CHAPTER 40 - It Will Rain Stars...
"The doctor had said... I had... suffered too much of
trauma... that night... I don't remember anything..." she explained amidst her
sobs. "I did not even recognise my own parents for months... there is... there
is this huge... black hole in my life... I don't remember..."
He kissed the top of her head and his arms tightened around
her. It must have been terrible for her but he could not let the dark past
overshadow their moment. Gently, he pulled back from her and forced a smile on
his face, wiping her tears off her face.
"Hey, main tumhe yahaan iss liye nahin laaya tha ke tum rona
shuru karo." (Hey, I didn't bring you here so that you start crying.)
***
"Khushi!" Payal grabbed her cousin by the shoulders and
turned her to face her. "Humse baat karo Khushi. Kya hua hai tujhe?" (Talk to me, Khushi. What happened to you?)
The girl merely shook her head, her plastered smile still on
her face. "Kuchh nahin, jiji. Tum chinta kyun karti ho?" (Nothin, Jiji. Why are you worrying yourself so much?)
"Nahin, Khushi, kuchh to hua hai. Tum aaj kal bujhi bujhi si
rehti ho, theek se baat bhi nahin karti. Muskuraati ho, par tumhaari
aankhein..." (No Khushi, something has happened to you. You do smile but your eyes...)
Khushi pressed Payal hand, which was still on her shoulder
and broadened her smile. "Jiji! Tum bhi na! Humein bohot saara kaam hai, humein
jaana hai!" (Jiji, you're too much! I have a lot of work, I have to go!)
She disappeared in the kitchen as soon as she could but
Payal had seen the tears that had been rising in her eyes. Misery was clear on Khushi's
face, but the problem was that she would not talk to anyone about it. Payal had
tried hard but it was of no avail.
She sighed. In two days she would be getting married and she
had to figure out what had happened to her cousin before the big day...
***
He led her around the enormous tree trunk by the shoulders.
She felt her go rigid with shock. By the time he had bent to take in her
expression, she was trembling against him and her eyes were wide, her mouth
gaping. She turned to him, transmitting a silent question to which he smiled.
"Yeah," he nodded, quirking an eyebrow at her playfully,
like in the old times. "Tumhaare liye... Pari..." (... All yours... Pari...)
***
"I said no, Di!"
"Chhote! Tumhe jaana hi padega!" (Chhote! You'll have to go!)
"Di, please, aap jaanti hain ki-" (...You know that...)
"Hum jaante hain, issi liye aapse keh rahe hain. Jaaiye
Chhote, aapko badlaav ki zaroorat hai!" (I know, that's why I'm telling you. Go Chhote, you need some change.)
"I don't need the damn change, Di!"
"Mind you language, Chhote!" Anjali scolded him.
Arnav sat down on the edge of his bed with a huff of
frustration. She softened and regretted it immediately. He was not completely
at fault, was he? This Khushi he had talked to her about had broken his heart.
He had long talked to her that night, and in the end he had
accepted that he did love her. But he had not seen her again after that. He had
gone out every day, possibly to each and every place he had met her – her
Chhote, who did not believe in God, who did not enter mandirs, had stepped
inside one for that girl. But she had not shown up.
Anjali put her hand on his tense shoulder and sat down next to
him.
"Chhote, please."
"Di-"
"Voh tumhaare dost hain, Chotte. Bachpan se. Kam se kam unke
liye to... aaj ke din..." (He's your friend, Chhote. From your childhood. At least for him... Today...)
She looked at him, her eyes heavy with unsaid pleas. He
sighed and looked at his shoes.
"Ok, fine. I'll go..."
***
She skipped forward, licking her bottom lip without even
knowing, her eyes riveted to the small but delicious looking chocolate cake. He
smiled at her childish delight. Maybe she did not remember their childhood, but
nothing had changed. She still love chocolate. He hoped she would like the
other gifts he had chosen just for her...
***
"Baaraat aagayi! Baraat aagayi!" the girls shrieked eagerly
and left the room. Payal and Khushi were now alone. Khushi smiled at her elder
cousin in the mirror. Payal was stunning in her wedding finery. She returned
the smile half-heartedly and turned her back to the reflection of the two of
them, facing Khushi. (The Baaraat has arrived!)
"Tu ab bhi nahin bataayegi?" (You still won't tell me?)
"Kya jiji?" (What?)
The younger girl widened her eyes in mock surprise before
walking towards the bed so that she was looking away from her cousin. She
pretended to arrange the clothes Payal would be taking to her new home after
the wedding but Payal was not easily convinced. She stood up and strode to
Khushi as fast as the heavy skirt of her dark red lehenga would allow her, and
grabbing the girl roughly by the elbow, she turned Khushi around.
"Kya baat hai, Khushi? Kuchh to bataao!" (What's wrong, Khushi? tell me!)
"Jiji! Tum dekh nahin rahi? Humein bohot saara kaam hai-" (Can't you see? I have a lot of work-)
"Kya kaam hai, Khushi?" Payal's voice rose as she started losing
her patience. "Aakhir aisa kya kaam hai?
Jo karna tha voh hogaya hai! Bas baaraat ka intezaar tha aur voh bhi
khatam ho chukka hai!" (What work Khushi? What needed to be done has been done already! We were just waiting for the Baaraat and that's over now!)
"Jiji-"
Khushi's eyes were filled with tears. Her cousin felt hers
moisten too and she hugged her close.
"Tu humse keh sakti hai, pagli. Ab bhi vakt hai..." (You can tell me. There's still time...)
"Jiji... voh..."
The door opened and Indira burst in followed by a horde of
girls. They had come to take away Payal. The two girls looked at each other in
despair before Khushi caught herself. She wiped her tears and place her hands
on Payal's shoulder.
"Chalo jiji," she said as brightly as she could. "Vakt
aagaya hai..." (Come Jiji. It's time...)
***
"Everything's for you, Khush, open them."
She looked at him
shyly. "Sab?" (Everything?)
He smirked and came nearer to her. "Yeah, sab! But first,
cake katein?" (...Shall we cut the cake?)
Arnav handed her the knife. She held it but kept on staring
at him without moving. He rolled his eyes and held her hand, making her cut the
cake himself. Then he took a slice and made her eat it. When she had gulped her
bite down, she was reaching out for his hand to turn it and make him eat too
but she suddenly remembered he was diabetic.
One look at her wide eyes and he understood what she was
thinking about. He grinned intelligently at her.
"Well, main to khaa nahin sakta. Mera hissa tum kaa lo!" he said
stuffing the remaining cake into her mouth. (Well, I can't eat. Have my part too.)
Khushi giggled as she struggled to close her mouth. She
looked adorable. He bent and kissed her cheek. The laughter died out
immediately. He pulled back to see her breaths had deepened and her eyes
contained some fear. His smile did not leave, though. Instead, he turned to the
huge pile of gifts which sat underneath the tree.
"To... kaahan se shuru karein?" (So... from where to start?)
"Arnavji..." she said in a low voice. "Iss sab ki... kya
zaroorat thi?" (What was the need for all of this?)
Arnav looked at her with a strange smile in silence before
he finally whispered an answer. "A gift for each year, Pari. A gift for each of
your twenty four years. And for later too..."
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