Chapter 11

                                  
               The road less traveled......        

     

        

                    Shyam could be an unfitting piece of this puzzled family,had he not been as stubborn as Raizada sons and daughter.He was intransigent to force Arnav to spill the beans today.His first attempt was proved futile but he reasoned it as he had taken the bull by horns unprepared. But now an intricate strategy was churning his mind to proceed with this commotion.

    

       Shyam tactfully brought out his every arrow from quiver one by one. First he created a well aspired emotional environment elaborating dramatically to Arnav how he has failed to keep his word given to Anjali on their first day of marriage.He had promised her to be a part of this family and personify a fatherly image to her Chote .As Arnav is being hesitant to share his inner turmoil with him now...he had flunked by his performance. Arnav was just trying  to pacify him,when neglecting Arnav's words he brought out his Saale sahab's limitations regarding relations and personal issues into spotlight carefully.When his prey almost walked into the traps,he boastingly underlined self ability of smelling suspicions instantly and further added that it would be in vain if he tried to deny that something is cooking in his brain.Final blow was not needed to be much power packed as Shyam had imagined.A little provocation to surface his insecurities regarding loosing the girl, goaled his ball into the post.  

             

           Arnav  could have never  been tricked so easily only if his brain had not relinquished its service from that day. As he was already so desperate to seal the deal as soon as possible and unable to come with any kind of strategy regarding this cardinal business, put his weapons down.He acceded Shyam's doubt admitting that he was trying to convince Khushi on some personal deal sheepishly. Further he added how Khushi being Khushi acting all crazy and denying his so favorable deal for her. As he spoke about the attempts much needed to convince her, Shyam observed, a gawky look on his face. Overjoyed with his grand success he tried to take this matter in own hands.

  "Are Sale sahab, you really don't need to feel offended at all while wooing her..umm.. I mean while convincing her. It's like another business tact of yours. Whenever any party seemed disapproving your terms , you choose to go for  blandishment, don't you? It's similar, you see?"

   

    Arnav was conveniently convinced that he is not behaving against any of his principles set for own long ago and asked for an advice so candidly. Shyam was just waiting for a kick and now started, his train captured full speed.

   " Salle sahab,  why don't you highlight her skills?"

  

 "You mean her smile?.." Arnav was too abrupt to answer at that for his own liking!

          

       Trying to suppress his mischievous grin, Shyam answered, "Smiling is not a skill, sale sahab! I was talking about her cooking skill you know? Khushiji is such a great cook and as it is she is coming here for lunch. So she must be preparing something too. If you try to admire her culinary skill in front of the whole family, there is possibility of her getting impressed. Why don't you try it?"

  

"Ohh! It's a nice idea jijai. Just inform me what she is going to prepare today. I will spread a flower bed  out of praises for her." even his own  vocal cord was bit uncomfortable with such foreign words spilling out of  them..

       

           Even after two days of the royal wedding,celebrations had not ceased at Raizada mansion.They were on full fledge with more rituals after marriage. It was the day of 'Chula Poojan' ,where  Payal was going to prepare lunch for the  family first time as a newlywed daughter-in-law.Of course being an inevitable part of the family Khushi was invited to the ceremony.

    

      It had taken two long days and nights for Khushi to gain a bit of control over her enormously beating heart and  kind of dazzled state after that night of rendezvous. It was a demand of her eyes to see their source of alighting to retain their sheen,which had made her agree to accept this invite. She had planned to prepare sugar free 'badam kheer' ...yes of course to help Payal  while assenting her to prepare the sugared version of the kheer for remaining family.

      

     The dining  area was filled with chaos of excitedly starving family members ,redolence of the spices and bustle of Payal and Khushi to serve them (amidst stolen glances from their respective partners). Shyam indicated Arnav to carry out  decided plan with hawking when Arnav served himself with third bowl of the 'Badam Kheer' disregarding choking Anjali at that site. He blinked at Shyam and asked innocently,

  "Who has prepared this sugar free badam kheer?"  to no one in particular.

  

  "Are, apani Khushi bitiya banye rahi khaas apake khatir ,Chote (are,it's prepared by khushi bitiya,exclusively for u chote) "  Replied Nani  bewildered at the scene of her Chote feasting over his favorite sweet dish willingly after so many years.

   

 "It's so authentic,Nani!  Khushi it's really so delicious" he complimented wholeheartedly.

   

      Khushi caught dumbfounded with her free appraisal in front of the whole family, that too from none other than Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada who was well known for his niggardly use of these mouthful words.The pinky blush on her glowing cheeks had just started to turn into red ,when it immediately  transferred to darker shade of engraved rage with his next statement.

  

  "Khushi, if my employees start eating food out of your hands; their efficiency will shoot to the highest range , you know?" He said feeling proud to come up with such a good evaluating statement.

   Khushi plunged poori's plate into HP's hands and bunked inside to avoid her public display of fury.

               Till then Shyam had lost the count of his face-palm moments.

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

    

         Arnav was so confused and a bit irritated at the fact of Khushi being so unreasonable. He had praised her kheer in front of the whole family. But rather than expressing her one of the usual expressions...blushing, smiling, amused, surprised or shocked, of which he was so used to...She was behaving so indifferent with him as if she was furious. If it was not for the sake of winning the challenge, he had not had cared for her difficult behavior.(As if it was possible for him anytime) So taking another chance , he chose to use a trump card which would never fail against any girl. He cornered Khushi at pool side alone.

       

      Khushi first was astonished when he..The Arnav Singh Raizada praised her. But then it triggered her anger when he related her cooking talent as an aid of increasing  his employees' efficiency. ..always It is business for him. Her hard work, her emotions behind preparing his favorite sweet dish did not even matter to him beyond profit gain. But as she thought more about it,she felt pity about the man she was madly in love with. How hard he was trying with the ways he had never traveled across remotely. How difficult it must be for him to ally with her expectations. Was she expecting over the board performance from him? And that thought of her being difficult for him pricked her heart. So she didn't do much efforts to rescue herself from coliseum of his two strong arms when she rested her back on one of the poolside walls and he rested his arms on her either sides blocking her way.

  "To tumane woh kheer isliye banayi kyoki  muze pasand hai! (so u prepared that kheer, just because it's my favorite?)" He stated rather than putting it as a question.

  was Khushi one to admit it so easily? She could not commit something that will make his challenge so obvious.

  "Nahi to..hum kyo banana lage apake liye kheer?(no..not at all,why would I prepare kheer  for you?)" She questioned him.

 "To fir kisake liye banayi thi? (then for who's sake it was cooked?)"

  "Ummm..woh..who." Khushi looked at surrounding plants expecting to get some clue from them helplessly  "Woh kheer ..hu..humane khudake liye banayi thi.!" ("I had cooked it for myself")

   Arnav could not do anything but smirk looking at her hard attempt to seem nonchalant.

 "Accha? (oh really?)."  His husky voice and warm breaths were driving her crazy.

 "Haa..our nahi to kya..apako nahi pata hume badaam kheer kitani pasand hai. Agar koi hume subah , shyam bhi khilaye to hum  sari ki sari chaat kar jaye.. ("Of course, or what else for? Don't you know how I love badaam  kheer ,even if someone serves it to me day and night I would gobble it all down)" She blabbered as if that would prove her plain lie.

    Arnav squared his shoulders and took a step back in the process of staring her from head to toe. Cocking  his right brow ,he asked so blatantly ,"To tumane ye laal sari bhi isliye pahani hai kyo ki laal rang tumhe pasand hai? (So likewise,u must have wore this RED saree jus because u love red color?)"

   It came unexpected to Khushi. Now attack was the only option left as a best defense and so little tigress came out of her den ," Kyo? Laal rang pe bas Arnav Singh Raizada ka naam likha hai kya?Bas aap hi pahan sakate ho.. Koi our nahi pahan sakata use?  (why? Is there any copyright on RED just for Mr.Arnav singh raizada? Cant anyone wear RED other than you? )"

        

            As soon as she finished,both simultaneously flinched at the image of Arnav in a crisp RED suit..where  khushi mentally smacked herself for her blabber,while Arnav was point black petrified at the image.The imagination seemed impossible for Khushi even in her craziest dream. So being grateful to both of them,she immediately corrected her sentence..

  "Hamara matlab hai, koi our Lal rang pasand nahi kara sakata kya? Our wese bhi hum jo marji aye pahane. Aap ko kya farak padata hai? ..(I mean, Can't anyone other than you like Red colour? ? and whatever,I can wear what I feel like, what difference it makes to u?)"

  

    Being extremely relieved at the correction, he said  "Muze farak padata hai Khushi Kumari gupta ..!(It does matter to me Khushi Kumari Gupta!) "  With which he took hold of her soft delicate small knuckle in his comparatively larger palm and went inside the room. He came to a stop when his full sized mirror displayed a beautiful image which was already etched in his heart long ago. He stood past her keeping his hands over her shoulders while Khushi was lost in admiring the 'made for each other couple' mirrored.

  

  

   "Khushi.."  His voice was feather soft only for her ears.

  

    

   "Hmm?"  She replied dazedly.

   

   "Has anyone ever told you?" He stared in her eyes reflected in mirror.

  

   

    "Kya?"  She lowered her lashes confining his intent gaze.

  

    

    "that..."..he paused

  

   "Boliye na.(Tell me na..)" Her heart was drumming its regular musical notes  'Dhak..Dhak..Dhak!'

  

   "That..If you walk on a ramp in such glory of yours ...every model will be knocked out and world will go gaga over you." He said genuinely.

  

       

     

     Duh..! Khushi landed on this unromantic very earth immediately. Here she was expecting   a word  like..'Beautiful' as simple as that to fan her ears..And he ..he was comparing her with that shameless, half naked models of his. Her anger crossed its usual limit. 'Why not?  After all a beautiful model only brings new assignments for him and that is how he is going to earn profits. Why it would to matter him if I am not a model and still look beautiful?'

   

   With that thought she shoved him hard and went out marching leaving behind confused Arnav pondering over what went wrong this time...who was groaning loudly with his 'What The' ,landing his vocal cord back to its comfort zone..where it felt being home again.

                                      

                                          

Chapter 10

                       
                    Pushing The EnVeLoPe..... 

             Khushi was blinking more than usual in attempts to concentrate on 'Most important DeaL'  presented to her to start a mutual venture with Arnav Singh Raizada'.(It was another fact that her attention was diverted  more towards the man presenting it than the actual presentation. )

         

          As he stopped talking in his oh so commandingly husky voice and envisaged her with expectant eyes..she concluded ...whatever it was, must be over now and tried to recollect all her senses lost in that room effulgent from full moon . She was truly impressed by the presentation...umm..or rather his style of presenting it. His confident voice, his convincing way to explain every term, his detailed study of the supposed subject and ohh not to forget the glint  in his eyes which would make his persona more attractive. She realized, these must be the reasons that Arnav Singh Raizada never fails to seal any deal he lays his hands on. What his opponents are expected to do other than agreeing to his every term with such a killing attitude?

          ...Once her appraisal note on ASR's presentation skills ended, she realized the depth of the situation with all amusing things happening around her.

             

        Khushi noticed that she had almost forgotten to animate her amusement in her usual way, very  first time in her life. So as her brain denied to make the day more exceptional, She first formed her signature mark 'O' with those petal soft lips and widened her eyes displaying her surprise.

                  

           

    She mechanically rose from her seat and pinched him hard on his forearm trying to believe in the thing just occurred.

       

    "Arnavji , am I hallucinating it or are you really here ?"

  

 Arnav winced in the pain. "What the..! Khushi, is this your way to respond affirmatively?"  He asked so impatiently.

Khushi's mind was not in condition to decode any word said by him anymore. She was shocked thoroughly.

    "Ar..nav..ji, did you..did you.. just try to propose me for  marriage????"She asked doubtfully.

     

          Arnav realized something. "Ohh, wait not yet."  He switched on the light and while trying to adjust his eyes to sudden illumination, brought out the velvet box from his cupboard.

   

            Holding open the box containing  the ring in front of her he said,

       "Here! Now I try to...I mean ..I tell you to marry me with all your  acceptance"

                     

        

              Human anatomy was never Arnav's subject to study  in detail but at least he was well aware of the functions of every organ..now he doubted ... was it his oblivion of the knowledge or his heart was being an exceptional case for science??...because as he noted...his heart was sucking back all the blood towards itself  for its survival  through every vessel which were meant to circulate that blood away to other poor organs otherwise.

         

              

          It was a strong feeling of dj vu... those similar emotions which were quite frequent many years ago had appeared again...when he was a school going boy...like an akin  experience of anticipating result after appearing for an important  exam. But those results were never  a matter of life or death  for him as current one seemed to be..He had never imagined  ..a mere  word...those three letters.. among whole 26 alphabets which he used to stump people with his commanding speech..only damn 3 letters out of  them could be sole reason of his existence today...He wasting all ears to listen...only a soft voiced "YES"..!

               

             

             

         

         The luminous ring could not avoid her dampened gaze. 'How beautiful the ring is'.. Her heart irradiated with a single peek. It was made in her favorite gem 'Ruby'..bright, reflecting color! And those solitaire hearts being plain were providing  more illusion for ruby's bright radiation. It was a perfect ring for her. She felt proud to be offered to be master of this most beautiful jewel. Her hand moved forward to hold the ring as if it has its own mind...suddenly she felt something amiss.

         

          

         She glanced at Arnav..He was standing there with a sort of nervous smile on his face holding the ring. Then reality dawned on her. His proposal which he was assuming kind of a business deal, his way of ordering her to marry him and his..his posture...he could not even offer her this divine ring with all proper honor it deserved...He was expected to be on his knees at least..  And lack of that gesture annoyed her.

             

            

           She had anticipated that in coming days Arnavji would try to kind of express his  feelings for her. It was not expected from him to voice his emotions with red roses, chocolates or candles like those scenes in her favorite Salmanji's  romantic movies.  But she could not have even imagined him to present her a business like deal to  propose her.

                           

        

            

               He must be only man on this earth who could make a girl choleric and ecstatic at the same time... 'Hey Devi Maiyya...Kis mitti se banaya hai apane inhe...banaya to banaya ...uparase hum akele hi mile the apko puri duniya mein inke nasib mein likhane ke liye???? (What  have you made this man of? ..Fine, though a grave mistake..didn't you find any other girl in the whole world  to assign as his better half other than me?) ' crotchety Khushi  admonished  her deity ..being  elated with the assuring  news that he wishes to marry her but grumpy  at the same time with his way.

 She mentally mocked herself

        

     'Khushi Kumari Gupta, kya socha tha tumane?  Is that so easy to bring Arnav Singh Raizada on his knees to propose you? Laad Governor kahike... Unse unake dil ki baat manwana itana aasan hota to duniya unhe ASR kyo bulati? (had it been so easy to make him express his emotions, why the world would have called him ASR??)But if he is Arnav Singh Raizada then I am Khushi Kumari Gupta and that too from Lukhnow...and ..may be would be Mrs. ASR?   Hum thode hi ese haan kar denge unhe?  Yes, I take this challenge. I will bring this Laad Governor on his knees before saying 'YES' to him. Till then two can play the game.'

       

           

          She decided, she would make him understand this cardinal business. He needed to be acquainted with his inner emotions before marrying  her. And it was a challenge for her to force him to open his heart and let herself enter that deserted place and seek for her oasis therein.

           

     

          Had our own Khushi Kumari Gupta ever ran away from any challenge? So it was obvious for her to accept it and act on the same  instantly. So composing herself from the shock and folding her hands against her chest  she spoke as matter of fact.

   

     "Ummm..Arnavji, I must say you have presented this proposal very thoughtfully and I do agree that your deal is so tempting too"

  

                      Arnav smirked with self satisfaction.

      

     "But ..as I think over it in detail, I don't see any rattling advantage over here for me besides  I know your family very well. So before I respond you, I would suggest you to come with some enormously attractive benefit for me if you wish me to accept it. Or I give a choice in that case. You can even try to impress me any way so under that impression I would happily say 'YES' to you. So try both the ways. You can treat it as a challenge???"

    Saying that she moved towards door boasting over self intelligence with which she had replied him successfully.

           That flurry enraged  Arnav. 'How can she simply move away denying  HIS proposal??'

       

       This time his hibernating brain came to her rescue taking her side.(cognizant to the fact that both are actually on the same side )

    

     'She did not deny your proposal...but challenged  you to make her accept...ohh, I must say ASR... this girl is not playing so easy to have...'

That sparked his ego to acme.

        

              Arnav has always considered her as a naive and innocent girl from a small town. Though he was familiar with her courage and good heart, he had never allotted her much marks in intelligence department. So when he had prepared this presentation, was more than sure that the proposed reasoning would be sufficient for her to accept it. But his calculation had been proven so wrong. He had never expected her to come up with such a challenge using her little brain. Really, this crazy girl never misses any chance to surprise him. He liked it. He would definitely show her that Arnav Singh Raizada never loses any challenge.

    "So. Till when you expect me to make you accept this deal, Ms. Gupta?"

      

      Khushi didn't fail to notice his over confident tone and replied smartly,         "Take as much time you need to do this difficult task, Mr. Raizada! Make use of all your time. I know you would be in the need of best wishes soon. So all the very best."

         

       Saying this she left his room & started towards the garden calming her over stressed nerves that were fortunate enough to be supplied with excess blood so as to project a confident  posture in front of him..ironically contradiction to the fortune of ASR's nerves...pondering over the thought whether she has done a right thing.