Payal placed the last pratha in the hot pot before handing it to Om Prakash. "These are ready," she said. "I'll pour the juice and bring it. Where are the pitchers?"
"In that cabinet, Bhabi."
"Okay, thank you." As he walked out, she opened it and reached for the pitcher.
Almost there...she stretched further when suddenly a hand reached out from behind her and grabbed it. "Here you go."
Payal flushed as she took it. "You can move back now," she told Akash.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "But I'm so comfortable here."
"Akash," she murmured, even as she leaned further into him. "Please. I need some space."
He smirked. "You weren't saying that last night."
A throat cleared from behind them, and they hurriedly detached and whirled around.
Anjali, amused by their matching red cheeks, said, "Sorry to disturb you, but we're waiting on you two for breakfast."
"Sorry, I was just getting the juice."
"I'll help," Akash said eagerly.
"The two of you will just distract each other," Anjali said. "Both of you go, I'll bring the juice."
She hummed as she pulled the juice out of the fridge. Last night had gone well. But the highlight of it had been a single moment that wouldn't let the smile fall from her lips.
When Aman and his mother had been leaving, Anjali had walked them out. She and Aman had helped settle his mother into the car and then she'd walked him around to the driver's sight.
"Thank you so much, Aman Ji, for all your help. You've gone above and beyond the call of duty."
"Of course, Anjali Ji. And um..."
"Yes?"
"I didn't get a chance to tell you this before, but you look beautiful."
"Oh." Feeling uncharacteristically shy, she mumbled, "Thank you. You look very handsome, too."
He nodded, glanced away and then back again with something like determination in his eyes. Slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips to her cheek. He stepped back and searched her face for any sign of discomfort. Satisfied, he'd smiled and gotten into the car, leaving Anjali staring after him, until Arnav came looking for her.
She sighed now, as she finished reliving the memory once more. What was she to do? As much as she knew she wasn't good for him, he made her so happy.
"Di," Akash called. "We're waiting on you now."
"Coming!"
***
Khushi winced as Arjun's seven year old daughter let out another ear-splitting scream. She and the six year old had been fighting all morning. Can't even have breakfast in peace, Khushi thought miserably.
"That's enough!" Vristhi screeched at the boy. "Leave her alone."
"Stay out of it!" he snapped.
"Don't talk to your mother like that," Arjun scolded.
"Why not? That's what you said to Dadiji last night."
An awkward silence befell the table until the boy pulled his sister's hair, making her scream again.
***
"Okay, thank you," Khushi said as she hung up the phone. She'd just called and made Buaji an appointment with the doctor for later today. WIth that taken care of, she decided to call Arnav back. She was practically giddy with anticipation as the phone rang once, twice and then--did he just decline her call? Maybe he was busy, she tried to justify, but felt unsettled.
She waited a minute, and then called again, but this time it went straight to voicemail. How strange.
***
Devyani's lip curled in disdain as she spotted the caller ID on the phone laying on the couch. She declined the call, before turning the phone off and slipping it in between the cushions. A few minutes later, when Arnav asked if she had seen his phone, she unhesitantly said no.
***
Manorama preened as praise was lavished on her daughter-in-law. "Well, of course, Mrs. Sharma. My son's taste is impeccable. After all, he takes after me."
"So it was a love marriage."
"Hello, hi, bye-bye, of course. My son's happiness is the most important thing to me. Of course, Akash bitwa did say to me though that he wouldn't marry without my approval, but look at her. How could I not approve?"
Underneath her gunghat, Payal smiled shyly. Her mun dikhaye rasm was going well. In fact, so far, everything had been a dream. The Raizadas had loved her breakfast and later, before she went to get ready for her Munh Dikhayi, Manohar had pulled her aside. "Bahu, I just wanted to say...I know you must be missing your father a lot. My father also wasn't with me when I got married, and I can understand how bittersweet all these events must be for you. I know I can't ever replace him, but just like him, I'll always support you."
Overwhelmed, she'd burst into tears and when Manohar hugged her in comfort, for the first time since her father's death, Payal didn't feel like an orphan.
As another guest lifted her veil, her eyes found Akash's, who stood a short distance away. He smiled warmly and happiness coursed through her. Yes, everything was like a dream. A beautiful, perfect dream.
***
This was a nightmare, Khushi thought as she rubbed at her growing headache. Ten minutes ago, Vristi had discovered that Khushi was going to take Buaji to the doctor. And for ten minutes, she'd been going on about how Khushi was overstepping her boundaries. Annoyed as she was, Khushi was determined not to respond.
"What's going on?" Buaji said. She'd been getting ready and up until now, had been unaware of Vristi's latest tantrum.
Vristi glared at her. "You're not going anywhere."
"Excuse me?" Khushi said, infuriated. Tolerating Vristi's yapping was one thing, but Khushi would not compromise on Buaji's health.
Vristi sneered. "You heard me. Amma Ji isn't going anywhere with you."
Khushi took a deep breath to calm herself. "Bhabi, this appointment is important. Fine, if you don't want me to go, then you go with her."
"We don't have time to waste--"
"Vristi, that's enough," Arjun cut in. "Amma Ji's health isn't a waste of time."
Khushi blinked in surprise. Was he actually defending Buaji? "So you'll go to the appointment then?"
He started to nod but Vristi whined, "My cousin invited us for dinner; we can't miss that. Who knows how long the appointment will take?"
Arjun frowned but said nothing. Rolling her eyes, Khushi said, "Fine. Then I'll take Buaji like I planned. Let's go, Buaji."
The elderly woman, who'd been watching the drama unfold in miserable silence, sighed and followed Khushi out the door.
***
"You're next, Arnav Bitwa," yet another guest teased.
Arnav bit back a scalding retort. It was the tenth time that someone had made this comment. This was why he didn't want to attend the Munh Dikhayi. But Di had insisted, saying that he needed to be there to support Akash.
Support Akash, my foot. The whole world could disappear right now and Akash wouldn't notice. He'd been staring at his new bride the entire time, a goofy grin spread across his face.
Deciding that enough was enough, he excused himself and started to make his way across the room so he could sneak away upstairs.
"Khushi--" at the sound of her name, Arnav stopped. Turning he saw that it was his grandmother speaking to one of her friends.
"A really lovely girl," Devyani was saying as Arnav quietly approached them. "I think she would make a wonderful match for your grandson."
Arnav lifted an eyebrow.
"Yes, I thought so too when I saw her at the wedding. Could you introduce me to her family then?"
"Of course--"
"Excuse me," Arnav said smoothly as he joined the conversation. "But I'm afraid there's no point. Khushi Kumari Gupta isn't available."
"What?" the guest spluttered. "Devyani, is this true?"
Devyani blinked. "I don't know. Is she engaged, Arnav bitwa? Buaji or Payal didn't mention it."
"No..." Arnav said slowly.
Devyani and her friend stared at him, waiting for an explanation.
"It's...her career. She wants to concentrate on that for now."
"Oh, that's not a problem for us. All the daughter-in-laws in my family have worked or studied after marriage. Introduce me to the girl's family whenever you can, Devyani."
Arnav tried to think of another excuse but his mind was going blank. The guest walked away and Arnav hissed, "Naniji, what are you doing?"
"What am I doing?"
"Don't interfere in Khushi's affairs."
"For your information, Chote, Madhumati asked me for help in finding a suitable match for her. Now if you'll excuse me, I have guests waiting on me."
Arnav scowled and sprinted up the stairs. First Akash's Mamiji, now this lady. Why the hell did so many people want Khushi to marry their sons or nephews or whatever?
She's too popular, he thought as he once again started searching for his phone. But it didn't matter. He wouldn't let her marry anyone else.
But what the hell was he supposed to do?
***
Khushi didn't like the look on the doctor's face as Buaji listed her symptoms.
"How long have you been feeling these chest pains?"
"Just a few days."
"Any stress?"
"Well my niece got married just yesterday, so there was a lot to do."
The doctor scribbled something down. "I'm writing some tests for you; get them done as soon as possible. Today if you can. In fact, I'll call ahead to the hospital myself; just go there right after this and they'll take you."
Unnerved by the doctor's urgency, Khushi asked, "What kind of tests?"
"The symptoms--high blood pressure, shortness of breath, pain in the chest--are all indicative of a heart problem. We need an electrocardiogram as well as an angiogram, which is basically an x-ray of the heart. Based on the results, I'll decide on the next step of action."
Khushi asked a few more questions before getting up to take their leave. As the doctor shook Buaji's hand, she said, "I know weddings can be very stressful, but you have to relax, Madhumati Ji. Stress will only exacerbate your situation."
How could Buaji not stress, Khushi thought as the women waited for a taxi, when Vristi, Arjun and their kids were around?
I have to be more proactive to make Buaji's environment more relaxed. But how?
The taxi arrived and as they sat down, Khushi's phone rang. Arnav. But now wasn't the time, so she declined and sent him a quick text to say she'd call him later.
***
"Finally," Arnav said as Di walked into his room, holding out his phone. "Where did you find it?"
"Underneath the couch cushions. Hari Prasad Ji found it while he was cleaning up."
"So the guests have finally left then?"
"Only about twenty minutes after you escaped."
He winced at the note of displeasure in her tone, but didn't otherwise acknowledge it. "Strange."
"What's strange?"
"My phone's turned off."
"Maybe it ran out of battery."
"Nope, there's plenty left," he replied as the screen lit up.
Di shrugged and glanced at her watch. "I have a meeting with the events planner for the reception. See you later."
"Bye," he mumbled. Damn it, he'd missed a call from Khushi. He called back, but she didn't pick up. A few seconds later, he got her text, Sorry, busy right now. Call you later.
Frustrated, he tossed his phone on the bed and began pacing. He knew he had seen her only yesterday at the wedding, but that felt like ages ago. Besides, they'd hardly been able to talk.
And he wanted to ask about what his grandmother had said. Was Buaji really looking for a match for Khushi? Did she know about this? If so, why wasn't she putting a stop to it?
Figuring that he might as well do something productive while he was waiting, he grabbed his keys and headed for the door. He hadn't gotten a good workout in a while.
His phone, which he'd been so relieved to see mere minutes ago, lay on his bed, once again forgotten.
***
The hospital and exams made Buaji extremely nervous, bringing back memories of the last time she'd been here, when she'd lost her brother. If it wasn't for Khushi, who stayed by her side throughout, she'd probably have just gone home.
Finally, they were done.
After they got on the bus, Khushi said cheerfully, "Let's call Payal when they got home. Her Munh Dikhayi is probably over by--"
"Titliya," Madhumati interrupted. She knew that the girl was trying to take her mind off of the day's ordeals, and she appreciated that, but she needed to make something clear. "Don't tell Payal about any of this. She needs to focus on settling into her new house."
She sensed Khushi's disapproval even before she spoke. "Buaji, she'd want to know."
"Titliya, please."
"Fine."
"And there's no need to say anything to Arjun or Vristi, either. They're going back to Mumbai tomorrow; I don't want to disturb them."
That was a lie, but how could she tell Khushi that she was afraid that if Arjun simply didn't care, her heart would break? She knew she was delusional when it came to her son, always making excuses rather accepting that he'd turned out to be as selfish and uncaring as his father, but what could she do? He was her only child and she couldn't help loving him.
Khushi didn't argue this time. She only nodded, and then, with a tired sigh, rested her head on Buaji's shoulder.
***
Lavanya took a breath as she arched her back and lowered her head into her chest. She was on her hands and knees on a yoga mat in her living room. She didn't often do yoga, but she'd spent a grueling day at work catching up on paperwork, and she needed something relaxing to ease her stiff body.
She extended her right leg out to the side, stretched her left arm up and with an exhale, twisted her body down, reaching for her right foot with her left hand.
The doorbell rang, and scowling, she pulled herself out of the complicated pose to go and answer it.
"What do you want?"
Undeterred by her rudeness, NK grinned and said, "I'm taking my parents out of dinner. Want to come?"
"No."
She started to shut the door, but he placed a hand on it. "Please?"
Oh no. He was making those puppy eyes again.
"Stop it. I had a long day. I'm tired."
"Okay, fine. I'll see you later then."
He looked so disappointed, though, and against her own wishes, Lavanya blurted, "Wait. I need fifteen minutes to get ready."
His smile was almost blinding. "Great. I need to get ready, too."
Lavanya shut the door, and went to roll up her yoga mat before freezing. Did she just agree to have dinner with his parents?
Oh no. Absolutely not. Why the hell did he even invite her? What had gotten into her that she agreed?
She would go and tell him that she changed her mind. Right now.
But she didn't move, knowing that such a decision would disappoint him again.
Sighing, she finished rolling up the mat and then went to find something to wear.
***
Thankfully, Vristhi and Arjun had already left for dinner by the time Khushi and Buaji returned home. Khushi helped Buaji settle into her room before going to the kitchen to get dinner ready.
The silence in the small house suddenly felt stifling.
Anxiously, she dialled Arnav, praying that he would pick up. She desperately needed to hear someone tell her that it would be okay. That Buaji would be fine. That Khushi wasn't wrong to hide these things from Payal and Arjun Bhai. That Khushi wouldn't be left alone in the world again.
"Hello?" Khushi's heart sank. That wasn't Arnav.
"Namaste, Devyani Ji. How are you?"
"Chote isn't home," she said coldly and hung up.
It was the final straw for Khushi, and she burst into tears. Sinking down to the cold kitchen floor, she cried out her fears and frustrations until the pressure that had been sitting on her chest dissipated.
Maybe she should thank Devyani for giving her the push she needed to let out her emotions, she thought sardonically. WIth a sigh, she wiped her wet cheeks and got up to finish dinner.
***
Lavanya did not get awkward, simply because she refused to.
Instead, she used her stony silence and poker face to make other people seem awkward.
However, this was not the case here. Neither NK nor his parents seemed to mind that she wasn't talking, smiling or laughing. Instead, they were content to let her sit silently and observe.
NK and his mother, Nisha, easily dominated the conversation, building off of each other's stories and playing off of each other's wits. His father, Karan, on the other hand, was almost as silent as Lavanya. However, he laughed at all the jokes, and though his own remarks were rare, they reduced his family to tears of laughter.
Lavanya had never been around such a happy family before. The pangs of envy grew stronger throughout the evening but she thought she did a good job of hiding them.
When it was almost time to go, Nisha got up to use the restroom. A moment later, NK got a phone call, which he stepped outside to take. It left Lavanya alone with the quiet Karan.
"It wasn't always like this, you know." Karan said conversationally.
Lavanya didn't know what he was talking about and didn't ask. She was only here for NK; she had no desire to get chummy with his father. Apparently, he didn't get the memo, because he continued anyway.
"Nisha and I were quite miserable when we first got married. She was only interested in escaping her life of poverty and I had given into my family's pressure. We used to argue everyday--in fact, every minute that we were together. She used to say that I was lifeless and boring and her never-ending yapping gave me headaches.
"We were on the verge of divorce when we found out she was pregnant. At that time, I thought it was the worst thing that ever happened to me.
"My parents were much like Nisha and I. They were constantly arguing and it was easy to see that they hated each other. As a result, I had a miserable childhood, and the thought that my child would have the same miserable childhood was depressing to me. I didn't know what to do. Would it be better to divorce and just let the child grow up in a broken home?
"But Nisha came to me one day with tears in her eyes. Her father had left them when she was very young, and her mother was negligent. Her older sister--Manorama Didi--was the one who raised them. Nisha didn't want her child to go through that.
"She told me that she would be willing to do whatever it took to make this marriage work. And after seeing how sincere she was, I couldn't give up so easily either.
"It took months. We went through extensive counseling but more important than that, we learned to communicate with each other. We spent nights sitting up and talking to each other, figuring each other out. It turns out, we weren't so different after all.
"We didn't even realize we were falling in love until we'd already fallen."
He sighed happily, and shook himself a little, as if bringing himself back to the present. "The point is, nothing is impossible. Happiness, love--it's all there for the taking. All you have to do is reach for it."
"What are you two chatting about?" Nisha asked as she sat down.
"Nothing of importance, dear. NK's waiting outside; shall we go join him?"
As Lavanya followed them out, she told herself firmly that it didn't matter what Karan said. She had all she wanted in life and she didn't need to reach for anything.
NK greeted them with an iridescent smile.
Not even him.
Author's Note:
Greetings my darling readers. First off, an apology for writing the wrong date on last week's update. My 2 year old nephew was sitting next to me and was insisting on "helping" me work. In other words, he kept typing in random letters. What can I say? Kids.
Now, let's discuss.
Payal and Akash are finally married (Yes!). A lot of people thought that I would have a scene comparable to the balcony scene from the show or something else bad happen at the wedding, but no. Their wedding went fine.
But will the reception? *Smirks evil author smirk*
You'll see next week.
Now I know people are going to be disappointed so let me address this straight away. No, there was no direct Arshi interaction in this chapter. But I need this gap in communication, as well as the other tensions that happening, as a build-up for what's coming next.
Bear with me, please.
Anyway, I did give you some Anjali-Aman and Lavanya-NK, so please don't be too disappointed.
You can expect the next update next Friday, November 27, iA.
Until then, take care
-Noor