Chapter 31
OS 2: Finding Khushi
Part 13
Section 2
Khushi walked into her house, rubbing her nape. It was late evening, & she was exhausted. She had worked till the different types of dals had begun to dance in front of her eyes, forcing her to shut down her laptop and make her way home.
Amma, Babuji, and Buaji were in the living room, waiting for her. They stared at her in silence.
"Kya hua, Buaji?"
Buaji glared at Khushi.
Khushi thought of all the crimes she had committed. But could not come up with anything that warranted such a stern face.
"Naniji & the others came here today.", Buaji said.
"Acha?", Khushi smiled. "Jiji must be very happy! Akash Jiju came too?"
"No. But Arnav babua did.", Buaji's tone was expressionless.
"Arnavji? Here?", Khushi frowned. "Jiji, I want some water to drink.", Khushi shouted to her sister.
Her family stared at her.
Payal handed over a glass of water. Khushi took a sip.
"Arnav Babua wants to get married.", Buaji declared.
Khushi coughed, and spewed the water. With streaming eyes, she asked Buaji, "What?"
Buaji remained silent. Three pairs of eyes stared at her.
Payal alone looked from Khushi to her family and back again like watching a tennis match.
"Arnavji wants to marry? That is the eighth wonder in the world.", Khushi said, still coughing, her heart racing away like an unbridled horse. "Who is the unlucky girl? Lavanyaji has come back?"
Buaji, Amma, & Babuji looked at her innocent face, and sighed.
Buaji quickly snatched the glass out of her hand before she could raise it to her lips again.
"The unlucky girl is you, you Parmeswari!", she said.
Payal & Khushi looked at their family with eyes as wide as saucers.
Khushi pulled out her phone, making sure that her bedroom door was locked.
"Hello!", his husky voice silenced her for a moment.
"Don't hello me, Mr. Raizada! What have you done?", she raged.
"Done?"
"Ji. Done. Coming to my house to propose marriage to me?", she bit out.
"Is that a sin, Khushi Kumari Gupta?", he asked softly, his voice soothing her to a small degree. "I am a bachelor. You are a spinster. We can get married, you know'"
Khushi showed her teeth.
"You are not just any bachelor. You are the richest bachelor crowing on top of this dung hill. With big aukat. Big ego. And bigger arrogance. And a sharp tongue to match your ego."
Arnav shut his eyes and leaned back in his recliner. He was in for it. Now all his words would come back to bite him. Where it hurt the most'.
"And I am not just any spinster. I am a poor spinster. With low aukat and middle class mentality. A spinster who will do anything for money. A spinster who is adept at luring men to their doom, especially rich men'."
"Khushi...", he whispered. "I am sorry... I didn't mean all the nonsense I said'."
"If you didn't mean it, then why did you say it?", she countered.
"Khushi..."
"Accusing me of crimes I never committed, blaming me for things I never did, punishing me for asking questions... you...you...you Arnav Singh Raizada!", she abused him.
Arnav swallowed the insult she had made of his name.
"You want to marry me?", she asked, almost shouting.
"Yes."
"I should marry you. And make your life hell. But I don't want to waste my life. I would rather remain a spinster and enter the names of dals all my life in that godown rather than marry you!", she screamed.
"Khushi'"
"Don't Khushi me! You'you.."
"Arnav Singh Raizada.", he said, almost smiling.
"Yes. Arnav Singh Raizada.", she said the name like a bad word, panting.
"Listen, Khushi. Marry me. And take your revenge for every insult, for every angry word, for every hurt."
There was silence at the other end. He could feel her crying. He cut the call, and dived for his car keys.
"Buaji, Uncle, Aunty, can I speak to Khushi?", Arnav asked.
Buaji looked at him, and felt her heart melt. She could never deny anyone anything. Especially not Arnav Bitwaa. She nodded.
Payal knocked on Khushi's bedroom door.
"Coming, Jiji!!", came her muffled reply. She opened the door, and averting her face, went back to sit on her bed, trying not to let her sister see her puffy face.
The door closed. Khushi looked down at the blanket she had pulled on to her lap.
"Khushi.."
She looked at him in shock. She jumped out of bed.
"You?", she accused him. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you. Khushi.."
She put her hands on her hips in a militant stance.
"What?"
"Marry me."
"Why should I?"
"To punish me.", he said softly. He moved a step closer to her. She pushed him away.
She snorted. "I don't want to waste my life on you!"
"Marry me, Khushi. Nani, Di, & Mami are waiting for you to be part of our family..."
"I don't want to marry a coward.", she stated.
Arnav opened his mouth to refute her allegation, but she was in no mood to let him talk. She pushed him away, her hands on his chest.
"A coward. That is what you are." Arnav winced at the glint of tears in her eyes. He tried to reach for her. She pushed him away.
He tried to take hold of her arms, but she evaded him.
"A cheat. Showing me dreams one moment to take them away the next moment..." She pushed him against the wall. "Breaking my heart with his cruel words and his cruel actions...", she crowded him, and caught hold of his collar.
Arnav watched the tears streaming from her eyes, and felt his heart break into a thousand pieces.
"Hiding behind Lavanyaji's pallu... Scared to admit that you may feel something for a naukar..."
"Khushi..."
"Khushi? Khushi is dead... You killed her on Diwali night..." She shook him, her anguish in the open for him to see.
Arnav's eyes filled, his heart full of remorse.
"Khushi..." His chest hurt. He couldn't even get her name out of his throat...
"And you have come to propose marriage to me? To Khushi Kumari Gupta? The girl you dropped from your office' the idiot who accepted your challenges and almost killed herself working for you... the poor girl who had to give into your sister's blackmail to come to your house to train your girlfriend to be your wife...?"
"Khushi." He felt himself being shaken again, her frail arms strengthened by her anguish. Hot tears fell down his cheeks. Her face was wet too, and she was racked by sobs.
"The Khushi Kumari Gupta you left in the garden in the cold and went in to announce your wedding to Lavanyaji, the perfect girl to be your wife, the girl with the breeding and the education you wanted in your wife... Your high-class girlfriend...?"
"Khushi..."
"You chose her over me once. Now why are you here? Did you propose marriage to her again? Did she refuse you?"
"Khushi..."
"Or are all the girls in Delhi dead?"
"Khushi..."
"Otherwise why should you come here? To Laxmi Nagar? Marriage! How can anyone believe you? You broke my heart and promised Lavanyaji a new life. Then you threw her out, and now you are back in my house, proposing marriage to me. How can anyone believe you, Mr. Raizada?"
"Khushi..."
"If I agree to marry you, and Lavanyaji comes back, you will break my heart again and go after her ...", Khushi laughed through her tears, mirthlessly, her strength waning. She sagged in his arms.
Arnav held her close. Her eyelids drooped. Her knees weakened, and she fell fully against him.
He lifted her in his arms, and carried her to the bed.
He laid her head on her pillow, and arranged her limbs in a comfortable position. He covered her with her red blanket, and sat on the bed by her.
Her face was tear-stained. Swallowing hard, he gently wiped her face clean with his fingers.
"Amma... Babuji...", she muttered. Turning her face into his hand, she settled down to sleep.
Arnav sat there, her soft cheek cradled in his palm, watching her to his heart's content.
Buaji, Amma, & Payal peeked into the room, and stood shocked for a few moments. Then Buaji signalled the others out of the room, leaving Arnav & Khushi alone.
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