Part 39 Brother and Sister
Anirudh called Akash to find out who the man was with Khushi. Akash hesitated to attend his call. He didn't know how to tell him about Khushi's going-to-be-fixed wedding with Arnav. How long he could avoid him? Akash realized it and attended the call making himself up.
"Tell me, Anirudh"
"What happened? Did you ask Khushi?"
"I told my father about it. He said he would ask her"
"Akash, make a fast move and end this issue. I think we are stretching the issue unwantedly. I can't wait for more. Enough of waiting"
"I will try, Anirudh"
"Try what?"
"I will talk to my father"
"Try to arrange our wedding"
"Mmm"
Akash disconnected the call. He did not know how to make Anirudh understand. His father was not even ready to talk about Anirudh but Anirudhwanted him to arrange his wedding. He was struggling between his family and friend. He would lose one among them if he took another one's side. He could not decide because he needed both.
That was when he heard a knock on his room door. He wondered, seeing Khushi standing.
"May I come in, Bhai?"
Akash nodded his head. She came inside. Akash looked at her.
"I am sorry, Bhai. I could not make you happy. At first, I agreed to marry Anirudh only because you wanted it. At that time, I didn't have any dreams about my wedding life. Anirudh is your friend. If I marry him, you would be happy. Your business would be developed well. That's why I agreed to marry him."
Akash looked down.
"But now, everything changed. Fortunately or unfortunately, I got my previous birth memory and I remembered my previous birth husband Arjun. I can remember each and everything that happened to me...with us. I can remember how deeply Arjun loved me. I can remember how much I wanted him in my life. It pained me whenever I think about my death. As no one expected, I met Arjun the other day. At first, he didn't believe me...! Of course, no one would have been in his palce...! Because the matter is sensitive. How could he trust me if I said you are my husband all of a sudden? But then, he started trusting me, accepted me, ready to marry me. I got a chance to get a life that I dreamed of two births. Do you want me to miss it? I loved Arjun at my last birth... I have been loving Arnav in this birth... do you want my struggle to be continued in the next birth also?" She asked with teary eyes.
Akash gulped down.
"I want my Arjun back. He is here only... ready to marry me. Please, understand my feelings Bhai. I could not accept anyone in Arjun's place. If I could not marry Arnav, I would die rather than marry someone. Do you think your friend should get such a girl who has such intention in her mind? Please accept the reality. Make him understand. I'm telling you all of this because I respect you. I want our relationship to be last. After Amma and Babuji, I have no one other than you..." She chocked.
Akash felt a bang in his heart. Being an elder brother, he failed to understand his baby sister. He was so selfish to thought about his friend over his sister. He cared about his friend's feelings but his sister's. he felt bad for his sister for the first time.
RM
Arnav told about his GH visit to his parents.
"Dad, fix a date to meet Khushi's father," Arnav said.
"Did you meet him?"
"Yes, this evening"
"Do you like him?"
"Yeah, he seems a genuine person"
"That's nice. Then ask him, when he wants us to visit"
"Will you talk to him?"
"Why not?"
Taking his phone, Arnav dialed Shashi's number. Shashi received it.
"Hello,"
"Uncle, this is Arnav..."
"Haan Arnav... tell me"
"Dad wants to talk to you..."
"Oh..." he wondered.
"Shall I pass the phone?"
"Yeah, sure..."
Arnav gave the phone to Arvind.
"Hello,"
"Namasteji"
"I'm Arvind Singh Raizada, Arnav's father"
"I'm Shashi Gupta, Khushi's father"
"Arnav told me about his meeting with you. He wants us to meet once"
"I too want to meet you, Arvindji. Not beating around the bush, we like Arnav very much. More than that, my daughter liked him very much..."
"From her previous birth, right?"
"Did you know that?" Shashi asked.
"Everything..."
"That's nice to hear"
"We would like to get your daughter as our Bahu. We are ready to come to your house for the further talks"
"You can come to our home according to your comfort"
"If you leave it on us, we will be there in an hour" Arvind laughed. So did Shashi.
"I'm glad that my daughter is getting such a nice father-in-law"
"Arnav said about you to us. According to his statement, our son is also getting a great father-in-law it seems"
Shashi laughed.
"I'm curious to meet you, Raizadaji"
"Me too..."
"We will meet this Sunday evening. Arnav and Khushi will be at home"
"Sure... we will be there on time"
"See you..."
"Bye"
They disconnected the call.
Arvind appreciatively looked at Arnav.
"You got a good father-in-law my dear boy"
"Good wife also"
"Yeah, that's true"
"When will we go to their house?"
"Sunday evening"
"Oh..."
"Don't worry, we will try to fix the wedding date soon"
"Thanks Dad..." Arnav said with his lopsided smile.
On the other side,
"It seems they are very nice family" Shashi said.
"Is it?" Garima asked.
"Yeah, he spoke nicely. Khushi is lucky to have such a nice man as her father-in-law"
"I hope her mother-in-law also would be a nice woman"
"She is..." Came from Khushi.
Garima smiled at her who just came out of her room.
"Amma, do you remember we saw a woman who provided tea to the cleaning workers?"
"Oh yeah, when we went to Anirudh's house... right?"
"Yeah... she is Arnav's mother"
Garima was surprised.
"Is it? Is she Arnav's mother?"
Khushi nodded yes.
"Wow... then I won't bother about you"
"Why?' Asked Shashi.
"The woman who treats everyone equally will treat her daughter-in-law specially..."
"Mmm... everything is falling in its right place. It seems we should get ready for the wedding" Shashi smiled at Khushi who rushed to her room blushing.
Taking her mobile, Khushi called Dr. Avinash. He attended the call.
"Hi, Khushi"
"Uncle, I have a good news"
"Let me guess... Arnav accepted your love, right?"
"He did but I'm not talking about it"
"Good news more than Arnav's acceptance? Is your wedding fixed?"
"Going to be..."
"Wow, congratulations..."
"Thanks uncle..."
"I can't believe this"
"please stay on the line. I will make you believe it"
"Yeah..."
Khushi connected Arnav on conference call. He attended the call,
"Hi..."
"Arnav, we are connected in the conference call with Dr. Avinash..."
"Oh..."
"Shall I?"
"Yeah, sure"
Khushi merged the call.
"Hello, Doctor... this is Arnav"
"Hi, Arnav... what a pleasant surprise...! It feels so great to talk to you together"
"Thank you doctor"
"I heard your wedding is going to fix?"
"Yes, doctor... I would like to have your presence on the occasion"
"Yeah, sure"
"Arnav, Doctor is the family friend to Anirudh's family" Khushi said hesitatingly.
"No problem Khushi. Of course, they are my family friend. It doesn't mean I should avoid your wedding. I have become your friend now. So, I will surely come to your wedding. In fact, I will take part in all your wedding rituals gladly."
"Thank you doctor" both said in the same tone.
"God bless you both... be happy always, just like today"
"Sure doctor"
"Ok, you guys carry on. I will catch you later"
"Ok, doctor"
Avinash disconnected the call, giving them space.
"Then?" Asked Arnav.
"Then?"
"Our marriage is going to be fixed"
"Mmm..."
"Are you happy?"
"I don't like it..." Khushi said.
"What?"
"Your question"
Arnav chuckled.
"Don't you how happy I'm?"
"I know... by the way, do you have any plan about our life?"
Khushi smiled.
"I have a lot... I will tell you after our wedding"
"Why not now? Any problem?"
"Lost time I shared everything to you. We were eagerly waited for my dream to come true but it didn't come true..." she stopped.
"Khushi, it happened in our last birth. This birth is not like that... ok?"
"Mmm"
"Did we share everything?"
"Everything..."
"What did we do?"
"We went to movies, Golkonda, Birla Mandhir, talked a lot, laughed a lot, roamed a lot..."
"How was I that time?"
"So jovial, so sweet, so caring, so lovable, so..."
"It seems you have a long list of SOs..."
"Mmm... I used to forget myself if you start talking. I got scolded up many times for going home late, you know"
"It seems I have influenced you a lot" he chuckled.
"Mmm... just like now days"
"Ohhh... am I influencing you?"
"Don't you?"
"Not more than you are influencing me"
Khushi bit her lip.
"Hello, are you there?"
"You are talking like Arjun"
"Of course, I'm..."
"Mmm" she smiled.
"Khushi... how did we face problem in our so sweet love story?"
There was a silence.
"Khushiii..."
"It's because of her"
"Who?"
"Pradeep's sister... Pradeepa..."
"Many times. I could not forget the first meeting with her... how furious, how aggressive she was that day..." Khushi gulped down thinking about the day.
To be continued...