"Arnav! Watch out!" Khushi pulled his hand away from the saucepan on the stove. "Can you not see the seeds pop along with the hot oil? Where are your reflexes?"
The mustard seeds crackled and danced over the hot oil in the saucepan as Arnav stood glaring at her, frustrated that her paranoia of him getting burnt or hurt while cooking was coming in the way of him learning to cook the first-ever dish in his life! Khushi had stood next to him for the last half an hour, monitoring him while she made phulkas on the other end of the stove. She had watched him as he chopped a few vegetables and kept admonishing him for the incorrect way in which he held the knife, the wrong way he sliced the vegetables and finally, for the way he stood too close to the stove while the oil heated up in the saucepan. Losing his patience despite her heartwarming concern and love for him, he stood looking at her with a grim face holding a spoonful of turmeric powder in his hand, awaiting her further instructions.
"What do you want me to do with this, Khush? Throw this in from the doorway after attaching this to a long stick or should I use a crane to put it in the pan?"
Her eyes blazed as she stared at him for a moment. "Fine! Burn your hand! Do what you want! Aai, you take over. I am so done with this." Khushi raised her hands in the air in exasperation as she moved away from him and got back to finishing the remaining phulkas. "Doesn't know anything about the hazards of cooking or the difference between cooking oil and hair oil! Chaley khaana banaane, Laat Saaheb!" She muttered under her breath as she rolled out another one furiously.
He smiled, watching her mumble and use one of her floury fingers to wipe the corner of her eye, leaving a trail of flour on its way. A sudden feeling of domesticity gripped him, and a longing and a wish made a home in his heart instantly. He swallowed with difficulty when the thought of being away from her for a whole year hit him with a force that knocked the air out of his lungs.
Arnav's plan of experimenting with cooking came into existence because he was desperate to spend every available moment with Khushi. When he realised by the afternoon that she was helping out Anagha with the cooking and couldn't get out of the house to meet him, he decided to join her instead with an excuse of wanting to learn a simple dish which would be easier for him to cook in London on his own. It was a perfect plan, and all was going well until he realised that Khushi had taken the whole cooking thing very seriously. She cared too much for him, he chuckled at the thought and then corrected it. She loved him too much! A big smile adorned his lips as he turned to look at his Ma, who was watching him with a glint in her eyes.
Cooking was a tough job for a man who had never stepped inside the kitchen to do anything other than have a drink or sit on the worktop to chat with his mother while she cooked every day. But that was what life had been for Arnav and Kabir at home. Shaila's sole objective in life was to ensure that her beloved sons never lifted a finger to do any housework, simply because she belonged to the school of thought that boys were not meant to do these mundane things. They were supposed to study, play or read books and never enter the kitchen. Arnav had given up challenging this weird thought process a long time ago when amidst a big argument, his mother had put her foot down and categorically asked him to mind his own business and never meddle with the drudgery of domestic chores. He, till date, never understood why he wasn't allowed to, especially when his mother managed the whole show single-handed without a house help!
"Shaadi kar lo, beta. Sab problem khatm! Hain na, Khushu?" Shaila, who was busy chatting with Anagha at the dining table, had been watching the drama unfold in front of her eyes.
Arnav and Khushi exchanged startled glances.
"Baap re! Kaki, you sound like that doting mother in an old Bollywood movie right now! Nirupa Roy!" Khushi glanced at him and then at her, wondering why and how this bazooka had landed right in the middle of the kitchen out of nowhere.
"I want a wife, not a maid, Ma."
"Maid won't cook for you with love, beta ji. A wife will." Shaila glanced at him and then at Khushi, trying her best to suppress a smile. "I think we should look at a few proposals once you come back next year."
"Seriously? You do have an idea of how old - rather how young I am, right, Ma?" Arnav added the rice and the daal to the saucepan. This was one conversation he was not prepared to be pulled into by his mother in the wildest of his dreams, definitely not this early!
"The earlier, the better, Arnav. I understand it is too soon, but she will grow up with you and be with you in rain and shine, making the journey worthwhile. Trust me. You will thank me for it. Your Papa and I have married early, and I have nothing to complain about." Shaila added to her argument as she smiled, looking at Anagha.
"Of course you have nothing to complain about! But I am not sure Pa feels the same!" Arnav winked and stepped away from Shaila and pulled Khushi in front of him like a shield.
"Shaitaan!" Shaila smiled. "When you grow up with the girl, the bond is unshakable and everlasting, Arnav. I want you to think about this seriously." She saw him standing behind Khushi and smiled. "And you do believe Khushi is going to save you, don't you?"
There was a sparkle in his mother's eyes which made his heart skip a beat. He kept staring at her till his her eyes softened and a smile touched her lips. He had no idea of what was cooking on the stove at that moment but was sure about what was cooking inside his mother's head. Warmth suffused his cheeks as he realised that his mother was aware of what was going on in his life, and also of the reason why he was in Pune in the middle of the year.
"She always saves me from you!" He grinned and walked up to her and planted a kiss on her forehead. "And you are joking! I mean, of course, you are joking, Ma. Because I know you are not one of those weird mums, who think about nothing else other than marrying their children off! So can we stop this already?"
Shaila nodded with a smile and glanced once again at Khushi who was averting her eyes, busy staring at the phulka rise and puff on the tavaa.
"So, making moong daal khichdi is easy!" Arnav said with a big grin on his face, trying his best to steer the conversation away from the sensitive topic.
"It's always good to know how to cook basic meals, Arnav. I am glad you are making an effort." Anagha smiled, looking at him fondly. "What's Mithhoo teaching you next?"
"Kaki! The next class will be with you. Please call me when you plan to make your yummy daal. You make the most awesome daal in the entire world." Arnav smiled with enthusiasm "I wish I could take a few boxes from here and freeze them over in London."
Khushi turned around to watch the blatant 'buttering session' going on in front of her eyes. She saw her mother's eyes twinkle like they always did when she received a compliment for her cooking. Arnav stood next to her telling her about London and how miserable and fascinating life was away from home. She watched her Aai listen to him captivated and smiled. He would charm his way into anyone's heart!
"Arnav, I am sure you make good toasts! I can see you have no issues with the buttering!" Khushi teased as she cleaned up the worktop after finishing her job.
Arnav glanced at her with eyes that warned her that if she didn't stop teasing, she would pay for it.
"Come over any time beta. I'll show you how to make it." Anagha smiled and glared at Khushi.
"You are the best, Kaki!"
"Anagha, let's have coffee. Come on, kids, leave your mothers alone in the kitchen. We will bring the coffee outside." Shaila announced. "And Arnav, go write down the recipe right now before you forget the measures of the ingredients."
"I'll go get my diary, Ma." He spoke loud enough to draw Khushi's attention. They exchanged a quick understanding look, and he walked through the two main doors towards his bedroom.
A few minutes later, Khushi joined him with a smile playing on her lips. "Wah! What a productive session! It went a bit saccharine in the end, but it's okay, I guess."
"Khush, you've already exceeded your quota of teasing today. I am warning you." He stared at her. "And saccharine? Really?" He left his diary on the desk and walked towards her.
"Yep!! That kind of buttery sweet talk with Aai must've left a lot of sugar on your tongue, nahin?" She giggled.
He raised a brow at her. "Nope. Not enough."
She saw him walk past her towards the door, leaving a puzzled expression on her face. Arnav peeped outside his room and realised both the mothers were still happily chatting away at Khushi's place. He turned around and closed the door of his room. Without giving her time to figure out what was happening, he reached for her in a couple of strides and slipped his arm around her waist. Her lips parted in a startled gasp as he pulled her hard against his chest.
"I forgive you the scolding-Arnav and the teasing-Arnav session that's been going on far the past few hours -- for this." He whispered as he lowered his head to claim her lips.
He had lied. There was nothing forgiving about the kiss which he demanded as a forfeit as he teased her lips apart, encouraging her to respond to him. A flicker of pleasure flamed into desire in no time inside her, and she found herself giving in to the unexpected assault of his lips and the warmth of his embrace. It sent her blood fizzing through her veins as she curled her fingers around his neck, her legs suddenly feeling weightless. She responded to him wantonly as he deepened the kiss, which if she had the time to think about, would have shocked her. Khushi! The voice in her head was recalling her to some semblance of where she was and what she was doing with this irresistible man. Ignoring her heart which wanted to linger in this drugged state for a bit longer, she opened her hooded eyes and saw his eyes blazing in pure desire, holding her's captive. And then his mouth curved in that knowing smile, and she gasped, mortified, as she pushed him away, realising what was written all over his face. She had enjoyed every moment of that mind-numbing kiss, and he knew it.
"Fuck! Now that's a hell lot of sugar on my tongue!" He drawled with a smirk on his face, and she glared at him. "And here I was, thinking it was me who wanted this badly!" He teased, riling her up a bit more.
"Arnav!" She cried as a faint blush coloured her cheeks.
"What is this blush about, BV? The quality or the duration?" He laughed and lowered his voice. "Let's do this again and figure it out together, shall we?"
Her eyes widened, nostrils flared as she walked away from him towards the middle of the room and stood under the ceiling fan which was rotating over her head at full speed. She needed to cool down. And she wanted him to cool down as well!
"Arnav, we are home. My Aai is next doors, and so is yours. God, what I am doing!" She stood looking at him, breathing heavily. "You are—"
He walked up to her and ran his index finger over her cheek. "If this is how you kiss, my love, I can be whatever you want me to be."
She gasped. "Maha-besharm! Is there a word better or worse than this?"
"Let me taste those lips again. I promise to help you find whichever word you are looking for." He whispered near her ears as he pulled her towards him again.
She was about to open her mouth to say something when they heard Shaila call them outside. Khushi shook her head as she pushed him away and was about to leave the room when he caught her hand.
"I want more, BV. This is not enough anymore."
"Besharm!" She pulled her hand away as her heart hammered fiercely against the cage. She stared at him for a moment and left the room in a hurry without a backward glance.
******
The next day, Arnav's bike stopped in front of a shop with a giant board which read 'GUITAR MONK'. Khushi read the board as she got off and waited for Arnav to park.
"Did Kabs ask you to buy strings for him?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"No. We are here to buy Chhotu's dream guitar for him." Arnav smiled as he took her hand and ushered her towards the stairs that led to the big shop.
"Without him?"
"Surprises are usually meant to be like this, BV." He chuckled.
Arnav had spent a whole morning at Tony's house before the band left for another gig in Bombay in the afternoon. They had spent a few hours discussing the details of the kind of guitar Kabir had wanted for a very long time. He had heard Kabir mention it a couple of times, but knowing how particular his brother was about these things, he wanted to be sure he got the right one for him. They had called up a few guitar shops to check the availability and the delivery options if they had to pre-order one. He also checked with Tony if he could get a few tickets for their band's next performance on Christmas Eve in the Pune University auditorium. He had waited for Khushi to finish her lectures to pick her up from college and later driven them straight to the shop.
"But would you know the specs? You know how fussy he is!"
"Yes. Tony told me all about it, Khush. I have it all written on a piece of paper." He pulled out a small paper from his wallet and showed it to her.
The faint musty whiff of old wood hit them the moment they opened the door to the store. The shop was Mecca for guitar buffs. Delicate and expensive guitars surrounded them and were on display on huge glass windows, cases and walls, and for a moment, both of them wished that they had brought Kabir along to buy it instead. Arnav was sure his brother would have felt like a kid in a candy store.
"How can I help you?" A charming young man with an easy smile asked them as they approached the counter.
"I had called up a couple of hours ago asking for a particular Fender with--"
"Yes!" The young man nodded in acknowledgement and smiled. "I remember. I have it ready. It comes in a few colours and with different accessories. Would you like to have a look?"
Arnav nodded, and for next half hour, the trio went through every guitar in the shop which had the name Fender on it along with the ones he had kept aside as per the specification. In the end, they shortlisted two good ones in two different colours. Arnav turned to Khushi and asked her which colour would Kabir would prefer.
"I don't know his favourite colour, Arnav." Khushi said with a frown on her face.
"How is that even possible, Khush? You are the one who is closer to him than me, right? You told me so one evening, remember?" He teased.
Khushi looked away feeling her stomach churn. He doesn't forget anything!
"Okay. Let's take the black one. Chhotu might not like the black and red combo."
She nodded at his suggestion and looked at the price tag and almost choked. She kept staring at Arnav until he looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"What?"
"You have that kind of money?" She whispered near his ears and looked at him with her eyes wide open.
"I have some and the rest I am borrowing from friends. I will wire it to them over the year once I start getting paid. But Kabir, he needs to have this now, and that is more important than anything else in the world for me. This can't wait."
"He will be more than happy. I am sure, Arnav." Khushi smiled and turned towards the salesman. "Can we please have this gift wrapped? Please pack the accessories along with it as well."
"I am doing this just for his smile, Khush." Arnav smiled as he pulled out his wallet from his pocket.
****
An hour later, they were seated in a restaurant biting into a cheesy pizza. They were meant to pick up the guitar in a couple of hours after the vendor had engraved Kabir's name on it and gift wrapped it as per Khushi's specifications.
"It's an expensive guitar, Arnav. Will Kaki and Kaka appreciate you splurging like that?" She asked as she took a bite of the pizza.
"They won't know. Ma and Pa have no clue what a Fender is or what it costs. I'll manage them, don't worry."
"I can almost see Kab's face! He will be over the moon." She grinned in excitement.
He fell silent for some time as he munched on his slice, making her look at him with a question in her eyes.
"Chhotu has always received gifts he never wanted all his life, Khush." He snorted his disapproval. "Right from the first puzzle game that I can remember, to the complex board games, lego boxes and thick storybooks that we kept receiving as gifts from friends and relatives over the years. He would unwrap the gift and leave it on my bed if he didn't like it, which was the case most of the times."
"He always disliked those things. I do remember now." She said with a forlorn look on her face.
"He loved magnets, marbles," Arnav blinked at her trying to recall something from memory. "You remember Khush, he used to make these really weird things from pieces of junk and play with them? And Ma would always object!c I still don't know the reason why she had a problem with that." He said with a sigh. "Sometimes it's hard to be someone who doesn't fall into the standard slot. He wasn't the typical kid like me. I always did what my parents wanted me to, always wanted to make them happy. But Chhotu was always a rebel. And that brought about this constant comparison between us which I used to hate. I would always see the anger in his eyes because of it, but I couldn't stop every tongue from wagging."
"I understand. He is a sensitive guy, Arnav. Small things do bother him." She sighed, listening to him talk about his brother so openly.
"They do, but it's because it has come to that, Khush. They all have driven him up the wall. Had they let my Chhotu be what he wanted to be, he would not have had this bitterness in his life."
"Is it that bad?"
"No, Khush. But it's a hell lot of turmoil for a person to grow up and live with. Our grades and handwritings were compared, our sports capabilities were compared, and so were our behaviours." A frown touched his face. "I feel things should have been handled better in his case. If only my parents had --" He looked away, and she realised that it was very painful for him to share this with her. "I sometimes wonder if he hates us for not understanding him at all." Arnav almost whispered as he stared at nothing on the table.
"God, No! I don't know about the others, but he loves you, Arnav. A lot." Khushi said as she covered his hands with her's.
"So do I, Khush." He swallowed a lump in his throat "I might not say it every day, but he is my heartbeat. I have worried about him when I was in London. And the guy won't keep away from trouble! I have asked Akash to keep a watch on what he does. After the Aman episode, my fears have grown exponentially." He said in a grim tone.
"He is doing what he loves to do now, Arnav. He is in a happy place. Don't worry. He won't get into trouble now. And I am there to keep a watch on him too." She smiled at him as her heart went out to him.
"Very little will reach you Khush, unless he tells you about it himself. It's a very magical world for him, and the people he hangs out with will influence him. And that's the reason I have asked Akky to keep a watch on. I know Saahil and Aarav are good guys. Aarav is a spoilt brat, but his heart is in the right place. I know Tony now, but not sure about the others. I just worry that he might get into bad company and get sucked into--"
Tears stung her eyes as she kept listening to him. She wanted to hold him in her arms. He had never spoken to her about Kabir before. She had never known this side of him which cared for and loved his brother to this extent. She never knew he thought about him so much. There had always been some friction between them ever since she had known them, but she had always found Kabir to be on the right side of the arguments and supported him without ever bothering to know Arnav's side of the story. She felt guilty for having been so uncaring towards him, for having judged him wrongly so many times all these years. Her heart constricted as she watched him lost in his thoughts, and wished to say or do something to smoothen the worry-wrinkle on his forehead.
"Do you remember Shirley D'Souza from school, Arnav?" She attempted to lighten up the conversation. "She was a junior to you but—"
He pursed his lips, thinking about the name she had mentioned. "The short uniform Shirley?"
Khushi cocked her eyebrow the moment he said it. "And that is how you remember her?" She asked him, narrowing her eyes at him.
"She played the keyboard well in those music competitions in school, so that's one more reason to remember her. She was... cute looking as well I guess, right?" Arnav faltered and chuckled as he saw her feign anger. "Well, everyone found her cute." His lips curved into a smile watching her smile.
"Yes, she is cute I agree. And apparently, she had a crush on Kabir since school!" She said and saw his eyes widen up in surprise. "And now she is in the band with Kabir. And a few weeks ago, she told him she was in love with him."
"Oh!" His eyebrows shot up when he saw the serious look on her face. "But does he fancy her?"
"I am not sure, but I think he does. So this time, for a change, we have a nice girl who has known him for long and loves him too. Isn't that great?"
"Well, if he likes her then it's great! But if it is just about the short skirts, then it won't last for long." He exhaled heavily and leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Can we get past the short skirt, please?"
Arnav grinned shamelessly. "I heard you about Shirley, Khush. She always seemed like a nice girl. I will be more than happy if she is the one he finds happiness with."
"I hope he does, Arnav." She whispered as they both paid the bill and got off their chairs.
"Sometimes it bothers me that we don't share such things between us. He never spoke about his crushes or ..." He stopped midway on their way out and looked at her. He held her gaze and said "Khush... I think there is no point in hiding it anymore. I think we should tell Kabir about us once he comes back from Bombay before he holds one more thing against me."
Note: Thank you for your lovely comments and love :)