Marrying Khushi: Part 16
Payal said,
“Don’t cry, Khushi.”
Khushi
sobbed, “How can I not cry, Jiji? Preetho left us. And Mittu!” She dropped a
wet, sympathetic kiss on the parrot’s head.
Mittu squirmed as saline drops fell
on her.
Payal
smiled. “Pagli, she has to go to her sasural. How can she stay here all her
life hugging that parrot?”
Khushi
cried copious tears. “Mittu is better than any dulha… she doesn’t get angry…she
doesn’t scold me…she can dance and sing…and she loves me!”
“Khushi!
Tum bhi na!” Payal smiled, amused. She led Khushi towards their house. It was
getting late.
“She is not
like an akhdoo, khadoos Shaitan….” Khushi muttered as she accompanied Payal to
their house.
Payal was
too busy looking at the cars parked near the entrance of their house to pay
much attention to Khushi’s utterances.
“Khushi! I think we have guests….” Payal
muttered uncertainly.
Khushi
sniffed as she walked in to the living room with her sister. And stopped short.
The Rakshas
was ensconced in her living room, sipping ginger tea without sugar.
Her grasp
on Mittu eased, and the bird, thanking a kind fate for saving her from a watery
grave, flew up to perch on the mantel.
Khushi
stared suspiciously at a smirking ASR.
Arnav ran
his eager eyes over Khushi. She looked beautiful! Beyond beautiful! The yellow
and green lehenga, though modest, emphasised her full figure. Her hair, clipped
lightly at the back of her neck, fell down her back like a dark waterfall. The
maangtikka, her bindi, her nose pin, her necklace, her bangles, her payal… ASR
studied her closely, his heart thumping in eagerness to claim her as his.
His burning
eyes moved up from her feet to her face, only to be trapped by her furious
eyes. ASR had to swallow a smile at the disgruntled look on her face.
What was the
Rakshas doing here? And why was he looking at her as though he could see
through her clothes? She adjusted the dupatta to cover more of her bosom. And who
were the people crowding her living room? She looked around with wide eyes.
Anjaliji…Nanheji…Akashji….she knew them. Who were the others?
“Khushiji! Payalji!
Hi!” Nanheji smiled away.
“Namaste, Nanheji!”
Khushi managed to smile. Payal responded in kind.
Akashji
smiled at her. She smiled back. He looked at Payal and blushed. Payal blushed
back.
Anjaliji
said, “Khushiji, Payalji, let me introduce our family to you. This is our Nani.”
Payal &
Khushi touched the old lady’s feet. Nani blessed both of them, glad at the
choice of her grandsons.
“This is
our Mama & Mami.” Anjali smiled. “That is, Akash’s parents.”
The girls touched
their feet, Khushi passing a wondering look at the many hues on Mamiji’s face.
“So these
are the culprits, Hello Hi Bye Bye!” Mami laughed. “They made our boys go-went-gone!”
All
laughed.
“Our boys
are not any less naughty, Manno! If the girls have to be punished, our boys
should be jailed along with them!” Mamaji added, laughing.
All
laughed.
Payal &
Khushi looked at each other, wondering if they had strayed in to a madhouse.
Mittu surveyed the motley crowd from her place at the top, hopping on one foot
and then the next, waiting for something exciting to happen.
“Payaliyaa,
Titliyaa, you go inside, Nandkisore! We will come to talk to you in a few
moments.” Buaji said.
“Ji, Buaji.”
Payal led Khushi in to their bedroom. Mittu followed.
“Jiji, why
are they all here?” Khushi frowned.
“How do I know,
Khushi?” Payal asked, scared, excited.
“Each time
the Rakshas comes, he brings more of his family with him!” Khushi fumed,
muttering under her breath.
“What did
you say, Khushi?” Payal asked, sitting down on the bed.
“Nothing,
Jiji.” Khushi smiled at her. She moved to the window to look out. “I should
hang a board on the gate saying that Laad Governaars are not welcome here!” she
muttered. “Why is he here? That smile of his! I don’t trust him an inch. He
will have planned something in that khurafaathi brain of his!” she murmured.
Khushi
paced the length & breadth of her room, worrying about the man in the next
room.
“Khushi,
sit down. What is wrong with you?” Payal asked.
“Nothing,
Jiji.” Khushi smiled, but continued to measure the room on restless legs.
“If I go to
the market, he wil appear there. If I go to work, he is sure to be there. If I
dance at Preetho’s sangeet, he is there in the audience. If I leave his job, he
will come after me. If I hide in Preetho’s room, he will seek me out! Pagal he!
And he wants to marry me? Kyon?” Khushi grumbled. “I was so happy in Lucknow,
Devi Maiyya! Why did you import this typhoon in to my life? Aap hamse naraaz
ho?”
“Payaliyaa,
Titliyaa!” Buaji called out as she and Garima entered the room.
Payal stood
up.
The ladies
hugged the girls.
“Today is a
happy day for us!” Garima said, smiling, tears in her eyes.
Why was
Amma so happy that Preetho got married? Khushi wondered.
“Yes, after
so many years! Garima, Nandkisore is great!” Buaji seconded her.
Or were
they happy because the Rakshas introduced his family to them? Khushi looked at
Payal, both of them confused.
“Payaliyaa,
do you like Akash Bitwaa?” Garima asked, hugging Payal.
Payal blushed
as red as she could, and lowered her eyes.
Buaji &
Garima had a hearty laugh at her
expense.
Khushi stared at all three of them, wondering what was going on.
Finally,
fed up, she asked, “Buaji, Amma, what is happening here? Why are the Raizadas
here?”
“O pagli,
they have brought a proposal for Payaliyaa. Akash Bitwaa wants to marry her.”
Garima said, smiling.
Khushi
gasped. What was happening to her world? First it was Preetho. Now Jiji too was
abandoning her?
“Marry!
Jiji!” she asked. “Why should they ask for Jiji? Why can’t they find some other
girl? Are there no other girls in Lucknow? Why should they take my Jiji away
from me?” And what was wrong with the Raizadas? Why had they succumbed to the
marriage fever, Khushi wondered, mad at them. First it was the Rakshas chasing
her. Now it was his brother chasing Jiji? Soon Nanheji would demand Mittu’s
hand in marriage!
Buaji &
Garima had a good chuckle at Khushi’s petulance.
Khushi sat
down on the bed. If Jiji married Akashji, she would have to see that smirk on
that evil face all her life! The challenge in his eyes! He Devi Maiyya! On Jiji’s
shagun, on her sagai, on her mehendi, on her sangeet, on her haldi, on her
marriage, on her suhaag raat…no, not on her suhaag raat… Khushi’s imagination
drew gory pictures.
“They are
not taking your Jiji away from you, Khussi!” Garima laughed. “They have made
sure that you will be together all your life.”
Khushi
frowned. He would kiss her on her palm and her cheek and her… Khushi paled.
Together all their lives? She and Jiji? Khushi struggled to bring her attention
back to the problem at hand. “What?” she asked.
Buaji
nodded. “Arnav Bitwaa wants to marry you, Khussi. Do you like him, Nandkisore?”
There was
one moment of silence. The ladies watched Khushi’s eyes and mouth widen as far as they would go.
“Nahi……” Khushi screamed.
Buaji,
Garima, & Payal laughed.
“Pagli
kahin ki! My Sanka Devi!” Buaji pinched her chin fondly.
“You make
all those newfangled things that you used to make at Sheesh Mahal and feed him
daily. You take good care of his health….” Garima advised Khushi.
Khushi
smouldered. There was more danger of her feeding the Rakshas poison instead of
food, the way her temper was soaring.
“And thoda
control mein rahio, Titliyaa! Don’t behave like a wild girl, Nandkisore! What will
his family think?” Buaji asked. “What will Arnav Bitwaa think?”
She would
show him what he could think! Khushi seethed, dwelling on the many things she
wanted to do to that smiling face!
Buaji
looked at Khushi’s set face and whispered to Garima, “Garima, are you sure
Devyaniji mentioned a marriage between Arnav Bitwaa and our Parmeswari? I didn’t
imagine it, did I?”
“No, Jiji.
You didn’t imagine it!” Garima smiled.
Buaji sighed
in relief. “I was so worried, Nandkisore! Khussi and Payaliyaa can never be
happy in two houses, separated after marriage. Nandkisore realised how anxious
I was and brought these two boys for us.”
Garima
nodded. “Now they will never have to leave each other, Jiji. They are very
lucky. And such good boys! So sanskari!”
Buaji
nodded. “How will Arnav Bitwaa manage our Sanka Devi?”
Garima
looked at her, lost for an answer.
“And they
want to conduct the marriages immediately, Nandkisore! Garima, we will have to
make all the arrangements at the earliest. There is no time to be lost!” Buaji
warned her.
Garima
nodded, and the ladies prepared to leave the room.
“Buaji!
Amma! I want to talk to Laa…Arnavji!” Khushi gasped, feeling the sand give way
from under her feet.
Buaji &
Amma frowned. “Haven’t you talked to him before?”
“Yes, but…”
Khushi tried.
“How can we
ask him to come and speak to you when his family is sitting with him in our
living room, Nandkisore?” Buaji asked.
“Thoda
sabar karo, Khussi! You can talk to him all your life!” Garima giggled.
The ladies
left the room chuckling.
Payal
stared in to the air, her eyes filled with sweet dreams.
Khushi
collapsed on the bed, her head in her hands.
Mittu sang,
“Banno terii ankhiyaan surmedaani...
Banno tera mukhadaa laakh kaa re...
Banno tera kangan hai hazaari...
Banno teraa kangan….”
Banno tera mukhadaa laakh kaa re...
Banno tera kangan hai hazaari...
Banno teraa kangan….”
Khushi
threw a pillow at Mittu.
Part 17
Section 1
Khushi
looked at the happy faces around the breakfast table. All were smiling, all
were planning, all were excited, all were delirious with joy! Except her!
She punched
the air out of the poori staring at her from her plate, imagining it to be the
Rakshas’ face.
“Garima,
take out Khussi’s mother’s jewellery. We need to get them polished,
Nandkisore!” Buaji reminded them.
“Haan,
Jiji. And we have to go shopping for clothes for the two brides.” Garima
smiled.
“Buy
whatever you want from Nathulal’s shop, and ask him to bring the bill to Satwik
Mishtaan Bhandaar in the evening.” Sasi Gupta added.
“Ji.”
Garima smiled.
“And don’t
forget to buy gifts for the Raizadas.” Sasi smiled, looking fondly at his two
daughters, both gazing at the food on their plates with unseeing eyes, but for
different reasons.
The nightmare
of the weddings was approaching on very fast feet, Khushi thought, feeling
short of breath. Jewellery, clothes…. Buaji and her parents were discussing the
caterers…and the decorators…. Khushi gulped.
She had
tried to tell them that she didn’t want to marry Arnav Singh Raizada, but no
one wanted to listen to her. It was as though she had become invisible, as if
her voice was inaudible! They were looking through her, and arranging her
wedding without her participation. He Devi Maiyya!
She needed
to talk to that wicked man…at the earliest. She had to make him tell her family
that he did not wish to marry her. But how? Last night, after the weddings were
fixed, he had left with the others without meeting her. The…the Lad Governaar! She
tightened her fingers around her glass of water, imagining it to be the
Rakshas’ neck.
Khushi
walked up and down her room.
Mittu sat
on the frame of her bed and watched her.
“Mittu, I
need to speak to that…that Shaitan!” she confided.
“Balma,
balma…” Mittu sang.
“Naa Re!
Shaitan! Rakshas!” Khushi corrected her. “What can I do? How can I meet him?”
she fretted.
Buaji had
informed her in no uncertain terms that she was not to leave the house till the
wedding, unless and until it was for the wedding shopping, which was to be done
along with the family.
Her phone
was lying in pieces on the evil man’s floor, thrown by her own fair hands.
Khushi hit her head in exasperation. “He Devi Maiyya, ye humne kya kar diya?”
How could
she contact him? What if she used the land phone? But she didn’t know his
number. She would have to call Manjuji and get his number. But Manjuji’s number
was saved in her phone, the phone that was lying in all its shattered splendour
in Sheesh Mahal! And even if she had his number, how could she call him without
her family finding out?
Khushi
clutched her head with both hands. “He Devi Maiyya! Raksha karna!” she chanted,
desperate.
After a day
of vigorous shopping, Payal went to bed early and slept the sleep of the
virtuous. Khushi paced the room, muttering to herself, her inventive brain
coming up with a hundred crazy plans and discarding them.
She looked
at the clock. Eleven.
She peeped
out of her room. There was no light in Buaji’s room. Amma and Babuji had
retired to bed early tonight.
“Khushi! This
is your only chance! It is no use whining that you are married to the Shaitan
after getting married to him. Kuch karna he to shadi se pehle karna hoga!” she
told herself.
She crept
back in to her room. Mittu looked at her with beady eyes.
“Mittu,
don’t tell anyone.” she begged the parrot. She arranged pillows in a line and
covered them with a blanket.
She looked
at herself in the mirror, anxious. She was in a green anarkali. She straightened her bindi and smoothed down
her hair. Not to impress the Rakshas, she told herself. She was dressing for
herself! She arranged her dupatta around her neck, kissed Mittu, grabbed a
balanket, and spared one glance at her sleeping Jiji.
She left
the house through her window, her heart galloping like wild horses, fear,
excitement, and anticipation making her breathe shallowly.
Khushi
reached the grounds of Sheesh Mahal, shivering, her green anarkali covered by the
blanket.
She made
her way towards his room on the ground floor.
“Please
Devi Maiyya! Let him not have exchanged his room with one of his relations!
What will I do if he is not here? How can I climb pipes at midnight in search
of Arnav Singh Raizada’s room?” Khushi asked her mentor. “And that too in this
bhooth bunglow with too many rooms?”
The window
was open.
She peeped
inside, and a sigh of relief left her. His laptop was on a low table. His night
clothes were laid on the bed. He had apparently not retired yet. Nor had he
given up his room to one of his relations.
Khushi
looked around her, clutching her blanket to her to ward off the cold. Was anyone watching her?
There was no one out on the cold night.
“Why should there be anyone out on such a
night, Khushi? All people are not mad like you! They are all sleeping inside,
curled up in their warm blankets.” she chided herself.
Slowly, she
hoisted herself up and through the window, and fell on the floor in an ungainly
heap.
“His window
is just like the Rakshas! No manners!” Khushi grumbled. “And too high! How can
all intruders have long legs? How will people like me get in?” she asked.
She got up
from the ground, dusting herself down.
She would
have to wait for him. She looked at the clock. Thirty minutes past eleven.
Wasn’t he sleepy? Why was he so late? she grumbled.
“He Devi
Maiyya, please don’t let Amma, Babuji, or Buaji find out that I have stolen
out! I will give you a plate full of jalebis tomorrow. Please!” she bargained.
She heard
movement along the corridor leading to the Rakshas’ room.
Nanheji was
saying, “Nannav, good night. And sweet sweet dreams of Khushiji!”
“As sweet
as her jalebi!” Anjaliji laughed.
Khushi
looked around like a rabbit chased by hunting dogs, frantic for a place to
hide.
She fell to
the ground and tried to crawl under the bed, but there was little space. She
ran to the sofa, the dressing table with a big mirror, the wardrobe, the
recliner…but they could not give her refuge.
In the nick
of time, she managed to dive behind the voluminous curtains.
“Good
night!” ASR tried to push his family out of his bedroom, slightly flushed at the teasing.
“Arnav
Bitwaa!” said Mami. “Bhen do you think your shy brother will cough up enough
courage to speaks more than her namewaa to Payaliyya?”
Anjali
laughed. “Mami, when he fell in love with Payalji, he asked me to inform you.
He was too shy to tell you himself.”
“My Akass
Bitwaa ijj so slow, Hello Hi Bye Bye!” Mami rued. “Hamein doubt howath he woh hamra beta hi he
ki naahi!”
Akashji saw
Jiji and prem rog ho gaya? Khushi stared at the curtain covering her. But when
did he see Jiji for the first time? At Preetho’s sangeet! So he wanted to marry
Jiji. And Jiji too liked him. That was why the family had come to her house to
ask for Jiji’s hand!
“Good
night!” ASR made it clear that he wanted to go to bed in peace. He shut the
door and locked it to be sure that no one disturbed him. Smiling slightly, he
walked in to the room, his fingers unbuttoning his waistcoat.
His fingers
paused.
Jasmine! He
could smell jasmine in the air. Khushi….
He smiled
slightly. Khushi must be in her snug bed,
snoring away, dreaming of new ways to make him pay!
She was in
his head 24x7, and he was imagining her scent to keep her close to him. He laughed
at himself.
He sat on the bed and got rid of his footwear.
The look on
her face when she had seen him in her house last night! His smile widened. If
she could have sunk a knife in to him, she would have!
He moved
towards the mirror, pulling the unbuttoned waistcoat off him and throwing it aside. He tugged
the shirt out of his pants, and moved his fingers to the first button of his
shirt. His eyes widened.
There was a
bulge in the drapes!
As he
watched in the mirror, the drapes parted slightly, and Khushi’s round,
moon-like face peeked out.
His breath
stopped for a moment. She was not a figment of his imagination! She was here…in
real…in the flesh. His heart began pounding feverishly.
He lowered
his eyes to his fingers as they pushed the next button out of its hole.
Khushi was
in his room. The door was locked. It was almost midnight. Why was she here?
There was only one answer. She wanted to fight with him, make him cancel the
wedding…
But he was
not Arnav Singh Raizada for nothing!
His eyes
narrowed, his nostrils flared. She couldn’t leave him! He would block all the
roads leading from him. She had to stay with him.
Khushi took
a deep breath. His family had left. Now she could come out of her hiding place
and attack him. The foot she lifted halted in mid-air.
The Rakshas
was removing his shirt!
Standing
before the mirror, he had finished unbuttoning his shirt. She could see the narrow
strip of golden skin between the parted flaps of his shirt. Khushi swallowed
through a dry throat, her eyes trapped by his naked glory.
ASR looked
at the dazed look on Khushi’s face with great delight. So she liked the look of
him, did she? His lips curled in anticipation. Never let it be said that he
didn’t oblige Khushi Kumari Gupta, soon to be Mrs. Arnav Singh Raizada!
He shrugged
the shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. It fell soundlessly to the
floor.
All he
could hear was Khushi’s deeply drawn breath of shock! His blood rushed through
his veins, racing gladly, anticipating great pleasure.
Khushi
gasped, staring at him through the gap in the drapes, her heart thundering
away. His broad shoulders, his muscled, hairless chest, his strong arms with lean
muscles, the sculpted lines of his back…her rapt eyes ran all over him, trying
to take in his beauty.
He lowered
his fingers to his belt, unbuckled it, and threw it off.
Khushi
panted, feeling her head spin.
AR stole
one look at a hyperventilating Khushi, and ran his fingers down his chest to
rest on his washboard stomach. Slowly, he lowered his fingers as if to undo his
trousers.
He heard a
thud.
He whipped
his head around to see Khushi lying crumpled on the floor.
“Khushi!”
He ran to her. He had only meant to attract her, not make her swoon.
He lovingly
lifted her dead weight in his arms and strode to his bed. Her blanket lay
discarded behind the drapes and her dupatta fell to the ground, unnoticed.
He
laid her gently on his bed, her head resting on his pillow.
He had
imagined her in his bed often enough. He had dreamed of her in his bed. But she
had been conscious then! He hadn’t expected his physical charms to overpower
her to this extent!
He sat down
on the bed beside her reclining form. He dipped his fingers in the glass of
water on his bedside table and sprinkled cold droplets on her beautiful face.
She winced.
He heaved a sigh of relief.
He smothed
his wet fingers over her face, lingering on the silky skin of her eyelids and
cheeks.
Her eyes
shot open.
“Who am I?
Where am I?’ she asked rapidly. She stared at him. “You!” she exclaimed.
ASR smiled
at her.
Her eyes
moved from his eyes to his smirking lips, down to his bare torso.
She gasped. “Chi!
Go and wear some clothes! You Arnav Singh Raizada! What do you think of
yourself? Nanga ghoom raha he! Ganda bacha!” She religiously averted her eyes,
albeit with great difficulty.
“I am in my
bedroom.” He claimed softly. “And it is night.”
“Tho?” she
asked.
“I can walk
naked, dance naked, sleep naked. Who will stop me?” ASR asked, a challenge in
his eyes.
“If your
sister had taken a birch to you when you were a child, you would have better
manners!” Khushi said bitterly.
“What has
manners got to do with changing clothes, Khushi?” ASR asked softly. Then he
dropped the bomb. “If somebody has to be caned for lack of manners, it is you.”
“Me?”
Khushi was full of injured dignity and affront.
“Yes, you.
Walking in to my house at midnight and spying on me as I change my clothes! Tut
tut! I should ask Mittu who taught you to behave so badly. Or should I ask
Buaji?” His eyes laughed at her.
Khushi
gasped. “Woh…woh..I just wanted to talk to you…”
“Talk to
me? At midnight?” A warm finger ran down her cheek.
Khushi
shivered. “Yes…talk to you….” She knocked the finger away and gathered her
bearings. “I wanted to talk to you last night, but you ran away!”
“Ran away?
Are you calling me a coward, Khushi Kumari Guupta?” The glint in his eyes was not
hard to read.
Khushi
gulped, but decided to disregard the warning in his eyes.
“Yes. You
are a coward. And a cheat! I told you that I did not want to marry you. Then
why did you land in my house with a proposal for me?” She fumed as much as a
girl trapped by his hot eyes and the eye-catching vision of his male torso…his
shirtless male torso… might fume!
“You were
ready to marry any man your parents wanted you to marry. Then why not me?” he
countered reasonably.
Khushi
spluttered with anger. “Because I don’t like you!”
“Really?” ASR
asked, leaning over her recumbent form, shifting to lie on his side beside her,
resting his head on his palm.
Khushi
gasped. “Utt jaayiye! Kya kar rahe he aap?”
“You wanted
to talk to me, didn’t you? We might as well do it comfortably.” ASR retorted,
making himself more comfortable.
Khushi
squirmed.
“What is it
that you were saying?” ASR thought hard. “Oh, that you don’t like me.” He
smiled in to her eyes.
His face
was too close to hers. His eyes were too close to hers. Heat from his bare
chest was singeing her skin, and his fingers were trailing over her left arm,
holding her body in place.
Khushi trembled.
Thank God
she was lying down. Otherwise Jiji would have had to scrape her melted form off
the floor, Khushi thought.
“Yes, I don’t
like you.” Khushi affirmed, breathing long & deep for courage. He Devi
Maiyya Raksha Karna! Why did you have to give him so many muscles?
“Why not?”
he asked.
“I just don’t
like you. That’s all.” she tried to block him. “Is this a grocery list where I
have to list toor dal ½ kg, pyaaz ½ kg?”
ASR hid his
smile.
“Yes. I want
to know what you don’t like about me.” ASR declared. “Do you dislike my eyes?”
Khushi
stole a look at those naughty eyes, and turned her head away.
“No.” she
whispered honestly.
“My nose?
Is it too big, too short, curved?”
“Your nose
is alright.” Khushi looked away from the nose in question.
“You don’t
like my lips, is it?”
Her eyes
raced to his sinfully delicious lips, and got trapped by them.
“No, they
are….” she gasped.
“They are?”
ASR murmured.
She watched
his lips moving. “They are…alright.” she whispered.
“That is so
kind of you.” ASR said softly.
As she watched,
his lips came closer and closer to her, and pressed against her cheek. Her eyes
fell shut.
ASR smiled.
“Khushi, do
you dislike my ears?” he asked in a low voice.
Khushi
looked at the ears. “I will pull them one day.” she promised herself, unaware
that she was speaking out aloud.
ASR hid his
smile.
“My hair?”
Khushi’s
fingers tingled to pull the strands out, one at a time, making him howl in
pain!
The murderous
look on her face thrilled him to bits.
“Khushi, my
shoulders….” he began teasing her.
“Aapki
shoulders ko goli maro! I don’t like your tongue. Your ghussa. Your akkad.”
Khushi tried to move away.
ASR
squirmed closer, his chest touching her right side more firmly.
“Door
hatiye humse!” Khushi tried to save her sanity, but ASR was having none of it. He
pressed against her, dropping his right arm over her reclining body to trap
her.
“My tongue?”
His voice was seduction personified.
Khushi
shivered.
He lifted
her hand to his face, kissed her palm, and bit one of her fingers.
She yelped,
feeling her heart jump to her throat.
He laved the
digit, running his warm tongue over the hurt skin.
Khushi shut
her eyes tight, trying to control her tremors, trying to pull her finger out of
his mouth.
He let her
go. “Now do you have a complaint against
my tongue?” he asked innocently.
Khushi
gaped at him, her lips parted. His hot eyes traced the curve of her pink lips.
Khushi shut her mouth.
ASR leaned
over her, crushing her under the weight of his body, holding her secure in both
of his arms.
Khushi
tried to push him away, but the moment her hands touched the bare skin of his
chest, she was lost.
“My ghussa.
Khushi, don’t tell me that you are scared of my ghussa.” ASR challenged her,
his hot breath falling on her sensitive face.
Khushi
tried to push him away, but her fingers ended up tracing the muscles of his chest
lovingly.
“No….I am
not…scared…of your…ghussa.” Khushi managed to gasp.
“Good.” ASR
said, and lowered his lips to hers to reward her for her fearlessness.
Khushi saw
his lips descending, and pushed him away with all her might.
She scrambled out
of his bed, and stood looking at him, panting, the pulse in her throat
throbbing, her eyes wide like those of a
doe caught in the headlights.
She looked
at the man lying on his bed, his arms crossed behind his head. The muscles of
his arms bulged, and Khushi had to look away, swallowing through a dry throat.
Having
managed to create a distance between
them, Khushi was able to think. Why does this man want to marry me, Devi Maiyya?
she asked her friend. I am not from Delhi. I am not like the models he works
with. I don’t eat the same food as he does. I don’t know English well, while he
speaks English even in his sleep! I make sweets while he is a diabetic! Why doe
she want to marry me?
Khushi
thought furiously…and came up with the wrong answer….again!
“You are
such a good brother!” she exclaimed.
ASR stared
at her. When did Akash & NK enter their conversation?
“You are
marrying me so that Akashji can marry Jiji, aren’t you?” Khushi asked, her eyes
soft, liquid with emotion and bhaichara.
“Uugh?” ASR
was capable of little else at that moment.
“Akashji
saw Jiji at Preetho’s sangeet. Aur usse pyaar ho gaya. Like in the phillums. Isn’t
that what happened?” she asked softly.
How did he
know what had happened in Akash’s heart when he saw Payal? All he knew was what
had happened to him when he saw her dancing in the barat!
Khushi did
not require answers, only silence.
“He told
you that he wanted to marry Jiji, didn’t he? But how could he marry when you were
blocking his path?” Khushi asked.
ASR frowned.
When had he ever injured Akash’s marital ambitions? Now he understood why Buaji
frequently hit herself on her head when talking of Khushi!
“You are
older than him! And when you are standing like a khamba, an unmarried khamba
blocking his path, how can he marry?” Khushi asked.
Light
slowly entered the dense darkness of ASR’s shatir dimag.
He nodded,
looking all sad and put upon.
“So you had
to marry fast.” Khushi discovered. “You must have thought, I have to marry now.
Which girl shall I choose? You must have looked around and seen me making your
pusta. And you must have thought she is OK. She can cook too. And if the two
brides are from the same house, we can conduct the two weddings at the same
time….This is what happened, isn’t it?” She looked at him, her head twisted
slightly to the right like an eager bird waiting for a worm.
ASR stared
at her, his eyes wide. What a tangled coil she had woven!
She stood
looking at him for a moment.
Poor Jiji.
She had spent all her life making aloo sabzi and poori in the kitchen of Gomti
Sadan. How could Khushi be so cruel as to stop her from going to Delhi with
Akashji and making poori & aloo for him in his kitchen?
If she
refused to marry the Shaitan, he would have to find another bride. That would take
time. Who would have the courage to marry this volcano? This Singham with
shakkar ki bimari?
And Jiji
& Akashji would have to wait and wait and wait…maybe till their teeth fell
off and they grew bald.
After all, which girl would dare to marry the Rakshas
and fight with him daily? Who but Khushi Kumari Gupta could spend all her life
living on the war front?
Khushi
sighed. She would have to sacrifice herself. For her sister. For the poor diabetic
Rakshas who would otherwise remain a bachelor all his life! If only he wouldn’t
come close to her…..Something happened to her heart and her insides when he
came close to her. Her heart became unruly in his presence, beating very fast as though she had run a
marathon! And her stomach! Whenever he came too close to her, it felt as though
titliyaan were beating their wings inside, trying to get out! She felt sick,
just as she usually felt after she had eaten 1kg of jalebi at one sitting!
She looked at
his face with a jaundiced eye, taking care not to look down at his body.
He was bad
for her health. But what to do! She had to agree to this marriage for Jiji’s
sake.
“OK, I will
marry you.” Khushi said reluctantly.
ASR’s heart
leapt to his throat.
“If I don’t
marry you, then how can Jiji get married to your brother?” she sighed.
ASR
swallowed.
“No other
girl will marry you. I will have to do it.” Khushi heaved a long sigh.
ASR’s lips
quirked.
“Lucky
Jiji! She found such a nice man! Akashji will bury her in his love!” Khushi
said wistfully.
ASR swallowed
through a dry throat. He could do more than that! And he would! As soon as she
was tied to him. Till then…he had to be careful. He got up from the bed.
“No, don’t
come near me!” Khushi ordered. “I will throw something at you.”
“What will
you throw, Khushi? Your phone? It is already in pieces.” ASR teased her. “Or
will you throw your dupatta? But it is not draped around your neck. It is lying
abandoned on the floor.”
Khushi
gasped. Her fingers searched for her dupatta around her neck, found it missing,
and looked around.
Seeing it on the floor, she made a move towards it.
ASR reached
there first. He took the dupatta and held it up in his hand.
Wind blew
the flimsy cloth against his bare chest.
Khushi gulped and at this late date, quickly
covered her bosom with her arms.
ASR’s lips
quirked.
“Khushi….”
She looked at
him.
“Do you
want the dupatta?” he asked, his voice low.
She nodded,
first feebly, and then firmly.
“Then stand
still.” ASR instructed.
Khushi
nodded.
ASR walked
towards her on deliberate feet, holding the dupatta in his hands. Looking deep
in to her eyes, he draped the thin cloth around her neck and bosom.
Khushi
lowered her arms, sighing in relief.
He gathered
her in to his arms. She stood silent in his hold, her head under his
chin, clasped close to his bare chest. The musky scent of him overpowered her.
Her lashes fell over her eyes.
A moment
later, ASR released her.
Khushi
tried to stand without support, her limbs trembling.
ASR walked
to his locker and returned with a small box. He held it out to her.
“What is
this?” she asked.
“A phone.
For you.” he said shortly.
Khushi
stared at him. Her hand lifted to take it.
“I have fed
my number in it. Call me the next time you want to talk. Don’t walk about in
the dark.” he said.
Khushi
frowned. “Thank you for the phone. But I will walk where ever I want, whenever I
want!” she proclaimed.
“Khushi!”
“You are
not my husband yet, Shri. Arnav Singh Raizada!” Khushi lifted her chin in the
air.
“Right.”
ASR folded his arms across his bare chest, hampering her view. “Don’t complain
if a stray dog bites you as you sneak in to Sheesh Mahal’s ground next time!”
Khushi
gasped.
He shrugged
in to a shirt.
Khushi
watched his chest vanishing under the cloth with regret.
“Let me
drop you home now, Khushi.” he offered. “You can see my chest after we are
married.” he smirked.
Khushi
gasped out aloud.
"Your chest? Who wants to see your chest? Salman Khanji has a better chest than you do! I will watch him. I don't need you!" Khushi protested too much.
ASR smiled
as he grabbed the car keys, and led her by
the hand to his door, unlocked it, and walked along the corridor.
Khushi
grumbled. “This is what I don’t like about you! Your smirk! As though you are
the king and the rest of the world is crawling at your feet!”
ASR
smirked.
“When I see
your smirk, I feel like…I feel like knocking it off your face!” Khushi curled
her fingers in to her palms.
“You can do
it after we are married, Khushi.” he said softly.
She looked at
him, suspicious.
“In fact, you
can do whatever you want to me, Khushi, after we are married.” he smirked.
Part 18
Khushi
looked at all the sarees and lehengas and kurtas and dhotis and pyjamas and
sherwanis and boxes and boxes of jewellery spread on the bed.
Buaji and
Amma were shopping with a vengeance. After all, who would have thought that
they would be marrying off both their daughters on the same day, to brothers
who were the soul of sanskar and politeness? Khushi grimaced. Buaji should hear the Shaitan shouting! That would put an end to all her misconceptions about his sharafat!
She looked
at her Jiji who was blushing as Preetho’s mother teased her.
Jiji was happy.
Atleast Jiji was happy. As for her, she would have to live with the Laad
Governaar, put up with his akkad and his guroor….
Preetho’s
mother moved away.
Khushi
asked, “Jiji, tum khush ho na?”
Payal
blushed and nodded.
Khushi smiled, reassured.
“Jiji, you
like Akashji, don’t you?” Khushi made sure.
Payal
nodded, smiling.
“Why? Why
do you like him so much?” Khushi asked.
“Because he
is just like me.” Payal answered.
“Oh Payaliyaa,
will you wear the yellow or the green lehenga for your shagun?” Buaji asked.
“Titliyaa, have you picked your dress, Nandkisore? Or are you going to leave it
till the last minute and crawl in to whatever you can find at that moment?
Don’t shame us in front of the Raizadas.” Buaji knocked on Khushi’s head.
The knock
did not register. Khushi was lost in her thoughts.
After
marriage, when they started living in Delhi, when Akashji would buy jalebi for Jiji, the Shaitan would be shouting at her! Akashji would take Jiji out to see Salman
Khanji’s latest phillum, and she would be sitting at home eating channa as the
Laad Governaar planned how to make more models walk on the stage on ladder-like
chappals….
But what to do? She had to live with him. She sighed. Love called
for many sacrifices, and Khushi Kumari Gupta was in full sacrificial mode.
Well,
atleast she would have Mittu to talk to, Khushi thought. Her eyes widened in
horror. What if the Rakshas did not let her take Mittu along with her? She
turned her head to look at the parrot nodding away on a beam.
Khushi
jumped up and ran from the room.
Buaji
looked after her in shock. “Hai Re Nandkisore!
Ab isse kaa hui gawa? Her parents should have named her Toofan instead of Khussi!”
Khushi took
out the phone and called her bridegroom.
“Khushi…”
his husky voice sounded in her ear. She held the phone away, at a slight
distance, grimacing at it. Even through the phone, his voice was capable of
increasing her dhak dhak.
“Mittu is
coming with me.” she declared.
“What the!”
“What the
nahi. Mittu the parrot!” Khushi stated.
“I
mean…Khushi, she belongs to Preetho, doesn’t she?” ASR tried to understand how
and when Mittu had become his responsibility.
“Preetho’s
in laws were not willing to take her.” Khushi’s eyes filled with tears. “Her
father-in-law is allergic to pets. He sneezes and sneezes if so much as a cat
crosses his path.”
“Oh!”
“So she is
mine now.” Khushi claimed possession. “I won’t go anywhere without Mittu. If
you can’t take Mittu to Delhi, I will stay here with her. Aap shaadi ke baad
Delhi jaayiye. You stay in Delhi and I will stay here in Lucknow.”
ASR felt
his mouth fall open.
He hastened
to reply, “No, that won’t be necessary. You can bring Mittu.”
Khushi
smiled. Atleast she wouldn’t be lonely now.
“Suniye, I
wanted to ask you something.” Khushi began.
“Kya?” ASR
asked.
“Just a
minute. Let me find the list.”
He could hear Khushi searching, knocking down
boxes…. “Khushi…”
“Got it!
Suniye, this is a list of questions I wrote down a long time back to ask the
boy who would come to see me. Now you answer them.” Khushi demanded.
ASR looked
at the pile of work waiting for him.
“Khushi… can we do this later?”
“Later?
When later? Tomorrow morning your relations are going to come here for Shagun.
And in the evening, they are going to come here for Sagai. So when should I ask
the questions? After our marriage?”
ASR smiled,
looking at the screen of his laptop.
“Dekhiye, I
have no choice but to marry you. Because my Jiji’s entire happiness hangs on my
‘yes’. But how can I marry a man I know nothing about? How can I leave
everybody and come with you when all I know about you is that you are like a
steam engine, all the time huffing and puffing in anger?”
ASR smiled.
“Ask.”
“Where are
your parents?”
“Dead.”
“Oh, how
sad! I will never know your Amma & Babuji!” Khushi lamented.
ASR
swallowed hard.
“Do you
smoke?”
“No.”
“Do you
drink daru?”
“Sometimes.
At official functions.”
Khushi
gasped. “I am going to marry a sharabi like Amitab Bachchanji in that phillum?
He Devi Maiyya, ye aapne kya kar diya?” The picture of the rakshas walking on
unsteady feet and spouting incomprehensible poetry while she danced on the
stage before him flashed through her mind.
ASR smiled,
now used to Khushi’s dramatics.
“Do you
play jua?”
“No, I
don’t gamble. I don’t believe in good fortune and misfortune.”
“Devi
Maiyya ki laakh laakh jai ho!” Khushi prayed devoutly for not having blessed
her with a juari.
“Anything
else, Khushi?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.
“No more
questions. I…I just wanted to tell you…”
“Yes,
Khushi?”
“Woh…woh…I
am scared of lightning and thunder.” she confessed rapidly. “I am scared of the
dark. I am scared of sleeping alone.” She cut the call.
ASR looked
at his silent phone, feeling his heart clench in sympathy for the girl who had
been orphaned at such a young age.
His phone
rang again. Khushi.
“Yes,
Khushi?” he murmured encouragingly.
“I just
wanted to say…maybe it will be alright. I mean, atleast I will have Jiji there
with me. New town, new people, new husband, woh bhi khadoos… Atleast Jiji will
be the same….” Khushi tried to calm herself down.
Arnav shut
his eyes in pain. He was uprooting her from everything she knew, everything
familiar and replanting her in alien
soil.
“Khushi…”
his husky whisper soothed her. “Khushi, you will never have to be scared
anymore. Not of lightning or thunder, not of the dark, not of sleeping alone. I
will be there with you all the time.” he promised.
Khushi
nodded. Atleast if she was fighting with him all night, she wouldn’t notice the thunder
and lightning!
She cheered up.
“My Nani,
Mami, Mama, my Di, my brothers…they have all been waiting for me to get
married, for long. They will treat you like a princess. You will never want for
anything.” he promised.
Khushi
nodded. “Hum phoone rakhte hein. Neighbours have come to look at the clothes
and jewellery.”
“Khushi!”
he stopped her. “There is one more advantage to marrying me.”
Khushi
frowned. “Kya?”
“You can
see my bare chest whenever you want to. It will be your haq!” he teased her to
make her angry.
Khushi
gasped, “Awww!” her mouth wide in an ‘O’.
ASR cut the
call, smiling.
The
Raizadas came in full strength, weighed down with gifts for the two brides. The
two grooms were banned from attending the function.
“Khushiji,
Payalji, we have all come for your Shagun. Hum kerchief laa rahe he!” NK
announced happily.
“Hein?”
Buaji stared at him.
“Kerchief
naahin, NK Bitwaa!” Mami hastened to correct him. “Tashreef, tashreef!”
Buaji and
all the others burst out laughing.
Buaji
pinched and pulled NK’s cheek, “Bahut mazaakiya ho, Nandkisore!”
“Buaji!” NK
tried to escape. “It hurts…ooo…ouch!”
Anjali
teased both brides after filling their laps with gifts.
“Akash & Chotey
wanted to accompany us. It took a lot of effort on our part to stop them!”
The pleasant
picture of the Shaitan tied down with shackles and locked up in chains, singing “O Priya, Priya,
kyun bhula diya” flashed through her mind. But it is only a dream, Khushi
Kumari Gupta, she told herself. The chains that could bind him had not been
forged yet! And if he were tied, he would be saying “What the!” instead of “O
Priya, Priya!”
“Don’t be
sad, Khushiji!” Anjali whispered in her ear. “Chotey will come to see you in
the evening!”
Of course
he would! Khushi thought. He couldn’t very well ask Nanheji to push the ring on
to her finger, could he?
After the
Raizadas left, Khushi and Payal were given their lunch and asked to rest before
the festivities of the evening.
Khushi
drifted off to sleep.
She saw
herself dressed in a red lehenga like a
bride, walking alone in a desert. Wind blew her lehenga around her. Sand dunes
changed shape around her, the wild wind lashing sand in to her eyes. She pulled
her ghoonghat more firmly over her head.
She was
waiting for him…her groom. She looked around anxiously. Where was he? He had
promised to wait for her.
She caught
sight of a flash of blue. She lifted the skirt of her lehenga with both hands
and ran towards him. If only she could catch a glimpse of his face! But like a
mirage, he vanished when she reached there.
Panting,
Khushi called out, “Suniye! Where are you!”
She caught
movement to her left. He, dressed in a blue sherwani, was walking away from her.
She ran after him, trying to reach him. But he was too fast for her.
“Suniye!
Suniye! Hamari baat suniye!” she hollered through a dry throat, panic and the
eagerness to see him making tears fall down her cheeks.
Then he
turned to look at her, the ever present smirk on his face. His sherwani was
unbuttoned till his waist, letting her see the golden skin of his chest and
hard stomach.
“Khushi!
Khushi!”
Khushi
jumped up, gasping.
“Khushi!
What did you want to tell me? Why are you crying?” Payal was sitting up in bed
by her side, anxious.
“Huh?”
Khushi asked.
“You said,
Suniye, hamari baat suniye! Did you want to tell me something?” Payal asked.
“Nothing,
Jiji! I just had a nightmare!” Khushi pushed Payal in to bed and threw the blanket over her Jiji's head.
She then lay down,
burying her face in her pillow.
The Rakshas
wouldn’t even let her dream in peace! Khushi grit her teeth and her fingers clutched
the pillow. He and his muscles! And his ever present smirk!
Part 20
Part 19
Gomti Sadan
looked beautiful, almost regal.
The house
was decorated with strands and chains of yellow and orange marigold flowers,
and lit by a hundred fairy lights.
Sasi Gupta
stood at the main entrance to welcome all the guests, smiling, folding his
hands, showing his neighbours to the room in which his daughters were getting
ready and the main hall where the sagai was to take place.
Anjali,
Mami, Mama, NK, & Nani led Arnav & Akash in to Gomti Sadan. Manju and
Aman followed.
Buaji & Garima emerged from the recesses of the house to
greet their soon-to-be relations, and the happy families converged in the
humongous living room of the ancient building.
A purohit was making the last
minute arrangements for the havan.
The Guptas
introduced the Raizadas to their neighbours, and there was a lot of teasing and
laughter in the room. Akash was one big blush while ASR tried very hard not to
flush. NK flitted like a happy butterfly from one fond aunty to the next,
eyeing the beautiful girls there.
“Nandkisore!
Are you planning to follow in the footsteps of your brothers?” Buaji pulled his
ear.
“Buaji!” NK
protested.
“Why are
your eyes running from one girl to the next, hein?” she teased.
“Dekhne
mein kya burjji he?” NK asked.
Buaji
gasped.
“Sorry,
dekhne mein harjai kya he?” NK asked, trying to free his ear.
“Harz, NK
Bhai!” Akash hissed.
All
laughed.
“Maaf
keejiye! Hamra bhateeja Kidney se aaya he! Uska Hindi thoda…thoda weak he!”
Mamiji told the crowd.
All nodded goodnaturedly.
Someone
opened the door to Payal & Khushi’s bedroom, and Mittu flew out in to the
living room and perched on ASR’s shoulder.
He looked
at the bird with wary eyes. There was no saying what she would sing.
“Raaja ki aayegi baraat
Rangeeli hogi raat,
Magan mein nachoongi!” Mittu
trilled. She flapped her wings in excitement.
ASR
blushed.
All the
guests laughed.
“Khussi has
picked the right groom, Madhumatiji!” Preetho’s mother said. “Mittu too likes
him!”
All nodded.
“Hamra
Arnav Bitwaa he hi aisen!” Buaji claimed. “Whoever meets him falls for his good
manners and sanskar, Nandkisore!”
Raizadas
stared at ASR and at Buaji. Was she speaking of the same man?
Aman pressed his
fist against his lips to prevent himself from laughing. Manju gave up the fight
and guffawed. Anjali choked.
Mittu flew
away to sit on a beam, from where she could watch all the proceedings without
disturbance.
The crowd
suddenly became silent.
Ladies led
the two brides–to-be in to the crowd. Arnav and Akash stood staring at the
beauty of their partners.
Payal was in a yellow and blue lehenga, the colour
highlighting the golden colour of her skin.
Khushi was in an orange and violet
lehenga, the skirt falling gracefully around her slim legs. Her hair was unbound,
just tied back at the nape with some decorative trinket. Her choli was short,
but the dupatta hid her bounty from the keen eyes of ASR.
“Payaliyaa,
this is your groom, isn’t he? Look carefully before you give your answer. “ the
ladies teased Payal.
Payal
glanced at an Akash in a yellow kurta and blushed, nodding. All laughed.
“Khussi!
Tum bhi zara dekh lio!”
Khushi
lifted her eyes to look at her Shaitan. He was in a white kurta, looking very
dashing. The kurta had a low neck, and she could see much. Khushi swallowed
through a dry throat and lifted her eyes to his.
He was smiling at her.
Why couldn’t
he smile? He didn’t have to dream of her! Nor did he have to suffer
breathlessness and dhak dhak when she came close to him!
Khushi
averted her eyes rapidly & nodded.
“Khussi!
You are feeling shy!” the ladies laughed.
“Today is a special day, Madhumatiji!
Your tomboy niece knows how to blush, hein?”
“Only on
Holi and Diwali!” laughed Buaji loudly.
“Your
Titliyaa will now have to settle on her flower, Madhumatiji! She won’t be able
to run around Lucknow eating ber and chewing channa and fighting with all the
boys!” Preetho’s mother laughed.
“Acha he,
acha he, Nandkisore!” Buaji laughed.
Khushi
glowered at all her chachis and maasis who were having a riotous time at her
expense. What did they know of the truth? Of the great tyaag she was doing to
see her Jiji happy? Of the real nature of the Laad Governaar who was smirking
and smirking and smirking away?
The Guptas
led the Raizadas and the couples to the havan. It was time for the pooja.
“Sit down,
Nandkisore!” Buaji invited the pairs. “The havan is for you, for your happiness
and long married life. Payaliyaa, sit with Akass Bitwaa. And Titliyaa, sit with
Arnav Bitwaa.”
Payal and
Akash sat down, leaving a decorous distance between them. As the ladies teased
them, Khushi sat down by her Jiji.
ASR sat down,
very close to her.
His left thigh rubbed against hers. Khushi
jumped, looking at him with startled eyes.
He smiled
at her astonishment.
The purohit
started the pooja. The pairs prayed and did everything they were asked to
do. Mittu watched them, sitting on the
beam.
Khushi
stole glances at the Laad Governaar. Feeling her eyes on him, he met her eyes
every time, enjoying her discomfort at his nearness.
Khushi
pulled the dupatta to cover more of her, turning her flushed face away to look
at the fire.
After the
pooja ended and the prasad was distributed, Garima marked Arnav & Akash
with tilak while Anjali did the same for Khushi and Mamiji followed suit for Payal.
Buaji tied
raksha dhaga on Akash & Arnav’s wrists, and Garima held out a tray with
jewellery boxes placed on a bed of red rose petals.
Payal took
a diamond ring and shyly placed it on Akash’s finger. Akash reciprocated, and
the pair looked flushed and happy at their achievement.
Arnav
looked at Khushi’s face as she looked at Payal’s beaming visage. She was smiling,
very happy for her sister, lost in dreams for her sister.
“Oh
Titliyaa! Now it is your turn!” Buaji hissed.
Khushi came
back with a start.
“What will
I do with this Bhooleshwari Devi, Nandkisore?” Buaji exclaimed under her breath
as she held out the tray for Khushi.
Khushi
looked at ASR’s face. He was smiling at her.
“Shall we?” he asked softly.
Khushi
swallowed.
She
stretched her hand out and took a narrow, plain white gold band. She extended it
towards him. He held his hand out.
Khushi
caught his hand with her left one, and gently pushed the band on to his finger.
Arnav took
the ring he had selected for her. A single ruby, surrounded by diamonds,
embedded on a thin band of white gold. He slipped it on to her finger.
All looked
at each other, happy, thrilled. Nani, Mami, & Anjali wiped away tears of
joy. Garima hugged Buaji.
Khushi
looked at the smiling faces of Akashji & Jiji. She then looked curiously at
the brand on her finger. The red ruby winked at her. The Shaitan had marked her
for his. Khushi drew in a deep, tremulous breath. Her fate was sealed.
ASR looked
at her pensive face.
He leaned
forward and pressed a sound kiss on her cheek.
The crowd
gasped, thrilled at this public display of affection. Manju fell in to a chair,
collapsing like a pricked balloon. Aman stood slackjawed at the temerity of his
boss to kiss his fiancee in the presence of all his & her relations.
Khushi too
gasped, blown out of her mind at his audacity.
“Khushiji!
Payalji! Now you two are my bhabhis and I am your deewar!” NK claimed,
thrilled.
“Dewar!
Dewar, NK Bhai!” Akash rushed to correct him.
All
laughed, even ASR.
Khushi
looked at the Shaitaan’s laughing visage.
When he
laughs, who bilkul Laad Governaar nahin lagte! she thought, feeling her heart clench.
Part 20
Khushi
dragged ASR to her bedroom and locked the door as soon as she possibly could.
“What did
you do?” she fumed. “How dare you!”
“Kya
hua, Khushi?” ASR was an innocent boy.
“Right in
front of all my neighbours…my maasis…my chachis…the children…the purohit… your
relations… Buaji…Amma…Babuji!” Khushi clutched her head. “He Devi Maiyya, what
kind of a mad man have you sent for me?”
She
collapsed on the bed.
“How will I
look them in the face? They will tease me…. I will have to wear a burkha to go
out of the house…or wait till night to walk out!” Khushi ranted, imagining
possible scenarios.
“Why are
you so worried, Khushi? Is it because of the chumban?” he asked, his eyes wide.
“Is it
because of the chumban, he asks me!” Khushi exclaimed sarcastically. “No, I was
crying because there were no jalebis for dinner!”
“Khushi…”
he walked towards her.
"Don't Khushi me!" She jumped
up and moved away.
He walked
towards her. She moved backwards…. back…back…till she hit the wall.
“Khushi…”
he spoke in a soothing voice. “We are engaged. Engaged couples can give chumban
to each other. It is permitted.”
Khushi’s
mouth fell open. “It is?”
“Of course
it is.” ASR’s honeyed tongue calmed her slightly.
She
frowned. “Acha? I don’t know…woh kya he, I have never been engaged before….”
Khushi admitted slowly, thinking furiously.
ASR hid his
smile.
But she
rebounded. “How do you know? Have you been engaged before?” she wiggled her
brows, demanding answers.
ASR said,
“No, I have not been engaged before.” He moved close to her and cupped her
face. Looking in to her eyes, he asked gravely,
“By the way, Khushi, what irritated you more, the fact that I gave you a
chumban before others or that I gave you a chumban?”
Khushi
gasped, the answer rushing to her head, but too subversive to be spoken.
ASR’s eyes
mellowed, reading the answer on her astonished face. He lowered his face and
showered kisses on her forehead, her brows, her eyes, her cheeks, her chin….and
near her lips….
Khushi
stood as if turned to stone, trying to assimilate the various sensations
crowding her veins, trying to calm the thunderous beat of her heart, trying to
breathe….
Slowly, her
lashes fluttered open.
He looked
in to pools of nascent need, of burgeoning want, of budding passion.… Reading
the unspoken desire of her body, he pulled her close in to his hold, letting
her rest against him. Her heart beat against his, singing the same song of
simmering sensuality.
They stood
for long, Khushi too tired and too shocked by the pleasure that she had derived
from his touch and by the answer to his question.
“Titliyaa!”
came Buaji’s call.
Khushi
jerked away from him.
“Titliyya,
thoda sharm karo! Arnav Babua’s family is waiting to go home. Let him go. You
can talk later, Nandkisore!” Buaji hollered , standing at the shut door.
ASR smiled
at Khushi’s averted face. “I have to go now.”
Khushi
nodded.
“We can
fight later.” he cheered her up.
Khushi
nodded. She had a lot of thinking to do.
He caught
hold of her hand and looked at the ring he had placed there.
“It looks
beautiful on your finger.” he said.
Khushi
looked at him, and at the ring she had placed on his finger.
He lifted
her hand to his face and dropped a kiss on the ring.
Khushi
stood staring at him, not having expected such a move from him.
“Good
night, Khushi. Sleep well. And dream well, Mrs. Soon-to-be Rakshas!” he got in
the last word before leaving her.
He moved close to her and cupped her face. Looking in to her eyes, he
asked gravely, “By the way, Khushi, what
irritated you more, the fact that I gave you a chumban before others or that I
gave you a chumban?”
Khushi’s lips parted, and the truth tumbled out. “You should not have…not
before all the guests.”
“I should have waited till we were alone?” His eyebrow arched in
question.
Khushi lowered her head in bashfulness, nodding slightly.
“We are alone now.” he whispered, his chocolate-brown eyes showering fire
that burned her skin.
Khushi tried to turn away from his all-seeing eyes. He caught hold of her
arm and tugged her closer. His fingers trailed over the sensitive skin of her
arm, relishing the feel of her skin as though it were silk.
Kapdawala
kahin ka! she thought.
As she looked in to his face, trapped in his strong arms and held against
his muscular chest, he swooped down. His lips touched her cheek and moved down
towards her jaw, lingering near the seam of her lips.
Khushi trembled, panting, her eyes shut. His lips gently brushed against
the curve of her lips, her skin feeling scorched by his touch, her limbs
feeling weak….
Khushi
jumped up, panting, sweating. She looked around in shock.
Her poor
Jiji was fast asleep, hugging her pillow. Mittu was dozing on her beam, making
soft whimpering sounds as she dreamed of seeds and treats.
Had she dreamed of the Rakshas? Or had he stolen
in to her bedroom? It had seemed so real! His touch, his chumban…Khushi touched
her lips to see if they were still there!
Was he
hiding in her room? She peeked under the bed. There was no one there.
She shook
out her blankets. No, he was not there.
She looked
behind the wardrobe and under the table. No one.
How dare he
disturb her sleep? She ran to get the phone he had given to her. She would call
him and chastise him for disturbing her.
She pressed
his number, and as it rang, cut the call. She needed to gather herself before
challenging him. Maybe she should wait till morning.
She dropped
the phone on her pillow, and slipped in to bed. Let it dawn, she promise
herself. I will show him who is the malik! No, malkin!
ASR checked
his phone as he woke up. A missed call from Khushi. At 1am. A smile bloomed on
his lips. He quickly called her back.
Khushi
grumbled in her sleep as the phone made a din, hurting her ear.
“Helloooooo…”
she mumbled.
“Khushi…”
the husky voice sent all her sleep running away from her like children at the
sight of a teacher with a cane!
She sat up
straight in her bed, the phone at her ear, her eyes bright and alert.
“Why did
you call me?” he asked.
“Call you?”
she scratched her head. “I did not call you. You called me.” He was ajeeb!
“Last
night. You called me?” She could hear him smiling.
“Nahin to.”
Khushi frowned. “You must have dreamed that I called you!”
“Then why
is there a missed call from your number?” he asked softly.
Khushi
gulped. She had forgotten that she had tried to call him.
“Did you
dream of me, Khushi?” he asked, his voice touching every nerve end and making
her shudder in reaction.
She cut the
call, shut down the phone, and buried it under her pillow. Out of sight, out of
mind, she thought!
“Oh, neend na mujhko aaye!
Dil mera ghabaraae….
Chup ke chup ke, koi aa ke,
Soya pyaar jagaae….O ho..ho..ho..ho….” Mittu sang.
Dil mera ghabaraae….
Chup ke chup ke, koi aa ke,
Soya pyaar jagaae….O ho..ho..ho..ho….” Mittu sang.
Khushi glared at the bird. "No seed for you today, Mittu rani! You too are out to burn my heart like that Laad Governaar!"
Once again lovely update Smita,
ReplyDeleteWonder how much Mittu will aid ASR now.
Eagerly waiting.
Ha..ha..
DeleteWonderful update smita....
ReplyDeleteLol kushi and arnavz marriage!!!....
Fun to read...
ASR wil have to deal with his bhootni all his life!
DeleteAmazing arnav !! Khushi he has played its card.....nw wat will u do ? :-p
ReplyDeleteYes, it seems that ASR is winning!
DeletePerfect ASR has to win.....kushi would wring arnav neck with the stunt he pulled
ReplyDeleteAs soon as she gets a chance!
DeleteIf Khushi announces 'knowledge of singing and dancing', 'no temper tantrums' and 'deep, irrevocable love for her'(he already is well versed in that one) as prerequisites for her dulha, Mr Khadoos Shaitan will be more than willing to do everything that Mittu does.
ReplyDelete“Each time the Rakshas comes, he brings more of his family with him!" “I should hang a board on the gate saying that Laad Governaars are not welcome here!” . I nearly split my sides reading this.
"On Jiji’s shagun, on her sagai, on her mehendi, on her sangeet, on her haldi, on her marriage, on her suhaag raat"....ha ha...LG will ensure that Khushi is a part of all those ceremonies along with her jiji!!
"He would kiss her on her palm and her cheek and her.." He would certainly not stop after the kissing.... he would be taking it much further... I mean Khushi has noticed the way he was leering at her in her yellow-green lehenga !!
I can actually hear Khushi's "Nahi.." in my head. LOL. Khushi has by now realised that LG's plan has worked like a charm. Not just Khushi, even I am looking forward to the 'talk' between Sanka Devi and Laad Governor...Will the 'talk' happen or will LG just leave from there with a victorious smile and a smug look on his face ? let's see...
I promise to make their meeting dhamakedaar, full of fireworks, chatpata!
DeleteAbsolutely awesome part Smita. Loved Khushi's reaction to her marriage with ASR and Mittu's timely song.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to next part.
She is a namuna!
DeleteHayeeee hayeeee finally marriage gonna happen yayyyyy.
ReplyDeleteby the way ASR will talk to her now or he will move yaar Smita?
I really want them to talk and know what would be Sankadevi's reaction while talking to him lolz hahahaha.
Payal in a dreamland and khushi in a thinkingland hahahha
Next update will be worth the wait! Promise!
DeleteBTW when is the next update dear?
DeleteWed.
DeleteWed?
DeleteSo 2 more days of waiting? Oh no... :(
Whoohoo!!!!
ReplyDeletelooks like ASR is winning.... lets see wat our sankadevi is gonna do...
eagerly waiting for Wednesday!
Hoping to post by noon on Tue.
Deletenot only next update but ur each and every update is worth waiting my darl Smita muaaaahhhhhh.
ReplyDeleteThank u, my sweetie!
DeleteAwesome update...Khushi went to Arnav's room to fight. hahaha and forget to breath:). Eagerly waiting for next update....
ReplyDeleteWow! Khushi in Arnav's room.... Loving it! Continue soon!
ReplyDeleteHis broad shoulders, his muscled, hairless chest, his strong arms with lean muscles, the sculpted lines of his back … Mr BSR (Badtameez Seducer Rakshas) seems to be making the most of his best assets !! Bhootni will certainly not think about sinking a knife into him now... in fact Adonis Singh Raizada is going to give her rapid dhak-dhaks and intense acidity. The update had me swooning and the spoiler pic, for the upcoming part, what do I say...Maar dala.... haan Maar dala.
ReplyDeleteawwww my shirtlesss handsome and hot ASR and now he unbuckled his belt and whats next Smita? u r so naughty to stop there yaar. ab toh khushi ki dhak dhak and acidity aasman ko chooo chuki hogi lolz.
ReplyDeletegosh this ASR is so naughty exactly like u Smita,
She gone to ASR's room for a fight but lets seee whats gonna happen and i think something naughty will happen.
khushi ki dhak dhak ko maro goli ab toh meri dhak dhak badgaye hain yaar.
next part pls yaar Smita.
That was fantabulous Smita. Next part please yaar
ReplyDeleteDhak dhak bad rahi hai dear.
Waiting eagerly for next part Smita...
ReplyDeletePoor Khushi. Glad that she didn't suffer heart-attack. Ha..Ha..Ha.. :-))))
ReplyDeleteAnd ASR's shatir dimag and Khushi's sankadeviness ensured that Bhootni will marry the Rakshas. Brilliant.
Looking eagerly for next part in the Battle Royale between KKG and ASR
read all the parts n i could not help bt smile
ReplyDeletearnav is soooo adorable here
so different
awww i jst fall in love with all ur arrnav
no ones does tht better thn u
hahahaha khushi behosh ho gayi lolz, ASR only u can do that to her.
ReplyDeleteHe wanted to attract her but gosh, i think she was so much attracted towards him that she couldnt stand and fell down hahhaha.
ASR teasing her was a real treat Smita.
loved each and every part of this ss and im in love with this story.
Awesome update...
ReplyDeleteMoral of today's update : "A shirtless ASR, who has unbuckled his belt and is about to undo his trousers, is hazardous to health... sehat ke liye haanikarak hota hai."
ReplyDelete"Nanga ghoom raha he! Ganda bacha!" ROFL...Only Khushi can have the audacity of calling ASR 'ganda bacha'.
"I don’t like your tongue.".. After today's encounter Khushi will certainly have a favourable opinion of the said tongue !! She will soon discover the various other valuable services that the tongue in question is capable of providing...ahem ahem.
"Khushi thought furiously…and came up with the wrong answer….again!" LOL. Khushi has decided to become the sacrificial lamb, so that her jiji is blessed with a lifetime of marital bliss.
Of all the monikers, 'Singham with shakkar ki bimari' takes the jackpot. Ha..ha..
ASR has fallen head over heels in love with her but has not confessed. Naive Khushi has accepted his proposal but with incorrect assumptions. I am loving this story, of ASR introducing her to the world of passion, of Khushi's getting acquainted with the new found feelings, of how an innocent girl metamorphoses into a woman, a wife, who falls deeply in love with her husband :)
Oh my god...Khushi is too sweet ...too innocent ..she can only come up with such idea...awesome
ReplyDeleteHey Smita, please update next part soon dear
ReplyDeletePlease update next part soon
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Loved the update. Looking forward to next part.
ReplyDeletePoor Khushi decided that she will not get any love in her marriage. Her thoughts of future and her dreams are both sad and hilarious. Nicely written Smitha!
ReplyDeleteAwesome, waiting for the next part, please upload asap.
ReplyDeleteSo when ASR carries his bride over the threshold, she will be having a parrot perched on her shoulders.. ha...ha. Hey Devi Maiyya Mittu ki raksha karana cos these two nuts will definitely drive this parrot insane !!
ReplyDeleteLoved Arnav's promise of a happily ever-after...his assurance that she will never under any circumstances be lonely.
The bare-chested devil is giving Khushi nightmares(?). Khushi hasn't realised the fact that she is falling for her Sharabi Singham....What a cute story you have woven Smi.
hi, you always bring a smile on my face with every update. beautifully written
ReplyDeleteWow the engagement is done !!! :-D
ReplyDeleteAnd khushi still doesnt knw just how much arnav loves her :-(
love the update!!!
ReplyDeletewaiting for the next update.
Loved the engagement and the Rakshas antics. Wish NK also gets a good girl. Looking forward to next part.
ReplyDeleteLove is finding the way via washboard abs and a laughing visage, navigated by Mittu the parrot. :-)
ReplyDeletePoor Khushi. She is slowly falling in love with ASR and not getting it.:-)))
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely loved Mittu's song choice to describe Khushi's situation after the ARHILICIOUS update. Looking forward to next part.
Mittu has a wide & varied selection of songs!
ReplyDeleteTrue. Looking forward to Mittu and ASR's funny encounters
Deleteha ha ha paavam khushi avalude urakkam nashtapettu
ReplyDeleteInni Shivarathri aanu!
DeleteAs if chumban by ASR in the presence of the entire family wasn't scandalous enough, Khushi then drags him into the bedroom and locks the door behind them. Well Buaji and the rest of the family have a fair idea that they are definitely not "talking" behind closed doors.
ReplyDeleteIf the knowledge, that exclusive chumban rights is a privilege which engaged couples are endowed with, greatly surprises Khushi, wonder what her reaction would be when she becomes familiar with the various benefits that married couples enjoy ;-) Hey DM...It seems like ASR's naughtiness has rubbed off on me.
I love that bird BTW ... she has the most apt choice in songs. When Mittu is done with these two, I plan on adopting her. What do I say, I like listening to songs !!
As soon as ASR knows of ur interest in Mittu, u can be sure that he will pack & parcel Mittu to you so that he can enjoy an uninterrupted honeymoon!
DeleteHa.... ha.... LOL.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteHahaha...quite funny but I love to read this story. I got a Khushi by reading story of Khushi. Thanks for sharing such nice story.
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