“I’m here for our private haldi ceremony.”
“What?! But I told you, we can’t see each other!”
“When did I say we would?”
“But you just said..”
“Khushi, I want you to listen carefully, and then do what I say..”
When she heard what he wanted her to do, Khushi’s first reaction was panic.
“I can’t do that! I’m scared of the dark, and you know it!”
“You weren’t scared yesterday, when I turned the electricity off.”
“That was because there was still some light from inside the resort!”
“Your room won’t be completely dark either. The streetlights will give you some light through the window. Now please, can you do it?”
“What if someone comes in?”
“They won’t. I’m sure they are all asleep, they must be really tired, right? And we’ll be quiet.”
Khushi thought about it, and felt secretly thrilled about this idea.
But what was he planning to do once she did as he asked?
“I’m going to the door now.”
She turned around and went to the front door, taking care not to make any noise.
She unlocked it, then went to the dining table and picked up the bowl of haldi that still had a little paste remaining at the bottom.
Finally, she went back to her room, took a deep breath, and turned off the lights.
It was very dark, but he was right, there was some light coming in through the window.
Her heart was beating fast, and she was starting to panic again, when she heard the sound of her door being opened, and knew he was here.
“Arnavji?”
“Sshh..I’m right here.”
He came up behind her, and slipped one arm around her bare waist, pulling her against his chest.
“I told you, we could have our very own haldi, and still not see each other.”
Khushi realized that he was right. The place where she was standing was far from the beams of light coming in from outside, and she couldn’t even see his arm around her waist.
She relaxed, and leaned back against him.
“And what are we going to do now?”
He didn’t answer, just moved his hand from her waist to her arm, and slid his hand downwards.
He did the same with her other arm, then whispered,
“You have haldi all over your arms..do you have it on your face too?”
“Yes..and my legs as well..”
He kissed the back of her neck, and brought his arms back to her waist.
“Where should I put the haldi then?”
“I…I don’t know..”
“I think I do.”
He took a step back, and she missed his warmth immediately.
“Where is the haldi?”
“On the table..right next to me..”
He felt his way to the table, and she heard the metallic sound that indicated that he had picked up the bowl from the table.
He came back to her, and she closed her eyes in anticipation of his touch.
Only to open them suddenly , when she felt his hand back on her waist, this time with the haldi smeared on it.
“Arnavji!”
“Sshh..we have to be quiet, remember?”
She bit her lip, trying to stay quiet and smothered another gasp as he moved his hand upwards, leaving streaks of haldi on her waist as he did so.
He pulled her back against his chest with one arm, and held her tight while his other hand continued to move up from her waist.
And then, he reached up, and pulled her pallu off.
She gasped and raised her hands, instinctively trying to cover herself.
“Relax..I can’t even see you..”
She held her breath.
Was he really going to…
She had her answer the next moment, when his hand started its journey over her chest.
He started by smearing haldi over the neckline of her blouse, and then his hand cupped one breast.
“Arnavji!”
“Don’t talk! Do you want your Buaji to come in and find us like this?”
She bit her lip again, trying to stop herself from pulling away.
He sensed her hesitation, apparently, because he whispered,
“I’ve waited a long time to do this, Khushi..but I’ll wait a little longer, if you want me to. All you have to do is tell me to stop, and I will..”
Khushi knew he would let her go if she asked.
But did she really want that?
She realized that she had waited for this too.
Her body was screaming for his touch, and she craved the sensations that only he could arouse.
She wanted this.
She wanted him.
“I…I don’t want you to stop..”
He kissed her neck, and lightly caressed her breast, making streaks of haldi over the blouse.
Every touch, every caress made her shiver, and she felt like she would fall if he let her go right now.
His touch was firm now, and she clutched his arms for support.
She hadn’t ever felt like this before, and she never wanted this feeling to end.
But he abruptly removed his hands from her breasts, and turned her around in his arms.
“What…”
She never had the chance to say more than that, because his lips covered hers in a passionate kiss.
She clutched the back of his head, drowning in the whirlpool of sensations.
He deepened their kiss, and his arms tightened around her waist, lifting her a few inches off the floor as he did so.
The haldi was all over them now, their bodies straining to get closer.
Arnav took a step back, taking her with him, and accidently nudged the bowl of haldi.
They broke apart as the bowl fell to the floor with a resounding crash.
“Hai re Nandkishore! What was that?”
“Buaji!! “
“Khushi, calm down . Just do as I say. Go outside and distract Buaji while I leave through the front door.”
“But what if she sees you?”
“I’ll make sure she doesn’t . Now go!”
Khushi felt her way to the door,and quickly opened it.She pulled her pallu back in place, and managed to reach Buaji’s room just in time.
“Aye titaliya, what was that noise?”
“Buaji, that was..that was just me. I dropped the bowl of haldi, I’m sorry.”
“Dropped the bowl? What were you doing with the bowl at this time of night anyway?”
“I..I was just..”
Buaji reached out for the light switch, and turned it on.
She stared at Khushi for a moment.
“Did you drop the bowl on yourself? Why is there haldi all over you? It’s on your clothes too!”
“I..I told you, I dropped the haldi on the floor, and then I..tripped and fell in it..I’ll just go and wash up now..”
“Go now! I’ll come to your room and clean the mess on the floor.”
‘No!! I mean..I’ll do it myself. Why don’t you go back to bed?”
“Do it right now, don’t forget, Sanka Devi!”
Khushi waited until Buaji was back inside before running back to her room.
She turned on the light, but he wasn’t there.
She heaved a sigh of relief, and quickly dialled his number.
“Hi.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m driving back.”
“How did you get out?”
“Through the window, of course. I feel like a teenager running from his girlfriend’s parents!”
“I was so scared that Buaji might see you! She wanted to come into my room and clean up the mess, and she wanted to know why I had haldi all over.”
“And what did you tell her?”
“I told her that I dropped the haldi on the floor, then tripped and fell in it.”
“That’s not what happened.”
“I could hardly tell her the truth!”
“Of course not. No one needs to know what we do when we are alone together. Have you cleaned up?”
“Not yet, I just got back..”
“Go and wash the haldi off, Khushi..And while you are pouring water over yourself, while your hands are removing all traces of the haldi, remember one thing…”
The husky note in his voice was her undoing.
She trembled, and asked softly,
“What?”
“My hands have been there first.”
Khushi placed the phone down, a shy smile on her face.
From tomorrow, there would be no need to call him in the night.
He would say all these wicked things to her, in person.
She blushed as she thought about how she would react when he did so.
As she fell asleep, she thought about how this was her last night in her bed.
She would miss her stars.
The morning of the wedding…
“Khushi, why are you making jalebis now? “
“I just wanted to make them one last time…before I leave, Amma.”
“You’ve made enough to feed an army! Now come here, see who has come home with your wedding dress!”
Khushi turned off the stove, picked up a jalebi and followed her mother outside.
“Jiji !”
She ran up to Payal and hugged her.
“You have my dress? Where is it? I can’t wait to see it!”
“It’s right here, let’s go inside and I’ll show it to you.”
The two women made their way to Khushi’s bedroom, and Payal had barely placed the boxes on Khushi’s bed before she started opening them.
“Slow down, Khushi! You might tear something!”
“I’ve been waiting to see this, Jiji ! I want to know what it looks like!”
“Akash told me that Arnavji asked his designer to make this for you..and apparently, he selected the jewellery himself.”
Khushi stopped what she was doing, and looked up at Payal.
“Jewellery? But I was planning to wear some of the antique jewels I received as my inheritance..”
“Why don’t you see what Arnavji has chosen for you, and then decide? And remember, you can also wear your own jewels at the reception.”
Khushi smiled, her spirits restored.
“Let me open this one first!”
She opened the box containing the dress, and stared.
When Jiji had told her that Arnavji’s designer had created this, she hadn’t expected something so..traditional.
She smiled.
Her Arnavji knew her well, she had always dreamed of something like this..
The lehenga was made of a heavy silk fabric, in a deep, rich maroon. Copper-coloured zardosi work covered most of the skirt and dupatta, with crystals and kundan in between.
The effect was that of a luxurious, expensive bridal dress, and Khushi fell in love with it immediately.
“Jiji, it’s beautiful! I love it!”
She didn’t wait for a reply, and started opening the other boxes.
The next one was her jewellery, and Khusi was astonished at his choice.
She lifted the seven strand necklace of uncut diamonds and held it up to the light, mesmerised by the sparkling brilliance.
There were matching earrings, with delicate designs on them, as well as a mang-tikka.
When she saw the whole set together, Khushi realized why he had chosen this particular combination.
It was like something a princess would wear, on her wedding day.
He was paying tribute to her family in his own way, while giving her the fairy-tale wedding she had always wanted.
“Jiji, everything is just so beautiful..I don’t know what to say..”
“There’s one more box, Khushi.”
Khushi looked down at the last box, smaller than the others she had opened.
She lifted it out, and opened the lid.
She couldn’t believe her eyes.
Inside the box were twelve gold bangles, exact replicas of the one she had sold to buy those plants for him.
But how had he done this?
“Arnav bitwa asked me to describe your bangle, and I tried…it looks like I was successful too.”
Khushi looked up at her mother, who had just entered her room.
Arnavji had done this for her.
Once again, he had reversed something that had happened in the past, and given her a reason to smile.
She smiled brightly at her mother, but Garima was staring at the jewels, and her hands were clasped tightly together.
“Amma? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing..I just..I have to go..”
Khushi watched as Garima turned towards the door.
She quickly went up to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
When Garima finally faced her, Khushi was shocked to see tears in her eyes.
“Amma? Why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing.. I’ll miss you, that’s all..”
But Khushi had noticed that Garima was trying to hide something in her hand.
She held her hand, and tried to force open her fingers.
“Khushi, stop! What are you doing? There’s nothing there!”
It was too late, though.
Khushi had already found what she was hiding in her hands, a pair of delicate gold jhumkis with a floral design.
“These are beautiful! Are they for me?”
“What? No, I..”
“Amma, you brought them for me, so why are you trying to hide them?”
“How could I give them to you, Khushi? How can you wear these small jhumkis with your grand dress and beautiful jewellery? What will people think?”
“I don’t care what anyone thinks! I don’t care if they don’t match the rest of the jewellery! I will wear them, because they are from you! It’s a wedding gift from my mother, nothing is more precious to me!”
Garima pulled Khushi into a hug, and both women acknowledged the fact that Khushi would be leaving this house forever,
“I am so happy that you will wear them, Khushi! Your Bauji had one pair made for each of you many years ago, and it’s the only thing I can give you..”
“I don’t need anything else, Amma..”
Payal joined them, and the three women shared a silent moment of acceptance, love given and received with no qualms.
Then Payal pulled back, and wiped off her tears.
“Stop crying, Khushi! Think about Arnavji..how do you think he’ll react when he sees the dress you have sent for him?”
Aranv stared at the box containing his wedding dress.
He was never comfortable wearing traditional clothes, but in this instance, he would try to wear it.
She wanted this, and he would do it for her.
He opened the box, and saw the cream-coloured Sherwani inside. He lifted it out of the box, noting the Lucknowi chikankari embroidery along the collar and sleeves.
For some reason, earlier he had imagined receiving a peacock-blue sherwani, and that had given him nightmares!
But this was understated, and elegant. Traditional without being over-the-top.
He was glad she had chosen this.
He could definitely wear this sherwani.
The same could not be said about the contents of the next box, though.
A pagri?
He was not going to wear a pagri on his head, no matter what !
A knock on his door broke into his thoughts, and he pulled it open angrily.
Nani and Shyam stood outside.
“Can we come in, Chotey? There’s something we need to say.”
Arnav stepped back, letting them in.
He was instantly suspicious.
What did they want now?
“Chotey, I know you are busy right now, but this is important. And it needs to be said before your wedding.”
“What is it, Nani?”
“It’s the truth, Chotey, The truth about what we have been doing all these months.This is about…”
“Shyam and Khushi?”
“What?! Yes, but how did you know?”
“Oh, I know everything. I have always known, right from the beginning.”
Shyam’s eyes widened.
“Saale saab, are you telling me you are aware of what we did..”
“Yes, I know. I know that you were only pretending to pursue Khushi. And I also know that it was Nani’s plan to bring Khushi and me closer.”
Shyam looked astonished, but Nani stared back at Arnav, seemingly undisturbed.
“How did you find out?”
“I have my ways. I’m always one step ahead, in my business, and also in my own home, Nani.”
“Saale Saab, if you knew all this, why didn’t you confront us with the truth?
“Because you were doing exactly what I wanted to do in the first place. Every scheme of yours was geared to bring Khushi closer to me, and that’s what I wanted. So why would I stop you?”
“Why didn’t you tell the others about us, Chotey? And on the day of the havan, Khushi bitiya was on the terrace with Damadji, what was that all about?”
“There is nothing to be gained by telling the family about your manipulations. And what happened on the terrace was my plan, one I made so that Shyam could have a taste of his own medicine, and also erase a bad memory for Khushi in the process. And it also left you confused, didn’t it?”
“You are indeed one step ahead, Chotey..Now, since you apparently know everything, I’ll leave. I only came here to tell you the truth so that you could step into your new life with all secrets revealed, and nothing being hidden in this family. And I didn’t want you to mistrust Damaadji either.”
“Wait just one minute Nani. Since you are here to tell me the truth, can you please let me know why you are trying to get rid of everyone in this house?”
Shyam turned to Nani.
“You are trying to do what?!”
“You know about that as well? I’m impressed, Chotey.”
“Wait, he is telling the truth? What is wrong with you? Will your schemes never end? Both of you deserve this! I’ve had enough! I’m so glad Anjali decided to move into our new home!”
Shyam turned around and left.
Nani sighed, and turned back to face Arnav.
“I’ll talk to him later. First, let me tell you the truth about that too. Yes, I am trying to send your Mama and Mamiji away. And I’m leaving , too. I’m doing this because we have not one, but two new couples in the house, and they deserve this time together,with no interference from well-meaning family members. The first few months are crucial in establishing a solid foundation for a marriage and I wanted to give you and Akash the chance to build your relationships as a young couple..That was my sole intention. But I had nothing to do with Anjali’s decision. That was entirely her own.”
“I knew what you were doing, and I didn’t interfere because once again, you were doing exactly what I wanted. But I had not understood your motivation. Thank you for telling me the truth, about everything..but I have to tell you, I don’t need your help anymore. So you can stop your scheming right now!”
Nani smiled.
“There is no need for any more games, or lies. You are marrying Khushi bitiya today, and that’s all I wanted. I know you will treat her well, and she will be the perfect wife for you. “
“No more games? I will believe that when I see it!”
“Chotey, don’t you trust your Nani?”
Arnav smirked.
“As much as you trust me, of course. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to start getting ready.”
“I’ll see you downstairs, Chotey.”
Nani walked out of the room, and Arnav closed it behind her.
She went down the hallway to her room, and found Shyam pacing in front of it.
“Damaadji?”
“What is going on here? We went there to tell him the truth, but he already knows most of it, just as we had initially suspected! “
A third voice intervened.
“He knows about the two of you, but not about me. That much was clear today.”
“I don’t understand, why can’t you tell him the truth too? That you were part of this, right from the beginning?”
“I don’t want to break his trust. And also, he has never been suspicious about me, so I think there’s no need for me to come clean.”
“So you’re never going to tell him?”
“Maybe I will, someday. Or maybe never. Who knows what the future might bring?”
************************************
PS: Another thing I don’t like about the show,the fact that Khushi is forever running away from his touch. My Khushi is passionate, and has needs, just like her Arnavji. I like her that way!
New readers, please buddy me for PMs when I update.
Love,Lies And Two Weddings? 