Part 10 Teasing Khushi, Embarrassing Arnav
Ganga's mother-in-law looked at her shockingly. Didn't she and her son know about it? What did that mean? She gulped down hard. She clutched Ganga's hand and dragged her inside. Khushi smiled, folding her lips.
Prithvi, Eshwar, and Arnav saw them coming. She stopped and looked at Prithvi.
"You both come with me," She said.
Prithvi and Eshwar followed them.
Khushi came inside all smiling. Arnav folded his hands and looked at her. She raised her brows smilingly.
"Do you guys really learn such things in school?" Arnav asked with disbelief.
Khushi tried to touch his head and Arnav flinched. She sighed and touched her own head.
"Promise..." She said.
"Unbelievable"
"I got to know such things because we are taught it in school. What about you? Your country has a very strict culture. You guys are so orthodox. Yet, you know everything. How? How did you learn it?" She asked him teasingly.
Arnav unfolded his hands, getting embarrassed. He walked out not standing there.
"Commander Arnav, someone said he is not scared about me... where is he?" she shouted from behind teasingly.
Arnav fastened his steps, making her laugh.
Khushi went to Ganga's room. She took the sand clock from her pant pocket and looked at it.
*I don't know what I'm doing. I know I can change nothing. Yet, I like to do it. Though the change is not permanent let them be happy until I stay here. I like this place and people very much... their weird look on me, their innocence, their respect, everything I liked... especially the flushed face of the commander. Poor he...* she smiled at the sand clock.
She saw Ganga coming. She hid the sand clock behind her back. Following Ganga, Eshawar also came. Khushi stood up and smiled.
"I want to take a bath. Where is the bathroom?" Khushi asked.
"It's outside..." Ganga said.
"Go and show it to her," Eshwar said.
Ganga nodded ok.
"Let's go, sister"
Taking her clothes, soap, paste and brush, Khushi followed Ganga. She brought Khushi behind the house. In no time, she hugged Khushi.
"Thank you, sister. I don't know who you are. Where are you coming from, I will never forget you. You have solved our problem"
Khushi smiled. The man who heard that also smiled. Arnav. He was behind the bathroom.
Khushi broke the hug and smiled.
"Be happy... don't be shy with your husband. Have kids more than your mother-in-law has..." she chuckled and Ganga blushed.
"You go and look after your husband"
"Ok, sister. This is the bathroom" she pointed at a room outside.
"Ok..."
Ganga went inside.
Khushi was about to go to the washroom, she saw Arnav going somewhere. She ran towards him. Arnav turned behind, hearing footsteps. He stood, seeing Khushi running towards him. She came and stood in front of him panting hard.
"Where are you going?" she asked in between her hard breath.
"Riverbank"
"To take a bath?" she asked excitedly.
"Mmm"
"I will also come. Let's go"
"Are you coming with me?" he asked shockingly.
"Yes...but why are you getting shocked for everything?" she asked chuckling.
"You can take a bath in the bathroom"
"I always bathed in the bathroom. Today, let me bathe in the river" she pleaded.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah..." She said excitedly.
"You should be careful... the current of the water will pull you in. There are a lot of whirls in the river"
"Won't you save me by diving into the river, like a hero?" she asked teasingly.
"I'm a simple man..." he said.
"Simple man with a lot of power..."
"Your modesty gives me Goosebumps... see" She showed her hand to him.
Arnav smiled nodding his head.
"You are a visitor to our country. Instead of doing your work, why are you interfering with others' matters?"
"When I see people's struggle, how could I ignore them?"
"What if it leads you into a problem?"
"There is no life without problem... let me handle it like a warrior," She said showing her arm power.
"Don't your parents feel bad if something happened to you?"
"They won't... because they were no more," she said with a painful smile.
"Don't you have anyone for yourself?" he was shocked.
She nodded no.
"That's why you are roaming around the world?"
"Maybe..."
"Why don't you get married and settle down?"
"Marriage? I didn't meet a good man who could captivate my heart"
"Who could captivate your heart?"
"I don't know... I didn't fix any rules for it. In fact, I don't have any expectations"
"You are so unbelievable"
"By the way... what about your Prince's story?"
"What?" He frowned.
"Leave it... however, you won't say anything about your Prince..."
Arnav smiled.
"Whatever Prithviraj said is true," Arnav said.
"Really? Doesn't he want to marry Prince Chandrika?"
"Yes, he played with her in his childhood and treated her like a sister. Now, her father wants them to marry our Prince. Being his friend, our King wants the wedding to happen. Our Prince could not accept it. So, he avoids going to the Palace"
"Can't he face them bravely?"
"Bravery is not a matter but respect. He could not hurt them"
"Ok, then he could handle it in some other way"
"How?"
"Ask him to tell them he loves someone...simple"
Arnav looked at her shockingly.
"Not simple... they will ask him to bring the girl"
"Doesn't he have any?"
Arnav nodded no.
"Friend?"
"What could a friend do with this?"
"To get the issue end, ask him to take his friend to his parents. After Chandrika's chapter came to an end, he could say they break up"
"From where did you get such ideas?" he frowned.
"From Indian movies" she murmured.
"What did you say?"
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
"No... what about you? Are you ready to pretend like his girlfriend?"
Khushi stopped and looked at him.
"I have no problem pretending like his girlfriend if you are with me"
"Why?"
"How do I trust him?"
"How do you trust me?"
"Because you blush a lot" she teased.
"Won't you be serious?"
"I'm damn serious"
Arnav rolled his eyes.
They came to the riverbank. Khushi opened her mouth, seeing the river Yamuna that was running with a lot of small whirls.
"My God... how beautiful...!"
"Don't go deeper inside" Arnav warned.
Khushi nodded ok and took the brush and paste.
"What's this?" Arnav asked.
"Toothbrush," Khushi said and got into the water.
She widened her eyes, feeling the current of the water. It was just knee-deep but it needed a lot of effort to stand in the water as it was so forceful.
Standing in the water firmly, she opened the paste to fill it in the brush. She felt something circling her leg... she thought it was a snake. In no time, she jumped, shouting,
"Snake... snake..."
Arnav rushed to her. clutching her hands,
"Where is the snake?" he asked.
"It circled my leg"
Arnav looked at her leg and saw a thin creeper tugging there. He sighed.
"It was not a snake," he said.
She looked at her leg and sighed in relief.
"Yes, it was not a snake" she grinned in relief.
Arnav left her hands. That was when she noticed that she dropped the paste and brush in the water.
"Oh, God..." she shouted.
"What?"
"My paste and brush..."
"Where?"
"It's gone" she pouted.
Arnav looked for them in the water but he could not find them.
"How could I brush now?" she pouted.
Arnav showed a NEEM stick to her.
"What's this?"
"Neem stick... good for teeth" Breaking it, he extended a piece to Khushi.
She took it from him and kept it in her mouth.
"Yuck..."
"What?"
"It's so bitter," she said making a face.
"Oh... does neem stick taste bitter?" Arnav chuckled and bit the stick.
"How are you biting it casually?" She asked, looking at the stick.
"This is how we brush our teeth. Do it fast. We have to go"
"This is not done"
"Why?"
"Didn't you promise to solve Ganga's problem?"
"You already solved it I suppose"
"I have solved Ganga's part. What about Eshwar's?"
"It will be solved by the right person. We don't have to bother about it"
"Who is that?"
"I will tell you leisurely on the way to the capital. Now, go that side and take a bath" he pointed to a place that seemed hidden.
"There?"
"Yeah... it's a girls' bathing place. No one will come there..."
"Will no one come there?"
"No... it's a restricted place for men. You can take a bath relaxing"
"Will snakes be in that place?"
"I can't say no..."
Khushi gulped down and went to the place that was fifteen feet away from Arnav. She saw a few steps running down into the river. Keeping her clothes at the top step, she slowly got into the river. Arnav was right. The place was entirely hidden by the tall water plants and a few trees. No one could see her but she could see the surroundings. The flowers of trees fall on the river beautifully. How pure and clean the water was...! She got into the river and swam happily, having no fear of hidden CAMERAS. She enjoyed the chilling water to the fullest without using soap. She didn't want to pollute it.
She saw Arnav wiping his hair after finishing his bath. She too came out of the water and dressed up cautiously even though it was a hidden place. Taking her wet clothes in hand, she walked towards Arnav, admiring the beauty of the river.
Suddenly, something dragged her attention. Her facial expression changed. She saw someone from the opposite bank standing with a bow and arrow. He fixed the hand in the bow and targeted Arnav who was squeezing his wet clothing.
To be continued...