Arshi FF: Our Journey to Eternity - Note - Pg 14 - Page 6

That was a sweet and cute meeting.  They simply conveyed what they are and tried to understand the other person's needs and expectations.  Nice chapter.Good to know that Raizada's does not indulge in splurging and let women folk also take part in the office.

I forgot Khushi was in Red Sari.  Here we go.

Cheers...

It sounds like a smooth sailing.  We yet to see Arnav's infamous anger burst.  But, I guess Khushi can handle it.  But, the mere mention of Khushi is giving pleasure to Arnav.  What will he do when she arrives in Shantivan in the afternoon?  Does he give a tour of his room, pool side and garden?  Will they steal a kiss or two?  or do they leave it until the engagement day?

Cheers..... 

Originally posted by: Veenapain

Wonderful update. Loved it. So marriage preparation is started, waiting to see all the rituals. Thanks for the pm.

Thanks a lot😃. Yes the marriage is going to be a full taam jhaam, afterall its arshi's wedding. 

Originally posted by: Uzii

Very nice n cute story Arnav is attracted to khushi n her sunny personality n the way she is a strong woman perfect for him so when he agreed for marriage the family was in shock n when they came out of their earlier state they were happy.

Thanks. I am glad you are liking it so much. Do feel free to leave your suggestions. Khushi here in this story is something I personally connect with.

Originally posted by: abivicky86

Loving this simple love story. So it was a yes from both sides and wedding bells are on the way. Both of them have struck a chord between them they are chatting  with each other.

The family members are not missing any opportunity to pull Arnav’s leg .He is waiting for a glimpse of kushi who is going to come in the afternoon with her parents to fix the auspicious date for all the functions

Thank you so much. Your words make me write even better. The family is one crazy bunch and are absolutely lovely at the same time.

Originally posted by: indrani21dec

Loved it,,feels refreshing to read such a lovely story, waiting for both of them to fall in love,

I m in awe of the siblings bonding, 

Khushi is so mature here

Thanks a lot😁. They will fall in love and it will be the most beautiful feeling for them. I personally love the bonding of the siblings. Khushi here needs to be a mature character but she also has her childish moments which will come to light later.

Originally posted by: Savera84

It sounds like a smooth sailing.  We yet to see Arnav's infamous anger burst.  But, I guess Khushi can handle it.  But, the mere mention of Khushi is giving pleasure to Arnav.  What will he do when she arrives in Shantivan in the afternoon?  Does he give a tour of his room, pool side and garden?  Will they steal a kiss or two?  or do they leave it until the engagement day?

Cheers..... 

Thanks a lot😁. Your words always encourage me. About the kiss, you will have to wait for the update😆. Arnav is all latoo over her from the moment he saw her, so he will definitely be excited.

Hello guys I am back with the next update. Will send out PMs tomorrow. Thanks a lot for the banner Stuti, you are a sweetheart. 

Chapter 3

Khushi looked up from her phone to see that the car had stopped in front of a huge wrought iron gate. She could see the guards asking their driver who they were. He dialled a number on the phone and after a minute they allowed the car to enter. As the car moved in, Khushi saw a huge mansion come into view. It was a three-floor house with vast lush green garden surrounding it. The entrance was a large wooden door with a wide porch in the front. On the side of the house was a garage which had almost 8 cars parked. The Gupta’s were quite rich but the grandeur of the Raizada’s had them in awe. Their car halted in the porch and they were greeted by a very enthusiastic Anjali. She ushered them inside to the living room where all the others were sitting.

“Namaste Devyani ji.”  Shashi greeted.

“Welcome Shashi ji. I hope you didn’t have trouble finding the house.” Nani said with a warm smile.

“Not at all, Nandkishore. We took the exact route Anjali bitiya had told us” Buaji said.

 “Anju, is Chotte still in the study?”

“Yes Nani, he had an urgent conference call. He said he’ll join us in a while.” 

Nani looked at the Gupta’s apologetically but they simply nodded in understanding. Khushi had been excited since she had received Anjali’s call in the morning. But all her enthusiasm died down as she entered the living room and sensed his absence. Payal looked at her fallen face and went to sit next to her.

“Don’t worry; Bhai will be down before lunch.” Payal said keeping her hand on her shoulder. Khushi smiled at her and saw Anjali joining them.

“Khushi, I am sorry about my workaholic brother. He can be really ignorant when it comes to work.” Anjali said, sensing her disappointment.

“It’s alright Anjali ji. It must have been important.”  Khushi hurriedly said.

“It’s Di for you, Khushi.” Anjali stated with a straight face.

“What?”  Khushi looked at Anjali flummoxed.

“Offo Khushi, you are family now so, you have to call me Di like Chotte does. Anyways Anjali ji makes me feel like a 50 year old.” Anjali giggled.

“Okay Di.”  Khushi said with a wide smile already feeling lucky to get such sweet in-laws.

The ladies got engrossed in their conversations and the elders were discussing about the wedding plans while all of them sat waiting for the priest. 

“Payal can you go and call Chotte for lunch, he must be engrossed in work and lost track of time.”

“Yes Di, Akash is also with him. Both the brothers forget they have a family when it comes to work.” Payal whined.

Payal rushed upstairs and Anjali asked everyone to move to the dining room. Akash and Arnav walked in and greeted the Gupta’s. Arnav took his usual seat besides Nani and Akash sat opposite to him. Arnav looked around to see Khushi sitting next to her Buaji, engrossed in talking to Payal. Nani saw Arnav stealing glances at her and decided to end his misery. 

“Khushi I think you should now sit next to Chotte as this will be your place in a few days.”  Nani said to Khushi, pointing to the empty chair next to Arnav. Khushi stared at Nani for a second to comprehend what she was trying to say.

“Okay Nani ji.” One look at Arnav and Khushi understood what Nani was trying to do. Biting back a sheepish smile Khushi stood up and settled next to Arnav. 

“Beta, call me Nani like all of them do.”  Nani said, looking at her affectionately.

“Of course, Nani.” Khushi was overwhelmed with all the love she was getting from them. 

As the initial awkwardness faded, lunch turned into a noisy affair where everyone wanted to speak to each other. Amidst all the chattering, Arnav sat silently observing Khushi who was engaged in a debate with Akash about some news she had read. Arnav saw her flailing her hands as she was trying to put her point across. He observed how her face scrunched up when Akash said something that annoyed her. He was amused seeing her expressive face and a smirk appeared on his face. No one could say she had met his family only a day before. They were talking as if Khushi has always been a part of their family. 

The ringing of the doorbell pulled Arnav out of his musing. He noticed Hari Prakash telling Nani that the priest had arrived and everyone shuffled to the living room. The elders sat down with the priest to discuss auspicious dates while the couples occupied the other end, continuing their earlier debate. After an hour of discussions, Nani summoned the youngsters for further planning.

“So, Pandit ji has said we can do the engagement on next Friday and the possible wedding dates are 2 weeks after the engagement or 3 months from now.” Nani declared.

“We want to know from both of you which date to select for the wedding.” Garima said looking at Khushi and Arnav.

“Nani I think the one after two weeks will be okay. We have the annual fashion show of AR in two months, so the latter date would not be suitable.”  Arnav said, unaware of the teasing glances his siblings were throwing at him. 

“Of course Nani, Chhote would have anyways selected the nearest date. He just cannot wait to bring his wife home.” Anjali added slyly and everyone burst into laughter looking at a visibly reddened Khushi. Arnav glared at her but Anjali simply winked at him. He looked away, knowing any further statement from him would result in another torturous teasing session. 

“Khushi is it fine with you?” Garima asked.

“Yes Amma we can finalise that date.” Khushi agreed.

“It is settled then, the engagement will be on the coming Friday and the wedding would be 2 weeks after that.”  Shashi confirmed.

“We have one request Devyani ji. We would like to host the engagement at our place.” Madhumati proposed.

“We do not have any problem at all. We can do it at your place.” Nani smiled.

“Uncle, we have a tradition that all the marriages in the family are arranged at our farmhouse on the outskirts of the city.”  Anjali said.

“No problem beta, we will do it at your farmhouse.” Shashi assured.

Akash and Anjali saw Arnav and Khushi stealing glances at each other amidst all the talks. Anjali nudged Akash and asked him to think of a plan to give both of them some lone time. Akash immediately got to thinking and smiled mischievously at the others.

“Bhai, I think you should give bhabhi a tour of the house while the elders discuss the arrangements.” Akash said innocently.

“Yes Chhote, you should show her around, after all this is going to be her new home.” Anjali said.

“Di, it’s okay, I’ll see it some other time.” Khushi said trying to avoid the teasing they would be subjected to after coming back.

“Arre Khushi, you should go.” Buaji urged.

Arnav guessed their attempts to make them spend time together. He stood up and asked Khushi to come with him. Khushi walked towards him, acutely aware of the giggles that Payal and Anjali were trying hard to stifle. 

“So, from where should we begin?” Khushi asked breaking the silence.

“I am really sorry about Di and Akash. I don’t know why they keep pushing us together like this.”  Arnav apologized for his over-dramatic sibling’s antics.

“Would you rather be somewhere else then?” Khushi questioned.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I mean this is our relationship, we should decide the pace of it. Forcing us to spend time together is not how this is going to work.”  Arnav tried to explain.

“I agree but I think it was sweet of them, trying to make up excuses so that we get to know each other and reach a good comfort level before we get married.” Khushi said.

“You haven’t lived with them. I know what their brains are capable of. And I guess you are right, their urging isn’t that bad.” Arnav added chuckling.

“Irrespective of that, you should let them have their share of fun.”  Khushi teased.

Arnav led her to the top floor of the house where she saw a huge balcony with a garden. It had various varieties of flowers which were blooming giving the place a colourful look. Opposite to the garden was a huge French window that led into a bedroom. There was a swing next to the garden with a coffee table in front of it.

“This floor is entirely occupied by Di and Jiju. She is very fond of gardening and plants so she took the room that overlooked the gardens below.” Arnav explained.

“This is really beautiful. Di must be really into gardening. It is beautifully styled and decorated.” Khushi said admiring one of the pots in the garden.

Khushi walked around the terrace gazing at the vast gardens below. Arnav stood looking at her. The gentle wind was blowing her open hair and a few strands were caressing her cheeks. His hand rose up to her face to tuck the stray hair behind her ear. Khushi felt his fingers caress her cheek. She shyly tucked the strand behind her ear before he could. Arnav realized that she was apparently uncomfortable so he pulled back and gave her an awkward smile.

“Umm. I guess we should head downstairs.” Arnav offered, trying to dissolve the awkward silence.

“Sure let’s go.”

They both descended the stairs and came to the second floor. Khushi could see that the entire floor was divided into two sections. One was on the left side of the stairs and the other on the right. There was a vast corridor along the entire length of the floor which gave it a spacious look.

“This floor is mine and Akash’s. The right part of this floor is mine and the left one is Akash and Payal’s and the other rooms in the front are guest rooms.” Arnav explained.

Arnav led her to his area of the floor. He opened the doors of his room and moved aside to let Khushi in. Khushi was taken aback by the size of the room. It was twice as big as her room with a French window running the length of one wall. The room was coloured black and white with an accent wall sporting a few paintings. One corner of the room had a work desk which was accompanied by a shelf full of files. Another corner had a canvas set up on a tripod with a small table holding brushes and colours.

“You paint?” Khushi asked curiously.

“Yeah, it’s just a hobby I caught on as a kid, it’s not like I am a painter or something.”  Arnav said.

“Well, let me be the judge of that. Can I have a look?” Khushi asked pointing to the canvas.

“Sure.”

Khushi opened the sheet that was covering it and she was awestruck by what she saw. It was a painting of a beach with a man looking at the sunset and a woman was standing next to him holding hands. The painting exuded tranquillity and peace. The sunset was painted to perfection; she could feel that she was standing on a beach. 

“Arnav ji this is absolutely beautiful. And you were saying you are no painter. By the way where did you find the inspiration for this painting?” Khushi asked.

“Actually, this is a real life scene. We were in Spain last year for a holiday when I saw Di and Jiju looking at the sunset. I wanted to paint this for a very long time but didn’t get the time. But just last week I remembered it and decided to paint it.” Arnav said.

“Wow Arnav ji you really are an artist. For a girl who cannot even draw a straight line even with a ruler, you are no less than Picasso.” Arnav looked at her amused at her comment.

Khushi looked further and found a bed against the wall with white sheets and black quilt and pillows. Khushi never understood why men were so obsessed with black; it was as if they knew only one colour. Arnav opened the French window that led to a small balcony. There was a flight of stairs which led down to the swimming pool.

“This is everyone’s favourite spot in the entire house. We mostly spend our weekends by the poolside. Everyone has access to it directly from their bedrooms.” She pictured the entire family sitting around the pool, having fun and chatting about everything under the sun.

Khushi smiled at him as he led her to one of the chairs near the pool. They could see the others sitting in the living room lost in their own world. Arnav and Khushi sat in silence watching the still water of the pool. She noted that even sitting silently with him was comforting. 

“You have a beautiful house Arnav ji. It is huge but still has a homely feel.” Khushi said breaking the silence.

“Actually it is designed by all three of us. The basic layout was suggested by us and then the architect took care of the other details.”  Arnav said reminiscing the days all of them spent fighting over the design to finalize the perfect one. 

“That is really sweet Arnav ji. You, Di and Akash have really designed it to perfection.” Khushi said admiring the strong bond the siblings shared. 

Khushi couldn’t help but feel a little low. She never had someone she could plan such things with. As a young girl she always asked her mother why all of her friends had a brother or a sister and she had neither. Till today she feels the void of not having a sibling. She loves her parents and buaji a lot but having someone with whom you can share your life, have a shoulder to cry on, having someone save you from your parents’ wrath was what she wanted to experience. Arnav looked to his side as he realized Khushi had turned silent. He saw her looking down fidgeting with her fingers. Her face had suddenly turned sombre and her eyes reflected longing which he couldn’t understand. As far as he knew, he hadn’t said or done anything to upset her. Before he could ask her what was wrong he heard Anjali summon them to the living room. Khushi simply smiled at him brightly and went inside; her expressions from a moment ago had completely vanished. 

Slow and steady wins the race... The charm of a relationship comes from the understanding of each other n also by knowing each other.... Waiting for next update...

Really nice update....

Somewhere garden always connect to Arnav...only ..

Thank u

Finally kushi and her parivaar had come to RM . Both the families had a grand lunch . then the  dates for the engagement and marriage are fixed in consultation with the priest. 

Anjali and Payal leave no opportunity to tease kushi and Arnav .Seeing both of them slyly looking at each other .Anjali asks Arnav to give a tour of their grand house. When she reaches his room she comes to know Arnav  is  very good at painting.

 Kushi was quite impressed by the huge mansion, when she told him he told her that the mansion has been beautifully designed by him and his siblings.

Will wait to see what happens next. 

Arnav is an artist. That was a surprise.

So the wedding is on the way Arnav’s siblings are very dramatic n loves to tease both of them it’s the beauty of having your own brother and sister whom you can share everything but khushi is the only child of her parents didn’t experience any but now in Raizada house she will have all the family members.

Awesome update. Oh I wanted top floor with garden balcony for arshi.