Lavanya joined everyone for breakfast and updated them about what she had been up to all these months. She explained that she had joined a fashion house in London and had come to Delhi on business. She also mentioned that if everything went well, her company would soon be doing business with AR fashions as well. Everyone was happy to see that Lavanya had become serious about her career. On a lighter note, she added.
'Even if things don't work out for me in London, I think I can always come back to AR fashions, what say ASR?'
'Do you even have to ask Lavanya,' said Arnav amicably, 'Your old job will always be open for you.'
'Thanks ASR!' she gushed with pleasure.
'Hello everybody,' said NK walking up to the table, coming to stand next to Khushi, 'what's for breakfast today Khushiji?'
He could have asked anybody else at the table, but no it had to be Khushi thought Arnav irritated.
'You favourite aloo poori Nanheji,' said Khushi smiling at him.
Just as Arnav wondered how Khushi knew about that, he heard his mami say to Payal, 'So you remembered my instructions .....Khoon bhari taang? It is your duty as bhabhi to take care of your devar.'
'Don't worry mamiji, please let me know what needs to be prepared for Nanheji, I will do a better job than jiji' said Khushi her eyes twinkling. Only Payal understood that Khushi was trying to make it easy for her.
'See NK? You have another bhabhi who is ready to take care of your whims and fancies,' said Naniji jovially, 'As a devar, you can take full advantage of that.'
Unbelievable! Why was his whole family pampering that bumbling fool? This whole devar-bhabhi drama was getting on his nerves.
'Sorry Lavanyaji,' said Akash suddenly remembering that they had a guest in their midst, 'Let me introduce you to NK, short for Nandakishore. He is my cousin from Sydney.'
'Hi Nandakishore, it's nice to meet you' she said raising her hand in greeting.
'Same here Lavanyaji. Khushiji's told me a lot about you and please call me NK' he said, twisting his lips in what he thought was cute smile.
When Arnav saw Lavanya smiling back at him, he rolled his eyes exasperated. Looked like women loved his fair and chocolaty face so much they didn't notice his foolishness. But, he had enough of this. He got up from his seat abruptly. 'I should be off to work now' he grated, walking toward the door.
'Wait ASR,' called Lavanya stopping Arnav's stride, 'I have a meeting with the director of SK fashions in an hour. Can you tell me how I can get there?'
'SK fashions? That is on my way. I could give you a ride if you are ready to go.'
'Thanks ASR, that would be super!' Lavanya jumped up from her chair, 'Give me a minute to get my bag?'
Khushi was in her room arranging her clothes in the ward robe. This morning when Arnav had left with Lavanya, she had felt envious of the sophisticated business woman. She was probably the kind of woman Arnav would have preferred to have in his life, she thought ------ a woman who would understand his work, who would be able to give her opinion, help him make important decisions. She couldn't understand why he had let her go from his life.
But then, she did know, didn't she ?a little voice asked her, as her memories went back to the events that started during Dusshera, the unspoken forces that had drawn them closer time and again ---- their first trip to Nainital where her plan to get Arnav and Lavanya to spend a romantic outing had backfired, with them ending up spending a night at a roadside dhaba, the day before Diwali when he had unwound the Diwali lights from around her quivering body, the tips of his fingers touching her heated skin oh so delicately, as his smouldering eyes had bored into hers with enough intensity to burn her, their tumble on the rangoli colors when he had managed to save her by twisting her so that his back hit the ground while he took her entire body weight upon himself,
Then on the fateful night of Diwali -----he had put her mother's payal on her ankle and they had almost kissed ----- while Lavanya was officially his girlfriend.
What did Arnav really want in his life? Would she ever be able to figure him out?
Lavanya had come back for lunch and crashed right away as jet lag hit her really hard. When she woke up a few hours later, she found everyone in the living room, looking at some photos NK was showing them. Only Shyam, Akash and Arnav were missing.
'These pictures are really good,' said Lavanya as she looked at the photos on the laptop, 'Did you click them?'
'Yeah I did, it is sort of my hobby. I dabble in some photography in my spare time' replied NK glowing under Lavanya's compliment.
'He also took videos of the Akash and Payal's wedding as well Lavanyaji' added Khushi.
'That's wonderful!' exclaimed Lavanya, 'I have always wanted to learn photography. But I ended up on the other side of the camera. But I hope I will be able to learn some day.'
'It is pretty simple Lavanyaji. I will explain the basics to you when you have time. BTW were you a model?'
'Let's say I dabbled a bit in that field before I went into the fashion business. Thanks NK for offering to teach me! And please call me Lavanya.'
Later, as Khushi and Payal went into the kitchen to prepare for dinner, Lavanya and NK had begun to talk about the latest English movies. Most of the other members began to disperse by then as they had no idea about what these two were talking about. They realized that they both liked action/thriller/super natural/horror movies and went into detailed discussion about the ones they had watched and liked.
Arnav and Akash had come back from work by dinner time. During dinner, the topic somehow shifted to cricket and NK generally asked everyone which team they thought was the best.
'India. Bharat.' Both Arnav and Khushi had spoken in unison.
'You interested in cricket, Khushiji?' asked NK surprised.
What the ____? Even Arnav was curious to know.
'I am not only interested in watching cricket, I used to play cricket when I was a young girl. I used to be a very good bowler.' She said smiling happily.
There she goes, thought Arnav as everybody looked at her in disbelief.
'Actually its true,' said Payal in her usual soft voice, 'she used to play with the boys in our neighbourhood and she also used to get them out with her bowling.'
Arnav smirked as he imagined Khushi as a young girl in pig tails bowling to the neighbourhood boys as they got out one after the other. He could see how that could happen.
As Khushi saw Arnav's smirk, she continued, 'Dhoni is my favourite after Salman Khan.'
'Khushi, Salman Khan is an actor, what has he got to do with cricket?' asked Arnav incredulous.
'He is the captain of the Bollywood team in CCL,' she quipped.
'What the _____?'
'Hold on Arnavji, I will explain. CCL stands for Celebrity Cricket League!' she finished proudly.
Lavanya watched in surprise as Arnav burst out laughing ---- a sight she had probably never seen as long as she had known him.
That night as Khushi stepped into Lavanya's room to check in on her, she saw mamiji leaving the room. When Khushi asked her if she had everything she needed, Lavanya pulled her onto the bed to sit with her.
'Finally, I get to speak with you alone,' she said, crossing her legs, 'tell me Khushi, how did all this happen?'
'What Lavanyaji?' asked Khushi trying to stall.
'You know exactly what I am talking about Khushi,' said Lavanya, 'mamiji told me about your wedding. What was with the rush all about? Mamiji told me that ASR's only reply was that he got married because Naniji had insisted on marriage. Did he not propose to you at all?'
Khushi got off the bed and walked up to the dresser, as she remembered that fateful night before Payal's wedding when ASR had proposed to her, Tumhe mujsh eshaadi karni hogi – 6 mahinokeliye, nahi to mein Payal aur Akash ki shaadi hone se rok doonga!
'He did.' she said truthfully with a smile on her lips as the pain in her heart began to take form.
'But why not in front of the entire family?'
Khushi remembered how the wind had howled that night as they stood in front of Devi Maiyya, the temple bells clanging with fury as Arnav had tied the mangalsutra around her neck, pushing her maang teeka aside to smear the sindoor into her partition. Yeh sab cheezen tumhare liye bahut maaayne rakhti hainna, yeh mangalsutra, yeh sindoor.......yeh raha mangalsutra aur yeh raha sindoor!
'Someone who was very important to me was present there,' she said quietly, 'Isn't marriage ultimately a union between two people Lavanyaji?' she asked, her pain increasing with each word, 'does it matter if it is not in front the entire world?'
'If you ask me Khushi, it doesn't matter, but then I was brought up in London. But I cannot believe that of you. I mean, customs and traditions were so important to you, right?'
'Tell me something Lavanyaji, you said you were brought up in London. Weren't you willing to adapt the customs and traditions of this house?' she asked quietly.
'Oh Khushi, you are so right!' said Lavanya coming up her to give her a hug, 'Everything is fair in love and war. I am so done with this third degree now. Let's move on to nicer things. Tell me about your wedding dress and stuff.'
'I....I wore a beautiful lehenga with a red chunri covering my head, my earrings were so delicate that they tinkled as the wind blew, and my wrists completely covered with dozen of bangles, a maang teeka that was shaped like a moon.'
'Oh Khushi, I wish I was here to see you!' exclaimed Lavanya, 'I am so angry with you guys for not inviting me. I just don't understand what the big urgency was all about?'
Khushi realized there was one way she could stem this barrage of questions. She lowered her eyes, a shy smile playing on her lips and said demurely, 'That is something you will have to ask only him, Lavanyaji.'
'Oh, are you trying to tell me that ASR wanted to make you his wife so badly that he couldn't wait for a proper date and rituals?' she asked mischief lacing her tone.
'Yes.' She just went with the flow.
'Is that right?' said Lavanya her voice low, 'You know what? I am definitely going to ask him about that. But before that let me tell you something. I saw pictures of your Grihapravesh in NK's laptop. The one in which ASR carried you over the threshold? You looked absolutely stunning. But I am curious about the other picture actually.'
'What other picture?' asked Khushi a little nervous about the direction this conversation was taking.
'The one in which you were sitting on the marriage bed. What did ASR ____'
Before she could finish the sentence, there was a knock on the door as Arnav walked in looking at Khushi first and turned to Lavanya.
'Hi Lavanya, I just came to see if you are comfortable.'
How long had he been at the door?
'Yes, thank you very much ASR,' said Lavanya with a wide smile, 'Your wife has made sure of that.'
'Then if you don't mind, I would like to steal my wife from you,' said Arnav throwing a smile at Khushi, 'it's very late.'
'She is all yours' Said Lavanya.
She is all yours The pain in the region of her heart increased.
That night Khushi's words played over and over again in Arnav's mind. She had been mostly truthful to Lavanya's interrogation. Only he knew what she must have been thinking when she said those words. Guilt gnawed at him as he tried to stop himself from thinking. It was a long time before he could go to sleep.