Chapter 37
His eyes were glued on the girl in the white frock fidgeting about with her dress, her baby brown eyes reflecting the annoyance she felt at sporting such a dress. Her one hand pulled the frock from all its edges trying to smooth out the pleats in it, while her other hand was tightly camouflaged under her mother's large grip, whose back was to him talking to one of her friends. Besides the two of them stood a heavily built man, in the same uniform as his father, and by what he could understand his father and that man worked in the same office.
Left hand tightly enclosed in the grip of his father, who was busy talking to one of his officials, Arnav stared at the girl in the white frock who was by every movement that she made, made him more inclined to look at her and only her. From the corner of his eye he could see his two elder siblings, fooling around at the buffet table, trying to get the chefs to hand over some goodies to them, but well obviously however adorable his no good siblings looked the chefs were determined to follow orders.
He flinched a bit, when he caught the girl looking straight into his eyes with an exasperated look. For an instance he thought it was for him, but upon seeing her ballerina white shoes draped in the green of the grass, he realized it was the grass that was irking her. Fluttering her eyelashes she kicked the grass away with her other shoe, smiling a pleased smile to herself, which much to his amusement was one of defeating the grass rather than realizing how she made her pure white shoes all muddy brown.
Arjun Singh Raizada was done discussing official matters with one of his fellow work mates, and was pulling his youngest son to where his wife Anita was seated, when he realized that his little boy was not moving at all, instead staring right at a girl, almost as if under a trance.
"Chotte, do you like that girl?" he asked his son sitting on his knee on the grassy ground, when Arnav craned his neck to register the approaching voice of his father.
"Yes Paa" he said confidently, his cheeks flushing with red color, making him look cuter than he was. For a normal 5 year old boy, his handsome features were more cuter than most boys he studied with, making girls go gaga over him almost all the time. Not that he cared for anyone of them anyway, even now staring at that girl he could see a lot of girls staring at him, but that didn't matter, what mattered was that the girl in the white frock was not looking at him. It made him feel disappointed that out of all people the girl he had chosen to stare at, was not reciprocating his actions. So much for a girl, his young mind thought to himself.
"Go talk to her then. You don't want her to go away without you even knowing her name do you?" Arjun winked at his young son, highly amused at his infatuation with the pretty young girl. What caught his eye was the lady the girl was holding her hand to, her back was towards him but the familiar figure reminded him of someone, or at least he thought that she was the one. There was every opportunity for her to be that, after all he had seen him here too, Aryan Gupta.
"I don't talk to girls. She won't even look at me, what if she is rude to me? I don't want to slap her." Arnav reasoned back in his gruff, innocent tone making Arjun come from his world of thoughts and look at his son who seemed deeply troubled over the issue.
"Chotte, good boys don't slap girls. Good boys don't slap anyone alright? *pause* You are a brave boy aren't you? The girl seems nice, go talk to her and ask her name, maybe you can be friends with her then." Arjun Raizada tried to convince his young arrogant son, who shook his head, his gaze now looking troubled seeing the girl leave with her mother towards the exit door, the heavily built man, carrying her away, out of the party hall.
"Paa, she's gone." He said sadly, looking down as Arjun himself saw the fleeting figures of the family disappear out of the hall, and looked at his discontented son, picking him up from his feet.
"Don't worry Chotte, maybe you will find her some day. Don't forget to ask her name when you do." Mr.Raizada told his son in a comforting tone, who had a low sided look on his face, staring right back over his father's shoulder to see at the door, from where she had disappeared, the last of her frilly frock invading his thoughts.
Arnav looked at the screen of the calculator in front of him portraying Syntax Error, and pushed it away from him self, the register he was working in being dragged to the other end of the room as well. He stared blankly at the edge of his cupboard recalling what had happened moments ago, relating it with the first time he had seen her. Something in him crept inside, making him feel like an old long lost promise to his father being revived all over again. Eleven years from the memory of it, he had asked her name, he had changed it to his convenience rather, but was it safe to say that they were friends?
"Nah I am not going to be sorry for hugging you, you should get use to of it now, I do that quite often to people I am fond off. *long pause* (extending her hand towards him) Though I think we are friends, but erm can we just make it official?" she asked cutely, making him shake his head violently and grin at her, taking in her hand, the two shaking their hand together, marking the beginning of something new.
He wanted to think that they were still friends, at least that was one thing that was good but then what had happened a few minutes ago, triggered his mind to think if anything had changed. Were they friends? Just only that, or maybe were they even ever friends? Had he been inclined towards her back then so he could be friends with her? No. He rejected the thought of it in his brain, the friends option had not even come to his mind until his father had mentioned. If not that, then what was he even thinking back then about her? More importantly, What was he thinking now?
His mind was buzzing with questions, when he heard the door bell ring and walked out of his room, trying to attain some peace in his mind, when almost coincidently, the moment he stepped out of his room, she came bustling towards the door from her own, bumping right into him. For a split second none could comprehend what had gone between them, when Khushi suddenly moved away from where he had placed his hand on her shoulder to stop himself from tripping. She removed his hand with one wave, rubbing her forehead, and strolled towards the door, just after Anjali and Aakash came behind her a minute later, Arnav still standing stationary outside his room's door. Aakash looked at his lost expression for a moment, poking his elbow into Anjali's questioning her with his eyes but she seemed least interested and shook her head, standing next to Khushi who was smiling brightly at Anita, letting her inside and closing the door behind her.
Anjali skipped upwards hugging her mother tightly, since she had returned much earlier from work on her request to come home early so that they could open the party gifts. Aakash too was beaming in happiness, and Arnav managed a small smile seeing the happy atmosphere around him, as Anita Raizada told them to take out the gifts and place them in the living hall while she went to freshen up.
Once Anita had disappeared into her room, Aakash and Anjali over excited to open their gifts went to the store room to get all the gifts where they had kept them in a hurry on the night of the party due to the sudden sickness attack Arnav had faced. Khushi helped them out with carrying all the gifts to the living room table, giving her best to ignore Arnav after their ugly encounter earlier. She didn't want to think about the infinite possibilities that had sprung up in her brain, about the relationship she and him shared, she didn't want to think that there could be something more than that met the eye. The thought of it haunted her, and to avoid the uncomfortable feeling she wanted to keep herself busy in any work, and maintain a safe distance from him. She still had a lot of feelings to sort, like the ecstatic feeling inside her when she came to know that he had a crush on her when he was 5, the feeling of disappointment when she came to know that he would do nothing if he found that girl, but their was a genuine sickness inside her, knowing that he now knew she was the girl in the sketch. How would he deal with this fact at all? Would it make things worst? She didn't know, but there was no denying she desperately wanted to know.
Arnav noted her strained actions carefully, knowing what would be going on in her mind too, but it was an uncomfortable thing. The less he wanted to think about it, the more he was inclined to think more.
"Answer me Gupta! Is this you?" he said more seriously this time, looking straight into her eyes which were unable to maintain eye contact with him and kept looking away from him and at her hand which he was holding firmly.
"Even if it was, it wouldn't be much use to you. After all I can never be your Katniss can I?" she said her voice low, and he could sense an inward implication in her words, his grip on her hand getting loose, the chance which she quickly availed, and stomped out of the room, not turning back once to even see how shocked and lost in thought he looked.
Aakash and Anjali had already moved the center glass table that was surrounded by couches, and pushed it to a corner of the living room, instead filling the space it occupied with the bundles of brightly colored wrapped gifts. Khushi meanwhile collected, the large sitting cushions from Aakash's room and placed them around the gifts for everyone to sit on them. They had just only finished with the setting with Anjali bringing some snacks from the kitchen when Anita came out, dressed in her informals smiling at the foursome of the teenagers. She took her place on one of the pillows followed by everyone else, coincidently, Arnav and Khushi finding the places left with cushions next to each other.
The air of awkwardness still around them, they both sat glancing at each other once, and from there on maintained as little eye contact as possible. Everybody started to open the countless number of gifts, the pile mixed with gifts both for Anjali and Aakash, while Arnav seeming very disinterested just sat there, his hands supporting his chin avoiding himself from dozing off to sleep, or to the best trying not to scorn.
"That Kevin is living in Stone Age I swear! What with the back to back head phone gift every year?" Aakash voiced out annoyingly, staring in disgust at the black plastic covered headphones in his hand, a good part of his mind telling him to throw them away. Everybody looked highly amused seeing Aakash so displeased with the gift he had received, especially Anjali who only at that moment had unpacked a beautiful aquamarine necklace in a royal blue velvet coated box.
"Remember last to last year he gifted you goggles because he thought that your own glasses looked very wacky? (Aakash narrows his eyes at her) I guess this time he has issues with your ears. (making a thoughtful face) Stimulating your listening maybe?" Anjali said in a 'I can pull your leg whenever I like' tone, making Aakash rot with irritation, his inner desires going high on strangling Anjali to death.
"Anji be quite will you? (eyeing Khushi who was trying her best to stop laughing) We have guests here" he stated briefly, making Anjali's eyes look at Khushi where Aakash had briefly looked, and Khushi immediately stopped laughing, feeling a bit embarrassed for being such a giggling fool.
"Since when did Khushi turn into a guest for you eh? You were the one who was yelling the house down, calling her Arnav wali Khushi when she came to our house the first time, only to consider that we two barely even knew her" Anjali countered back and immediately as she realized what she had said she bit her lip and closed her eyes tight, Aakash's palm directly slamming onto his forehead, while Khushi and Arnav looked at each other oddly, after which Arnav had his eyes completely fixed in a highly vexed manner at Anjali.
"It's Khushi" Anjali replied back excitedly.
"Who Khushi? Oh, that Khushi? That Arnav wali Khushi?" Aakash said more louder than usual, to make himself clear, still under the assumption That people in their household were deaf. Hearing Aakash's, naughty reply, Khushi looked from Anjali to the entire lavishly furniture room in bewildered, at the way the siblings were connecting to her. "Arnav wali Khushi"? Now what in the world did his brother mean by that? She frowned to herself, upon realizing that his sibling would have been surely briefed by that stupid Raizada, about how cruel she was, inconsiderate, blah, blah. So much to expect from Raizada.
But what was worse was the amusing grin playing on Anita's face, her eyes shifting from an equally guilty Aakash and Anjali to the couple of Arnav and Khushi who were too busy hiding the color from their faces. Though Khushi seemed less effected, Arnav seemed like he would burst any moment and pounce up on Anjali beating the hell out of her, which given the circumstances was not very possible. Khushi and Arnav both chose the same time to look at the half amused, half questioning look on Anitas face, that smirk on her face making both of them mirror the same thought- jump in the well and drown.
"Have you got peanuts for brains? This was supposed to be an internal joke, can't your buttons see that Maa is here too!" Aakash ushered to Anjali in a very irritated voice, pinching her hard on her elbow, making her howl with pain, which to the advantage of Arnav and Khushi diverted Anita's attention towards the twins.
"When will you two grow up? 18 and honestly you don't act a day older than 8." Anita remarked in a hoarse tone at the twins, who shared menacing, 'kill you' looks with each other and looked back at their mother, who by this time, had shifted to a better mood, willing to let go of the awkwardness that had prevailed between them.
"Dear let go of the head phones now. You can gift these back to Kevin maybe and let him know that his assumptions of your ears being defected was wrong" Anita said casually, trying to lighten the mood around, successful in her attempt as Aakash grinned at her cheekily, everybody getting back to opening rest of the gifts. The clock ticked away as more grift papers swayed away all over the living room, the gifts they were wrapped in coming into everyone's view. Anjali had particularly started blushing hard at the book that Shyam had gifted her, showing it to everyone without making it too obvious how it affected her. Aakash being him had not let go of the chance and had whispered quite a few teases to Anjali who in utter anger had thrown one of the 'Ink' series books on Aakash's face hitting him square in his nose, initiating another contest between the twins. Most of the gifts had been unwrapped and only a handful of them were remaining all of them raving to open them too and get over it.
Anita picked up a gift wrapped in shimmering blue gift paper, and read the greetings on it a bright smile lighting up her face.
"Here's your gift Khushi. Let's see what you gave monkey boy. Anjali's Blue Diamond perfume was very nice" Anita said in an appreciative tone making Khushi smile and started getting her fingers to work unwrapping the gift, when Khushi's face clouded with tension and she moved away from her couch, creeping behind where Aakash was sitting his eyes fixed on the gift Anita was unwrapping.
"Bhai its doom time for you and me. I told you to open this gift privately" Khushi said in a tensed tone, causing Aakash to get a bit shocked seeing her close behind him who hadn't realize when from her place she had come here. Arnav from the corner of his eye looked at Aakash and Khushi, sensing that something was about to go wrong, probably he did not expect anything better anyway, Gupta added with Bhai was a disaster.
Khushi hugged Anjali and gave her the gift, and then to Aakash, moving intentionally closer towards his ear and whispering something.
"I advice you to open this gift privately, its stuff that is exclusively meant for you only", she said smirking all the way, as she handed the small square shaped gift to Aakash wrapped in shimmering blue gift paper, him having to wink at her with Khushi going inside.
Aakash tried to remember what had happened that day, and his looks went vary themselves realizing the seriousness of the situation. He wanted to bang his head for not remembering, however he continued to look with a troubled questioning look at Khushi, who had her eyes trained on Anita taping out the last of the gift paper.
"Khushi, tell me what is in it?" Aakash asked anxiously, and before Khushi could answer, the room went still of activity as Anita disclosed the secret of the gift.
"101 ways to impress Payal Jiji" Anita read out with amusement, as all eyes went towards Khushi popping out of their sockets, specially Aakash who was too knocked out to do anything else. Khushi passed a fleeting glance at all of them, and quickly keeping her hand on Aakash shoulder's crouched herself behind his back to escape from the torture of everyone staring at her so inhumanly.
"Khushi you don't need to hide darling, I already know about Monkey Boy and Payal" Anita said smiling, as all eyes in a giffy shooted from Khushi to Anita staring at her like maniacs. The moment Khushi had heard Anita's dialogue she popped her head over Aakash's shoulder staring in utmost surprise at Anita who instead of receiving their stares was keenly looked at the gift in her hand as if lost in some past of her own.
"Aparna what is there inside?" Anita asked excitedly, as she worked her fingers on un wrapping the neatly wrapped gift in red paper, her favorite color. When she was done, she discarded the paper in a nearby dustbin, Aparna noticing her expressions carefully, as Anitas facial expressions flinched from surprise to amusement to an aww expression.
"101 way to impress Arjun?" Anita asked with a hint of humor in her voice, as Aparna bobbed her head up and down, her lips extended into a large broad smile. Anita looked at her contentedly and threw her arms around Aparna who hugged her tightly, selflessly happy to have brought some shine in her best friends love life.
"This will always come in handy to you." Aparna remarked as they freed themselves from each other embrace, Anita's eyes glistening in happiness.
"With this I am sure, we two can make it far" Anita said solemnly, having a dazed expression on her face, as she caught sight of a juvenile Arjun walking towards the two of them and quickly stuffed the book in her handbag, letting herself fall in the ever embracing arms of her boy friend, Aparna giving her a thumbs up sign from behind, and disappearing away inside the corridor.
"You do?" the foursome of the teenagers asked in unison to Anita, snapping her out of her flashback to face the four of them who were oogling her in a worst manner than Shrek did to his green princess. Before Anita could answer, their eyes has shifted towards Aakash who was gulping away inhumanly, in dire need of water to revitalize his dry throat.
"Aakash? You told Maa about you and Payal?" Anjali asked in surprise, portraying the same 'OMG' expression on her face, joined in by Khushi who was looking far more comical than Arnav had thought she could possibly look.
"I didn't! For God sake stop looking at me like that guys! Why would I yell 'You do?' on the top of my voice if I had told Maa in the first place?" Aakash said exasperated, but more worried about how is mother knew about him and Payal, more importantly what she was thinking currently being just a silent spectator to the drama before her.
"Choote must have told her" Anjali closed in towards Aakash and whispered into his ear, who gave her an understanding look, and apparently convinced by the off handed look on Arnav's face, he believed Anjali's accusation to be right, and started staring at Arnav coldly. Arnav feeling the cold stares of his siblings, and an unbelieving one from Khushi, looked at them in confusion arching his eyebrows as if questioning them. Aakash closed his fists making a horrid expression on his face and pointed it at Arnav, much to his own surprise.
"Stop looking at him like that. Chotte didn't tell me anything. *pause* You three don't expect me to know what you are up to?" Anita questioned her three children in an accusing tone, a winner smirk coming on Arnav's face, who let his eyes meet with Aakash giving him the 'take that!' look. His attention was diverted when his mind started to ponder over the second part of Anita's question and he looked with an equally guilt stricken look like his older brother and sister were doing, though he had little idea why he was doing it. It was not like he had hidden anything, or at least he thought so.
Khushi felt oddly out of place, seeing that she was an intruder in the family space of the Raizada's and quietly retreating her hands from Aakash's shoulder she got up from behind him and started to make her way towards her room, when Anita's stern voice stopped her dead in her tracks causing her to turn her face around.
"Khushi stay."
"I didn't..want to.. I mean..I didn't want to offend you..but I thought it this was your family space so" Khushi said stammering a bit, very much unlike her, who usually carried an air of confidence around her all the time.
"You are family too dear. Your mother is my husband's best friend, and believe me she means a lot to him. A lot more than you can possibly imagine. He would certainly feel offended if I let you go right now" Anita said in a motherly affection, her thought drifting away to thinking about her husband who she envisioned sitting next to herself three days later.
"I stand corrected, we WERE best friends, now you are nothing, but a moron who insulted my friendship, and betrayed my husband's best friend!" she told him curtly, her fists clenched on both her sides, seeing that flash of fake emotion in his eyes.
"I can explain Anita I can, you just have to listen."
"I don't need any explanations from you. I can see everything, its all clear, your truth is out in the open I need no justifications now Aryan. You were never a good brother, never a good friend, never a good husband, never a good father, and you know why? Because you never were, and never will be a good human being!" she stormed out on him in a controlled voice, her entire body shaking with fury as she left him dumbfounded collecting his thoughts, disappearing inside her cabin and locking it from inside, the 6 foot 3 inch man staggering behind with the effect of the truth that she had thrown on his face.
Khushi felt her senses working on super speed as she quietly took her place on her seat reading the silent gesture to keep her gestures at bay given by Anita, however much to Anita's disappointment her own children could not understand much, them busy exchanging stunned glances with each other. Arnav looked at Khushi trying to hide the dawning the truth effect from her eyes, but he could see through her just too well, to know that she already had some idea of what was going to come.
"I understand you people have a lot of questions to ask, and I promise to answer all of them, but later. Right now I feel you might be more interested in knowing how I know about Monkey boy and Payal then knowing about Aparna and Arjun, yeah?" Anita said in a convincing tone, diverting the topic back to square one, but there was little denying that while Aakash and Anjali were inclined to listen to the latter of the topic, Khushi and Arnav were more interested in knowing the past.
"It wasn't hard to decipher you see. Foremost I am your mother, and secondly I am no stranger to all this. Arjun, me and Aparna and..(shaking her head) we have been through all this a lot. *pause* Monkey boy you really need control over your adrenaline production, at that party when Payal came you were blushing more redder than she was. (looking at Anjali with a smug look) Besides you have the best sister in that world who leaves no chance to tease you, how do you expect no one to know then?" Anita said with a huge smirk on her face, while Anjali who was giggling hard teasing Aakash, suddenly stopped hearing the comment directed at her, meeting eyes with Aakash who was fuming in anger. Khushi's expression flinched as she noticed how Anita had deliberately avoided taking Aryan's name. She had to know the mystery to this past, it was pounding on her brain way too much for her to control.
"Certainly Maa. I am very proud of my one and only sister, for giving me away every time" Aakash said gritting his teeth in anger, digging his nails into the flesh on Anjali's hand causing her to squeal like an idiot.
"Stop it you dork face! It's hurting me." Anjali wailed in a pained voice, staring coldly at Aakash.
"You deserve this Anji. Calling me a wimp and chickening around yourself. (looking at Anita who was getting a little irked now) Maa, you know the first time I talked to Payal, thanks to my world best sister (putting his arm around Anjali tightly) she thought I was an annoying dumbass!" Aakash said moving Anjali closer to him almost by her neck, so that now she almost choking and coughing, punching him hard on his chest but he refused to let go.
"I swear Maa I didn't know Aakash had something with her. If I did, I would never have said that" Anjali said defensively, coughing continuously, when Anita came to the rescue and removed Aakash's hand from around Anjali looking at him in vexation.
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