The Bride With A Doll..Thread#2/ Completed Arshi SS - Page 102

Very tender and sweet update: Arnav can't help but feel something for Khushi and it's clear she adores him.

great update... loved it :)

such a cute Khushi.. she is the 2nd wife.. oops... didn't expect it though. loved Arnab here.. he couldn't control.. poor guy..

loved the innocent kiss they shared..waiting for more of pranab

I guess that answers my question as to whether Pranab was married or not! It is to be expected that neither of the people in the marriage have an interest in the other, given how young each is... that is one of the drawbacks of such early marriages... by the time each understands what the man-woman relationship entails, it may be too late as neither has anything common with the other... the added danger is that one or the other partner might get drawn to someone else thus leading to heartbreak and disillusionment as they are caught in an unwanted marriage! That seems to be Pranab's fate, which is all the more complicated given that he seems to be enamoured of his brother's virginal bride and doesn't even know the reason for his own restlessness! Just hope all this doesn't add to Khushi's problems or bring censure from Khushi's hard to please mother-in-law. Somehow, during the introductory chapters, I had got the impression that Arnab had spent some time with his wife in wedded bliss, and that he missed her, which is why he was averse to marrying Khushi... now I know I was mistaken and that he just felt bad for her having died so young... what is more saddening is how quickly she was forgotten, but one can't blame Arnav for that as they hadn't even been together for them to forge a connection? I know such marriages were the norm but at what cost? Maybe, the girl had a sense of security but she was practically parcelled off to strangers and expected to take on the responsibilities of a house and family when she herself isn't mature enough, either mentally or physically, for the same! Kudos to Arnab and the family, and to Khushi herself, for letting her pursue her studies.

Khushi's eagerness to present her hubby with a monogrammed handkerchief and her efforts to make the stitches neat are endearing. Her daydreaming of Arnav's praise is a touching indication of her desperate yearning for his notice and approval. Aparna could have acknowledged her effort and praised the actual embroidery before showing her the right way to make the stitches neater. "Now leave this and come with me. I want you to learn how sandesh is made..." seems dismissive of her efforts. This makes poor Khushi lose confidence and wipes out her earlier joy: It won't get ready today either, she thought with a sigh and thinking with a heaviness in her heart that maybe it wasn't good enough to give to him anyway... a lovely piece of reasoning: It didn't look too bad and anyway all it's going to be used for is to wipe the nose anyway so it didn't need to be really really good, Khushi lifted her spirits up. Khushi thinking of Arnab as hers is adorable. A beautiful picture of their budding closeness and familiarity emerges: Missed the indulgent, kind way, he smiled at her. The way the corner of his mouth twitched when she said something unintentionally funny and he tried his best to curb his smile. The way he sat on that old arm chair in the library, completely immersed in a book and looked up at her dazedly when she asked him something. The way he would unexpectedly take her to the library and have her listen to songs with him. Another moving image of her waiting for her husband and falling asleep on his pillow: "This pillow is so good...," she sighed drowsily and closed her eyes... I'm sure, in the distant future she'll have ample opportunities to enjoy its softness! Arnav's conflicted emotions vis-a-vis violence vs non-violence must have been common to so many youngsters of that time... hope he won't be swayed by rhetoric but will keep in mind how his actions will affect his family, and especially Khushi. He would then be able to afford a better place too as he really didn't want Khushi to live somewhere unsavory or disreputable... Nice to note that his actions are already that of a family man... his wife's comfort and happiness are uppermost in his mind. Also, he is more considerate toward her and doesn't fly off the handle at her, despite his frustration at other things: Standing next to the bed,  he shook her shoulder gently to wake her up... Khushi's confusion and fear on being caught by Arnab in his bed brings a lump to one's throat... Arnab's indulgence of her and enjoyment of her exuberance is heart-warming. The way she points out to him the nitty-gritty of her present clearly shows her innocence and that she is still a child yearning for approval. It's no surprise that Arnab is smitten by his child-wife's innocent charms! ...acting on a sudden impulse, Arnab snaked his arm around her small waist and pulled her close. Gasping inaudibly, Khushi glanced up at his face in surprise, her hazel eyes as wide as saucers... awww, reminded me of her reaction in the show when he makes the same move during Khushi's mehendi ceremony! Here, the whole scene and Khushi's reaction to Arnab's nearness is a beautiful blend of innocence and sensuousness... Arnab having to rein in his inconvenient desire for his child-bride is bittersweet. Her eyes were widened bemusedly, her cheeks flushed and her mouth half open as she stared at him wordlessly...  Sanaya's enactment of Khushi came to mind! Arnab is the typical male in his satisfaction at the effect he has on his wife... this is the first step in Khushi's awakening as a woman... Khushi's recollections of it, her confusion and attempts at understanding her own reaction is very realistically drawn. Arnab's patience and understanding will be of essence during this trying phase of their marital life.

What a fabulous story, I read it all at one go.

Amazing how you've transported us to the 1920s, with the sights, the smells ( the evocative fragrance of mango blossom in April took me back straight to the moonlit april nights of my childhood in a British town near Calcutta) and the sounds (koels cooing away in competition at dawn was the music that we heard every year of my childhood in that place),

I love the pace of this story, Jenny- it is so in keeping with the pace of the awakening of a child into womanhood.

There is such a parallel in the awakening of the child Khushi and the nationalist movement. an awakening of a people to their right to self government. In Arnab plays a role in both. 

This is a beautiful story, and yet so so poignant. You have such an amazing sense of place, Jenny, that has come through in all you three stories, place is not just the background to the story- it plays an important role in the story itself, in the telling of the story, in the role it plays in the characters' lives. That is so impressive.

Thank you so much for the pms.



Edited by Japonica - 10 years ago

i lvd it jenny..

girl...its just a kiss n d cheek..
i keep sayn myself..yet my heart missd sooo many beats..
i hv read the upate many times...
stilll lovn it
rushn to read once more 😊

this is simply fabulous ...  👏

Jenny u know it very well how to mesmerize the readers by ur writing... i never knew a mere cheek kiss could be that mesmerizing ...  

here we got to know some past ... how this little khushi become his bride... and Pranab was  married too...

waiting for the next chapter...

  

So Pranab is having feelings for Khushi but he is married and so is she

But Khushi only has eyes for her husband Arnab

I see Arnab is already thinking about moving away with his Khushi

and he definitely is having feelings for her, just like she is starting
to have the first stirring of feelings for him