Pls forgive me in advance guys..i am not sure of this but after all fiction hai..kuch bhi ho sakta hai...
if you dont like it..just let me know and i can rework..i hate to delete what i write..for i write... without planning or thinking..i just flow with what the characters...now..i donno how i came up with this..
ok..read..i am saying too much...let me know though..i am having doubts...
Chapter 21
The next morning saw Khushi woken up very early as the puja for the Ganesh Sthapana and Grah Shanti was scheduled for eight and loads of arrangements were happening. The first of the rituals for the wedding was under way with this Puja and in the afternoon a hawan was scheduled.
Khushi had hardly slept and her eyes were swollen from the tears that she had shed. She had berated herself for having succumbed to Arnav. She could not forgive herself and could not fathom why he had uttered those vile words. He had practically called her a' she could not even think of the word.
She decided she was going to avoid him as much as possible but when he was the center of attraction, avoiding him was going to be tad bit difficult. She would try and get involved in the arrangements so she would not be anywhere near him.
The Puja saw him wearing a dhoti and janeo (the sacred thread that brahmins wore around their torso), a must before such pooja for a brahmin. He looked a virile man in a saffron colored Dhoti and a tilak adorning his forehead. She could take her eyes off of him. The bare torso was running havoc with her senses and she found every pretext she could to be bringing fruits and other ingredients required during Pooja from the kitchen to escape the bombardment of hormones within her.
She repudiated herself for such behaviour. In one of those expeditions near the end of the Puja found her colliding into Aakash who had also come to fetch another plate of flowers.
She dropped the coconut she was carrying on her toe and yelped. She had sunk on to the floor, to hold her foot when Aakash had knelt as well and had caught her foot in his hand and was running tender fingers on the soreness that had developed on her toe and she could not stop herself from wincing.
Aakash had looked at her and shrugged his shoulders before picking her up and taking her onto the divan in the other room. He settled her on it and gotten one of the servants to get him some ice and asked him to give the ingredient that was required. Khushi had tried to stop him from picking her up as they were in full view of the people who were gathered around in the room. She saw Arnav's eyes narrow and knew he had come to some wrong conclusion.
Despite her protests Aakash sat on the floor and nursed her foot. He even joked lightly near her ears, "Bhai, thora saali' i mean future saali sahiba ka dhyan toh rakhna padega na'"
Khushi erupted into laughter and the pain was forgotten. She slapped a hand on his shoulder in mock reprimand and smiled.
"Ye hui na baat' chalo ab dard yoon gayab kar detein hai'."and he blew a kiss on the toe.
Khushi saw from the corner of her eye that Arnav had not missed any of that. She did not know why Arnav was mad at her for being friendly with his friend when surely he was marrying someone and there was nothing between them, for her to not enjoy herself if nothing else.
She could not for a minute think that Arnav could be jealous of his own friend. She gave a mirthless laugh at that thought.
Aakash quizzed her silently with a raise of his head and she just shook her head in denial of anything important.
Payal had then come to check on her and Aakash had suddenly gotten up and gone. Her sister had also avoided looking at Aakash and taken a hobbling Khushi to her room to rest for she would not be able to do much anyway with a stubbed toe for at least sometime.
In the afternoon, she ventured downstairs as she felt better and was able to put weight on her foot without her toe hurting. She reached near the courtyard and saw the hawan was progressing. The holy was burning with smoke bellowing out of it proclaiming the fire that will burn all evils and the marriage will be a bright and happy. She sat near the corner so that she won't have to see Arnav for too long and there were throngs of people before her that obstructed her view. But his voice echoed with confidence. Each word he repeated after the Pujari was spoken with emphasis.
She had lulled herself into a daydream filled with his voice echoing deep within her. Suddenly she heard a gasp and she heard her name. Waking herself from the daydream she realised people had turned and looked at her. Wondering at what had just happened. She heard someone murmur. "Ye kya bol diya Arnav baba ne?"
Puzzled at the looks and the gaped mouths, she caught her sister's eyes and signed her confusion, when she saw her get up and come towards her. She put a hand to her elbow and took her inside.
"Kya hua Jiji, kyoon aap mujhe andar le aayeein?" Khushi asked for explanation.
"Tu bas chup chap chal pehle yahan se'phir samjhaati hoon." Payal literally dragged a reluctant Khushi.
Once upstairs, Khushi removed her arm from Payal's grip and asked, "bataiye bhi Jiji, kya hua wahan?"
"Khushi tu bann toh nahi rahi hai na? tune suna nahi?" Payal asked her in return.
"Arre Jiji, suna hota ho poochti kyon?" Khushi faced her sister with hands on her hips, now really getting annoyed.
"Woh.. Arnav ne, jab pujariji ne uski dulhan ka naam poocha toh tera naam le liya'" Payal revealed haltingly
"Kyaaa?" Khushi sputtered.
"Woh' Kya ho raha hai tum dono ke beech?" Payal asked.
"Kuch bhi toh nahin Jiji'" Khushi evaded.
Just then Aakash came up running to them then said, "Khushi tumhein Naaniji bula rahi hai."
Khushi totally aghast at the situation, just stood there with her mouth open. What was happening here?
All three of them entered the study and found Arnav standing near the window looking out, Naani standing ramrod straight near huge oak desk with Anjali and Shyam next to her. Her parents were standing near the bookshelves murmuring to themselves.
Nani then asked, "Ye iss ghar mein kya ho raha hai? Ye shaadi tum kyon kar rahe ho Arnav?"
Arnav did not turn around.
It was Anjali who started explaining, "Hum sab jaante hain Khushi tumhari behen nahi hai, agar tumhein iss baat se chinta hai ki samajh kya bolega toh iski fikar mat karo."
Nani then announced, "Lavanya se shaadi nahi hogi tumhari, Chote. Khushi ki ijjat ka sawaal hai. Tum Khushi se shaadi karoge."
Khushi on hearing this stiffened. She opened her mouth and heard at the same time Arnav say the same word as she did, "NO!"
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