Choti Si Duniya - ArShi FF

69. Anjali's daughter -part2

Aru at this point looked between her dada and bua, sensing something was off there...

"I have grown up with you Di, I know exactly what you are thinking and what are capable of deducing. You are not speaking about just a week, are you?" he asked directly, his tone laced with accusation, rightfully placed

Anjali stayed silent, and that made Arnav completely lose his temper, "ARE YOU, DI?"

Anjali flinched, and Aru too got scared of her dad's anger which he rarely let out in front of her. Least she knew, it was all ABOUT her...

Anjali realized there was no point of hiding this any longer. What was wrong in what she was proposing anyway? It wasn't like she would torture Arohi, in fact she would love Aru so much that she will never realize her bua is not her mother.

"chote, I am her bua for god's sake. I love her and I and navin ji will love her like you two do. She will stay right there in Delhi, and you can come and meet her whenever you want-"

"ENOUGH DI! Aapne ye socha bhi kaise (how did you even think of that)?" he asked, and Aru hugged Anjali in fear, she was oblivious to what was happening!

"You have 2 daughters chote, why can't you give one-" Anjali said tearfully and caressing Aru's head, but Arnav had only 'confronting his Di' on his mind

"Give one? Do you even hear yourself Di? I and Khushi could have 10 kids for all I wish but that doesn't mean we will give away our kids. There is no question of that, ye khayal bhi apne dimagh se nikal dijye(remove all these thoughts from your head)." His voice was raised and frankly, that scared Anjali too.

"DADA!" Aru's voice broke Arnav's trance and he realized his baby had been here all along, watching his anger, her own face scared as well as angry that he was shouting like that,

"DADA! GO!" she said, her way of trying to diffuse this fight between her bua and dada, but it broke Arnav's heart...did she really not want her dada anymore?

His vision turned blurry tearing up and that's when he noticed Khushi standing at the door, his feet automatically took him to her.

.

.

Anjali caressed Aru's cheeks and started coaxing her again, "Aru, my cupcake, we will do so many fun things in Lucknow, play lots of games, and bua will give you lots of muffins"

"yay! Muffins!" she yay'ed

And just as Anjali was rejoicing at Aru easily agreeing, if she herself wanted to go, chote and khushi would have to agree as they wouldn't let her be sad, but Arohi's next question stumped her

"I will tell mamma that we have to go...and Chiku bhaiyya...and pari and yesh, dada. He gets angry but he is sho shweet(so sweet) It will be so much fun! Yay!" Aru jumped

And Anjali realized, Arohi's world was not complete without her mamma-dada and her siblings...

"Beta, they can't come. Par bua hai na? Bua and your Navin uncle will play with you, I will tell you stories, and your Pratham bhaiyya is also there."

Arohi went into thinking, an adorable pout on her face giving her rather cute look than serious!

"Mamma-dada won't be there?" she confirmed, and Anjali shook her head in negative, and aru asked again, "and no pari and Chiku bhaiyya too?" she asked with still present pout turning to frown now.

"No beta"

"Then bua, Aru can't come too. Aru loves Dada and eats with only Dada. and can't sleep without mamma. And it's no fun without Pari and Chiku." she said with all seriousness a 3-year-old can have "Sowie (sorry) bua, aru can't come with you. But don't be sad, ok? I will ask Dada to take us to your house later." and to emphasize her point, planted a loud wet kiss on her bua's cheek.

Arnav and khushi who were watching this scene unfold, couldn't be more overwhelmed at that moment. Their baby loved back, just as much as they did love her, or probably more! Their worries washed away!

Meanwhile, what Arnav's words didn't totally impact Anjali, Arohi's did! She made her bua realize what a horrible mistake she was making. Aru of course loved Anjali and would be happy with her, but she can never replace Arnav and Khushi in Aru's life... And thus Anjali, decided to love Aru only as her bua...that is if her chote and Khushi allowed her here on...she owed them an apology.

--*--

At dinner table:

Aru skeptically looked at Arnav whose face was still grumpy. Of course, her dada was angry at her too, she had asked him to go. But he was behaving like a bad boy, shouting like that. She didn't like it. But yes, she couldn't be with him being grumpy like that!

She went near him and tugged at his leg, "Dada?"

Arnav, whose anger had subsided by many notches after how his baby answered Anjali, something he himself couldn't, decided to play along a bit

"Hmm?"

"Angry?" she asked, as he pulled her up in his lap. When he didn't reply, she kissed his cheek, and then the other, and to offer more bribe, his nose! And Aru's dada melted like a chocolate fudge!

.

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Anjali and Sarita came to Arnav-Khushi's room for one last time that day,

"Chote, I - I am sorry." Anjali said, when she was leaving for the day. But Arnav didn't even acknowledge it. "Trust me chote, I have realized my mistake, Arohi is ONLY yours. But please, let me be a part of her life too?" she requested, and at that Arnav looked up, curtly nodding

"Khushi, I have no face to say this to you. But please, forgive me and my mother-in-law?" she also looked at Sarita, who agreed, "We shouldn't have suggested that you can't handle 3 kids, because Devi maiyya knows this, there could be no better mother than you for these 3 cute babies. I am sorry Khushi, but please ho sake toh humein maaf karna(if possible, forgive me)." she said and Khushi also didn't say anything...

--*--

later that night,

"Khushi, no one can say this thing again, even in joke" Arnav said, as they were making kids sleep, Aru in his arms.

"I know Arnavji"

"Oww Dada. Can't breathe" aru said as Arnav had held her tightly

"Arnavji you're choking her."

"Sorry princess" he said to Aru, and then to her mamma, "I won't let anyone take my kids away khushi, they are mine!" he said possessively

"Of course, they are! Their mamma went gone through tremendous pain to give life to them and their dada has endured equal pain if not more to ensure they're safe and sound. She's our child arnavji, not some chocolate for someone to take away."

"Hmm. She looks like one though!" he said chuckling "Aur suno (and listen), aaj baccho ki nazar utarna yaad se, Aru ki twice! I want to ensure no one casts their evil eye on my baby!" he said, seriously 

And Khushi chuckled softly at how this once-atheist-turned-superstitious-dad was speaking! Well, a father's heart after all!!!

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Next chapter on Friday after 220+ votes on this one

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A/N - Haa! A Long one! I had let the child(our Aru) make it clear to Anjali than anyone else! Hope that came out well. Also, I liked how some of you recognized Anjali's pain as a mother who lost her daughter, and Arnav-Khushi are aware of that too. But the limit had to be drawn and I hope I was able to show that in intended way. Saritaji will be our resident grey character, so that's that.

These two were high-tension chapters so next one will be on a lighter note :)