Dear All...
Anticipating quite a few shouts and screams as I take a pause in Anjali's story. π
Hold it! Am not stopping it, just happened to watch a few old episodes over the last couple
of days, and wanted to explore Arnav a little more... the new Arnav, not ASR...π³
So.. here I am, popping back to get this story out there, before the plot bunny hops out of
my reach. Without much ado, presenting the next OS in the series...
Vignettes 27. A Phonecall
Coming awake gradually, he sighed and rolled over, arm extended to pull his wife
closer. His outstretched arm encountering just air, Arnav cracked open one eye,
expecting to see Khushi dressing up for the day after her morning shower.
Eyes widening at the unfamiliar sea of white that spread out before him, it took
him a second to realise where he was. Heaving another big sigh, he rolled onto
his back, stretching luxuriously, the stress and strain of the past day still lying over
him like a heavy blanket.
Missing his wife and her soothing presence with sudden intensity, he turned to
look at the bedside clock. Doing a quick calculation and happily discovering that in
spite of having slept in almost till noon, it was only around 10.30.p.m. in India, he
searched around for his phone, finally finding it under one of the umpteen pillows.
Punching speed dial, he sat up to a half reclining position, leaning into the pillows
wearily.
The phone ringing unanswered, he frowned as the auto-redial clicked on. It had
almost finished ringing a second time when an out-of-breath voice panted, "Hello?"
Frown deepening, Arnav replied, "What? Is this how you greet your husband now?
Itna impersonal tone agar maine liya toh tum kitna shor machaati?" Working
himself up to a proper ASR temper, he snarled, "Kahan thi tum? Aur kitni baar bola
hai tumko phone apne paas rakhna? Unbelievable, Khushi!"
A frozen silence at the other end cluing him into how unfair he was being, having
called when his wife usually did her routine rounds around the house, settling
everyone down for the night, he was about to continue on a softer note when a
trembling voice finally spoke, "Arnavji, Khushi Dhruv ke kamre mein hai. Ussko
thoda bukhaar ho gaya tha toh khitchdi khila rahi hai. Usne phone humare paas
chodke gayi thi, par hum kitchen mein thi aur ring suna nahin. Maaf keejiyega..."
At a total loss for words, Arnav sat gaping, thinking of how upset his gentle sister-in-law must be, having received such a tirade, when Payal spoke again, "Hum
phone abhi Khushi ko dete hain."
Sitting upright, he mumbled, "I'm sorry, Payal, main tumhein Khushi samajh baitha.
Sorry for yelling.", to which a soft hum was the only reply he got.
Hearing mumbled conversations at the other end as Payal went up to Dhruv's
room, Arnav leaned back again, cursing his temper for the millionth time. He was
raking his hand through his hair when his wife came on the line. "Arnavji..."
The happiness radiating from her voice at being able to talk to him unexpectedly
settling over him like a soothing balm, he hummed, "Thodi der se try kar raha tha.
Dhruv kaisa hai?"
"Phone Jiji ke paas tha, Arnavji. Aur haan, Dhruv ab thoda behtar mehsoos kar
raha hai. So gaya. Woh kal hi aaya tha na, Sumatra se, lagta hai iss baar bahut
kadhin tha, uska expedition." Her voice trailing off suddenly, she muttered, "Arre,
yeh kya hai, tumhein kya hua, Jiji? Arnavji, ek minute hold keejiye..."
Hearing hushed whispers on the other end, Arnav sighed, bracing himself. As
expected, what he heard next was a shriek, "What the! Arnavji, aapne Jiji pe
chillaya?!"
Before he could reply, Arnav clearly heard Payal say,"Khushi! Maine kab kaha ki
unhone chillaya? Maine bus itna kaha tha naa, ki phone udhaane mein thodi de
huyi aur iss pareshaani dikhaayi diya hoga humari mooh par?"
The phone plastered to her ear as she replied to her sister and husband at the
same time, Khushi huffed, "Jiji, aap humse baat kar rahe hain! Khushi Kumari
Gupta Singh Raizada se! Arnav Singh Raizada ke baare mein! Aur aapko kehne
ki koi zaroorat nahi hain, hum achche se samajh sakte hain ki phone der se
udhane se Arnavji kaise baat kiye honge, woh bhi yeh dekhe bina ki phone kisne
uthaaya. Woh tumhein humsamajh baithke khoob chillaya hoga! Laad Governor
kaheenke!"
Grinning in spite of himself at her spot-on deductive work, and as he heard Payal's
giggle from the other end, Arnav muttered, "Maine sorry bol diya, already..."
"Aahaha! Manmaani karo aur phir sorry bol do!", pat came the reply. Further
muttering ensuing before he heard the door close, he heard the slight oomph' of
the mattress as Khushi sat down on it.
Trying to get in as much as possible before she started of again, Arnav said,
"Maana ki main gusse mein tha, but your voices are so similar. Normally mujhe
tumhari awaaz bhi sunna nahin padta, tumhein pehchaanne ke liye lekin I was still
half asleep, and tired, and Payal was panting after running to pick up the call, so I
assumed that it was you."
Almost grumbling, he complained, "Mujhe kya pata tha ki main poor unsuspecting
Payal par chilla raha tha... Tumse baat karna tha!", and sat back, prepared to
listen to her admonitions, only to be surprised by her giggles, which soon
graduated into full-blown guffaws. Gasping for breath, she sputtered, "Hey Devi
Maiyya! Aapka lakh lakh shukriya! Arnav Singh Raizada ko apni dava khud peene
ki mauka pesh karne ke liye!"
"What the...! Yeh tum kya bak rahi ho?", he asked, amused and annoyed.
"Ji haan! Aapko yaad nahin hai kya? Humare Roke ke din raat ko aap Jijiaji ke
aawaaz mein baat karke humein kaise ullu banaya tha?"
Grinning as he remembered, he replied, "Haan. Tumhari Lucknowi dialogues and
Ji..ji..jijaji..' stutter! Gosh, Khushi, I think that's when I realized how much fun I
could have with you!"
"Haan..haan.. Khoob hanso! Aur dekho aaj kiski baari hui!", Khushi shot back,
starting to laugh again. Leaning back against the headboard, she started updating
her Arnavji about all that happened in the homefront before turning eager listener
to his updates regarding the tough deal he had just closed, for which he had
travelled to New York on short notice, because of which he was having to spend
the weekend there, before catching the red-eye back home.
As for Payal, still shaken from her encounter with ASR, even a much-mellowed
version, her respect for her sister shot sky-high. Especially as she walked past
their bedroom and overheard Khushi ragging him about the mistaken identity-wala
phone call. Arnav Singh Raizada, no matter how soft he might look, was still the
old ASR to the core, whose handling was left by all those with even an iota of
sense to his own Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada!
Author's Note:
Yippe! Me the happy with a dose of unadultrated Arnav-Khushi OS!π³
Hope all you OS junkies are happy with this unexpected one...π
Next update of TKD on Tuesday...
Edited by Appurs - 3 years ago