An Arshi story: Bin Tere A/N | Pg 137 - Page 19

Nani's heart wrenched as she watched her young grand daughter-in-law sob quietly in her lap. She wanted to go out and give Chote an earful. In between Khushi's sobs and broken sentences, she had been able to piece together that Chote had walked in late, having been out for dinner with Sheetal, ostensibly to celebrate his win, was hugging Sheetal and waxing eloquent about how good Sheetal was, while his wife waited patiently for her husband to come home so that they could have dinner together after he had cancelled their dinner date.

In all fairness, Nani could understand that Chote had needed to take a client out to dinner, and she was very sure there was nothing more to it. And it was not the first time that he had forgotten to inform at home that he was going to be out for dinner. In fact before Khushi bitiya has entered his life, he used to have Anjali bitiya in a flap over his erratic timings.

On any other day, this perhaps would not have been such a big thing, but given Khushi's insecurities about Sheetal, Arnav's neglect over the past few days, and the fact that she waited dinner for him, while Chotey had seemingly forgotten about her, made things worse. But she wished he had remembered to call and let Khushi bitiya know that he would be having dinner out. The stylist had helped dress Khushi up and Khushi had kept her new look intact, wanting Arnav to see her. But her ignorant, foolish grandson had not even noticed his wife. It had taken Sheetal's comment to make him realize that his wife had been waiting for him. And if that was not enough, Khushi had sobbed, he had not even bothered to ask if she had eaten dinner or commented on her appearance.

While Chote had been negligent, Devyani did think that maybe Khushi bitiya was overreacting to something that was very normal in a businessman's life being out with a client for dinner along with a colleague. Only that Sheetal was not just any colleague but also an old female friend for whom her grandson had been neglecting his wife. She would need to have a small chat with Arnav before things out of hand, she mused as she patted Khushi's head as Khushi's sobs subsided.

***********

He might as well pack up and go home for all the work that he had been able to do, Arnav grimaced. As he had predicted, Khushi had come in after he had fallen asleep and left the room before he woke up. There was a sense of melancholy in the room and in his heart that he could not shake off. Something was not quite right in his life and he knew it had to do with the fact that his Khushi was upset with him. When he had come out of the bathroom, his clothes had been laid on the bed and his breakfast waiting for him at the table as usual. It had helped to dispel some of the gloom that seemed to hang around him like an all-enveloping cloud. She cared enough to still look after him.

And that's when it hit him. She had been looking different, she had dressed up, her hair looked different. It was Khushi but a different Khushi! A very pretty Khushi, if it was possible for her to look even more beautiful than she already did. Shit, she had dressed up for their dinner date but he ad been so preoccupied with Khushi's lack of reactions and her withdrawal from him that he did not even notice or acknowledge the effort that she had made. He was an idiot and an insensitive ass!

He had tried talking to her as she flitted in and out of the kitchen, only to be treated to monosyllable replies and a smile that didn't reach her eyes. This was not his Khushi. His Khushi gave it back to him when he did something stupid. She could never stay without talking to him, but this Khushi was someone he did not know.

It could not be just a canceled dinner, his head warned him. Yes, she had every right to be upset that he had not informed her about not eating dinner at home, but that had happened before once or twice she had given him an earful, sulked a little but not once had he ever felt like he did last night or this morning. Almost like she didn't want to have anything to do with him, almost like she was drifting away from him.

There clearly was something that he was missing altogether. Did Nani's comment the night before make her conscious and envious of Sheetal? If it did, she didn't have to be. There was only one woman for Arnav Singh Raizada. She knew how he felt about his father and his philandering ways, then why would she paint him with the same brush? Was she upset because he had been at dinner with Sheetal after having cancelled their dinner date? But she knew it was purely official, it was not as if he had taken Sheetal out for dinner. But he should have let her know that he was going to be out for dinner. The lonely figure she had made, waiting for him to get back for dinner, smote at his heart. And he had not even noticed her waiting, nor her appearance, so wrapped up had he been in himself and his win. Self-centred jerk!

He had called and let Sheetal know, in no uncertain terms, that there would be no further celebrations for the deal. If at all, he would like to celebrate with his wife.

He was going to get home early today, surprise his wife and take her out to that much needed alone time, talk and dinner.

****************

Arnav fiddled with his phone, impatiently tapping his feet as he sat waiting for Khushi.

He had arrived home early, only to find that his wife had gone to Lakshmi Nagar to meet her friend Preeto, to give Preeto moral support as a boy and his parents were coming to see Preeto today. His first reaction was irritation at Khushi not being there and he had grumbled at the fact that she had not bothered to inform him. Nani's rather firm, "why Chote, don't you go out for meetings and dinner without informing her? In fact wasn't it just yesterday that you went out for dinner without letting Khushi bitiya know? She informed me and went. In any case, she is free to go wherever she wants, whenever she wants." had shut him up and he had stormed off to his room. He knew that Nani was not too pleased with him, so he had lounged around in his room for a bit not wanting to get into an argument with her. He was already at the short end of his fuse and he did not want his Nani to bear the brunt of his frustration. So much for plans to take Khushi out for dinner and coming home early!

So now you know what it feels like to have your plans come to naught, his brain mocked him, even as he decided to go down to the living room and wait for Khushi. At least he would spend some time with Di. At the thought of his Di, some of his misgivings that he had pushed to the back of his mind came rushing back. He was concerned at the attachment that Di seemed to be forming to Aarav. The boy was sweet, Arnav had to admit, and in many ways Aarav reminded Arnav of himself. The same anger at the world, short fuse, and the weight of the world on his shoulders Aarav's obvious devotion to him touched a cord in him and he found himself spending a lot of time with him. Arnav knew, more than anyone else, what it was like to grow up without a father figure in life. Seeing Aarav, stoked in him a desire to have a child of his own a life to create, a life to nurture, someone to call him baba or dad with Khushi. He would like a little Khushi to pamper and spoil, he smiled.

But he was digressing, he needed to deal with the bigger problem at hand. While he had Khushi and dreams of a child and a family, his Di's dreams had been cruelly snatched from her. So he could understand Di's natural desire for a child especially since she has lost her baby. He had seen the difference going to the orphanage had made to Di. All thanks to Khushi, he smiled at the thought of the selfless woman he had married.

But Di needed to cut the umbilical cord she seemed to have formed with Aarav. At the end of the day, Aarav was not her child. He was Sheetal's son and Di should not be trying to become his mother. Sheetal and Aarav would leave to leave for their own house anytime soon and he was sure Di would have a problem in dealing with the separation. She had already made that preposterous suggestion about Sheetal and Aarav staying with them permanently. He was dammed if he would allow that! First of all, Sheetal was not family and couldn't continue to impose on another family forever. Second, while he enjoyed her company, he didn't want that for the rest of his life. But most importantly, knowing that Sheetal was his ex-girlfriend, it would not be fair to Khushi. As it is he was worried that Khushi might be misunderstanding him, something was not quite right between them, her behavior had been most unlike Khushi the last couple of days...

His musings were cut short by the sight that greeted him as he walked into the family room. Sheetal was typing something on her phone while Di was running after Aarav trying to make him eat something. An involuntary smile crept across Arnav's face as he remembered his Ma doing the same when he was a child.

"Arnav, come sit. Sheetal patted the sofa next to her, "What will you have? Some black coffee? Hari Parakash, can you please get some coffee for Arnav."

"Sheetal bitiya you don't have to worry, this is Arnav's house. He will ask if he needs anything and Hari Prakash knows what to do." Before Arnav could respond, Nani gently chided Sheetal, irritated at the proprietary manner in which Sheetal talked with Arnav. Her idiotic, foolish grandson!

"No thanks Sheetal, I wont have anything right now, maybe later. Right now I am just waiting for Khushi to come back."

" Sorry Naniji, that was not my intention. Sorry Arnav, its just that I just wasn't sure what time Khushi will be back. Hey, maybe I could make it for you, just like old times, remember our Hind movie nights? Sheetal started to get up, "you used to like the coffee I used to- "

"Not any more Sheetal.Arnav said firmly, her insistence on getting him coffee irritating him. "I think I have said this before, I don't like coffee made by anyone else. I don't know how Khushi makes it, but no one can make coffee like her. At office I don't have a choice, but at home I much rather wait for Khushi."

"Yes, yes we all know Chote, you can't do without Khushiji and her coffee! And her food...and her chatter...basically everything to do with Khushiji!" Anjali smiled as she flopped down on the sofa next to Nani. "By the way where is Khushiji Chote?I haven't seen her after lunch?"

"She has gone to Lakshmi Nagar. Her friend needed her help with something. She will be back in the evening." Nani informed her, "but what have you been doing since lunch bitiya, I didn't hear you. Usually I can hear the television in this room."

"Nahi Nani, I was with Aarav. He wasn't feeling like eating the lunch HP had made, so I made him some pasta and a pizza. Then he had a lot of homework, so I fed him while he was studying and helped him with a bit of his homework. We just finished about 10 minutes ago, being a mother is a full time job Nani. Sheetalji, I don't know how you manage work and being a mother." Anjali smiled at Sheetal, her happiness at spending the afternoon with Aarav not lost on the other three in the room.

That's because Sheetal does not manage being a mother, Nani thought sarcastically. She has handed over the care of her child to you.

"You know Nani, Aarav reminds me so much of Chote. The same anger , the same short fuse. The way he walks, talks, the food he likes, his diabetes etc - its almost like Aarav could be Chote's son, hain na?"

Arnav was shocked out of his musings hearing his Di's words. "Di, what are you saying? Do you even-"

But before he could complete, Nani cut Anjali short, "What are you saying bitiya? How can Aarav be Chote's son? Yes the child has anger and may remind you a bit of Chote, but Chote was very different when he was a child. And simply being angry or diabetic doesn't establish connections. Chote is married and has a wife who is a wonderful, full of life girl who spreads happiness wherever she goes. I am sure their son would be a little like Khushi too. Thank goodness Khushi bitiya is not here, otherwise she would not have liked to hear this."

"No Nani, she would not mind. I have told her myself that if I didn't know better I would have wagered that Aarav was my Chote's son. Chote's chote! In fact Mami and I often refer to Aarav as mini Chote, Chote's chote, and, Khushiji does not mind. She has a big heart. In fact I was telling her that it would be lovely if Aarav could stay here permanently. It is wonderful to have the laughter of a child in the house, hain na Chote?"

Sheetal looked down at her phone with a smirk. Anjali had been so easy to manipulate. Her broken marriage, yearning for a child and affection, and an odd word here and there, was all that was needed.

"This house will be full of children's laughter bitiya, but they will be Chote and Khushi and Aakash and Payal's children. Sheetal's smirk was wiped off by Nani's curt rebuke, " And God willing, yours too. You are still young bitiya. Give yourself some time to heal and who knows-"

"Nahi Nani, I don't want any relationships any more. I am done with men and marriage. "

" But bitiya-"

"Nahi Nani, bas. I don't want to talk about this any more. I am very happy as I am now with all of you. And now that Aarav is here, I don't need anything else. My sweet adorable mini Chote!" Anjali smiled indulgently watching Aarav reading his book sitting next to her.

Arnav was startled by his Di's comments. Yes he had empathized with Aarav, as the boy did remind him of his own angry, angry-at-the-world-young self, but he wouldn't have gone so far so as to compare him with a child he hoped he would have sometime in the future. Any child of his, would be Khushi and his, with hopefully Khushi's sunny disposition and positive outlook. And he should hope that his child would have a lot more happiness in its life.

And Khushi?Di had been calling Aarav a mini Chote with her? Chote's chote? If it was not bad enough that Khushi knew Sheetal was his ex-girlfriend, having Di talk about his ex-girlfriend's son as his son no, no no! This was not good at all. Was this part of the reason that Khushi had withdrawn from him? On top of that seeing him coming back with Sheetal late night from a dinner after having cancelled their dinner date, shit! No wonder she seemed so aloof and detached. Shit, shit, shit! He needed to talk to Khushi at the earliest.