Khushi
"Is everything okay between you and Arnav-ji?"
Jiji's question startled Khushi out of a reverie.
"Huh? Yes, of course," she smiled, "Why do you ask?"
They were in the downstairs sitting area, perched on a couch as they inspected the Holi things spread between them. Anjali-ji was outside, overseeing the preparations. A festival mood was in the air.
Jiji fiddled with the packets of coloured powder the vendor had left with them, "I just thought ... you two seemed ..."
"You know how he is," Khushi pretended to grimace, "He's the Laad Governor."
"When did you fall in love with him, Khushi? You always disliked him so much."
"When did you fall in love with Aakash-ji?" she deflected, trying her best to ignore her blush.
Jiji contemplated her pile of colours, "I don't know exactly when. Maybe there was something from the first meeting itself."
"On Teej?"
"No. Before that. We met at the marketplace," Jiji giggled, lost in some memory, "His car was causing havoc and I yelled at him."
Her sister grabbed her arm, "To think, Khushi, that I married him!"
"He loves you very much, Jiji," Khushi smiled.
"And yours?"
"He's nice enough."
"Nice enough?"
"Fine," Khushi huffed, blushing again, "He's very nice."
The vendor returned with some water guns as a memory surfaced - Arnav-ji at the hospital, hoping to leave unnoticed after paying Babu-ji's bills.
"Very kind," she continued absently, "Almost ... almost too kind."
"Is that why you call me 'Laad Governor'?"
Khushi sprang up with a gasp, her wide eyes finding her husband's frame as he stood in the entrance hall. Arnav-ji seemed to smile as he strode forward and handed Hari Prakash-ji his laptop bag before coming to stand between the sofas. His eyebrow rose as he cast his eye over the packets of powder scattered across the coffee table.
"It's Holi tomorrow," Khushi answered his unspoken question.
"That will be 650 rupees for all of this," the vendor said.
Stepping forward, Arnav-ji handed over a small bundle of cash, "Keep the change."
The other man stared at the money before quickly pocketing it, and Khushi was reminded of the time he'd paid 500 Rs for 10 Rs of channa by the roadside.
"Payal, did you get everything you need?"
Aakash-ji joined them, stepping around a sofa to stand next to Jiji.
"Yes."
Khushi watched her sister take Aakash-ji's coat with a smile. Jealousy twinged inside her as she noted how they stood - so close that his shirt brushed her shoulder.
"And you, Khushi-ji?"
Khushi was distracted from answering when her husband stepped away. She watched his retreating figure with a heaviness in her heart, but he paused on the first step and turned.
"Khushi. Come upstairs, I want to talk to you."
She refused to glance at her sister and brother-in-law as she followed, cheeks heating with embarrassment and indignation.
YOU ARE READING
Charade (IPKKND AU)
Fanfiction(IPKKND AU) Some relationships are tied in extraordinary ways. They begin with conflict. They grow in hatred. They stumble, they fall, and yet they remain. The hatred grows as the relationship deepens. Until one day, even hatred itself is reluctant...
