12. OS 21. An Unwilling Passion (Part 16)

Part 16

“Hum chalte hein,” Khushi said dispiritedly.

Arnav nodded.

“Will you come home to say goodbye to us?” she asked.

“We will be leaving soon,” Arnav replied noncommittally.

“I would love to meet your family,” Akash inserted into the conversation.

Khushi beamed at him. “To aayiye na, Akashji.” She sent one last look at Arnav, then led the way out of the haveli and into her house, chattering away about Arnav.

“Abhi abhi to aaye he. Why does he have to return so soon?” she complained.

Akash smiled. Bhai had been gone about a month. It had been unheard of for him to take such a long break...or a break at all.

“Arnavji has a family at home?” she asked.

“Yes,” Akash replied. “Dadi, di, my parents and Hari Prakashji. Aman stays by him in office.”

“So there are people to take care of him?” she beamed. “Acha he. Woh kya he, when he is alone, all kinds of bad thoughts come to his mind, I think. Kabhi kabhi he looks so sad, as though the jalebi he was about to eat fell from his hand.”

Akash hid his smile.

“Ayiye,” she led him into her house.

Payal was in the kitchen.

“Jiji, please come to the living room. Dekhiye kaun aaya he,” she called.

Payal joined Khushi and Akash.

“Akashji, this is my jiji, Payal,” she introduced them. “Jiji, this is Akashji, Arnavji’s brother.”

“Namaste,” Akash murmured, his eyes trapped by Payal’s beauty.

Payal blushed and returned the greeting.

“Buaji is at the hospital with babuji,” Khushi explained regretfully. “Amma is at the bank with Amanji. Nahi to they could have met you too.”

“Aap baitiye, Akashji,” Payal invited.

“I will get you snacks,” Khushi offered, running to the kitchen.

Akash looked at the decoration hanging from the ceiling. Green parrots in a line, made of cloth and some glitter. “This is very nice,” he complimented.

Payal flushed with pleasure. “Khushi and I made them during our twelfth standard vacation. Babuji liked them very much. Isliye he asked us to hang them here.”

“I hope he gets well soon,” Akash wished.

Payal nodded. “We are very hopeful.”

“Maybe when he gets better, you can have a holiday in Delhi,” Akash suggested wanting to see more of her.

“Our buaji lives there. Maybe we will visit her,” Payal said hopefully, her eyes lowered.

Khushi brought a plate loaded with sweets and savouries and the moment passed.

As he stood up to leave, Khushi handed over three packets to him. “Dinner for Arnavji, you and Amanji. Drive slowly. And give me your phone number. Hum bulayenge to ask about Arnavji.” An idea blossomed in her mind. “Can you give me Arnavji’s number? Then I can call him myself.”

Akash happily gave them both numbers before leaving the house.

                                                                 ***

“What is that?” Arnav asked as Akash, laden with food packets, entered the room.

“Dinner,” Akash said briefly.

“I don’t want it.”

“Khushiji gave them to me,” Akash said, his eyes twinkling.

Arnav hesitated, then took a packet and left the room.

Akash chuckled. How the mighty had fallen!

Aman joined him, saying, “The job is done.” He frowned. “Why are you laughing? Has ASR started cracking jokes?”

“No, the joke is on him,” Akash chuckled. “He is in love with Khushiji.”

Aman stared at him for a long moment in shock and then sat down, overcome by amusement.

                                           ***

As Arnav, Aman, and Akash stacked their luggage in the car, Akash noted Arnav’s gaze resting on Gomti Sadan for a long moment. He looked extremely distressed and Akash’s heart wrung in empathy. His brother loved Khushiji but was determined not to give in to his feelings. Why? Because their pasts were so closely entwined? Because he felt guilty for what that beast of his father had done?

Akash firmed his jaw. He wouldn’t let the past win. There was no way his bhai would spend the rest of his life paying for what his parents had done. No, that was not even a possibility.

“Bhai, shall we meet Khushiji and her family once more before we leave?” Akash asked.

Aman turned sharply to meet Akash’s eyes and quickly added, “We can thank her for dinner, boss.”

Arnav swallowed hard. He knew that if he had to see the disappointment in her eyes, he would not be able to leave Lucknow. “No,” he replied, entering the vehicle.

Akash’s eyes met Aman’s before they joined Arnav in the car and began driving away from the haveli.

As the vehicle passed by Gomti Sadan, Arnav’s eyes were dragged to the building despite his humongous self-control. He sought the last glimpse of the girl who had smashed to smithereens all his vaunted self-possession and that too without trying.

                                                                   ***

It was work, work, work as soon as ASR’s feet touched Delhi soil. Akash and Aman found themselves panting with exertion from trying to keep up with an ASR working like a man possessed.

When Arnav and Akash returned home at midnight four days in a row, nani had enough.

She waited up along with mami and Anjali.

As soon as Arnav and Akash walked into the house, she stepped forward to stand in their way.

“What is this, Chotey? Why are you working so late? Look at the time! It is after twelve,” she raged.

Arnav said nothing, just pulled out his phone and called Aman to remind him of some document that had to ready by the next day. Talking to Aman, he walked away, leaving Akash to face the firing squad.

“We had work to do,” Akash answered nani.

“But so late, Akash!” Anjali exclaimed.

“Hamre Akass bitwaa ijj becomings like his bhai,” lamented mami. “No shadi, only kaamwaa.”

“I need to talk to you,” Akash finally gave in. “Dadi, can we go to your room?”

                                                           ***

When Akash edified his mother, di and dadi about whatever had happened in Lucknow, there were tears of sorrow and relief that Arnav hadn’t done what he had set out to do.

“Hamre poor Arnav bitwaa, carrying his father’s burdenwaa. Saasumma, when will he be happy?” mami cried.

“Pata nahi, Manorama,” nani whispered, shaken.

“He didn’t say a single word to us before leaving Delhi or after,” Anjali said softly.

“He has always been alone, Anjali bitiya. Humme dar he that he will be alone all his life,” nani said, drying her tears.

“He needn’t be,” Akash interjected.

Three sets of eyes stared at him with varying degrees of wonder.

“Kaa keh rahe ho, Akass bitwaa?” mami asked.

“Garima had an elder sister. She and her husband died in an accident and Sasi Gupta and Garima adopted their daughter, Khushiji.” Akash smiled at the very thought of the irreverent girl. “Bhai cares for her.” He dropped the bomb casually, very casually.

The effect was everything he desired.

After a long moment of shock, the ladies stirred to ask him about Arnav and Khushi.

“Chotey? Hamre Chotey?” nani first asked.

“Yes.” Akash couldn’t stop smiling as he assented.

“Ye kaa hui gawaa, Saasumma?” mami asked, her eyes huge in shock. “Hamre Arnav bitwaa laikejj a girlwaa?”

“You are sure, Akash?” Anjali asked, sure that she had misheard him.

“Very.” Akash smiled. “Bhai loves Khushi Kumari Gupta.”

“And Khushiji?” Anjali asked fearfully. The last thing her brother needed in his life was the pain of unrequited love to darken his already dark existence.

Akash couldn’t control his laughter. “She is crazy about him.”

“Hein?” mami was moved to exclaiming. “Crajji about him? Naarajj he kaa? She must be angriya with him.”

“No, she is pagal about him. She talks only about him and flits around him like a butterfly.” Akash was still chuckling.

“Anjali bitiya,” nani whispered, “pinch me.”

Anjali and mami pinched her.

She yelped. “Tab to theek he. I thought I was dreaming,” nani said gladly.

“How? Matlab how did she manage to get past Chotey’s akhdooness?” Anjali asked Akash in wonder.

Akash replied, “Pata nahi, di. She is totally fearless and bhai is so different with her.”

“Acha?” Anjali asked, unable to believe her ears.

“We need to talk to Chotey about this,” nani decided.

“Err... Khushiji has a sister,” Akash added.

“So?” Anjali asked.

“When you are fixing bhai and Khushiji’s wedding, fix mine too. With Payal.”

The ladies burst out laughing. Maybe it was time for their family to leave its past behind.

                                                               ***