The place where I am now

A very merry christmas!

I said these very words the other day to someone, and he said, "I don't celebrate christmas". I was undeterred and I flashed a brilliant smile at him and said, "We all celebrate the spirit of christmas".

On that bright sprightly note I sit with my laptop (a different one now, if you are wondering, since my old trusted friend, the laptop I owned was stolen). Its sunny outside and just the fact that I have a holiday makes me happy.

Which naturally leads to one main question in my brain.. what is it that I want to write about..

A while back I had written about a show.. Newsroom.. 
http://aarwensspells.blogspot.com/2014/06/newsroom.html


I watched the finale last week and ruminated about story telling. 

Serendipitously, that was just when my sister-in-law,  the same one who got me to try out 100happydays, read out a quote to me..

"Singing is like praying twice"

I typed in this phrase in google and was about to read about it, when I decided I didn't need to. I can't sing, but I already had a meaning of the phrase in my head and these few moments in the newsroom finale cemented the thought beautifully.

**Warning: Newsroom finale spoilers ahead**

Charlie, the benevolent godfather, lets call him, of all the members of the newsroom, suffered a stroke. There is the intelligent Howard grad who blames her rebellious side for his heart giving up. There is chaos at the uncertainty about the future that might have threatened everyone. And there is the man who has just come out of jail to find his best friend, a father figure in some ways, a beloved boss, gone forever.

They are at Charlie's funeral. And here comes the stellar story telling. The deceased man had two grandchildren.  The viewer is meeting them for the very first time. I could not take my eyes off the elder one. There is a look of distinction, intelligence and sincerity. Child actors in English shows are the very best. 

The man, whose best friends is dead, walks upto his best friend's grandson. And sings.

I am dying to explain why I liked this so much. How beautiful it was, he told the boy the truth. Then a song, to make the boy feel less lonely. Actually an outlet for everyone. And before leaving letting the boy simply know, "If you need someone to talk to, now that your grandfather won't be around, I am here". 

I shouldn't explain it you. That is the point. None of this had to be explained. The creators rely on the intellect of the audience and on the response from their gut. 

You may like it for some completely different reason. You may like the song just by itself. You may have liked the scene for the memories it brings of such nice characters that the show has. It will be personal and yours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp04NqmwWn4

I can't embed the video here, but do click and please watch this.

This episode taught me about writing too, because that is where I am now. I want to write. And write well. While this scene played out I suddenly felt inspired.

The trick is in leaving the things unsaid also speak in the most profound ways. The trick is in suffusing joy in hearts of people who will read the words I have penned down. The trick is in inspiration while entertaining. The trick is in being yourself. The trick is in believing in magic. The trick is in enjoying what you are doing. The trick is in letting your skill speak to you. The trick is in concentrating on the now and allowing it to lead you to unknown limitless spaces.

"Memphis is a stand in for wherever you are right now. That it really means, thats how I got here."

- Charlie Skinner quoting his teenage grandson

arshi SS: Hamesha ~ a heartbeat away, chapter 11

Aaj mausam hai suhana.. Barun ki movie ka wait karne ka hai bahana..
la la la la la
His movie is releasing!!! I wish him lots and lots of luck.


Credit - Wiwy.. thanks a lot for this. I love it.


Chapter 11


Khushi Kumari Gupta was standing in the middle of a crowded Lakshminagar street, early in the morning, happily munching on a handful of channas. Payal was inspecting the vegetables on display in a nearby stall.

Both girls were in pastel shades of yellow and green kurta with matching flower embroidery on it. Fresh and pretty, in the hustle bustle of regular Lakshminagar. The dresses and unaffected air were where the similarity ended.

The younger sister was doing no work and gazing into space, while the elder sister had an extremely busy efficient air about her. Her jhola was already full of vegetables and Payal was bargaining on more.

"Aaj mausam hai suhana..gaana gaane ka hai bahana.. What the what the what". Khushi suddenly sang happily, looking all around. Then noticing a crispy looking karela she ran upto Payal, "jiji lets have karela for lunch today".

"karela? lekin achanak kyu? chalo baba.. achcha Khushi.. I am buying it", Payal continued her bargaining. Khushi moved away pretending nonchalance. There was no need to tell di that buaji had been talking to Khushi about the benefits of karela to someone with diabetes.

Bitter, hard to swallow. Today that did not feel bad. On the contrary it felt exciting. Her heart felt overwhelmed at the vegetable that actually did good deeds.

devi maiyya hum pagal ho gaye hai.. She threw up her hand in the air. Of all the things possible, she was spending time thinking about a kerala, and that too fondly! sab us laad governor ki galti hai..

The intoxicating feel of his lips as it moved against hers flashed before her eyes. She had never ever imagined that his tongue could be so soft.. Clutching onto her forehead, her eyes rose upwards in despair.

dhak dhak dhak.. How hard had she tried not to think about it.. About him.. But wasn't it funny that the mouth that seemed to always move in anger could do such things too? Make her feel all sorts of things. So it was not funny.. but she did not know what other name to give..

She had walked a little further away from the hum drum of the market. And as the panic inside her quelled a little she could focus on the warm tender feeling inside her.

He did not need to help her. He did not need to dance with her. And there was definitely no need to do.. that..

She never did thank him for the times he had helped her. And he had wanted her to.. Khushi gulped.. Then determined to say it in her head.. She continued.. He wanted her to kiss him.. devi maiyya why did it not feel wrong at all? Instead he felt exciting, and reassuring. He was unpredictable, but still the one who would come har bar. He was scary and yet he made her feel safe...hamesha.. And she wanted to run away when he looked at her a certain way, but she also wanted him to continue looking at her that way.

A horn blared nearby and she was brought back to the present. A man who was selling flower garlands was walking past her.

"bhaiyaji.. do haar dena", she called out to him. She had decided she would buy two garlands. One for Lakshmiji, who would look gorgeous with the orange flowers around her neck and the other for mamiji's hair. She would go to shantivan and give it to them.

And while she was there she would tell that akroo laad governor that it was all a mistake.. She had not been thinking clearly that is why she had.. nai nai devi maiya.. It is better not to think about it..

"la la la la la la".. Humming she turned to go back to her jiji when she stopped in her tracks.

"Khushiji kaisi hai aap? Humne socha that it is a wedding house, there must be hundreds of things to do. And what all can buaji do alone. Toh bataiye humein if there is anything I can help with. For old time sake you can tell me Khushiji". A sickly sweet smile was plastered on Shyam's face.

He made a movement towards Khushi, but her face had hardened and she put up her hand to stop him from approaching her further. She was about to move away, but Shyam grabbed her wrist. "Aisi bhi kya berukhi Khushiji. Did I not explain to you? I only want to help you and buaji. After all there was a time when I was also part of this family".

She jerked her hand free and resolutely faced the creep. "bas kijiye Shaymji. How dare you come here and talk to me? yaad rakhiye humne sirf Anjali ji ke khatir kuch nahi kaha hai ab tak. But don't take my silence as my weakness. I cannot stand the sight of an immoral person like you. Next time don't come near me".

"Khushi Khushi".. Payal was making her way towards them. Seeing her Shyam decided to slink away. Sooner or later Khushi would be all his. He could wait a few more days.

An extremely worried Payal reached near Khushi. "Why was Shyamji here?", she asked. Payal could not stand him. Even when he had stayed as paying guest in buaji's house and buaji would go on praising him, Payal had felt a strange weariness about the man. Perhaps it was the fact that he was a bit too helpful, perhaps his coming to stay at buaji's place was a little too convenient. Payal had always felt uneasy around him.

And when buaji had forced Khushi into agreeing to marry him, Payal had been certain that it would be a mistake. Her sister had always dreamed about love and rajkumars. She shuddered to think what would have happened if Khushi had not come to know on time. But the kind Anjali di had not been as lucky. Payal felt sad at the unfairness of it.

"choro jiji. I strictly told him to stay away from me. jiji wish we could do something about it. Anjali ji kitni achchi hai. She does not deserve her heart broken this way". Khushi sadly spoke up as the sisters walked home.

In a fanciful hour Payal did contemplate Shyam might be in Gupta house to rob their unsuspecting trusting buaji, but never would she have dreamed he was married. And as fate would have it he was married to Anjaliji. Anjaliji who was gracious and cheerful always. Why did nice people always have to face challenges.

They had reached home lost deep in thought. Then after emptying the shopping bags in silence both sisters were out in the verandah removing clothes that had been set out to dry.

"Khushi everything will change soon. Shantivan humara ghar hoga. Akashji and Arnavji are very nice straightforward and caring. We cannot hide this from them". Payal spoke determinedly.

Khushi dumped all the clothes in her hand onto the floor and rushed to give her wise elder sister a hug. "jiji hum bhi yehi soch rahe the. par jiji am worried for Anjali ji and that rakshas. I don't want to see them sad".

"hai re nand kisore. dhula kapra jameen par fek kar gale lagat hai duno beheniya!". Buaji's eyes were watery and she engulfed her two nieces into a smothering hug. She was going to miss them a lot.

(Throwing away washed clothes both sisters are are hugging each other!)


****


"di jeejaji is not here again, and you are again in this mopey state". ASR was sitting with the newspaper in the hall.

"aur tumhe time mil gaya to notice my state? Then why don't you also notice that the newspaper you are holding is upside down chote?"

The truth was that ASR was right, Anjali was restless and lonely. Shyamji has been irritable and elusive the last couple of days. Anjali had vaguely hoped the wedding festivities would be the perfect occasion when Shyamji would be able to take some time off from work and be with her. Instead he only went further away.

"Huh"? ASR questioned. Then quickly corrected the orientation of the paper as his di's words settled in.

Anjali could not help smile indulgently at her brother. "chote stop this huh, hu.. And see yourself. chote ab na tum pehle wale chote nahi rahe. You have changed".

ASR could sense panic rise within him.

"Chote you are not even scary nowadays. Trust me, ye sab Khushiji ka asar hai". Anjali limped across to the sofa where he was sitting and firmly tugged the paper away from his face.

"di.. aise kuch nai.."

"bas chote. Not one word will I hear. Om Prakashji aap kahiye... hasn't our chote become new and improved?". Om Prakash had just come in with a steaming mug of coffee on the tray.

He squeaked after he heard Anjali's question and the coffee had a hard time staying in the confines of the cup. "hehehe humein toh Khushiji bahutehi pasand hai Anjaliji.. Humka lagat hai.."

"Om Prakash.. Shut up..". ASR muttered gruffly, desperately wanting the conversation to end. Even Om Prakash was now match making, what had the world come to! A little yelling would do him good. In fact everyone needed to see the return of stern Arnav Singh Raizada.

Anjali had already read his mind because she firmly wriggled her finger at him."Chote try karne se bhi you can't go back to being the way you were, samjhe tum? pyar humein badal deta hai. We don't know how or when, but an irreversible change happens and the world starts to sing and smile and we dance along".

"Ha Anjali bitiya sahi kaha aapne. Om Prakash humare sath chaliye chatt par phool mala lagane mein humari madad kijiye". Their nani was walking by with a big basket of flowers.

(you are right. Om Prakash come with me and help me put up the garlands on the rooftop.)

ASR's eye brows had crooked a little as he grimaced. "Di now please don't start with the saasein ruk jayegi nonsense. And you know very well I don't like songs or dances. and am not marrying".

"achcha chote, toh why did you dance with khushiji all evening. hum toh dur khare the, but from where I was standing it did look like you you were dancing". Anjali reached up and twisted his left ear a little.

He indulgently shook himself free, but Anjali continued in a sweet patient tone. "chote you have always faced the facts. Don't run away from them when they are the most important decision of your life. Listen to what your heart must be trying hard to tell you..". Saying this she got up to take a look at the decorations on the roof.

She did not wait to see the confounded look appear on her brother's face as his mind raced over the fact that he had danced... And had wanted it to go on forever... He had driven chattering old ladies to a temple, missing office. He was helping with preparations for what might very well end up being his own wedding... And all the while he was wrapped up completely in one girl and her thoughts...

Di had talked about change.. Where was the Arnav Singh Raizada jise koi larki se koi farak nahi parta. He stared unblinking ahead, his eyes losing focus. It hurt to think of her as "koi larki".. She was Khushi...his Khushi.. Only his.. He had made it clear to himself and her.. The girl he longed to kiss.. To hold close.. To see smiling.. Hamesha..

dhak dhak dhak.. A strange sound reverberated in his ears.. His heartbeat... he thought in wonder.

And a whiff of air seemed to ruffle his hair.. She was here.


He went still, only his eyes moved, finding her with unnerving certainty. She was kneeling down near the front door, talking to a goat and dressing it with flowers.

He shook his head aghast, flecks of amusement shining in them. He had kissed her dammit! And he wanted to taste her again.. And she was busy with her Lakshmiji, with no thought of meeting him first. She was infuriatingly ajeeb, but the breath of fresh air that he needed in his lungs.

What the! That sounded suspiciously exactly like something di would say.."ASR snap out of it". Did he just talk aloud to himself? Khushi Kumari Gupta was plain and simple bad influence on him. But then he could return the favour...

With a devilish smirk he decided it was about time for some bad influence on Khushi Kumari Gupta. She was standing, quite nervous, and was ready to tear her duppatta wringing it around with her hands.

Coming straight to point he started, "I was thinking about yesterday. Kya kiya tumne Khushi?"

She turned a shade of deep scarlet and fidgeted some more, only succeeding in making ASR lose control. He rapidly advanced towards her as she shrunk back mumbling, "hum.. wo.. aap.. hume jana hai".

He raised his fingers and touched her lips. "shh..", came a gravelly whisper. Her gaze remained riveted to him.

"Khushiji", came another high pitched voice from behind them, breaking their trance. NK was making his way towards them. "aap aa gayi? aap aayi baarh aayi. main tabse rasta fek raha tha. ab jake aakhen haar gayi. ".

(you came? With you floods have come.. Since long I have thrown away roads.. Now lost my eyes)

Khushi laughed delightedly. "nanheji raasta fek raha tha nahi..dekh raha tha.. And aakhe haar nai aakhen char. And baarh mein toh hum sab doob jayenge. Bahaar hi achcha rahega.. Hai na?"

She had moved a little away from ASR who had his lips pursed and was viewing NK's presence with a marked dislike and a steely eyed glance.

"Khushiji chaliye I will show you the decorations. sab aapke liye sajaya gaya hai..mera matlab for you and Payal bhabhi". NK wriggled his eyebrows in excitement and ASR snarled.

He heard his phone vibrate, and took out the bluetooth from his pocket, fixing it to his ear. "What is it Aman? Can you not handle a single damn thing yourself ever?", he growled on the phone. Then halfheartedly calming down he walked away. A pair of wistful eyes followed his departure, even as he half turned to catch a last glimpse of them before he got on the conference call.



****


Pressing the button on his bluetooth he disconnected the call taking purposeful quick steps towards the spot he had left Khushi an hour back. He was still in a dark mood and a slight pout was prominent on his face. Where was she?

"khoon bhari taang aur apni issister and phuture ma isssister-in-law ooo phati saree ke bhi bol diyo.. Last warningwa humaar kaan openj karke writingj mein note kari liyo..". Mamiji's loud voice fell on his ears. He saw Payal nearby, looking extremely dejected.

(khoon bhar taang and tell you sister and future sister-in-law-. This is my last warning that you should open your ears and note in writing..)

"mami I need to talk to Payal. And really, she has a nice name.. mami calm down okay..".

"hmmpp.. Hello hi bye bye..", mamiji swished around her hands in all directions and then with an extra sway in her hips walked away.

Payal gave a grateful glance at ASR, and waited to hear what he wanted to say. She was not even sure why her future in law had suddenly turned hyper. It disturbed her more than she cared to admit.

"Hope you are okay Payal. I know mamiji is not easy to deal with...", ASR spoke in a calm reassuring voice. His mami could get loud and dramatic at times, but what was inside was transparently on the outside. A little too transparent in case of Payal.

"hum thik hai Arnavji", Payal responded softly, with a hesitant smile.

"you know, you don't need to smile when you are hurt". ASR had a concerned thoughtful smile on his face as he addressed Payal.

"Thank you Arnavji. par jab tak Akash ji is with me and you are with Khushi.. Gupta sisters will remain smiling . And not just remain smiling, but hopefully bring smiles to other as well", Payal spoke up in a determined clear voice.

"Payal you are here already. Come let me show you the decorations", Akash was beaming at her and guided her by the arm in the direction of the staircase. Their short but sweet alone time in his room had ensured that Payalji turn permanently into Payal and Akash could not be happier.

Apparently it was becoming quite the norm of Shantivan to show the Gupta sisters the decorations, ASR thought ironically. He was left alone in the hall. Just then Khushi walked in alone, munching on what could only be a jalebi.

The sugary syrup intermingled with her taste. He was ravenous. He needed to kiss her.. Right now!

And this time he was not letting her go to see any new decoration with NK. He threatened the imaginary interrupter in his mind, but before he could reach those maddeningly inviting lips, the possessor of those lips was beckoned by someone else.

"khushiji khushiji ..", Om Prakash's excited voice rang out. Khushi's eyes darted towards a fuming ASR and then she scurried towards the kitchen.

Hell! this was insane... In frustration he slid his fingers through his hair.. How could it possibly be this difficult to get a girl alone for more than two minutes without goats, and interfering idiots descending upon them?


****

It was close to twilight outside. The strands of fairy lights had just started to glow. There was still a faint tinge of red that the setting sun had left behind in the far off horizon. The sky was crowded by flocks of birds flying back to their nests. The leaves on the nearby tree branches had a turned a sinister shade of black against the graying sky. A few early stars were already twinkling overhead.

Anjali was fixing the blood red orchids near the wrought iron swing on the roof. They were the most expensive kind, but would remain fresh at least a whole week. The fragrance of roses and chamelis also filled the air. There was no function today, but Anjali had wanted the house to be dressed up like a bride.

She was near the end of the roof, behind the swing, when Shyam found her. He climbed the last step and surveyed the roof. There was no one except Anjali.

He silently patted himself on the back. Why bother with something as elaborate as arsenic when a simple straightforward shove would do the trick. Off the ledge would go half his troubles! He would wail with tears pouring down his eyes, letting everyone know how lonely his life would be without his dearest rani sahiba. Everyone would be worried for their damaadji who would not eat or take care of himself.

And then in a few days in a double tragedy the son of the house would also die. And the son-in-law, Shyam Manohar Jha, would come out of his gloom to take control of the vast empire left without its boss. Obviously the girl meant for dead son would be married off to the grieving decent widower, the son-in-law, the heir to AR industries.

With an evil gleam in his dilapidated pupils he stealthily moved towards his unsuspecting wife. She shrieked as an hand rested on her shoulder.

"ranisahiba.. dhyan se.. If you will remain so lost then aapko chot lag jayegi. And then what will happen to me?" He crooned.

"aap bhi na..", she had come up with her usual response. He stopped himself from rolling his eyes. How silly was this woman and blindly trusting...

"arre look at the balcony. How have they placed the fairy lights? arre humare saale saab ki shaadi hai, everything should be perfect. chaliye hum hi sahi se laga dete hai". He moved towards the railing, knowing well who would follow.

"aap sabka kitna khayal rakhte hai. I am very lucky Shyamji". Anjali followed him to the edge, just as he had predicted.

Now all that remained was a little distraction which would hardly be difficult, since she was gullible enough to even believe a flying bear was crossing by chewing on a chewing gum, if Shyam happened to point that out. Pity! That someone so easy to handle had to be sacrificed.

"ranisahiba.. neeche dekhiye kya ho ra hai", he mocked a laugh.

Then as Anjali eagerly peered over the railing he put out his arms. It was time for her end.



****

A story to tell

The last 24 hours have been perhaps every blog writers secret fantasy. With enough substance to fill pages. There is intrigue, love, evil, heartbreak, dreams, friendship, atleast if you care to view it in that sense.

So without further ado I present to you the happenings of the night before.

Actually it started in the afternoon when aarwen was msged by a frantic lazywiz. There were tickets on sale for a play. Pride and Prejudice. Of course she had to say she would love to go.

So they went. Three hours of a charming show. Each dialogue faithfully spoken, even the narration used as dialogues by the actors. Did you ever notice how many tough words Jane Austen used in her book? How the sentence construction was complicated beyond imagination, but how the end product was most certainly delightful..

Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are characters that have become archetypes embodying essential characteristics of a hero and heroine of a love story. Heroes are meant to be haughty but genuine and heroines have to be unconventional witty, yet sometimes a beautiful damsel in distress. Defy rules, maybe laid down by your own self, overcome prejudice, drop pride (or maybe too much of pride because a little of it is quite a perfectly good thing to have).  One has to melt and feel joy erupt, fall head over heals beyond reasonable judgement in irrevocable love. A little stormy, a little timeless, simple and still confounding. A love story.

A memory of the spotlight on a pair of lovers. The intelligent girl with bright startling eyes standing on tip toe to kiss the arrogant noble man. And just when the night could not have felt better in the parking lot they noticed their car window shattered.

What was stolen you want to know? Well one might say her office bag which had her laptop, headphones, phone charger and a notebook. But that's where the story begins. Two years of her life. Treasures safely tucked away in the black electronic chest. Office notes, IPK (you know that wonderful TV show?) edits, videos, photographs, writing.

My roommate , thought technically am ex, put it rather well I think when she said laptops are like an extension of oneself. I would go a little further. Do you happen to know the concept of horcruxes? Those objects that carry a part of one's soul.. J. K. Rowling explains this quite brilliantly in Harry Potter and in case you haven't read it you might surely want to stop reading this post and spend your time reading those books instead. The laptop was quite decidedly a horcrux.

Mr thief, you stole it. Do you know what all you stole? Not the money.. not the anxiety.. and really it gets quite depressing having things stolen from you.. but you stole memories.. No wonder Dumledore liked to siphon his thoughts into a pensieve for safe keeping.. again a brilliant device out of J.K.Rowling's imagination.

That was yesterday. Well I did promise a thrilling tale of an eventful 24 hours, so what followed?

Barun Sobti. Yes yes the TV actor I really really like. Only now as of the 12th of December, he is no longer just a TV actor, he is a movie star. I have been going crazy waiting for this and the day is finally here. Main Aur Mr Riight his debut movie released.

My friends and I and a lot of fans I don't really know, have all fervently prayed that he get success, but seems his movie isn't getting a favourable review. And me, in Seattle I don't even get to watch it. Can only hear and get more nervous.

But strangely as today came, and I knew he is on screen, I don't worry at all. He acts well. This I know. The reviews all praised him as an actor, of this am thankful. And am calm. He will be fine. Paraphrasing what Shahrukh Khan had to say, "Our lives are like our films. By the end everything turns out right, and if it hasn't, then picture abhi baki hai mere dost".

A lot of the readers must be indignant at this point. I know I promised love as well in this story. Kept the very best for the very last.

"No measure of time with you is enough, but lets start with forever".

                                                                             ~ Edward to Bella

You might wonder of Aarwen's mental state right this instant. And she let me assure you she isn't in a state to tell because she is overwhelmed with a feeling.

5 years of memories. You can take away a laptop, but Aarwen has spent 5 years with Lazywiz. If we go into technicalities its closer to 10 now. But formally 5 it is. 

Thank you is too common a word to express the sentiment. You are home. You are my best friend. When I found you I found who I was meant to be. You are off hand and tender. And then when you casually remark, "Danerys Targeryn tries to be good", when someone asks, "Is she good?", I can only look at you and wonder how I found you. You thrill me, make me laugh, make me safe, bring me peace. And this really is the story to tell. I love you. 

arshi ss: Hamesha ~ a heartbeat away, chapter 10

I can't believe I have written 10 chapters. Thank you so very much for reading hamesha.



Chapter 10

The sun was high in the sky, a time of familiar post-lunch inactivity. In a high backed armchair, covered in golden silk upholstery, sat a smiling women. On her lap was a single sheet of paper that she was writing on. The paper rested on an intricately carved oxidized silver jewelry box that contained two bangles. Her blessings for her future daughter-in-law in them.

A boy leaned forward curiously, dangling on one arm of the chair, while a slightly older laughing girl peered at the letter from the other side of the chair.

"ho gaya! All done and ready for my bahu. Chote, ab she will know aapko kitna gussa aata hai.. par hidden inside your heart kitna pyar bhi hai." If you listened closely, her mellifluous voice had an odd mixture of indulgence and seriousness. Lovingly she ruffled the boys hair, "I want a beautiful pyari bahu, samjhe chote?"

The boy narrowed his eyes and huffed, clearly not approving of the conversation. Even so his eyes strayed to the neat flowing handwriting that covered the paper. His intelligent bright eyes wondering what his ma wanted to say to this unknown girl about her chote.

His sister was laughing, as children often do, without a care in the world, her heart open to the exciting prospect held in the present. "mujhe bhi kangan chahiye ma. They are pretty. aur is papad ke tukde ke sath kaun rahegi? He will scare her away. Isn't it chote? Hahaha... but you will love her. You will not let her go na chote?"

The girl had swiftly got up, and made a dash for it. The boy close behind.

"ma dekho na, why is di teasing me? And anyway I don't want to stay with anyone. ma see di is not stopping.. maa.."


****

Arnav Singh Raizada woke up. The dream was not as disturbing as usual. This in itself was highly unusual.

Love.. the word lingered from the half forgotten dream..

In a flash he remembered the feel of smooth heated skin under his lips, her startled eyes and the give away blush that had spread on Khushi Kumari Gupta's cheeks.

He gave himself a shake, and walked over to sliding door closet. In one swift movement he pushed the door open and pulled out his towel. A hot shower would clear his head.

Her tinkling laughter echoed in his head. A firm reminder that she had no thoughts of leaving his thoughts. She was lodged in his memory and was going nowhere.

How her shapely fingers curled on his shirt lapel when he scooped her in his arms. How could anyone be this light? The trust in her eyes when she hugged him. How could anyone hold on so tight?

As the sharp jets of water cascaded on his body, loosening, relaxing his tensed muscles, he still couldn't get her images out of his head. He concentrated on the feel of the hot water against his skin. He felt awake. Alive.

The heat had condensed the cool air, leaving behind a hazy mist. ASR remained lost in the girl that danced with him. Who fit perfectly in his arms.

Refreshed from the shower he pulled out his immaculately coordinated attire for the day. As he quickly buttoned his crisp white shirt with sure practiced fingers, he still couldn't get her image out of his head.

A know-it-all smug voice in his mind even dared to whisper that he didn't really want to remove her from himself. If there was one thing he badly wanted.. needed.. it was to have her close.

He sighed as he walked out of his room and almost banged into an ever smiling Om Prakash. He gave curt instructions to Om Prakash to bring him some orange juice. Then made his way to the dining table, vaguely wondering why Om Prakash seemed so pleased with himself early in the morning.


****


"cupboardwa mein aisan ka karat the Aakas bitwa ki insidej ma self locking kari liye khud ko?"

(what were you doing inside the cupboard that you locked yourself inside?)

Hearing his mother's perfectly valid question a hapless Akash choked on the glass of warm milk he had been sipping. Helpful as always NK bent forward with full enegry patting the still spluttering Akash on his back.

None of the men on a the table had an answer. ASR was irritated. Had Akash not called he would have had Khushi to himself. Instead he had had to call NK to get him to unlock the door.

"ha chote? Cupboard ka darwaza torna par gaya aap logan ko? ee hua ka chote? I do not understand". Deviyani Raizada had a faint smile on her face, luckily, in a much better mood than her sleep deprived daughter in law. After all the noise and chaos yesterday night, Manorma had hardly slept and that made her more sour than usual.

"hum kahat hai sasuma eeha Shantibhan ma ghost hai. Bahutehi colorphul ghostwa eeha hua ghumat hai". She was in full blown James Bond detective mode.

Akash looked helplessly at ASR. Luckily they had managed to literally smuggle Payal and Khushi out of the house before NK and ASR attempted to break the closet door. Akash almost broke into a sweat just imagining what would have happened had his mother caught Payalji in his room. Surely from hello hi his life would have reached a certain bye bye.

Fortunately for the men of shantivan there was a smart young female in the house. Anjali slowly walked upto the dining table and pulled the chair next to Akash. Smiling she teased, "arree mami our Akash is getting married. ye sab confusion toh hota hi rahega. After all dil kahi hai aur dimag kahi. kyu hai na Akash?"

Manorma did not looked too pleased, but nani seemed to be mollified enough and directed her attention to the aloo paratha on the table. Akash furtively mouthed a quick thank you to his life saver di.

"Indian shaadi mein bahut malamal hai". NK declared amidst usual confused exasperated glances.

"NK bhai malamal nai.. I think you meant dhamal", Anjali corrected.

NK grinned just as usual. "That's right dhamaal.. yani excitement, right di? Cupboards breaking? Lovers meetings.. Ghosts appearing.. All a regular night in an Indian wedding. Kyu hai na Akash?"

Akash broke into a coughing fit again.

Not letting herself get side tracked, with a knowing smile Anjali continued. "humein Payalji and Khushiji ke ghar kuch samaan bhejna hai. NK bhai can you take the driver and drop the things at khushijis.."

Waisting no time ASR stood up."I'll take it di".

"par chote you must be busy. NK bhai can take it", Anjali persisted. NK chimed in hopefully. "Yes nannav no problem at all.. I can take everything to Khushiji."

ASR glared at NK and without looking at di, responded, "It's okay di. NK can get Akash's cupboard door fixed. I will go to Khushi's house".

"ha chote.. yehi thik rahega..after all you will get an opportunity to meet our would be bhabhi". Anjali teased, her eyes sparkling.

ASR walked away, knowing her di had succeeded in pulling his leg. Well, what the.. He would still get to meet Khushi. Nothing else mattered.

Even as he acknowledged it internally, he was surprised at how simply it fell in place.. Nothing else mattered, except he get to be with khushi..

At the table Anjali noted with satisfaction, the subtle change in her chote's behaviour. He had not denied the wedding. Her plan was working.

If only she knew how well her plan was working!


****


In Gupta house the ladies had gotten dressed early. A wedding house seemed to have a never ending list of work that needed to get done. On top of that there was a doctor's appointment. Payal had taken her amma and babuji to keep the doctor's appointment.

That left Khushi and buaji to take care of meeting the panditji. Lata mausi and taiji had helpfully volunteered to accompany them to the mandir, since it was common knowledge that a force of women were needed to deal with a panditji and wedding preparations.

They were already late when buaji noticed Khushi, standing, doing absolutely nothing, near the Gupta house door.

Madhumatiji had pinned a bright red hibuscus flower onto her hair near the nape of her rather wide neck. She thought the flower suited the mood.

Just like the orange kurta, with silver gota on the sides, suited her niece about to get married. Hai re nand kisore parmeswari was lost in her dreamland again.She was having these bouts of 'getting lost' more and more since she had fallen in love with Arnav bitwa.. Madhumatiji chuckled.. Trust her sankadevi to want to marry a man completely opposite to her.

But was he..opposite to her? Both had a fiery spirit, that could not be hidden. And did they both not love their family? Deviyaniji had told Garima and Madhumati a little about the hardship that Arnav and Anjali had suffered. There was something disturbing in their past, that Madhumati knew was still not completely revealed. She also knew if anyone could bring a smile on the seemingly khadoos Arnav Singh Raizada it would be her Khushi bitiya. She had seen how his eyes softened when he looked at her niece. There was little that got past the old lady.

ee liyo nand kisore.. Instead of jolting Khushi out of her reverie madhumati herself had gone into dreamland.

"aree aaphat ki puriya.. ooha khare khare ka kar rahi ho? Go call an auto. We are already late. Ka hoga tumhara Shantivan mein? Arnav bitwa toh time ka pakka hain hum sunat hai. Tum toh uke pagal hi kar dogi.. Nand kisore.."

"Don't worry buaji. Hum abhi auto lekar aate hain. Yu gaye aur yu aaye". Khushi grimaced at her shrieking buaji, and ignored the jibe about the man she did not want to think about. The man she was helpless not to think about.

The mention of that laad governor had brought a betraying warmth on her cheeks. He had kissed her.. devi maiyya.. and she had let me..

She closed her eyes and gave herself a violent shake determined not to think about it.. nahi devi maiyya.. humein nai sochna hai us baare mein.. She told herself as strictly as she could. But even as she spoke, her voice trailed away. There was no way she would manage to even remotely not think about that.

She ran out of the courtyard onto the road. Her payal tinkling as she sprang down the steps. Buaji was right. Thank's to that rakshas she was late. Lata mausi and taiji were also waiting inside. She peered all over for an auto. Willing a vehicle to materialize out of thin air.

It did. Just not the one she would imagine in her wildest dreams. Arnavji's white SUV drew to a halt right in front of her. He rolled down the tinted glass as she stood gaping, least expecting him there.

"Hi", was all he said. it was apparently more than enough.She felt goosebumps erupting all over.

"You look worried?", it was a serious question, only the tone was a drawl, and his lips tilted in a precarious angle. It was hard to focus.

She found herself stutter. "hum.. auto ka wait kar re.. We have to go to the mandir to talk to panditji". She had surprised herself by talking to him civilly.

In one graceful movement he had got down from the car and was striding into the house, while Khushi stood gaping. She was at a loss of words quite frequently in his presence these days.

She was about to get indignant at his lack of response, after she had shared her problem, when she was further stunned to see ASR helping taiji down the Gupta house steps. Looking even more frail than usual next to Arnavji, taiji was leaning onto him for support.

Khushi blinked, completely at a loss. Had buaji gone senile? Why had she not stopped lata mausi. What if laad governor got angry and let go of her with his favourite 'what the'... And what did he think was he doing? There was no auto outside yet. Why was he making them come out in the sun?

Completely disregarding her presence ASR moved towards the back of the SUV and opened the door, helping taiji inside. Buaji and lata mausi quickly scuttled towards the other side to get in.

Khushi had not moved an inch. Her mouth was slightly open, in shock.

ASR walked upto her and locking his gaze with hers, spoke softly. "Unless you want to drive us to the mandir I would suggest you go over to the passenger side and get in. Don't forget the seatbelt."

"Huh?", was all the poor dazed girl managed.

He grinned. "And I don't mind if you want to put on my seatbelt for me as well... Khushi..". He tilted his head towards the car, his hand casually touching her above the crook of her elbow.

She jumped away from the touch.. dhak dhak dhak.. Loud, clear, insistent in her ears. Hurrying to other side, she opening the back door.

"Khoosi bitiya humlog thik se baith gaye hai. tum damadji ke sath aage baith jao", Lata mausi spoke up.

Khushi gulped and did as instructed. Her seatbelt would not bulge. ASR waited one whole minute before he leaned over and tugged at it, securing it in place.

Khushi was ready to drown in embarrassment. When no one was in the car she was used to him doing that, but there were three other people in the car today. She chanced a glance at the rear view mirror to see if by some miracle missed they had missed what just had happened.

No such luck. All three woman were smiling widely at her. Khushi sunk down on her seat, wishing she could disappear. What did the rakhshas have in mind?

ASR had started the vehicle and they were on their way. Khushi fervently wishing the ride would be a short one. It was not going to be a short one.

The ladies at the back were talkative in excitement. Khushi almost feared Arnavji would ask them to shut up. But that did not happen.

A moment later she was imploring him silently to get taiji to keep quiet, because one topic had led to another and soon the ladies had started to discuss.. Honeymoon..

"madhumatiji aaj kal toh sab hi shimla jate hai.. In dono ko toh goa jana chahiye.. Honeymoon ke liye", taiji had just declared gleefully. The old woman considered herself very well versed with the present fashion.

Khushi went rigid, her heart jumping to her throat. She even contemplated jumping out of the running car. Atleast it would save her the embarrassment.

"nahi nahi nand kisore.. Arnav bitwa toh thora garam mijaz ke haiin na.. Unko aur humari sanaka devi ko toh kisi thandi jagah hi ghumne jana chahiye.. kyu hai na parmeswari?", buaji countered taiji's suggestion enthusiastically.

(no no .. arnav bitwa is a little hot headed.. he and parmeswari should go to a cooler place. isn't it)

In utter panic Khushi dared a glance at Arnavji. His eyes were still on the road as his lips moved,"buaji how about nanital"?

Khushi could not believe her ears. She turned towards him. It was unmistakable. He was grinning. She had to try hard to stop rubbing her eyes.

Right that minute the car screeched to a halt near the mandir road. ASR turned and smiled at buaji, "buaji, di had sent somethings for Khushi and Payal. If you all don't need Khushi, then I can take her back to your house and give her everything. main mohan ko bhej dunga to pick you all up".

"jeeyat raho babua".

Much to ASR's satisfaction and Khushi's consternation buaji readily agreed. As taiji was getting down from the car she remarked loudly, "babua bahut achchi gari chalate ho. Thank you. Agali baar bhi kahin jana raha toh tumhi ko bula bhenjenge. kyu thik hai na?".

(You drive the car extremely well. if we have to go elsewhere we will call on you next time as well. Is that okay?)

Khushi wanted to cover her eyes and duck under her dupatta. She made do with closing her eyes which snapped open hearing Arnavji smoothly respond,"My pleasure".


They had left the mandir and were on their way home. Khushi finally managed to stammer a few words.."Arnavji.. ye.. aap"?

"Well you said you needed a ride to the mandir. And I have a car", he explained in a matter of fact way.

Khushi simply gaped at him. Suddenly shy, now that they were alone in the car. She looked out of the window, avoiding looking at him.

He was quiet the whole way back. She wished he had spoken. She wished she had said something. As always, part of her did not want to leave the car when she reached home.

In silence she waited, not knowing what she was hoping would happen. Ruefully she observed he was completely unruffled by the silence... did he even remember what had happened yesterday.. mat soch Khushi.. She sternly reprimanded herself at her tell tale thoughts.

He lazily leaned forward and undid her seatbelt. Then got out himself, making his way towards the back.

Khushi slowly got down too. Anjali ji had sent a lot of packages. Some contained fruits, dry fruits, sweets and others looked like puja items and clothes. ASR dumped a whole load of stuff into her hands and carried the remaining himself.

Then when he had placed everything on the center table, and it was clear he was going to leave, khushi finally spoke up. Desperately not wanting him to leave, unable to say so.

"aapne humare liye.."

Halting midway, he turned back. And smiled. "Khushi do you want to say thank you to me"?

Why did his voice sound so very intimate. There were only the two of them alone in the house, then why did he have to whisper. Why could he not talk loudly, how Khushi was used to talking.

Wait.. alone.. only the two of them.. dhak dhak dhak.. uff devi maiyya.. why didn't he go back to yelling at her and getting angry.. this Arnavji was way too difficult to be around.. the acidity was too much to bear..

He was taking slow steps towards her. She moved backwards, almost tumbling over the chair. He grabbed her hand and yanked her close.

"Thank me properly... kiss me khushi", his voice had dropped to ragged murmur.

She could only stare at him. Then not sure why or how, she found herself doing exactly what he had asked her to do. His stubble grazed her lips as she placed a feather light kiss on his cheek. She was too confused and stunned by what she had dared to do, and also overwhelmed by how good it made her feel.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, as she took in his tender gaze. His eyes were serious and warm. She watched him gulp as if he was as dazed as her, wanting to get a hold of himself. Then in an intimate whisper he asked, "tum thik ho"?

What did the laad governor want her to say? was she ever going to be thik when he was looking at her this way. She felt flush and warm and shy. thik.. she took a deep breath.. surpassing everything she really did feel thik.

He could read the hint of a smile that brushed against her lips. "See you tomorrow Khushi", was all he said as he sauntered out of the open door.

hey devi maiyya! Khushi almost shouted in alarm. The door was left open. agar koi dekh leta toh?


Why did that rakshas make her do such things.. Flustered, her heart racing she went to close the door.


****

ASR had never felt better. His feet skidded on tufts of clouds as he recollected Khushi's kiss. Smiling and berating himself for walking away, when there was a whole lot more he wanted to do, he reached his parked car.

One kiss. That too hardly a kiss. A peck on the cheek. And he felt like he was on fire. Khushi Kumari Gupta.. Her inexperienced coy kiss would lead to many sleepless nights, ASR knew. She had absolutely no idea how much he..

Wanted her? No that was not it.. Needed her?

He was absolutely distracted, unable to get the car door open. He continued to fiddle with the handle, too lost in moments he wanted to continue to be lost inhamesha..

As chance would have it, it was right then that he overheard two people talking in the nearby garage.

"ha hum keh rahe hai na I saw the man who was staying as paying guest in Madhumatiji's house ", said one voice.

Another excited voice joined in," ka keh reh ho? That man who was engaged to Khushiji? Who knows what happened.. Why did he go away.. Why was the engagement broken. Tha toh achcha hi aadmi".

ASR's knuckles were straining on the car handle. All blood drained from them as his grip tightened. His jaw set he remained inert. A nerve throbbing dangerously near his temple on the right side.

"toh he was here in the morning?" .. The voices were no longer distinct. ASR did not care who had spoken.

He spun around and took two steps at a time in seething anger. He noticed Khushi fiddling with the door. An expectant look on her face. It angered him more.

He hauled her inside and slammed the door shut. She flinched sensing the sudden violence in him.

"Who has he? Why did you not tell me he was here, today?", he demanded.

She looked confused, unable to process the drastic change in a man so tender a moment ago. A man she had just .. kissed..

"aap kya keh reh hai.. humein nai pata.." She summoned anger as her defense.

He heard her voice and it broke through the storm inside him. He wanted to kick himself for losing control. It was not like Arnav Singh Raizada to jump to conclusions listening to wayward gossip. And he wasn't even sure why his blood was boiling at the thought of the man Khushi had been set to marry. And how was this even remotely her fault?

"Shit!".. The expletive exploded from his mouth.

He felt wretched as he saw a teardrop escape her eyes. Her lower lip trembled, as she determinedly bit it, trying to stop herself from breaking down in front of him. Clueless why he was in such a rage.

He didn't wait to think. His hand curled on her hair as his lips descended on hers. She readily flowed into him. Her hands winding around his neck. She could feel her sobbing stop, replaced by shock.

She felt heavenly against his lips. With excruciating control, he broke the kiss and murmured against her lips, "I'm sorry". She whimpered, her breath heaving.

He continued to kiss her. She tasted sweet.. must be all those jilebis.. He felt light and care free, a bubbling laughter rising within him.. She felt heavenly... Her soft lips moving in sync with him, just like when they had danced.

He sucked and nibbled, his eyes dancing at her shocked expression, till she moaned, and he was no longer sure what he was doing. He could sense her legs give away as she moved closer to him, unable to stand.

He willed himself to break the kiss. Both were in need of air.. He gulped in large mouthfuls as he remained with his eyes closed, his forehead touched hers.

Slowly he opened his eyes, wishing he could go back to kissing her. She looked ravishing. A rosy hue spread across her cheeks, lips that were slightly swollen, hair in complete disarray. She looked well and thoroughly kissed.

ASR was sure to never ever forget this sight. She was shy, unsure how to react, fidgeting to move away from him. But he made her arms stay around his neck, savouring her close.

Looking deep into her eyes, hoping she saw all that he could not put in words, but all that was forever there, his eyes glittering, he stated, "you are mine.. only mine..hamesha.. samajhi tum?"



******

arshi Hamesha ~ a heartbeat away, chapter 9

Seeing the picture you all must want to waste no time in reading.. so am not even going to try talking before the update.. hehehe.. hope you feel the dhak dhak..



Chapter 9

Shyam was in the shadows. His vision trained on Arnav Singh Raizada who was busy on a conference call, pacing the area near the poolside of his room.

A venomous hatred rose within Shyam against the man in front of whom. The man who was always in control. His saalesaab.. Shyam almost felt delirious at the irony of the name. It was a strange name.. saalesaab. Remove the postfix and it would perhaps describe the name he had in mind for ASR. And that would still be one of the milder ones.

Shyam was fed up of living in his brother-in-laws shadow. When he married Anjali he had thought god was being helpful and was handing him what he deserved in his life. All his life he had spent being mediocre and suddenly he had managed to land himself a sweet looking wife. An added benefit was definitely the fact that she was rich.

Sister to one of the rising business tycoons of India. His wife, Anjali Manohar Jha.

For a while he had gotten enough from Anjali to take care of his own shenanigans. In return he kept her happy. Which of course was quite easy. All that was needed was a little praise, a forced smile and lots of flattery. Shyam was good at all these things. He dreamed of more, but would not have been in such a hurry if he had not met Khushi that fateful day in Lukhnow.

He could not stand one more minute of looking at the competent successful man in front of him. Not when each time he was only reminded of one thing. Khushi was going to marry Arnav.

He walked into his room where Anjali was getting ready. She looked into the mirror and spoke to his reflection. "Kya hua aapko? Do you want some tea?"

He bit back a grimace. Always this interfering nagging presence in his life. Anjali had outlived her usefulness to Shyam. Shyam could clearly see it.

It did not come as a surprise when the thought had entered his head a few days back. He had wasted no time. His underhand dealings had brought him in contact with enough people, who might be categorized as the scum in society. Well, scum had its uses.

He had managed to hoodwink his unsuspecting wife to get money to buy what would be needed to finish what he had in mind.

Arsenic. Untraceable. Tasteless. Deadly. A pinch in a glass of sherbet and a sip taken from it. Shyam would have gotten what he wanted.

That is what he had mixed in the glasses on the night of the sangeet. Two glasses. One for Anjali Manohar Jha. And one for Arnav Singh Raizada.

He had felt invincible for a minute. And his eyes had landed on Khushi's babuji, helpless on a wheelchair. Shyam had laughed, possibly like a maniac. It gave a better effect he had to admit to himself. And he had boldly told Shashi Gupta what the glass held. The man who had tried to stop him from marrying Khushi. Well he could not speak anymore. Shyam had seen to it.

And now the other two obstacles in his path to khushi and money would be gone soon. Perhaps this over confidence had led him to boast about it. Who would have known Anjali would have walked up to him just then and demanded to dance? She had this annoying habit of showing up at extremely wrong times.

"boliye na.. Should I bring you some tea. You are looking tired. Should I oil your hair?" In the room, at present, Anjali was limping towards him. He did not feel like hiding his irritation. "nai rani sahiba. Humne kaha na I don't want anything. I have work. Humein disturb mat kijiye".

Her face had fallen, but Shyam deliberately turned and sat down in front of his laptop. He did not see one word on the screen. Instead continued to remember the night of the sangeet. With his wife dead Shyam would be free. Free to marry the girl whose would be husband was also dead. Because the second glass was meant for his saale saab.

But the glasses had shattered and so had the easy solution to every complication in Shyam's life. How could Shyam have known that Shashi Gupta would find some way to break the glasses filled with the poison? He banged the laptop lid and brought his hands together. The blood rushing into them. He did not pay any attention to the discomfort.

Khushi could not belong to Arnav. Under no circumstance would Shyam allow that to happen.

He was an orphan like Shyam. Then why did he deserve so much money? Why should he have the power to do what he wanted? And why should he get to marry Khushi?

Never... the answer was simple. Shyam looked deranged as his brain fixed on a single thought.. Arnav and Rani Sahiba had to die.


****


"Khushi tu bhi na..", Payal teased and gave an insistent tug at her younger sister's long her. Her younger sister was going to marry into the same house as Payal. Khushi was marrying the man she supposedly couldn't stand even thinking about.

Khushi was sitting at the foot of the bed leaning against it, while Payal sat cross legged on the edge of the bed applying oil on Khushi's hair.

"Jiji humne kaha na I don't want to talk about that laad governor. And don't pull my hair". She glared at her jiji.

"achcha Khushi.. First you don't tell me tumhe Arnavji pasand hain and then you don't even want to talk to me about him. hum toh tujhse baat nai kar re Khushi". Payal managed to looked piqued, thoroughly enjoying teasing her sister.

"par jiji... aap janti hai wo rakshas akroo laad governor kaise hain." At the very mention of him Khushi had turned towards Payal and had started to speak even more animatedly. Payal knew there was no point in trying to get Khushi to notice how life seemed to erupt in her at the very mention of his name.

"Imagine agar tum Aakash jeejaji ko pphone karogi then what will happen.." Khushi slouched her shoulders, pushed an imaginary spectacle up on her nose, then sighed. Mimicking Aakash's low tone she said , "Payalji.. aapne phone kiya? Tell me Payalji. I am listening".

"But jeeji agar humne Arnavji ko pphone lagaya he would say.." This time Khushi puffed up her chest and brought her lips close together, brows furrowed and snarled, "what the!"

Payal was giggling helplessly at Khushi's imitation when their buaji and amma walked in.

"aree o Payalia ee liyo nandkisore. pphoto dekho. tum aur damadji kitne achche lagat ho sath. Isn't it Garima? Made for each other nandkisore".

"ha jiji. All the photos are lovely. Specially Payal and Akash. Achcha kiya jo Anjali bitiya ne humein sare pohotos bhejwa diye." Garima agreed with her sister-in-law and fondly patted Payal on her head.

Khushi snatched the bundle of photographs from buaji's hand all ready to use this opportunity to return's Payal's favour and pull her leg a little. But the photographs were too captivating to not get lost in. She had hardly had time to look at anything or anyone because all her attention had been held by one person that night, she thought sheepishly.

How could she have spared any attention to notice anything when he danced with her that way. She blushed at the scandalous image of his hand making its way across her waist. pagal mat ban Khushi..

"amma look how pretty your saree is! aur jeeji in this photo you and Akashji have matching smiles. buaji with naheji.. you make a perfect couple! There must be a hundred different varieties of food." Khushi excitedly commented on each photo as she flipped through the stack.

Food.. Hmph.. How could she look towards food when he had been looking at her that way.. Dinosaurs had decided to start a dance to teri meri in her stomach.. Hehe.. She giggled at the thought..

But slowly something amiss started to register in her. She grew quiet as she reached the end of the stack of pictures.

Buaji and amma could sense that their plan was working. Their girl, in denial, was looking for pictures of someone and herself. They nudged each other in delight.

"umm buaji aur pphoto hai kya?"

"nai toh parmeswari. This is all that was sent. kyu? kuch dhundat ho ka?".

"no buaji.. I.. just thought.. kuch nahi.. " Khushi sternly told herself she was not looking for anything.

But it was of no use. She did badly want to see her photo in the saree.. That saree that he had gifted her.. And try as hard as she might she wanted to see them dancing.. How had it looked? Even in her heart she had to whisper it softly.. It was a deepest secret.. But the dance had felt wonderful.. devi maiyya aap toh samajh rahi hai na.. I just think photo rehta toh I could have kept it as a memory. Bas dance ke liye. nothing else..

"chalo tab thik hai. If you are not waiting for any more pphoto tab toh ee hum le jate hai. Garima oo Arnav bitwa and sankadevi ki pphoto jo alag rakhi thi lete chalo. She does not want to see".

(Okay then that's fine. I will take this photo away. Garima, let us take it away, the photograph with Arnav bitwa and sankadevi that we had kept aside.)

Payal had burst out laughing. Garima good naturedly handed the remaining photographs to Khushi and went to finish preparing lunch. Buaji winked at Payal and followed Garima out. The two sisters were left alone in the room.

Payal settled down to tie Khushi oiled hair into a plait as Khushi looked at the photograph in her hand. Was this her? Her hair blowing in the wind, his hand on her waist. The way his gaze rested on her and she was staring right back into his eyes. Her heart almost stuttered to a halt.

They looked like a couple from the films she loved watching. No that was not possible. She was not heroine like and he.. rakshas.. He was not at all hero like.. But a voice almost immediately dared to reply back.. He can fight.. He can dance.. He umm.. Looks nice.. And he brought you jilebi..

"dekha Khushi? And you say you don't love him? buaji is right. tu bilkul pagal ho". Payal was looking over Khushi's shoulder at the photo which showed two people wrapped up in each other.

"nai jeeji.. wo... I told you na aise nai hai. It is a plan. We did this so mamiji says yes." In a small voice Khushi unconvincingly spoke and was hit on her head by Payal.

"thik hai if you agreed to marry Arnavji just for my sake then no need to marry. Akashji aur main jaise bhi shadi kar lenge. And for such a reason koi zarurat nai to get forced to marry. Samjhi tum? Let us cancel this wedding. Phone lagao Arnavji ko".

Khushi was taken aback by Payal's declaration. Not marry .. In all the options she had not once thought of this. She felt a sudden hollow in her chest. Like the wind had been knocked out of her.

Without thinking she spoke up. "nai jiji.. wo.. he must be busy in office. You know how angry he gets if he is disturbed while he is working. aur phir mamiji... arre jeeji we forgot you have to meet Akashji , yaad hai? Let us plan that. ye sab choro."

Payal could sense Khushi's trepidation. She decided to indulge her sister, who would in time definitely know what it was that she felt for the man she was about to marry. Smiling she let herself get distracted as Khushi planned a secret trip to Shantivan.


****


It had been a busy day in office. ASR had been in continuous meetings with the foreign delegations that had arrived. And in the middle had come Khushi's call.

"Om Prakash where is my coffee?" ASR yelled as he loosened his tie. All day his attention had been directed in cracking the deal. He had meticulously reviewed each minute detail repeatedly with Aman. His entire focus had been on getting it right. That was the precision that ASR worked with. And he did not allow himself to make mistakes.

No sooner had the deal been signed his thoughts had jumped to the maddening girl he had struggled to keep in the periphery of his mind. Even while driving his car back home he was irritated.

She had come up with some plan to make Payal meet Aakash and had called asking for ASR's help. Of course he had to tell her it was a stupid idea!

He rolled up his shirt sleeves till his elbows. His muscled forearms clearly visible as they strained in tension. "Om Prakash coffee", he shouted again, impatiently.

Om Prakash scurried in with a mug and placed it on a table. He could tell Arnav bhaiya was not in a good mood. But he was certain that what he had on the tray with the coffee would weave magic to fix Arnav bhaiya's mood. He let out a shrill chuckle and nervously spoke. "bhaiya naniji ye bheji hai. party ke photo."

"Leave it on the table". ASR ordered in an off hand manner, as he stared towards the poolside.

He was restless. What did she mean when she said she would ask NK for help instead? Both their heads together would surely mean even more trouble than usual. He felt an undeniable urge to talk to her. Maybe he should have called her back earlier.

Even more restless than seconds before, he turned to pick up his phone from the table. His hand was arrested in its action as he spotted the photograph lying on the table.

Khushi.. in the saree.. The green saree he had chosen for her.. draped sensuously on her curves.. her face resplendent in the light.. staring back into his eyes.. while he held her close..

ASR gulped, his eyes loosing focus, dazed at how much he craved to be close to the girl in the photograph. Then he abruptly turned, sensing the very girl close by.

His senses were right. She was close. She had rushed right into his room the exact same minute. In fact, she dashed right into him.

"What the!".. Quickly regaining his balance, his arm comfortably wrapped around her, as her startled eyes locked with his.

"aap? What are you doing here? aur.. ye aap kya kar re hai? choriye humein..". She fidgeted, her eyes darting in all directions.

ASR was about to answer when he was distracted by the door closing with a bang. What was going on? He idly wondered. On second thoughts.. nothing else really mattered.. than the girl in his embrace.

"Khushi, in case you did not notice, this is my room. Remember? aur kya karne aayi thi tum yaha? Hmm?" His voice was low and gravelly. He was definitely not going to let her go anywhere. She felt just right, exactly where she was.


****

Om Prakash was grinning like an idiot outside ASR's room. He had just locked Khushiji inside. Now Arnav bhaiya would be happy.

"Om Parkaas.. eeha who eej comingj? Humka lagat hai koi eeha aaya tha. Tellj peleejh.". Mamiji was about to get her beauty sleep when she had decided she should eat the last piece of mithai that was left in the kitchen.

(Who came here? I feel someone did come. Tell me please).

On her way there she had noticed a suspicious flash of color dash through the hallway. Her sleep forgotten, she had taken it upon herself to unravel the mystery of the colorful unidentified blur.

"eeha? Eeha koi toh nahi aaya. Hum hi hai mamiji. Om Parkaas". He flashed a set of brilliant white teeth at the doubtful mamiji, who was still peering in all directions.


Payal was hiding under the bed in Akaksh's room. She had come to surprise Akash, thanks to Khushi and NK making the meeting possible. The rendezvous might have progressed glitch free had it not been for the voice that reached her ears. Akash's mother was making her way towards her son's room, and it seemed like she was looking for someone. Completely taken aback Payal had ducked under the bed, from where she cautiously pushed aside the hanging bedspread to check for any signs of approaching feet.

And her partner in crime, the hapless son, had rushed into the closet. He might have escaped all trouble, but NK in all eagerness to help ensure the successful completion of his and Khushi's supposedly fool proof plan had come into the room just in time to see Akash enter the closet. NK had run to the closet door and locked it from outside and run out again.

What NK did not take into account was the fact that Akash closet door would not open from inside if locked from outside. And to unlock it from outside would require a key. The key in question was safely in the keychain with Akash's car keys and office drawer keys. And this key chain, as was Akash's habit to carry, was in his pocket.

"hello hi bye bye.. Aakash bitwa.. bhere are youj? hum goodnight bolat khatir eeha aaye and youj naat herej. kahin kho toh nahi gaye tum. Akash bitwaa? " mamiji called out, sensing something not quite right.

(Where are you? I came to say goodnight and you are not here. Hope you did not get lost somewhere.)

"mamiji aap idhar ho. aur main aapko kidhar khoj raha tha. Let us go to your room mamiji". Feeling like a knight in shining armour, who had braved perils, to bring two lovers together, NK walked away with mamiji.

Slowly Payal came out, heaving a sigh of relief.

"Aakashji".. She called out desperately..

"Payalji".. His muffled voice came from inside.

She made towards the closet, attempted to open the door and realized what a situation they had landed themselves in!


****

"I am hiding from mamiji..". Her face was inches away from his.

There was a faint crease on his forehead, as he kept his intense gaze on her. His lip dragged upwards to thr left, in a devilish smirk that was wrecking havoc in Khushi's heart.. Dhak dhak dhak.. it pounded in her ears..

"And why were you hiding from mamiji? Did you come to meet me? Miss kar rahi thi mujhe?", he questioned.

She fidgeted, suddenly intensely aware that his arm was resting on her back. He remained unyielding, savouring her state of discomfort. He knew enough to notice what being near to him did to her. Her shuddering breath and crimson cheeks were more potent than any aphrodisiac.

"hum.. jeeji.. wo..", she managed in a breathy whisper. Then perhaps realizing the fruitlessness of trying to deny her response to his gaze and his demanding touch, she fell silent.

"tum dar kyu rahi ho itna? main tumhe kha thori na jaungi?". The irony in the sentence did not go unnoticed by ASR, for that was exactly what he felt like doing.

It was intoxicating to feel the effect he had on her. It made him want to break rules.. Hell he had even forgotten what those damn rules were that he was breaking!

Clearly in panic her eyes rose to meet his scorching gaze. "I am not scared. I came here with jiji. unhe Aakash jeejaji se milna tha. Nanheji helped me plan everything".

His hold on her hand tightened at the mention of NK. A dangerous glint shone in his eyes. "Didn't I tell you it was a stupid idea? Now you are stuck. When will you learn tum sab kuch nai kar sakti ho?"

She was still a little dazed and had missed the hardening in his eyes. She mumbled bravely.."nai.. hum..." Suddenly it struck her, "humne aapko pphone kiya tha. You did not help me. aur waise bhi I can do anything".

He noticed she was not looking towards him. Even when his other hand rose and grasped her open hair. She swallowed and avoided his gaze. "do anything? tum 2 minute bina kuch bole chup reh sakti ho?"

She shivered. No thoughts of trying to pull away anyway near her brain. She waited silently, her face angled away from his, eyes lowered. An unfamiliar coyness had made its appearance.

Now that she was quiet she was even more hard to deny. She looked beautiful. Perfect. Meant to be in his arms.

As if pulled by gravity he felt himself move towards her. His lips touched her cheek. The sound of a kiss echoed in the silence, mingled with the loud beating of two hearts.

Inhaling sharply, she went still. His lips remained grazing her cheeks, eyes shut, unable to move away. Tortuously slow they moved towards her quivering pink lips. All air left her in a rush.

dhak dhak dhak...


There would certainly have been no stopping..

But then the damn phone had to ring! Nymph like she slipped through his grasp and rushed to the door.

"What the? You are locked inside the cupboard? Are you crazy Akash? Where are the keys ?" , ASR growled on the phone.

Simultaneously Khushi exclaimed, "Arnavji we are locked inside. This door is not opening".



******

Doppleganger

How I Met Your Mother. Quite a legend has it become in popular culture. I have been watching it for a while, but finally had to write this in because I was surprisingly very deeply touched at some profound observations the show's protagonist Ted Mosby, who is on a perennial quest to find his soulmate, enumerates to his children.

I realized amongst all the inane crazy events on the show are important lessons in friendships that don't break come what may and that let you remain your crazy self. There is also that vital lesson in living life. In taking everything with that dash of spice, in not taking troubles and setbacks too seriously, in naively believing in love, in being positive cheerful and upbeat, but not worrying too much if you are none of these.

I guess am being a little too earnest because your only reason to watch the show might as well be the witty suave sometimes unbearably pompous always suited, the legendary,.. wait for it.. Barney.

Robin: Looks like I'm getting dumber.
Ted: No, just more courageous. Look, we've all been searching for The Five Doppelgangers, right?
Robin: Mm.(muttering)
Ted: But eventually, over time, we all become our own doppelgangers. You know, these these completely different people who just happen to look like us. "Five Years Ago Robin"? That girl, she was pretty great. But Doppelganger Robin? She's amazing.

                                                         - A lovely scene from HIMYM

So this is what got me thinking. Even a year back would I be stalking twitter waiting for updates on a hero (yes am doing this for #BarunSobti, the hero from my show #IPK.. err who knew talking in hashtags could get this addicting?) ?

We start off as someone else and evolve over life. Our priorities, our aims, the way we perceive, can all change. Does that make us our own doppleganger? Perhaps it does, and that is okay. In fact going by what ted has to say, it is amazing!

It's the opportunity life gives us to try out everything we want to, to live in any which way we want to, be who we want to. The question is do we have the courage to embrace the opportunity?

I have always been taught to be ambitious and nice. There was a time when I wanted to do just that and also be this heroine straight out of a  Sooraj Barjatiya movie. A mixture.

And now I don't want a crowd or excitement around me, I want to sit quietly with just me and this one other person who is becoming his own doppleganger too. I am not too scared to say 'No' when I don't want to. When did I start my journey of becoming this person whom I really like? 

To that also Ted has an answer. I have always believed in signs from the universe and when he said this I was almost struck by lightening at how true it is.

"people can look for signs all they want, but usually only see what they want to see, when they're ready to see it"

                                                                    - A wise old, Ted Mosby

In Budhism a key facet of the religion is being open to change. The young Sidhartha sat under the bodhi tree and witnessed the world transform, the wind blow, seeds germinate, birds fly, rain drops fall on parched land, trees wither away. He sat and watched time pass by. It brought him enlightenment. He became the Budha.

Our lives are the same. We can never remain stagnant, be exactly who we were maybe even a single moment ago. So the poignant question to ask is did you notice yourself today? Did you listen to what your heart desired and where your mind wanted to reach? 

Don't be scared to remain the same or try out something new. The only worry is if you are not giving your own instinct a chance. Don't fear who you will turn out to be, because a goofy TV character has wisely said we all become our dopplegangers one day and we are absolutely amazing that way.

Arnav Singh Raizada

http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4199102&TPN=50&#p116397745

We often burst into spontaneous soliquoys on our blast from the past thread where a certain man is concerned.. here is a snippet..

And you are absolutely right. No fifty shades of gray is Mr Raizada. He encompasses all colors of the rainbow in the emotions he portrays.

On a serious note I have been thinking of this comparison with Christian Grey (is that the character's name?) and here's what I deduced. Arnav Singh Raizada as Gul envisioned him was to be a romantic novel dream, the story writers and of course the actor made him real and so much full of life that he drove right out from the screen in his white SUV and parked himself into our hearts.

And now whenever we find any character attractive we find a bit of the quintessential traits we fell for in ASR. Basically its like krishna all over, who took different forms to play with each gopi. I see ASR in characters I have loved over the years and apparently the part of female population that loves fifty shades of gray sees him in that form too.

He might be a bit of all our imagination, but in totality he surpasses it all. haha sounds quite dramatic, but really in each subtle second that ASR was on screen Barun seemed to add such mysteries that in each rewatch we unravel something new about ASR. It is this thrill of discovering the man, his love, his attitude to life that makes writing about him, taking caps after neverending caps (even in low resolution) so absolutely satisfying. A new experience each time. 

arshi SS: Hamesha ~ a heartbeat away, chapter 8

This chapter is dedicated to the girl who made Khushi come alive on screen... Sanaya Irani..



Chapter 8

He saw the first drop of rain slide along her cheek, slowly follow a path down the arch of her neck and get lost in that mysterious dip of her collar bone. Her cheek had the most enticing crimson color on them. She was blushing, just like he had wanted.

How graceful was she tonight.. He skin luminescent in the moonlight, which even the rain clouds were unable to hide tonight. Arnav Singh Raizada did not like the rain much. But instinct told him that the girl in his arms, Khushi Kumari Gupta, must love the rain.

They were shielded by a large shrub, where he had lead her to tie that maddeningly alluring dori. And now with no one around she was right here, trembling in his arms.

In a single fluid movement she brought her fingers to touch the damp spot on her cheek. Raindrops continued to splash on the dark green blades of grass. Wind chimes tingled in the distance. She looked upwards at the sky, fascinated. Her eyes looked like they were remembering far off tales.

"What are you thinking?", he whispered cautiously, not wanting to break the perfection of the moment. The night was standing still, and only rainwater rushed gaily along its course.

"Amma kehti hai agar barish ki pehli boond gaal pe giri tab jisse pyar karo usse shadi hoti hai."

Love.. Marriage.. ASR felt struck with the lightening that suddenly streaked across the sky. For a split second it dazzled everything with its blaze. And then her eyes caught his.

She flashed a brilliant happy smile.

A song rose in the winds.. Drum beats ascended and violins faded in.. A man crooned somewhere far..

Teri meri.. meri teri.. Prem kahani hai mushkil.. do lafzon mein yeh bayaan na ho paye..

ASR had let go off her hand, but she had not moved away. There was comfort in the closeness. A million half formed wispy thoughts floated into ASR's head. This girl believed in love. She had always wanted marriage. Even when she was behaving like a pesky kid, matchmaking for him and Lavanya, ASR had been struck with her conviction in the sanctity of marriage.

She did not know that it was all mere words. This hypocrite society had devised this elaborate lie to ensure a man and woman stayed all their life together. The lie did not work. The baser nature of human being prevailed and the hard cold world always won.

Ek larka ek larki ki ye prem kahani hai mushkil..do lafzon mein ye bayaan na ho paye..

ASR was violently affected by memories he did not want to recollect. Those memories that refused to let go of him. His ma.. Like Khushi had his ma also believed in marriage? And what about her husband? Could people like him believe in anything? His ma.. He had not seen.. Not known.. Not been able to stop her getting hurt..

But Khushi..He would remove Khushi from this uncaring cruel world. He had a terrible desire to keep her safe. So she could be free to dream. He would make sure rain always made her face glow. That nothing and no one could touch her dreams. She was meant to be happy.. And he was here to make sure she remained happy.

Har ehsaas mein tu hai hair ek yaad mein tera afsaana..

"Arnavji ye salmanji ka gana hai. I love this song". She was excited and hopeful. Her refulgent eyes held a shy question in them. An invitation to dance.

ASR wanted to dance. With Khushi. And never stop...

And so.. they danced..

He stepped towards the open grounds and she glided alongside. He would make her his today.. No conscious thought. Conscious was each atom, each molecule, each fibre. She danced along. For this was where she was meant to be. In his arms. Twirling dipping whirling gliding..

Saara din beet jaye..saari raat jagaye..

Her eyes had held a challenge and he had surrendered himself.. A brown hand gliding along her thin bare waist, the color of ivory in the dark light.

She found herself flying safe in his sure hands. His eyes left her face, his head turned away, only to jerk back, a demanding hand extending out. She could not refuse his call. She placed her hand in his. All was right with the world. Right then it had ceased to exist. Memories came flying past. Catching.. falling.. walking away.. drawing close.

Ye tadap keh rahi hai.. Mit jaye fasle ye.. Tere mere darmiyan jo hain sare..

They stood bodies in contact. Immersed in a heady feeling. She raised her hand in a graceful swanlike movement. Face raised. His hand followed her in its trajectory. Scorching was its path as it moved stroking, igniting. She rested on his frame. He was meant to hold her this way. Would they ever move away?

No question anymore. All the answers ever needed in this tango. Unrehearsed, instinctive.. Written by the stars themselves..

Then came a resounding crash..


****


ASR rushed to where Khushi's babuji was frantically twitching. Garima was shocked, in tears seeing her husband in distress. ASR registered a passing annoyance to see Shyam quite nearby, but not moving a finger to help soothe the man in the wheelchair. There was broken glass on the ground near their table. Had uncle tried to reach for the glass? ASR wondered..

"babuji .. babuji what happened"? Khushi knelt next to her babuji and took his hand in hers. Shashi Gupta was shaking all over, a little out of control. Everyone had crowded around them.

Seeing the clearly distraught Khushi and her amma, ASR took charge. "Don't worry. Let us take uncle home. Aur main doctor ko wahi bula leta hun".

"Ha babua.. Ee thik rahega. Shayad bheedh bhaadh se Shashi babua ghabrai gaye hain". Buaji had come forward and was patting Garima on her back, in an effort to calm herself as much as Garima perhaps.

(This is a good idea. Maybe because of the crowd Shashi babua is agitated.)

"Ha jiji. Let us all go home. Inki tabyat bahut bigar gayi hai.. Aise achnak.. Pata nai kaise?" Garima looked teary eyed at her husband. Her one hand clutched the anchal on her head and with the other she had grabbed her elder sister-in-law.

(Yes. he is in a bad state. suddenly.. no idea how?)

"I'll get the car ready. Aunty, buaji uncle is already much better. Please calm down. He'll be fine". ASR was right as usual. The man in the wheelchair had stopped jerking and was staring into the distance.

"Madhumatiji, Garimaji Khushi bitiya hai na.. She will go with chote and they will take Shashiji home. Aaplog aur Payal bitiya thori der aur ruk jayiye". Deviyani Raizada had stepped forward and in her firm tone insisted that the rest of the Gupta ladies stay back for a while longer.

Seeing that her brother was indeed much calmer than before Madhumatiji finally gave in.

"Khushiji main bhi apke sath chalte hun. Do se bhule teen log rahenge to take care of uncle".

NK came up to offer his help. ASR was about to lose royally lose his temper when Anjali spoke up, "NK bhai bhule nai ..do se bhale teen.. But not today. Today you can help us here. Let chote and Khushiji go". Without waiting for a response from NK, ASR shrugged and walked off to call the doctor directly to Lakshminagar.

NK's face fell a little, but he stuck out his tongue. "Sorry sorry, mera matalab tha teen se bhale do hi. But I will help Khushiji take uncle to the car atleast. Aayiye Khushiji.."


Once they left, Akash took charge of distracting the Gupta women who still seemed worried. "Buaji aapne kachoriyan khai? The chef is from Lukhnow. You must try it" .

While the elder ladies walked in front, Payal and Akash fell into step behind them.

Payal had moments ago been dancing with Akash, her tinkling laughter echoing, and now she looked subdued. Akash felt a tug in his heart. Part of him was glad his dadi had stopped Payal from leaving. He could not bear to be away from Payal when she looked this sad. Yes payal.. In his thoughts she was now Payal.. Akash had yet to tackle the looming problem of how to convert Payalji to Payal in real life.. His Payal.

Firmly he slipped his hand into hers and squeezed tight. She looked towards him with startled eyes, that were no longer as sad as a moment before. Akash gave a reassuring smile to her and continued walking together.


****


"nani aap bhi.. You are a true matchmaker. You made chote go alone with khushiji. Waah nani! But Khushiji ke babuji ko achanak kya ho gaya? Aapko kya lagta hai Shyamji?"

Shyam was moodily standing next to the two Raizada women. He glared at Anjali, "Unko bhi sab kharab karna na?". Then mumbled some excuse about an urgent phone call and left.

A perturbed Anjali watched him weave his way across the crowd. Her husband had been in his own world all evening. She kept losing sight of him.

Anjali was very proud of her Shyamji. He was extremely hardworking and many people depended on him, but she wished he would involve her more in his life. She was interested to know what troubled him or when his case went well. So far, however, he never took her queries seriously. And recently he seemed completely wrapped up in his world.

She wondered what was troubling him. she had hardly seen him tonight. Finally she spotted him near the table where Khushi's babuji was sitting. Shyamji had been holding two glasses of juice and had claimed that he was bringing it to her so that they could drink together. But Anjali wanted to dance and he kept insisting that they should sit and drink. Finally she had managed to get him to put the glasses down on the table and dance with her.

And then had come the crash. The glasses on the table lay shattered on the floor and uncle was close by convulsing frighteningly. And after all this, Shyamji was now again off someplace by himself.

Anjali felt a gaping loneliness engulf her. She missed him terribly when he was not around. Didn't he miss her too?

As soon as the thought entered her head, she lightly hit hear forehead with her palm. Of course he must miss her.. She was his rani sahiba.. He was the most caring husband in the world.. How silly was she to doubt how important she was to him.

Feeling much better Anjali turned her attention to her nani. "nani did you see how chote danced today? Khushiji is already making him dance to her tunes.. Hehehe." She giggled happily, momentarily forgetting the nagging anxiety within her.

Her nani was also equally excited. "ha Anjali bitiya. Chote toh dimag ke aage dekhat hi nahi hai. His heart already knows what is head is still to figure out. Is liye toh humne undo ko sath bheja. Jab bure waqt mein koi sath ho toh wo dil ke aur paas aawat hai. Khushi bitiya and Arnav bitiya will live very happily, my heart says this".

Her voice had cracked a little towards the end. She held her grandson in high esteem and was very proud of him. And it was her heartfelt wish to see him with someone who would understand him and take care of him.

With a naughty smile and exaggerated mysterious air she asked Anjali, "par bitiya did you notice what I noticed?" .

"Ha mami.. Dur dur tak sab dekh sakte the.. Our chote is jealous of NK bhai..hahaha"..


****


ASR was in the Gupta house courtyard. The doctor had taken a look and confirmed that there was no deterioration in Shashi Gupta's health. On the contrary, the doctor was pleased to see more muscle movement in him. He had left feeling hopeful about the patient's health.

ASR was about to leave when the night sky caught his attention. Khushi had been inside, giving her babuji medicine. When she stepped out she saw him with his face turned upwards.

The storm clouds had drifted away long since, and a clear sky stretched as far as the eye could see. A crescent moon decorated the sky while millions of stars glittered around it. Instead of black the sky had a brilliant dark blue shade that was surreal.

Khushi loved to sit on the steps and watch the sky. Her amma babuji were sparkling brightly at her. And since some months Khushi had noticed another bright star right next to him.. A hesitant voice whispered within her, it was Arnavji's amma.. She was there watching her son. Khushi wanted to tell him this, but was afraid of his reaction. So she hadn't told him.

She had been very worried about babuji. Khushi would not admit it to anyone else, but her devi maiyya knew how relieved she was to have Arnavji here taking care of everything. He always knew what to do.

And he also knew how to dance.. She thought shyly.. They had danced in front of everyone.. Devi maiyya aapne dekha?

dhak dhak dhak.. The familiar sound echoed in her ears.. She crumpled her saree aanchal with her hand willing the noise too quieten.. It was too quiet.. He might her..

She quickly stole a glance his way to confirm if he might have heard.. She almost forgot to breathe..

He looked like a statue standing still. Face at an angle. The black suit jacket must lay crumpled in the SUV back seat. He was in the crisp white shirt he must have been wearing underneath. The white seemed to radiate light. There was no movement. Khushi could willingly have sat all night long staring at this beautiful statue.

Just then behind him a streak of light lit up the night sky. A shooting star..Without thought.. with exhilarating happiness erupting in her, she ran down the steps upto him.

"What the?" , he looked at her startled.

But she was already covering his eyes with her palm."Shhh.. Arnavji tutta tara.. Make a wish". He didn't move her hand away. She took it as a good sign.

Her eyes, tightly closed, she wished as hard as she could.. devi maiyya keep him happy always.. It almost hurt in her belly, that strong was her wish. And though it was just one single thing, not her usual long list, she wanted to stay in the moment for some time longer. Arnavji must not be used to making wishes, so he might need more time. With this reasoning she did not remove her hand from his eyes.

She could feel his unsteady breath on herself. Slowly it gained a steady rhythm.. She let go and stepped away. Her eyes on him, trying to read him.

Was he the Arnavji who had been filled with laughter behind the bush or was he the Arnavji with those sad demons that haunted his eyes when he had watched those stars near the poolside that night? Who was he at this moment, she desperately tried to work out?

She didn't need to worry. Though his face was thoughtful, there was a smile on his face, tender and caring. "Laad governor.. Hmmpphh.. Aise dekhke humein rula hi denge devi maiyya.."

The smile was quickly turning into that signature crooked smirk, which meant she had landed herself into trouble.

"So now you decide to talk to yourself?", he grinned. "Tum itni baatein karti kya ho khud se Khushi?"

"umm.. Wo .. When I get hungry I have to talk.. Humne kuch khaya nai na.. Those kachori, and chat and gol gappa.. I missed it all Arnavji..". She had started with a stutter, inventing an excuse as she went along till it had turned absolutely real.

She was missing food. This dhak dhak must be her stomach rumbling from hunger for sure. Such a simple explanation and here she had been thinking all sorts of silly things.

"And why didn't you eat?", his head was tilted to the side and arms folded across his chest. "because you were too busy dancing.. With me..", he said it with extreme satisfaction, a smug look on his amused face.

Khushi felt herself shiver, "nai toh.. I didn't dance kyunki..mera matlab i didn't eat because"

"I'm listening..", was all he said.

"kyunki.. Kyunki this saree is too expensive.. Ispe Khana gir jata toh? It's all your fault I am hungry."

"Really my fault?" his voice was still light, but he had turned and was walking away. Khushi felt disappointment wash over her. Part of her was telling her sternly, she should call him back. She would go grab his hand. She didn't want him to go. She wanted to talk.

And then he was back before her. As if he had heard her. She tentatively looked at his extended hand.

He was holding out a plate of... jilebi.. She felt like the world had burst into a song and she was whirling in a dance.

"This is from the party..", but ASR never managed to complete his sentence, because Khushi threw his arms around him and hugged him. She was beyond happy.. He cared for her..


****

"NK bhai Payalji really liked the party". Aakash had a bemused expression on his face, and was clutching a cushion to his chest.

NK was fiddling with his ipod, but kept it aside, happy to indulge in conversation with this lovesick brother of his. "Akash I think Payalji se zyada unki buaji ko party pasad aayi.. aaauu.. Mera bechara pair.. Bilkul gayab ho gaya.", he said vigorously rubbing his feet.

"NK bhai gayab nai ghayal ho gaya.. Gayab matlab disappear..". Anjali was with a pile of clothes that she was folding before going to bed.

"Tab toh sirf pair nai whole NK ko gayab ho jana tha. Wo buaji agar baki ceremony mein aayegi toh main wapas australia ja ra hun. Akash tum Payal bhabhi ko bhagake shadi kar lo. Sab problem solve. Main bhi wedding attend kar lunga."

"Ha nk bhai ye thik rahega. This waiting even I don't like any more", Akash was a quite lost in the memories of the evening.

Anjali burst out laughing at her brothers. Love was surely all around

With a sigh she remembered Shayamji had refused to come downstairs and spend time with them. So the three of them were alone in the hall waiting for ASR to return.


With a light step ASR entered the Raizada hall and was momentarily taken aback by the noise that greeted him. His siblings had apparently gone crazy. "What the?"

"What the?", they chanted in chorus.

"Chote you danced with khushiji.."

"bhai you never dance".

"nannav kitni baar tumne bola I don't dance, don't dance..aur phir ja kar khud Khushiji ke sang raat bhar nach diye".

"Hello hi Arnav bitwa.. hum 2 minutes gone hue aur tum two hours diappearj kar gaye.. dancing baki reh gava tha ka? Aur eek kaise dancing.. lonely dancing tum sirf oo phatee saree ke sath akele mein karat ho?", mamiji had also come right at the opportune moment.

(I felt for 2 minutes and you went away for two hours? Was there dancing left? And what kind of a dance.. that you did with phatee saree alone?)

"Ab bye bye..", and she cat walked away.

ASR sauntered to the sofa and casually sat down. Trust his hyper excited family to come up with this drama. But he was not really angry. Khushi was happy, how could he be angry at anything tonight?

"I danced..so? ", one eye brow shot up, the rest of him remained in its previous lazy stance.

"So? Ye tum keh ro ho.. Ab na bahut hua.. You both will look so good together on the marriage day. Hum kal hi matching lehenga aur sherwani order kar denge." Di came next to him and cupped his face.

He jerked away feigning impatience. "Di you know I don't wear sherwanis. And I am not getting married".

He left as Anjali hit herself on the head laughing..


****

At the exact same instant in her house in lakshminagar Khushi let the soft chiffon slip through her fingers. She had changed out of her saree into a white cotton kurti. Her thin fingers had deftly tied her hair into a plait and she had slipped a rubber band onto the end. Payal was already fast asleep. Khushi was sitting in front of the table with her friend, and the saree on her lap, and a plate full of jalebi in on the table.

She neatly folded the saree and was about to put it away when she saw a gleaming green sequin fall on the table. She picked it up with infinite care, like it was the most precious sequin in the world. Then from her drawer she took out a small round box. In it was already a leaf, that he had taken out from her hair.. To this she added the she sequin.. That had fallen from the saree he had gifted her.

She closed the box, her treasures safe within. She bit into one jalebi and let the sweetness trickle down her throat and settled down to talk to devi maiyya..Today I danced devi maiyya..and it was the most wondrous feeling that can ever exist..


****