Arnav stepped out of the ensuite in the guest bedroom of the Gupta house, wiping his face with the towel given to him by Payal. It had taken him a good twenty minutes but he had finally managed to rid his body and face of the turmeric. His kurta, however was a lost cause. The last haldi battle with NK had led to a lot of the paste getting dabbed onto his white cotton Kurta as he wrestled with NK to stop the third onslaught of haldi. He placed the towel onto the bed and combed his fingers through his hair, when out of nowhere a pair hena adorned hands, with a great amount of yellow paste on them covered his cheeks, mouth and neck with haldi yet again.
‘Ahahahaha.’ He heard Khushi giggle gleefully behind him for managing to get him. Her hands disappeared just as fast as they had appeared, but Arnav was faster this time and caught her hands before she could leave the room. He heard her gasp.
‘Arnav ji…’ she voiced tentatively, as she tried to relieve her hands from his grip. ‘Arnav ji, someone may catch us, please let me go.’ She tried, seeing as there was no point in trying to wring her wrists out of his grip.
‘You should have thought about that before, enticing me Khushi Kumari Gupta.’ He said each of her names with great pleasure as he slowly turned to face her. Dragging on the moment to cherish it.
He had only turned ninety degrees to his right when she suddenly stopped trying to free her hand and instead slammed both of her hands, the one in his right as well as the free one in to his back stopping him momentarily with an urgent, hushed screech. ‘ARNAV JI, NO!!’
‘What the-? Khushi?’ Arnav voiced his question with his back to her as she wouldn’t let him turn even when he tried.
‘No. You can’t see me. Its’ not allowed after the haldi. Its’ bad luck.’ She related.
‘Oh please, Khushi, you know I don’t believe that.’ He scoffed back as he began to turn again, but she stopped him again.
‘No please Arnav ji don’t. Whether or not it is true, I do not want us to be the one to challenge it ok?’ she begged making Arnav surrender and let go of her hand. She turned to leave, now free, but then skipped back and threw her arms around his back, fastening them around his shoulders. ‘Thank you for relenting Arnav ji.’ She hugged him from behind. ‘I will see you tonight.’ With that she slipped her hands out and turned to leave only Arnav caught her hands again.
‘Arnav ji.’ She breathed out again, ‘What are you doing?’ she asked as he pulled her back towards him.
‘Badal.’ He stated simply.
‘What?’ she asked in earnest confusion.
‘Oh sorry, I think NK rubbed his inability to formulate hindi words correctly on me along with the haldi. I meant badla.’ Arnav shook his head at the error.
‘But you just…’
‘Yes, that was before you hugged me, inspiring me on how to exact my revenge with your terms and conditions in check.’ She smiled cunningly.
‘Hunh? Me? How?’
‘Let me show you.’ he said turning.
‘Arnav ji no.’ she placed a hand on his back yet again.
‘Khushi. Trust me.’
‘But-‘
‘Have I ever not complied with your requests?’
‘No.’
‘Then…’ slowly she removed her hand. ‘Good. Now close your eyes.’
‘What?’
‘I have closed mine. Now you close yours’. We’re not allowed to see each other right, so we won’t.’ he related simply. The idea occurred to him when he automatically closed his eyes to revel in the embrace Khushi gave him wholly.
‘How will you exact your revenge on me, if you have your eyes closed?’ Khushi asked.
Arnav shook his head in amusement. She wouldn’t do his bidding until she had her confusion diffused. ‘Khushi, I don’t need to see you to know where you are. I never have.’
She didn’t reply, but he knew her cheeks were glowing under the yellow layer of paste on them, as they always did when he revealed the volume of his love for her. ‘My eyes are closed.’ She stated timidly, after a moment. He smiled.
He let go of her hand and turned. Then placed it on her bare waist giving way to her shallow breaths as he slowly maneuvered her to stand behind the door, blocking the two of them from anyone’s view; just because they had their eyes closed didn’t meant the others in the house did too. Concealed from any prying eye he took another step towards her, causing a sharp intake of breath on her part and then leaned in. Keeping his hands on her waist he ever so slowly brushed his haldi laden cheek against both of hers, causing her chest to heave against his. He smiled yet again, for his heart was racing as fast as hers’ at the contact. He removed one of his hands away from her waist and a soft sigh escaped her lips as cool air breathed over the place where his hands had been creating an electric storm. But the sigh soon turned into a moan as he removed some haldi from his face and began trailing it across her collar bone leaving not just the paste but hot lava in his finger’s wake. His finger trailed across her collar, across her back, then to her lower back and eventually back to its original starting position, where the rest of his finger joined in and squeezed her waist, jerking her closer to him if that were even possible. Her hands, which had been limp with anticipation so far, now encircled his muscular arms to keep herself steady, as his lips found her left ear lobe.
‘You know, this morning I thought this was the worst rasam ever created.’ He whispered in her ear as she desperately tried to steady her breath. ‘But as always thanks to you, I change my mind: it is now my most favourite.’ He stated cheekily; with that he let go of her waist and pulled back, but she swooned and he caught her arms before she could bang against the door causing a clatter and drawing attention.
‘Khushi, breathe.’ He reminded her, realizing what happened, like he said he didn’t need to look at her to know what was happening with her, he just knew. For she conjured the same reactions inside of him as he did in her.
Khushi took a few exaggerated breaths and then settled down. ‘I’m ok now Arnav ji.’ She relayed in a croaky voice.
‘You sure?’ he asked, as he cupped her face.
‘Mmhmm.’ She nodded in his hands.
‘Really? Then why are you still clutching onto my Kurta for dear life?’ instantly her hands recoiled and he chuckled. ‘Don’t worry Khushi, even if my eyes were open I wouldn’t be able to see the red hue in your cheeks, as they are covered in yellow.’ He smirked, as he let his hand drop into her palm and gave it a squeeze. ‘I love you Khushi Kumari Gupta.’ With that he left the room.
‘What’s this Chotay?’ Anjali met Arnav moments later in the courtyard.
‘What Di?’ Arnav asked not following her confusion.
‘I thought you went to wash off all the haldi, not being able to stand it.’
‘Yeah?’ Arnav waited, still not comprehending what she was trying to get at.
‘So how come you still have haldi plastered across your face?’ she asked point-blank seeing he wasn’t following.
Arnav coloured, but thanks to the haldi no one would notice. ‘Oh, yeah…umm...’ he racked his brain for an excuse. In his ploy to get back at Khushi he had forgotten to get rid of the evidence. ‘Uh, what do you know? I don’t mind it so much anymore.’ He shrugged and tried to walk away, now that he remembered again how that haldi had gotten on to his cheeks he didn’t want to get rid of it any time soon.
‘Hunh? Explain, please, how all this morning you had warned everyone to not dare to put more than a drop of the paste on you and now you are walking around with your cheeks covered in it.’
‘Well, umm, now that it is drying it doesn’t bother me as much, so I figured I would keep it on as it would make you all happy.’ He shrugged, trying to sell his lie.
Anjali wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t know what else to say. ‘You know Chotay…’
‘What’s that Di?’
‘You are really weird sometimes. I mean most people prefer wet haldi and get rid of haldi when it dries as it itches them and here you are the complete opposite.’
‘Well you know me Di, born rebel.’ He winked. She just shook her head in resignation. She would never really understand what went on in her brother’s head, but at least that would no longer be her headache for in few hours the enigma of how her brother’s mind worked would be passed onto Khushi.
‘Ahahahaha.’ He heard Khushi giggle gleefully behind him for managing to get him. Her hands disappeared just as fast as they had appeared, but Arnav was faster this time and caught her hands before she could leave the room. He heard her gasp.
‘Arnav ji…’ she voiced tentatively, as she tried to relieve her hands from his grip. ‘Arnav ji, someone may catch us, please let me go.’ She tried, seeing as there was no point in trying to wring her wrists out of his grip.
‘You should have thought about that before, enticing me Khushi Kumari Gupta.’ He said each of her names with great pleasure as he slowly turned to face her. Dragging on the moment to cherish it.
He had only turned ninety degrees to his right when she suddenly stopped trying to free her hand and instead slammed both of her hands, the one in his right as well as the free one in to his back stopping him momentarily with an urgent, hushed screech. ‘ARNAV JI, NO!!’
‘What the-? Khushi?’ Arnav voiced his question with his back to her as she wouldn’t let him turn even when he tried.
‘No. You can’t see me. Its’ not allowed after the haldi. Its’ bad luck.’ She related.
‘Oh please, Khushi, you know I don’t believe that.’ He scoffed back as he began to turn again, but she stopped him again.
‘No please Arnav ji don’t. Whether or not it is true, I do not want us to be the one to challenge it ok?’ she begged making Arnav surrender and let go of her hand. She turned to leave, now free, but then skipped back and threw her arms around his back, fastening them around his shoulders. ‘Thank you for relenting Arnav ji.’ She hugged him from behind. ‘I will see you tonight.’ With that she slipped her hands out and turned to leave only Arnav caught her hands again.
‘Arnav ji.’ She breathed out again, ‘What are you doing?’ she asked as he pulled her back towards him.
‘Badal.’ He stated simply.
‘What?’ she asked in earnest confusion.
‘Oh sorry, I think NK rubbed his inability to formulate hindi words correctly on me along with the haldi. I meant badla.’ Arnav shook his head at the error.
‘But you just…’
‘Yes, that was before you hugged me, inspiring me on how to exact my revenge with your terms and conditions in check.’ She smiled cunningly.
‘Hunh? Me? How?’
‘Let me show you.’ he said turning.
‘Arnav ji no.’ she placed a hand on his back yet again.
‘Khushi. Trust me.’
‘But-‘
‘Have I ever not complied with your requests?’
‘No.’
‘Then…’ slowly she removed her hand. ‘Good. Now close your eyes.’
‘What?’
‘I have closed mine. Now you close yours’. We’re not allowed to see each other right, so we won’t.’ he related simply. The idea occurred to him when he automatically closed his eyes to revel in the embrace Khushi gave him wholly.
‘How will you exact your revenge on me, if you have your eyes closed?’ Khushi asked.
Arnav shook his head in amusement. She wouldn’t do his bidding until she had her confusion diffused. ‘Khushi, I don’t need to see you to know where you are. I never have.’
She didn’t reply, but he knew her cheeks were glowing under the yellow layer of paste on them, as they always did when he revealed the volume of his love for her. ‘My eyes are closed.’ She stated timidly, after a moment. He smiled.
He let go of her hand and turned. Then placed it on her bare waist giving way to her shallow breaths as he slowly maneuvered her to stand behind the door, blocking the two of them from anyone’s view; just because they had their eyes closed didn’t meant the others in the house did too. Concealed from any prying eye he took another step towards her, causing a sharp intake of breath on her part and then leaned in. Keeping his hands on her waist he ever so slowly brushed his haldi laden cheek against both of hers, causing her chest to heave against his. He smiled yet again, for his heart was racing as fast as hers’ at the contact. He removed one of his hands away from her waist and a soft sigh escaped her lips as cool air breathed over the place where his hands had been creating an electric storm. But the sigh soon turned into a moan as he removed some haldi from his face and began trailing it across her collar bone leaving not just the paste but hot lava in his finger’s wake. His finger trailed across her collar, across her back, then to her lower back and eventually back to its original starting position, where the rest of his finger joined in and squeezed her waist, jerking her closer to him if that were even possible. Her hands, which had been limp with anticipation so far, now encircled his muscular arms to keep herself steady, as his lips found her left ear lobe.
‘You know, this morning I thought this was the worst rasam ever created.’ He whispered in her ear as she desperately tried to steady her breath. ‘But as always thanks to you, I change my mind: it is now my most favourite.’ He stated cheekily; with that he let go of her waist and pulled back, but she swooned and he caught her arms before she could bang against the door causing a clatter and drawing attention.
‘Khushi, breathe.’ He reminded her, realizing what happened, like he said he didn’t need to look at her to know what was happening with her, he just knew. For she conjured the same reactions inside of him as he did in her.
Khushi took a few exaggerated breaths and then settled down. ‘I’m ok now Arnav ji.’ She relayed in a croaky voice.
‘You sure?’ he asked, as he cupped her face.
‘Mmhmm.’ She nodded in his hands.
‘Really? Then why are you still clutching onto my Kurta for dear life?’ instantly her hands recoiled and he chuckled. ‘Don’t worry Khushi, even if my eyes were open I wouldn’t be able to see the red hue in your cheeks, as they are covered in yellow.’ He smirked, as he let his hand drop into her palm and gave it a squeeze. ‘I love you Khushi Kumari Gupta.’ With that he left the room.
‘What’s this Chotay?’ Anjali met Arnav moments later in the courtyard.
‘What Di?’ Arnav asked not following her confusion.
‘I thought you went to wash off all the haldi, not being able to stand it.’
‘Yeah?’ Arnav waited, still not comprehending what she was trying to get at.
‘So how come you still have haldi plastered across your face?’ she asked point-blank seeing he wasn’t following.
Arnav coloured, but thanks to the haldi no one would notice. ‘Oh, yeah…umm...’ he racked his brain for an excuse. In his ploy to get back at Khushi he had forgotten to get rid of the evidence. ‘Uh, what do you know? I don’t mind it so much anymore.’ He shrugged and tried to walk away, now that he remembered again how that haldi had gotten on to his cheeks he didn’t want to get rid of it any time soon.
‘Hunh? Explain, please, how all this morning you had warned everyone to not dare to put more than a drop of the paste on you and now you are walking around with your cheeks covered in it.’
‘Well, umm, now that it is drying it doesn’t bother me as much, so I figured I would keep it on as it would make you all happy.’ He shrugged, trying to sell his lie.
Anjali wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t know what else to say. ‘You know Chotay…’
‘What’s that Di?’
‘You are really weird sometimes. I mean most people prefer wet haldi and get rid of haldi when it dries as it itches them and here you are the complete opposite.’
‘Well you know me Di, born rebel.’ He winked. She just shook her head in resignation. She would never really understand what went on in her brother’s head, but at least that would no longer be her headache for in few hours the enigma of how her brother’s mind worked would be passed onto Khushi.
*****