Dark Night Dawning

Chapter 19

'So where is he right now? Has he gone with your family to drop them at the railway station?'

'He .....he ......' Khushi wondered if she should tell them that he was away on a business trip.

'He is back!' said a voice from the door way.

What _____? What was he doing here?

Arnav had arrived a few minutes earlier and realized that Khushi had guests. He had decided to wait until they left. But when he heard Khushi struggling to reply to her friend's question he decided it was time to bail her out.

'I see we have some guests here.'

'Namaste Arnavji, I am Palak ---- Suraj's sister.' Palak introduced herself, her eyes going wide as she looked at him.

'The same Palak who is getting married next month right?' he gave his rare lopsided smile.

'Y...Yes!' managed Palak blushing. 'How did you know Arnavji?'

Before his sister made a fool of herself Suraj decided to leave. 'We should be leaving now Palak. Please call the office and talk to them Khushji. Bye Arnavji.'

After Suraj and Palak left, Khushi rounded Arnav. 'What are you doing here?'

'If I am working from Lucknow office, where else would I be?'

'That is not funny....you left some time back.' She said dumbly.

'I had to ..... ' he told her seriously, 'I wanted to talk to Akash. I had to give him a lot of instructions regarding office and I also had to tell him to have my luggage packed and sent over. And most importantly ----my laptop. You know I can't live without it.'

'What?!'Khushi began to panic, 'I mean ......why? Why are you sending for your luggage?'

'How am I going to stay here without my clothes?'

'Stay here?' she screeched, 'You can't stay here!'

'Why not?' he asked her, 'When you can stay here, why not me?'

'I stay here because this is my house!' Khushi declared.

'Sorry Khushi...... The last time I checked this is my father-in-law's house and he says I can stay here.' Came his flippant reply.

'But why do you want to stay here?'

'That's what married people do right? ......Stay together.' He quipped.

'But we don't want to be married, do we?' Khushi posed the challenge.

'I never said that!' Arnav said firmly, 'For better or worse we are married.'

'That can be changed easily by going to court.' She knew she was pushing the limits.

'Let me save you some time and tell you something Mrs Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada! Courts stipulate that a couple should be married for at least a year before they can apply for a divorce.'

He seemed to have done his homework. But why? 'Why are you doing this Arnavji?'

'You told me that this won't work because we are "incompatible". Arnav Singh Raizada never backs out of a challenge!'

Of course! She should have guessed. 'Then, prepare yourself to lose,' she said looking at him squarely in the eyes, 'I wouldn't even have to work hard to prove I am right.'

'We will just have to see, won't we?

'Let me make one more thing clear ---- 'she added, 'You will stay in the guest room because that is what you will be for me --- a guest.'