Anjali seemed thoughtful for a minute as she blankly stared at the television screen and laughed an ironic laugh. Aditya just stared at her face intently, wanting nothing more than to know what was going on in her mind. "Is it ironic that the world has started to show me more of such betrayals? No. I don't believe that." Her talk seemed like her thoughts were being said out loud. "It was always right in front of my eyes. But I was naive not to see it. And now that I have, such things," She waved her arm towards the television, where a prim and proper anchor stood, reporting a crime about a husband mercilessly killing his own pregnant wife, and continued her monologue, "Are becoming more and more visible to me. . ."
"I wonder what he might be doing now. Where is he?" Anjali asked, as she turned her attention to the three people who surrounded her. Her brother, her bhabhi - who sat (had been forced to sit) on Arnav's lap as demurely as she was allowed to, and the newest member in her life. Aditya. He had this poker face on, which did make her doubt what he was hiding from her. "You don't have to worry about him, Anjali." Aditya said and not having much knowledge about Shyam, turned to Arnav to know if what he was asserting was right. 'Has the matter been attended to? Is this solved?' was what Aditya would have asked crudely, had there been no sensitive, female audience there. However, words were deemed unnecessary, as Arnav understood his actual questions and gave an almost imperceptible nod. A simple nod for Aditya's credit and it spoke volumes. In the least, that nod managed to assure Aditya that Shyam would not be visiting them anytime soon. How? Why? He did not know. Neither did he care.
"He is right, Di. You don't have to worry about him. Ever." Arnav reasserted what Aditya had said. "I am not worrying, Chotey. I was just thinking where he might be. Or who might he be swindling at this moment. But I do worry about him coming back to get his revenge on us."
"Anjali. . ." Aditya's voice seemed exasperated, and his face was not so poker-ish anymore, as his eyes showed his frayed patience, a little of his panic about Anjali still brooding on her past. 'Why is he panicking?? He thinks I would go back to Shyam if he came to me and asked for my forgiveness?!' Anjali thought, as she smiled and squeezed his hand which she had held, hoping that he would not misunderstand her. She felt him sigh once and give her a small smile, which still was doubtful. And though Anjali held Aditya's undivided attention, he saw that Arnav and Khushi had suddenly turned tense too, and he did register in some corner of his mind that Khushi had given a meaningful look to her husband and had nodded her head once.
"Di, he is never coming back." Arnav stated and Anjali turned to him with a confused expression on her face. Aditya had a curious look too, as he silently asked Arnav, with a slight raise of his left eyebrow whether he was indeed thinking right.
'Is he indeed dead?!'
Arnav's eyes lit up, before he gave the same response to him as before. An almost imperceptible nod. It was like a weight had been lifted off Aditya's shoulder. He relaxed immediately and sat back on the couch, realizing then that he was at the edge of his seat all this time. Anjali had felt the changes in him too, and when she turned to him with that same confused eyes, he felt the weight return back tenfold in his chest, somewhere near his heart, he was sure.
What if she still wanted him?! What if she still LOVED him?!!! Aditya's poker face returned as he sat there, staring at Anjali with unblinking eyes, as Arnav proceeded to tell her how and why Shyam had died. Anjali gasped at Arnav's first dialog. "HE IS DEAD."
She had looked down, her face showing her shock, and she sat that way for a few minutes. Or hours, it seemed to a panicking Aditya. He was frozen right beside her, and she stared on, not knowing how to react. Sure she hated him to his guts for what he had done to her. To her family. To her brother. To Khushi bhabhi. To her child, which was not even allowed to breathe once in the outside world. But that did not mean that she wanted him dead! And a thought crossed her mind which made her hand go to her throat in shock and she gasped, as she looked at her brother. "Chotey! Kahi tumne kuch. . ." Arnav gritted his teeth before he rolled his eyes and said, "As flattering as it may seem, that the two most important women in my life think that I murdered that bas***d, I did not!!" 'I was too busy pining for my wife!' he added mentally. The same wife, who was telling him in a soft voice that he should not use swear words in front of the baby, her hand protectively covering her belly, where he put his hand too. She also gave him an apologetic look to him, sorry for doubting him to have killed Shyam. As if she should have known that he would never stoop so low. He shook his head at her and with a soft blink of his expressive eyes, said that she should not think too much over it. Besides, now that these women had put this idea into his head, he did wonder why he lost the opportunity of harming Shyam in anyway possible.
While this transpired between Arnav and Khushi, Aditya's state of limbo cannot be forgotten. He still sat there, frozen, his panic now reaching a limit of craze, not knowing whether Anjali still craved for that dead slime. Please, no! I had just thought of moving ahead in my life! Don't take her away from me too! Please! He begged. . . someone, not really sure whom he was begging. Not much of a believer in God, he was. And when Anjali said, "Wow!" in a dazed state, his posture turned even more upright, if that was possible and continued staring at her lovely eyes.
"I can't believe he is gone. Are you sure, Chotey??" She asked, turning her gaze to her brother. And the brother replied, "Of course, Di. I saw the corpse."
"Oh!" was the reply that came out of her mouth.
You have to understand that I am going crazy here! Aditya was thinking when she whispered near his ear, looking at a button on his shirt, and also looking as cute as the same button with her nose scrunched up a little. "Will I be considered a bad person if I feel relieved at this news??"
Silence.
Blank.
That is what Aditya felt for a three seconds when he heard her utter this question.
And then relief - so sweet and limitless coursed through Aditya. He hugged her immediately, surprising Anjali by his action. And though Anjali hugged him back with equal fervor, she pressed, "Bataayiye na?!" Aditya pulled back from the embrace and said with a conspiring smile on his face, "Well. . . . If you would be considered bad for such a thought, you will have to count me in too. Do you think I am a bad person, Anjali?" "No." was Anjali's doubtless reply, and Aditya shrugged, "There you go. Tumhara jawaab mila??"
Anjali giggled at his Hindi. Though he did speak an impeccable Hindi, his accent was a slightly different, what with growing up in the United Kingdom. Aditya smiled too, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear with the gentlest of hands and heard her sigh. "Hum ghar kab waapas jaa sakte hai, Aditya?"
"Whenever you want. Today. Now. Even though I will have to see whether tickets would be available at the end moment." Aditya promptly replied and Anjali smiled at the attempt he made to give her whatever she wanted. 'Are you really sure you still want to come with me??' she had wanted to ask, but she remembered the last time she had asked him that and he had flipped out at it. Her low self esteem, apparently, was the one thing that Aditya hated the most. So she left that thought and turned to thank the Gods for bringing him into her life instead. It seemed like they had completely forgotten that Arnav and Khushi still sat there, and they were brought out of their bubble world when they had heard Lavanya laughing and enter the apartment with a sheepishly smiling NK. "Isski Hindi tho meri Hindi se bhi worse hai!!" Lavanya said, as she doubled over with laughter.
"Aisa bhi kya keh diya usne?" Aditya questioned and Lavanya's laughter stopped as she stood looking at her toes, a small blush creeping onto her face, while NK's sheepish smile turned into a victorious one. "I'd rather not say." Lavanya muttered in a small voice, and their audience turned to NK now, "Kyu Nanheji? Kya kaha aapne??" Khushi questioned, and NK announced with a proud voice, "Main tumse bewafaa mohabbat karta hoon. . ." The audience rolled over with laughter too, except Arnav, that is, and NK asked, "Lav! Give me the proper word!" And Lavanya replied, "I would have if I could remember it!!"
"Beintihaan" said Arnav, pointing a finger at NK.
And thus passed the few more days that they spent in London. Fun-filled, because NK and Lavanya were there. Love-filled, as they all had their respective partners with them.
o0o0o0o
They had returned to India four days ago and the family was slowly getting used to having Khushi back. The Guptas had been invited to Raizada's place too, so that they could spend sometime with their beloved daughter too. The fact that Khushi was pregnant just added to the joy! Lavanya and Aditya had been accepted with open arms too. Though the elders did feel a little weary when they saw Aditya shower his attention on Anjali without any hesitation.
They had all had dinner and sat around the television, the female population there, totally engrossed in some daily soap which they followed and the male population, admiring the sensitive mind of their respective spouses, as they awww-ed and Oh!-ed along with the heroine in that show. And when the show was over, and everybody got up and was about to leave to their respective rooms, Arnav asked them all to sit back. Everybody looked at him curiously including Khushi.
He stood in front of the television where he could address all of them, and began, "I know that I had taken away the chance of you enjoying Khushi's wedding. I had taken it away from Khushi the most. Even when I knew how much she valued each one of those rituals. And you must know how much I am. . ." He could not talk any further, for he was never good with words, he justified to himself, before continuing, "So. . . ." Arnav took a step towards the nearest chair, where Khushi sat and knelt. "Will you marry me?" He asked, and after a moment added, "Again?"
A hush had fallen over the room as they saw Khushi's eyes filling up and a tear escaped her eye. And even though Arnav's fingers itched to wipe them away, he sat there, waiting for her reply. Khushi nodded, throwing herself into his arms. Thankful for the workouts he did thrice a week, Arnav held the flash of pink which hit him square in the chest and cradled it against himself, careful not to harm the baby in anyway.
Aditya and Anjali smiled and turned to each other, smiling even wider as they looked into each other's eyes. Aditya had promised that Anjali would decide the pace of their relationship, and he knew that they would come to this phase too. Eventually. Until then, he would take all he got from her. Nk yelled, "I want to get married too!!"
"What the-!!" Arnav muttered, and said, "You can't marry Khushi. She's my wife!"
NK rolled his eyes as he walked over to Lavanya and said, "I meant this lovely lady, Nannav! Seriously, man! Khushi bhabhi, aap mahaaan ho! To handle Nannav on a daily basis!"
"Woh tho woh hai!" Arnav murmured into Khushi's ear and made her lean into him affectionately.
Payal stood leaning against Akash, her back completely in contact with his front. His hand caressed her belly and she murmured, "We'll tell about our baby in a few days. Today is their day." She felt Akash's head nod against her shoulder. "Humein abhi bhi vishwaas nahi ho raha hai, ki sab kuch theek ho gaya. Yeh sab ek sapna lagta hai, Akash. . . ." (I still cannot believe that everything has been sorted out. I still think it is all a dream, Akash)
"Oh, this is all real, alright. Come to our room, and let me show you exactly how real it is. . . ." Akash murmured in a teasing voice and Payal blushed. Taking a final look at the love filled living room of the Raizada mansion, she looked at Khushi, who had almost melted into Arnav, her happiness radiating through the glow on her face. This was how her Khushi used to be. This was how she was meant to be. And the reason for Khushi's happiness, as she fully knew and understood held her with lovingly and looked up at Payal at the same time. Payal pointedly looked at Khushi and mouthed "Thank you."
Arnav's arms tightened around Khushi as she yawned once and looked up to make him see that she was really sleepy now. He smiled down at his wife and made her lay his head on his shoulder, before he turned to Payal, shook his head once and mouthed, "Sorry."
Payal seemed thoughtful for a second before she smiled at him and nodded her head once. And thus Arnav Singh Raizada had been forgiven.
She turned to go to her husband, knowing that nobody would miss them at the moment, and wondering how different Arnav and Khushi's love was, ignoring the pang of jealousy which mindlessly entered her mind. That she did not possess such a love. A love, which could so easily take your life, but would still not let you go far away from each other. But when she looked at Akash and he smiled down at her, her thoughts lay forgotten, as she basked in the love that her husband showered on her. Maybe a different love. But love, it was. . . .
~The End~
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