"Look, Mom," Aarav said, tugging on Anjali's hand. "Chote Mamaji is going to dance with Khushi Didi."
"Yes, sweetie, I see that," she replied, unable to take her eyes off her brother on stage.
As the two danced, Anjali had to pinch herself a few times. She wasn't dreaming. Arnav and Khushi really were dancing. Did this mean that her brother was ready to declare his feelings for her?
The chemistry that they had could rival Payal and Akash's. If anyone had any doubts of their feelings for each other, they would be resolved now.
She glanced at her grandmother, whose eyes were wide in disbelief. Would she still deny it after this?
The dance ended but no one reacted, the room still in a stupor as it tried to recover from the emotionally charged scene.
It was Madhubala that pulled them out of it by offering them a standing ovation. As the room cheered, Anjali saw Arnav and Khushi exchange smiles and then exit the stage from opposite sides.
"I knew they would have great chemistry," Madhubala crowed. "Make sure you book me at least three months in advance for their wedding, Devyani Ji."
Naniji looked like she was about to punch someone.
The choreographer didn't notice, however. "Come, little boy. Let's go work the crowd."
"My name is Aarav," he complained. "What does work the crowd mean?"
"It means we're going to brag about my students and win some more clients."
As they walked away, Devyani suddenly smiled brightly. "Well, that was certainly sweet."
Manorama scoffed. "Sweet isn't the word I would use."
Ignoring her, Devyani continued, "It was so nice of Chote to go up to the stage so Khushi Ji wouldn't be embarrassed, especially after that little dance she did earlier--and there he is now."
Anjali turned her head and watched as he approached. He looks quite pleased with himself.
"You danced well, Arnav bitwa," Manohar complimented.
"Thank you, Mamaji."
"Didn't know you had it in you, Bhai," Akash teased.
"You should thank him, Aman Ji," Devyani said. "He only went up because of you. Right, Chote?"
Arnav shrugged.
She's trying so hard to make excuses for his behavior, Anjali thought. Mamiji is right--she really doesn't want them to be together.
Aman's mother smiled. "Yes, thank you, Arnav beta. If it weren't for my Mano's stage fright--"
"Ma, can we please stop bringing that up?"
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about--"
"Look, there's Khushi Ji," Aman exclaimed, relieved for the distraction.
Arnav didn't turn his head to look at her, but his lips tilted upwards. Khushi had changed back to her regular clothes and looked as cheerful as always.
Anjali noted that they both seemed to be acting like everything was normal. Surely they weren't going to ignore what happened, right? If they did, she'd kill them.
"What did you think of my dancing?" she said as she plopped down next to Payal.
"It was fine," Buaji said stiffly. Anjali had noticed that she'd been uncomfortable throughout the dance.
Payal said she approved of them. So why?
"You should be grateful that Arnav babua decided to come up and help you," Buaji continued, glancing worriedly at Devyani.
"Yeah, why didn't you come?" Khushi asked Aman playfully. "Now I owe him."
"He has stage fright," Akash explained.
"Can we please stop talking about it?" Aman said, exasperated.
"Aman Ji's right," Anjali said. "The guests are moving around now that the dances are over; we're neglecting our hosting duties by sitting here."
Lavanya pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she got up. "I'm leaving."
"Can you drop me off, too, dear?" Aman's mother said. "I'm getting a bit tired and Mano will probably be busy for another couple of hours."
Goodbyes were said and as the group began to dissipate, Anjali gestured to Aman. "Make sure that Naniji doesn't interact with Khushi Ji. I'll explain why later."
He nodded. "Do you need anything for your foot?"
"No, I'll just stay here and rest. Thank you."
But Naniji appeared to have no interest in interacting with Khushi. Instead, the old woman took Arnav's arm and wouldn't let him leave her side. In fact, at one point when they did come into Khushi's vicinity, Naniji did a sharp turn and went into the opposite direction.
Oblivious, Khushi flitted between guests, easily chatting with them and accepting compliments for her dancing.
"Where are you taking classes from?" one woman asked.
"Oh, I'm not taking classes. Everything I learned is from Madhubala Ji, and that too in only a few weeks."
"My nephew is getting married next year. We'll have to look into booking her."
"You won't regret it," Khushi promised. "But make sure you do it as soon as possible; her schedule fills up quickly."
Spotting Buaji and Manorama, she excused herself. Turning, she bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry."
The guest jumped back, looking frightened. "It's okay," he squeaked and then practically ran away.
How strange, Khushi thought. She started for Buaji, then changed her mind and turned back, walking in the general direction the guest had gone.
Who was he?
But after ten minutes of searching, she still hadn't found him. Where did he go?
"Khushi!" Payal called. Khushi smiled as she joined her and Akash. "Who are you looking for?"
"There was a guest here...medium height, dark hair, no facial hair, blue dress shirt and black pants. Do you recognize who I'm talking about Akash Ji?"
Akash shook his head. "Why?"
"I bumped into him...and I don't know. He seemed odd. But I can't find him now."
"But why are you looking for him?" Payal asked.
"I'm not sure. But the way he reacted...it's like he didn't want to be seen by me."
Payal and Akash exchanged confused glances. "Why don't you get something to eat, Khushi? And don't worry about the guest; I'm sure you'll see him eventually."
"Yeah, I guess," Khushi said. The whole situation irked her but she put it out of her mind.
After all, she was probably being paranoid for no reason.
***
When they arrived home, Buaji took Khushi by the ear and led her to the couch.
"Ow, ow, Buaji, let go. What's going on?"
"Sit."
Pouting, Khushi sat.
"Tell me, is there something between your ears or is it all empty space? Do you even think before you act?"
"What happened?"
"Why did you make fun of Payal's jeth ji?"
"Oh come on, Buaji," Payal said. "It was all in good fun. Besides, nobody minded. Even Arnav Ji laughed."
"Devyani Ji minded," Buaji hissed.
"Did she?" Khushi asked, suddenly worried.
Payal was unconcerned. "She'll get over it. Besides, she didn't say anything to Khushi about it."
"Don't take this so lightly, Payalia. She's the head of the household." Buaji sighed. "But I suppose what's done is done. You be careful from now on, Titliya. Especially if--" you want to enter that house yourself.
"Especially if?"
"Nothing." Buaji grumbled. "Now go change, both of you. I ate too much; let's go for a walk."
Since Khushi hadn't brought Arnav up herself, Buaji felt uncomfortable discussing him. She didn't want to offend Khushi if she was wrong, though she highly doubted it.
***
Arnav ground his teeth as Nisha, NK's mother and Manorama's sister, shrieked with laughter.
She and her husband, Karan, had arrived late last night. Earlier this morning, Mamiji's brother had also arrived from New York with his wife and young daughter, Bubbly.
Though he'd known her all his life, Arnav still found Mamiji's personality overbearing sometimes. And now it was like dealing with three of her at once.
If only he hadn't taken all those days off, he lamented. He could have been working happily in his office, instead of having lunch with all these loud people.
Sitting across from him, Anjali noted that he was fast reaching his limit. "Chote, the kids are done eating. If you're done too, why don't you take them out for a little bit?"
Arnav gave her a grateful look before complying. "Come on, Aarav, Bubbly. Let's go get some ice-cream."
"Can I, Mommy?" Bubbly asked.
"Yes, of course dear. Thank you, Arnav bitwa."
"No problem."
Arnav made sure the kids were buckled in properly in the backseat before starting the car. As he pulled onto the road, he smiled as he listened to Aarav tell Bubbly the story of how he was adopted.
"And then Khushi Didi said that she would fix everything. So she called a bunch of people and then she made Mom and everybody else sign papers. Then we went to court with a really old judge and then I said that I wanted to stay with Mom and then the judge said okay."
"Wow," Bubbly said, amazed. "That's so cool."
"Yeah, Khushi Didi is awesome."
"I want to see her, too!"
"Is that so, Bubbly?" Arnav said. Pulling to the side of the road, he unlocked his phone. "Why don't you call her Aarav and ask her if she wants to join us?"
He put it on speaker phone and handed it to Aarav.
"Arnav?" Khushi asked as she picked up.
"It's me, Khushi Didi," Aarav exclaimed.
"And me!" Bubbly piped up.
"Oh? And who's that?"
"That's Bubbly, Khushi Didi! She's my new friend. Khushi Didi, do you want to hang out with us?"
"That sounds like fun. Where are you?"
"We're coming to pick you up," Arnav said, taking back the phone. "Be ready, we'll be there in fifteen or so minutes."
He hung up before she could say anything else. "Here's a business tip, kids," he said. "Don't give the other party an opportunity to refuse."
***
Lavanya met NK as she was leaving the building and he was coming in. "Hey," he said but it seemed to lack his normal enthusiasm.
She nodded and stepped back to let him pass. Normally, he'd try to speak with her, but today he only trudged past silently.
She noted his hung head and somber air. Something was wrong.
She stared after him long after he disappeared from view. It's none of my business, she decided finally. I don't care.
***
Khushi was waiting in front of the house when Arnav pulled up.
"Hey guys," she said as she sat down in the passenger seat. Turning around, she offered her hand to the little girl. "And it's very nice to meet you, Miss Bubbly."
Bubbly giggled.
"Where are we going?" Khushi said as she buckled herself in.
"The kids wanted ice-cream. Do you have any place in mind?"
"Can we go to KKG bazaar? Buaji gave me a list of things to get and I need to find some churiyan to match with my wedding outfit. They have a lot of food carts and shops, too."
"Sounds good."
As they drove, Bubbly and Aarav happily chatted with each other. Khushi laid her head back and stared at the road ahead.
They hadn't spoken after their dance yesterday. And though they were together now, the kids were with them. And it wasn't as if she could confess in front of them.
But should I confess? Khushi wondered, recalling Buaji's warning the day before. Although she was confident now that Arnav felt something for her, Buaji's worry was rubbing off on her. Maybe she should go back to her original plan of waiting until after the wedding?
Unless...she glanced at Arnav, relaxed and easy as he drove. What would it take for him to confess to her?
I bet I could get him to crack.
He looked at her. "What are you smiling about?"
"Nothing."
She turned her head back to the road. This should be fun.
***
Anjali knocked on her grandmother's door. "Can I come in?"
"Of course, Anjali betiya."
Naniji had come to her room after lunch, claiming she had a headache. But Anjali knew that she just wanted a break from Mamiji's relatives.
"Naniji, I wanted to talk to you about something important. And please, be honest with me." She sat down next to the elderly lady on the bed.
"What is it?"
"Why don't you like Khushi Ji?"
"What are you talking about? I like her just fine."
"Is that so? So if Chote and Khushi want to marry each other, you'll have no objections?"
Devyani's face changed. "There's nothing like that between them."
"Naniji, were you not in the same room as me yesterday? Why are you in denial?"
"I'm not denying anything. But tell me Anjali, do you think your brother will want to marry the daughter of his mother's criminal?"
And we've come to the heart of it, Anjali thought. "You're forgetting, Naniji, that Arnav and I are also the children of my mother's criminal."
"That's different."
Anjali shrugged. "If you say so. But let's get back to the issue at hand. The reason you don't approve of Khushi for Chote is because she's Garima's adopted daughter?"
"Don't say that woman's name in my house," Naniji said sharply.
"Why not?" Anjali challenged. "What's the point of holding on to this hatred?"
Devyani raised an eyebrow. "Have you forgotten--"
"I've forgotten nothing. Not my parent's last moments,'' Anjali cut in. "Nor Garima's. I saw her suffering--and I saw a child lose her whole world for the second time in her life. Too many people have been punished for my father and for Garima's crimes, Naniji. It's time for it to end. Let the deeds of the dead die with them. For my sake, for Chote's sake, let's move on."
But though Devyani heard, she wasn't listening. "What do you mean, you saw? Did you go to Lucknow after Khushi showed up at our doorstep?"
"I did. I went and I forgave Garima."
Realization dawned. "When we were at Akshay's Diwali party and you thanked Khushi for saving you, she said she had a debt to repay. This was what she was talking about?"
"Yes."
"Who gave you the right to forgive my daughter's murderer?"
Anjali lost the last bit of her patience. "Your daughter wasn't murdered. She put the gun to her own head. And as for who gave me the right, let me turn the question around on you. Who gave you the right to stand in the way of my brother's happiness?"
"I don't care," Naniji said, eyes flashing. "As long as I live, Khushi Kumari Gupta will not become the bahu of this house."
Anjali shook her head. "Alright, Naniji. Let's see."
***
"There's the shop where I got you the frame," Khushi pointed as Arnav parked the car.
"Yeah?" he said. "I've been meaning to go there; I wanted to get a lens for one of my cameras. Do you want to go there, first?"
She glanced back at the kids, who were starting to get antsy after sitting in the car for so long. "Maybe we should get the ice-cream first?"
"Yes, please," Bubbly said.
"I vote for ice-cream, too," said Aarav.
"Ice-cream it is."
They walked to an ice-cream shop that Khushi had found on her phone during the drive. They sat in a booth with Khushi and Aarav on one side and Arnav and Bubbly on the other.
"Alright, what flavor do you kids want?" Khushi said as she opened the menu.
"Mango!"
"Chocolate!"
"I'll have cookies and cream," Khushi said. "There are sugar-free flavors available here as well." she told Arnav.
"I'll have vanilla then." He signalled to a waiter.
After placing their orders, Khushi said, "So how old are you Bubbly?"
"I'm six."
"Like me!" Aarav exclaimed.
Khushi laughed at their enthusiasm. "And how old do you think Arnav Ji is?"
"Hmm," Bubbly thought deeply for a minute. "Fifty!"
"Nuh-uh. Mamaji is fifty and Chote Mamaji is younger than that."
"So...forty!"
"Yeah, that's probably right. Are you forty, Chote Mamaji?"
Khushi cracked up while Arnav sputtered that he was only thirty.
Thankfully, their orders arrived, distracting the kids from Arnav's age.
As they happily ate, Khushi looked up and saw a bearded man in a baseball cap standing a short distance away. Why did he seem so familiar? Seeing Khushi staring at him, he suddenly turned and left.
"Did you see that?" Khushi said to Arnav.
"What?" he said.
"There was a--"
"Oops," Bubbly said as she accidentally dropped some of her chocolate ice-cream onto her lap.
Arnav made a face at the mess. Rolling her eyes, Khushi grabbed a napkin and moved over to his side. "Let's switch places so I can help her clean up."
He immediately complied.
With Khushi occupied, Arnav signalled for the bill.
When she noticed, she opened her mouth to complain.
"There are kids here," he reminded her. "Don't set a bad example by arguing."
"Fine. But I pay for the next round of snacks."
***
The P.I. shuddered as he got back into his car and pulled off his fake beard. It was the second time he'd been spotted by the lawyer girl. He needed to be more careful.
***
"The camera shop is a little crowded," Khushi said to Arnav as they stepped out of the ice-cream shop. "I don't think it's a good idea to take the kids there. How about you check it out yourself while I take the kids with me to get the haldi supplies Buaji wanted?"
"Alright. I'll text you when I'm done."
They went their separate ways.
Arnav wrinkled his nose as he glanced around the cluttered shop. This was where Khushi found the photo frame? There was barely room to walk.
"Can I help you?" the shopkeeper asked.
"Uh, yes. A friend of mine recommended this shop to me; I'm looking for a camera lens--the Sigma 18-35? Do you have that here?"
"Yes, we do. If you would follow me, Sir." Arnav was led to a cabinet towards the back of the shop.
"This is perfect," he said, as he picked up the lens to inspect it. "I'll be taking--" he stopped as his eyes fell on an assortment of frames that were hung on the back wall.
Following his gaze, the shopkeeper said, "Are you interested in a frame as well?"
"No, it's just that the friend that recommended this place to me, she got me a frame from here. The black walnut over there."
The shopkeeper looked at it and then back at Arnav curiously. "Laad governor?"
"What?"
"Sorry, Sir. It's just there was a girl here recently and she--"
"No, you're thinking of the right person." He shook his head. "I can't believe she called me that in public."
"She seemed a little upset with you. Something about not calling her by name?"
Arnav grinned. "Yes, we've figured that out. Don't worry. By the way, how much was the frame that she brought me?"
He raised an eyebrow when the shopkeeper told him. "That little--I've never given her anything as expensive as that and she's still always going off on me."
"Well, I did give her a twenty-five percent discount."
"Never mind that." He studied the other frames. "Can you add that bamboo frame over there to my order?"
The shopkeeper brightened as he removed it from the wall. "Are you getting it for her, Sir? You know her tastes very well; she said she'd get it if she were buying for herself."
Arnav felt the tips of his ears turn red. "It's not that big of a deal," he muttered. "Hurry up, will you?"
As the shopkeeper rang up his order, Arnav asked, "Did she say anything else about me?"
Since they seemed to have made up, the shopkeeper decided it was best not to go into too much detail. "She said the frame she picked was practically made for you."
"Oh?"
"That's quite the compliment, Sir. Black walnut is very sturdy and durable. And the piece she picked had a purple tinge--the color of royalty."
He smiled as he took his bag. "Thanks. I'll definitely be coming back."
"Thank you, Sir. Have a good day."
***
Anjali bit her lip as she read Payal's text. While it was great for Mission Arshi that Arnav had taken Khushi out with him, she didn't quite know how to drop the bomb to Akash and Payal that Naniji wasn't happy about it.
I don't want to worry them, Anjali decided. They should enjoy their wedding and honeymoon. We can talk after.
And who knew? Maybe Naniji would change her mind on her own?
***
"Did you get everything you needed?" Arnav asked.
"Mostly," Khushi replied, holding up the bags. She'd gotten the haldi supplies, Buaji's hair dye and Payal's threads. "The only thing left are my churiyan."
"And she got us these, too," Aarav said as he and Bubbly showed their colorful toy tops.
"You didn't need to do that," Arnav said.
"I wanted to. They were such good helpers to me."
"Yeah, Chote Mamaji, we were really well-behaved."
"And we said thank you," Bubbly added.
"Well, in that case, let's get your Khushi Didi's churiyan and then we can go to the park."
"Yeah!"
***
"How do you not have her size?" a frustrated Arnav asked.
It was the third churiyan stall they visited. The first one didn't have the right color, the guy running the second one leered at Khushi so Arnav refused to buy from him and now this third one didn't have her size.
Khushi tugged his sleeve. "Never mind. I'll get them some other time. It's getting too crowded here; let's just go to the park."
"But--"
She looked pointedly at the kids, who were looking more and more bored by the minute.
"Fine. Let's go."
***
"Aww, they've fallen asleep," Khushi said as she glanced at the rearview mirror.
"I'm exhausted myself," Arnav said. They'd been at the park for two hours. After that, Khushi had insisted on buying them all chaat and then they'd gone to the Red Fort because Arnav wanted to test out his new camera lens.
By the time they were done, it was time for dinner so they'd gone to a burger joint, where Arnav had smugly reminded Khushi that it was his turn to pay.
Now he was driving Khushi home.
"Do you want to get some coffee?" Khushi asked, concerned.
"Yeah, maybe I should."
He pulled up to a drive-through. "Do you want anything?"
"No thank you."
"Do you really not want or is it because you don't want me to pay?"
She rolled her eyes. "I really don't want anything."
He placed his order. "One of these days, Khushi, I'll make you get over your weird aversion to accepting things from me."
"And how will you do that?"
"I'll give you so many things that you'll get used to it."
She was quiet as he paid for his drink and placed it in the cupholder.
"And then what?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"After you get me used to you, what will you do? When you leave me, how will I break the habit?"
Taken aback, he couldn't answer her. He'd been half-joking, but she was right. There was no denying that he kept on stepping towards her, kept on trying to pull her in. Yesterday, when he'd run to the stage, he'd initially wanted to only stop the performance from happening. But when the chance to dance with her availed him, he couldn't not take it.
He'd danced with her, becoming so intoxicated by her proximity that the rest of the world ceased to exist.
But despite his actions, what were they to each other? There was nothing that tied him to her. Or her to me.
He pulled up in front of her house. As she unbuckled her belt, he was hit by a sense of deja vu. They'd been driven apart by his silence before. Not again.
He scrambled out of the car, joining her in the back where she was getting her shopping bags. "Wait."
She looked at him expectantly. But he couldn't think of the words that would describe how he felt.
"It's alright," she started.
"No, listen. I...I don't know, okay? I don't know what I want or where we're going but...I've gotten used to you, too. And you...you overwhelm me. Do you understand? You're the one who's drowning me, but you're also the one who's keeping me afloat. I don't...I don't have the words--"
She put her finger on his lips. "Shh. It's okay. This is enough for now. We'll find the words later."
He nodded helplessly.
She smiled at him. "Get home safe, okay?"
He nodded again. Taking his hand, she led him back to the driver's seat and waited for him to drive away before walking inside.
***
There was no light under NK's door.
Lavanya glanced at her watch. Only 9 PM. Was he already sleeping?
Why did she care anyway? She just got back from her own shift, she needed to eat and get some rest.
Unlocking her apartment, she flicked on her lights.
He'd left towards the end of the Sangeet yesterday, she thought. And hadn't come home until earlier this afternoon when she was leaving for the police station.
He was probably just tired.
She let her hair out of its tight bun and exchanged her uniform for an old t-shirt and sweats.
But it wasn't tiredness lining his face when she'd seen him. It was sorrow.
She splashed water on her face and then looked up at her reflection. "I don't ca--oh, screw it."
She jogged out of the bathroom and pulled on her sneakers. Locking her door, she checked his door one more time. Still no light. She didn't expect him to be there anyway. Climbing the stairs, she found him on the rooftop, sitting back against the cement wall and staring up at the smoky sky.
She gracefully sat down next to him. Now what? He wasn't even looking at her. "Do I need to arrest someone?" she asked.
He smiled but it wasn't his open, happy smile. "No."
She waited a second longer. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I need to beat it out of you?"
"I had to leave for an emergency yesterday. Car crash--three kids in the back. Two of them, we managed to save but the third one...I couldn't do it. I stayed at the hospital all night, but it wasn't enough.
"I had to break the news to the parents. They were so devastated...why couldn't I save her? I wanted to, so badly. But I failed."
Lavanya didn't know what to say, so she just listened.
"When I was in med school, one of my professors told me I wouldn't make it as a doctor. He said if I kept getting so attached to my patients, it would kill me. But how can I not?"
He rubbed at his chest. "This is the third patient I lost. Is it me? If it were another doctor, a better one, could they have saved that life?"
Lavanya took his hand and pulled it down. "Some things are beyond our scopes. But you gave it your all. And that's more than most can say."
He looked down at their joined hands. She started to take hers back but he clutched it tighter. "Please. Just for a little bit?"
She stopped trying to pull away. "You saved Anya."
He started shaking his head but she persisted. "I know Anya wasn't in critical condition anymore by the time you started treating her. But she wasn't living, not properly. Alternating between screaming in fear and a zombie--that was almost worse than death. But you brought her back to life.
"You know, she sent me a long letter the other day saying that she was going to become a police officer because of me. And the credit for that goes to you because you're the reason why she decided her life was meaningful enough to find a purpose.
"I'm sorry that you couldn't save that little girl last night. But you saved so many others. And you'll keep doing that."
He looked at her for so long that she looked away, uncomfortable. Suddenly, he dropped his head onto her shoulder. "Thank you."
***
She sat at her desk, tracing the snow globe with a finger as she spoke to her ever-indulgent best friend.
"He said I overwhelmed him. Should I have told him? That he overwhelms me, too? That sometimes when he's with me the dhak dhak of my heart is so loud I can't hear anything else? That when we're apart, time seems to crawl and when we're together, I wish I could freeze it?"
She laughed. "The thought of telling him...I'm so terrified and nervous and excited and happy...I don't even know. But I know that...it's just one more week. By next Monday, it'll be out in the open.
"Whether it'll be him that confesses first or me...we'll just have to see."
Author's Note:
Hello! How are y'all doing?
Thank you so much for your well wishes for my family and I know I still haven't gotten the chance to respond to all your comments, but know that I'm reading them.
Anyhow, what did y'all think of this chapter?
We had a lot of Arshi, a little bit of NK and Lavanya and finally, Anjali has asked Naniji what her problem is.
Next week, Payash's Mehndi. You can expect that on Friday, July 31, iA.
Until then,
take care,
Noor
P.S. Any Swifties here?