I normally only update my fan fiction "Perfection" since I am one of those idiot writers who cannot hold more than one plot or story in their heads without getting muddled. But tonight this little idea that is typed out below came to me, and would not leave until it got written down.
Since I never ever do One Shots, I really don't know if its too long or too descriptive or, frankly, any good. Please let me know how it is, and if you liked it. Thanks! Oh and yeah: Please excuse the horrible Hindi-I tried, but its laughable, I know..
" HOMECOMING "
"Bhai, seriously, I wouldn't bother, whats the point ? There is no need for this!"Aakash
said, smiling kindly at Arnav who was feverishly feeling his pockets for some
change. The flower seller standing outside the window of the white SUV rolled
his eyes. Only 1000 rupee notes came out of this rich sahib's wallet...and he was
only trying to buy some maamuli flowers this evening! So many different bunches he had
offered, cheap, fresh ones, too- sunflowers, orchids, peonies, lilies
and lilacs and marigolds, but no, this rich sahib kept saying that he wanted the
perfect flowers and nothing else.
The flower seller's eye rolls halted at particularly painful point when he saw the rich sahib throw a handful of 1000 rupee notes in his hands and grab the huge bunch of fresh red roses from all
the other flowers on display. The most expensive ones, exclusive, imported from Holland. Too expensive
for most men, the one bunch he set aside for hotel
and corporate orders. So much money on roses? The window rolled up and
the light changed, the car driving on."Girlfriend ke
saath zaroor kuch hua hoga" smirked the grinning seller as he sauntered off
with his money.
********************************************************************
"Arnav Bhaiya, please, ghar chaliye, iski koi zaroorat nahi hai!"
Payal's soft pleading voice didn't seem to register, and she shrugged
helplessly at her husband. With Aakash behind him, Payal following reluctantly, Arnav strode into the most expensive jewellery store in Delhi. He had
made Payal wait there for the past hour, called the store owner himself to keep
the damn place open. No one in Delhi was about to say no to Arnav Singh Raizada,
not when he was looking to do some immediate and expensive shopping. Trays of
jewellery were brought out, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires --studded in
pendants, rings, full bridal sets, delicate modern sets for rich executives and
antique sets fit for zamindars. Gold worked into filigree settings, earrings
studded with pearls and opals.
Set after set were placed before the rich billionaire who frowned and examined
them as if this was a matter of life and death. Ignoring, the store-owner noticed,
the very irritated looks he was getting from his exasperated brother and bhabi.
Payal sighed and gave in to the inevitable.
A traditional set was chosen. A heavy gold neckace
imbedded with rubies and hung with pearls, complete with large exquisite jhumkas that were
beautiful examples of delhi artisan-work. A matching pair of anklets had to be
found, then heavy kangans in ruby and pearls as well. The shop owner ran the
credit card, as his assistant packed up the insanely expensive items in gold
velvet boxes. "Gold kee keemat bhi nahi poocha...Yeh sub kuch koi pari ya hoor ke liye hai kya? Kitne expensive gifts hai, bhai!" asked the shop owner to himself as he
stared at his signed receipt, the many zeros making even his cynical brain spin
a little.
**********************************************************************
"Chote, tum paagal ho gaya ho! I have been doing everything as you said, all day long! Iss sab preparations ka kya faida?Abh bas bhi karo,
baba!" Anjali tried to grab the whirlwind that her brother had become
after coming home, but Chote shrugged her hand off as he continued to
harass his household help. Hari Prakash had looked at Anjali Didi very gratefully
as she spoke, hoping to be given a few minutes break time from the day long
preparations. But then, the whirlwind called Arnav gave an angry snarl when he
paused in putting up fairy lights, and Hari Prakash quickly went back to turning
Raizada House's living room into a fantasy land.
Servants scurried here and there, holding baskets of orchids and roses, some
stringing up lights while others arranged tiny mirrored strings and floral
garlands and colored streamers of gauzy cloth. The whole house had been under
ASR's direct supervision, and he was a total maniac. Everything had to be
exactly right, and he was here there and everywhere, making each detail
perfect. One worker mumbled to the other that there was an excellent
chance their boss was a jinn, he just showed up whenever anyone took even a minute's
break---"Yeh Arnav Bhaiya ko kya hogaya?" One worker
asked the other, as another scream from ASR made them run to beautify the
poolside with candles and lights.
***********************************************************************
"All controlled under my hands, supervisions by Manorama Mami is good happenings-
Arnav Bitwa...complete unnecessaries hai I tells you,
lekhin all this happenings yet still no?"Mami-ji tried to pacify her
nephew as he strode into the kitchen to check the preparations for dinner. She
had protested this morning, telling him about her salon appointment that she could
not miss just to stay home and supervise the kitchen where he had hired a new
chef to help their own household maharaj.
But who could say no to Arnav bitwa, even
though what he was asking her to do was totally pointless ? Mamiji had spent
the day not getting a cream facial, and instead getting a steam facial checking
dish after dish on the stove. She sighed, but made sure that the many different
Indian and continental dishes being made by the maharaj and the five star chef
were all excellent.
"Yeh jelebiaes cannots be home made, Arnav Bitwa, we not makes jeleibies like Phatti Sari makes. Hows I know
where your wife gets buying from for her own tastings?" Mamiji whined when
Arnav told her firmly that no, the jelebies were not good enough and she would
have to take a car and driver and get boxes of them from every top sweets store in Delhi, and he
would like her to go NOW.
**********************************************************************
"Aman how much longer will this take? Didn't you
get there on time? Weren't our people at the airline told she'd be on board? Did
she have to go through customs? Seriously, Aman, You are fired if MY WIFE wasn't
greeted as a VIP at Delhi Airport and escorted to the limo, and if you didn't arrange
to have all the paperwork and bullshit done for her ahead of time, do you hear
me?" Arnav Singh Raizada had called his favorite punching bag/Man Friday
while waiting outside Raizada House. He
had already called their airport agent seven times. That nervous man had assured ASR that the British Airways flight had landed safely, and yes, Khushi Raizada
had been taken off the plane first, and yes, she was fine, unharmed, and, from
what he had heard from the flight crew, quite chirpy.
Aman reassured ASR now that everything else had been done, that he had himself
met Khushi Bhabi at the baggage carousel and escorted her into the limo that
had been sent for her. And yes, he had made sure she had nothing to do at the
airport other than smile sweetly at the minions sent by AR Group to
guarantee her smooth travel "What is wrong with ASR? Abb Thank god biwi bhi aa gaya, ASR kya tumko at least late nights pe phone calls karna stop karega?" Pam, Aman's wife asked as her exhausted husband spoke to update
her on mission "Khushi Bhabi's Safe Return From Videshi Travel".
**********************************************************************
"Outside-everyone, outside right now! I
can see her car coming up the driveway. Everyone stand at the entrance, she
will want to see everyone is here to greet her..Buaji, for God's sake, stop
calling NandKishore to give me some brains, I have enough brains. I know what
Khushi will want-she will want to spend the evening with everyone she loves, so
yes, you do have to stay here and not go home.
Amma-ji, bring Babu-ji's
wheelchair to the door now, ok! Nani, stop fiddling with your sari! DI!DI! SERIOUSLY? Now, at this moment you've
forgotten where you've put your puja thali? Isn't it always glued to your hands? Well,
I had a thali ready for you, in case this happened. Here it is. Now come to the
door! " Arnav's shouted commands, so different from his low regular
voice brought the Guptas and the Raizadas running to obey him, and they all met
Arnav at the door.
The limo, a sleek black car especially hired for this occasion pulled up with
the car escorting it behind. Three men in black suits, sunglasses and the self
important scowls of security personnel got out to open the back door. Arnav's
entire focus was on that car door, on the heartbeat he could sense that was causing his own heart
to somersault in his chest. His mind was completely focused on the person inside the car. He had stopped
hearing his family's giggles or the Guptas' complaints that he had held them
practically hostage here at Raizada House from this morning.
***********************************************************************
From the moment Lavaniya had called to tell Arnav that Khushi was on her way
home, that she had changed her ticket so she could come back to Delhi five
days early, Arnav had waited for this car-door
to open. He had planned everything for
this moment, even though he had been given only 8 hours warning that his wife
was on her way back home to him because she couldn't bear to stay away any longer.
Lavaniya had laughed at him on the phone, accusing him of having enslaved her
best friend. Khushi had flown to London by
herself to attend Lavaniya'a Roka, and was now going home hours after the
ceremony was done, and not spending the full week they had planned for
originally.
No one who saw the blur of red that exploded from the back of the car and into
the waiting arms of Arnav Singh Raizada would have thought that his wife Khushi
was returning to him after a journey of only three days. Arnav's arms came up to grasp
and hold the trembling woman in his arms, both of them totally, completely
oblivious to the grinning family members, the frowning security men, or the
staring servants who had prepared for this moment all day long.
"Aaj ke baad tum kabhi, kabhi bhi mujhe aise chorke kahi nahi jaaoge, samhje tum? maine yeh three days kaise spend kiya yeh tum nahi samjho ge- mujhe laagta hai mein tumhari bina adha paagal ho gaya tha!" Arnav
murmured into the soft hair of his wife as he rained kisses down on the
upturned, smiling face. Aakash heard this comment as he helped with the
luggage, and knew there were people at the office who would have insisted that
ASR was not half mad, but fully insane, given the hell they'd gone
through during the three days he was without his Khushi.
"Accha Khushi Biyta, Chote, tum dono abb andar ao" -Nani-ji
cleared her throat, and commanded, as Khushi turned reluctantly away from Arnav's
embrace and greeted everyone, chattering
happily. Anjali smiled at the glowing beauty who her brother was mesmerized by, and did the aarti. Arnav, as expected, hadn't looked at anyone else since Khushi got out of the car. Right now, he accepted the tikka on his forehead without comment, since Khushi had smiled at him, wordlessly asking him to do it.
Khushi gasped in shock as they went inside. She stopped at the entrance, taking in the
decorations, the lights. The candles glimmered, the flowers overpowered her
with their beautiful, heady fragrance and the room shimmered with the myriad gauzy veils. The mirrors were set everywhere and blazed with
reflections and rainbow light, and the table was set with dishes and platters, emitting
fabulous smells. It was paradise.
Red roses, a giant armful, were given to her by her husband,
Payal opened and showed to Khushi the many boxes of jewellery that were welcome home gifts. Khushi smiled, and thanked everyone, joked with a beaming Hari Prakash, and welcomed the new chef by
complimenting his dishes. Mamiji-s offering of jalebi was eaten, and pronounced
excellent. But Arnav, watching her like a hawk, took in the wistful expression
behind the smiles and chatter, and saw her eyes turn to him every few minutes,
looking a little sad.
He leaned in, forcefully grabbing her away from Payal and Anjali who
were asking Khushi all about Lavanya's engagement. His hooded eyes searched hers, as he asked her, loud enough for
everyone to hear, what was wrong- "Kya hua,
sub kuch accha nahi laaga? Maine kuch karna bhool gaya?Aur kya chaiye? Batao,
Khushi, tum khush nahi ho? Kya chaiye?"Khushi looked into the eyes of
the man who's love was so potent, so deep, it made her shiver and melt, no matter what he did, or said or was. This incredible, difficult man, who, even after three years of marriage, still didn't get what it was she wanted, but tried his very best to give her everything he thought she might need.
She gently
touched the worried face of her impossible, crazy, obsessed husband who she dreamed off night and day, and told him, loudly, happily, with no shame, the
one thing she wanted that was still missing out of all this- "Kuch baaki hai...aapki
saath kuch waqt spend karna hai-I just want to spend time with you, be with you and
I don't want or need anything or anyone else Arnav-ji- Only you ---mein e aap ke siva kabhi aur kuch chaha, kya?"
The smile that broke out on Arnav's face made Nani-ji grab hold of Anjali's arm and turn away, to
hide her joyful tears---their Chote had finally heard what mattered the most
to his beloved wife, and perhaps, this time, understood her a bit better as
well. Their scarred Chote still did not fully understand the woman he had married, but that woman truly saw the love starved, vulnerable boy that he still was underneath the rakhshas she teasingly called him.
Arnav Singh Raizada swept Khushi
up in his arms, ignoring the food, the jewellery, the roses, ignoring the yells and wolf whistles from laughing family members. He
carried his wife up the stairs, to their room, away from everything and everyone, away from the people he had brought here, the party, food and gifts he had planned with such obsessive care. He took her to their sanctuary where she would have exactly the
one and only thing she wanted at the end of her journey. Him.
*********************************************************************
"Bataya mene Arnav Bitwa ko-all this
was not neededs, but who listens to me? Yeh sub kuch karne ka koi waja nahi thi- Arnaav bitwa is all that Phatti Sari was going to be needings I tells you.
"Mamiji said, after the giggles and exclamations of the families died
down.
"Ha, Maaji-we all told him, naa-But now Khushi told
him this too, so maybe he finally got it this time!" said Payal, smiling, and Aakash nodded merrily
at them both. Daughter in law joined her saas and their family as the laughter
roared out through the lovely, decorated living room, soared out of the open
windows, and died out in soft whispers among the lapping waters of the
glittering pool outside.
The Guptas, the Raizadas, the people of Raizada House, of AR Group, the many men and women of Arnav Singh Raizada's personal and professional world breathed a sigh of relief, and they smiled tonight with real, heartfelt joy and happiness.
Khushi Singh Raizada was home.
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