‘NK, for the last time, No- What the-?’ Arnav stopped short in telling NK off about not going to an impromptu bachelor’s party, when he realized that the man that stood before him was not NK, instead he was the most peculiar person he had ever laid his eyes upon. ‘Yes?’ Arnav asked a moment later after carefully appraising him.
This man was a Seekh man: petite in stature and that is where the normalcy ended, for the man stood outside Arnav’s penthouse looked completely ridiculous in his over grown designer suit. The man was wearing his trousers chest high and still they were too long for him, as were his shirt and coat sleeves, causing him to have actually folded back the bottoms’ of each, thereby criminally abusing the suit. But that is not where the oddities ended. He wore light make up on his face, kohl, which Arnav was aware was a custom for some men in some families, however he doubted that lipstick and a hint of eyeshade was part of that custom. His hands and feet had red nail polish on them and to Arnav’s great surprise hena, which disappeared off under the folds of the expensive suit. He also wore ladies sandals instead of shoes, thereby allowing Arnav to see the nail polish and hena on his feet. Lastly, to complete this odd man’s look, he wore a sheepish grin accompanied with a mischievous twinkle in his caramel-green eyes, as he rocked excitedly back and forth on the balls of his feet, right hand covering his left in front of his body.
He now unclasped his hands and Arnav saw an extraordinary diamond solitaire adorning his left ring finger. A solitaire he recognized well, for he had bought it and placed it, not once, but twice on his fiancée’s hand.
‘Khush-‘ Arnav began, now realizing who stood before him in this ridiculous attire: his crazy fiancée, although he should probably give her some credit, for she had thrown him off for a moment where he had not had any idea who the bizarre man before him was.
‘Hell- URHUMUMMM.’ Khushi began and stopped at the same time Arnav had began. ‘Hello, sir ji, myself Khushal Pandey.’ She now masked her voice into what she believed was a deep one, however, for a man it was still too chirpy.
Arnav raised his brow, half in the mind to call her on her charade, but he didn’t for she believed he had not realized and the playful side of him, the side only she ever managed to bring out, stopped him wanting to let her play her charade and see what she was up to.
Arnav shook her hand, more vigorously than he usually did just for her sake, making her scowl and mutter something under her breath as she shook her hand to relieve itself from the throbbing sensation. Arnav smiled as he caught his two favourite words from her lips, ‘Laad Governor’.
‘What can I do for you, Mr Pandey?’ Arnav now recalled her to her scheme.
‘Urhum.’ She cleared her throat and straightened up again. ‘Yes. Umm. I am Mr Pandey.’
‘Yes, you have established that. What you have not told me is why I am receiving this incredible privilege of meeting you.’ Arnav went on in his most polite tone, as he crossed his arms and now rested against his penthouse door, enjoying Khushi rattle her brain for an excuse. She clearly had not thought things through before arriving here. Well she wouldn’t be Khushi, if she didn’t jump right into things without carefully planning it? Another reason why he loved her so much. She was impulsive and did things without thinking and then when stuck would come up with the most crazy ideas to bail herself out. One such followed Arnav’s question.
‘I…uh…I’ she bobbed her head, thinking of an excuse for Mr Pandey to be at Arnav’s door. ‘I…um am Mr Pandey,’ she repeated again and Arnav’s lips curled, ‘and I am the new manager at Sheesh Mahal. Yes, yes, that is what I am.’ She reaffirmed rather happily, congratulating herself internally for having managed to think up of a story for Mr Pandey and for fooling Arnav into believing she was Mr Pandey, not at all realizing that he had already made her.
‘Oh. Ok. So what can I do for you?’ he now asked, unnerving her once more. She had dodged one bullet, but now he fired another her way.
She bounced back faster this time though, ‘Aah, Mr Arnav…I mean Mr Raizada’ she corrected herself realizing one never addressed another with their forename when in a formal meeting, and this was one of sorts, for she was impersonating a manager. Arnav merely coughed to hide his laugh at her mess-up. ‘It is not what you can do for me, but what I can do for you sir.’ She replied happily and then forgetting decorum once more barged past him into the room. She caught him off-guard and he stumbled back to open the door wide and let her in.
‘Kennedy. Impressive, Mr Manager, I didn’t realize managers here were so widely read.’ Arnav walked behind Khushi now down the corridor of his room, in the jingling wake of her anklets. She had not taken them off either, he shook his head in joy. She was a spectacle his Khushi and he absolutely loved her for it.
‘Kennedy? Who’s that?’ she turned and asked in her usual voice, his remark making her forget her character.
‘Umm…the man you just quoted.’ Arnav replied as he stifled his smile.
‘Salman Khan ji.’ Khushi replied. ‘What about him?’
‘No, its’-‘ Arnav began correcting her.
‘Oh Arnav ji, you really need to watch more movies.’ Khushi walked up to him and placed her hand on his forearm.
Arnav’s lips curled once more as he raised his brow at her hand. She was so cute. She had quoted an American president without knowledge, thinking it was a quote from a movie of her favourite actor and in all that had forgotten her character and was now caressing his arm and giving him her beautiful doting smile.
Seeing him smile she followed his gaze to his arm and saw what amused him: her hand. She instantly recoiled, as if his arm had stung her and began checking her fake beard and moustache which she had stuck on her face for her get up. Arnav stifled yet another laugh and maintained a cool persona, letting her think that he had not caught on.
‘Uh…mhm…so I…uh…I um…I came here to check your suite and make sure its’ sweet. Hahah. Get it. Its’ a joke.‘ She explained as Arnav didn’t laugh. ‘A pun. You know a play on -’
Arnav couldn’t help but snort. ‘Yes. I understand the pun. But I would have thought a competent manager like you would know this is not a suite, rather the penthouse.’ Arnav elaborated, wanting her to get tangled in her web and then fess up.
‘Hunh? Oh yes…of course. I know…’ she nervously patted her turban and then pulled at the edges of her coat, which was being subjected to the torture her dupatta generally faced when Khushi was nervous.
‘Oh look…but it is still a sweet penthouse.’ She suddenly chimed, having noticed an intricately wrapped dish of chocolates. ‘How lovely, they gave you compliments.’ She went on, back in her normal tone as she was musing over the chocolate, before Arnav could relate to her that while the hotel had provided complimentary chocolates, those were not it. He had ordered them from Belgium especially for her, sweet-tooth as she was. She started peeling back the wrapping and selected a truffle to melt in her mouth. As the rich chocolate dissolved in her mouth, making her eyes glaze over, the sugar rush from it lit something inside of her, making her place the tray of chocolates back on the table she had picked it up from with a loud exclamation.
‘Oh My God Arnav ji!!’ she screeched suddenly, making him literally jump back in surprise and from habit as her exclamations were usually followed up with her berating him for something. He was right to take a step back, for she pounced on him moments later, making him walk back towards the lounge wall as she advanced with menace. ‘How can you have chocolate in your room? You know you are diabetic. How can you be so irresponsible? How can the hotel have left chocolate in your room?! Do they not know that you cannot have them? This is so wrong! Oh I will not spare them!!’ As fast as she had charged on him, she now turned towards the corridor heading back to the door, to give the real manager an earful, but before she could Arnav had caught her arm.
‘Waow. Calm down. If you recall you opened the wrapping yourself, thereby signifying that I did not have them. So my diabetes is in check. And as for giving the hotel staff an earful, it is unnecessary, because these chocolates were not provided by the hotel.’
‘If not them then who?’ she asked, in a lower tone but her irritation still there.
‘I bought them.’
‘What? What is wrong with you Arnav ji? Why would you buy yourself chocolates? You know you shouldn’t have them. How can you-‘
‘I bought them for you, Khushi.’ He stated, now letting go of the charade, seeing she had.
‘For me?’ Khushi looked from him to the chocolates, and then let out another exclaim, this time a happy one ‘Really? Oh My God. You are the sweetes- urhumh. Wait, what do you mean me, Mr Raizada?’ she suddenly remembered her cover story and now that the panic of discovering Arnav with a plate of chocolates that could harm him had dissipated she recalled her farce.
‘Seriously Khushi? You are still going to maintain this little game of yours’?’
‘Game? What game? And who is Khushi. I told you I am Mr Pandey.’ She patted her collar and beard once more.
‘Really? If that is true then why does Mr Pandey have such an interest in my health? Why the fear for my diabetes?’ It was Arnav’s turn to advance, while Khushi stepped back.
‘Oh because…because…’
‘Yes?’
‘Because you are our esteemed guest Mr Raizada. Your health is our main concern. That is why I am here.’
‘Really? And the mehendi? You just happen to have your hands and feet decked in hena.’
‘Oh this…ummm, my baby sitter…’ she fumbled in her nervousness, ‘I mean sister, baby sister likes to be funny, she pranked me when I was asleep. See now I have to walk around with mehendi for days.’ She lied as she backed towards a door on the other end of the lounge. The door that led into the bedroom.
‘Oh yes I see.’ Arnav gave his wicked smile. ‘An ‘A’ in the mehendi. She just happened to inscribe my initial in your mehendi too?’
Khushi coloured. ‘Hunh? Oh um…no no, my name has an A in it too.’ She mumbled.
‘Really?’ Arnav was thoroughly enjoying this now. ‘And which name would that A come in. in Khushal Pandey, or Khushi Kumari Gupta. Please enlighten me, where is the A?’
‘Yes of course its’ in Khushaa- ARNAV JI!!!’ She couldn’t complete her sentence as at that moment she hit the door and which was ajar, causing her to stumble back and cry out to her savior. He acted upon instinct and yanked her arm before she tumbled onto the lush beige carpet and pulled her towards safety, towards him.
‘Oh….I didn’t realize you had already started using your new name. I take back my claim of there being no ‘A’ in your name back, as Khushi Arnav Singh Raizada , does have an A in it.’ He said after a moment, once she was stable again.
‘Actually, I was thinking about going with Khushi Kumari Gupta – Singh Raizada, but now that you say it, I think I prefer your version, it holds a nicer ring. I like our names side-by-side.’ She smiled shyly, still in his arms.
‘Sure? You don’t want it to be Khushal Arnav Singh Raizada?’ he smirked and she turned red.
‘No. Definitely not. I like the first version the best.’
‘Me too. Just the way I like you in your female look best. Not that you do not make a cute Sardar.’ He flicked her little pink nose with his index finger.
Her cheeks brightened again. ‘How did you know? It was my reaction to the chocolates being in the room that gave me away right?’ she gestured towards the table they were on, and then got out of his embrace, but kept her hand in his as she walked both of them back to the table, where she could indulge in some more.
‘You should ask when I knew? Not how.’ Arnav corrected her.
‘Ok, so when did you learn that I was not Khushal Pandey?’ she asked slipping in another truffle and then glazing over like before. ‘Arnaff ji feese arf define.’ She stated with a full mouth.
Arnav sniggered. She was a complete child. ‘I knew when I saw you Khushi. You could have a bag over your head and I would still recognize you Khushi.’
Her eyes unclouded and she straightened up. ‘Wait. You knew from the beginning? So why didn’t you say anything? Why did you berate me as Mr Pandey? Why didn’t you just call me out?’
‘Same reason you didn’t tell me who you really were.’ Arnav shrugged. ‘Besides I was interested in seeing how long you would play out your little sham before you told me and also exactly what you were planning to do, which I still am wondering. I mean not that I am not pleased to see you, but why are you here Khushi?’
‘What do you mean why? Because you asked me to come.’ She replied simply.
‘When?’
‘This afternoon.’ She reminded.
‘This afternoon?’ Arnav tried to remember, ‘Oh you mean after the mehendi. Khushi, I was just joking. I never actually expected you to come. I knew it would be impossible for you to leave as you’re the bride.’
‘Wait, what?!!’ She stopped and lowered her half eaten chocolate. ‘That was a joke. You weren’t really upset over me saying no?’ She asked wide-eyed. Uh-oh. He had ignited her rage without realizing.
‘No, Khushi, what I mean-‘ he tried to explain, but it was too late, she put down the plate of chocolate and turned on him.
‘You were joking! And here I was going crazy! Thinking how you had asked me one thing. Just one simple thing and I couldn’t even give it to you, when you bend over backwards to provide me with everything that I want. Do you even know how guilty I was feeling at the thought of not being able to do anything for you, when you spend all your time thinking up of ways to please me! I mean like this chocolate,’ she referred to the half-eaten one still in her hand, then stuffed it in her mouth. ‘You fent fand fought fit for fe…and’ she swallowed, not realizing she hadn’t made any sense with it in her mouth. ‘And I don’t do anything for you….and now it turns out you were just messing with me. I wanted to do something special for you. So Jiji and I came up with this plan to sneak me out’
‘Payal? Really? I never thought-‘
‘Oh ok, fine. It was my idea. Jiji just agreed to it and provided me with Jeeja ji’s clothes so that I could sneak out.’ She confessed, even though he had believed her. ‘But that’s not the point. The point is that I went through all this craziness,’ she pointed to her get up, ‘for no reason. Because it was just a joke. Ugh. How could you Arnav ji?’ she intended to shove him in anger with the last sigh, however, at that point her foot got stuck in the folds of Aakash’s trousers and instead she stumbled and collided head first into him, causing both of them to crash down onto the carpet.
‘Ow-Urgh’
‘You ok?’ Arnav asked, from the ground as she lay on top of him, her hair now fanning her face, as her turban had come off in the fall. He drew back the curtain of strands on her face and tucked them behind her ear, at which she scowled at him for and then batted away his hands, not having forgiven him for making her stress.
‘I’m fine.’ She stated getting up, but something tugged at her hair, ‘Aaargh.’ She yelped and turned to find a few strands having knotted themselves around Arnav’s shirt button.
‘Ssh. Hold still.’ Arnav instructed as he slowly sat up with her in order to see what he was doing. Carefully and gently he unwound the hairs off of his button and freed Khushi. She handed him her fake beard and mustache with a ‘humph’ instead of a thanks as he united her strands with her hair. He couldn’t help but grin at her.
‘Khushi…hey… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Khushi I….I’m sorry. Chocolate?’ He tried, innocently, grabbing the tray that was on the coffee table next to them. She stared at him, annoyed, but took it nonetheless, much to his amusement.
She sized him up coldly, whilst eating the chocolates then wrapping the tray and placing it back on the table she got up. ‘Well then seeing as this was all a joke, I will be off. I mean Jiji said she would cover for me, but she does have a hundred and million things to do so…’ She said walking towards the door.
‘What? Wait, no. Don’t leave just yet Khushi.’ Arnav got up too and jogged after her.
‘Why?’
‘Because…look just because I didn’t expect you to come doesn’t mean that I am not happy that you came. You just got here. We could still spend the evening together. Have that date, even though I haven’t planned anything, but I am sure we can figure something out. What say? Will you go out on a date with me?’
She thought over his proposition. ‘No.’
His face dropped. ‘Ok. I will drop you home.’ He resigned.
‘No-‘
‘Khushi, at least let me take you home.’
‘No. Arnav ji, I don’t want you take me home, because I don’t want to go home, not just yet anyway.’
‘But you just-‘
‘Said no to going out with you. Yes. Because I want to take you out.’
‘What?’
‘You are in my city, so I want to take you around. Besides there is a place I want to show you. So what do you say? Will you go on a date with me?’ she gave her charming smile.
‘Yes.’ He replied with an equally broad smile.
This man was a Seekh man: petite in stature and that is where the normalcy ended, for the man stood outside Arnav’s penthouse looked completely ridiculous in his over grown designer suit. The man was wearing his trousers chest high and still they were too long for him, as were his shirt and coat sleeves, causing him to have actually folded back the bottoms’ of each, thereby criminally abusing the suit. But that is not where the oddities ended. He wore light make up on his face, kohl, which Arnav was aware was a custom for some men in some families, however he doubted that lipstick and a hint of eyeshade was part of that custom. His hands and feet had red nail polish on them and to Arnav’s great surprise hena, which disappeared off under the folds of the expensive suit. He also wore ladies sandals instead of shoes, thereby allowing Arnav to see the nail polish and hena on his feet. Lastly, to complete this odd man’s look, he wore a sheepish grin accompanied with a mischievous twinkle in his caramel-green eyes, as he rocked excitedly back and forth on the balls of his feet, right hand covering his left in front of his body.
He now unclasped his hands and Arnav saw an extraordinary diamond solitaire adorning his left ring finger. A solitaire he recognized well, for he had bought it and placed it, not once, but twice on his fiancée’s hand.
‘Khush-‘ Arnav began, now realizing who stood before him in this ridiculous attire: his crazy fiancée, although he should probably give her some credit, for she had thrown him off for a moment where he had not had any idea who the bizarre man before him was.
‘Hell- URHUMUMMM.’ Khushi began and stopped at the same time Arnav had began. ‘Hello, sir ji, myself Khushal Pandey.’ She now masked her voice into what she believed was a deep one, however, for a man it was still too chirpy.
Arnav raised his brow, half in the mind to call her on her charade, but he didn’t for she believed he had not realized and the playful side of him, the side only she ever managed to bring out, stopped him wanting to let her play her charade and see what she was up to.
Arnav shook her hand, more vigorously than he usually did just for her sake, making her scowl and mutter something under her breath as she shook her hand to relieve itself from the throbbing sensation. Arnav smiled as he caught his two favourite words from her lips, ‘Laad Governor’.
‘What can I do for you, Mr Pandey?’ Arnav now recalled her to her scheme.
‘Urhum.’ She cleared her throat and straightened up again. ‘Yes. Umm. I am Mr Pandey.’
‘Yes, you have established that. What you have not told me is why I am receiving this incredible privilege of meeting you.’ Arnav went on in his most polite tone, as he crossed his arms and now rested against his penthouse door, enjoying Khushi rattle her brain for an excuse. She clearly had not thought things through before arriving here. Well she wouldn’t be Khushi, if she didn’t jump right into things without carefully planning it? Another reason why he loved her so much. She was impulsive and did things without thinking and then when stuck would come up with the most crazy ideas to bail herself out. One such followed Arnav’s question.
‘I…uh…I’ she bobbed her head, thinking of an excuse for Mr Pandey to be at Arnav’s door. ‘I…um am Mr Pandey,’ she repeated again and Arnav’s lips curled, ‘and I am the new manager at Sheesh Mahal. Yes, yes, that is what I am.’ She reaffirmed rather happily, congratulating herself internally for having managed to think up of a story for Mr Pandey and for fooling Arnav into believing she was Mr Pandey, not at all realizing that he had already made her.
‘Oh. Ok. So what can I do for you?’ he now asked, unnerving her once more. She had dodged one bullet, but now he fired another her way.
She bounced back faster this time though, ‘Aah, Mr Arnav…I mean Mr Raizada’ she corrected herself realizing one never addressed another with their forename when in a formal meeting, and this was one of sorts, for she was impersonating a manager. Arnav merely coughed to hide his laugh at her mess-up. ‘It is not what you can do for me, but what I can do for you sir.’ She replied happily and then forgetting decorum once more barged past him into the room. She caught him off-guard and he stumbled back to open the door wide and let her in.
‘Kennedy. Impressive, Mr Manager, I didn’t realize managers here were so widely read.’ Arnav walked behind Khushi now down the corridor of his room, in the jingling wake of her anklets. She had not taken them off either, he shook his head in joy. She was a spectacle his Khushi and he absolutely loved her for it.
‘Kennedy? Who’s that?’ she turned and asked in her usual voice, his remark making her forget her character.
‘Umm…the man you just quoted.’ Arnav replied as he stifled his smile.
‘Salman Khan ji.’ Khushi replied. ‘What about him?’
‘No, its’-‘ Arnav began correcting her.
‘Oh Arnav ji, you really need to watch more movies.’ Khushi walked up to him and placed her hand on his forearm.
Arnav’s lips curled once more as he raised his brow at her hand. She was so cute. She had quoted an American president without knowledge, thinking it was a quote from a movie of her favourite actor and in all that had forgotten her character and was now caressing his arm and giving him her beautiful doting smile.
Seeing him smile she followed his gaze to his arm and saw what amused him: her hand. She instantly recoiled, as if his arm had stung her and began checking her fake beard and moustache which she had stuck on her face for her get up. Arnav stifled yet another laugh and maintained a cool persona, letting her think that he had not caught on.
‘Uh…mhm…so I…uh…I um…I came here to check your suite and make sure its’ sweet. Hahah. Get it. Its’ a joke.‘ She explained as Arnav didn’t laugh. ‘A pun. You know a play on -’
Arnav couldn’t help but snort. ‘Yes. I understand the pun. But I would have thought a competent manager like you would know this is not a suite, rather the penthouse.’ Arnav elaborated, wanting her to get tangled in her web and then fess up.
‘Hunh? Oh yes…of course. I know…’ she nervously patted her turban and then pulled at the edges of her coat, which was being subjected to the torture her dupatta generally faced when Khushi was nervous.
‘Oh look…but it is still a sweet penthouse.’ She suddenly chimed, having noticed an intricately wrapped dish of chocolates. ‘How lovely, they gave you compliments.’ She went on, back in her normal tone as she was musing over the chocolate, before Arnav could relate to her that while the hotel had provided complimentary chocolates, those were not it. He had ordered them from Belgium especially for her, sweet-tooth as she was. She started peeling back the wrapping and selected a truffle to melt in her mouth. As the rich chocolate dissolved in her mouth, making her eyes glaze over, the sugar rush from it lit something inside of her, making her place the tray of chocolates back on the table she had picked it up from with a loud exclamation.
‘Oh My God Arnav ji!!’ she screeched suddenly, making him literally jump back in surprise and from habit as her exclamations were usually followed up with her berating him for something. He was right to take a step back, for she pounced on him moments later, making him walk back towards the lounge wall as she advanced with menace. ‘How can you have chocolate in your room? You know you are diabetic. How can you be so irresponsible? How can the hotel have left chocolate in your room?! Do they not know that you cannot have them? This is so wrong! Oh I will not spare them!!’ As fast as she had charged on him, she now turned towards the corridor heading back to the door, to give the real manager an earful, but before she could Arnav had caught her arm.
‘Waow. Calm down. If you recall you opened the wrapping yourself, thereby signifying that I did not have them. So my diabetes is in check. And as for giving the hotel staff an earful, it is unnecessary, because these chocolates were not provided by the hotel.’
‘If not them then who?’ she asked, in a lower tone but her irritation still there.
‘I bought them.’
‘What? What is wrong with you Arnav ji? Why would you buy yourself chocolates? You know you shouldn’t have them. How can you-‘
‘I bought them for you, Khushi.’ He stated, now letting go of the charade, seeing she had.
‘For me?’ Khushi looked from him to the chocolates, and then let out another exclaim, this time a happy one ‘Really? Oh My God. You are the sweetes- urhumh. Wait, what do you mean me, Mr Raizada?’ she suddenly remembered her cover story and now that the panic of discovering Arnav with a plate of chocolates that could harm him had dissipated she recalled her farce.
‘Seriously Khushi? You are still going to maintain this little game of yours’?’
‘Game? What game? And who is Khushi. I told you I am Mr Pandey.’ She patted her collar and beard once more.
‘Really? If that is true then why does Mr Pandey have such an interest in my health? Why the fear for my diabetes?’ It was Arnav’s turn to advance, while Khushi stepped back.
‘Oh because…because…’
‘Yes?’
‘Because you are our esteemed guest Mr Raizada. Your health is our main concern. That is why I am here.’
‘Really? And the mehendi? You just happen to have your hands and feet decked in hena.’
‘Oh this…ummm, my baby sitter…’ she fumbled in her nervousness, ‘I mean sister, baby sister likes to be funny, she pranked me when I was asleep. See now I have to walk around with mehendi for days.’ She lied as she backed towards a door on the other end of the lounge. The door that led into the bedroom.
‘Oh yes I see.’ Arnav gave his wicked smile. ‘An ‘A’ in the mehendi. She just happened to inscribe my initial in your mehendi too?’
Khushi coloured. ‘Hunh? Oh um…no no, my name has an A in it too.’ She mumbled.
‘Really?’ Arnav was thoroughly enjoying this now. ‘And which name would that A come in. in Khushal Pandey, or Khushi Kumari Gupta. Please enlighten me, where is the A?’
‘Yes of course its’ in Khushaa- ARNAV JI!!!’ She couldn’t complete her sentence as at that moment she hit the door and which was ajar, causing her to stumble back and cry out to her savior. He acted upon instinct and yanked her arm before she tumbled onto the lush beige carpet and pulled her towards safety, towards him.
‘Oh….I didn’t realize you had already started using your new name. I take back my claim of there being no ‘A’ in your name back, as Khushi Arnav Singh Raizada , does have an A in it.’ He said after a moment, once she was stable again.
‘Actually, I was thinking about going with Khushi Kumari Gupta – Singh Raizada, but now that you say it, I think I prefer your version, it holds a nicer ring. I like our names side-by-side.’ She smiled shyly, still in his arms.
‘Sure? You don’t want it to be Khushal Arnav Singh Raizada?’ he smirked and she turned red.
‘No. Definitely not. I like the first version the best.’
‘Me too. Just the way I like you in your female look best. Not that you do not make a cute Sardar.’ He flicked her little pink nose with his index finger.
Her cheeks brightened again. ‘How did you know? It was my reaction to the chocolates being in the room that gave me away right?’ she gestured towards the table they were on, and then got out of his embrace, but kept her hand in his as she walked both of them back to the table, where she could indulge in some more.
‘You should ask when I knew? Not how.’ Arnav corrected her.
‘Ok, so when did you learn that I was not Khushal Pandey?’ she asked slipping in another truffle and then glazing over like before. ‘Arnaff ji feese arf define.’ She stated with a full mouth.
Arnav sniggered. She was a complete child. ‘I knew when I saw you Khushi. You could have a bag over your head and I would still recognize you Khushi.’
Her eyes unclouded and she straightened up. ‘Wait. You knew from the beginning? So why didn’t you say anything? Why did you berate me as Mr Pandey? Why didn’t you just call me out?’
‘Same reason you didn’t tell me who you really were.’ Arnav shrugged. ‘Besides I was interested in seeing how long you would play out your little sham before you told me and also exactly what you were planning to do, which I still am wondering. I mean not that I am not pleased to see you, but why are you here Khushi?’
‘What do you mean why? Because you asked me to come.’ She replied simply.
‘When?’
‘This afternoon.’ She reminded.
‘This afternoon?’ Arnav tried to remember, ‘Oh you mean after the mehendi. Khushi, I was just joking. I never actually expected you to come. I knew it would be impossible for you to leave as you’re the bride.’
‘Wait, what?!!’ She stopped and lowered her half eaten chocolate. ‘That was a joke. You weren’t really upset over me saying no?’ She asked wide-eyed. Uh-oh. He had ignited her rage without realizing.
‘No, Khushi, what I mean-‘ he tried to explain, but it was too late, she put down the plate of chocolate and turned on him.
‘You were joking! And here I was going crazy! Thinking how you had asked me one thing. Just one simple thing and I couldn’t even give it to you, when you bend over backwards to provide me with everything that I want. Do you even know how guilty I was feeling at the thought of not being able to do anything for you, when you spend all your time thinking up of ways to please me! I mean like this chocolate,’ she referred to the half-eaten one still in her hand, then stuffed it in her mouth. ‘You fent fand fought fit for fe…and’ she swallowed, not realizing she hadn’t made any sense with it in her mouth. ‘And I don’t do anything for you….and now it turns out you were just messing with me. I wanted to do something special for you. So Jiji and I came up with this plan to sneak me out’
‘Payal? Really? I never thought-‘
‘Oh ok, fine. It was my idea. Jiji just agreed to it and provided me with Jeeja ji’s clothes so that I could sneak out.’ She confessed, even though he had believed her. ‘But that’s not the point. The point is that I went through all this craziness,’ she pointed to her get up, ‘for no reason. Because it was just a joke. Ugh. How could you Arnav ji?’ she intended to shove him in anger with the last sigh, however, at that point her foot got stuck in the folds of Aakash’s trousers and instead she stumbled and collided head first into him, causing both of them to crash down onto the carpet.
‘Ow-Urgh’
‘You ok?’ Arnav asked, from the ground as she lay on top of him, her hair now fanning her face, as her turban had come off in the fall. He drew back the curtain of strands on her face and tucked them behind her ear, at which she scowled at him for and then batted away his hands, not having forgiven him for making her stress.
‘I’m fine.’ She stated getting up, but something tugged at her hair, ‘Aaargh.’ She yelped and turned to find a few strands having knotted themselves around Arnav’s shirt button.
‘Ssh. Hold still.’ Arnav instructed as he slowly sat up with her in order to see what he was doing. Carefully and gently he unwound the hairs off of his button and freed Khushi. She handed him her fake beard and mustache with a ‘humph’ instead of a thanks as he united her strands with her hair. He couldn’t help but grin at her.
‘Khushi…hey… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Khushi I….I’m sorry. Chocolate?’ He tried, innocently, grabbing the tray that was on the coffee table next to them. She stared at him, annoyed, but took it nonetheless, much to his amusement.
She sized him up coldly, whilst eating the chocolates then wrapping the tray and placing it back on the table she got up. ‘Well then seeing as this was all a joke, I will be off. I mean Jiji said she would cover for me, but she does have a hundred and million things to do so…’ She said walking towards the door.
‘What? Wait, no. Don’t leave just yet Khushi.’ Arnav got up too and jogged after her.
‘Why?’
‘Because…look just because I didn’t expect you to come doesn’t mean that I am not happy that you came. You just got here. We could still spend the evening together. Have that date, even though I haven’t planned anything, but I am sure we can figure something out. What say? Will you go out on a date with me?’
She thought over his proposition. ‘No.’
His face dropped. ‘Ok. I will drop you home.’ He resigned.
‘No-‘
‘Khushi, at least let me take you home.’
‘No. Arnav ji, I don’t want you take me home, because I don’t want to go home, not just yet anyway.’
‘But you just-‘
‘Said no to going out with you. Yes. Because I want to take you out.’
‘What?’
‘You are in my city, so I want to take you around. Besides there is a place I want to show you. So what do you say? Will you go on a date with me?’ she gave her charming smile.
‘Yes.’ He replied with an equally broad smile.
*****
RSS Feed
