180. OS 8: One Rainy Night (Part 8)

Part 8

“Chotey...” Anjali breathed, her voice thin with shock.

Arnav was not perturbed at all. As long as he had Khushi in his hold, as long as he knew who and where she was, nothing else mattered to him.

Khushi squirmed, trying to free her arm, her eyes darting between Anjaliji’s shell-shocked countenance & her rajkumar-who-didn’t-know-he-was-her-raajkumar’s wicked and almost impish eyes.

“Chodiye hamein,” she managed to hiss under her breath.

“Never,” he whispered in reply, his hold turning into a caress.

Khushi trembled, his determination undermining her decision to leave the scene of crime without making waves.

“Anjali bitiyya, did you find Khushi bitiya?” Nani asked from the entrance. Buaji and Mami were with her.

“Hai Re Nandkisore! Where is that girl?” Buaji fretted.

“Ek ladki gum hui gawa in our housewaa?” Mami asked. “Saasumma, kauno bhoot to naaahi he hamre ghar ma?” she asked, hiding behind Nani.

Nani frowned at Mami and walked into the room with Buaji.

 “Naaaaniiii...” Anjali bleated.

Nani, Buaji and Mami came to stand by Anjali. Their eyes widened at the sight of Arnav holding Khushi’s arm in a death grip.

“Hello Hi Bye Bye!” Mami exclaimed. “Am I dreaming, Saasumma?”

“Chotey?” Nani asked uncertainly. “What is happening here?”

Buaji stared at the dumb boy and her troublemaker niece in silence, her hand on her pallu-covered head.

“Chotey?” Anjali asked, her worried eyes on Buaji’s pale face.

Arnav parted his lips. It was time to explain to both families what was going on.

“Why are you asking a dumb bitwaa? How can he answer you, Nandkisore?” Buaji asked. “Sanka Devi, you tell us. What are you doing here and why is he holding your arm?”

Dumb? Khushi turned to look at Arnav. When did he become dumb? “Buaji,” Khushi began, not knowing what she could say to diffuse the situation and make sense of this nightmare.

“Dumbwaa? Kaun dumbwaa?” Mami asked.

“That bitwaa,” Buaji pointed at Arnav. “He is so healthy and handsome, but poor thing can’t speak,” Buaji sighed. “Only Nandkisore knows why he has made such a sweet boy goonga.”

All turned to look at Arnav in shock. He smiled, enjoying the confusion.

“Madhumatiji, you are mistaken,” Nani said.

“Nahi, Devyaniji,” Buaji said. “Nandkisore ki kasam. Ee bitwaa came to my house in the morning and knocked on the door.”

Khushi almost fell down in shock. She would have swooned but for his hold on her arm.

Anjali had no such prop. She sat down on the low table holding Arnav’s laptop.

“Galat fehmi hui gawa! You must be mistaken, Hello Hi Bye Bye!” Mami began.

“No, Manoramaji, kono galat fehmi naahi. This bitwaa came to my house in Laxmi Nagar. I opened the door and asked him what he wanted, Nandkisore. He tried his best to speak, lekin, bechara, could not,” Buaji explained, her face sorrowful.

“Chotey, you went to Madhumatiji’s house?” Nani asked, scared of the answer.

“Yes,” Arnav finally got a chance to respond.

“Hein? You can speak?” Buaji exclaimed in joy. “This is a miracle! Nandkisore ki jai ho!”

“Bhy? That ijj bhat I am asking you, Arnav bitwaa. Bhy?” Mami asked.

“Yes, Chotey, why?” Anjali asked, her eyes on Arnav’s hold on Khushi.

“And why are you holding Titliyaa?" Buaji asked. “Did she do something?” Her eyes widened in horror.

“I went to Buaji’s house to meet Khushi,” he explained.

Khushi’s eyes flew open in shock. She stared at him, startled. He had visited her?

“Arnav bitwaa, how do you knows Khussi?” Mami asked, her painted eyelids fluttering.

“We met in the rain,” Arnav explained shortly.

“He saved me from falling,” Khushi explained in a low voice.

Buaji clutched her heart. “So you are the bitwaa who brought her home in a rickshaw, Nandkisore? Babua, thank you. We were so worried about her!”

Nani looked at Mami and both of them looked at Anjali, hope in their eyes. Was Khushi the apsara who could shatter Sant Khadoos Arnav’s vrat of bachelorhood?

There was a long moment of silence.

“Hamre Arnav bitwaa saved Khussi from falling in the rain? Then bhy ijj he still keeping her in hijj pakad?” Mami whispered, nudging Nani meaningfully.

“Chotey,” Anjali said in warning, looking pointedly at his hold on Khushi. What if Madhumatiji took affront at his familiarity?

He tightened his grip. “Buaji, Nani, Mami, Di, I wanted to meet her again and make sure that she was fine, but didn’t know her name. That is why I was lost for words when Buaji asked me why I had come to her house,” he explained lightly.

Buaji hit her head. “Hai Re Nandkisore!”

“Khushi came to the garden. We met again and got talking,” he said. “It must be time for the pooja? Shall we go down?”

All nodded, looking uncertainly at the pair.

“Chalo, Titliyaa,” Buaji called.

Arnav let go of Khushi’s arm with great reluctance.

Khushi scampered to Buaji’s side and slowly walked down with the family, her wary eyes and attention on the man following them. Had he visited Laxmi Nagar just to make sure that she hadn’t contracted cold after a night in the rain?

“Did you see Dadi?” Akash asked Payal. “She was sitting by you a moment earlier,” he asked softly, his eyes behind the specs savouring her flawless complexion and brilliant eyes.

“Ji,” Payal flushed at his marked attention. “They went upstairs to look for Khushi.”

“Khushi?” Akash frowned. Why was his family seeking happiness upstairs? And that too when everyone was waiting for the pooja to begin?

Payal giggled lightly at the expression on his open face, averting her eyes to avoid giving offence. “My sister. She stained her sari and...” she paused, biting her lower lip in nervousness. What Khushi was doing upstairs right now had little to do with ghee stains and dhulai. She wondered what the ladies had come upon!

“They are here,” Akash said softly, seeing the ladies come down leading a girl in a red sari. “Bhai is with them!” he could not help exclaiming.

“Bhai?” Payal asked, curious, lifting her head to see Khushi's hero walking down the steps.

“Arnav Singh Raizada, my bhai,” Akash informed her.

So this gentleman was Khushi’s raajkumar’s brother? Payal thought.

The Raizadas and the Guptas sat together for the pooja that could finally begin now that Jhalli Rani was in their midst.

Khushi sat between Buaji and her Jiji, looking down at her folded hands as the pooja began.

 Arnav and Akash sat behind them.

Anjali looked at Chotey’s relaxed face with curious eyes. Was her chronic bachelor brother interested in Khushiji? she wondered hopefully.

Nani nudged her. “Something is happening here, Anjali bitiyya,” Nani stated softly.

Mami said, “We have to keep our eyes on Arnav bitwaa, Saasumma. Dekhat he if he ijj phalling ya phell in lub with Khussi.”

The three ladies leaned forward to look at Arnav’s face.

His eyes were on Khushi’s back and his lips had a slight smile on them.