Part 54
There were rarely a few moments in his life when Arnav Singh Raizada had been this much robbed of his words. Actually this was probably the only time he had been so stumped as to just sit there in absolute stunned silence, as the three pairs of eyes belonging to the males present in the room, except him, bored into him with varying degrees of relish, & in contrast, the three women did their best to look around here & there to avoid looking at anyone else's eyes out of sheer embarrassment. Anjali looked down as she averted her eyes from the red marks of teeth on her younger brother's jaw, as it suddenly seemed too indecent now that Arnav's somewhat baffled expression told her that, Akaash was right in his allegations. Her Chhote had indeed lost no time in finding himself a.. companion during the short time he had been back home. Payal couldn't look at anyone, because her to-be husband & to-be Devar was probing into her to-be Jethji's love-life in the presence of her elder brother, & the total thing was uncomfortable for her to say the least. & as far as Khushi was concerned.. Well, after the way these guys, including her Bhaiya, were teasing Arnav using her as the foundation, albeit unknowingly, she didn't think she'd be able to look up at any one of them, even after when the Sangeet would be over later tonight.
But just then she had to look up when she felt a tap on her left shoulder, & as she looked up, with her shoulder still circled by Rohan's arm, she saw NK looking down at her with an exaggeratingly gleeful expression on his face. When Khushi said nothing, but just looked at him questioningly, NK pulled her out of Rohan's embrace by pulling her arm, & whispered in her ear, "Come on, K!! You're gonna let Nannav walk away from this tight spot he has got himself into?? After all the pains he had given to you when you were younger?! I could never stop you from recounting them to me over & over again, no matter how much I tried, while I used to visit here!.." When Khushi didn't say anything, but just gulped awkwardly & gawked at him looking a bit guilty, NK shot her a confused look & said a bit disappointedly, "Well, I am gonna get him for all of his overly strict behavior with me while I stayed with him that Summer in Boston! Nannav doesn't scare me at least, & I sure don't get how he managed to turn you into such a coward!"
Khushi knew NK was just trying to bait her, but it was also true that nothing provoked Khushi Kumari Gupta more than being called a coward or when someone told her that she couldn't do something. So throwing NK a defying glare through narrowed eyes, she sent up a prayer to Devi Maiyya, & turning back to Arnav, said with as much nastiness she could summon from within herself, "Why Arnavji??!! Please, you do must tell us who is this gullible woman.. Jijaaji is saying you spend all of your time with now.. Wow, you work fast in every continent, don't you? Chaliye, ab apko sabko batana hoga, wo kaun hain!" & she fixed her round, wide eyed stare at his face, hoping he would read the message in her eyes, get her predicament & won't blow his fuse going all crazy bull on her.
But one look at Arnav's slightly tilted head told her, her very unjust remarks under the circumstances had brought him out of his stunned-&-embarrassed-into-silence state, & before Khushi could say something to pacify him, she saw the 'Meri billi, mujhise meow!' look come upon his face, & he said in a voice oozing with arrogance, "Batana hoga?! Yeh Khushi Kumari Gupta bol rahi hain, ya har waqt uske sar pe chadha huwa pagaalpaan?" Khushi gasped at his sudden eloquence although a shadow of a smile flitted across her lips. She did like it a lot when he showed these glimpses of that inner, flirtatious, outrageous & unpredictable Arnav within himself. It was such a turn on for her, that if their family members weren't present there right now, Khushi was afraid, she would have just gone & bit him once again! & this time, much closer to those smirk-alicious lips of him.
But before she could get out any sort of innocuously coherent response out, Rohan said mildly reproachfully to Arnav, "Hey! My Bachchi isn't crazy, buddy! & while you have regained the uses of your vocal cords & tongue, spill it! Who is it? Do we know her?.. Is it that model you were photographed with the week you came back.. Who is now endorsing you brand?? What's her name, Akaash? Lisa something?" Arnav shook his head in a way that could mean anything, & he said firmly addressing only the first part of Rohan's speech, "Pagaal hain!" & then he mumbled to himself under his breath, "Par cute hain!" & unluckily for him, Akaash over-heard the last bit of his mumbling, & he again shouted gleefully, "Cute? Bhai, you find Lisa cute?" Arnav looked up at him with his mouth wide open in an astonished gasp, & as he started to say, "No, not that-", noticing the way Khushi pouted her lips suddenly, he heard Payal's happy voice as she clutched at her fiancees arm & said in a soothing voice to calm Akaash's unusually excited demeanor, "Well, it's good if Arnavji found someone he actually likes spending time with, right? I guess we should be grateful, that Devi Maiyya has been so graceful to bless us with people we are thankful for in our lives! We found each other, & Bhaiya & Bhaabi.. Now Arnavji.. & even Khushi actually didn't scare someone Buaji found for her away for the first time! & Buaji was saying that, Shyamji & Khushi had apparently hit it off quite well yesterday! Hain na, Khushi?" & at that moment, no one was even looking at Arnav to notice the dark scowl that instantly clouded his expression.
Shyam. Arnav tried to remember if he had ever heard the name before, & then, as no one seemed to ask this very obvious question now, while earlier they were giving him a Spanish inquisition over a small hickey, Arnav threw an annoyed glance over all of them, & then asked Payal in a carefully calm voice, "Shyam who?"
Payal beamed at him, & after a sly, teasing look at a suddenly stony looking Khushi, she announced happily, "Shyamji, who might well be for our Khushi what Akaash is for me, that's who!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arnav was in the study of the farmhouse at the back of the house, when after a short, customary knock on the heavy oak door, Khushi walked in. Arnav looked up at her briefly from the cheques he was signing out for Aman to settle out some of the wedding bills, & then he again looked down moodily & snapped tersely, "I am busy!" He didn't look up to see Khushi nervously licking her lips as she took a couple of steps forward, & then she said hesitantly, "Arnavji! There's nothing for you to be this upset about.. You blasted off everyone downstairs, when all they were trying to do was care for you, & you even skipped breakfast, & now you're snapping at me.." Arnav suddenly threw the pen he was holding hard over the tabletop & it bounced off the table onto the floor in front of Khushi's feet. & as a shocked Khushi looked up from the pen to his quietly furious face, he ground out in a tight voice, "You know what, Khushi? While you're talking, do feel free to share about this Shyamji of yours!"
Khushi gulped as she felt a small frisson of fear going down her spine at his cold fury, but at the same time, she felt a small explosion of happiness inside herself, as she recognized what this was. This was what she had felt all those times, when she had seen Arnav's latest cavorting photos with the latest nubile Goddess who had captured his attention, flashed across the glossy WebPages. This was pure, unadulterated jealousy. Khushi smiled a little uncertainly at the realization, & to Arnav's bewilderment stepped ever closer to him engulfing him with her sweet vanilla scent. Arnav stood up slowly, never taking his eyes off of her face to register her expressions, & when he was about to ask her if she was OK, she spoke clearly, "Shyamji is nice.. Harmless!" & her voice issued a clear warning at him to pack his claws off. Then she again continued precisely, "He was brought in as a potential suitor for me, but I did tell him that I am not thinking of settling down right now, & he was actually very gracious to agree to my request of not telling Buaji & the others about it till the wedding festivities are done.. I made some Jalebis, & I showed him how to as he seemed interested.. & we talked some.. He is smart.. & that's it! He's invited to the weddings & we parted on friendly terms." Arnav abruptly hooked the index finger of his right hand under her chin & tilted her face upwards as he asked fiercely between gritted teeth, "& you couldn't have told me all this last night when we were alone? I had to hear it from Payal?"
This time Khushi actually felt the short fuse of her temper fizzle, & she slapped him along his hard pectoral muscles, still mindful about not hurting him anywhere over his injuries & said accusingly, "I couldn't tell you all these, as I didn't even have Shyamji's name in my head by the time I saw you standing there covered in blood & bruises, after I have been dead worried about your whereabouts throughout the whole day!" Arnav didn't say anything in reply to her outburst as he captured her hand which had just hit on his body & kept it pressed flat against his stomach, & as he saw Khushi's eyes darken with desire at the heat emanating from his hard muscles, he leaned over & breathed in the sweetest scent of vanilla coming off of her hair, then he suddenly grabbed her elbow & jerked her upwards towards his body, "Red! Should I be jealous?" Khushi looked up at him wondrously & blinking her eyes in confusion, she asked in a slow drawl, "Of Shyamji?" Arnav looked at her bottom lips for a prolonged second, & then tearing his eyes away with apparent reluctance, nodded his head in assertion of her question. Khushi looked at him for some moments to try to gauge his actual thoughts, & when he commendably held up his poker face, she asked in a curious manner, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "Are you ever jealous?!"
Arnav looked at her thoughtfully for several seconds, & then as if by compulsion, he hand rose up & his thumb rubbed her lower lip firmly, yet gently. & then he looked up, & said simply, "Never. Never before. Never yet!" Khushi blinked her eyes to clear the fog in her mind because it was too much for her to concentrate on anything when he was doing things to her lips with his thumb, & then she abruptly looked up at him, her eyes flashing like hazel gems with desire, & promptly leaning, she bit the pad of his thumb sharply with her teeth, & as he abruptly pulled his thumb back & rubbed it with his index finger to soothe the burning feeling & looked at her with incredulous eyes, she drawled mysteriously, "Then maybe you should be? Jealousy.. You.. Me.. You never know what good could come out of it!.. Waise, did you find the answer to your question?" Arnav's brows furrowed as he looked at her, truly puzzled now, & he asked obediently as Khushi had hoped he would, "Which question?!"
Khushi smiled up at him way too naughtily for his comfort, & said after biting her lips in a provocative manner, "Wohi! What have I done to you???" & suddenly Arnav felt an irrational urge to just turn around & run for his life! He couldn't really put his finger on what it was, but something in her bewitching eyes, & bedazzling smile pulled him so strong & so hard, that Arnav felt like he was drowning in a vortex. & he did exactly what a drowning person did, he clutched at straws. He half-turned away from Khushi & said out of the corner of his lips, "Uh.. I don't know what you're talking about.. Now, go Khushi.. I have to hand-over these cheques to Aman ASAP!"
Khushi studied his turned away profile, & seeing him stubbornly keeping his head away from her direction, she smiled a bit & reaching up, rested her chin on his shoulder, & whispered, "You know what, I am gonna wear the red outfit you originally designed for me at the Sangeet tonight! & I'll drape the Dupatta very tidily, so it'll cover the scant blouse. Happy?" & it was good that she couldn't see Arnav's sudden delighted grin, but he quickly composed his face & said casually, "Toh?! Get out now, Khushi! I want to finish up these cheques &-" but Khushi cut him off, "& will you wear the Kurta-Pajama Amma bought for you?" Arnav felt the tone of request in her voice tugging at his heartstrings, & he knew there & then, he'd be dressing up as a circus clown again that night, but without letting any of these feelings on his face, he said tersely, "I may or may not!' & he shut off the little voice inside his head that spoke up in Khushi's defense as he reminded himself how she had been participating in Jalebi-making activities with others & didn't even tell him about it sooner.
Khushi knew the Shyam thing has affected him more than he was letting on, as he was fine with her even this morning when he had first come down to the dining hall, & he only started behaving like a petulant child after Shyam's name came to play, so forcing a smile on her lips, Khushi tried again, "It's the Sangeet! Will you dance with me?" This time Arnav shook her off of his arm with a controlled shrug & said moodily, "Not at all! Get out, Khushi!" & before Khushi could say anything else, a voice from the doorway called out, "So you are even more rude to Bachchi in private than you're in front of us?! That's.. disappointing, Arnav!" As Khushi tuned her startled face towards the door, she saw a grim looking Rohan & an embarrassed looking Anjali standing at the doorway, & then Rohan held out a hand towards Khushi & said to Anjali, "Anju, I don't feel like quizzing your brother on his super secret & super exciting love life just now! Excuse me.. Come Bachchi.. Let's see what Amma-Babuji are upto!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Khushi tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her right ear as she smilingly approached the door of the Main house, & as soon as she swung the door open & stepped in, she saw a the most beautiful woman she had ever seen up-close in her life wrapping herself around a person Khushi already considered to be her own.
The woman had such glowy peachy skin, it looked like richest of creams. Her hair was as dark as black silk, not like Khushi's slightly auburn-black ones. & they were voluptuous, waving gloriously down her back upto her, mid-waist, & looking at her, Khushi couldn't understand, what had possessed her to grow her own hair to such outrageously wild lengths that they almost reached her hips. Her figure was just perfect, at least as much of her Khushi could see past Arnav's arms embracing her, & she had a kind of inbred grace & aura around her as she pulled back from Arnav's embrace & stood back, her body leaning away with all the grace of a Ballet dancer. & as she turned her face in Khushi's direction, Khushi saw her exquisite heart-shaped face & her most attractive features. The almond-shaped, lightest shade of brown colored eyes & the heart-warming smile. Khushi felt if she looked on for a moment longer, she'd fall in love with the woman herself.
As the other woman had by now noticed Khushi standing like a dumb statue by the door, she turned towards Anjali, who was standing beside all decked up as a regal bride & smiling happily, & asked in a pleasantly cheerful voice, "Di, who's she?" Anjali turned towards Khushi following the girl's outstretched hands which was adorned by a gorgeously wide Diamond cuff, & said merrily, "Oh, this.. She is my youngest sister-in-law. Ro- I mean, my fiance & Akaash's fiancee Payal's baby sister, Khushi! & Khushi, come inside?.. Meet her, she's the daughter of our Ma's very good friend, & Nani & my favorite little girl in the whole of Delhi, Samiya!"
CID
Kumkum Bhagya
Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
44