Chapter 2
Khushi looked up at the holy fire, and saw the man waiting there for her.
She lifted the heavy bridal lehenga in both hands and took one step forward towards him.
The next moment, she came to a sudden stop as everything rushed up to overwhelm her.
She still couldn't believe this was happening.
It was just too much to take in at once.
Too much, and too fast..
So much had happened over the past ten days.
Her life had suddenly, and irreversibly changed..
And she still wasn't sure how she felt about that.
Would she be able to handle everything?
She had no idea,and she had had very little time to prepare..
Had she made a mistake by accepting his proposal?
She didn't think so. There had been a rightness to that decision, something she was convinced of even at this point in time.
Was there anything that was wrong in the way she felt about him?
She didn't know the answer to that.
She raised her eyes to meet his again, and this time, certainty rushed through her.
There he was, her reason for doing this.
Arnav Singh Raizada.
The man who had the power to make her heart race, and her breathing stutter with just one look from those molten brown eyes.
The man who made her forget everything but him..
The man she was going to marry in a few more minutes.
Soon, he would be her husband, and she would be his wife.
Her deepest desire would be fulfilled, and she knew she only had Devi Maiyya to thank for that.
This wasn't something she had planned for, or hoped for..or even dreamed about at any time.
But this was her destiny, and she was grateful for the gift that had been given to her, even when she hadn't asked for it..
And so she took a deep breath and walked with a confident grace towards the man who would soon give her his name.
Arnav couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful woman who now approached him.
Dressed in a wine-red, heavily embroidered lehenga that he had specially commissioned for her, she looked like the perfect vision of a demure bride.
The uncut diamonds at her neck and ears were no match for the sparkle in those hazel eyes, and he knew a moment of pride at the thought that soon, she would be his, in every way that mattered..
He had every right to feel that pride.
He had fulfilled that promise to himself, the one he had made in front of a mirror ten days back.
Not that it had been easy to get to this point, but he was here now..and so was she..
"Saale-saab, you need to stand up for the exchange of garlands now."
He looked up at Shyam, and stood up quickly. Di came up to stand on the other side of him, and he smiled at the look on her face, which was a mix of enthusiasm and uncertainty.
Suddenly, memories of the past ten days rushed back, including the day he had abruptly told Di about his decision to take a proposal to Khushi..
"A proposal? To Khushi Kumari Gupta's home? Chotey, have you lost your mind?"
Of course he had.
He had lost his mind, heart and soul to the beautiful woman who loved uniquely shaded roses.
Not that he was going to tell that to Di!
"Anjali bitiya, let Chotey explain his reasons first.."
"Reason? There is just one reason, Nani. I want to make her mine, and this is the only way to do that. Now can we get going?"
"Chotey! You can't just decide to take a proposal to someone you have only just met!"
"You and Nani met her today, Di. But I have been seeing her in her shop for the past week and I.."
"The past week? Then why didn't you tell us anything about her? Did you think we would object? Khushiji is a very nice girl, Chotey. She is beautiful, traditional, talented and well-mannered, perfect daughter-in-law material, in fact. Who wouldn't like her? That isn't the problem here. I just don't understand how you came to this decision so quickly, how are you so sure..."
"Di, you know that's how I like to do things. I follow my instinct and go for it. Quick, decisive actions have always been the key to my success and you know it!"
"But Chotey, that works only if you are talking about business! This isn't one of your deals or mergers, this is the decision of your lifetime!"
"I just don't understand this. For years, you both have been throwing girls at me, and pleading with me to get married! And now when I have finally decided to do just that, all you have to offer are objections!"
"I am happy that you want to get married, Chotey..but wouldn't it be wise to get to know her a little before taking that irreversible step? Do you even know what she thinks about you? I'm sure her family will be more than happy to receive a proposal from the Raizadas, but what about Khushiji herself?"
"No, I don't know what she thinks of me. Which is why I am going to ask her. But I also want her to know that I'm not just playing around here, that's why we will go to her home with a formal proposal."
"And will you take some time to go out with her, and find out more about her before you..."
"Di, we can discuss all this on the way to her home. I really don't have the time.."
"Why the sudden hurry, Chotey? It's not like she is running away.."
"I am in a hurry because I don't see the point in waiting , not when I'm so sure about this. And also because I have to return to Delhi tomorrow, and I don't want that engineer to get his proposal to her first.."
"Engineer?"
"Yes, I just spoke to her Buaji. There is a proposal for Khushi, and he is going to meet her this evening. That's why I want to go there right now!"
"But Chotey.."
"Di, either you can come with me, or I can do this alone. It's your choice."
"What is wrong with you, Chotey? I've never seen you behave with such recklessness before!"
"Anjali bitiya, arguments will get us nowhere. I can see that Chotey has his mind set upon this course of action, and I think we should go with him. Let's take this one step at a time. We can let her Buaji know of our interest in Khushi bitiya, and let's see how that goes.."
Arnav went up to Di, and took her hands in his. He really hadn't meant what he had just said, and he hastened to reassure her.
"Di,trust me on this. Please. We have been through so much together..and I really want you with me on this, every step of the way."
Di had been unable to resist this plea from both of them, and a half hour later, they were on their way to Buaji's home.
Nani had spoken to her on the phone, and taken the address from her after making sure that Khushi was back .
When they finally reached the house, they looked at the two-story home with surprise.
It looked like a middle-class dwelling, and not at all what they had expected after seeing the little sweet shop..
A few minutes later, that impression was reinforced when they were welcomed inside by a surprised Buaji, and they saw the beautiful teak furniture inside.
Of course, it was nothing compared to the grandeur of Sheesh Mahal, or even the modern comfort of Arnav's home in Delhi, but it surprised them nonetheless.
"Hai re Nandkishore! I was so surprised when you called me , Devyaniji! I closed the shop immediately and came back here with Khushi.."
"Madhumatiji, I am sorry we had to come here on such short notice. But this is an important matter.."
"What is it, Nandkishore?"
"We are here to find out if you would be amenable to considering an alliance between my grandson Arnav, and your niece Khushi.."
Nani stopped as they all heard a sudden gasp, and looked up to see a pale-faced Khushi standing at the door with a tea-tray in her hands.
Anjali got up immediately, and went over to Khushi.
"Khushiji, I'm really sorry you had to hear this in such an abrupt manner, but please come and sit down with us.."
Di led a visibly shaken Khushi to the couch where Nani was seated, and took the tray from her.
Before anyone else could say anything, Buaji spoke up, her loud, strident tones cutting through the charged silence.
"Hai re Nandkishore! Why are you apologizing to her, bitiya?I'm sure she is very happy to hear this! I am honored that you have chosen to come to us with this proposal, Devyaniji. "
"Madhumatiji, we do have one request before we take things further. We would like to know what are Khushi bitiya's wishes in this matter. If you have no objection, can my grandson talk to her alone for a few minutes?"
"Objection? Why would I object? That is a good idea, Devyaniji. Khushi, why don't you take Arnav babua to the backyard?"
He watched as Khushi looked down for a moment, then she stood up slowly and spoke in a soft, hesitant voice.
"Ji, Buaji."
He stood up immediately, and her gaze flew to his, their eyes meeting for the first time since he entered the house.
She looked down again, and moved towards the door, and he followed her outside to a small vegetable garden.
She kept walking until she reached a small bench, then turned to face him.
Her eyes were questioning, and somehow, he knew what she was going to ask before the words left her mouth.
"Why?"
He didn't pretend to misunderstand, he knew exactly what she was asking here.
He decided to be blunt, and honest.
"You know why. Neither of us can deny what's between us."
She looked away immediately, a pink blush staining her cheeks.
He moved closer, but stopped immediately when she took a step back and looked up at him.
"But..we just met yesterday.."
"I know that. But I have been seeing you in that shop from the past seven days.."
"That's still not enough time..we barely know each other.."
"I know enough. Di told me about your life and your family yesterday..and more than anything, Khushi.."
He took one step forward, and reached out for her hand, and was elated when she didn't pull away as he continued..
"More than anything, I know that I want you to be mine."
She gasped and tried to pull her hand away, but he didn't let her.
"I know that this is right, Khushi. I have never been more certain of anything in my life.."
"How can you be so sure that this is what you want?"
"I don't know where my certainty comes from. But I do know that I have been able to think of nothing else since I have seen you."
She pulled her hand away, and this time, he let her.
He knew that this situation must be uncomfortable for her, and he wanted to put her at ease..
"Khushi, I'm sorry if all this has overwhelmed you..but I have my own reasons for coming here at this point..I am returning to Delhi tomorrow, and I didn't want to leave without letting you know what my intentions are. But I do understand that you may have doubts about this, and I know you might not know a whole lot about me..so why don't we do this? For the next few days, we could talk on the phone, and get to know each other a little better. But only if you have nothing against me in the first place.."
He waited with bated breath for her reply.
What would he do if she refused to even give this, and them, a chance?
He refused to consider the possibility.
She stared at him for a long moment, as if she was searching for something in his expression.
Whatever it was that she was looking for, he hoped she found it..
"And what if..one of us changes our mind about this?"
"Once I've made up my mind, I never change it, Khushi. And I will do my best to make sure that you don't either."
She looked away for a moment, then nodded as she faced him again.
He released the breath he didn't even know he was holding.
"I will give you my number now, and you can tell me yours.."
"I..I will have to give you Buaji's home number."
"That's fine, Khushi.. and you can call me at any time you want, day or night."
She nodded again, the pink hue intensifying on her cheeks.
But when she began to turn away from him, he moved in front of her, and she stopped abruptly.
"Khushi..what we have between us, it's something I've never felt before. I just wanted you to know that."
She didn't move, and neither did he.
He looked at her beautiful upturned face, and just couldn't resist.
Bending down quickly, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.
She took in a sharp breath, and he quickly kissed the other cheek.
He put one arm around her waist, and slowly pulled her towards himself.
He leaned down until his lips were almost touching hers, but she turned her head away.
She gasped again, and stepped away, moving quickly towards the door.
He turned to follow her, but stopped when she turned back to face him.
She raised a hand to her cheek, and he almost smiled at her surprised expression.
She was just so innocent, so easily disconcerted by a chaste kiss..and that drew him to her all the more.
She dropped her hand and turned away, and finally started walking through the hallway.
When they returned to the others, he told them that they had decided to take some time to get to know each other.
He saw relief on Di's face, and disappointment on Buaji's, who was no doubt hoping for a quick 'yes' from her niece. As he saw this, Arnav knew one thing for sure.
He no longer had to worry about the competition, Buaji would take care of that for him.
He returned to Delhi the next day, his heart heavy as he realized that he was going away from her for the first time since meeting her.
He made his first phone call to her as soon as he landed at Delhi airport, and was happy to hear her voice on the other end of the line, even though she had to cut the call soon because she was going out.
For the next few days, he called her several times throughout the day, and spoke to her about anything that came to mind. Her replies were often hesitant and unsure, and he quickly realized that this was new for her. He did find out a few things about her life in Lucknow, including tales of her childhood and memories of her foster-parents..He now knew that she loved Jalebis, Salmanji and dance, not necessarily in that order.
Sometimes , she wouldn't answer the phone herself, and Buaji would tell him that she was not at home. At these moments, he always felt deprived in some way..
He thought of her all the time, sometimes even thinking of her beautiful eyes when he was actually supposed to be concentrating on a presentation..
He knew he wasn't supposed to be doing that. A.R fashion house was facing a major financial crisis, and all his energies should have been devoted there.
But he trusted NK , and he gave him more and more responsibilities while he lost himself in daydreams of a beautiful woman who was taking too long to say 'yes'..
Until one day, she finally did.
And it happened when he was least expecting it.
He was just returning to his cabin after yet another meeting with his bankers, and he had realized that he was out of patience now.
He really didn't care that A.R was going through a difficult time and needed him.
He needed to go to Lucknow, to Khushi..and that was all he cared about.
But when he got there, he stopped at the door, stunned to see the woman seated there.
For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming.
Had his fevered imagination conjured this somehow?
But then she saw him, and stood up to face him.
Her voice finally convinced him that this was real..
"I asked your secretary if I could wait for you in here..I hope you don't mind.."
Mind? Why would he mind?
"Of course not! I was just thinking about you.."
She blushed and looked away, an endearing habit that aroused tenderness in him..
He noticed that she was twisting her dupatta around her fingers, and quickly realized that she was nervous.
He looked around, and also realized that his office was not exactly the best place for this..
"Let me take you to a nearby restaurant , we can talk there.."
She looked up at him with a startled expression.
"What? No..this is fine. I've only come here to say.."
His heart almost stopped beating as he realized that her reason for coming here might be to break things off.
No! He couldn't take that!
She looked down, and then took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Arnavji, I..I came here to say yes."
For a moment, he couldn't believe his ears.
And then, his heart soared with joy, an unprecedented happiness taking hold of him as he realized that his dream, his wish..this fantasy had finally come true..
And he didn't quite know what to say in reply.
He had always been a great believer in actions speaking louder than words, and so he reached into his pocket for the small black box he had been carrying around for days..
He moved up to her and took her left hand in his, smiling at her gasp of surprise when he opened the box to reveal the diamond solitaire ring inside.
He looked up at her before he took the ring out of the box.
"May I?"
She took another deep breath, and nodded.
He slid the ring on her finger, then looked up to find that she was staring at him expectantly.
He suddenly realized that this was supposed to be a special, romantic moment for her, didn't all girls dream of that?
And here he had just made her wear the ring with no words, or romantic gestures..
He looked around frantically, and his eyes fell on the vase of white roses on his desk.
He picked one out, and offered it to her.
"For the woman who likes the unusual.."
She took it, and smiled up at him.
That smile had melted him with it's brilliance, and he had promised himself that he would make sure that she smiled like that everyday..
And so he had sent her a unique rose every day when she returned to Lucknow..
As Arnav came back to the present, the garland of red roses in his hand reminded him of all the roses he had sent to her..
His Khushi..
She was standing in front of him now, her gaze lowered as he leaned forward to place the garland around her neck.
He wished she would look up at him, just once..
But then the panditji directed them to sit down in front of the holy fire, and he watched as she sat down slowly, her movements hampered by the heavy dress she wore.
He sat down too, and looked up at his family around him.
Apart from Di, Shyam and Nani, there was NK, his fiance Lavanya, and his mother, Arnav's Mamiji.
He knew that they still harbored doubts about the speed with which things had taken place, but they would soon see that they had no cause for concern..
And then there was Khushi's Buaji, of course, who was quite happy with the way things had turned out.
But there were no other guests at this simple temple ceremony, a fact that still bothered him.
There had been no other option.
Their families had initially planned on arranging a grand wedding ceremony at Sheesh Mahal, complete with all the pre-wedding rituals.
But it was not to be.
The situation at A.R had gone from bad to worse, and he needed to meet with several international investors before the upcoming fashion weeks. And these meetings would have to be held in urgency, and secrecy, in order to avoid news leaks to the press. Arnav knew that once he started on this series of meetings, he would be occupied for weeks, and he didn't want to wait for that long to be married to her..
Which was why he had suggested a simple civil ceremony for now. And he planned to take Khushi with him on his trips abroad, just as soon as they applied for her visas..
But Di and Nani had been unhappy with that idea as well, and they had asked for a simple temple wedding following the civil ceremony.
Arnav had agreed after talking to Khushi about it, but he wasn't happy with this entire situation, including the fact that he would have to leave his new bride alone right after they got married..
But he had gone along with it, and the civil ceremony had been carried out this morning. Their marriage was already legal, and he didn't really care for the rituals they were going through now..
He stole another look at his beautiful bride.
She was still looking down, and he marveled at how innocent she looked with the blush staining her cheeks..
Another memory came to him, this one of the time when she had been presented with the papers to sign a couple of days back.
"But what are these papers, Arnavji?"
"It's a prenuptial agreement, Khushi. I really didn't want to do this, but NK insists..and so I went ahead with it, after adding a few things of my own."
He watched as she read through the first page, and smiled as she raised shocked eyes to his.
"But..all this? It's too much! I really cannot.."
"It's what I want, Khushi. It will make me happy.."
"Arnavji, I.."
"When are you going to start calling me Arnav?"
She had looked down and blushed, just like she was doing now.
He couldn't take his eyes off her.
And he couldn't wait for this ceremony to be over...
Tonight, she would finally be his, in every way that mattered.
As Khushi stood up again to start taking the pheras, doubts rose to haunt her again.
She had been brought up with traditional values, and she knew the meaning and importance of these rituals.
And now she was going to enter the sacred bond of marriage with this man who evoked such strong emotions in her..a man she had known only for a few weeks..
How could this be right?
She was startled out of her thoughts by the feel of his hand which had just grasped hers in a strong, reassuring grip.
She looked up into those caramel eyes that told her much more than words ever could.
He was looking at her with the same tenderness she had come to expect from him, and she suddenly had her answer.
Some things were more important than rituals.
Some things were more than holy.
Some things could not be measured in right or wrong.
And this was one of them.
She did not allow any more doubts to form as they completed the pheras.
When they sat down again, she closed her eyes as he placed the sindoor in her maang, and the mangalsutra around her neck.
The bond was complete, the rituals were done.
Her fate had been written, and she welcomed it with open arms.
This man was now her husband.
There was no going back.
And she didn't want to.
Their families came up to greet them, and they bent to seek their blessings. The panditji started offering the prasad to everyone.
He came up to Arnav too, but Arnav started to refuse..
Before he could say a word, Khushi spoke to the Panditji.
"He cannot eat sweets, Panditji."
Arnav smiled at her concern, and took her hand in his again.
She looked up at him, and smiled back.
Their families were talking among themselves now, and he took the opportunity to whisper to her.
"Does that mean I cannot kiss you, either? Because I'm sure your lips are sweeter than anything I've ever tasted.."
She looked away immediately, her cheeks turning crimson with embarrassment.
He smiled, and knew that he would do a lot more than just kiss her on those luscious lips tonight.
He couldn't wait.
A few hours later,Arnav stood outside his room, and took a deep breath, remembering that moment as he did so.
This was the moment he had been waiting for all day...or the past few weeks, to be exact.
The moment when he would have her to himself, the moment when he would make her his..
The moment when he could make his fantasies come true..even if it was just for one night.
He hated having to leave her tomorrow.
But he wouldn't think about that.
Not tonight.
For a moment, he allowed himself the luxury of imagining what she must look like in there.
He had seen the decorations earlier, and he knew that the bridal bed was covered with different colored roses, scattered on black satin sheets.
The room itself was lit up with scented candles, and bouquets of exotic flowers were placed on the side tables..
She would be sitting there in her bridal finery, her eyes lowered as she waited..
For him..
He shook his head to clear it.
Why was he standing outside his own room , lost in daydreams when he could easily turn them into reality?
Tonight would be all about her, and them..and the magic they would create together.
He pulled the door open, and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
For an instant, he couldn't see much, because the room was dimly lit with only the candles to provide illumination.
But when his eyes adjusted, he took a step forward.
And stopped dead.
Because the bed was empty.
And so was the room.
She wasn't there.
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P.S: Yes, they got married in chapter 2. I know the pace of this relationship and the story may have surprised many of you, but I do have a reason for it.
All I ask is for your trust, and patience until the next couple of updates which have already been written out.
Thank you all for staying with me on this journey so far, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!
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A clarification: I recently received some PMs telling me that those members may not be able to comment on this SS regularly, and asking me not to remove them from my buddy list.
I never remove anyone from that list, neither do I stop sending PMs just because you may choose not to comment.
It is entirely up to you, please like, comment or just silently read this work if you wish to do so.
All I hope is that you enjoy the journey, and I am grateful that you have taken the time to read what I have written.
Please don't tell me she ditched ASR! 😭 Is Khushi up to something? I'm very nervous and feeling restless! Dying to read the next chapter! Please update soon!! 
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