Originally posted by: lilakumariacnw
Part 3 interpretation
Nice Rashmi...
U put d quote from harrypotter...wow...
U know i loved it... I love d dialoques by dumbledore...esp the one on Choice, truth , love...
Smita,😊
Here is my interpretation for Part 6.
This update show cases the Shatir
dimaag of
Arnav Singh
Raizada and his machinations.He has used his business acumen to turn
tides in his favour! It's a MASTER-STROKE!
"What?", asked Arnav Singh Raizada, trying to act as though talking to girls on the phone at night and laughing like mad were regular activities of his.
"Chotey, you were'laughing?", Anjali asked.
Arnav lifted his eyebrow.
"Bhai, are you alright?", Akash asked anxiously.
"Of course.", he said, smirking.
If there was a tinge of red on Arnav's cheeks, the darkness hid it.
"A good laugh is a mighty good thing, a rather too scarce a good thing" ~ Herman Melville
"Arnav Bitwaa, who was calling on the phonewaa? Tells us, tells us!", asked Mami, a roguish look on her face.
Arnav swallowed.
"Whom are you going to meet in the morning, Nannav? Eh? Eh?", NK teased.
"Chotey?", Nani asked, a small smile playing on her lips.
Arnav took a deep breath.
"Nani, our Chotey na, he is not what he appears to be.", Anjali teased. "We thought he drove away women with his anger and his akhdoo behaviour, but apparently he is not like that with them."
"Oh! So, Anjali Bitiyaa, Arnav Bitwaa saves all his akhdooness for us?", Mami asked, hiding a smile.
"Your appearance, attitude, and confidence define you as a person" ~ Lorii Myers, 3 Off the Tee: Targeting Success
"Haan, Mami. Looks like he is a regular Romeo with girls'.", Anjali teased him.
"Di'", Arnav protested.
'So who is the girlwaa?", Mami asked. "Is she bootiphool like your Mami?"
Looking at his whole family waiting eagerly for him to talk about Khushi, Arnav had a brainwave.
"Err'she is a friend.", he said.
"Friend? A girl? Bhai's friend?", poor Akash looked flummoxed.
"Friend? A girlwaa who ijj also a friendwaa? A girl friend?", Mami exclaimed. "Saasumma, lagat he your grandson is up to some mischief. It is time you shackled his feet!"
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good"
~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Nani smiled. Anjali giggled. Arnav flushed.
"Nannav has a girl friend! Nannav has a girl friend!", NK shouted, dancing around him.
"Bhai has a girl friend?", Akash whispered. "A girl friend?"
"How ridiculous and how strange to be surprised at anything which happens in life"
~Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"Who is she? Where does she live? Does she have a family? When shall we go to them with your proposal?", Nani asked.
Arnav said, "You can't take my proposal to them."
"Bhy not?", asked Mami.
"She is getting engaged next week.", Arnav said simply, watching all the faces carefully. All paled and became serious.
"If you are going to ask yourself life-changing questions, be sure to do something with the answers" ~ Bo Bennett
"I am sorry, bro. Hard luck.", NK said.
"Engaged?", Nani whispered. "Engaged to be married?"
"She doesn't like the man her parents have selected for her, but she has no choice.", Arnav added.
"Chotey, you like her?", Di asked.
Arnav nodded.
"You want to marry her?", Nani asked.
A picture of Khushi hiding under the sheet to talk to him on the phone sent a laugh bubbling through him. He bit his lip & nodded.
"At first you maybe start to like some person on the basis of, you know, features of the person. The way they look, or the way they act, or if they're smart, or some combination or something. So in the beginning it's I guess what you call features of the person that make you feel certain ways about the person" ~ David Foster Wallace, The Broom of the System
"Then you should marry her, Hello Hi Bye Bye! Saasumma, it is only a sagai. And a sagai can be cancelled. You don't borry, Arnav Bitwaa. Your Mami will break her engagement phor you."
Arnav smiled slightly.
"Just a minute, Mami. Chotey, does the girl like you?", Di asked.
Arnav bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smiling as he laid claim to Khushi's heart without her knowledge.
"Yes."
A huge sigh of relief left the family.
"To assume is to presume"
~ Jude Morgan, Indiscretion
"Nannav, you are sure she likes you?", NK asked, a frown on his forehead.
Anjali hit NK on his shoulder. "NK Bhai!", she protested.
"No, Di. I was wondering at the girl's courage. She must be a Jhalli Ki Rani", NK declared.
"Who?", asked Akash, confused.
Arnav looked at his shoes, wishing he could tell them how right NK was.
"The queen who rode horses and fought wars'", NK expalined.
"Jhansi Ki Rani, NK Bhai!", Anjali & Akash exclaimed together.
"Bravery is not the absence of fear but the forging ahead despite being afraid"
~ Robert Liparulo, House of Dark Shadows
"Chotey, what is her name?", Nani asked.
"Khushi.", Arnav said it with a smile in his voice. The listeners stood silent for a moment, touched by the unexpected & sudden softness in his tone.
"Happy is entirely up to you and always has been" ~ Janette Rallison, My Fair Godmother
"Chotey, why doesn't she like the man her parents have selected for her?", Anjali asked, curious.
"Khushi's father is bedridden after a stroke he suffered a few months back. Her Amma & Buaji take care of him. Sometime back, a man came to their house & asked for a room for rent. Being short of money, they agreed. He stayed with them, and became close to Buaji & Amma. He then asked for Khushi's hand in marriage."
"Did he come to their house after seeing Khushi or did he see Khushi after coming to the house?", asked Mami, whose brain was as sharp as her tongue.
"The energy of the mind is the essence of life"
~ Aristotle
Arnav smiled. "I don't know. Khushi's father does not like him, but Amma & Buaji are for this rishta. Khushi's sister too supports them."
"You don't borry, Arnav Bitwaa. Give me the girlwaa's address. I bill go there & break the sagai before it happens."
Arnav's sharp brain worked overtime. "You should meet her first.", he said mildly.
All gasped.
"You will introduce her to us, Chotey?", asked Anjali.
"Why not?", he asked.
Mami clapped her hands.
"Saasumma, give her shagun & book her when we see her. After that we can go to her house, tell her parents & Buaji, & carry her off."
"For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain" ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"Carry her off?", asked NK.
"This boy!", Mami laughed. "Very weak in the romance department! How many times have I told you to go & see Dilwale Dulhaniyaa Le Jaayenge?"
"Chotey, what about the man she is going to be engaged to?", asked Nani.
"Saasumma, bhat about him? Who ijj he in phront (front) of our Arnav Bitwaa?"
"Still'", Nani said.
"If he says he won't let Khushi go, our Arnav Bitwaa will do dishum dishum and carry her off in his carwaa!, Hello Hi Bye Bye"
"And still,
after all this time,
the Sun has never said to the Earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens with love like that.
It lights up the sky"
~ Rumi
"Manorama!", Nani sighed. "Don't give the boy ideas!"
"Saasumma, hamre Arnav Bitwaa does not need his Mami to give him ideas!", Mami laughed.
Anjali sighed, "If only your Jiju were here! How he would pull your leg!"
Arnav grit his teeth thinking of the violence he would like to do his Jiju, and said, "He seems to be travelling a lot these last two months, Di."
"Haan, Chotey. He has taken on more clients so that he can buy another house in Delhi soon."
"Problem with an old friend who is too busy:
he always perceives you as if never changed"
~ Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity
"Another house?", Nani asked, frowning. "Why does he need another house? Chotey gave you a huge house when you got married, didn't he?"
"Haan, Nani. But he wants to buy one more house. I told him not to worry, that Chotey will help us, but he said that it was not fair to ask Chotey.", smiled Anjali. "I told him that Chotey will be happy to help us."
Nani unexpectedly put her foot down. "Damadji is right. Chotey has given you both enough. It is time he focused on his own future."
Mami nodded. "Let Damadji buy his own house, Hello Hi Bye Bye!. Atleast people will stop calling him Ghar Jamai!"
"You can't get attention of one who focused on himself" ~ Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity
Anjali pouted. Arnav clenched his fists.
He said, "Don't tell Jiju about Khushi. Let us surprise him when he returns."
All faces brightened.
"Yes, let's.", said Nani.
"Secrets aren't secret. They're just hidden treasures, waiting to be exploited" ~ Stephen White, Dry Ice
"Anjali Bitiyaa, be carephool (careful). Don't let the billi out of the bagwaa when you phone him!", Mami warned her.
"No, Mami, I won't." Anjali pouted. "He is so busy that he has asked me to phone him only in the morning, & that too between 7 & 7.30."
"A secret's worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept"
~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind
That must be the time Khushi normally goes to the temple, Arnav thought. If he could lay his hands on his Ji-Ja-Ji, he would break his bones to little pieces and enjoy doing it.
"Anger at lies lasts forever. Anger at truth can't last" ~ Greg Evans
Arnav stood in his office and watched Khushi walk in through the door held open by his guards. She looked anxiously around her at the deserted office, the chairs waiting for their occupants, the air of stillness' Then she looked up at the tall figure in formal clothes, waiting for her in the glass cage.
He stood, unsmiling, his eyes devouring her. Dressed in a lilac anarkali, she looked like a flower that had bloomed on the creeper that he had pegged to his garden wall.
"That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful" ~ Ninon de L'Enclos
As he watched, a wide smile spread on her lips. His lips curved slightly in answer. She walked up the steps to his cabin. He held out a chair for her. She stood undecided for a moment, and then sat down. He breathed in the jasmine scent of her hair and clothes, letting it fill his lungs.
"Her smile could wash away a thousand doubts as soon as light up a room" ~ Belinda Jeffrey, One Long Thread
He slowly walked to his chair and sat down, his eyes still on her. Khushi clutched her bag in her lap.
"You wanted to discuss our plan?", she asked, feeling her breath hitch at the look in his eyes. "Yes. You were worried about Di & my family misunderstanding you and your family, weren't you?"
"J..jii'", Khushi stammered.
"My family should meet & know you before Shyam is unmasked. That will help them understand who the villain is."
"It's always about timing. If it's too soon, no one understands. If it's too late, everyone's forgotten"
~ Anna Wintour
"Uuhh?"
"And they should know that you were unwilling to get engaged to Shyam."
Khushi stared at Arnav with wide eyes. "How'?"
"I have already taken care of it.", Arnav stated.
"How?", asked Khushi, her eyes wide with wonder.
"I have told them that we love each other.", Arnav said, and waited for the explosion.
"What's meant to be will always find a way"
~ Trisha Yearwood
But Khushi looked at him, confused. "You and Shyamji?"
Arnav lowered his eyes to hide the smile in them.
"No. You and me."
"You and me? YOU and ME? We love each other?", Khushi's mouth was open in a perfect 'O'.
Arnav took a moment to compose himself.
"Yes, you and me. I told them that we loved each other, and that you were going to get engaged to a man you didn't like."
"Never waste a minute thinking about people you don't like" ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
Khushi stared at him for a moment in silence. She then threw her hands in the air & then clutched her head. "Hey Devi Maiyaa, Yeh Aapne Kya Kar Diya!"
Arnav swallowed his laughter, sitting back to enjoy her dramatics.
"A well-balanced person is one who finds both sides of an issue laughable"~ Herbert Procknow
Khushi jumped up from the seat, and arms swinging wildly, said, "I was having trouble with one man. One man. So I came to you for help. And now I am having trouble with TWO men?"
Arnav clenched his jaw to stop the smile from breaking out, and averted his eyes from her militant stance to avoid losing his control.
"Do not weep; do not wax indignant.Understand" ~Baruch Spinoza
She placed her hands on his glass table and leaned towards him, "Is this the way you help me?"
"Yes."
"By complicating my life further? Mr. Raizada'..", Khushi started.
"Arnav.", he said mildly.
"What?"
"Arnav. How can you call your premi Mr. Raizada?"
"Grrr'", Khushi growled, raising her hands to choke him, stopping an inch from his neck.
"It made my blood boil so hot, my brain stopped working right"
~ Neal Shusterman, Red Rider's Hood
"Violence against your baaifriend, Khushi?", Arnav asked, tongue in cheek.
"Baaifriend? I don't have any baaifriend. And I don't want one. Or Two.", Khushi stated, a menacing look in her eyes.
"Well, you have one."
"I don't want him. I mean, you."
"Khushi, sit down. Listen to me."
"No, I won't."
"Khushi'!"
"No'.", she closed her ears with her hands. "No..."
"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen" ~ Ernest Hemingway
Arnav curled his fingers around her slender arm to pull her closer.
His hold on her arm felt like a brand. Khushi jerked, trying to free her arm from him, but to no avail. His fingers slipped down her arm, leaving a trail of fire behind, singeing her.
He stood up, & moved closer to her, not letting go of her arm.
"Khushi'.", he murmured. She looked up.
"My family should meet you, know you for what you are. Once they are convinced that we care for each other, they will discount Shyam's claim that you tried to seduce or coerce him into marriage."
"I think... if it is true that
there are as many minds as there
are heads, then there are as many
kinds of love as there are hearts."
~ Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Khushi let out her breath in a rush.
"I have to bring them to your house to show them Shyam's true colours. We have no choice about that. Only seeing him at his worst will open Di's eyes."
Khushi nodded.
"But I don't want you or your family to be blamed for his doings."
"We met less than a week ago and in that time I've done nothing I know. But if you give me a chance...all I want is to protect you. To be near you. For as long as I'm able."
~ Marissa Meyer, Scarlet
Khushi nodded.
"If we had more time, we could have'we could have done lots of other things'but'.", Arnav paused.
Khushi sighed. She pulled her arm away, rubbing the skin that he had burned with his touch.
"Hum chalte he'..", she said, her lips all turned down.
Arnav nodded. "I will bring them to your temple tomorrow morning. 7am, isn't it?"
She nodded, and then turned to walk away.
"She agreed with it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition"
~ Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
As she reached the door, Arnav said softly, "Khushi, we will have to convince them. You understood what I meant, didn't you?"
Khushi turned to look at him with wide, innocent eyes.
"We will have to make my Nani, Mami, Di, & my brothers, Akash & NK believe that we are in love. That you are my girl friend. That I am your baaifriend."
"I can't sing." Horrified eyes looked at him.
"Life, he realize, was much like a song. In the beginning there is mystery, in the end there is confirmation, but it's in the middle where all the emotion resides to make the whole thing worthwhile" ~ Nicholas Sparks, The Last Song
"And I am not dancing in any park for you. Especially not in the rain. I already have two baaifriends. I don't need a jhukaam (cold) too."
Arnav coughed to hide his laugh. "I will spare you this time.", he managed to croak.
"It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them" ~ Agatha Christie, An Autobiography
"Hhmpfff'", she snorted as she walked away.
"Khushi'"
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."
~ Jess C. Scott, The Intern
She stopped and looked at him.
"Call me at night.", his husky voice made her feel as though a thousand butterflies were dancing in her tummy. She clutched her bag closer to her stomach and nodded.
"Sometimes it's a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence" ~ David Byrne
Seeing his family stare at him, Arnav Singh Raizada tried to behave casually as though talking to Khushi was a part of his nightly routine. Anjali's, "Chotey, you were... laughing?" and Akash's, "Bhai, are you alright?" just received an eyebrow lift, a shrug and an "Of course." He felt lucky that the slight tinge of blush appearing on his face was camouflaged by the darkness. Mami wanted to know who was on the phone with him. She had a naughty look and was all determined to get to the bottom of the matter. The probe triggered by Mami, left him a target for the rest of his family too. He was put on a spot. NK's whom would he be meeting in the morning added to his dilemma. Nani was beaming with a smile. Anjali told Nani that her brother is not what he appears to be. He appears to be wary of women and keep them at bay with his anger and stubborn behavior, but in reality it doesn't seem so! Does that mean all those qualities are reserved for just the family, quipped Mami. Anjali's response to agreeing with her, and say that he looks to be a regular Romeo with the girls, earned a protest from him. Hearing her opinion, Mami asked him who is that beautiful girl who has captured the heart of her handsome nephew and was she as beautiful as herself? While the family was expecting his reply he had a brainwave and thought, this was the right time to kill two birds with one stone. Quickly he decided to introduce Khushi as his girl friend. He said,
"Err.. she is a friend." Akash who was always his shadow was stumped. He just couldn't fathom his Bhai having a friend and that too a girl being friends with him. Mami's ever ticking brain started to connect things. "Friend? A girlwaa who ijj also a friendwaa? A girl friend. Saasumma, lagat he your grandson is up to some mischief. It is time you shackled his feet!" Mami's deduction earned a smile and a giggle from Nani and Anjali.
"A smile takes a moment, but the memory of it lasts forever"
NK who was quiet till then announced loudly that
"Nannav has a girl friend! Nannav has a girl friend!" prancing around him. Akash still couldn't believe that Bhai had a girl friend! Nani wanted to know all about the girl. "Who is she? Where does she live? Does she have a family? When shall we go to them with your proposal?"
"Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe" ~ Voltaire
While observing them carefully, Arnav told them they will not be able to take his proposal as she was getting engaged next week. All faces became dull. NK's "I am sorry, bro. Hard luck." And Nani's "Engaged? Engaged to be married?" boosted his confidence to continue. He told them that she doesn't like her family's choice but she has no other go than to comply with their wishes.
Just then Anjali asked him whether he likes her? He just nodded in reply. When Nani asked him whether he wanted to marry her, a picture of her hiding under a sheet to call him erupted a bubble of laughter in him. He suppressed it and just nodded once again. This led his Mami to pronounce,"Then you should marry her, Hello Hi Bye Bye! Saasumma, it is only a sagai. And a sagai can be cancelled. You don't borry, Arnav Bitwaa. Your Mami will break her engagement phor you."
"Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her" ~ Lao Tzu
Arnav was glad things were going according to his plan. Anjali realized that they had missed a pertinent question and asked him whether the girl liked him too. Taking the liberty, unknown to Khushi, he laid a claim to her heart affirming his Di's question. This resulted in a collective sigh of relief!
"Where there is love there is life" ~ Mahatma Gandhi
After hearing Arnav's answer NK was doubtful. He asked whether he was really sure about her. At Anjali's protest, NK clarified, "No, Di. I was wondering at the girl's courage. She must be a Jhalli Ki Rani". Arnav thought NK had just described his Khushi aptly. Akash asked NK whom he meant. When he explained as the queen who rode horses and fought wars both Anjali and Akash realized that he was talking about Jhansi Ki Rani. At Nani's enquiry, Arnav told them her name. "Khushi." The lilt in his voice, softness in his tone and the smile on his face just at saying her name was unexpected and told them the story. It silenced them.
Then Anjali asked her brother, "Chotey, why doesn't she like the man her parents have selected for her?" He told them that her father has been bedridden after a stroke he suffered a few months back. Her Amma and Buaji take care of him. When a man came to their house asking for a room for rent they had done so, due to shortage of money. He endeared himself to Buaji and Amma. Later he asked for Khushi's hand in marriage.
Hearing his explanation it was Mami who asked whether that fellow got into their house after seeing Khushi or he saw her while staying with them. Mami who was quick witted possessed a sharp mind. She had the uncanny ability to cotton on to things faster than others.
"Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides" ~Andre Malraux
Arnav was enjoying this as Mami was making things easier for him. She had sown a seed of doubt about the unknown suitor of Khushi in every body's mind. Arnav said he was not aware about it but what he knew was Khushi's father was against this relation and her mother and Buaji were for it. Khushi's sister too had no objection to it! Mami who loved her nephew told him ,"You don't borry, Arnav Bitwaa. Give me the girlwaa's address. I bill go there & break the sagai before it happens."
"Obstacles cannot break me, all walls break to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star shall not fail" ~Leonardo da Vinci
Hearing his Mami's eagerness to give him his Happiness in platter, Arnav had to fine tune his brain and further his plan. Out of the blue he told them before going to her house, he would like them to meet her!
His statement evoked gasps all around."You will introduce her to us, Chotey?", was the stunned question from Anjali. When he said yes Mami was overjoyed. She told her Mother-in-law to give the Shagun when they meet the girl and book her for their bitwa and later go to her house, meet her parents, tell them and carry her off. At that NK asked, "Carry her off?". Mami laughed at him and said that he in unaware of how the world of romance works. However many times told he had not seen DDLJ. Then how will he know all these things? Nani was worried about the man she was getting engaged to. Mami was full of confidence that he would not hold a candle in front of her Arnav bitwa. Even then, when Nani expressed her reservation, Manorama who had full faith in her bitwa said, "If he says he won't let Khushi go, our Arnav Bitwaa will do dishum dishum and carry her off in his carwaa!, Hello Hi Bye Bye" Nani admonished her for giving such ideas to the young. But Mami laughed and told her that Arnav Bitwa did not need his Mami to give any ideas! Anjali who was listening to this missed the presence of her husband. She told Arnav if he was there he would have mercilessly teased him! Hearing his Di talking about Shyam whom he did not like to name (Voldemart!?) his blood boiled with anger. Keeping a tight lid on it he asked her that he seemed to be travelling a lot in the last two months. She told him that he had taken up more clients, so that he'll be able to buy another house in Delhi soon.
She was telling the 'truth' that was fed to her by her husband.
"Secrets are generally terrible. Beauty is not hidden--only ugliness and deformity" ~ L.M. Montgomery
Nani asked her where was the need for another house, when her brother had gifted a big one to her, on the occasion of her marriage. Anjali told her that, without listening to her plea that if necessary her brother would help them out, Shyam had adamantly taken up more work to realize his dream. He said he had to do it without any help stating that it was not fair to ask her brother to help. Nani concurred with Shyam's argument and told her that it was high time Chotey focused on his own future. Mami too agreed with her opinion and said, "Let Damadji buy his own house, Hello Hi Bye Bye!. Atleast people will stop calling him Ghar Jamai!" Anjali was put off! And Arnav seethed with anger at the blatant lie his brother-in-law fed his gullible sister!
"Anger is a valid emotion. It's only bad when it takes control and makes you do things you don't want to do" ~ Ellen Hopkins, Fallout
As a next step to his plan he asked all to keep it as a secret from his Jiju and surprise him with Kushi when he returns from his business trip.
All agreed and Mami knowing Anjali's nature warned her, "Anjali Bitiyaa, be carephool (careful). Don't let the billi out of the bagwaa when you phone him!" Anjali promised that she would not disclose anything and said, "He is so busy that he has asked me to phone him only in the morning, & that too between 7 & 7.30."
This information gave Arnav the clue that his Ji-Ja-Ji was also utilizing the time Khushi was going to the temple to call his Di! Now he knew where he had to take them to meet Khushi! Had he the power he would have brandished the wand and turned his Jija to ashes within a sec. But he controlled his fury that was raging in his heart!
"The finest fury is the most controlled"
~Christopher Hitchens, Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays
While Khushi in lilac coloured Anarkali, was entering his office the next day Arnav was observing her from his vantage point in his cabin. The office was empty and when her eyes roamed about she found him observing her from his glass cabin. His unsmiling visage was drinking in her beauty. He felt that she was the beautiful flower that bloomed out in the vine in his garden. His very own pretty little flower, lilac. The usage of lilac flower is significant and apt in this context,
"Since the lilac is both childlike and whimsical but also full of a gentle, sophisticated promise, it is representative of maturation. The pinkish purple petals of the lilac have long been a favorite of events celebrating a growth from innocence into experience, from adolescence into adulthood. This makes the lilac perfect for any occasion where a change from youth to wisdom is heralded"
Isn't Khushi so? A very apt metaphor for her.
"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you... I could walk through my garden forever"
~ Alfred Tennyson
When her vision zeroed in on him, he found that her face shone with happiness adorning a wide smile. It found an answer in his! Once in his cabin he held out a chair for her and she hesitantly sat on it. He was extremely courteous to her. While doing this gesture he inhaled the Jasmine scent radiating from her and enjoyed the feel of it.
"If someone is too tired to give you a smile,
Leave them one of your own.
Because no one needs
a smile as much as
those who have none
to give"
Enjoying his morning's fresh breath of air, watching her, he took his seat leisurely.
The look in his eyes made her hold her breath. Still mustering her courage she asked him, "You wanted to discuss our plan?" He confirmed and asked her that wasn't she worried about his family misunderstanding the situation and her family. She stammered that she was worried about it. She was at a loss to know what his querry was leading up to.
"Secrets and lies... Everyone in the world deals with these every day of their lives.
To protect themselves. To protect someone else. It is all in the way that you look at the situation" ~ Lacey Thorn
He told her that his family should get to know her first in order to understand who the villain and who the victim were when Shyam was unmasked. They should also be privy to the understanding that she was reluctant to enter into this relationship!
"I do believe that simple things really matter, because even a simple misunderstanding could ruin everything"
Not having a clue of what he was about to disclose, she asked him "How...?" Being enigmatic he said that he had taken care of it and he had informed them that they were in love. Arnav who was waiting for an outburst was dealt with a doosra! A confused Khushi uttered, "You and Shyamji?"
"Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are"
Arnav who hadn't expected this reaction was tickled so much but had to control his reactions. He looked down to suppress his smile and said, "No. You and me." Her reaction to it with her mouth rounded in a big O, "You and me? YOU and ME? We love each other?" had him amused. Composing himself he affirmed and said that she was getting engaged to a person not to her liking.
After a moments silence she threw her hands up in the air and then clutching her head she said,
"Hey Devi Maiyaa, Yeh Aapne Kya Kar Diya!"
"No one will ever understand the beautiful complexity of my mind"
Arnav controlling his laughter, laid back on his chair to enjoy her antics which he was sure he was about to witness. Jumping from her seat and wielding her arms around wildly she said"I was having trouble with one man. One man. So I came to you for help. And now I am having trouble with TWO men?"
"Anger at lies lasts forever. Anger at truth can't last" ~ Greg Evans
Biting his lips to stop the bubbling laughter inside him he averted his eyes from all ready to combat version of Khushi. Irked by his attitude placing her palms on his glass table top, she gave vent to her irritation by asking him, "Is this the way you help me? By complicating my life further? Mr.Raizada.."
"All, everything that I understand, I understand only because of I love"
To her frustration his reply, "Arnav." had her perplexed. He explained, how could she call her premi Mr. Raizada? So he was Arnav to her. Her anger knew no bounds. With her small hands she felt she needed to squeeze him into smithereens! But she just about held herself back!
"Maximum remedium est irae mora"
(The best remedy for anger is delay)
~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Egging her further Arnav asked, "Violence against your baaifriend, Khushi?" which further riled her up making her say with a menacing look, "Baaifriend? I don't have any baaifriend. And I don't want one. Or Two." His calm, "Well, you have one." made her retaliate that she doesn't need one! Thinking that it was enough, he asked her to take a seat and to listen. But she wouldn't. She just closed her ears to his requests.
"We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say"
~ Zeno of Citium, as quoted by Diogenes Laertius
Arnav pulling her closer to him awakened Khushi from her stupor, She felt his grip was branding her skin and tried unsuccessfully to loosen it. He moved his fingers down her arm leaving a trail of sensations unknown to her. Standing up he murmured, "Khushi...", making her look up, at him.
"There's a lot of difference between listening and hearing" ~ G.K. Chesterton
He said that it was imperative for his family to meet her to know what she is like. Once they get convinced that she is deeply in love with him and cares only for him they will not buy Shyam's claim of either her seducing him or her family coercing him into marriage even though he was unwilling to do so.
"When You Care, People Notice"
~ Nicolette Wuring, Customer Advocacy
Khushi who was holding her breath realized his stated intentions clearly. (The unstated I'll deal with it later). He said, "I have to bring them to your house to show them Shyam's true colours. We have no choice about that. Only seeing him at his worst will open Di's eyes"
When Khushi agreed he said, he neither wanted her or her family being pointed a finger at, in this fiasco and the culprit shouldn't go scot free. If they had more time they could have resorted to other means, but right now being pressed for time this was the only way out. Khushi bobbing her head in agreement, pulled her arms from his grip and with a woebegone face said, "Hum chalte he...". Arnav nodded and told her that he would bring his family to the temple she visits at 7 a.m. Consenting to his plan she turned to go.
As she reached the door, she heard Arnav calling her softly and say that they will have to convince his family that they really care and love one another. They will have to be made to understand, that she was his girlfriend and he her baaifriend!
Listening to his talk she was panic stricken! Her knowledge of romance was limited to Bollywood movies. She listed all the things she would not be able to do. "I can't sing and I am not dancing in any park for you. Especially not in the rain. I already have two baaifriends. I don't need a jhukaam (cold) too."
Hiding his laughter behind a cough he said he would spare her, of all those actions. While she was walking away he once again called out to her and asked in his husky voice, "Khushi... Call me at night." His husky voice brought in her unknown feelings. It made her feel as though a thousand butterflies were dancing in her tummy.
Clutching her bag close to her tummy as though it would block the feeling that she was experiencing, and mesmerized by his voice, she just willingly concurred to abide by his wishes.
"Where the waters do agree, it is quite wonderful the relief they give" ~ Jane Austen, Emma
In this update we see, Arnav Singh Raizada being caught by his family while talking to Khushi realized, that he could kill two birds with one stroke!
He tells the family that he is seeing a girl. When they enquire further he reveals that he would love to make her his life partner. He says she too loves him.
When they decide to take shagun for her, he reveals that she is getting engaged the next week against her wishes.
Then he reveals about her family and the machinations of the one she'll be betrothed to, earning the sympathy of his family and his Di.
His Mami too helped him in his cause by planting a seed of doubt in everyone's mind, as to the intentions of the man who took up the boarding in Khushi's house
When his Jijaji's name props up in the talk, he asks his sister his whereabouts and the reason for his long absence, planting a seed of unease in her mind.
He even offers to introduce them to Khushi before they go to her house.
He decides the time and place once he realizes the time his Jijaji receives his sister's calls, so that the secret is not let out by his sister.
Then he manipulates Khushi into agreeing to meet his family giving her the reasons.
He makes her aware that, if his plan is followed even her family would be spared of any humiliations.
He makes her agree to the time and the place as per his plan.
He even tells her to be prepared to show to his family that they love and care for each other very much.
These were the reasons he stated.
The unstated ones were that as soon as he had seen her he had fallen in love with her, though momentarily it had been eclipsed by his anger, when she had pointed her finger at his Di's husband.
Once he knew what she had told about the scum bag of a Jija was true, he did not want her to go away from his life.
He had found his life-partner in the innocent, child- woman who never cowered even while receiving the full blast of his temper! She had the tenacity to withstand his verbal assault and also hold her bearing. This was a rare feat for him to witness! A Lioness in the guise of a lamb!
Finally he makes her agree to call him at night, which is against the tenets of her family!
She too feels tender stirrings for him which is yet to be clearly realized by her.
That's why this update is MASTER-STROKE by the Master Manipulator.
"You are a manipulator."
"I like to think of myself more as an outcome engineer." ~ J.R. Ward, Lover Eternal
That's it from me! Hope you enjoy it!
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| sakshi5050 | 1376 | 54799 | ||
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