When he was 5, she was just a month old!
Arnav looked at the bundle of the joy in his mother's arms with deep concentration. He leaned forward to have a closer look at her. She was fair-skinned and he was almost disgusted looking at her hungrily latching on the milk bottle. She looked cute when she rubbed her eyes but why was she trying to touch her feet which were in the air, she is so weird he thought. His mother looked at her lovingly and he wondered why he wasn't jealous of the attention she was getting.
He saw his father sitting beside his mother and keeping an arm around her. His father Suryabhanu looked at him and held out his other arm. Arnav immediately went forward to hug him when he heard his father saying: She is now our responsibility!
Arnav turned to look at his father and asked: What is repondility?
Suryabhanu brushed his hair off his forehead and said: Responsibility means someone we take care of'like you have me and your mother, now she has us!
Arnav frowned: Did God forget to send her parents?
Lata looked at her son and smiled: He loved her parents so much that he called them for himself and asked us to give her a family.
Arnav looked at his mother and then father: Will she ever grow up?
Suryabhanu chuckled and replied: Yes son! She will and then you can play with her all the time.
Arnav muttered: She looks like a puppy!
Lata shushed him and said: Puppy? Look how beautiful she looks..her nose, eyes and her lips.
He leaned forward at his mother's inspection but did not find anything like his mother said'her eyes, nose and lips were too small and she was so red that she reminded him of a tomato. Still seeing his father's nod he caressed her cheeks with his forefinger. Definitely, as soft as a puppy! He then gave one of his rare smiles on this realisation. Happy now that she was equivalent to the puppy he always wanted he bent forward and kissed her cheeks only to frown later when she scrunched her face, turned red and did what Arnav would have never thought her capable of. Yes!She cried the loudest scream ever.
When he was 9, she was just four!
Arnav stopped walking and suddenly turned around when she bumped into his knees. Tall for his age, he towered over her. She was trying to catch her breath and he rolled his eyes mentally. No matter how many times he has told her not to follow him everywhere, she never listens. To the amusement of others, she was like his shadow and tried doing whatever he did. He looked at her looking up at him in her pink frock and two pigtails. She held out her arms towards him and sighing he picked her up in his arms.
Walking with her face nestled in his shoulder, she said: Alnav, gussa..khutthi!
Arnav this time did roll his eyes and said: You mean you are angry at me but still following me around?
Khushi bobbled her head and almost hit Arnav's chin but Arnav knew better to point it out.
Arnav absently kissed her forehead and said: Babu, you can't tie me Rakhi, I am not your brother!
'Babu', his father's pet-name for Khushi, a name he also used for her!
Holding a fist near her mouth, she was all set to start crying when Arnav negotiated immediately: How about you tie me a friendship band, so that we could be best friends forever.
Khushi thought for a moment and then deciding it was as good as Rakhi bobbled her head in assent. Arnav immediately turned his head to save his chin from getting hurt and muttered 'You can be an actress Khushi!'
When he was 14, she was just nine!
Khushi was sitting on Suryabhanu's lap watching cricket but not understanding anything. She loved this time of the night with her father. He was patting her head as she kept her head on his chest and absently watched people in blue uniform running from one end to another and was about to close her eyes when her mother called out.
Lata applying ghee to chapattis said: Khushi take this plate to Arnav'God knows!He needs to come out of his room and eat something'and you young lady she shook her finger towards Khushi stop starving yourself. Every day you wait for him, it's almost 10.30'from tomorrow you are not waiting for him even if I have to shove this food down your throat. Do you understand?
Khushi looked at her father who winked at her and with a supressed smile said: Yes maa!As you say!
The look between the father and the daughter did not go unnoticed by Lata, she muttered under her breath something like 'Like Father, Like Daughter'.
Khushi tip-toed silently towards their room and tried muffling her footstep as much as possible. Her side of the room was covered with glitters, stars and was donned in pink while his side was done in pale colour. Her side was covered with Disney Characters while he had frozen planet posters on his. They both had single beds and while Khushi's bed was hardly empty, Arnav had a phobia of keeping everything at its place. Khushi often termed his space as 'Museum' since everything has kept in its own place.
She looked at him writing something with a frown. He always frowned when he was trying to concentrate. His lock fell on his forehead and she crossed the room where he was studying on study table. Almost snatching his notebook she closed it, kept the plate on the table and climbed on his lap like every day. Arnav pushed back his chair to give her space and looked at the time. He waved a hand over his face and muttered: Damn! Time flies!
Khushi took a piece of chapatti, dipped it in curry and offered it to him and he ate without much fussing. She then after feeding him, still sitting on his lap had her share of dinner while he was reading his textbook.
When he was 19, she was fourteen!
Khushi moaned in pain while tossing and turning. She was surrounded by Arnav and her mother and father. While only Arnav sat beside her with her parents standing and looking at her worriedly.
Lata pressed a hot bottle over her stomach and asked: Khushi? Does it hurt very badly?
Suryabhanu who was standing beside her bed, touched her forehead and asked concernedly: Do you want me to take you to the doctor?
Arnav irritatedly: Mom!Dad'for heaven's sake stop asking her if it hurts or if she wants to go the doctor'it's 11 at night, you can't take her to the doctor and she is having periods not dying, stop being so gughy-mushy!!
Khushi groaned and wished to die, insensitive Laad Governor, embarrassing everyone except himself.
Suryabhanu cleared his throat and asked: Babu, do you want to sleep with us?
Before Khushi could reply Arnav said: Dad, I'll sleep with her'don't worry I'll look after her.
Lata with a red face: Arnav she's fourteen not four!
Arnav with an are-you-for-real look: I know Mom! Anyways it's not the first time I am sleeping with her'whenever she has a nightmare she always comes inside my blanket and sleeps with me.
If they thought they cannot be more embarrassed they were wrong. Her parents shook their head hopelessly knowing Arnav was never level-headed where Khushi was concerned and Khushi just wished this pain would go away so that she could scratch his eyes out. How can he say all the embarrassing things so casually!
Later that night Arnav filled the bottle with hot water, slid beside Khushi and holding bottle over her stomach gently asked: Babu, any better now?
Khushi nodded her head and Arnav pressed the kiss to the back of her forehead and slept holding the bottle over her stomach.
When he was 24, she was nineteen!
Arnav watched Khushi feeding his mother soup since she was running fever. He smiled at how she was more loved than him and when Khushi looked at him, he cocked an eye-brow making her blush. Since the previous year they have confessed their love, all she did was blush. Everyone knew about their romance from friends to family which meant changes in almost everything. Like earlier they now no longer shared a room, no more Khushi's late night visit to Arnav's room because their mother thought he can't be trusted and she was right, Arnav thought. Wherever Khushi was concerned his harmones were never balanced.
His left the room knowing Khushi would come to keep the bowl and since his father was not here, this was his golden chance to talk to her in private which he hardly gets now!
Cheers!
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