||~Something About You~||#8 *COMPLETED* - Page 69

Khushi roused from her deep sleep as she felt someone tapping with their thumb on her cheek gently, & she swatted the hand away as if it was a fly & mumbled in a sleepy voice, "Lemme sleep!" The next instant she forcefully pulled her eyelids open as she heard Arnav whispering very close to her ear as his hot breath fanned her temple, "Wake up, Red!" She rolled on her back from her side turned position, & directly looked into Arnav's melting eyes as he sat leaning over her, with his arms resting on the bed on either side of her body. & immediately flashes of random images from last night flooded her mind & she blushed beet-root red as she looked away from his all-seeing eyes. Arnav saw the shy sweep of her lashes over her cheeks & the rosy glow of her plump cheeks, & painfully suppressing the urge to kiss her thoroughly & start the events of last night all over again, & with one hand on her shoulder & the other going around her back to support her, he hoisted her up on the bed. & to his surprise, she immediately, quite naturally, came forward & rested her cheek on his chest, her left hand clutching at the Black running vest he was now wearing. As he felt her relaxing over his chest, Arnav chuckled with a rumbling sound in his chest, & felt Khushi snuggling up to him more closely.

Arnav consulted his wristwatch again just to be sure, & sighing regrettably, he said in a soft tone, "You have to be back at the Guesthouse, Red. It's quarter to 4. Nani wakes up somewhere between 5 to 6 & some of the staff usually wakes up before that. We should get going right now!" He felt Khushi sigh against his chest, & then without a word she pulled away & as Arnav stood up, she swung her legs down from the bed & stood up too. Arnav took her Dupatta up from the floor where she had thrown it down last night & wrapped it around her like a shawl, & then he noticed, she was actually trying to sleep standing up on her feet, her head lolling sideways & her eyes closed shut. Arnav asked her loud enough to startle her, his voice laced with laughter, "What are you.. A horse?" Khushi pouted & narrowed her eyes at him as she said accusingly, "Not all of us get up around midnight to go jogging.. I never get up before 9! I wanna sleep.. NOW!" & as she stomped her right foot, oddly resembling a tantrum-throwing child, Arnav grinned broadly & without a word, picked her up in his arms & started walking out of the room in brusque strides.

Khushi just relaxed in Arnav's arms & was again in a state of semi-sleep when Arnav shook her up in his arms a little to wake her up & then put her down on the landing before the back door of the Guesthouse, & then he pulled out a set of keys from his pocket, & unlocked the door as Khushi looked on leaning sideways over the wall. Then he turned towards her & dangled the keys infront of her, "These are master keys.. Do you need them to get inside your room?" Khushi shook her head slowly & said she had kept the key under a vase over a dresser on the hallway. Arnav nodded his head jerkily, & looking at her with glowing eyes, he brushed a few wisps of hair away from her temple tenderly, & then as he tried to push her inside the open door, Khushi stayed back & looked at him with accusing eyes & exclaimed loudly, "Give me a parting kiss before-" Arnav held up a finger infront of his lips to indicate to her to keep it down & then he asked her in an incredulous whisper, "Seriously?!" Khushi looked at him with doubly incredulous eyes as she countered, "What? Are you ashamed of PDA or something?" Arnav's mouth fell open at that, but looking at her deliciously pouting mouth, he refrained from telling her that he wasn't ashamed of PDA, but if someone caught them like this, there'd be a lot of the wrong kind of PDA, & most of them would be directed at her. He just leaned over & took her mouth in a brief, but smoldering kiss. Then he pulled away & turned her inside the door while whispering in her ear, "Ajeeb ho tum!"

Khushi just turned & threw him a nasty glare while he closed the door with a smirk at her annoyance at being called Ajeeb! She went up unhurriedly, careful to not make a sound & finding the key where she had left it, she entered her room, & flopped down on the bed in the Lehenga-Choli itself & slept almost immediately.

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Khushi next woke up at the loud banging & her mother calling her quite loudly from the other side of the door & as she bolted upright on the bed, the bright sunlight streaming in through the window told her it was quite late in the day. She shouted at Garima to wait & then ran to open the door to let an agitated Garima in. The first thing Garima did was gasp at Khushi still wearing the Lehenga-Choli from the Haldi function last night. Khushi looked away from her mother's eyes surreptitiously & told her in a faraway voice that because of the headache she didn't even bother to change before she fell asleep last night. Garima looked concerned immediately as she lamented how she should not have let Khushi's father dissuade her from checking in on Khushi last night, when they had returned at the Guesthouse after the function had concluded. However, Garima didn't notice her daughter's relieved expression as Khushi jointly thanked her Devi Maiyya & her father for their very timely intervention in stopping Garima from trying to venture inside her room last night. Likewise, Khushi didn't notice how Garima averted her eyes from Khushi's, when in reply to Khushi's inquiry she told Khushi how last night's function had been another adorable occasion for both the families.

What Garima was trying to hide from her little girl was the ugly scene that had taken place towards the end of the function. One of their relatives, Khushi's Buaji's late husband's sister to be precise, had commented to Shashi how he had done Madhumati & all of his other relatives a grave injustice by leaving his birthplace for the daughter of a murderer & a most-possibly-characterless woman. Although, Madhumati, who had recovered herself before everyone else, had berated the woman for saying such vile things about her niece, claiming it was her mistake that she had invited such people to share her family's happiness; the whole evening had somewhat soured for all after that. & that's why Shashi had insisted that, Garima not visit Khushi immediately after they had come back from the function. He had been sure, Garima wouldn't be able to hold up at the sight of Khushi, & she'd break down, revealing everything that had happened to Khushi. & Shashi had also known, infact they had all known, Khushi wouldn't be able to take such accusing words against her Babuji lightly. So even Payal, Rohan & Madhumati had advised Garima to just let Khushi sleep in & talk to her about the incident, if she must, in the morning.

Looking back at the girl in question now, who was now slowly, but very persuasively, trying to drag Garima towards the bed, so that she could sleep some more keeping her head over Garima's lap, Garima thanked her family's good sense that they had stopped her last night & let this innocent child sleep in peace. This was all just too much for such a young soul to bear anyways. So placing a bright fake smile on her lips, that only mother's were capable of bestowing on their children even in the darkest hours, Garima pushed Khushi towards the washroom saying, "No more sleep, Chhutki! You missed even the morning Aarti! Payaliya's Dadi saas was asking about you.. she's so fond of you.. & the Mehendi ceremony is also about to begin! Haven't you been complaining since the Engagement that, why aren't we making a new tradition of applying Mehendi on each function?! Toh abb?.. Go.. get ready soon!" With that she pushed Khushi inside the washroom, & after sending a small prayer at Devi Maiyya that everything goes well today, she left the room hurriedly for a hundred things waited to be arranged still.

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Khushi came down to the smaller hall of the Guesthouse some 40 minutes later, where the Mehendi function was being held today as the bigger hall of the Main house was still too messy with Haldi paste here t& there after last night's Haldi function. She saw that already some 50 plus women were gathered around the hall, & the Brides had already sat down with 4 people each applying Mehendi on both of their hands. Her mother & Buaji were serving Sherbet & refreshments to the guests, & Khushi hurriedly went & took the tray from her Buaji's hand, telling her to sit down & relax. Madhumati looked incredulously at her with a hand touching her chin & exclaimed very loudly, making everyone look in their direction, "Eee dekho, aab padhaari hain, Maharani! Aur hamka kahet hain, 'Aap baith jaiye Buaji!'.. Ari Parmeswari, hum tum titaaliyon ki tarha naahi, ki abhi souke uthe, aur abhi thak gaye! Abbhi bohut jaan hain humme! Tum jao! Baitho huwape, aur laga lo thodi Mehendi apni haathan ma bhi.. Varna pata chala Sanka Devi ko fursat hi nahi mili aapni bhaga-douri se.. Jao!" ("Look here, now Maharani has descended! & she says to me, 'You sit down, Buaji!'.. Ari Parmeswari, I am not delicate like you butterflies, getting tired from just sleeping! I still have a lot of life left in me! You go! Sit there, & get some Mehendi applied on your palms also.. Otherwise, later we'll see, you didn't get the free time to do even that from all your running around.. Go!")

Khushi pouted at Buaji at being ridiculed like this infront of so many guests, but then when Buaji widened her eyes warningly at her, Khushi didn't consider arguing anymore a wise option, & quickly went over to where the brides were poised on their queenly pedestal. Khushi greeted her friends who were also sitting surrounding the Brides along with Payal's friends some of whom were now having Mehendi applied on their hands. Khushi saw Samiya sitting closely beside Anjali, admiring the Mehendi on Anjali's palms, & nodded in a greeting to her. When she was about to sit down, Anjali smiled up brightly at her & exclaimed happily, "Wow! You look so much like yourself! Seriously, I think, the dresses I ordered might have been a tad bit too sophisticated for you.. Look at you, you look like a bright, orange butterfly, Khushi!" Khushi giggled happily & turned around to show off her Lehenga. It was really the closest thing to her personal style that she had worn in all of the function, maybe because this was purchased by her own mother & sister. They knew Khushi didn't like maintaining a Dupatta, so the outfit didn't have any. The bodice itself reached the folds of the Lehanga below her knee in long, separated flowy sections. It was formfitting, but it was not in any way revealing as didn't have any deep cuts, neither in the front nor the back. In short, it was a traditional, more gorgeous version of Khushi's everyday dresses.

Then Khushi sat down beside Anjali & peeked at both the Brides' Mehendi & cooed appreciatively over both as they were really exquisite. Just then, someone came & sat beside her, & Khushi saw a tall, fair, handsome & pony-tailed man smile in a way of a greeting to her. Khushi looked at him critically & then said in a caustic voice, "Excuse me, but don't you know this is a ladies' function?! What are you-?" But before she could go on further, she heard both Payal & Anjali give off awkward laughs & then they explained to her that he was one of the Mehendi artists. Khushi was taken aback as she looked back at the man again, & then she again looked at the Brides & noticed for the first time that 3 of the Mehendi artists working on their hands were also men. Khushi looked back at the pony-tailed man apologetically & was about to ask his name, when she heard another male voice, "Di!" She instantly broke in a smile at the voice, anticipating entertainment & looked back to NK smiling sheepishly at a suddenly strict looking Anjali.

Before NK could say anything, Anjali charged on him in a shrewd voice, "NK bhai! I told you earlier also.. This is an exclusively ladies' function! Boys not allowed!" NK looked at the male Mehendi artists pointedly & then asked Anjali with dramatically exaggerated anger, "Don't lie, Di! Only girls?? Then who are these? Lakdiyaa?? (Wood logs?)" Khushi immediately piped up due to force of habit, "Ladkiyaa, NK! (Girls, NK!)" NK briefly looked at Khushi & gave her an expression which basically said, that is what he had said, so Khushi didn't need to correct him unnecessarily. Before Khushi could take his class though, Anjali got there as she said as strictly as was possible for her, "They are very famous, very exclusive artists, NK! I had to give advanced booking so they could be here today, so don't insult them! Go over to those two rascals who I know very well have sent you here!" NK now seemed genuinely hurt at being scolded this way infront of all present, majority of whom were form the opposite sex, & said as a last threat to Anjali, "If.. Di, if.. Yes!! If you don't let us attend this function, you are banned from attending our Bachelors' party tonight!"

Anjali just looked at NK with a deadpan expression & said woodenly, "Who said I wanted to attend your silly party anyway? Now go before I-" NK's expression fell comically at his last brilliant resort failing miserably, & he held up his hands in surrendering way before Anjali came down to real threats, & mumbled as he started to go, "OK, Di. Don't get all ghussa!" This time everyone in the close vicinity laughed out roaringly as Khushi got out between her breathless giggles, "Gussa, NK!" NK threw her a last nasty look over his shoulder before he all but ran out of the front door. Khushi was turning away from the door, still laughing at NK's expense, when she saw Arnav walking in through the door, dressed in a three-piece suit, clearly coming off from some meeting he must have attended early in the day, looking distinctly out of place amidst all the wedding fineries. The laughter got caught on Khushi's throat with a kind of moaning sound at the sudden sight of him, & the whole place seemed to shrink up, & all those people seemed to fade away, & Khushi looked into his eyes from over the heads of so many people, everything else seemed to cease existing as she felt like only the two of them were left, as alone as they were last night, in his bedroom. & at her last thought, she instantaneously reddened like a Tomato, & looked away, but not before she noticed the conceited smirk that came on Arnav's face as he noted her blush & also seemed to correctly deduce the reason behind it.

Then Khushi saw her Babuji her come & take him toward the staircase to lead him upstairs. Then she understood, he must've come to talk about something to do with the wedding expenses with Babuji. Khushi knew he kept offering to take up all the expenses himself very often, to which Babuji said know as often, much to his suppressed annoyance. Khushi was smiling to herself thinking this, when she saw his eyes catching hers, & then holding her gaze for a long moment, just as if to prove the point that she can't look away from him even in the middle of such a hawk-eye crowd, he abruptly, but very definitively jerked his head towards the staircase, clearly telling Khushi to come upstairs to meet him. & Khushi wanted to. But it just so happened that she loved the color of Mehendi on her palms too, so she looked around pointedly with a wishful expression on her face, & then looking at him, begged him with her eyes for a later meeting. Arnav immediately shook his head, his eyes reproaching, & then tilted his head slightly & the intensity in his eyes said, 'Come her now!' As now he seriously looked like as if he wanted to say something important to her, Khushi let out a defeated sigh, & shrugged her shoulders to say that she would oblige, & couldn't help but bristle with annoyance at the smirk he threw her way, before he finally followed Babuji up the stairs.

Part 62