whisper, "I think he's converted her."

Khushi felt flustered as she was suddenly subjected to two of the most evil looking glances. Arjun spoke in a grave tone, "I think we have an amateur slave driver on our hands, Anjali."

"Wh… What?" Khushi managed to squeak out before the two laughed and Khushi realized they had been making fun of her.

Breathing a sigh of relief and wanting to escape the place, she said, "I'll get you some Jalebis I made, Arjunji. I challenge you you wouldn't have tasted any better Jalebi anywhere else."

Before he could even agree, she skipped off, leaving a worried Anjali behind; she knew Khushi's habit and that Khushi was making Jalebis out of the blue worried her.

XXX

"Oh I almost forgot!" Arjun slapped himself on the forehead as he turned around at the door. Anjali had retreated to her room once he had taken his leave and it was Khushi who came with him to the door to see him off. Somehow, Khushi thought Anjali's abrupt disappearance was preplanned rather than accidental.

"Your Dear husband wanted me to deliver this to you; along with this note," he handed her the folded envelope.

"Th…Thank you, Arjunji!" Khushi stammered as she took the flowers and the letter; it was in his illegible script alright.

"Somethings never change over time, like Arnav's unreadable scrawl," Arjun indicated, shaking his head in resignation.

"Like untold emotions?" on an impulse, Khushi stated, looking keenly at Arjun's face for any changes. A sudden confusion followed by a bright smile was all she got as reply.

"Like concealed emotions," he corrected, though Khushi couldn't say if he meant it or not. "You should read that letter, Bhabhi. Arnav will want to know if you did and will bite my head off if I don't give him a satisfactory answer."

"Tell him I read it," Khushi replied and closed the door, rushing to their room to read the note without disturbance.

XXX

Khushi,

You have no idea how many bits of paper are lying around me because I didn't know how to start the letter; you know I don't ever write letters but I didn't know how else to get to you.

I know you said you were alright with… with whatever happened but it isn't; I'm no fool to not know my wife after so many years. I don't know how to apologise; I end up yelling at you every time I try and though I know I can't shout through paper, I don't want to risk it.

I just wanted to say that I've been a fool to ever doubt you; to ever think that you would ever betray me. I knew you could never do something like that, but I guess I find it easier to blame people because the only other option is trusting them and I can't bring myself to do that so easily.

I'm not justifying my actions but I just wanted to say that I now know how completely ridiculous I've been and whatever you decide to do, I won't question you.

Arnav.

P.S.: Hopefully, that made some sense and was actually readable.

P.P.S.: I have a meeting tonight; semi personal and can't be avoided. I might be late; don't wait up for me.

It took Khushi ten minutes to decipher his words, and another five for the meaning to sink in. By the time, she was smiling and chuckling randomly.

It wasn't a sweeping gesture, nor was it something utterly romantic but Arnav had his own ways of expressing himself. It was these moments that Khushi found endearing in him; that made her wonder how such a fearsome person could be so sweet.

Holding the letter close to her, Khushi smiled waterily; the tears being tears of joy this time. They'd be alright; he'd come back to her and they'd make this work. They'd try again; they had an entire lifetime, afterall.

Maybe she'd have to cajole him into opening up to her; maybe she'd have to annoy a confession out of him but she wasn't Khushi Singh Raizada for nothing.

XXX

"One minute, she was there and the next, she simply walked out, Mr.Raizada. That was it; plain and simple," one of his business associates exclaimed as he drowned his sorrow in a glass of alcohol.

Arnav listened, dumbfounded, wondering how someone could do that. "You were married for so many years!" was all he could think to say.

"So what? It is really rare to see those kind of devoted women, Mr. Raizada." Arnav knew, for one, that his companion was exaggerating things.

If that is the case, you're only lucky person to have someone like Khushi in your life his mind voiced out and Arnav smiled, at peace.

When he left for home a few hours later, the same happiness reflected in him. What Mr.Mehra had gone through would never come to him; because come storm or calm, Khushi would never leave him; just as he couldn't live without her.

It was with a serene smile that Arnav entered his room; Khushi was already asleep, her form turned to the left as usual. Gathering her close to him, Arnav kissed her forehead tenderly before slipping into a slumber, hope springing in his heart as he saw his note clutched in her hand tightly.

A/n: There you go! The next chapter is almost done; it was supposed to be a part of this chapter but I thought that would make it kind of anti-climatic!

Precap:

"Di, take care of yourself," Khushi replied somberly as she hugged Anjali.

"Don't worry about me, Khushi; its you you should be worried about. I know there is so much pain waiting for you there but you have to face it sometime, right? Its your duty to yourself, Khushi," Anjali consoled Khushi and she nodded.

The kids in tow, Khushi left Shantivan, Hariprakash carrying the luggage before her.

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RES

Lovely update!!!! Khushi and Arnav are so cute!!! :)