"1…2…3…" Sitting in the car since the last thirty minutes, Arnav was impatiently counting seconds to pass, glancing through the rear view mirror, and waiting for Khushi to come out from her house. He was earlier than scheduled, but he just couldn't bear waiting for more. As soon as he heard 9 00 strike in his watch, he gently closed his eyes and opened them only when his heart gave him the assurance that Khushi was really here. There was no rational explanation behind how he could always feel her presence anytime; anywhere…it had just become a natural emotion.
Khushi opened the front seat door and got into the car, uttering a small Hi while trying not to meet Arnav's eyes for obvious reasons. She was attempting to frantically buckle her seat belt but Khushi was in no condition to act normally at the moment, as if she had lost all her senses. Nervousness was slowly getting the better of herself, giving her the impression that she was good-for-nothing in such cases.
Arnav spontaneously approached Khushi, his left cheek lightly touching hers, creating an electrifying feeling while he pulled the seat belt towards the fastening lock. Stopping midway, he drowned his gaze into Khushi's, the closeness between them triggering an array of sensations that kept brewing within. Khushi tried really hard not to meet his gaze, but her heart refused to listen to her mind and the conflict caused her eyes to converge towards his.
"S…seat…b…belt" Khushi muttered, bringing Arnav back to reality, as he finally fastened it and started driving.
All along the way, while Arnav stole glances from time to time, Khushi kept murmuring to herself as a means of preparation to what was awaiting her. Despite Arnav not telling her anything, she knew what was coming…it clearly was a date; Arnav wanted to spend time with her and she had to be ready to disclose her feelings. She had been practising since the eve, and was still doing the same in her mind.
"Arnav, I need to tell you something…I love you…No no no this sounds ridiculous.
I don't know how, when and where it happened, but I just know that I love you…sounds better?
I.LOVE.YOU. It's simple Khushi"
"Did you say anything?" Arnav asked, looking at her confused.
"No nothing"
Khushi mentally thanked the music playing through the car radio for covering her murmurs, and mostly for camouflaging the sound beats of her Dhak Dhaks. She again tried not to meet Arnav's eyes when he was talking to her, lowering the window and looking outside. As the wind blew in, her dupatta gently caressed Arnav's face, with Khushi oblivious of this and Arnav smilingly reminiscing how he had clutched her dupatta on the eve.
"Khushi, your dupatta!" Arnav let out, bringing his hand to it and giving the tip end back to Khushi.
"Haww, sorry" Khushi exclaimed, immediately pulling it back from Arnav's hands.
"Khushi, just give me some ten minutes…I need to stop here and then we'll go" Arnav said, parking the car outside a shopping mall.
"Okay"
***
As Arnav came back, hiding his surprise gift in his pocket, he was astonished to see that Khushi was no longer in the car. He frantically looked around in search of Khushi until his eyes rested on Khushi talking to a man in his thirties, someone he had never seen before. Arnav was about to call her when he saw Khushi happily chatting, giggling and finally hugging the stranger. In a momentary lapse of time, Arnav felt a sudden uneasiness overwhelming him, causing him to return to the car. Despite trying not to overthink about what he had just seen, Arnav could just not erase that scene from his mind and the same question kept echoing: Who was that man and why was Khushi so happy to see him?
"Where had you been?" Arnav asked, as Khushi made her way back to the car.
"Hmm…actually there was no network in the car, so I went outside to make a call. Only that!" Khushi replied.
"Only that?" Arnav repeated.
"Yeah, why?"
"Nothing..let's go"
***
Few minutes later, the car halted on the side of the road, with Arnav getting out first and opening the door for Khushi to come out as well. As soon as Khushi discovered where they had come, she could not refrain herself from contemplating the beauty of the place, Nature at its best: the scent of fresh grass, the glistening water of the lake, the pureness of the air. It was a magical scenery, a never-seen-before place for Khushi despite her living in Lucknow.
Khushi followed Arnav who walked on the surface of the land leading to the tranquil lake, and stepped down in the small boat floating on the lake and rope-tied to a pillar.
"Are we going in this boat on the lake?" Khushi asked with scared expressions.
"Yes, you see that portion of land over there, sort of an island, I want to show it to you! Come"
"Arnav, it's a bad idea…actually I am …scared of deep water. And where is the guide? I can't see anyone apart from us?"
"Khushi, there is no need for a guide! I am here … you can trust me" Arnav extended his hand towards Khushi.
And Khushi held his hand, a hand that guaranteed her security. There was no denying the fact that she could always trust him. As she hopped into the boat, she bumped against Arnav's chest, accidentally hugging him to gain stability. While Arnav smirked at what just happened, Khushi quickly retracted herself and sat down, waiting for his instructions as to how to make the boat move. After disentangling the rope attaching the boat to the pillar, Arnav rowed with the pair of oars. Khushi tried not to look at the water surrounding them out of fear, and instead concentrated on those muscles that were working out.
Suddenly she felt the boat stop moving, and Arnav handing her the oars.
"Don't you want to try it? There is only a small distance left."
"Me? I don't know how to"
Arnav made Khushi sit in his place, while he sat behind her, taking the oars and placing them in her hands. He kept his hands on hers as they rowed alongside, Arnav guiding Khushi with his touch…a touch that had the power of heightening the red colour of her cheeks. Thankfully Khushi's back was facing Arnav, else he would surely have noticed the change in her facial expressions.
***
They soon reached their destination, and as they walked around the place, Arnav showed Khushi each and every corner of his secret place.
"It has been my secret territory since childhood. Whenever I would get scolded or get angry and depressed, I used to come here, and the peace would regenerate me. You know Khushi, I have never ever spoken to anyone about this place." Arnav confessed.
"So why did you tell me about all this? Why are you sharing each and every detail of your life with me?" Khushi asked, inwardly knowing the reason but still eagerly looking forward to hearing it from his own mouth.
Arnav was about to pour his heart out when just at that moment, Khushi's phone rang and she excused herself from Arnav to pick it up:
"Thank you so much! I did meet him and everything is finalised. He is such a wonderful person, coming down to Lucknow just to give it to me. I met him some minutes ago…He will be a perfect life partner. Babye"
Arnav who had obviously listened to her conversation felt a lump down his throat thinking about Khushi talking about the man she had met being the perfect life partner. Her life partner? What all was happening right now?
"I am still waiting for your answer … why did you share it with me?" Khushi asked as she cut the call.
"Because…because you are the only one with whom I feel at ease to pour my heart out, the only one with whom I don't care about anything else, the only one who gives me the assurance that I have found a confidant with whom I can share anything…but sometimes I also feel that you do not consider the same about me…"
Khushi's eyes had started moistening hearing those heartfelt words, but the last sentence pricked her.
"What do you mean? I …"
"Who was the man with whom you were talking while I left you in the car, and then on the phone? How could you hide this from me?" Arnav asked, his usual calm nature fading away.
Khushi suddenly realised that Arnav had seen her with him, and also guessed that he must have found out everything.
"Arnav, actually I was just waiting for the right time to tell you about this …I didn't want you to learn it in such a way. So how did you find the surprise? Are you not happy?"
"Are you kidding me Khushi? Is it something that I should be happy about?"
"Are you not happy to learn that your book is getting published?"
"No I am not happy that…what? My book is getting published? Then you and that man…life partner…" Arnav stammered, but feeling highly relieved that all of this was just a silly misunderstanding.
"You know Pam, the one working in our office … she is the one who has been helping me to finalise all the details with your book, and she is getting married next month. And since she was busy, her fianc agreed to come to Lucknow and give me the copy of the final agreement for the publication. But wait a minute, what did you think? Were you by any chance feeling jealous?"
"Jealous? And me? No! Not at all! Why would I feel jealous? Who are you to me?"
"Who am I to you? Really? If I am nothing to you, then why do you always make me feel the opposite? Why have you created yourself such a special place in my family's life, and in MINE? And why did you keep my photograph on your bed table in Sheesh Mahal?"
Khushi did not realise when she had started walking angrily towards Arnav, with him walking backwards until his back faced a tree. Arnav immediately pulled her towards him and pinned her to the tree surface, approaching his face to hers.
"So much anger Khushi Kumari Gupta? Why? What if I say I was jealous?" Arnav whispered in her ear, planting a kiss on her right cheek.
"Why were you jealous?" Khushi looked deeply into his eyes, seeking for an answer, butterflies raging through her stomach.
"Because I felt the same like you did when you saw me with Lavanya" Arnav said, kissing her left cheek.
"How was I feeling?" Khushi asked, breathing heavily.
"Feeling that you lost the most important person in your life" Arnav murmured, kissing her forehead.
"And how were you feeling?" Khushi added, closing her eyes.
"Feeling that I lost the most important person in my life" Arnav replied, bringing his lips closer to hers when it suddenly started raining, causing Khushi to playfully push Arnav, and break free from his grip.
Khushi ran away from him, and stopped, opening her arms as the rain intensified, feeling each and every drop cooling her down. Arnav stared at her playing under the rain, while he took refuge in the veranda of the shed.
"Khushi, you will get drenched! Come here!" Arnav shouted for her to hear.
When he realised that Khushi was not paying heed to him, he approached her and took her hand. Khushi looked back at him, a tear falling down her cheek and merging with the rain drops.
"Why are you crying?" Arnav asked, worried.
"I LOVE YOU ARNAV" Khushi threw herself into his arms, hugging him as tightly as possible.
"What took you so long to say that huh?"Arnav teased, while reciprocating the hug, before adding "I LOVE YOU TOO KHUSHI".
"You also took so long to confess … you should have said it first! Why do boys always take girls for granted?" Khushi patted his chest.
"Can we continue this discussion inside the shelter? I don't want us to get ill" Arnav expressed.
Both took shelter in the shed, waiting for the rain to stop. As Khushi bent her head sideways stroking her wet locks in an attempt to dry them, Arnav settled down on a heap of straw admiring Khushi.
"What are you doing?" Khushi asked innocently.
"Staring at you to my heart's content…and I can do this openly now! No need to steal glances" Arnav uttered.
"So you used to stare at me secretly?"
"Yep! Is it an offence?"
"Very big offence it is"
"Khushi, thank you"
"For what?"
"Firstly for the book…you know that"
"It was your dream, your parents' dream … and I am sure that wherever they are, they must be proud of their son" Khushi said, cupping Arnav's face.
"Khushi, close your eyes"
"Why?"
"Sshh just close them"
"Okay…they are closed"
Arnav lifted her hair and brought them to one side, while he made her wear the necklace that he had just bought earlier today.
"You can open your eyes now" Arnav said, scrutinising her reaction.
Khushi brought the pendant close to her eyes, and noticed the letters "Forever yours, Arnav" engraved on it.
"I would have gifted you a ring, but it would not have been right" Arnav said.
"What do you mean by not right?" Khushi pouted.
"You would have discarded it when you would receive your official engagement ring!"
"Official engagement ring?"
"Your family and my family are planning to get us engaged, Khushi!"
"Really?"
"Nani talked to your parents about this yesterday, and they will ask you about the same soon. What will be your answer?"
"Do you have any doubts?"
"None"
They spent the next hours saying sweet nothings and enjoying each other's presence in their lives. As soon as the rain stopped, they rowed back to the other side of the lake and drove back to Gupta House.
"Thank you Arnav for such a beautiful day" Khushi said, leaning on the lowered window of the car, before leaving.
"Khushi, aren't you forgetting anything?" Arnav asked.
Khushi who was already at a distance threw him a flying kiss which Arnav caught and brought to his heart, smiling at a newfound happiness.
PRECAP
"Khushi bitiyaan, we need to talk to you! Yesterday Arnav's Nani was talking about…"
"YES, I am ready" Khushi quickly replied, not even waiting for Shashi to complete his line, while her Amma and Babuji laughed at her rapid response.
"Garima, I think that our bitiyaan is all set to become a Raizada Bahu"
Was it long enough? Were there enough Rabba Ves?😆
Likes and comments please 😳
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
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