As Khushi let Rohan pull her away from the Main house towards the guest house, she studied his profile cautiously. Rohan was never the person to blow his fuse shortly. He was more often than not the person who could maintain his calm even in chaotic situation & who could look at the bigger picture with a perspective. In fact, Khushi was almost sure that if Rohan wasn't so busy with his own wedding & his younger sister's wedding preparations & the sale of Nikunja simultaneously with the interiors works going on in their new home, he would have figured out whatever was going on between Arnav & Khushi at least 2 weeks back. But at that moment, Khushi saw an almost helpless & thoroughly annoyed look on Rohan's face, & alarmed at the thought of some unknown crisis, Khushi drew Rohan's attention toward her by putting her right hand over his bicep while her left hand was held in a tight grip within Rohan's right hand.
As soon as he felt Khushi's touch demanding his attention, Rohan stopped in his tracks. Khushi looked around to see that they were just outside the car park of the Main house, & the sun was glaring down at them both mercilessly. Rohan looked down at her grimly, & asked gruffly, "Is he always that rude to you? Was it always true.. what you claimed? Did we fail to protect you from people's wrath till now, Bachchi?" Khushi looked at Rohan incredulously, amazed at the suddenness of this stroke of self-censure on his part, & she asked him in amazement, "Seriously??!! You are asking me this today? After all this time?.. When I would have killed to have you this doubtful & critical of your best friend all those years ago, when this was all just a contest for me to win your favors?" When Rohan scrunched his brows with his mouth gaping open at her frank admission after all this years, Khushi just laughed ruefully & said dubiously, "Whatever.. What-all-so-ever went on between Arnavji & me.. trust me, more often than not, we both contributed to it equally. & sometimes, I may have exaggerated his rudeness towards me a bit, but he was no saint.. & I guess, you could call it a draw of some kind.. But what is this really about, Bhaiya?! Don't tell me that, just a 'Get out' from him got you this riled up after all this time! I was pestering him about dancing on the Sangeet tonight & he was being his usual grouchy self.. & I think you already realize this.. So, what's wrong?.. Please, tell me Bhaiya?" Khushi almost dangled from Rohan's right arm in her plea to him to confide in her.
Rohan looked down at her upturned face for a couple long seconds, then after a drawn out sigh, he talked as if despite himself, "Bachchi, a lot of our relatives are invited to the weddings. Most of them we would be reconnecting with after.. after very long. Almost all of them are from Lucknow. Most of them are from Babuji's side, & they.. Well, I know, Babuji had explained it to each & all at the time & many times afterwards when he used to go to Lucknow to look over the sweet shop, but.." Rohan suddenly stopped talking, & looking at Khushi restlessly, he clutched her hands in his own & held them up to his chest as begging for her understanding & said in a rush, "Bachchi, they would talk about you when they would see you. About Maasiji-Mausaji- I mean, your.. You know-" Rohan stopped short, unable to continue, & suddenly he felt Khushi squeezing his hands reassuringly & then she abruptly went & rested her cheek on his chest.
Before Rohan could say anything or ask her if he had upset her, he heard her speaking in a whisper, "I know, Bhaiya. I suspected something like this was coming ever since I have known everything. I knew who all was invited by Amma-Babuji.. Hell, I wrote out the names over each & every envelope, didn't I?.. I'll be fine, Bhaiya. I mean, what else can I do? I can't skip my own brother & sister's wedding.. I can't ask Babuji to uninvite his relatives.. I can't even expect you guys to shut up each person who talked about me or come to my defense every time anything such happened.." Then she drew her head back & looked up at Rohan with a hard glint in her eyes, "But last night, I was talking.." & realizing that she was about to slip on about her secret rendezvous with Arnav, Khushi quickly amended herself, "I was thinking, that is.. That, nurturing is more important than nature. It's important where & to whom I was born, but it's equally, if not more, important how & by whom I was brought up. I was born in that Lucknow household, Bhaiya, but Amma-Babuji brought me up in their home, with my siblings. That.. incidence, has some bearence on who I am , but that's not all who I am. It alone doesn't define who I am. So I won't let it affect me much what people chose to gossip about to entertain themselves.. I'll be fine, Bhaiya, promise!"
Rohan looked down at Khushi for some moments, then with an expression of someone swallowing a bitter medicine, he nodded his heads, & tucking Khushi's hand safely under his right arm again, he led them both towards the Guest house. Khushi walked slowly as she rubbed her free hand over his bicep, & then she said tentatively, "Bhaiya..? You know, Arnavji would be pretty upset if he thought you were angry or disappointed with him.." & before she could finish, she heard Rohan say with laughter in his voice, "Serves him right for saying 'Get out' to you.. & I am sure Anju would bear the full brunt of his rage!.. Well, let him. Even Anju would know the sun doesn't shine out of her brother!" & as Rohan started laughing with a low guttural sound even Khushi joined him, as she appreciated the fact that Rohan didn't even know half of it. On top of Rohan's admonishment, Arnav also had the cloud named Shyam hovering over his head right now, & Khushi didn't envy Anjali's position a bit at that moment.
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Khushi crossed the small patchwork of grass leading to the main house fully dressed for the Sangeet function which was to be started shortly. She was not coming from the Guest house, but she was actually coming back from the large gazebo, decorated beautifully & extravagantly for the according to the Sangeet functions requirement with numerous sets of chairs & tables set around the gazebo as the center. Nani had asked her to go over & see if Anjali needed help coming over to the gazebo, saying she might like if instead of someone else Khushi was the one to assist her on her way to the function. 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!" Khushi felt as if suddenly the spotlight was on her as all at once the four pair of eyes belonging to Arnav, Anjali, NK, & the other girl.. Samiya, as Anjali introduced her became trained on her. & she could take on every scrutiny of the world, but the way she could feel Arnav's heated gaze traveling from the top of her head to the last toenail on her feet, Khushi felt her breath quicken & a sudden overwhelming urge to either turn & run away from his line of vision or run & fuse herself to his body to hide her face inside his chest overcame her total senses.
To distract herself, Khushi averted her gaze from direction completely & clasped her hands together in front of her chest in a form of greeting to Samiya which the latter returned likewise. Khushi looked Samiya over, assessing & at the same time appreciating the beautiful glittering Blue Lehenga-Choli that complimented her beauty perfectly. & out of the corner of her eye, Khushi couldn't help but agree how formidable Arnav looked beside Samiya, in his very gorgeous Black embroidered Sherwani with deep Maroon hue at the collar & the sleeves, & a daring Red Kurta peeking out from beneath the heavy Sherwani. He practically looked frightening & tempting to Khushi at the same time.
What Khushi didn't know as she glided in the room & delivered Nani's message to Anjali, that Arnav returned her appraisal bit for bit. Arnav remembered how this outfit of hers had been the one which needed the most work done on it when Su had brought to him as per his instruction. & he also remembered, how he had instructed Su to finish up with the stitch-work & embroideries on the spaghetti-strap Choli & the long Dupatta & leave the Lehenga mostly unadorned with just a silk lace on the border. He had been sure even then, without ever having seen Khushi in a Lehenga before that she would carry off the beautiful soft, chiffon folds of the Lehenga, designed in a fishtail, with that charming, graceful way she walked, & when she would don it on, no one would even notice the lack of trimmings on the Lehenga. & he had been right. She practically robbed him off his breath, dazzling in his favorite color, enticing him to do things to her that were just plain wrong to say out loud. & keeping up with the Lehenga's simplicity, the only jewelry she had donned were a pair of heavy antique earrings, an antique bangle on her left hand & a big antique ring on her right hand. & there, she was gorgeousness personified for him.
As Khushi went to help Anjali to walk out of the main hall, she stopped short as she saw Samiya already was there, holding Anjali's left elbow lightly. Feeling a bit inadequate Khushi pulled back & immediately collided with something solid on her back. Before she could even turn her head backwards, she knew who it was as she felt his hands come up to lightly hold the sides of her arms & leaning down he whispered in her right ear, "Just for looking like that, you're forgiven for not telling me about your marriage plans to that.. what was it?.. Ah!.. Sharm fellow, Red!" Khushi could detect the hint of amusement in his voice, & she herself chuckled as she noted his sarcastic comment about her non-existent 'marriage plans' & his obviously deliberate mistake of Shyam's name as Sharm. But before she could turn & thank him sweetly for his apparent big-heartedness, NK called her from outside the Main door which he was holding ajar for the ladies to go through. Khushi thanked her lucky stars that Anjali & Samiya were still in front of them, so NK hadn't been able to notice Arnav basically caressing her arms & whispering in her ear, & with a provocative glance thrown at Arnav over her shoulder, she shimmied out of his hold & hurried along to NK to talk about their dance routines later in the night.
As Arnav was about to pass NK & Khushi conversing about a routine of theirs behind Anjali & Samiya, surreptitiously looking at Khushi all the while, NK suddenly stopped him with a startling shout, "Hey, Nannav mere Bhai! There's still time! Wanna do some murda's with K?" Khushi slapped NK's bicep playfully & corrected him laughingly, "Murda nahi, mudra, NK!" NK bobbed his head up & down vigorously, not really understanding the difference between the two at all & said as usual, "Ok, same to same.. Nannav, wanna 'chance pe dance'? As he danced his eyebrows at Arnav, Arnav looked over at the shimmering girl in Red beside him, & she was also dancing her eyebrows at him in a challenging way, & Arnav forcefully controlled the urge to kiss that defying look off of her face, & concealing his amusement, said to NK harshly, "Main? Aur isske saath?.. Mujhe isske saath dance nahi karna!"
& Khushi could do nothing but just gasp at the sudden unjust cruelty against her. So she was good for making out, but not as a dancing partner. Still smarting at the insult, she said to NK hotly, "Dancing isn't everyone's cup of tea! Naachne ke liye hunar ki jaroorat hoti hain, paison ki nahi! Mujhe bhi inke saath nahi nachna!" Arnav knew she was actually incensed, & she even looked like a red hot fire grill at that moment to him. Feeling more alive than ever in his life, he decided to poke this little firecracker of his a bit more, & tilting his head sideways in an appraising way, he shrugged & said casually, "Ok. Suit yourself!" & then he breezily went & held Anjali's other elbow & together, both he & Samiya led Anjali towards the gazebo from which loud sounds of music were coming out already, leaving a nonplussed NK & an outrageously gaping Khushi with her hands on her hips & her lips in an 'o' standing by the door of the Main house in their wake.
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Just then, Anjali announced that Khushi & NK would now present another one of their routines, & Arnav turned around & adjusted in his seat in a way so as not to miss a moment of Khushi dancing around the place in front of him. But he again looked back at the sound of giggling laughter, & say Samiya's head was rolling over the table as she suffered from uncontrollable spurts of laughter. As Arnav asked her with a hook of his left eye-brow what she found so funny, Samiya sobered enough to tell him in between giggles, "You alaways had the weirdest excuses, Arnie! Won't eat Gol-Gappa, my mouth doesn't open so wide.. & now, won't dance, I don't understand the lyrics!... They are in plain Hindi, silly!!" Arnav tilted his eye-brows up in an ironic way, & asked unbelievably, "That's Hindi?" He gestured to where Khushi was now mercilessly teasing harassed NK through her song. Samiya listened to the song for a bit & then she doubled over with laughter again, & then when Arnav pulled her up by her arm, she said, panting heavily, "That's Hindi, alright! Actually Arnie, that song could be dedicated to you without any difficulties at all! Oh I wish! 'Maine samjha tha golden jubilee jise, wo toh matinee dikha kar ke chumma le gaya! Jhalla, mera aashique jhalla, wallah!'"
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