Part 24 - Trial by fire
My little princess is now almost 4 weeks now, Anjali thought as she stared down, caressing the cheeks of her cherubic baby, even as she fed her and relaxed on the rocking chair set that Akash and Payal had gifted her.
She felt a sense of calm and umatched peace descend on her as Aarushi fed - Overwhelming love, responsibility and a sense of achievement all crowded Anjali's thoughts. She was back in her room now and the entire room had been redone in a dusky, very light pink and white with murals of trees. Aarush would have her own room when she was old enough for it, but for now, she shared with her mom and Anjali had instructed the decorator to begin painting the colors only after she had had the baby.
A quick knock sounded on the door. "Ek second", Anjali called out before adjusting the shawl to shield her feeding baby. She assumed it must be Khushi or Payal at this time of the day ...and hence was unprepared for Karan to walk in when she said "aajaaiye...". Karan was also taken aback. He had not expected that Anjali would have been busy feeding and he felt awkward and turned around immediately and stood facing the open door away from Anjali. "I am sorry Anjali ...Naani said you were just sitting by sleeping Aarushi and to go right in...I am sorry I disturbed your privacy."
"You have been invading my thoughts all the time, and you apologize now?", Anjali thought and stopped herself from voicing it out aloud.
"No, its okay. We are still working together to get Aarushi on some kind of sleep and feed schedule..But are not there yet. Kahiye...Kaise hai aap, Suraj kaisa hai? Kaise aana pada?", Anjali asked.
Karan was feeling acutely conscious that he was just a few feet away from the object of his dreams and thoughts. She looked like a smiling Yashoda with a baby suckling in her arms. She has no idea how attractive she looks and represents such a temptation, Karan thought. "We are both doing fine. I just came over to give you some news which I hope you will think is positive. On the divorce front, Arnav might have already told you that the divorce will be final within the next week or so. On the search for Shyam, we are hopeful he is going to be caught very soon. His pictures have been circulated via the mediapersons who you won over. We will continue to extend protection , both here at Shaantivan and at the Guptas house. Arnav told me you are planning to hold her naming ceremony here with a priest coming in day after tomorrow...Can you let me know your guest list so we can perform verifications when they get here? ".
"The naming ceremony is a very small affair with just us folks, the Guptas, yourself, Suraj, Sonal ji and Narayan ji, Lavanya and NK. So there is no need to worry about verifications. Chotey told me how you were kind enough to use your government connections to get the divorce expedited. I definitely did not want to tie that slimeball's name to my own any more. Thank you so much...You have done so much for our family, for me. Thanks is such an inadequate word to express gratitude for the way you put yourself in danger to hang above so many floors ...My heart stops when I think of how you climbed in via that window that evening. Why did you do it when you had so many men to do it instead? You are Suraj's only parent, only solace now...How could you do that?", Anjali asked with renewed recollection of the shock and horror she had felt when she had found that Karan had put his onwn life in danger to get to her.
Karan was silent for a while..He whispered.."I could not bear the thought of you in danger. If something had happened to you, I would have never been able to.." and stopped, he hoped that she had not heard the raw emotion in his voice.
"Karan...", Anjali whispered. She could not believe what she had just heard. She could not get up to walk up to him now either. The only sounds in the ensuing silence were Aarushi's suckling sounds. Karan clenched his fists...He wished that he could freely confess his feelings, take Anjali and her baby for his own and hold her as she nourished their baby. "I have to go ..I will see you later", he said and walked out, closing the door gently behind him restoring Anjali's privacy.
******
NK and Lavanya took almost all their meals together. In fact, Akash even commented about this to Arnav when he saw the two leaving to go outside to grab lunch. "Bhai...Kya tum yeh soch rahe ho jo hum soch rahe hai, Lavanya aur NK ko dekh kar?"
"Tumhein bhi bahaar se lunch khaana hai, tho unhe call kar do. Woh tumhaare liye take-out laa denge. Main ghar ka khaana kha loonga" (If you want to get lunch from outside, go ahead and ask them to pick up a take-out for you. I will eat home-cooked food), Arnav responded, totally oblivious as he was to the under-currents of emotions riding between NK and La.
"Nahi Bhai...Khaane ki baat nahi. Humein lag raha hai ki NK bhai or Lavanya ke beech mein kuch chal raha hai..koi chakkar.", (No brother, I am not talking about lunch. I am feeling that there is something going on between them both) Akash clarified wondering how Arnav had failed to realize this.
That set Arnav back and he realized that what Akash was saying made sense in a weird way. The glances the two exchanged all the time, the smiles, the lunch escapades, NK returning late every night, the new sense of camaraderie. Maybe Akash was right. Was NK falling in love with Lavanya? Lavanya definitely did look like she had been charmed by the natkhat NK, Arnav felt as he had been on the receiving end of her adoration last year. He thought of Lavanya affectionately as one would of a kid sister, a close friend ...If this was the real thing, they would be good for each other. Both of them are naughty, fun-loving, light-hearted people and enjoy a great rapport, Arnav thought. But he also remembered some longing, pained looks that NK had sent Lavanya's way a few weeks back and it all started to fall in place for Arnav. I have to talk to NK, he thought.
It was almost 3:30 PM and Arnav had been busy with meetings so far. He had a free moment and decided to take the bull by its horns. He placed a call to NK's office and asked him to come to his office. "Arre Naanav, kya baat hai..Tum thoda pareshan lag rahe ho...", asked NK in his usual, jovial voice.
"NK...Mujhe tum se kuch zaroori baat karni thi." (NK, I wanted to talk about something important with you), Arnav said, wondering how he could voice something that he was suddenly doubtful about.
"Kya baat hai...Aisi kaisi zaroori baat aagayi..Kya Shyam pakda gaya?", (what happened that is so important, did Shyam get caught?) NK asked.
"Nahi, di ki baat nahi hai. Lavanya ke baare mein tha...", (No, its not about Di, its about Lavanya) Arnav hesitated.
"I just wanted to tell you that Lavanya and I never had that kind of a relationship...", Arnav could not bring himself to say the words; he hated himself for even contemplating a live-in relationship last year with someone as nice as Lavanya. She deserved someone better than him..He just hoped it was NK and wished that his and Lavanya's ephemeral, shared past had not affected them. "We thought about it for the companionship it gave us, but never got round to it until Khushi accidentally let loose about Lavanya to Naaniji..And after that you know what happened, everyone wanted to get Lavanya into an ideal bahu mould", Arnav humbly and hesitantly explained unable to look at NK to see his reaction.
"Arre bhai. Main ek baat bataaoon...Sirf tumse...mujhe Lavanya ke kal ke baare mein koi farak nahi padta...But what I do want is that Lavanya and I spend the rest of our lives together. I am happy that there is no shared history except for some awkwardness when we come to explaining things to the family ...But apart from that, I trust Lavanya totally, Trust in her love for me now. I want to be her present and her future. ", NK happily responded, relieved that Bhai was not going to put some kind of roadblock in his path of love.
"ASR...You are a gentleman...I really appreciate you sharing the truth of our history..But you know what...Today is the happiest day of my life...And thats because, NK proposed to me today at lunch. He told me how much he loved me and wanted me to be a part of his life...And just now after I heard him reply to you, I am humbled, ASR, I am humbled that NK did not even think of asking about you and me. He proved that love is blind and is all about complete trust. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have found you, NK", Lavanya said, with tears raining down her cheeks as she flung herself into NK's waiting arms. When ASR had called, Lavanya had thought it best to follow NK to share their news but had been waylaid by Aman before she got into ASR's cabin and had got in on time to hear Arnav's explanation.
The two were lost in each other...Arnav looked at the happy couple with mixed feelings. He was extremely happy that two people he knew well and liked, were getting together. He was glad that his thoughtless actions from last year had not spoiled Lavanya's chances. But this happiness warred with the sadness and disgust with himself. NK is a better person than he was. He had accepted Lavanya unconditionally, trusting her completely. But Arnav had only given Khushi pain in all the months of their association before and after the forced marriage. He had not trusted her even when she had tried her best to convince him that she had no connection with Shyam. He looked away, his gaze unable to linger on their happy, loving faces. He recalled how nasty and mean he had been when giving Lavanya the necklace that Khushi herself had liked. I have never got her anything except the bangles she wore at the havan...And they were not even made of gold, he thought. Mother's kangans were from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law...I am supposed to be so rich and what have I got her...nothing. Even that Shyam atleast got her an engagement ring. I have behaved appallingly, Arnav thought, as he decided to stop on the way at the family jeweler's store.
******
******
Hello everyone -- Glad you liked my previous post. Moving ahead with our other characters and their love stories. Having an epilogue planned already that I am itching to get to...So this is going to end soon...Maybe in the next week or so.
Thanks so much for all your engaging, encouraging posts- Love reading them. Keep 'em coming.
Edited by vishkhush - 13 years ago
Naagin 7
Real Estate
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mahadev And Sons
421