ArHi FF - Band Baaja Baraat Chp 2C pg 18 - Page 9

After a long long time 😉 do read and let me know what you think.

Music: "How to save a life" - the fray

Chapter 2B – Courting Khushi

Arnav sauntered to his room, closing the door he leaned against it with a smile on his face.

Khushi stood in front of the mirror looking at her reflection as her eyes misted over.

Straightening up, Arnav shrugged out of his dinner jacket and sat on his bed to take off his shoes, the smile was still there.

Putting the dupatta at the back of the chair, Khushi went on to take off her jewelry one by one as a few tears rolled down her cheeks

Arnav unbuttoned the top buttons and lied down with his legs hanging over the edge and recalled how he hadn't been able to say anything for some time when Khushi had opened the door for him. It wasn't just her sleeveless flowing creamy white chiffon anarkali , or her delicate jewelry or the fact that she had let her hair loose and looked beyond amazing. The sparkle in her eyes when she saw him, the smile that emerged on her lips when she said, "Hi," and the blush that indicated the shyness she felt, yet the confidence of their love made her extend her arm first to hold his hand. Arnav got off the bed swiftly and went to the French windows.

Khushi remembered the happy smile on his face throughout the evening. They had been together for some time now but today he radiated exuberance, contentment haloed him and nothing existed for him but her. Yes, they met so many people he knew when they reached the hotel for dinner, he returned their greetings, answered their polite inquiries but never shifted his focus from her. It was a perfect evening but she couldn't help crying as she sat thinking on a chair with her legs propped up on it.

Arnav stood staring at the moon's reflection in the pool, hands in pockets and recalled their goodbyes to the Guptas, all of them barely able to contain their excitement and he knew that his cheeks were flushed. Inside the car, it had been him who had talked on while Khushi had listened most of the time and only talked when he paused for her to answer some question. He broke into a big smile as he looked up thinking how he had held her hand while driving. He closed his eyes to remember the feeling of belonging when she had got off the car and he had put his arm lightly at her back as he guided her inside through the light crowd. "So, you've finally decided to settle down?" Mrs Kashayap had asked when she had met them and he hadn't yet said anything about marrying to anyone.

"So you have finally decided to settle down?" Lavanya's mother had asked them in the lobby as she gave her a caustic look up, Khushi could exactly recall the couple of minutes that he had chatted with the lady. She could recollect the uneasiness that the woman had been able to evoke in her with her looks. And then unease accompanied her throughout the evening, when Arnav had easily greeted the wife of some acquaintance with a light kiss on her cheeks and Khushi had hardly been able to shake the guy's hand as his eyes had roved all over her.

Arnav leaned backwards on the recliner, crossing his legs and remembered her confusion with the spoons. He sat up immediately when he remembered her uneasiness that he had sensed as soon as they had taken their seats. He hadn't been able to figure out the reason but he tried to ease it away by holding her hands.

The entire cutlery on the table, the glasses, the fancy food and then the looks she got from all those people Arnav knew. Her excitement had plummeted down in a blink and all she wanted was the dinner to come to an end and leave the place. She hadn't made any blunder but she had been too conscious of what she was doing that she had hardly paid any attention to him and she thought that she was madly in love with him. It was his nearness, his attention, the way he kept squeezing her hand that kept her relatively calm.

-_-_-

"Hello," Khushi could hardly open her eyes as she answered Arnav's call, the throbbing headache and heavy eyes were evidence to the sleepless night that had just ended.

"Hey, are you okay?" he was all concern at her voice.

"hmmm, yes, how are you?" she replied as she pressed her forehead.

"hmm I am good," he said as he paced slowly in his office, a frown on his forehead and confusion on his face, "What are your plans for today?" he asked.

"I have to take Babuji to the doctor and then help bua with grocery shopping, and then cooking," she quickly said.

Arnav had come to a halt by now, "So, no time for me today?" he asked with slight confusion lacing his words.

Khushi closed her eyes as a single tear escaped from the corner of her eye, "I always have time for you but today it seems I don't," she tried to finish coolly but Arnav picked up a slight sniff.

"Ok, then talk to you later, take care," he hung up. He stared absentmindedly out of his office window looking at the hall below wondering.

The day passed slowly for Arnav as his mind continued to be preoccupied with Khushi but he kept on working, finishing the tasks he had planned for the day. When he entered Shantivan well after 8 o clock, everyone was already on the table having dinner.

"Is everything okay, Arnav, you looked tired?" Anjali asked him as he too sat down.

"Yes, everything is fine. You tell how your day was?" he asked trying to steer the conversation away from him.

A smile spread across Anjali's face at the question, "it was good! Very good," she asserted.

Arnav smiled broadly seeing her so cheerful and content and silently thanked the Lord for it. Sometime back he had been very unsure if he would ever see his Di like this, Khushi had kept him positive, had made him pray on the darkest of days, had been there as his support system while he did the same for Di.

-_-_-

After dinner, he sat with Anjali in her room listening to her narrative of the day.

"Dr. Ashitoush thinks that apart from working for the Leukemia Patients' Welfare Society, I must get involved in the office work," Anjali said as she sipped her coffee.

"Won't it be a bit hectic for you to do so much, so soon?" Arnav asked with concern.

"Hmmm even I was skeptical," Anjali recalled her conversation with the doctor who could work wonders with his words.

He had said, "Anjali you are no longer sick, yes you had a breakdown but now you are fine. Before anyone else it is you who has to stop looking at yourself as a person with disability. You are 100% fit and the slight problem you have is something that you have learnt to live with and you shouldn't consider it a problem anymore," he had paused to stand up, walk around the table and sit on the chair next to hers.

"To feel normal, you have to live normal and normal people do everything. Okay?" he asked her.

"So, you see Arnav, I must do what the doctor has prescribed. When do you want me to start working and what do you have in mind for me?" Anjali asked Arnav.

"Well, to start with, you can look at the design department and then you can decide what to do next," Aranv smiled and stood up to kiss her goodnight.

In his room, he changed into his exercise tracks and got on the treadmill and soon was running at 10 mph. Running helped him think, focused him and today Khushi had confused him, he needed to figure out what was wrong but for the life of him he couldn't and that frustrated him. Hence, after the shower he was heading towards Khushi's house. Once outside, he sent her a text.

-_-_-

Khushi had cleaned every nook and corner of her room, every drawer, each trunk just to take her mind off the thoughts that had plagued her all day and had been unsuccessful. After taking a shower she had slumped down on the bed deep in thoughts when she received his text. Any other day she would have jumped up with excitement but at that time wariness descended on her heart and an empty feeling housed her stomach. She plodded towards the door and forced a smile on her face before opening the door.

"Hey!" Arnav said softly as he bent slightly to hold her hand and led her outside. It was late and the street had been quiet for some time. He made her walk around the house to sit on the stairs at the back.

They hadn't said anything to each other beyond Arnav's "hey" which is why his hold on her hand got firmer.

Meanwhile, Khushi had been looking at him closely, taking in his appearance. Though he was dressed casually in faded denims, black T-shirt, washed leather sandals but each and every thing about him spoke loudly of his class, something very hard to miss. Sighing, she folded her arms around her knees and rested her chin on one knee and asked, "Arnav, why are you here at this hour?"

"You tell me!" he turned to face her, "tell me what's happening Khushi? What happened?"

"What do you mean? I don't understand," she averted her gaze and Arnav didn't miss it.

"You know exactly what I mean, I don't know what I missed yesterday but you are not the same excited Khushi I went out on a date with!" he said exasperated.

"Arnaaav please, there is nothing like that, you are mistaken!" she sounded tired.

"Don't!" he was vexed, "don't try to bluff me! Not now, now that we have gone through so much together. I thought you were brave enough to say exactly what you wanted to, what you felt. Khushi you can't do this to me, no!" he had leaned in closer to her.

Khushi looked at him silently, not knowing how to say something that she hadn't been able to put her finger on. "Khushi, please, I am not good at reading silent signals, I can't give words to the vibes I receive and I don't want to. I don't like the feeling of dread that has been with me since morning, so please Khushi talk, talk to me because I don't want to speculate, talk to me so that I am out of this darkness that this uncertainty has brought with it," Arnav was out of breath, his face inches away from Khushi's, his caramel brown eyes pleading her hazel ones.

Khushi briefly closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek, "Arnav…" she said and choked on a sob that had risen unbidden.

"Khushi!" he said in a voice that was hardly audible as he took her in his arms, "Why?" he paused, "Why are you crying?" he placed a light kiss on her head and tightened his hold on her as her sobs continued.

"Arnav, you and I, we are too different," she said softly after a few minutes with her head still buried in his chest.

"Hmmm, I know, but why is it bothering you?" he asked, his chin resting on her head.

Lifting her head, with a voice devoid of emotion she said, "we belong to different classes, we are misfits in each other's surroundings, we are unaware of the norms of the circle we belong to…."

For some time Arnav couldn't speak as he recalled her uneasiness and finally understood what had been responsible for it.

"Okay…. So what are you suggesting?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing, I am suggesting nothing Arnav, I need time, some space, please. I am not saying that you haven't given it to me ever, but right now I am asking for some time," Khushi was at peace now that she had worded her feelings.

"Can we go out while you are figuring out your confusion?" he asked and continued when she looked at him wide eyed surprised at his totally tangent request, " it will be casual, non-committal, I won't plague you with calls and we'll go places where we won't people we know!"

"Arnaaav," she wasn't up for it.

"Khushi, while you take time you must also continue to see what we have between us," he tried to reason with her.

"We'll see," she said getting up but was stopped as he held on to her arm.

He looked up at her, "I don't understand, in fact…" he paused, "it feel as if the past few months never even happened, as if it was a dream I dreamed," he looked away and took a deep breath, " Khushi help me here, because I am totally lost! What about all that has happened between us? The letter, the roses that I still have with me, Lord I feel like such a douche right now for having kept them!" he stood up, his body screaming agitation, went down the two steps to stand with his back to khushi.

"No, you did not dream it, I did not. But for me, it seems something too good to be true, too fantastic to be reality! You and me….." she took a deep breath as she walked in front of him, "we belong to two different worlds, and everything about us is different!" she paused, rubbed her temples to continue, "Yes we are in love, like two hormonal teenagers but I don't want to get into something that will blow up on my face as the biggest mistake of my life!" she turned away from him to hide the tears that were ready to rain down and stood with her arms folded to keep herself from shaking.

Arnav walked around to stand in front of her and held her by her shoulders, "care to explain, because frankly I am lost here!" he chewed out the words, "Hormonal teenagers! Where did that come from? We were fine a day ago, damn it Khushi whatever you have in mind spit it out straight, don't play games, just don't!" he kicked an imaginary stone with the toe of his shoe.

As if giving up, she unfolded her arms letting them fall by her side and looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks, "I know we were okay a day ago, I know very well because I was the one over the moon when you took permission from my parents, I know because I was the one who couldn't help but pace up and down the room waiting for 6 o clock to get ready for my date, I know because my hands shook with excitement as I got ready but then as soon as we entered that place I wasn't sure anymore," she inhaled deeply to catch her breath. Arnav opened her mouth to say something but she raised her hand to make him stop, "I am not done, I…." she paused, "am not done! I walked into a world that I wasn't used to, everything about it was strange, for as long as I can remember I have eaten off the thali with my hands, not that I cannot handle spoons but there was too much of everything, too much cutlery, too much china, too many courses……….Arnav I got confused, flustered, even that is manageable but they……. they all kept watching, waiting for me make a slip so that they could laugh over it, and it dawned upon me that it will continue forever, I will always be the country bumpkin, laughed at" she looked up at him, pain written on her face, "if we are meant to be, I want to be a part of your life and you to be a part of mine, but I can't give up my life and I sure as hell don't ever expect you to give up yours," she went silent and looked up at an equally silent Arnav.

Originally posted by: vandana.sagar

Loved it, just came across your story...loved their apologies...everything is perfect for them as long as they are together...would love to read the first story you mentioned...unanswered questions...where can I get the link?

Please do pm me when you update, thanks!

Just read part b,...feeling bad for her for her obvious uneasiness at their difference but am sure their love is enough for them to over come all obstacles!

Originally posted by: archa2810

They both r just too confused