Part 17 Papa's girl?
Arnav sat next to sleeping Anu and kissed her forehead lovingly.
"Don't know when will she accept me as her Papa"
"very soon, she will accept you..."
"She looks at me as if I'm a ghost" he chuckled.
"No, she looks at you as if you are a goon who is going to kidnap her mother" Khushi laughed.
"Excuse me... she is the one who kidnapped my wife from me"
"Your wife is here only... with you... at your house"
"You have to..."
"I already told you, just ignore her... then only, Anu will start giving you heed"
"Let's see..."
They saw Anu waking up.
"Arnavji, go to the recliner and don't look at her"
Arnav nodded ok and went to the recliner. Opening his laptop, he switched it on. Anu rolled on the bed and looked here and there. She whined looking at Khushi as usual as she was hungry. Khushi extended her hand and nodded her head like, come here. Anu skimmed to Khushi and Khushi took Anu on her lap. She started feeding Anu.
After a while, Anu looked at Arnav turning her face a little while having milk from her mother. Arnav was working on his laptop, and didn't give heed to her as Khushi said.
"Hisss..." Khushi hissed.
Anu looked at her jerking.
"Anu baby, you should not bite Mumma," Khushi said raising her brows.
Anu smiled as she didn't understand what Khushi said.
"Is she biting you?" Arnav asked.
Khushi nodded yes.
"Yes... she started teething"
"No doubt, she is Papa's girl" he chuckled teasingly.
"Shameless..." Khushi threw a pillow on him which fell on his leg.
Anu got down from Khushi's lap and stood on the bed, clutching Khushi's shawl. Her eyes were on her father. Arnav smiled, sensing her gaze.
"Aiii..." she made a sound.
Though Arnav smiled his eyes were only on the laptop screen.
"Anu, what do you want?" Khushi asked.
Anu extended her tiny finger toward Arnav.
"Ooo..."
"He is your Papa... say, Papa..." Khushi said.
Anu looked at Arnav and nodded her head, like, NO.
"Why, beta?"
"Na na..." she again nodded NO.
"What the..." Arnav looked at her frowning.
"Then what do you want to call him?" Khushi asked, controlling her laughter.
She sat on the bed and crawled to her toy that was next to the pillow.
"She is certainly a Papa's girl" Khushi laughed.
"She would not have been like this if she had been with me..." Arnav said.
"Oh... really?"
"Yeah.... you made her like me..."
"It's her nature" Khushi chuckled.
That was when they heard a knock on their door. Arnav gestured Khushi to open the door. Taking Anu in her arms, Khushi went to open the door. She saw Radhika at her doorstep. Arnav saw her and got irritated.
"Khushi, don't you dare leave this room" he shouted from the recliner.
Khushi got his point and said,
"I'm not interested in looking at your face, sitting in this room... won't you let me be happy with my friends?" she asked in the manner of fighting with him.
"This is our family... this is our house... are your friends more important than me?"
"They are the ones who gave me shelter when I was left alone"
"Who asked you to leave the house?"
"You... it was you who asked me to leave the house"
"Me? What rubbish...? When did I ask you to leave our house?"
"That day Anu left this world..."
Radhika became nervous as they talked about the past.
"That day, I was not home... I went to the office"
"Lie... I heard your voice clearly. you can't cheat me"
Khushi left the room with Anu.
"Khushi... listen to me, damn it" Arnav gritted his teeth.
Radhika looked at Arnav making a sad face.
"Relax, Arnav bituwa..."
"Didn't you see, how she talked to me...? Don't know why she lies about me"
"She will understand you, beta..."
"I don't think it will happen soon"
"I don't know why Khushi beta is behaving so rigid with you... I can't believe she changed a lot. I can see the change in her... don't know WHAT and WHO changed her" she said looking at Arnav through the corner of her eyes.
Arnav knew very well what was she trying to do. He controlled himself to know to which extent she could go.
"I too don't know what changed her a lot," Arnav said wearily.
"I don't know whether I could tell you or not..." she pretend to hesitate.
"You can tell me anything, aunty..."
"I think the guy who comes with her is the reason"
"You mean, Aman?"
"no no... not Aman... another one"
"Oh... NK?"
"Yes... he keeps whispering to Khushi something in your absence"
"Is it?"
"Haan..."
"I will take care of him..."
"Please don't do anything in haste... Khushi beta will get angry with you. They seem close to each other"
Arnav wanted to break the woman's face who spoke rubbish about his wife. his doubt about Radhika increased but why did she do this? What did she want?
"Could you please ask Khushi to come here?" Arnav said.
"Please don't get angry on her beta"
"Aunty, please stop supporting her and send her here"
Radhika went to Manorama's room feeling satisfied. They were fighting with each other. As of now, it was enough. She saw Anu playing with NK's hair, making a cheerful sound.
"Khushi beta, Arnav beta is calling you"
Khushi rolled her eyes annoyingly whereas NK was observing Radhika.
"Can't he let her be with us for a while?" Manorama asked.
"I too told him, Manoramaji... but he is very angry... he is not in the mood to listen to anyone. Please send Khushi beta"
"If he is angry, how could I send her to his room?" Manorama asked, with a sigh.
"This is how he behaves adamantly, aunty. He always forces me to be with him. I don't even have the freedom to do what I like" Khushi said, standing up from the couch, irritatingly.
Taking Anu from NK, she walked to their room. Radhika followed her silently. When Khushi entered in, Arnav locked the door. Radhika was disappointed as she could not see what was happening between them.
"I'm sure... these women have done something with our separation," Arnav said wrathfully.
"We will soon get them caught, Arnavji"
"Anu told me many times to send them out of RM but I didn't listen to her. I thought she didn't like their stay in RM. I should have listened to her, I suppose" Arnav said feeling bad.
"We can change nothing, Arnavji"
"But I will find the truth and send them to jail"
"We will definitely do it..."
Arnav nodded yes. He sat on the recliner.
They were discussing it seriously. Anu was switching her gaze from her Mumma to Papa because both of them were not minding her.
"Arnavji, look after Anu... I will be back"
Khushi kept Anu on the bed and went to the washroom, after giving her a biscuit. Anu tried to bite it as she started teething. She tapped her tongue and whisked her hand. In that, the biscuit slipped from her hand and fell down on the floor. She crawled to the edge of the bed to get the biscuit. She was supposed to fall down from the bed, Arnav held her leg, pouncing on the bed. She screamed clutching her hair, looking at the biscuit. Arnav pushed two pillows on the floor and made her land on them safely. Taking the biscuit, Anu looked at Arnav who went to the recliner and again started working.
Khushi came from the washroom and saw Anu sitting on the floor.
"Arnavji... did she fall down?"
"She was about to... I helped her to get off the bed by putting pillows on the floor"
Khushi lifted her from the ground and again made her sit on the bed. Arnav went to the cupboard and removed a file.
"Aiii..." Anu called him but Arnav didn't turn.
He came to the bed and sat on it while checking the file, as if, he didn't listen to her. Anu crawled to him and pulled his hair from behind.
"What the..." Arnav said, leaning back.
"Va dha..." Anu repeated what Arnav said.
Arnav dropped his jaw whereas Khushi burst out laughing.
To be continued...