I truly, truly cannot believe I won a contest!😳
I have never participated in one before, and this experience is all the more special as it happened just as I returned to IF after close to 5 years. 🥳
All credit and love to Stuti 🤗 for organising it, pushing me to participate and also for making my comeback the smoothest possible experience! Love you, dearie!!!
And thanks to ShriFictionPen for my first ever Signature!!!!❤️
And thanks to all those who voted, of course! You guys are the best! ❤️
Koi Hai?!
“Arnavji, hum bol rahe hai na, hume pakka pata toh nahi hai. App so rahe the uss din aur hum bhi na jaane kis soch me khokar baithi thi”, Khushi wrung her hands.
Staring at the long road being swiftly eaten up by their GLA, Khushi exclaimed again, “Hey Devi Maiyya, yeh kaisi duvidha hai? Ek bhi light ni dikh rahi!”
“Shh, Khushi, itna bhi fikar mat karo. Mai hu na, we’ll figure it out. Bas network mile”, Arnav reached over to rub over her tightly clenched hands. “Actually, itne waqt se network ni mil rahi, iss se mujhe pata chala ki we’re not on the main road anymore. Waise toh I was fast asleep last time, so nothing looks familiar anyway.”
It was close to 11pm on a moonless night, and the road was empty. The couple were on their way back home from Malihabad, where they had gone to help get Pooja’s family get settled into their new house. NK and his wife Pooja had gone to Australia on an extended visit when a sudden emergency repair that had to be done at their home. With Pooja's brother BIttu away at college, and her father Diwakarji recovering from a sprained back had thrown the elderly couple into total confusion and helplessness. Akash and Payal had immediately volunteered to go, considering how close they had grown to them. However, Manorama had fallen ill with a sudden fever, and Payal had wanted to stay with her so badly that Arnav and Khushi decided to go in their stead. It could have been easily handled by the multitude of AR's minions, but family was family, and one of the Raizadas would go anyway.
Having driven down the previous day and stayed the whole day today to make sure the couple were comfortably settled, Khushi and Arnav decided to drive back to Delhi in the evening rather than Arnav sacrificing one more working day. However, somehow or the other, talking and laughing, they had missed a turn, and instead to nearing Delhi after 6 hours of driving, they were still somewhere in the hinterland. The total lack of people, traffic and lights on such a well-laid out road was surprising, Arnav thought. Looking left to his jittery wife, he frowned. “I better divert her, else she will worry herself thin!”
“Waise tumhe kaise pata ki maine jaanboochke ni kiya ye detour?”, he grinned. “Maybe I wanted to get a romantic night with my wife, without a hundred odd people hovering around constantly.”
“Haww! Laad Governor kaheenke! Manmaani karte rahoge!”, she shot back, delivering a light smack on his arm. “Waise toh hume pata hai ki aap aisa kuch nahi kiya, varna kab tak koi achchi si resort ya hotel pohonchte”, she quipped, well-versed in her husband’s rare weekend getaway ideas.
“Point acknowledged, Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada”, he grinned, even as he spotted a landscaped campus looming up on his right. Slowing, he saw the signage proclaming it to be a resort, and thanking fate, he turned to Khushi. “I spoke too soon, I think. Ek minute wait karta toh I could’ve passed this off as a getaway!”
“Aahaha! Ab chaliye aur rasta poochiye! Ghar ni jaana hai kya?”
“Nahi Khushi, I’m tired, actually. Let’s sleep here and leave in the morning.”
Gazing at his tired eyes, and seeing how he grimaced as he stretched his cramped muscles, Khushi smiled, “Ji Arnavji. Hume bhi yeh hi theek lag raha hai. Room lete hai yahan.”
The lush greenery, the smiling valet, the grand lobby and the cordial desk manager impressing even ASR, they checked in quick, after a cursory discussion on the route, Arnav learning that they had missed a highway exit about an hour back. Requesting an early wake-up call, Arnav grabbed Khushi’s hand and turned to follow the bell-boy, when he was pulled up short by his wife. Leaning close, Khushi murmured, “Yeh jagah thodi ajeeb lag rahi h hume, Arnavji.”
At his questioning look, she continued,”Sab kuch thoda zyada hi achcha hai... jaisa ki koi film set hai.”
Smirking, he countered, “Shaayad in logon ko tum ajeeb lag rahi hogi, socha hai kabhi?” Gathering her close, he walked forward, “You’re tired Khushi, and it is late, chalo jaldi sote hai. Subah 6 baje nikalna hai.”
“Par Arnavji, hume yeh jagah…”
“Shhhh….”
*************************************************
Freshening up and settling quickly, Arnav sighed and had just leaned back to wait for Khushi when the room phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Sir, aapke ID reception me reh gaya. Room me laun?”
“Nahi, I’ll come down. I need to ask you for directions anyway. Was planning to do it in the morning. Shayad jaldi me time nahi mila toh phir se mushkil ho jaayega.”
Walking up to the bathroom door, he called,”Khushi, main reception hoke aata hoon. Tum let jaana, just don’t lock the door. Key chodke jaa raha hoon.”
“Ji, Arnavji, hum abhi bas ek minute me nikal rahe hain. Aap ho aayiye.”
Khushi heard the door close as she finished brushing her teeth. Rinsing, she got out, brushed her hair and got into bed. She was luxuriating in the soft mattress, slowly slipping into slumber when she heard the door open. Smiling, she turned over, squinting at her husband's form outlined against the light from the corridor. “Huh, maine light kab off kiya?”, she wondered.
Holding out her hand, she called, “Ho gaya aapka kaam? Aaayiye ab, sote hain.”
She could hear the tired rasp in his voice as he whispered back,”So jaao tum, aata hoon.”
Watching him walk out into the balcony and pacing a little, she drifted off. Feeling the mattress dip, she jerked awake, and was about to turn around when his hand came around her, slipping into her hold.
Holding him close, Khushi slept, not noticing a musty smell that permeated the room, or the fact that the door opened and closed gently a little while later, followed by Arnav’s soft laugh as he came in, having had to spend a while at the reception, and looked down at his wife sprawled in a Taekwondo-pose wife.
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The shrill ringing waking them both up, Arnav turned off the wake up call and pulled his drowsing wife up. “Wake up, Khushi.. jaldi nikalte hai. Tum car me so jaana. I have to reach office as soon as possible, an urgent meeting as come up”
Snuggling close for a second, Khushi stretched and leaning up to give hima quick peck, rushed off,”Pehle hum nahayenge!”
Laughing at her childish antics, wondering how the polished, graceful Mrs. ASR was still the same old madcap Khushi, Arnav called the reception to keep their checkout form ready. Getting ready and leaving within half an hour, Arnav had just buckled in when he noticed Khushi looking around to the back.
“Kuch bhool gayi kya?”
“Nahi Arnavji, bas ajeeb jagah tha. Poori raat hume aisa laga ki koi hume dekh raha ho.”
“Haan, tha toh.”
“Kya?!”, Khushi blanched.
Reaching over to tweak her nose, Arnav grinned,”Me!”
Smirking at his sputtering wife, Arnav drove on. Khushi turned around once more to stare at the receding building, rubbing of the sudden goosebumps on her arms.
The ride going uneventfully, they reached Shantivan in a couple of hours. Dropping Khushi off, Arnav drove off, promising to get back as soon as his meeting was over, and instructing her to sleep during the morning.
“Laad Governor, bas hukoom dete rehna hai inko!”, Khushi smiled fondly and headed in, laughing at the wide wave of welcome Dhruv sent her from the breakfast table. Settling down with the family and regaling them with the news of Pooja’s parents and the adventurous trip of the night before, Khushi stayed there till Anjali sent her off to bed, taking note of the increasing frequency of her yawns. Telling everyone that she would have her lunch late and not to wait for her, Khushi gladly trooped up, to catch up on her disturbed sleep.
Falling asleep promptly, she came semi-awake once when Arnav came to bed, quietly so as not wake her up, and hugging her from behind, slipped his hand into hers. Semi-asleep, she wondered why there was a musty smell in the room, as if she was in a bat’s cave, she wrinkled her nose and snuggled into her pillow, making a mental note to do a thorough airing soon. Pulling him close, she slipped into a deeper sleep, comfortably spooned against him.
***************************************
Waking up in the late afternoon sun, she stretched, shifting around to face her husband. Finding the side of his bed empty, she spotted his shadow out by the poolside, tending to his plants. Walking up, she settled down to watch him quietly, knowing how he found his time gardening meditative. Half-asleep still, she wondered why his movements looked sluggish, sighing at how he frequently tired himself out with overwork.
Passing by, Dhruv looked over to see his Bhabhi snuggled down in the deck chair, watching his brother potter around with his plants, and softly talking to him. Not able to make out his brother’s replies, seeing only his shadow at the far end, he realised it was one of their private chats, and deciding to leave them to it, he jogged downstairs, wondering when his Bhaiyya had come home and slipped upstairs without anyone noticing.
A while later, Dhruv and Payal were happily chatting about Dhruv’s latest expedition when his phone rang.
“Ji Bhaiyya,” he attended the call, wondering why his brother was calling on the phone.
“Kahan hai sab? Kisi ki bhi phone nahi lag rahi.”, Arnav’s grumbling voice came over the line.
Before giving Dhruv a chance to reply, he continued,” Khushi se bolna ki I wanted to come home early, but I’m swamped with work. Tell her not to wait for me and have her lunch. Waise woh abhi bhi so rahi hai kya? Phone nahi uthaya.”
“Aap ye kya bol rahe ho Bhaiyya, upar kamre mai baithke mazaak kar rahe ho?”, Dhruv quipped, shaking his head at Payal. “Nice try! Prank karna toh aapko aata hi nahi, Bhabhi ko kaho ki aapko sikhaayein.”
“What the! Dhruv, I’m stuck in meetings and I don’t have time to waste. Just tell Khushi I’ll be home when I can.”
Staring at the dial tone as his brother cut the call, Dhruv grinned. “Payal Bhabhi, Bhaiyya training le raha hai shayad, to pull my leg, from Khushi Bhabhi. Chalo mai upar ho aata hoon, ASR se milke. Kya pata actual irada kya tha!”
Trotting upstairs, he knocked and upon hearing Khushi’s voice, he entered. Surprised that the light had become dim this early in the evening, something he hadn’t noticed sitting downstairs, he wrinkled his nose at a musty, earthy smell. Shrugging it off, knowing how gardening could sometimes make Arnav drag all sorts of organic compounds up into the garden, he turned to his Bhabhi.
Looking up at him, Khushi smiled, “Kya baat hai dewarji, aap humein visit karne aaye ho?”
Dropping down next to her, he bumped her shoulder,”Nahi Bhabhi. Aapke Patidev ke ajeeb call milke aaya hoon.”
Turning to Arnav, who was now at the far end of the courtyard, he raised his voice,”Yahan khada khada neeche koi call karta hai kya?”
Looking at him strangely, Khushi said,”Arnavji? Inhone toh koi call ni kiya. Hum bhi abhi abhi yeh hi bol rahi thi ki itna time inko koi phone aaye bina pehle kabhi nahi dekha.”
“I just spoke to him, Bhabhi!”
“Badmaash! Jab dekho Bhaiyya ke taang kheenchte rehte ho!”
“No seriously….”, Dhruv trailed off as his phone rang again. Glancing sideways at his Bhabhi, who had gotten up to walk over to his brother’s side, he drew out his phone from the pocket.
Looking at the caller image, he paused, a shiver going down his spine. Slowly looking up, he spotted his brother at the far corner, in the same position, bent over the plants, both hands deep in his pockets.
“Hello…”
“Dhruv! Ab bhi so rahi hai kya? I thought I’ll get an immediate call back from Khushi.”
“Who is this please?”, Dhruv too got up, slowly walking behind his Bhabhi.
“What the hell! Quit fooling around and give the phone to Khushi!”
Staring at his Bhabhi, who had paused, looking out of sorts, and covering her nose with her duppatta, and about to reach out to pull Arnav around, Dhruv rasped,”Bhabhi, wait!”
But it had turned around by then, or rather, what was left of it.
Miles away, Arnav leapt up from his chair at the double screams that rang out from his phone.
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Author's Note:
Muhahahahahhh!!!!!
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