CHAPTER 49. PAINFUL WEDNESDAY AND FUNNY THURSDAY!
Place - Near Khurana Constructions
"Pata hai Arnavji phir kya hua? Phir hum aur Lavanya Di Paayal Jiji ko gudgudi karne lage! Bichaari humaari Paayal Jiji has haske unka bura haal hogaya! Aur phir Amma aayi aur hum sabko daante lagi! Phir pata hai kya hua? Arre! Aapko kaise pata hoga aap toh wahaan the hi nahi! Phir pata hai….", Arnav smiled as he listened to Khushi's non stop chattering. Khushi's cousin Lavanya had come home for the engagement and Khushi was recounting the night before's events. Arnav concentrated on his driving while making sure Khushi knew that he was listening to her; though half of the chatter just bounced of his head. How could a midget sized girl talk so much? She seems worse than Baby, Arnav mused. But he would never stop Khushi from talking. It was part and parcel of Khushi and he loved her too much to tell her to let go a part of her personality.
As they drove through the roads of Delhi, Khushi turned towards Arnav and looked at him confusedly. "Kya hua Afreen?", Arnav asked as he glanced at Khushi. "Any problem sweetheart?" Khushi blinked twice, "Arnavji! Humein bas abhi abhi ek baat ka ehsaas hua hai!" Arnav raised an eyebrow, "And what did you realize?" Khushi bit her lip, "Arnavji humne aapko humaare parivaar waalon ke baare mein sab kuch bataaya par aapne kabhi apne parivar ke baare mein baat hi nahi ki!" Arnav's breath hitched and his grip tightened on the steering wheel but Khushi did not notice. "Bataayiye na Arnavji! Aapke ghar mein kaun kaun hai?" Arnav stared stonily ahead as he answered, "Meri Di, Meri Naani, Mere Maama aur unke family." Khushi smiled at him glad to know some more about him, "Aapki Di, yaaniki aapse badi hai woh. Unki shaadi hogayi kya?" Arnav's grip eased on the steering wheel as he relaxed. Talking about his Di was a familiar territory and he did not mind talking about it as long as Khushi did not ask for names; because his sister's name would easily give away his identity. "Di ki shaadi hogayi hai!" He did not tell about his sister's pregnancy; another dead giveaway of who he was if Khushi connected the dots properly. "Koi bachche?", Khushi asked excited; she loved kids. Arnav shook his head indicating no. Well! That was truth, Arnav mused. His Di was pregnant but the kid was not born yet so technically she did not have any kids yet. Suddenly, Khushi frowned. What about his parents? Then she remembered the day Arnav had taken her to a secluded area where he showed her a telescope. She got to watch her parents who were stars from up and close. He had told her that day that his mother was dead and when asked about his father he had roared at her asking her to not to ask about his father. Arnav noticed Khushi's frown. "Kya hua Khushi?" Khushi bit her lip again and timidly asked him, "Aap bahut chote the kya jab aapki amma taara ban gayi?" Arnav looked at her in confusion. How did she know? Then he remembered that he himself had told her few days ago. Arnav shook his head, "Itna chota bhi nahi! I was 16!" Khushi nodded. "Aap chote nahi the par aap bade bhi nahi the!", Khushi said. Arnav looked at her hoping that she would not pity him but only saw compassion on her face. That's when he realized that she had also lost her parents. "Tumhaare amma bauji…", Arnav hesitated but Khushi understood. "Woh ek car accident mein chal base! Hum 8 saal ke the!" "Sorry!", Arnav mumbled. "Don't be!", Khushi said, "Hum theek hain. Humaare paas Amma hai, Bauji hai, Buaji hai, Jiji hai! Humaare asli Amma Bauji humaare dil mein hai! Hum khush hain!" Arnav smiled at her. He was proud of her that even after facing such a trauma at such a young age she had not allowed it to affect her personality.
"Waise aapki amma ko kya hua tha?", Khushi asked curiously. "She fell into fire.", Arnav mumbled absentmindedly. "Kya?", Khushi asked in shock and Arnav stopped the car in shock. Yeh maine kya keh diya? He looked at her. How could he tell her this? It was hidden in the depths of his heart. He had promised himself that he would never tell anyone about his mother's death. Then how did he tell her? But as he stared at her, he realized that he had to tell her. If he wanted to marry her, then he had to come clean to her about his past. His past was what made him ASR, she had to know it to understand him fully. He took a deep breath and started the car. He drove to a secluded area nearby and stopped the car. He got out of it and leaned on the car's bonnet. Khushi was baffled at Arnav's behavior. She slowly got out of the car and went and stood by him. "I have to tell you something!", Arnav mumbled. Khushi remained quiet. He slowly held her right hand in his left and started speaking, "It was the day I lost my mom. Di ki shaadi thi. I was so happy. My Di was getting married. Tumhaare Dev Veerji, uski behen Annie, NT and Arjun, sab aaye hue the. Maan was in U.S.A due to some business meeting. Hum sab bahut khush the. I was playing pranks on Annie and NT and Dev and Arjun were helping me." Khushi smiled as she imagined teenager Dev and NT running around with a sixteen year old Arnav. She stifled her giggle at her imagination. Arnav continued, "Par shaadi ke din kuch aisa hua ki meri duniya hi palat gayi. Saari khushiyaan jaise mujhe chodke chali gayi. Woh din mein kabhi nahi bhool paaunga. Ghar lights aur flowers se saja tha. Di shaadi ke mandap par baithi thi Dulhe ke saath. Bahut khush thi meri Di! Aur woh toh pehle hi khoobsurat thi but that day she was simply glowing; woh dulhan ka joda, haathon mein shagun ki mehendi, aankhon mein sharam aur hoton par muskaan. Pari lag rahi thi meri Di! Dad study room mein the, woh room jo first floor pe tha aur uski balcony theek mandap ke upar thi. Mom Dad ko bulaane gayi cause shaadi was about to begin. That's when Mom came to know…...", Arnav stopped and swallowed. This was the hardest part to narrate. He still could not believe that his Mom was gone. He still could not get over his father's betrayal. "Mom ko pata chala ki Dad had an affair. She had caught him talking to someone on the phone. When she listened from the parallel line she came to know the truth. They had an argument. I had followed Mom and I heard each and every word. He claimed to love my Mom, Khushi! He claimed to love my Mom! Agar pyaar tha toh Dhoka kyun diya?" Khushi looked at Arnav in shock. Arnav stared ahead and continued, "Us waqt se mujhe shaadi se vishwas uth gaya." Khushi's eyes widened. "Phir Ma aur Dad ka jhagda hua. Mom could not handle the betrayal. She took out Dad's gun and claimed to shoot herself if Dad did not tell her the truth. Dad tried to stop her but Mom kept on stepping towards the balcony. Next thing I knew, Mom slipped and fell down the balcony right into the holy pyre jo Di ke saamne jal raha tha. Meri Di ke aankhon ke saamne Mom jal rahi thi. I went down and with the help of others we tried to stop the fire. But it was of no use. She was no more. The moment her death was announced, we heard a gun shot. Dad had shot himself. And in few minutes, Di and I were orphans." Khushi had tears in her eyes as Arnav took a pause. While she could sense Arnav's pain she also felt that the story was still incomplete.
"Phir?", Khushi whispered. Arnav smiled but his smile was bitter and grim. "Phir? Phir shuru hui hum Maliks ki barbaadi. Dulhe ne Di se shaadi karne manaa kar gaya! Jo insaan kuch dino pehle pyaar ke daave kar raha tha wahi aaj Di ko reject kar raha tha woh bhi shaadi ke mandap par. Us waqt iss Arnav ka pyaar par se bhi vishwaas uth gaya! Jab Mom Dad ka antim sanskaar hua toh humaare rishtedaaron ne humaare ghar par kabza kiya aur humein ghar se nikaale diya. Yeh bhi nahi socha ki hum jaayenge kahaa! Us waqt mujhe rishto par se vishwaas uth gaya! Humaare saath us waqt koi nahi tha sivaay Dev, Annie, Arjun aur NT ke. Di bas roye jaa rahi thi aur hum sab ek dum bebas the. Raat ke das baje hum sadak par bhatak rahe the! Koi humaari madat karne ke liye tayyaar nahi tha! Us waqt mujhe insaaniyat par se vishwaas uth gaya! Tab se maine faisla kiya ki main ek din itna kamaaunga ki phir kabhi meri Di raste par nahi rahegi. Hum dono lucky the ki Khuranas the humaare saath. Naani se humaare rishte kharaab the isliye maine unhein call nahi kiya. Jo apni Naatin ke shaadi pe nahi aayi us se kya madat maangna? Jo khushi ke waqt mein saath nahi de paayi who dukh ke waqt pe kya saath deti! Us waqt Dev ko Maan ki yaad aayi. Maan ko usne call kiya! Maan ne through his business contacts ek hotel mein humaari booking ki aur hum sab Maan ke aane tak wahin ruke the. Maan turant flight pakadkar aaya aur hum sab ko Dilli mein Khurana Mansion le gaya! Kuch din hum wahi rahe! Tab tak Naani ke paas humaari khabar pahunchi aur woh humein lene aagayi. Main jaana toh nahi chaahta par Di ke liye mein unke saath gaya. Par us din us fun loving, naughty, mischievous Arnav ki maut hui aur apni Di ke liya jeene waala patthar Dil Arnav paida hua! Tab se main akela jee raha hoon!"
Khushi stared at Arnav with wide eyes. "Itna dard! Itna dard aap apne dil mein chupaaye baithe the Arnavji?" Arnav looked at Khushi and was shocked to see her crying for him. She slowly cupped his face and mumbled, "Bas! Ab itna hi! Ab aur dard nahi, Arnavji! Ab aur dard nahi! Ab aapki zindagi mein sirf khushiyaan hongi; sirf khushiyaan! Gham aapko choo bhi nahi paayengi! Aur aap ab akele nahi! Hum haina aapke saath aur hamesha rahenge!" Arnav was shocked at her words. Her words filled the hole in his heart and he hugged her. As both of them shed tears for his fate, Arnav's heart healed slowly. Maybe, now he would be able to accept his past and move on. Maybe, now he would relax more, enjoy more and one day maybe the fun loving, naughty Arnav will be back.
Place - Buaji's house at Laxmi Nagar
By the time Khushi reached home, her parents, Buaji and Paayal had gone to Mandir to ask about the shagun ki thaali leaving Khushi with Lavanya for company. As Khushi chattered about the day, she noticed Lavanya withdrawn and dull. "Yeh humaari Di ko kya hua? Humaari Golgappe si Chatpati Di, sukhe ghaas jaisi boring kab se hogayi?", Khushi quipped expecting a reaction. But Lavanya just stared ahead with sad eyes. "Di kya hua? Kuch toh boliye? Kuch toh bataayiye? Aap bolengi nahi toh kaise pata chalega?" Khushi spoke but Lavanya remained quiet. As Khushi coaxed Lavanya to speak, Lavanya could not stop herself and she broke down crying. In between the crying, Khushi got to know that Lavanya had fallen in love with a guy named Rohan who was her classmate. They had been dating for nearly two years and few days back he broke up with her without any reason. As Khushi consoled her sister, she prayed, Hey Devi Maiyya! Meri behen ke dard ko kam karo! Unki zindagi mein kisi aise insaan ko le aao jo unke toote hue dil ko jod de!
Place - Geet's Room at Khurana Mansion
It was late night when Maan sneaked into Geet's room. He could not sleep and hence had decided to meet his Soni and talk to her. But as he crept closer to her bed, he noticed with disappointment that she was asleep. He sighed and sat by her side and stared at her. She looked so sweet and peaceful while sleeping. He noticed the smile creep up on her face and realized that she must be having a sweet dream. He hoped she was smiling because he was in the dream. Maan could not further anymore from the truth. Geet was not dreaming about Maan but about her past which she had forgotten.
Geet stood at the doorway of the house she had never seen before but was familiar to her. She looked around when suddenly she heard someone squealing "Baby!!" in high pitch. She noticed a girl about 12 years old standing on the stairs and Geet ran to the girl shouting "DI!!" in her child like voice. She hugged the girl and the girl picked her up in her arms. Both hugged each other with a smile on their faces. Suddenly, Geet had a thought and asked her Di, "Di, Veere kahaa hai?" The girl pretended to think and then spoke, "Aapke Veere? Aapke Veere toh apne kamre mein hai!" The moment the elder girl replied Geet started squirming in her arms and the girl put her down. Geet smiled happily as she rushed away to her Veere's room. The moment she entered her Veere's room, a young boy around 9 years old picked her up and swung her around. Geet giggled happily. He placed her on his hip and asked her, "Kaisi hi meri Geetto?" Geet giggled and nodded, "Theek hoon! Aap kaise ho?" "Main toh theek hoon!", the boy replied. Suddenly, the boy's grip slipped and Geet fell down from his arms. While she wasn't hurt, the shock of falling made her cry. Suddenly, someone called her, "Soni! Soni! SONI! GEET! GEET!", and Geet woke up from her dream. As her eyes focused, she noticed that she was sitting in her bed at Khurana Mansion and Maan holding by her shoulders and asking her if she was alright. She nodded, "Main theek hoon!" She noticed Maan's alarmed face and mumbled, "Par aap itne pareshaan kyun ho Maan?" Maan took a deep breath, "You were dreaming and you were crying in your dream. What was the dream Geet?" Geet looked around lost, "I had a flashback Maan. Main ek ghar mein thi jahaan ek Di thi aur ek Veere! Veere bilkul us Aakash jaise dikhte the!" "Aur kuch yaad hai?", Maan spoke concerned. Geet shook her head, "Nahi!" Maan took a deep breath and spoke, "Ek kaam karo Geet! Abhi tum so jaao. You will feel better. Aur rahi baat tumhaare past ki toh it is obvious tumhein dheere dheere sab yaad aa raha hai aur bahut jald sab kuch yaad aa jaayega. Lekin right now just go to sleep." Geet nodded and allowed Maan to push her down. He tucked her in and tried to walk away when Geet mumbled, "Maan?" Maan turned around. Geet smiled, "Good Night!" Maan bent down and kissed her forehead tenderly, "Good Night!" and walked away.
Place - Maan's Room at Khurana Mansion
It was Thursday and Maan was having a bad morning today. When he was exercising he had got the news that the client who was planning to come tomorrow was coming today and their presentation was not ready. On the top of that there was some problem in the construction site of another project. In addition, Sasha's mother was unwell which made her take leave for few days which left Maan with lots of work and work related tension. All these factors made Maan Singh Khurana a very annoyed and grumpy man. Now, due to his frustration, he could not tie his tie properly. "Aaargh!", Maan roared as he threw the tie away and sat down on the bed just as Geet entered the room. She shook her head, Yeh Maan bhi na! Choti choti baat pe garam ho jaate hain! She walked towards him, picking the tie up on the way and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Laayiye! Main aapki tie baandh deti hoon!" Maan looked at her and gave a tired smile. He stood up and Geet placed the tie on his neck.
Geet smiled as she placed one end of the tie on the other end. Maan was non-stop grumbling which was amusing her and she was having a hard time controlling herself from laughing out loud. As she tied the tie and adjusted it on Maan's neck, Maan suddenly shouted, "Geet! Yeh kya kar rahi ho? Kitna tight baandha hai. Jaan se maar daalogi kya?" He pulled the tie ends out of her hands and loosened the tie a bit. Geet rolled her eyes. Aur yeh mujhe drama queen bulaate hain! She took the tie ends out of his hands and adjusted the tie properly. "Haa! Main kyun aapko maarungi? Aap mein toh meri jaan basi hai! Aap aisa soch bhi kaise sakte ho?", she huffed. Generally, Maan would not argued back but today his frustrations were mounting up and it seemed Geet was his target for his anger, "Aur kya sochun Soni? Dimaag kharaab kar rahi ho tum mera?" Geet glared at him. Was he gone mad? How dare he say those words to her, "Haa! Babaji! Babaji aapne suna? Yeh kya bol rahe hain?", she looked up, "Babaji, meri ek gal sunlo aap. Jab humaare bachche honge na toh aap unhein Maan jaisa bilkul mat banaana." Maan glared at her. What does she mean by that? Was he that bad? "Kyun mujh mein kya problem hai?" Geet glared back at him and huffed, "Problem? Ek problem ho toh bataaun? Hamesha ghusse mein rehte hain! Aap na…" Maan cut her off with, "Haan haan! Khaamiyaan toh mujh mein hi hain? Tum toh doodh ki dhuli ho?" Geet narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, "Aapka matlab kya hai? Main kitni achchi hoon. Sabse pyaar se baat karti hoon. Sabse haske bolti hoon. Sabko khush rakhti hoon….." Maan who was wearing his shoes while sitting down cut her off, "Aur bolti itna ho ki sar dukhne lag jaaye. Agar humaare bachche tumhaare jaise hue na toh mujhe toh har din do do Aspirin khaana padega." He picked up his laptop which was lying on the bed and put it into the laptop case. Geet followed him, "Haa! Kya kahaa?", she looked up again, "Dekha Babaji yeh mere baare mein kya sochte hain? Aapko mere liye yahi mile the?", she looked at Maan, "Jaao! Main aapse baat hi nahi karti." She turned around and walked off to the window. She stared outside with her arms folded against her chest glaring angrily. Yeh samajhte kya hai apne aapko? Dekh loongi aapko! Suddenly she heard Maan laugh. She turned around and looked at him in shock. "Maan!", she shouted, "Main yahaan naaraaz hoon aur aapko hasne ki padi hain?" Maan calmed down but a smile remained on his face. He walked towards her and his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her close. He placed his arms on her shoulders while his hands clasped behind her neck. He spoke with a humour tinged tone, "Humaari ab tak shaadi nahi hui. Shaadi toh chodo sagaai bhi nahi hui aur hum dono abhi se bachchon ke baare mein lad rahe hain." Geet's eyes widened for a second but the next moment she started laughing with Maan joining her next moment. They continued laughing, not knowing that a storm was coming towards them; a storm which might destroy everything they dreamed about.
Place - Buaji's house at Laxminagar
Khushi was really happy today. When Arnavji had picked her up today she felt very shy and awkward as yesterday they had come really close emotionally. So, when she had taken seat by Arnavji in his car, she had shied and blushed every time their eyes met. What surprised Khushi was the fact that her Arnavji understood the reason behind her unusual behavior and did not question her regarding her silence. He also had picked her right hand in his left and held them during the whole drive home. Khushi had never known that even silence can speak so many things and a simple act of holding hands would bring such a level of contentment in her life.
Khushi giggled happily as she crossed the threshold of her house but was stopped in her tracks. She looked around in surprise as she noticed that her whole family was dressed up and ready to go somewhere. "Amma? Buaji?", Khushi spoke, "Aap sab tayyaar baithe hain. Kahin jaa rahe hain kya?" She noticed her Jiji talking with her Di and her Babuji talking with Amma and Buaji. The moment the family heard her voice they looked up happily. Amma got up and ushered her in, "Aaja Bitiya! Hum sab tumhaara hi intezaar kar rahe the. Uu kaa haina? Tohaar Jiji ke Sasuraal waalon ne hum sabko bulaaya hai shaaping (shopping) ke liye. Uu log chaahte hain ki Paayal apni sagaai mein koi dejaainer (designer) kapda paheene." Amma made Khushi sit on the chair and gave her glass filled with water. Khushi smiled at her mother's love and concern. Amma sat beside her and continued speaking, "Humne aur tohaar Babuji ne bahut mana kiya par uu log maante hi nahi. Aur uu chaahte hain ki Paayaliya ke saath tum dono behno bhi dijaainer kapde pehno. Isliye tumhein bhi chalna hai aur Lavanya ko bhi." Khushi looked at Lavanya who gave her a weak smile. Suddenly, Khushi realized something and spoke to her Amma, ": Hum kehte hain amma hum jiji ke sagaai mein ghaagra choli ya sharaara hi pehnenge, saari nahi." Amma nodded her head, "Haan! Haan! Jaisan tohaar marzi. Ab jaldi naashta karlo phir sab saath mein nikalte hain." The moment Amma said that Paayal brought a plate filled with poha for Khushi to eat. Khushi smiled and started to eat.
Place - Arnav's room at Shantivan
Arnav was standing by the pool staring at the sky thinking about Khushi when Anjali wandered in, "Chote! Hum sabne decide kiya hai aaj hum Sagaai ki shopping kar lenge." Arnav turned around and looked at her Di, "Sure Di! Whatever you say! Aap log jaake aayiye!" He turned back and Anjali frowned. She went beside him and looped her hand around his arm, "Ji nahi! Sirf hum sab nahi humaare saath aap bhi aa rahe hain. Aapke aur Chutke ke liye humein sherwaani jo lena hai!" Arnav looked at her in horror, "What the? Di you know I hate Sherwaani. Forget the Sherwaani! Anything but not the Sherwaani!" Anjali wanted to laugh at Arnav's expression. Koi inki shakal dekhega toh kahega ki hum inhein sagaai mein chaddi baniyaan mein aane ko keh rahe hain naaki sherwaani! She shook her head at her brother. Hey Devi Maiyya! Please humaare Chote ke zindagi mein aisi ladki laao joh inhein sherwaani pehne pe majboor karde! "Theek hai! Hum aapke liye suit hi lete hain. Par choice karne ke liye toh chaliye. Warna hum….. haan….. hum pink color ki suit khareed lenge." Arnav turned pale, "Di main chalta hoona! Maine kab manaa kiya! I am coming!" Anjali smiled and walked out of the room giggling to herself as she imagined Arnav in Pink three piece suit.
Place - At the Designer Boutique
Arnav, Anjali and the family entered the boutique when Arnav noticed Anjali walking towards the Saari section. Arnav frowned when the rest of the family followed her, "Di! Hum toh Aakash ke liye Sherwani lene aaye haina. Toh pehle wahaan chalte hain. Uske baad you ladies can complete your Saari shopping." Aakash and Shyam nodded at the idea. Anjali turned and smiled at Aakash, "Humne Chutke ke liye ek Surprise socha hai." She came towards Aakash and cupped his face with a tender smile on her face, "Pata hai Chutke! Jab humaari aur aapke Jijaji ke sagaai hui toh ittefaaq se hum dono ek hi shop mein aaye the shopping ke liye. Aur phir tumhaare Jijaji ne humaari madat ki humaare liye kapde chunne mein aur humne unki sherwaani chunne mein madat ki. Woh toh ek ittefaaq tha ki hum dono ek hi shop mein shopping karne aaye the. Usi waqt humein ehsaas hua ki ek doosre ki liye kapde chunne mein kitna mazaa aata hai." Arnav looked at Shyam and Shyam winked at him. What Anjali did not know was that their meeting in the shopping place was not a coincidence. Those days, Shyam was not getting any chance to meet Anjali as he was busy with work and she with the wedding planning and hence, he had asked Maan's help who along with Arnav and Aakash co-ordinated their meet. Anjali continued talking, "Isliye humne Paayal ko yahaan bulaaya hai taaki aapki dono ek doosre ki madat karein kapde chunne mein. Aur isi bahaane thoda waqt bhi saath bita lein." Aakash blushed a bit. He had helped in making Anjali and Shyam meet that day and now Anjali Di was helping him and Paayal in the same way; the irony was not lost on him. Arnav smiled at his giggling sister and blushing brother. Kya jab meri aur Khushi ki sagaai hogi toh hum dono ko bhi ek doosre ke liye kapde chunne ka chance milega? Arnav dreamed about what kind of dress he would choose for his Afreen, so he nearly missed the next words said by his sister, "Aur haan! Paayal ki behen aur cousin aa rahi hain aur unke liye bhi kapde lene hain. Toh Saari section mein thoda time lagega." Arnav's eyes widened; Shit! That means Khushi will come here too! Double shit! What to do? Kya karoon?
Anjali was walking towards the Saari section when Arnav called her, "Di ek urgent meeting hai. Mujhe chalna hoga. You buy my Suit ok?" Aakash frowned; aaj kaunsi meeting hai? "Par Bha…"Arnav glared at him and Aakash shut up. Anjali pouted, "Chote yeh theek nahi hain. Aap nahi jaa sakte!" Arnav pleaded, "Please Di!" Anjali nodded reluctantly. Arnav hugged his Di and walked away. He was almost near the entrance when right in front of him Khushi entered with her family. Arnav gulped and looked around. He noticed a pillar and hid behind it. Khushi and her family stood at the gate and looked around hoping to spot the Raizadas. Arnav sighed, Jab tak yeh log andar nahi jaate I have to keep on hiding here! Soon, Anjali came there and spoke, "Arre! Aap log aagaye. Chaliye! Aage Saari ka section hai. Hum wahin se teeno ke liye Saari khareedenge." Teen? Arnav frowned. As he looked at the family he noticed another girl with her back facing him. Must be the cousin Di spoke about! Suddenly, Khushi piped up, "Par humein toh Sharaara chaahiye!" Amma frowned at her daughter's demanding tone but Anjali smiled, "Theek hain Khushiji! Aap Sharaara hi pehniyega! Ek kaam karte hain hum sab Saari section mein chalte hain. Aap Sharaara dekh aayiye! Aapko kuch pasand aaya toh humein keh dijiye aur hum woh aapko dila denge.!"Khushi giggled happily, hugged a surprised Anjali and wandered away. Arnav shook his head at her happy go lucky nature. The family wandered away and Arnav walked out of his hide out. He was about to walk towards the main door when a thought entered his mind and he smirked.
Khushi felt very giddy when she noticed the variety of dresses around her. She sighed and looked around. There was no one around. She looked up and spoke, "Ab in sab mein se hum kaise ek kapda chune! Hey Devi Maiyya! Aap hi humaari madat kardo!" Arnav looked at her from behind a pillar. Don't worry, Afreen Sweetheart! Devi Maiyya nahi hai toh kya! Main hoon na!
Khushi looked around and her eyes spotted a beautiful green colored Sharaara. She picked it up happily and looked at it carefully. After inspecting it she went in front of the full length mirror and placed it on herself. She admired how well it suited her when her eyes went sideways and then widened in shock. "Arnavji?", she whispered as she noticed Arnav through the mirror staring at her. Matlab Arnavji humaare peeche hain! She turned around but there was no one there. She looked again at the mirror but she could not see her Arnavji. Lagta hai ab humein har jagah Arnavji hi nazar aa rahe hain! She shook her head. Hey Devi Maiyya! Jaldi humaari Arnavji se shaadi karwa do warna hum unhein har jagah dekhte rahenge aur ek din paagal ho jaayenge! She placed the green dress on herself and looked again at the mirror to admire it. She looked at her mirror image and then blinked twice. In the mirror right behind her, her Arnavji stood and made a face at her dress choice. She looked at the dress and then at Arnavji. Arnav shook his head indicating a no. Khushi pouted and spoke aloud, "Agar aapko aisa lagta hai toh theek hain. Hum aur kuch dekhte hain." She sighed and turned around. She again checked around making sure there was no Arnavji standing around. Ab toh pakka hai. Hum paagal ho hi gaye hain. Ek toh Arnavji har jagah dikh rahe hain aur hum us khayaali Arnavji ki baat bhi sun rahe hain! Jai ho Devi Maiyya! Humein kapde ko chunne mein madad karne ke liye kya tareeka dhoondha hai aapne!
Khushi looked around searching for the right dress when she found another one. She took the dress and while placing on herself she stood in front of the mirror. Again Khayaali Arnavji said no. She pouted again and went searching for another dress. Again her imaginary Arnavji said no. This went for half hour when Khushi put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at the Arnav in the mirror. She pointed her finger at him and said, "Bas! Bahut hogaya Arnavji! Ab hum thak gaye hain. Ya toh aap hi sahi kapda dhoondhiye warna hum chalein!" Her Khayaali Arnavji's eyes widened and he signaled her to wait. He turned around and looked at the choices available. Khushi stood glaring at him through the mirror. Suddenly Arnav noticed the perfect dress and pointed at it. When Khushi turned to get the dress, there was no one around. Khushi took the dress out and placed it on herself. It was a beautiful silver ghaagra with a navy blue choli adorned with a silver and blue colored duppatta. As she looked at the mirror, her imaginary Arnavji smiled and winked at her. She shied a bit and Arnav said, "Perfect!" Khushi's eyes widened as she heard Arnav's voice. She turned around but there was no one except the attendant who had just come there. Khushi frowned. Lagta ab hum unhein har jagah dekhte hi nahi sunte bhi hai! Hey Devi Maiyya! Raksha karna! She gulped and walked towards the Saree section in search of Anjali Di and the rest of the family clutching the dress in her hand.
Arnav smirked from behind the pillar. Mission Afreen's Dress choosing by ASR: Successful! Arnav mentally patted his back and walked away.
AUTHOR NOTES
The dress chosen by K to wear at the engagement is the dress worn in second Teri Meri Song (When Arnav was kidnapped and both were missing each other. He was wearing a white shirt).
Guys, I need help. One of the reviewers mentioned about Lavanya and NK Jodi. What do you think about it? Will you like it if Lavanya and NK became a Jodi in the story? Please tell me guys! IF the majority will like this Jodi then I will also write their romantic scenes the way I write Paayal-Aakash and Dev-Naintara scenes! If the majority says no, then La will get together with someone else but there will be no Lavanya and her lover's scenes! And don't worry; your decision won't affect the main story at all! It will only put some extra scenes, that's all! So, please reply!
And I have replied all the reviews! Do read them!
Oh! There is good news! Today my DFL completes nine months!
So a big THANK YOU guys for your love and support!
And another big THANKS for your patience with me when I delay in updating!
LOVE YOU guys!
PRECAP
Arhi and Maaneet's romantic evening!
Tera Hone Laga Hoon!
Ek Din Aap Yun Humko Mil Jaayenge!
CID
Bade Achche Lagte Hain Naya Season
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