CHAPTER 21. I DREAM OF YOU
Place - Arnav's Room at Shantivan
Arnav smirked as he saw Khushi standing in front of him dressed in a red saree. She was blushing and looking down. Her hand was fidgeting with the pallu. She had one shoulder blouse leaving her right shoulder bare and open to his gaze. And gaze, he did. His eyes glinted indicating that he would practically devour her. He took a step towards her. She raised her head and looked mildly alarmed. She took a step back. Arnav took few more steps and she walked backwards till her back touched the wall. Her eyes widened and she started taking heavy breaths. Arnav walked towards her sedately and placed both his hands on the wall caging her in between them. Her chest heaved up and down as he closed in. He glanced at her lips. He had wanted to kiss her, taste her from their second meeting. He moved close to her leaving no gap between them. He so wanted to kiss her right then. And ASR gets what he wants. His lips were about to touch hers when his phone rang.
Arnav woke up from his sleep and looked here and there. Where was Afreen? He got up from the bed and looked around. Where was the tantalizing, seemingly innocent, siren? He checked the bathroom. She was not there. He walked towards poolside and checked there. He even checked the pool. Maybe she was inside the pool. But nothing seemed there. He entered the room and checked inside his wardrobe, and later checked under the bed too. There is no guarantee for her idioticness. She must have hidden there to trouble him, right? But she was not there. Where did she go dammit? Arnav thought in anger. That's when it struck him. He was dreaming. He had dreamed of her. Arnav fell on the bed and closed his eyes remembering the dream again.
Arnav was on the verge of going back to sleep when the phone rang waking him up again. Suddenly anger spiked through him. He would have kissed her in his dream if the phone hadn't rung. He picked up the call and without glancing at the phone id, barked into it, "What?" "Kya What What! Hum aapko kabse call kar rahe hain aur aap hain ki phone utthaate hi nahi. Aur uthaaya bhi toh kya bolte hain, What! Aur woh bhi ghusse mein. Kaise dost hain aap?", came Khushi's reply from his phone. Arnav blinked twice. Ok! His Afreen was calling him. He thought sleepily. Then suddenly his eyes widened. HIS AFREEN WAS CALLING HIM! "Khushi", he spoke up bewildered. Why was she calling him? He glanced at the clock. It was only 6. "Arre! Yeh Khushi kaun hai? Hum toh aapki Afreen hain, haina?", came a chirpy reply. Arnav raised an eyebrow. 'Aapki'! When did she become his? Suddenly he remembered his dream; her lips. What he would not give to kiss her? He was daydreaming about kissing her when she spoke up worriedly, "Hello! Aap theek haina Arnavji?" Arnav came out of his thoughts and shook his head. "Ya? Ya I amā¦I am fine. Tum kaho kyun call kiya?" Arnav asked her while rubbing his eyes. He wished he could go back to sleep. "Kuch nahi. Bas aapko shubh prabhaat bolna tha.", she replied. "Shu what?", Arnav exclaimed in confusion. What was she talking about? Arnav scratched his head. "Arre! Shubh prabhaat matlab Gud Maarning!", Khushi replied exasperated. "Oh! Ok! Good Morning to you too.", Arnav told her. Can't she speak like normal people? Arnav wondered. "Achcha hum rakhte hain.", he heard Khushi say and panicked. Already he lost the sleep and even if he tried he would not get sleep anymore. Now she won't meet him in the dreams. And in reality he can meet her only in evening. Now when he had the chance to talk to her, he was not going to leave this chance. "Suno, tumne mujhe utha hi diya hai toh mera timepass bhi kara do?", Arnav asked her. If his Di or Nani ever heard this, they would definitely have a heart attack. Chote instead of working on his laptop preferred to chat with a girl! They would definitely get him married to Afreen before he could repeat her name. Arnav thought amusedly.
It was 7:30 when Arnav and Khushi stopped chatting. He had jogging to do and she had household chores. When he came down in his jogging tracks, everybody were seated in the hall, the male members reading the paper while the female members discussing today's menu. They wished him good morning and he replied back and jogged out of the door not noticing the shock he gave to his family members. Anjali, Nani, Maami, Maama, Shyam and Akash all stared at the door for nearly a minute before looking at each other. Even the Prakash brothers, who had entered the room from kitchen, stood frozen in their places. Same thoughts were circulating their heads which Maami voiced out, "Hello Hi Bye Bye! Ka humne sahi suna? Arnav bitwa ne gud maarning ke bajaaye Shubh prabhaat kaha?" All the male nodded their heads while Nani and Anjali looked at each other with wide eyes.
Place - Maan's room at Khurana Mansion
Maan stood under the shower lost in his thoughts. His mind went back to the dream he had this morning. He had dreamt that he was standing alone on a cliff. It was a moonlit night with no stars enhancing in him the feeling of loneliness. He stood for many minutes with his hands in his pockets. He was staring at wide expanse of fields and forests. He did not know for how much time he was standing there when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Sonia standing there with a smile on her face. She stepped forward and her face was illuminated by the moonlight. He noticed her wearing a beautiful pink saree, long diamond earrings and cute little silver colored bindi but what amazed him was the sindoor on her forehead and the mangalsutra around her neck. Instinctly he knew that she wore it in his name. She stood by him side by side to his left. She held his left arm with her right hand and leaned on him placing her head on his shoulder. Both looked at the scenery in front of them content in each others' arms. Maan felt all his loneliness vanish with her company.
Maan came out of his thoughts and stepped out of the shower. The dream had made him wish of things which were not possible. Why did he have to dream of her? He walked out in a towel only to stop in his tracks. His office suit was neatly laid out on the bed along with his keys, wallet, kerchief and watch. He was confused. He never allowed anyone to touch his things. Infact, from the time his parents died, he did all his things himself; from choosing the color of his tie to polishing his shoes. He raised an eyebrow. Who did this? He walked towards the bed only to notice his shoes lying on the floor polished to the T with socks lying beside it. Maan, in shock, blinked a couple of times and said what his best friend would have said in such situations, "What the!"
After 10 minutes, Maan came out of his room, wearing his track pants with a towel hanging on his neck. "NAKUL!", he shouted in anger. He shouted the names of rest of the servants but no one came. What Maan did not know was that today Dadima had told all the servants to clean the outhouse after completing all their daily chores and hence none of the servants were in the house currently. Maan banged his hand on the door in frustration when he heard, "Suniye!" from his side. He turned around to see Soni standing there in a lavender embroideried patiala salwar with both hands on her hips. "Aap kyun subah subah itna shor machaa rahe hai?", she asked him in annoyance. Maan rolled his eyes and pointed to his room. She pushed him aside and he looked at her in indignation. Who does she think of herself? She looked around and turned towards him, "Etthe aisa kya hua jiske liye aap itna pareshaan ho. Sab theek toh hai." "Aur yeh sab?", Maan spoke while pointing out to his clothes lying on the bed. "Yeh sab kya hai?", he questioned her. "Oh Yeh!", she exclaimed then gave him a fully powered smile. She clasped her hands together and spoke excitedly, "Yeh sab maine kiya hai. Aapko achcha laga?" Maan glared at her. "Yeh sab tumne kiya hai? Tumne? Kyun?", Maan asked her angrily. "E lo! Ab is kyun ka kya matlab? Ab mera karne ka dil kiya. Maine kiya.", she replied back. Yeh itne ajeeb kyun hain? She wondered.
"Dil kiya matlab? Kal tumhara dil karega Mujhe chat se phekwaane ka toh kya tum woh bhi karogi?", Maan thundered. Soni rolled her eyes. After watching him say sorry and pleading her to forgive him, now she was not scared of his anger. She looked up, "Hey Babaji! Inhein aap hi samjhaao.", she told her God. Maan looked at ceiling wondering whether she has gone mad. Soni looked at him and spoke, "Arre! Koi apne pati ko chat se phikwaata hai kya?" Maan was bewildered. Pati? When did they get married? Was the dream he saw at night real? But as he glanced at her, he saw neither a mangalsutra nor the sindoor. He mentally heaved a sigh of relief. That was just a dream. Then what the hell is she blabbering about? "Pati?", he put all his questions in one single word. Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Arre! Ek na ek din toh humaari shaadi honi hi hai. Toh honewala pati kahoon ya sirf pati, ki farak painda hai. Ab aap yeh sab chaddo. Aap tayyaar ho jaao varna der ho jayegi. Aur aapko Office derse jaana pasand nahi hai.", she informed him while he looked at her incredulously. She walked towards the door but stopped at the threshold. She turned around and told him, "Aur haan! Yeh sab main roj karoongi. Kyunki aap mere honewaale pati ho. Aur yeh mera haq hai. Aap kya khud Babaji bhi Mujhe yeh sab karne se nahi rok sakte. Toh aap is sabki aadat daal lo." She flipped her long plait to her back and walked off leaving behind a confused and stunned Maan.
Place - Khurana Constructions
It was lunchtime and Maan was still in shock. He was amazed at how Soni had claimed to be his wife. Above on that the dream also haunted him. He picked up his phone and dialed the house number. He wanted to hear her voice claim her haq again on him. "Hello?", came a sweet voice from the other side of the phone. "Soni, is waqt kya kar rahi ho?", Maan asked in stern voice. He did not want to show her how eager he was to hear her voice. "Main aapke yaad mein tadap rahi hoon.", came a cheery reply. "What!", Maan exclaimed in shock. "Arre Baba! Jyada hil nahi sakti aur tabiyat bhi sudhri nahi hai. Toh kya karoongi? Time Pass karoongi, aur kya?", she spoke up and Maan let out a breath he did not know he was holding. "Vaise aapne kyun call kiya? Aapko meri yaad aa rahi thi.", Soni asked teasingly. "Haan!", Maan said without thinking. "Kya? Kya kahaa aapne? Phir se kahiye.", Soni spoke in an excited voice. Maan realized what he said. "Mainā¦Wohā¦.Kuch nahiā¦.Woh mainā¦.Haanā¦.Woh main doosre phone pe keh raha tha. Tumhein nahin. Woh Dadima se kaam tha. Main ā¦.Main baad mein call karta hoon." Maan disconnected the call without giving her a chance to talk. He wiped his forehead which was wet with sweat.
Place - Living Room at Khurana Mansion
Soni grinned as she kept the phone. Maan accepted that he missed her. She had seen through his flimsy excuse. His call excited her. She started singing happily, "Hua Chokra Jawaan Re!"
Place - Outside Khurana Constructions
It was evening and Arnav was back doing what he did for past few days; waiting for his Afreen outside KC. If Maan saw him here, he would kill him. Arnav felt a hand on his shoulder and froze. What if it was Maan? Arnav held his breath. His mind conjured a scene for him. Him sitting on the mandap beside Afreen who was smiling like an idiot at him as if saying you are stuck here. His sister standing behind him smiling and crying at the same time while Nani, Maama and Maami are happily smiling. Suddenly Akash, Maan, Dev, Arjun and Shyam stand in front of him showing him a banner on which it is written "Ek aur bakra shaheed hua. Rest in Peace ASR." Arnav shook his head as if to banish the thought and turned around only to sigh in relief. It was Afreen. She had held his shoulder with her left hand while she was munching on a Jalebi held in her right hand. She noticed his reaction and as her mouth was full she asked him through her hand, "What happened?" Arnav shook his head indicating a nothing. He caught hold of her left hand and dragged her to his car. He practically threw her into his car and drove away. If he stood there anymore there was a great chance his vision would come true. He did not want his vision in any way to come true. He drove around for some time and then stopped the car.
Arnav looked at Khushi who had eaten the whole of Jalebi. She smiled at him and took out another Jalebi. He rolled his eyes. But instead of eating it, she gave it to him. "Tum bhool gayi, Mujhe Diabetics Hai.", Arnav told her softly. Khushi smiled, "Humein Yaad hai. Is liye humne ise sugar free se banaya hai. Humne pooch-taach bhi ki. Isse aapko kuch nahi hoga. Chak ke toh dekhiye." She forwarded the Jalebi and he took a bite directly from her hand. She was right. It was tasty. He grabbed the Jalebi from her hand and ate it. The moment he ate the whole thing, she put a whole dabba filled with atleast five jalebis under his nose. He grabbed the dabba and started eating it. He was touched. Nobody, not even Di, had taken the effort to make a sugar free sweet for him. And this chit of a girl did it for him, the guy who harassed her few days back. He was always impressed by her simplicity but today he felt his respect for her go up a notch.
Khushi giggled at Arnav gobbling the Jalebis. She had felt sad the day before when he had told her about his diabetics. And she decided that she will make sure he gets to eat as much as sweet he wants. She then noticed that, in a hurry, a pinch of syrup was dribbling from his lips. It was about to drop on his pristine shirt and her eyes widened. Quickly she grabbed her Duppatta with one hand and pulled his face with other. She started wiping his face without noticing that he had went still.
Arnav was stupefied when his Afreen pulled his face and started cleaning it. He stared at her face so close to his and glanced at her lips which he had dreamed about early morning.
Khushi, done with her cleaning, looked at him and froze. Arnav was looking at her as if she was a Jalebi herself. She leaned away from him and he came out of his thoughts; both embarrassed. He gave the now empty dabba to her and wiped his hands in his kerchief. He started the car and spoke, "Jalebi achchi banayi hai." She turned to him in excitement, "Haina! Hum toh sabse best Jalebi banaate hain." "Main tumhein ghar chod deta hoon.", Arnav told her. "NAHHHIII", she screamed in a dramatic manner. "What the!", Arnav stopped the car and looked at her. What the hell was that? She smiled at him and spoke, "Buaji dekhegi toh bakheda khada kardegi." Arnav raised his eyebrow. Bakheda? Did Khushi know that he was her sister's jeth? "Woh anjaan sheher hai aur hum kisi ladke ke saath. Samajh rahe na aap.", she tried to justify herself. Arnav nodded his head. He did understand the lower class mentality. "Main tumhein ghar se thoda pehle drop kardoonga.", Arnav offered. She thought for a minute and then, "Theek Hai."
Place - Living Room of Shantivan
Maan entered his house totally tired when a human missile crashed into him. "CHUUUHHHAAA", the missile screamed. Maan was shocked. Did he look like a chuuha to her? Soni hugged him tightly while mumbling "Chuuha mere peeche. Mujhe bahut darr lag raha hai, Maan." She hugged him as if he would, like a hero, actually fight with the chuuha and protect her from it. Maan rolled his eyes and detached her from him. His hands were on her shoulders. But the moment she raised her head from his chest and looked at him, Maan lost all his coherent thoughts and stared into her eyes. He was drowning in them. Soni also stared back at him, his hands on her shoulders making her feel tingly from inside, when she felt something slide by her. She screamed, "AAA", while hugging him again. She pointed her hand towards the earth and he looked downwards. Maan raised his eyebrows disbelievingly. He slowed pulled her away from him and turned her and showed her the floor. The thing which slided by her was her Duppatta.
Sonia was embarrassed. She took one step back and then another. She turned and ran full speed to the stairs. In a second, she transported herself from his arms to her room. Maan blinked twice. What was that? That is when he noticed that all the household staff along with his family members were laughing holding their stomach. His Dadima was seated on the chair with tears streaming on to her face, while NT and Dev were hanging onto each other in support. Maan glared at all of them and they quieted down. He walked off to his room. The moment he entered his room, the laughter began again.
Place - Few metres away from Laxminagar
Arnav stopped the car and Khushi tried to open the seat belt but she could not. Arnav shook his head and pushed her hands away. He went close to her and tried opening it. But it seemed jammed.
Khushi looked at him apprehensively. He was very close to her and this sent some unknown sensations into her body. She pressed herself to the door in an attempt to make some distance between them. Arnav opened the belt and she scrambled off the seat and out of the car. What was that? Arnav wondered confusingly. She smiled at him, waved goodbye and walked off. Arnav shrugged and drove off.
That night, Geet and Khushi had same thoughts twirling in their heads, Why I felt like that when he touched me? What was that feeling?
P.S. Guys, please note that ASR and MSK are not in love yet. They will fall in love in next few chapters. Last chapter was written so that they both realize and acknowledge the attraction, the chemistry and passion. And today for the first time Geet and Khushi felt the attraction but did not realize what it was. How was it? Next update on Thursday.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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