The second time when the bottle had pointed to Arnav's direction, Sheetal had felt a sudden interest in the game but upon hearing Anjali's question, she knew the answer won't be pleasant to her ears.
And she was right.
The words of love that escaped Arnav's mouth for Khushi brought an scalding ache in her heart. An intense anger was what she felt at that moment and all she could think about was the smile that had adorned Khushi's face - the smile that teased her sanity, bringing her on the verge of losing her mind completely and just yank her away from Arnav, the one who owned her heart and the one she wanted to be loved by.
However, she masked her facial expression when she noticed everyone looking at her. She feared for a second that they might have seen her hateful gaze fixated at Khushi but as NK asked her whether she would choose truth or dare, she felt relief flood through her.
She stared at the brim of the bottle that stared back at her before giving a disinterested reply. "Truth."
Her interest however managed to peak at the question that Anjali asked.
"Okay. So tell us, what is the best memory of yours from college?"
Sheetal glanced at Anjali who thought she asked a simple question, but didn't know the wicked opportunity she just gave her. From the corner of her eye, she then took a glimpse at Khushi, her burning insides calming.
"My best memory? Well, that has to be me and Arnav's hit pair of playing basketball." She said, tongue pressed against her cheek as Khushi's serene smile faltered.
"Nannav used to play basketball?" NK's probing question made her task easier and she nodded, smiling widely as she looked at Arnav.
"Do you remember that, Arnav?"
And as if fate was for once on her side, Arnav seemed to be interested in this one conversation about their time together in college.
"I do. After all, basketball was the only game that did not use to irritate me." Arnav smiled. Indeed the game was special to him. It was taught to him by his grandfather during his tender childhood and after the latter's death to a heart attack, that game stuck with him as almost a mechanism - which he would use to relax himself whenever his parents' fight would hurt him or after their demise, whenever their memories would torment him.
"Exactly." Sheetal grinned. "And Arnav remember, how everyone used to praise us for our coordination? They used to call us, um, what was it?" She pretended to be pensive.
"Awesome twosome!" Arnav reminded her. No doubt he hated that name his friends had gave them. Mainly because they used that as a ship name, believing that there was something cooking between him and Sheetal. But it was the memories of his basketball matches - the only memories he cherish from college - that formed a bright smile on his face. Smile that was misinterpreted by Khushi, making her dwell on the extent of his close friendship with Sheetal, again.
"Bang on!" Sheetal snapped her fingers, laughing at the memory of being called that. "So you remember those days!"
"Of course! How can I even forget them?" Arnav shook his head and imagined himself once again in that stadium, playing just to sooth the pain in his heart. #
So the days with Sheetal were so amazing that he couldn't forget them?
Khushi's crooked mind, on the other hand, again took another turn, making it difficult for her to quietened the voices that were corrupting her a day ago.
"Wow! Basketball? That's awesome mom!" She looked at Aarav who exclaimed joyfully before proceeding to express his extreme love for basketball, just like Arnav and no matter how much she tried reminding herself of Arnav's words earlier the same evening, her heart only sank lower and lower.
"Nanav! You naughty naughty babua! How many secrets have you kept from us? C'mon, now tell us...who used to play better? You or Sheetalji?" NK asked, wriggling his eyebrows waggishly.
"Obviously, me!" Arnav replied shrugging his shoulders casually.
Sheetal's mouth turned to 'O' shape at his statement and she retorted, faking anger. "Not fair Arnav! How could you forget my efforts?"
"I didn't forget your efforts. All I am saying is that I was the one who used to play better. In fact, let me remind you that I was your coach at a time." Arnav responded, his mouth twisted in sarcasm.
With her heart jumping in merry, Sheetal made a fake annoyed sound, before she engaged herself in arguing with Arnav, who for a change, seemed interested in arguing back in this harmless banter.
Well, harmless for everyone except Arnav's wife.
Khushi's face flashed with hurt as Arnav's hand slipped off her shoulder as he got more and more engrossed in his conversation with Sheetal. She looked at him then around at the faces of her family who were looking at the duo with a smile, taking delight in their banter.
She gulped. Why can't she enjoy this scenario like them?
It's just a remembrance of his college days with his friend, what's so wrong in it that all she wants to do right now is get up and leave? What is troubling her exactly?
The questions were many but unfortunately, all her brain could do was misinterpret issues and not find needed answers.
And that's what it did again, as she heard Arnav's voice.
"You know what, till date I don't understand why you and your girl friends even joined our team. All you girls did was seek help from us whilst your levels of knowledge of the actual game was zero. I don't understand, why participate in games when you can't play them?"
Wait, what the?
She glanced up at him, a sudden petulance creeping up on her face and voice.
"Did you just say girls can't play games?"
"What?"
Arnav frowned. He looked at her, unable to understand from where she got that and upon reflecting on his own words, he noted how much of an idiot it really made him sound. What he wanted to say was the girls in his college were rarely even interested in such sports. The only reason they joined his team was either to be a part of his supposedly famous friend circle or to get boyfriends. They had no intelligence or passion of their own for the game, was what he wanted to say and not generalize all girls.
Realizing what he said was unintentionally chauvinistic, he opened his mouth to clear his crazy wife's doubt when she suddenly rose on her knees, plastering her hands on her hips in an annoyed notion.
"You think we can't play games? That we are inferior to boys in such matters? How could you, Arnavji?" She almost clamored, unable to believe that it was Arnav who just spoke like that.
Gone was her earlier agonizing confusion for the moment, as she now scrutinized her husband, her glare daring him to repeat what he just said. Her shout made other ladies share a glance, before their jaw dropped whilst their mind took the same turn as Khushi's.
Arnav's brows shot higher at her demeanor and a mischief rose in his wicked mind as he shrugged, eager to rile his already fuming wife.
"Not inferior, Khushi but admit it, sports suit boys the most and not girls." He attempted to sound laid-back but when Khushi's mouth formed the famous 'O' shape, his poker face faltered, risking to burst into laughter.
"True that Bhai." Akash agreed, pondering over what his brother said until he felt a sound smack on his wife, making him jump and look sideways at his red-faced wife.
"Did you just agree that girls can play sports?" Payal glowered and he swallowed, attempting to make up for what he said.
"No, no-" Akash tried to explain his case but Payal huffed and turned her face away.
Arnav shook his head at Akash's bewildered face. "See, girls are only specialists in one thing, terrifying men."
"At last someone spoke the truth." Poor Mamaji took the risk to mumble to himself, not knowing that his wife was listening keenly to what he had to say on this.
"What did you say?" Manorama asked, her round eyes surrounded by a fiery pink eyeshadow throwing daggers at him. Manohar shook his head vigorously and tried to calm the Kali Ma in her when she elbowed him in his stomach, huffing angrily.
Arnav laughed inwardly at the mess he got his fellows in, but himself jumped when his Di suddenly screeched his name.
"Chotte! This is not fair at all! You can't say boys are better than girls just like that. Where's the proof?" Anjali demanded, her nose flaring at her brother.
Arnav sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Di, this is not a case waiting for a verdict in the court that I should provide evidence. It's from my experience that I am saying this. In college so many girls failed to play basketball and-"
"Not all girls are the same!" A mad Sanka-devi cut him off, trying to defend her fellow females.
"Oh really?" Arnav raised his eyebrows.
"Yes! Really! And we can prove it!" Khushi continued, her head held high at her own idea.
"And how will you do that?" Confusion fused into Arnav's eyes at her and for a second, he thought to discontinue this drama, for his wife couldn't be trusted in these cases.
"Basketball match! Girls v/s Boys!"
The next second however, when Khushi declared, he shut his mouth and stared at her in amusement.
"Are you serious?" He scrunched his eyes, and in turn, heard a chorus of 'yes' from the other girls, except Devyani who just shook her head at her children's banter.
Khushi smirked at her girls' support.
"It's a challenge." She said, her brows perking up in a smug gesture.
"It's a challenge." Arnav repeated her words, nodding slowly. His face still had amused smile as he pondered over how a game of Truth or Dare at last turned interesting.
Guess it's not bad to be liked kids sometimes.
Aarav got up from his place and ran towards Arnav.
"Now that's something fun! ASR, now you and me have to defeat the girls!" He said smiling widely and upon a nod from Arnav, looked at his dumbfounded mother.
"Mom, now you will see how we boys win against you girls!" He said, triumph already showing in his tiny eyes and voice.
Sheetal simply stared at him, bewilderment all over her face.
What the hell is going on here?
She had mentioned the basketball to make Khushi jealous but here, she declared a match boys v/s girls?!
"Unbelievable." She muttered to herself through gritted teeth and fisted the grass under hand, her insides seething at Khushi's smiling face - that is, at another defeat of hers.
Anjali nodded at something Khushi said, before turning towards Arnav.
"Ok, Chotte, Done! Now we will see you all tomorrow. Khushiji, Payalji, come with me. You two will stay with me tonight." She said and got up from her place, not before noticing the vanishing of her brother's smiles.
She giggled. This was fun already.
"Why would Khushi stay with you tonight?" Arnav asked, springing up on his feet.
"Well Chotte, the match is boys v/s girls and.."
"..I don't want to stay with the dushman party." Khushi completed the statement, a well pleased smile on her face as she turned around and joined Anjali.
"Good night Chotte. Good night Akash." Anjali winked and went inside along with her team, all while chortling at the boys' state.
"Yahan kya hua? (What happened here?)" NK asked, looking at his open-mouthed brothers then in the direction the girls went - his brain still trying to process the challenge that came out of nowhere.
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