245. OS 13. Laad Governor and Afghan Jalebi (Part 9-10)

Link to my new short story: Taking Care of You


“I thought I was dreaming when I first saw you," he said.

 “How did you know it was me?” she asked. “I could have been anybody. A thief even.”

He smiled wearily. “I don’t know many thieves who would look at me with anxious eyes and then cry because I was sick,” he mumbled.

Is it possible for love to bloom, sight unseen? Juhi and Abhay are strangers who know each other better than they know themselves. One night changes the equation and the even tenor of their lives and puts all their doubts and fears to rest.

http://pothi.com/pothi/book/ebook-smita-ramachandran-taking-care-you

Link to my first e-novel; A Home for Meenakshi

http://pothi.com/pothi/book/ebook-smita-ramachandran-home-meenakshi

"I love the way you love, Meenu," he whispered, his eyes on hers. "Such loyalty, such passion..."

Meenakshi Sharma, an orphan, lives in Varanasi with her uncle, a chronic bachelor who wants her to become a professional musician. She unwillingly relocates to Delhi to study under a renowned musician for eight months. Staying for rent in the outhouse of the Agrawals, she meets Aditya Agrawal, an attractive young man brooding over the memories of his horrendous past. Pulled between her uncle's expectations of her and Aditya's love for her, Meenakshi struggles with her feelings. How can she disappoint her uncle who had devoted his entire life to her upbringing? How can she pretend to be blind to Aditya's feelings for her? A romance that moves between the alleys of the holy city of Varanasi and the modern city of Delhi.

A blog for my VMs:

http://smitarsvms.blogspot.in/

Dedicated to Supriya Sahasrabuddhe (Sups/ aniyathi). She wanted Mami and Payal to plot to bring A-K together. So here goes,

Part 9

ASR returned to the office, feeling off balance, out of sorts, unsettled, rattled.

“Bhai, where did you go?”Akash asked.

“Out,” ASR tried to evade the question. “Akash, what have you planned for the rest of the day?” he asked. “Are you taking the family out?”

“Yes, bhai. I thought a long drive and,” Akash began.

“Fine, fine,” ASR said, moving to look out through the window. “I have a lot of work left to do. Let nani know that I will be very late.”

“Yes, bhai,” Akash said.

                                          ***

Ganesh came to Anamika’s office to take her home. He stood near the door and watched Anamika work, a small smile on her lips.

She felt his eyes on her and looked up. Her face lit up at the sight of the bear of a man. She jumped up and almost ran towards him.

“Careful, careful,” he cautioned her, opening his arms wide for her.

She threw herself at him as though they had been separated for years.

“Ganesh, you won’t believe what happened today,” she said excitedly after she had received her quota of kisses from him.

“Kya hua?’ he asked softly, running a gentle hand over her silky dark hair.

“ASR walked in today to join his family who were shopping for lehengas and sarees,” she said.

“ASR shopping with ladies?” Ganesh asked, one brow raised.

“Wahi to. His family was shocked to see him here; I was shocked to see him here. Do you know why he came here?” she asked.

“Kyon?” he asked. “He wanted to steal a design from you?” Ganesh teased.

“No, he wanted to woo a girl,” Anamika almost danced in elation.

“Woo a girl?” Ganesh couldn’t believe his ears. “Are you sure she is not a business partner or a potential client?”

“She is Khushiji, Payalji’s younger sister,” Anamika explained.

“And Payalji is?” Ganesh asked.

“Akash’s new bride,” she informed him.

“Oh,” Ganesh said. “Two brothers and two sisters. Sounds interesting.”

“You should have seen his face when I asked him why he came here. And the way he couldn’t take his eyes off Khushiji. She is beautiful, by the way. Tall, slim, golden skin, long, lustrous hair, big hazel eyes—just gorgeous. So I teased him. Congratulated him on his secret engagement with Khushiji,” Anamika’s eyes danced.

Ganesh burst out laughing. “Did he explode in indignation?” he asked.

“He almost died of shock,” Anamika laughed. “I also think I put an idea in his head. Let’s see what happens.”

Ganesh nodded.

“He threw away two lakhs on a lehenga for her,” Anamika kept the best for the last.

“What?” Ganesh asked.

“I asked Tara to bring a lehenga to my office that suited his notions of what Khushiji should wear and called ASR there for a private viewing. He fell in love with it. Paid for it then and there and left. It was a perfect fit, Ganesh. No alteration needed. She was reluctant to take it but his family forced it down her throat. She took it home with her,” Anamika explained.

“And?” he asked.

“Pata nahi. Ganesh, I hope he sees the light soon,” Anamika said softly. “Success is a cold bedfellow and life is too precious to waste without love. I should know.”

“Anamika,” he soothed her. “Don’t worry about what we can’t change. I am just grateful we got a chance to be together.”

“Gaurav and this baby,” she said, patting her tummy, “are lucky to have you for their papa.”

Ganesh tried to lighten the air. “Scooby too,” he added.

Anamika burst out laughing. “Yes, Scooby too. How could I forget that mutt you gave Gaurav?”

                                         ***

ASR frowned at the laptop screen, checking the figures on the spreadsheet.

A picture of Khushi in the lehenga he had bought for her flashed through his mind. Had she liked it? How had she felt when she found out that he had bought her the lehenga? Was she still angry with him? A vision of her eyes swimming with hurt as he insulted her in Lucknow flashed through his mind.

He pushed the laptop away from him, upset, agitated.

His phone rang.

“Khushi,” he said even though she had never called him and was unlikely to call him.

He looked at the display.

Lavanya.

With a grimace, he attended the call.

“Yes?” he asked shortly.

“ASRRRRR,” she purred, her speech slurred.

He shut his eyes in exhaustion. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was deal with a drunk Lavanya Kashyap.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I was waiting for friends, but they didn’t come,” she mumbled.

“So you got drunk?” he asked in exasperation.

“Just a sip of wine,” Lavanya said, trying to focus her eyes on the almost empty bottle on the table before her.

He shut his eyes, fed up.

“ASR, join me,” she invited.

“Where the hell are you?” he asked.

“Where am I?” Lavanya repeated. “Where am I? Delhi, ASR,” she discovered. “I am returning to London in a week.”

“Where in Delhi, Lavanya? The name of the bar?” he asked. He felt mad enough to punch a wall and make a hole in it.

“Bar. What is the name of the bar?” Lavanya asked ASR.

“How the hell should I know?’ he asked furiously. “Ask the waiter.”

“Waiter, waiter,” he heard Lavanya call in a sing-song tune. Then there was some indistinct noise. Then Lavanya told him, “Purple Orchiiiiid.”

A classy restaurant, he thought, thankful that she was not in some sleazy bar.

“Hang on,” he told her. “I will take you home.” There was no way out.

“ASR,” Lavanya called playfully.

“Cut the phone,” he ordered.

A few minutes later he walked into Purple Orchid and located Lavanya. She was slumped on the table. An empty bottle, soiled plates and cutlery and a used glass sat by her head.

Cursing her soundly but silently, ASR marched over to her and shook her with a ruthless hand.

“Lavanya, get up,” he ordered.

Lavanya lifted her head unsteadily and opened bleary eyes to look at him. A beatific smile spread on her face. “ASR?” she tried to coo but ended up croaking.

“Get up,” he hissed, in no mood for a scene.

Lavanya tried her best to get up on her own, but couldn’t.

ASR caught her arm in a tight grip and hauled her out of her seat. Unsteadily, Lavanya grabbed her purse and swayed where she stood.

ASR threw a few notes on the table and walked, dragging Lavanya behind him, hoping the dim light would hide her condition.

Lavanya stumbled.

Swearing under his breath, he supported her by holding her arm tighter and making her walk close to him.

Mami, Anjali, Khushi and NK walked into Purple Orchid. 

Akash and Payal were following them in another car, having stopped to buy some flowers to fill the huge vase in the living room and to meet the tailor with the new sarees Payal had bought that day.

 Arnav had work waiting for him and couldn’t join them, Akash had informed them. Nani was too tired to stay out late. So it was just the young crowd for dinner.

“The food is awesome here, Khushiji,” NK assured her.

“Ji,” she replied with a smile.

“It is so wonderful to have sisters, Khushiji,” Anjali said, beaming. “I was getting fed up with all these brothers.”

All laughed.

The laughter fell away from Khushi’s face as her eyes fell on the couple at a distance. Was it—was it Laad Governor? Yes, it was. It was Arnav Singh Raizada. And he had a beautiful, fashionable girl with short hair and almost non-existent clothes clinging to him.

Shock and a feeling of having been cheated on overpowered her.

So this was the work occupying him! Tears sprung to her eyes and her chest  ached.

She blinked furiously.

Lavanya swayed and fell against ASR’s side.

He propped her up and the pair made their ungainly way out of the restaurant, his face cold and stern.

Mami saw her Arnav bitwaa and some girl leaning on him and gasped.

Anjali turned at the sound to follow mami’s eyes to see her Chotey and Lavanya Kashyap.

She paled.

Mami exclaimed, “Who ijj that shameless girlwaa? Lying on hamre Arnav bitwaa? I will tear her to pieces. Let me see.”

Anjali caught hold of mami’s hand and hissed urgently, “Ssshhh, it is his girlfriend, Lavanya Kashyap.”

Khushi, standing behind them, heard every word. Girlfriend? Her chest constricted; her eyes burned.

“Girlfriend?” NK asked. “Nannav has a girlfriend?” he asked, unable to believe his eyes.

Mami and Anjali looked at Khushi to see her staring at Arnav and Lavanya, her face tight, strained.

They looked at each other, horrified, realising that Khushi had witnessed the way the pair was cuddling in the dim light as they walked out.

“ASR?” Lavanya called drowsily.

“What?” he asked, trying to keep her walking, fury boiling inside him like lava.

“Why do you never kiss?” she asked in a drawl.

He firmed his jaw.

“Not me, not your other gfs,” she complained. “I asked.”

He looked around warily, hoping that no one could hear her.

“Won’t spend the night, just one hour,” Lavanya grumbled. “Won’t sleep in my bed, won’t stay, won’t talk, won’t laugh,” she complained. “I asked Lisa,” Lavanya confessed, her voice low.

He sighed. They still had a long way to walk before they could reach the car.

NK asked, “Girlfriend? Really, di? How come no one knows about her?”

“Don’t tell nani that we saw them,” Anjali instructed NK. “She is old fashioned.”

NK and mami nodded slowly.

“Shall we go in?” Anjali asked.

NK nodded. He led Khushi inside. Anjali and mami held hands as they followed, both scared that the scene they had witnessed would turn Khushi against Arnav and unsure what ASR was doing with Lavanya when he seemed interested in Khushi.

“Hamre planning flop ho gaya, Anjali bitiya,” mami whispered.

Anjali asked, “Why did he buy Khushiji the lehenga if he is still interested in Lavanya?”

There were no answers, only questions.

“ASR,” Lavanya called.

He ignored her mumbling.

“My boyfriends had no problem with me, with living in—my previous boyfriends, I mean. No problems. What is wrong with you?” Lavanya asked. “What is wrong with you?”

He had no answer to give her. He concentrated on getting her to his car without her falling and breaking something.

Khushi stared at the menu, her limbs still trembling, her mind replaying the scene she had just seen.

Payal and Akash joined them, all smiles and cheer.

“Khushiji, what will you have?” NK asked.

Her fingers clutched a spoon lying on the table by her plate as though it were a lifeboat and she drowning. His girlfriend could wear chote kapde and flaunt her assets to attract him! The Laad Governor was alright with that. But she, Khushi Kumari Gupta, couldn’t wear a lehenga that covered her like a shroud.

“Try the sweet corn chicken soup, Khushiji,” NK suggested, thinking her silence meant that she was weighing the merits of various dishes.

“We are vegetarian, NK bhai,” Payal said with a smile.

“Oh,” NK exclaimed, pulling his ear in apology.

The Rakshas didn’t mind the girl coiled all around him like a snake around a pig it was planning to devour, but broke out in hives if she, Khushi, so much as asked his name! How dare he!

“Shall we order for you, Khushiji?’ Anjali asked timidly, scared at Khushi’s closed expression.

“Ji,” Khushi tried to smile.

The Shaitan didn’t want Khushi’s jalebi or her, but wanted that Lavanya Kashyap and her short hair and short clothes and whichever sweets she could make, Khushi fumed, anger and pain roiling within her to make her feel sick. She sat as isolated as an island among the crowd, hurtful thoughts filling her mind in quick succession, the sight she had seen leaving her heart bleeding and wounded.

She stared at the food on her plate.

Lavanya Kashyap wasn’t middle class. Not like Khushi Kumari Gupta.

Nor was she an orphan like Khushi.

Lavanya Kashyap wasn’t poor.

Arnav Singh Raizada would never question her aukat or insult her as he had done in Lucknow.

Her throat closed over.

Arnav Singh Raizada respected Lavanya Kashyap because she was rich, modern, upper class, fashionable, everything she, Khushi, was not.

He didn’t respect Khushi Kumari Gupta because he couldn’t find anything in her to respect, to like.

She chewed on something that tasted like a piece of cardboard and struggled to swallow it.

The lehenga—it was charity—like throwing a piece of roti to a starving dog on the street.

She blinked hard.

She had never intended to keep it, had wanted to get to RM before making the Raizadas understand that she couldn’t accept it instead of causing a scene at the boutique. If they had insisted, she had been planning to leave it with Anjaliji or jiji as she left for Lucknow, but now she wanted to be rid of it at the earliest.

‘Finish the meal, Khushi,’ she told herself. ‘Chew, don’t cry, chew, don’t cry, swallow, don’t cry.’

                                                ***

ASR dumped Lavanya at her flat, walking away without a backward glance as her maid helped her inside. He quickly drove back to his office.

As he drove in the dark, a fine drizzle made the roads glisten in the street lights.

The questions Lavanya had asked him in her drunken ramblings rose in his mind.

He had never wanted to kiss any girl. He qualified it. Except Khushi. Her lips begged to be kissed.

He swallowed hard.

Kissing was so intimate an action, so—so personal that he couldn’t take it lightly—he shook his head. Maybe he was crazy.

And he never stayed more than the required time. He couldn’t tolerate living in the personal space of the girls he had dated over the years, couldn’t imagine them entering his. No, never. 

And sleeping in their beds or spending a night with them was an impossibility anyway. Like Cinderella, he had to get back home before the facade shattered and his regularly recurring nightmares scared them witless.

He parked the car and strode into his office. It was no use sitting here, dreaming about Khushi and not getting any work done. Feeling restless and unable to concentrate on his work, he grabbed his laptop and drove home, eager to take refuge in his own space and see Khushi.

Would she thank him for the lehenga?

Would she look at him? She had been avoiding his eyes whenever possible after he had spouted all that nonsense in Lucknow.

Khushi and the others would have returned from the ride and must be having dinner now, he thought. He could join them, watch her face as she laughed at something that clown NK said.

He rang the bell impatiently.

HP opened the door. “Arnav bhaiiya?” he asked in astonishment. “You are home early.”

“Where are the others? Akash?” he asked eagerly. “Having dinner?”

“No, Arnav bhaiyya. They went out. Naniji is having her meal in her room,” HP told him.

ASR’s hopes deflated.

“Send my dinner to my room,” he muttered.

“Yes, Arnav bhaiyya,” HP replied.

Arnav ate his solitary meal, sat in the garden and worked for a while and then went to shower and change into casual clothes before going to bed.

Khushi and the others returned home.

As HP opened the door, he told them, “Arnav bhaiyya came home an hour back. He asked where you were, Akash bhaiyya.”

Akash nodded.

Khushi walked up on leaden feet, her heart heavy with sorrow.

“Khushiji, shall we play cards?” NK asked, trying to cheer her up.

“No, Nanheji,” she replied.

“Khushiji, I know what is wrong with you,” he said.

Her eyes flew wide open in alarm.

“You are missing your family in Lucknow, aren’t you?” he asked, his eyes filled with anticipation of being right.

Khushi nodded. It was less trouble that way. “Let me rest, Nanheji. Kal milte hein.”

She walked up and into her room, locking the door behind her.

The lehenga was in its cover, laid carefully on her bed.

Angry, hot tears filled her eyes. She didn't want it, had never wanted it. Now she wanted it to be as far away from her as possible. She quickly took it and turned to the door to return it.

 She stopped.

 If she went to Arnav Singh Raizada’s room carrying this and someone saw her in the corridor, her fate would be sealed.

She turned, opened the door to the garden and walked to Arnav’s room. The glass door connecting the garden and his room was open.

Khushi peeped into the room, wanting to avoid him at all cost.

The room was empty of his presence.

She quickly slipped in, dumped the lehenga on his bed and slipped out. She ran to her room, her heart beating rapidly and loudly.

She locked the door linking her room to the garden, tears streaming down her cheeks. She pulled the curtains closed and scrambled out of her clothes and into a casual suit. Then she fell on the bed, weeping her heart out.

                                    ***

ASR emerged from the bathroom, drying his hair with a white towel.

Someone knocked on the door.

ASR marched to the door and opened it a crack.

NK stood there, smiling away.

ASR frowned.

“Nannav, you naughty boy!” NK teased.

ASR’s frown grew fiercer than ever.

“What are you doing home so early? I thought you wouldn’t return tonight,” NK teased.

“What is your problem?” ASR asked, fed up.

“Girlfriend and all, eh?” NK asked, winking.

“What the!” ASR fumed, unable to believe his eyes or ears.

“I thought you were a stick-in-the mud businessman, but Nannav, you are quite a player,” NK showered unwelcome praise on ASR.

“What the hell are you talking about?” ASR fumed.

“Your girlfriend, Lavanya Kashyap,” NK said, a bright smile on his face.

ASR’s face became cold, his eyes dangerous and piercing.

“We saw you at Purple Orchid tonight,” NK explained, his cheer undiminished.

ASR paled. Khushi must have seen him lugging Lavanya out of the restaurant.

“Nani was not with us, so your secret is safe, Nannav. Don’t worry. And Akash and Payal bhabi didn’t see you. Just maasi, di, Khushiji and me,” NK tried to comfort his Nannav.

ASR tried to swallow. Damn! Damn and double damn!

“We won’t tell nani, Nannav. Tum chinta mat karo,” NK assured him.

“I am not worried,” ASR bit out, lying through his teeth. At least nani was the least of his worries.

“Then that’s fine,” NK said easily. “She looked gorgeous, your gf. Nannav, why don’t you arrange dinner somewhere so that di, maasi, Khushiji, Payal bhabi, Akash and I can meet Lavanya Kashyap? It would be great fun.”

ASR slammed the door on his face, his pulse pounding, his breath coming in choppy waves.

Khushi had seen him and Lavanya at the Purple Orchid. That was a fact. Undeniable. What must she have thought?

NK knew Lavanya’s name and that she had been his girfriend, but didn’t know that the relationship had ended. So di must have told him, ASR surmised.

In all the years of his adulthood, he hadn’t given a hoot to what people thought of him, of his choices, of his business or personal affairs, of the girls he dated. For the first time in his life, he felt anxious.

Khushi. What had gone through her head when she had seen him and Lavanya at Purple Orchid?

He walked to the bed and his eyes fell on the lehenga lying there in all its splendour.

ASR swallowed hard. She must have come in when he had been in the bathroom and left it here.

The returned gift told him what she thought of him.

                                        ***


Rash's interpretation:

Part 9

ASR who entered his office was unsettled… He had an uneasy feeling about the whole situation… He was dissatisfied with his behavior during his earlier encounters with Khushi that has led him now to be in a suspended animation… Akash’s query didn’t help his frame of mind but he evaded it smoothly with a counter query as to what his plans were for the family outing… adding to inform Nani of his working upto late hours…

Ganesh who had come to pick his wife was given a gist of what had happened at Anamika’s… ASR had deigned to visit and that too due to a certain girl whom he was trying to woo and who happened to be his brother’s sister-in-law…He had bought a lehenga for Khushi costing two lakhs which had to be forced upon the reluctant girl… She wished ASR realized fast as to where this was heading to and what it meant… Ganesh soothed her with his words that they were lucky to be together and with a lovely family of four that was ready to welcome the fifth…

Every time ASR tried to work all he could see was Khushi’s tear filled eyes that had borne his insults… Now he was apprehensive of her reaction to his gift… The lingering uneasiness did not allow him to lose himself in his work… When the phone rang, his first thought was it to be Khushi’s but that was highly unlikely…. When it turned out to be Lavanya and her slurred speech purring on his name it was like having his trouble double… Though he knew it spelt trouble he went to Purple Orchid to drop her at her place… Her invite to spent time with her before she leaves to London left him unmoved but knowing that she was sloshed and not wanting her to be in trouble agreed to escort her to her place… Once ASR had the befuddled Lavanya in his car, she started to entice him for a night… just one night…Seeing no response from him she asked, why he had always placed a line between them and any of his girlfriends before her… Why he would just be with them without even kissing? Why was he always aloof without caring to share his thoughts and happiness with them? These were queries that needed to be pondered by ASR but he did not care enough for Lavanya to let her be privy to his thoughts on them… All he wanted was to drop her at her place, see that she was safe and get away without being in the limelight over it…

But troubles never come alone…While he was heading out supporting a tipsy Lavanya… Mami, Khushi, Anjali and NK had entered the restaurant… Akash and Payal were on errands and Akash had given his Bhai’s excuse as being neck deep in work… Nani had not accompanied them as it was her time to call it a day… Amidst the fun and banter Khushi’s eyes fell on Arnav and a merry Lavanya who looked like she was draping herself over him and he leading out in his arms a fashionable girl, who was in a wisp of clothing in Khushi’s eyes … It was a shocking sight for her that she could not believe her eyes… But it looked to be the truth… Her mind noted that this was the work that he could not spare to join them for a family dinner… Mami’s gasp at seeing her Arnav bitwa with a girl alerted Anjali and she recognized who was with her Chotey… Khushi standing behind them heard their shushed up conversation as the girl to be Arnav’s girlfriend… NK’s loud whisper of disbelief reaffirmed her hearing and that alerted the ladies as to there was a guest amidst them whom they wanted to be married to their Chotey… and their plans were being thrown into the fire by this one scene they witnessed… Khushi’s heart that had plummeted with what she had seen and heard plunged all the more into an abyss that she knew not why when she heard that this should not reach Nani’s ears… Anjali and Mami were unsure as to what was going on as they saw Arnav with Lavanya when he had shown his inclination towards Khushi… The lehenga bought for Khushi was an enigma hanging in their thoughts which they had no way to unravel at that moment…

Though being a foodie, Khushi sitting in the diner, did not have her mind on food… It was reeling with what she saw and its implications… How unfairly she had been dealt by ASR… He had objected to her asking him his name and did not think twice before demeaning her and calling her awful names which were not even fit to be heard by her ears… She could see that it had made a huge difference to him… her aukat… and he was not averse to be seen with a girl in skimpy clothes as long as she was to his liking… But she who was attired decently was called indecent and accused of trying to fawn him in their first meet itself! Her mind compared herself with Lavanya… She found Lavanya was quite opposite to everything she stood for, be it morally, economically or even traditionally… She could see now the gift of lehenga as only a charity, to an orphan, which she loathed…  It was one of the longest meals she had… It didn’t tickle her taste buds… all she wanted was to get away and wallow in her misery but not in front of her hosts…

After dropping Lavanya to her flat he drove through the drizzle along the streets…The dim lights of the street lights falling on the raindrops and glisten made his mind go back to the questions Lavanya wanted answers to… Why was it he never had an urge to kiss any girl sans Khushi?  He decided that it was an intimate gesture that was not meant to be thrown randomly… It was reserved for a special person that was his Khushi… He could neither think of anyone other than her to let into his personal space nor of stepping into theirs… He had his own demons to fight… Seeing he was in a losing battle of concentrating on his work he returned home to find all gone out for dinner… His thoughts, what would be her reaction to his purchase heightening his anticipation to see Khushi, had to take a rain-check… After a solitary meal when he was having his shower, the rest came home… Khushi quickly excusing herself with a plea of a headache came inside her room and decided to give back the lehenga to ASR… She decided to take the pool route as she could not afford to be seen entering his room by the family… She had to have her focus on what she needed to do and what was right… Before her the choice lay and it was the only one and she was going to do it come what may… So she took the parcel and dropped it on Arnav’s bed and moved out on soft feet… Only once her work was done she gave in to her feelings which streamed from her eyes in the form of tears… Those tears were the words that her heart couldn’t say… The hurt that stemmed in her had its origin in being an orphan…The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread… This is what had held Khushi back from rejecting the lehenga outright… Her sense of not shaming her parents who raised her outweighed her sense of dignity and outrage… She would have hurt the Raizadas’ and brought in tension in her sister’s family life… This was bound to have its effect on the Guptas’ for whom she owed her decent existence… Her loyalty towards them and their upbringing held her back from rejecting the gift outright but now she could do so without any qualms as Mami and Anjali too had witnessed ASR with a clingy girlfriend that announced their relationship loud and clear… She knew if you cry at trouble, it grows double… If you learn to laugh at trouble, trouble will disappear like a bubble… This was what she had been doing all along… But this time the feeling of hurt of being played lingered on in her…

The knock on the door of Arnav had him open it to find NK rib him about his girlfriend. He came to know through NK that they had seen him and Lavanya together and  NK had thought it was an all night with his girlfriend… Realizing that all must have seen him then he was fuming and shut the door on NK’s face shutting his suggestions alongside… But ASR’s mind had picked up that Khushi too would have witnessed it and it made him anxious as what must she be thinking… ASR who never gave a hoot to what other’s thought about him so far was worried… Though a man of few words, he knew a thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed… His first impression was by itself quite strong and that he found it difficult to erase… He had put in a wrong foot first… as always his tread was never light. He had left a deep impression… What he had thought was a certainty had now become uncertain… With this thought in his mind as he approached his bed he saw the conspicuously Anamika’s emblazoned package that held the lehenga he bought unopened lying there… Now he was certain that his act of chivalry had gone awry… The package told him what she thought of him… How deep he had dug his grave…

Sometimes, we are taken into troubled waters not to drown but to be cleansed…

Loved it Smita… 

Part 10

Khushi’s sobs subsided finally and she lay in her bed, sniffling and whimpering.

‘Why am I crying?’ she asked herself at this late date. ‘He is rude, a shaitan, a rakshas, a Laad Governor and he hates me. Why should I care if he has one or a hundred girlfriends?’

She had no answer, especially not for the fresh tears streaming from her eyes.

She wiped them away with determination.

‘Don’t cry, Khushi. Don’t. He is happy with some chudail. Didn’t you see the way he was hugging her? Why should you shed tears for him? Be angry with him, avoid him. Don’t think of him. That way lies disaster. He will marry the chudail and you will be standing on the sidelines showering flowers on the couple as they tie the knot,” she told herself, only to find that her eyes had filled and her cheeks wet again.

She dried her cheeks again.

‘Bas bhi karo, Khushi. You have to see him all your life. He is your Jiji’s jetji. This won’t do. You are Sasi Gupta’s daughter. Where is your backbone? Hold your head high. Why are you crying for another girl’s man and that too a man who thinks you are cheap and immoral? Bas karo, Khushi.’

This went on all night till she fell asleep at dawn out of sheer exhaustion.

ASR paced the floor all night, cursing himself for having gone out to rescue Lavanya from the results of her own folly.

‘I should have switched off the phone and sat in office working,’ he told himself. ‘Who made you the savior of all drunk girls in Delhi, Arnav Singh Raizada?’

His hands itched to throw something at the wall, but he desisted with great effort.

‘And why on earth did you go to Anamika’s boutique? What did you think would happen to Khushi there? Did you think she would be kidnapped for her hazel eyes or a tsunami would carry her off? Or that she would decide to elope with that scatterbrained NK?’ he asked himself.

‘And what if she does? How is it any business of yours? Why are you so interested in Khushi Kumari Gupta? Who is she? Just Payal’s sister. She will leave in a few days. She is not dying out of love for you. She didn’t come to Delhi to be with you. Why are you following her around like a dog? You fool,” he flagellated himself.

‘You are Arnav Singh Raizada. You are not Arvind Mallik to be swayed by any pretty face and a halfway decent body. Remember the lessons learnt, ASR. Your mama paid for them with her blood,’ he reminded himself.

Wind blew a curtain against his face. He caught it in a strong grip.

“Love doesn’t last,” he whispered. “It is an illusion, a name used to make lust look good.”

He shut his eyes.

“Marriage is a trap. People change and grow apart. They fall in lust with others and marriages break, shattering the lives of the children caught in the middle. Only fools believe in love and marriage. Realists believe only in lust. Lust makes the world go around, not love,” he told himself.

"And you know the pull of lust. It is nothing that can scramble your brain or cause your head to shut down. You have learned to keep it in its place, in stolen moments in the bedrooms of hotels with girlfriends who think the way you do about love and marriage," he said softly. "You own lust. It doesn't own you."

He drew in a deep, harsh breath.

“Khushi means nothing to you, nothing. ASR doesn’t need any girl. Arnav Singh Raizada can have affairs and has no need to be ashamed of them. Why are you upset that Khushi saw you with Lavanya? Why couldn’t you be more blunt in telling Anamika that you are not engaged to Khushi, that she means nothing to you?” he castigated himself.

“No more running after Khushi, no more thinking about her,” he ordered himself. “No more dreaming about her at work, you idiot!”

It was a long night for Arnav and Khushi.

His resolution to keep away from Khushi was severely tested in the morning.

He was handing over his laptop bag to HP and asking him to keep it in his car when she came down the steps.

His head automatically turned and his eyes sought hers.

Khushi’s eyes met his for a second before she turned her head away, deliberately avoiding him.

Rage and worry battled within him. She looked pale, her eyes looked heavy and her eyelids were rimmed with pink.

Had she cried last night? Had—had the sight of him with Lavanya made her cry? This question burned a hole in his soul, destroying his resolutions to stay away from her and continue being ASR the cold-blooded, fire-breathing beast. All his good intentions went right out through the window; all his notions of self-preservation and keeping his nose out of her business burned in a massive conflagration.

She approached him, not because she wanted to but because he was standing at the foot of the stairs and she couldn’t fly over his head.

ASR stepped forward, parting his lips to ask her if she was fine, but Khushi turned her head to avoid seeing him and walked away.

Rage blinded ASR.

He marched behind her, forgetting all his good intentions of avoiding her.

But before he could make a greater fool of himself, NK called, “Khushiji.”

Khushi smiled at NK and sat down by him.

All the others were at the table.

ASR had no other option but to take his seat. From there he continued to glare at a Khushi who pretended that he didn’t exist and an NK who was determined to be the soul of cheer.

Payal served Arnav and sat down by Akash.

Anjali and mami looked at Khushi and then at Arnav. They had no idea what was going on and couldn’t ask Arnav or Khushi.

NK asked Khushi, “Khushiji, what shall we do today?”

“I don’t know, Nanheji. You are the one with ideas. Aap hi kahiye na?” she suggested.

ASR grit his teeth.

“Hum ghoomne chalenge,” NK decided, “just the two of us.”

ASR almost jumped out of his seat and caught NK by the throat.

“Yes, yes,” Anjali quickly seconded NK’s plan. She wanted the strain on Khushi’s face to vanish and the best way to do that was to keep her out of Chotey’s path for a few hours.

“Jao, jao,” mami said. “Eat lots of golgappe, gape at the sights and come back in the evening.”

“NK bitwaa, take good care of our Khussi bitiya,” nani said with a smile.

Akash and Payal smiled in agreement.

“Jao, Khushi,” Payal said softly. “You can see all of Delhi. Preetho and the others must be waiting to know about the sights you saw here.”

Khushi tried to smile.

“So where shall we go and what shall we see?” NK asked Khushi.

ASR watched the two heads bent together, making idiotic plans like two kids with a free day.

“Bhai, shall we drive to the office together?” Akash asked.

ASR was about to nod, but stopped himself. Why on earth was he going to the office? He couldn’t work in peace anyway. He was haunted by Khushi’s thoughts. Like a granny worrying over her only grandchild, he fretted about Khushi 24x7. It was better to sit at home and make a fool of himself instead of going to the office and making a fool of himself.

“I will be working from home today,” ASR said quietly.

Khushi tensed. She would have to conspire to stay out all day.

Akash looked at his bhai in wonder for a moment, but did not question him, for which ASR was thankful.

“I will let Aman know,” ASR said.

Akash nodded.

ASR watched NK and Khushi leave, both of them giggling like schoolkids playing truant. Suddenly he wished he could go with them. How wonderful it must be to traipse off on an adventure without having to worry about work and duties for a day!

A holiday. When had he last taken a holiday? He couldn’t remember. How could he remember when he had never taken a day off? Never. Except for the two days when he had been laid low by the flu. And that was two years back.

“Chotey, you will be in for lunch?” Anjali asked carefully.

“Yes,” he said before going to his room.

                                           ***

“Khushiji, I need to trim my hair. Will you please come with me?” NK asked.

She would go to the netherworld with him if she didn’t have to see Arnav Singh Raizada, she thought.

“Yes, Nanheji,” she replied, painting a cheerful smile on her face.

She accompanied him to the unisex salon and waited in the lounge for him. She took a glossy magazine from the stack and flipped through the pages.

Many hairstyles, some short, some long, many hair colours—the magazine was a trove of information. She fingered her own hair. Maybe she could cut it, make it wavy, have it frame her face.

No sooner did the thought appear in her head than she asked for an appointment.

“Leon will be free in ten minutes,” the receptionist said. “Will that do?”

“Yes,” she replied.

NK joined her with his hair trimmed neatly.

“Khushiji, shall we leave?” he asked. “I am sorry you had to wait so long.”

“Nanheji, I was thinking I will get a haircut too,” she told him.

“That’s brilliant, Khushiji. Cut your hair in the same style as mine. Then we will become baal friends,” NK said excitedly.

Khushi looked at his short hair, horrified.

A few minutes later, Khushi sat before an effeminate boy, her hair unbound.

He touched her hair reverently. “Are you sure you want to cut this?” he asked softly. “I know many ladies who would kill to have hair like this.”

Khushi hesitated. She looked at the hairstyle she had picked for herself from the magazine and realised something terrible.

It looked similar to what Lavanya Kashyap had.

“No,” she said quickly.

“Excellent,” Leon replied with a warm smile. “I will just layer it a bit, retaining the current length. That will give it volume and fullness. Let’s have a few bangs falling on your face to give it a more mysterious look. What say?” he asked.

Khushi smiled and nodded.

His deft fingers worked their magic.

NK took one look at the final product and said, “Khushiji, your hair looks gorgeous.”

“Shukriya, Nanheji,” she replied.

They walked out of the salon after Khushi paid with her credit card.

As they stood at the corner wondering where to go next, a black car passed very close to them.

Khushi pulled NK to safety.

NK said, “Khushiji, hum baal-baal bach gaye!”

Khushi burst out laughing.