Chapter 5
"Look at that beard! Why in the world would you like to live like that?"
Arjun moved his hand over his stubble. It felt rough - he kind of liked it that way. He thought of how it might give beard burn to His girl' if he went in for a proper kiss.
"Your eyes are shining, thinking of something good Bhai?" Arjun got teased by his elder brother
"Like I don't see shine on your face Karan" Arjun replied teasingly with a mischievous smile. "Tell me who is the girl" Arjun went for the direct kill.
Karan played with his watch pondering over the girl he intended to marry. "This is why you should come back home, you don't even know that your brothers' marriage is fixed" Karan replied with a sad smile.
Arjun felt a sharp shard go through his heart, but he did not want to dwell on impossible "stop whining" He said. "Just tell me about this girl who is making you so red" he said in a voice more rough due to his emotions than he would have liked.
"She is a pretty girl, I knew her from before from various parties, her name is Panchali" Karan replied.
"hmmm Panchali" Arjun played with the name. "Bit of an unusual name" he remarked while wiping his black hands with a dirty cloth.
"And so is she" Karan replied. "There is something in her eyes I can't put my finger on. Something that makes me feel that I would never be able to reach" Karan said replaying Panchali's aloofness in his head. Did she really like him - was his real query.
Arjun knew his brother. He could see that his brother was worried about the nature of his relationship with the girl. He knew his brother was a very self-assured man, so if this woman could make his brother introspect, then she must be something. He wanted to see and know this girl right then itself. He felt automatic awe towards the girl, but his brotherly emotion made him angry at the girl also, for creating doubts in his brothers' mind. His brother was the finest man and most eligible bachelor, only a fool girl would not love him. "Why are you going for arrange marriage?" Arjun asked partially knowing the answer. The past started dancing in front of his eyes, he brushed it aside.
Karan looked at him, just looked at him and the question went unanswered. Arjun chilled at the sadness he saw in his brothers' face. He wanted to lift his brothers' mood instantly. He picked up another one of his screws, "Don't sit there useless, help me fix this tire" he said throwing the screw driver at his brother. Karan caught it just in time, he laughed at his brothers' childish effort. "Don't be rude, you are younger than me, I can beat you up" Karan threatened.
"You wish" Arjun replied. The two brothers' smiled at replaying of their old ways. The two worked on the tier side by side.
Arjun gave side glance to his brother. The lingering sadness was still there on Karan's face. Arjun decided to go full throttle. "So who is this girl giving you nightmares?" He asked brother to brother, man to man.
For a moment it seemed Karan would not answer, but he slowly opened "She is just an acquaintance as of now"
Arjun saw the opportunity and grabbed it "So you would want to get closer."
Karan gave him a full glare. Arjun replied with a toothy smile "I can help you" Arjun promised, and Karan realized his cause was lost, now his younger brother had decided to take matters into his hands, and where would it go from here was anyone's guess. Karan smiled, he could see Arjun of childhood right now. The boy who could anything for his brother. Karan could have stopped Arjun, but he saw it as an opportunity for his brother and his to be wife to meet and become friends. With Arjun and his temperament, this was the best way to bring him back to family fold. Karan was not stupid enough to let it go, and so he remained silent, allowing Arjun to make his plans.
"I bought you a Harley Davidson - the one that you wanted so much" Karan broached the touchy subject.
"I am fine with my Passion" Arjun replied redness and anger coming back to his eyes.
Karan dropped the drivers and turned to Arjun, emphatically forcing his brother to look back at him. The two brothers' judged each other aggressively; Arjun's passion boring down upon Karan like seething Iron rod. Anybody could cower down against that look from Arjun, but not Karan - he was an elder brother, a brother who loved his bhai too much to stand down.
"I will leave the keys here" Karan said in challenge
"I won't use it" Arjun replied
"You love speed too much, you should use it" Karan said wanting to see his brother back where he belonged.
"Take it back and never bring things from that house" Arjun gave a grave reply. A deadly silence followed.
Karan looked for any chinks in his brothers' armor, he did not find any. "So help me with Panchali" he said, to go back to his old tactic.
Arjun's anger was not gone, but he managed in suppress it "I will" he promised.
Karan hugged him buy. Despite Arjun's denial, Karan dropped the keys slowly on the table and left.
Arjun pondered over his mixed thoughts, everything was complex and confusing today. It happened every time his brother visited him, but some small part of his heart always wanted his brother to visit him. Arjun tried to control storm of thoughts that rode through his mind. He found solace in thinking about her' - the girl who was His'. As he closed his eyes, his thoughts started getting mixed between her' and Panchali; the girl who was hard to get even for his brother'. And so he slept, thinking of two, often not knowing which one was which.
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