Finally, he thought, that was one problem solved. Now they only had to find a way to deal with the dozen other problems that would crop up because of this last-minute inclusion of Khushi's family in the overall scheme of things. Great.
"Thanks," Khushi said to him quietly when they were finally alone.
She was smiling slightly, her eyes still gleaming with tears.
"No worries," he smiled back, "But just so you know, the only reason why I stepped in was to avoid the inconvenience of having to find another fake fiance."
"You are a pathetic liar, do you know that?" she laughed, "It would have been wa-ay more convenient for you to go back to your place now and tell your family I broke up with you. I know you stepped in to help me."
"Maybe," Arnav said dismissively, slightly uncomfortable. So much for his grand plans of appearing detached and aloof - it turned out that Khushi could see through it all anyway.
"Awww, you're such a non-sexy nice guy!" Khushi teased, pretending to be flippant, even though her heart was swelling with affection towards him.
"It's only because you were crying like some TV soap actress," he quipped back, "And why are your eyes still teary anyway? I have already saved you from your Pappuji."
"Ye toh Khushi ke aansoon hain pagle," came the melodramatic reply, causing him to chuckle.
"Okay, so here's what I think we can do," he said, back to business, "I tell my family that your family didn't know about us being together because they're conservative so we couldn't tell them -"
"But that now they are agreeable to the whole thing," Khushi continued, "And just so that my family is not hurt that we hid our relationship from them earlier, your family would have to pretend that -"
"That I only proposed to you today. Brilliant. Now what about the stupid love story you fed my family with? I suppose we can -"
"Ask your family to not mention our so-called love story because my family is so conservative and stuff. And I'll ask my family to steer away from any conversations about our relationship because -"
"Because my family is also the traditional kind," Arnav finished.
"It's still a bit dicey, but it will have to do. Okay you brief your family and you brief mine, and let's hope there are no goof-ups."
"Yeah, imagine if we end up being stuck with each other for the rest of our lives!" Arnav laughed, good-naturedly, failing to notice that Khushi's face had fallen upon hearing his words.
Without realising it, she had begun to forget that even though they had become friends, it was still a temporary arrangement that bound them together. At some point during all their shenanigans, it seemed that she had fallen for him after all.
But how was it even possible?
Her Mr. Perfect would have eyes for none but the one girl he loved - he would not be an incorrigible flirt like Arnav, that shameless self-confessed appraiser of female beauty.
Her Mr. Perfect would be romantic, poetic - he would not be hopelessly pragmatic like Arnav who drew up contracts at the drop of a hat to regulate every aspect of his life.
Her Mr. Perfect would sweep in heroically to rescue her from every problem of her life, without sparing a moment to think about himself. And Arnav... Well, he was acceptable in that department. Not only did he occasionally step in to help her, he had this adorable habit of dismissing any act of chivalry on his part as though it were nothing.
In fact, behind all that so-called pragmatism of his, he undoubtedly was a caring and generous and very respectful person. She had seen it in the way he was with Anjali Di, and in the friendship that she shared with him. Granted, he did not show it in grand gestures, but the little signs that he gave away were just as endearing, if not more.
Oh dear, could it be? Was Arnav, as imperfect as he was, actually... perfect? Did she actually prefer the never-ending battles of wit, the plotting and conspiring sessions, that she had with him, to the idea of receiving bouquets of roses from some imaginary ideal? Had he actually corrupted her mind to the extent that she had begun thinking of her Mr. Perfect as something of a bore?
The only hitch, of course, was that he did not love her, and probably never would. A tiny, little, cruelly heartbreaking hitch.
"Khushi," Arnav said, interrupting her thoughts, "I have spoken to Akash. He will sort everything out. Aren't you going to speak to your family? Hurry up - we should be leaving soon. Everyone must be waiting."
She hummed in response, still a bit dazed and made her way to the kitchen, which Lavanya was trying very hard indeed to market as extraordinarily fascinating, just in order to give Arnav and Khushi some time and space to plan things out.
Khushi smiled warmly at her. What would life be without friends!
Meanwhile, even in the midst of all the mayhem that had befallen them, Arnav found that he could not help but feel strangely buoyant. To think that just a little while ago, Khushi's family were ready to take her back to Lucknow and marry her off to someone. He had felt a painful tug in his heart when he had seen her eyes pool with tears. The entire situation had felt overwhelmingly wrong.
This was Khushi, after all, the crazy, carefree girl who refused to be tied down and could make the world dance to her tunes. That she should be forced to change was unacceptable on every level. And more than that, he had felt that he owed it to himself to stop her from going. Khushi had filled his own life with the kind of fun and excitement that he associated with the joys of childhood. He could not have allowed her to leave.
A small snide voice interrupted his musings, reminding him that she was going to leave eventually anyway. He had no reason to stop her, besides the contract. And beyond the contract, sure, they were friends. But they would definitely not be able to meet as often once she would have "broken up" with him.
He wondered if she would miss him as much as he would. Maybe not. Maybe she would miss the fact that she would not be able to see Akash as often. Jealousy surged through him like a fiery whiplash at the thought.
The jealousy throbbed dully inside him throughout their small engagement ceremony, as he took note of the beaming smiles that Khushi was bestowing upon Akash. It seemed that she was no longer as heartbroken about the fact that he had a girlfriend. Fervently romantic as she was, she probably felt happy around him anyway. Even Lavanya seemed to have warmed up to Akash. She probably knew of Khushi's feelings too. Which meant that basically everyone knew. Lavanya knew, NK knew... But for some reason, Khushi had not deemed it fit to tell him.
And like a knell, the thought struck him - he and Khushi were probably not as close as he had thought they were.
"Chhote!" Anjali Di almost shrieked. It seemed that she had been trying to catch his attention for some time.
"Yes, Di?" he muttered.
"Were you even paying attention during the prayers?" she chided, "It's time for you and Khushiji to exchange the rings now."
He nodded and reached for the box he had stowed away in the pocket of his sherwani.
As he extended the ring towards Khushi, he found that she was looking unusually radiant. Her eyes were exuding an ethereal sort of brightness, that seemed to pull him towards her. And in that instant, he could not help but wonder... what if he was not programmed to be averse to the idea of falling in love after all, what if he had fallen in love with her, and what if... instead of that Akash, she loved him back?
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Anupamaa
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