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When Khushi met Barun...
Khushi was walking down an isle in the mall, lost in thought when she suddenly came about a gaggle of girls tittering, giggling and pointing at a shop window as if they had seen the world's biggest jalebi on display. Wondering what the commotion was all about, she squinted at the Adidas sports store to which the girls were pointing at.
"Look! There he is!!" A girl shrieked right next to her ear and Khushi jumped a foot in the air. As she looked around to give a good telling off to the girl, she was pushed aside by another gang of girls who had newly joined them.
"Keep the camera ready. The moment he turns around we can take his photo"
Khushi scowled at the giggling girls and looked into the shop window. She could see nothing extraordinary. A guy dressed in casual track pants, sneakers and t-shirt were sorting through a row of gym hoodies with his back to them.
"Oh I can't wait to post the photos in India Forums!!" A girl whispered breathlessly to which there was a general murmur of agreement.
India Forums? What is that? Khushi shook her head in disdain. Girls these days. Sneaking after people and taking photos of random men.
"Doesn't he have the cutest ass?" A girl said conspiratorially and there was another out break of giggles.
"Shame on these girls" Scandalized, Khushi stared at the gaggle in disgust and was just about to turn around and go away when the girl next to her let out another piercing shriek.
"LOOK LOOK! He's turning around!"
In a momentary whim Khushi looked at the shop window and thought she nearly suffered a cardiac arrest from one of her dhak dhak attacks only her husband has the ability to evoke. Holding a light grey and blue hoodie and staring at it thoughtfully, was none other than her husband himself. There was a mad flurry of clicking photos and the girls around her screamed and jumped in the air as if they had just received 1000 mega watt electric shocks.
"Arnav ji"! Her astonished scream was drowned by the giggles and excited shrieks from the surrounding girls.
"These girls are ogling at MY husband!" Khushi fumed in new sprung indignation as she listened to the girls admiring, discussing and remarking at every single aspect of him.
"OMG! He's so HOT!" the shrieking girl next to her nearly incapacitated her ear drum and Khushi had had enough.
"I'll show these girls" nearly evaporating in furry, Khushi marched into the store, turned towards the hoodie section near the window and spotted Arnav ji, now with his back to her, placing the blue and grey hoodie and picking up a black and maroon one instead.
She had only just registered that he never stepped out side without his three piece suit on and wondered why his hair isn't slicked in hair gell when all thoughts escaped her head as she spotted through the window as a girl swooned and fell to the ground in a dead faint.
"what the! Haiye devi mayyiya! I'll show these girls for ogling at someone else's husband"
Khushi took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, raised her chin in the air, gave one last scornful look in the direction of the girls, broke into a run and with a flying leap hugged her husband from behind.
"This will teach a lesson to those girls" Khushi smiled victoriously as she heard muffled gasps from the outside.
"What the f**k!" Arnav ji yelled in surprise.
First the casual cloths, next no gel on hair (maybe she can persuade him to wear coconut oil instead), now completing his 'what the's...hmm impressive! Khushi thought as she cooed "Arnav ji!" in his ear.
"what! Let go of me!" her husband wrenched her hands away from around his neck and turned towards her warily.
"What are you doing here?" Khushi asked breathlessly as she stared at Arnav ji. There was something different about him but she couldn't quite well put her finger on it. Maybe it's the absence of hair gel.
Her husband stared at her suspiciously and started to back away from her as if trying to get away from a mentally addled person.
"Arnav ji! What's wrong?"
"Hi, I'm sorry I'm in quite a hurry. But it's nice meeting you!" he was just about to turn around and run off when Khushi clutched at his hand.
"Why are you trying to run away from your wife?" Khushi was starting to feel bewildered at his behaviour, tears of confusion was blurring her vision.
"Excuse me?" he said politely and looked at her in surprise.
"Excuse me nahi. Why are you acting as if you don't know your wife?" Khushi said angrily.
"Because you're not my wife!"
"Kya!" and Khushi broke into noisy tears.
"Look Miss, I'm really sorry but please don't cry, I think you are'"
But before he could say anything else there was a huge commotion from near the door and the gang of girls came pouring into the shop, upending racks and pushing aside stalls. "If she can hug him, so can we!!" the shrieking girl's voice cut through the air like a war cry.
"Oh oh" he muttered in his husky voice as he stared at the girls in alarm. Khushi sniffed, stared at the oncoming horde of girls, took his arm and broke into a run while pulling him with her.
"watch out!" he yelled as Khushi dived right into the gang of girls, startling them and in no time they had pushed them aside with the sheer force of Khushi's run and made a mad dash for the door.
They ran as fast as possible through the mall and stopped to catch a breath only when they had reached the other end of the mall and could see no sign of the crazy girls.
"Woah! That was quite a work out. Thanks for saving me." he muttered as he gave her an awkward lopsided but adorable smile.
"You are my husband. It's my job to save you from female stares" Khushi gasped, trying to breathe through a stitch in the side.
"I'm NOT your husband!"
'Arnav ji, is this some kind of a joke? And here I thought between the two of us I was the better one at making jokes."
"For the last time I'm NOT your husband!" his voice sounded exasperated now.
"But you look JUST like my husband! Devi mayiya ke kasam se, you look exactly like my husband." Khushi was now at the verge of another bout of tears.
"Look ok, I'll show you proof" He whipped out his drivers licence and handed it to her. "See for yourself"
Khushi took it with trembling hands and read the name on the card.
"Barun Sobti"
"Exactly. Now is that your husband's name?"
Khushi shook her head bemused. She didn't know what to make of this. How can it possibly be? This man looked exactly like her Arnav ji. The photo in the driver's licence looked just like her husband's photo.
"So you're not my husband?" Khushi asked cautiously staring up at the man with eyes wide as saucers.
"Nope!" he smiled in relief. "I guess the saying, that there are seven look a likes in the world is true"
"I MUST tell this to my husband! He MUST meet you. He will be so surprised he'll say what the, what the for a full fifteen minutes. Please please stay until I call him and tell him to come!"
"Ummm" But before he could say anything else Khushi had whipped out her phone and was calling Arnav ji.
A few rings went before Arnav ji answered the phone. "Khushi Im really busy"
Typical Arnav ji, thought Khushi as she smiled blandly at Barun.
"Arnav ji!! You won't believe what just happened!" she nearly jumped up and down in excitement.
"What Khushi" She heard him saying patiently which seemed about to break into pieces.
"I saw someone just like you! I'm talking to him right now. You need to come and meet him!!"
"What the! Khushi do you think I have time to go running about all over the city meeting people who look like me? I don't think so. I have work stacked up to my neck."
"Oh but he looks exactly like you!! I actually mistook him for you. You have to come and see him!!"
"NO"
"Ok fine. Don't come. I'm going to run away with him since he looks exactly like you" She saw Barun giving her a startled look to which Khushi shook her head and winked.
"What the! Khushi!! Fine I'll be there. Where are you? At the mall?"
"Yes"
She heard him sigh heavily before ending the call with a disgruntled beep. "He'll be here!" she smiled at Barun.
"I really need to go soon. I have to get to sets in a few hours time"
"Sets? Oh so you're an actor?" Khushi asked interestedly.
"Yeah"
She examined the driver's licence she was still holding in her hand and read his name. Barun Sobti. Hmm how come she had never seen him before? She read the rest of his details which basicaly said he's from New Delhi and his date of birth was August 21.
August 21st? Khushi gasped. "Today's your birthday?" Khushi shrieked in excitement.
"umm yeah" Barun ji said offhandedly as he took back his drivers licence and stoved it inside a pocket.
"Happy Birthday!!" Khushi took his hand and pumped it vigorously as she smiled at him in delight. "What a great day to meet my husband's look alike!"
"Thanks" he smiled another one of his lop sided shy smiles.
"You know, he too celebrated his birthday a few weeks back"
Before he could reply, Khushi heard a familiar voice calling her name and in a few moments time her husband was standing next to her. Khushi turned to him and took his hand.
"Arnav ji, meet Barun ji"
The resounding "what the"s escaping from both the doppelgangers were enough to send Khushi into peals of laughter. Once she had calmed down a little, she stared at both men looking at each other in dumb founded astonishment. It was pretty bizarre come to think of it. It's not everyday when you meet your look alike. Khushi stared at both of them and waited for a reaction other than the gob smacked looks on their faces.
"Barun Sobti" Barun extended a hand and her husband shook it "Arnav Singh Raizada"
"WHAT!?! That's the name of the man I play in my TV show" Barun was looking highly disconcerted by now. He turned to Khushi and peered at her.
"Come to think of it, you look a lot like Sanaya"
"Who's Sanaya?"
"Is your name Khushi? Khushi Kumari Guptha Singh Raizada?"
"yes? I didn't tell you my name. How do you know my name?"
Barun turned back to her husband. "And are you a business tycoon?"
"More or less yes"
"Unbelievable! So we are actually playing real people?"
"who's playing real people?" Khushi asked with a frown.
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you guys know of someone called Gul Khan?"
"Yeah! She's one of our really good friends" Khushi piqued happily. "Do you know her?"
She saw Barun gulp visibly.
Khushi turned back to her husband.
"Arnav ji, do you know it's Barun ji's birthday?"
"Oh wow! Ha..ha..ha.." As usual her dear husband failed to voice a simple wish.
"Never mind" Khushi intercepted while giving her husband a withering look before turning to Barun. "He means Happy Birthday"
"Umm Thanks man"
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Disclaimer - This is purely fictional and in no way resemble reality! Bwahahaha!!
PS- HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARUN!!! Mwaaahhh (it's a Jadu ka Pappi)
here's your favourite Mango Cake to celebrate the occation!
😆
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