11. OS 19. His Elusive Lover (Part 11)

Part 11

The whole family moved to the dining table after the morning pooja to have breakfast.

Arnav indicated the seat by him and Khushi promptly sat down. Akash took the chair next to Khushi.

Shyam was towed to their usual seat by his wife. He was delighted to get the seat opposite to Khushi and proceeded to ogle her shamelessly even while talking to his Rani Sahiba.

Khushi squirmed in her seat. ‘What is this man with big, cold eyes made of? He is married. His wife is sitting by him and praising him to the skies. Her family is sitting by him. And he is staring at me? Shameless fellow! He Devi Maiyya, raksha karna,’ she pleaded.

“Khushi,” came the husky call.

Jerked out of her thoughts, she turned her head to look at ASR.

“Ji, Arnavji?” she asked.

“Have one more paratha,” he said softly, serving her before she could refuse.

All Raizadas smiled to see an Arnav they had never seen before. Only Shyam fumed. He needed to break the relationship between Arnav and Khushi. Only then would his purse remain full and his way to the girl’s bed be clear. How? How could he do it? He looked around at the idiots he had been fooling for the best part of three years and smirked. They were putty in his hands, mere pawns in the grand plan of Shyam Manohar Jha. His smile vanished. He needed money urgently.

“Naniji,” he began. “I was thinking of buying another house in Delhi...”

Nani smiled at him and put a piece of paratha in her mouth, making it unnecessary for her to reply to him.

“Bery good,” mami said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“I may have to go to Shimla next week, papa,” Akash told mamaji.

“Acha,” mamaji replied. “For business?”

“Yes, papa,” Akash replied.

Shyam’s nostrils flared in annoyance. Why weren’t they acting according to script? The ladies were supposed to exclaim over his announcement and Chotey was supposed to offer to pay for it!

“Saalesahib,” Shyam tried again, “I am thinking of purchasing a new house in Delhi.”

Arnav looked at him blankly for a moment and then said mildly, “That’s good news.”

Anjali beamed. Both she and Shyam looked expectantly at Arnav. He lifted the glass jug and poured water into Khushi’s glass. He then asked her, “Would you like some more tea?”

“Ji nahi, Arnavji,” she said softly, amazed at the kindness shown to her by her normally acerbic employer. It was strange that the ASR in office and the ASR at home were so different in temperament.

“Khussi bitiya, don’t feel shy to ask if you need something,” nani said with a smile.

“Thijj ijj your own haujj, Khussi,” mami said with a loving smile.

Mama and Akash smiled at Khushi, seconding the ladies.

Khushi looked at Arnav. His attention was apparently on his mug of black tea, but there was a slight smile on his lips. Maybe he was thinking of some deal that had gone right, Khushi thought.

Shyam felt the ground slipping away from under his feet. There was definitely a bond between Arnav and Khushi and the Raizadas were out to encourage it and bring about a marriage at the earliest. He would have to strike fast or all the sacrifices he had made over the last three years would be wasted.

Arnav’s phone rang. Aman.

He looked at Khushi. “Have you finished?” he asked softly.

“Ji,” she replied, standing up.

“We have some urgent work to get through,” he explained casually to his family before taking the call and walking away with Khushi.

Shyam told himself, ‘Use this chance. Turn the family against Khushi and get them to throw her out. Then she will land right on your lap.’

“Naniji,” Shyam began, “who exactly is this Khushiji?”

Nani smiled even though her teeth were clenched.

“An employee of Chotey’s,” she explained shortly. “But we expect them to get married soon.”

Mami and the others nodded.

“Her family?” Shyam asked.

“She is an orphan,” mamaji replied with a smile. “Matlab she was an orphan. Now she has us.”

Shyam pursed his lips. “I don’t mean to sound orthodox in my views, naniji, lekin as Anjali’s husband, I feel I have to express my reservations about Arnav and Khushiji’s licentious ways.”

Anjali paled.

The rest of the Raizadas looked at him as though they didn’t know what he was talking about.

“I mean, Khushiji staying with saalesaheb in his room before marriage is preposterous. It is useless to expect that Arnav will bow to what society thinks.” Shyam wordlessly referred to the scandal regarding Arnav’s father, Arvind Mallik, being a womanizer. “But I thought, naniji, that you would enforce rules of morality in this house.”

Akash ground his teeth hard in his effort to stop himself from gifting his jijaji a mukka. Mami’s hands tightened around a fork even as her eyes shot daggers at Shyam.

Nani took a deep breath to calm herself before replying, “Damadji, I am sure you will permit me to run my house as I see fit.”

Anjali squirmed and Shyam fidgeted.

Nani stretched her lips in a travesty of a smile and continued in a regal manner that made clear she would brook no dissent, “Chotey has been alone all his life. His family is delighted that he is interested in Khussi bitiya. They need to spend time together to understand each other. We are fully supportive of their decision.”

“Yejj,” mami added with a vicious glare at Shyam. “It ijj better than meeting once, phalling in lub at phirst saight, then marrying and then roying all laiphe.”

“But, naniji,” Shyam tried desperately, “Khushji staying in Arnav’s room...”

“Khussi bitiya has her own room. It just happens to be connected to Chotey’s,” nani declared.

“But, naniji,” Shyam tried again. “Aap sochiye, a girl, a nobody who is willing to stay with a man before marriage...” His expression indicated disgust. “Is she fit to be a Raizada bahu, the Arnav Singh Raizada’s wife?”

Nani’s face transformed into a coldly furious mask that sent a chill down even Shyam’s spine. “Khussi bitiya is acceptable to us as our bahu and our Chotey’s wife because our Chotey cares for her. That is the only criterion that matters to us. I hope, damadji, that you will not air your views of morality before Chotey and his bride.”

Shyam opened his mouth, but nani beat him to it.

“If you feel your sense of morality pricking you at the thought of Chotey and Khussi bitiya’s relationship, then kindly don’t trouble yourself by remaining here.” Nani smiled. “You are free to take Anjali bitiya and move into your own house till Chotey and Khussi bitiya get married.”

The Raizadas nodded.

Anjali’s mouth fell open and Shyam felt sucker punched by an elderly lady.

“And it ijj isstrange to see you judging hamre Arnav bitwaa, damadji,” mami added, her eyes full of contempt. “Bhen you and Anjali bitiya met in a temple, phell in lub at phirst saight and told us that you wanted to marry, did Chotey asks kwestins about your morality or iph you are somebody or nobody? Nahi na?”

“He wanted you to wait for a year till you were sure about each other, but when Anjali bitiya said she didn’t want to wait, hamre Arnav bitwaa didn’t say anything. He conducted your wedding,” mama said casually. “Let him live his life on his own terms. He has never dictated how you should live yours, Anjali bitiya. Accord him the same kindness.”

“You are right, mamaji,” Anjali said, tears in her eyes. “Shyamji, we should be forever thankful to Chotey for letting us marry.”

Shyam felt helpless against the Raizadas who had ganged up against him. Fury rose in him like a tsunami, but displaying his ire would ensure that he was out of this house and he couldn’t risk that at any cost.

“If you say so,” he said, trying hard to smile.

Anjali heaved a sigh of relief. “Now that Shyamji too is on our side, nani, we should devise ways in which Chotey and Khushiji can come closer.”

Shyam grit his teeth. It was a miracle he hadn’t strangled this millstone around his neck years ago, he thought. Trust her to throw a spanner in the works.

                                                             ***

Arnav looked at Khushi.

She was typing away, an earnest expression on her face. The touch of her finger on his lip... His body burned at the very thought of that moment.

Suddenly she stilled, sensing his eyes on her.

He averted his eyes as she looked at him.

‘You are imagining things, Khussi,’ she told herself, her fingers rubbing her neck. ‘Why should ASR look at you?’ She continued to rest her eyes on his long-limbed figure bent over his laptop.

“Would you like coffee, sir?” she asked.

“Call me Arnavji,” he reminded. “Yes. And save the file.”

Khushi nodded with a slight smile. She saved the file and left the room.

Arnav monitored Khushi’s progress from his room to the kitchen on his laptop. 

He saw her tickling a flower in the vase in the drawing room on her way to the kitchen. She smiled and called out a greeting to HP on the way. She encountered nani in the living room. He could see them exchanging a few words with smiles on their faces. The conversation ended with nani pinching Khushi’s chin fondly.

Khushi entered the kitchen and started making coffee.

As Arnav watched, Shyam slipped into the kitchen.