Hello dear readers. Stuti and I are back with the next chapter. I know it's been a while since the ladt update and we really apologize for the delay. I hope you guys like this update. Last two updates were missing Arshi action. This one is a treat for all of you. A full on Arshi update. Also if you guys are enjoying this story, do recommend it to yoru friends. Because as they say the more the merrier. Also we are introducing a new banner for the story which signifies our joint efforts to do justice to the story that you guys appreciate. Once again thanks for your support and comments. They encourage us to write more and more. Also Stuti thank for making such a beautiful banner.
Chapter 10
"Arnav I have only one request, make sure Khushi does not get suspicious about anything, she cannot find out the truth until we are sure she can handle it." Anjali said, to which Arnav nodded rigorously.
"What truth can I not find out Di?"
Anjali and Arnav spun on their feet to see Khushi standing at the door with a confused look on her face. Anjali was the first one to recover. She schooled her expressions and walked towards her. Arnav was extremely worried as to how much of their conversation Khushi had heard. As Anjali brought Khushi to where they were seated, Arnav could see that Khushi was looking at both of them with a serious expression on her face.
"We wanted to wait before we told you this Khushi but it is high time you know." Anjali began in a serious tone.
Arnav's anxiety increased even more at Anjali's words. He couldn't understand why she was saying this to Khushi. Khushi's instinct was screaming that something was wrong. Anjali's face didn't give away anything but her tone was enough to scare her.
"Di, is everything okay? Is it about you? Or is it about Armaan?" Khushi asked cautiously.
Anjali held her hands in her own and looked into her eyes, making Arnav more anxious than ever. She looked at Khushi and took a deep breath.
"Armaan and I were discussing whether the nursery should be painted blue or pink." Anjali finished her sentence and burst out laughing. Arnav heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Khushi who looked utterly confused and shocked.
"Armaan wanted to keep it a surprise but you heard it and now its ruined." Anjali spoke as her giggles subsided.
"Di you almost gave me a heart attack with the tone and the theatrics. I was about to flip out when you said that. You are so mean Di and you too Armaan. You also supported her." Khushi glared at the siblings.
Khushi looked at Armaan who sat there with a mock sad face looking at her. He looked absolutely adorable and all she wanted to do was pinch his cheeks and pull him in for a kiss. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, assuring her that everything was fine. She placed her hand on his and blinked at him, conveying she was okay.
" You have impeccable timing Khushi, spoiled your own surprise. Now what will I do?" Arnav almost pouted, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
"Well, serves you right for hiding things from me." Khushi countered with a wink and a dazzling smile.
Khushi picked up the plate of food and started feeding Arnav, complaining how negligent he was about eating food. Arnav tried to respond to the best of his abilities, remembering the promise he had made to Anjali a few minutes ago. They sat together eating dinner while Khushi spoke about every thing under the sun making the siblings chuckle at her nonstop chatter.
Anjali looked at both of them as they sat there and saw something flicker in Arnav's eyes as he saw her smile. She had seen that glint in Shyam's eyes as he looked at her. Why was Arnav looking at her like that? She was sure that the emotions were not a part of the act he was putting up. It was pure and unadulterated affection. Anjali decided to talk to Shyam and look into the matter later.
Shyam had joined them in the midst of Khushi telling another one of Avni's shenanigans. He took a seat next to Anjali and pulled her closer. Arnav looked at him and mouthed a sorry and smiled at him. Shyam nodded smiling back and Arnav knew he was forgiven. All four of them were soon engaged in conversation. After an hour, Arnav turned to face Khushi who was stifling a yawn, trying to keep up with a story Anjali was telling. Arnav scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to which Khushi instinctively rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around his bicep. Arnav felt electricity buzz through him as she held onto his bicep. He tried to ease into her hold but the sensations were too much for him to bear. His conscience was not allowing him to cherish the moment because he knew this was not for him and it would never be. Like always his mind and heart were in a fight.
"Khushi you need to rest now, its late. Armaan take her to your room." Shyam said seeing Khushi almost dozing off on Arnav's shoulder.
"Yes Jiju, I think we should call it a day. Come on Khushi." Arnav held out his hand for Khushi to take.
They both left Anjali's room and headed towards their own. Khushi walked in and went straight to the washroom to change. Arnav looked at the bed to see Avni stirring awake due to the noise of the washroom door. She woke up and started crying as she couldn't spot anyone near her. Arnav walked to her and picked her up in his arms. The moment Arnav picked her up, she quieted down and began babbling in her baby language. Arnav realized how much he had missed his little angel. Ever since Khushi had taken up Avni's responsibility, Arnav hardly got time to spend with her. He was always fighting Anjali or trying to save himself from getting caught by Khushi. He realized that he was not giving her enough time like he used to. But his baby was welcoming as ever, loving him like she always has.
"Dadda chocci" Avni's shrill voice broke Arnav's reverie.
"Baby you cannot have it now. Dadda will give you chocolate in the morning okay?" Arnav cajoled the little munchkin who pouted at his answer.
"Peeeshhhhh.." Avni tried again, making a puppy face.
"Avu, Dadda will get you one tomorrow jaan. See now its sleepy time." Arnav took her to the window to show her that it was dark outside.
"Dadda and me sleepy saath-saath? Then only I no eat chocci" Avni said innocently. Arnav understood that she wanted to sleep beside him.
"Okay done. Today Dadda and Avu will sleep together." Arnav smiled at her caressing her head.
Khushi, who had come out a while ago, stood there watching the father-daughter strike a bargain.
Arnav caught Khushi looking at them and pulled her into the conversation.
"Will we let Mumma sleep with us too?" Arnav pretended to be thinking hard with his index finger tapping on his chin and Avni mimicked his action making Khushi chuckle at her antics.
Avni predictably turned around and gave a large smile to Khushi who walked towards them.
"Avni will sleep with me on the bed of course. It's upto her Dadda whether he wants to sleep with us here or on the couch alone." Khushi said this while looking at Avni with a smile but Arnav knew that the latter was a challenge. Arnav smirked in reply and decided to keep conversing in the same way.
"Avu, don't you think that your Mumma is very bossy? See how she behaves with your Dadda, soon she will do the same with you." He said with a fake pout and a sad face
"Not at all" Khushi exclaimed as she sat on the bed, placing Avni on her lap. But before she could continue with her refusal, Avin gave her a toothy grin and started patting her cheek, she was trying to mumble something but both of them could not make out.
"Mumma". Avni uttered loudly patting Khushi's cheek and smiling up at her.
Khushi froze in her place, her fake argument with Armaan all forgotten. While she and Avni had bonded well, she had never called her anything earlier. She usually cried or tapped her arm, sometimes even pulling her clothes to gain attention. And Khushi hadn't wanted to force her to say anything she wasn't comfortable with yet; after all, Avni was barely over a year old and had already undergone too many changes in her lifestyle. So Khushi had chosen to give her enough time before she herself came up with a name for her.
Whenever she heard Avni call Armaan as Dadda, she wondered if it was only the similar looks or something else that had made Avni adapt to him so easily. Today when Armaan had called her as Mumma, Avni had immediately turned towards her and that had given Khushi some satisfaction, knowing that Avni did think of her as Mumma in her mind atleast.
But nothing could have prepared her for the gush of emotions that flooded her upon hearing "Mumma" from Avni. Unknowingly, Avni had given her a huge gift - the gift of motherhood. Although, she was expecting a baby herself, Khushi knew that after what happened today, Avni would always remain her first child, no matter what. Because she had been the first one to call her as mother and the joy that filled her at this monet couldn't be explained in words.
Arnav saw Khushi go silent even though her face said more than she ever could. He hadn't been sure what Avni called Khushi as but Mumma had slipped out of his mouth easily. And now as he saw the burst of emotions reflected on Khushi's face, he understood that it was the first time Avni had addressed her as a mother. In that moment, Arnav hoped fervently that whatever happens in their future, nothing should ever disrupt the bond that his daughter and Khushi had formed. And he would try his best to ensure it.
Khushi turned to look at Armaan with slightly teary eyes, opening her mouth but not finding any words to express her joy. But Arnav didn't need her words, he could see it in her eyes and he gave her a slight smile with a nod to let her know that he understood. At this Khushi also gave him a smile even as a tear trickled out of her eye. Arnav's hand raised automatically to wipe her tear but the moment was broken by Avni who let out a loud yawn.
Arnav reflexively took back his hand as Khushi herself wiped her face and picked up Avni from her lap before she slept right there. As they settled Avni into the bed, Arnav said that he would make Avni sleep like he had promised to. So Khushi made her way out towards the poolside, knowing that she was still too exhilarated to sleep.
Arnav made Avni sleep before going out by the poolside. He saw Khushi still preoccupied with her thoughts.
"I want a boy now." He said trying to break her chain of thoughts.
Arnav was surprised by the words that left his mouth involuntarily. Yes, he had wanted to change her mood but this wasn't how he had thought of doing it. But now as he said this, he perceived how true his words were. Although, he hadn't really given much thought to this till date, he realized that he really wanted for the child to be a boy since they had already been blessed with a daughter in the form of Avni.
His words had managed to startle Khushi too, who spun around surprised by his presence and his words. Catching the look on her face, he rushed to explain.
"You and Avni are starting to become a team. It won't be long before you both gang up on me so I should have someone on my side too, right?"
He tried to say this in a light-hearted manner, hoping that Khushi didn't catch his own wishes hidden behind this. After all, it was her and Armaan's child and he wasn't even sure what they both had wanted. But Khushi simply smiled and hugged him, not choosing to affirm or refute his words.
Arnav's hugged her back although he was still wondering what she was thinking. Deciding to put everything aside for the time being, he stood there enjoying the serene moment as they both cherished the feeling of being parents. After a few minutes, he felt Khushi starting to get sleepy again and remembered that she had already been drowsy earlier.
He didn't know what made him do so, but he picked up Khushi in his arms. He saw that he had surprised Khushi again as she looked at him with wide eyes even as her hand clung to his collar. He made his way into the room where he laid Khushi on the bed beside Avni.
Thankfully Avni was in deep sleep and wasn't disturbed by them. She snuggled into Khushi as Arnav tucked the blanket around them. As he started to move away, Khushi held his hand stopping him.
He sat on the edge of the bed beside her and they both turned to look at Avni. Overwrought with emotions again, he bent and pressed a soft kiss on Avni's forehead followed by a kiss on Khushi's forehead. He knew he kept surprising her and himself but the day had been too emotional and he wasn't able to hold himself back from doing all these gestures for her.
"I'll just change and come" he finally whispered to Khushi who nodded and gave him a smile which he returned before getting up and moving towards the washroom.
Arnav came out of the washroom 15 minutes later to see Khushi had already dozed off. She had a hand wrapped around Avni who was snuggling to her. Arnav's lips curved into a smile seeing the affection both of them had for each other. Arnav as usual walked out of the room to the poolside and settled himself in the deck chair with his diary in his hand.
October 25th 2018
"Words are human kinds greatest strength. They can make or break your life at a snap of their fingers. One callous accusation can open up the deepest of wounds and sometimes the tiniest words of affection can bring waves of pleasure and immense happiness in your life. Those same words land you in deepest of miseries where you find yourself barely surviving but yet again a promise made to your loved one becomes your saviour. You strive hard to stick to your word and can only hope that at end it will all be worth it."
Arnav closed his diary and looked up at the clear sky, feeling lighter than he had in days. The day had been exceedingly eventful and it made Arnav want to introspect on how he was dealing with the situation. He was extremely happy with the way Avni and Khushi's relationship was progressing. Khushi's reaction today had assured him that his baby would never be bereft of a mother's love. On the other hand, talking to Anjali had reduced his guilt of hurting his sister and made him see his ever so stubborn Di in a new light. He couldn't have fathomed that both of them had suffered so much. Perhaps hiding their pain behind a mask was an expertise of the Raizada siblings. They were similar yet so different. Arnav was glad he was able to talk to Anjali, which he had done rarely in the past few years. He vowed to improve his relationships here because he knew life was unpredictable and he couldn't live in the past anymore. With these thoughts in mind Arnav hit the bed and slipped into slumber immediately, exhausted from a very long, tiring day.
So how was it guys. Do leave your feedback in the comments. Until next time. Cheers.
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