“Did you have other girlfriends before Lavanyaji came into your life?”
Arnav stared at her, surprised by her question.
He hadn’t expected her to ask him that.
In fact, he was surprised with himself too. He had never discussed his past with anyone before, but talking about it with Khushi had seemed natural, and he had discovered the fact that he liked sharing that aspect of his life with her.
But this wasn’t a question he was expecting her to ask, and he was quite curious about why she had done so.
“Why do you want to know, Khushi? And why are you asking me now?”
“I’ve always wanted to know..it is a part of your life, just like everything else you’ve shared today.”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
He watched as she swallowed audibly, and then nodded.
“Okay,then. My answer is no, I didn’t.”
Khushi was surprised by his answer, and didn’t know if she believed him..
Did he expect her to believe that he had no relationships before Lavanyaji, even when he had lived in America?
“I don’t believe you. There must have been someone, in college, or later? Are you telling me you were alone there, and in Delhi, before Lavanyaji entered your life?”
“No, I wasn’t alone.”
Khushi was confused now.
“But you just said…”
“Khushi, before I tell you anything, let me ask you, do you trust me? Do you believe that I will always tell you the truth?”
Arnav waited with bated breath for her reply.
After all his games and manipulations, he didn’t know if he deserved her trust.
He hoped that she would look past that.
After a long moment, she nodded, and he heaved a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for that. About your question, I have to tell you about my student life for you to understand. Just listen, okay?”
She nodded again.
“I did go to America for my MBA, but it wasn’t easy, Khushi. Nani helped me, but I had to raise some money of my own as well. And once I was there, I took up an evening job in addition to studying full-time. And I did my best to finish my degree earlier than the usual duration. All of this meant that I had no time to socialize, and I couldn’t even afford to take a girl on a date even if I wanted to.”
“So there was no one?”
“Khushi, let me finish, please. There was no one until my final semester. It was at the library that I met Lavanya, who was studying in a different college at the time.”
“You met Lavanyaji in America?!”
“Yes. We dated for a while. She was easy-going, and had no expectations, which suited me then. But when I finished my degree and returned to India, we didn’t keep in touch.”
“Why not?”
“Because it was just a temporary thing, Khushi. We were both lonely, and going out with each other fulfilled that need for companionship, Nothing more, nothing less.”
“But she was working for you here!”
“I’m getting to that. Once I returned, I spent the next few months trying to set up my company, and I was successful beyond my wildest dreams..I put in hours of hard work, turned night into day, and literally had no time for anything else until my company was fully functional. And then, while interviewing for positions in the company, I met Lavanya again..this time, she was the one who took the first step, and we started dating again.”
“I don’t understand these kind of relationships..how can you be with someone for so long, and not even think about marriage?”
“I know it’s a foreign concept to you, but that’s how it was. And no, I never once thought about marrying her. In fact, I barely ever thought of her when she wasn’t with me. And that was the way things would have continued, if not for one momentous evening at a fashion show in Lucknow.”
Khushi stared at him, trying to understand.
She was happy, of course, that Lavanyaji had been the only woman in his life before her. That was better than the dozens of girlfriends that she had imagined.
She still didn’t understand those type of relationships, but she was more interested in knowing more about what he had felt at the fashion show.
“What happened at the fashion show?”
“You know what happened, you fell into my arms.”
“Do you know how scared I was that day?”
“I know. It was a misunderstanding, I should have listened to your explanation. But you fought back, even though you were frightened! I’ve always loved that about you, the fact that you are not intimidated by me..”
“I won’t change that, even after we’re married.”
“I’m not asking you to. In fact, I don’t want you to change anything. Now, can I ask you a question?”
“Yes?”
“What about you? Was there anyone in your life before Shyam?”
Khushi stared at him, shocked.
“How can you ask me that?!”
“Why not? It’s the same question you asked me, right?”
“But I..you…I’m not going to answer that!”
Khushi couldn’t believe that he was asking her this. How could he?
“Yes, you are. I answered you,didn’t I? Now it’s your turn for some honesty.”
“No!”
She tried to get up from the blanket, but he pulled her back.
She landed on top of him, and he lay back down on the blanket with her.
“Tell me..”
“No!”
He grasped the back of her head and pulled her towards him, his gaze on her lips.
“Tell me now.”
She was breathless, and her heart was racing at his proximity.
“I won’t.”
He brought her head down until there was barely any space between their lips, and whispered, “Why not?”
She whispered back, “Why should I?”
“Because I told you the truth.”
He closed the gap between their lips and kissed her, her body resting fully against his now.
When they broke apart, he asked her, “Was there anyone else?”
“No..never.”
“And there never will be. You’re mine, Khushi Kumari Gupta. “
“And you belong to me, Arnav Singh Raizada.”
He pulled her back and kissed her again, longer this time.
She clutched his shoulders for support, feeling the now familiar sensations flood through her body.
When he ended the kiss, she leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
“We should leave now..there’s so much to do at home..”
“A few minutes more, Khushi..”
She nodded, and looked up into his eyes.
They stayed that way, entwined in each other’s arms, and watched the sun go down .
Content, and at peace with each other, in their own private universe.
Later that night
“So you will get there at six tomorrow evening?”
“Yes. I’m glad our mehendi is at the same resort, it’s beautiful!”
“I knew you’d like it. So about this ceremony, Nani tells me that the significance is that the dark colour of the mehendi symbolizes the love of your husband, right?”
“Yes, it does. So the truth will be out tomorrow, I’ll know exactly how much you love me, Laad Governor!”
“Is there any doubt about that?”
“We”ll know tomorrow, won’t we?”
“Your mehendi will be very dark. Khushi.”
“Do you know the other ritual of the mehendi?”
“Are you talking about including my initials in the mehendi pattern? I know that, you already had an A written last time, remember?”
“Yes, but this time I won’t show you the mehendi. You will have to find your name in the pattern later, that’s how it is done.”
“Later? When is that?”
“You can see my hands during our suh..during…I mean..”
“Are you talking about our wedding night?”
Khushi blushed and waited for him to say something wicked.
He didn’t disappoint.
“I’ll make sure I pay attention to your hands during our suhaag raat. Along with everything else, of course.”
“Arnavji, stop doing that!”
“Never. Now, go to sleep, and dream of our wedding night.”
Khushi did dream of their wedding night, but her imagination stopped at him lifting her bridal veil.
Arnav’s fantasies went much further, and he spent a restless night, impatient to have her in his arms, where she belonged.
—————
In Shantivan..
“Do you think he has forgotten about that video?”
“I don’t know. And what about her? Has she given up?”
“I don’t understand any of this. I think we should just wait and watch.”
“I don’t think so. I think we should do something before they can come up with a plan.”
“What should we do?”
_________________
When Khushi got down from the car the next day, she was considerably calmer than the day before.
She smoothed down the folds of the heavy green silk lehenga she wore, once again admiring the silver zardosi work all over it.
She had chosen this dress at the store where Arnavji had kissed her.
She blushed as she thought about it, and quickly turned her face away, afraid that Amma would ask about her red cheeks.
“Khushi, look, Arnav bitwa is coming this way with Anjali bitiya.”
Khushi looked at him, her nervousness making a sudden return.
He was wearing a black sherwani, and her heart resumed it’s dhak-dhak as her eyes met his.
Would he like what she was wearing?
She didn’t have to wait long for her answer, her cheeks turning red again as his gaze moved slowly over her body, taking in every aspect of her appearance.
Why was he looking at her like that when there were others around?
He finally looked at her face, and smiled slowly.
She returned his smile hesitantly.
“Khushiji, you look beautiful, that dress is amazing!”
“Thank you, Anjaliji.”
“Please come this way. Chotey has made some unusual arrangements for the location of the mehendi ceremony.”
Arnav couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She looked gorgeous, and every inch the young bride.
He looked ahead at where they were going, and hoped she would like his choice of venue for the mehendi.
They entered the resort gardens, and he heard her gasp as she took in everything.
The gardens included dozens of rose bushes, and he had ordered some couches to be placed along these.
Small fountains were interspersed between the bushes, and the entire area was lit up with fairy-lights.
The guests who had already arrived now sat on the couches, craning their heads to catch a glimpse of the bride.
He saw her turn towards him, her eyes shining with excitement, and he knew he had succeeded.
She turned towards the small platform which served as a stage tonight, and he knew she was wondering about what it was going to be used for.
“Sit down, Khushi. You’ll find out soon.”
She sat down on the centrally located large couch, and he took his place beside her, placing his hand on top of hers.
The lights dimmed, and only the stage remained brightly lit up.
“Don’t tell me you managed to get Salmanji again!”
“Even Arnav Singh Raizada cannot do that two days in a row, Khushi..but I’m sure you’ll enjoy this performance too..”
He saw her look towards the stage once more, and as the music began to play, she saw the couple making their entry on the stage.
“Maan and Geet!! Arnavji, they are my favorite pair on television!”
“I know. Now sit back, and enjoy!”
She did enjoy the performance, tapping her feet and clapping her hands as the pair danced to a number of mehendi songs.
At the end, they pulled her on stage, and her natural exuberance took over as she joined in the dancing.
He loved seeing this side of her, carefree, lively and spirited..
As the dance ended, he watched as she spoke to the two actors, no doubt seeking their autographs as well.
She turned around suddenly, and smiled at him, a bright, joyous smile that made him smile in turn.
She was happy, and he knew he had given her the mehendi ceremony of her dreams too.
Khushi was enjoying this party, and loved the little touches Arnavji had put in, like the Jalebis being served right now.
She had one in each hand, trying to eat as many as she could before they started applying the mehendi on her palms.
“Khushi, that’s enough! It’s time now, come here and sit down!”
She ate the remaining jalebis quickly, and sat down in front of the henna artist. Di had said she was famous, and only applied mehendi to the brides at celebrity weddings.
She had already selected the patterns, and had told her to draw the letter ‘A’ in her palm.
As she stretched her hand out, the woman leaned forward with the mehendi cone.
She never got a chance to apply it, because all the lights went off suddenly, leaving the garden in complete darkness.
“What’s going on? Amma, wh..”
Khushi’s sentence remained incomplete as a hand clamped over her mouth, and she felt herself being pulled back against a hard body.
She tried to free herself, but his grip was too strong, and he began pulling her deeper into the trees lining the garden path.
When he finally let her go, she whirled around angrily, trying to look at his face.
“You!!”
********************************************
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Love,Lies And Two Weddings? 