Chapter 5

The beautifully decorated banquet hall was abuzz and lively as many individuals gathered along with the Gupta’s and the Raizada’s for Arnav and Khushi’s engagement. Arvind, Asha, Shashi, and Garima were mingling amongst the crowd cheerfully as they awaited the arrival of the couple in question.

Arnav paced back and forth in his hotel room, growing more impatient by the minute.  Akash was supposed to show up here with Arnav’s suit an hour ago and that idiot was stuck somewhere in the Mumbai traffic.  Aman, who was supposed to come and provide moral support to his best friend, had been delayed with the excuse that Khushi refused to let him out of sight.

“I’m sorry!  I know I’m late but—” Akash burst into the room and stopped speaking at once as Arnav shot him a death glare.

“An hour, Akash!!  Do you know what an hour’s delay means in the OR?!”  Arnav crossed his arms.

Akash raised an eyebrow and looked at his friend, clad in jeans and a t-shirt.  “Dude...you just compared your engagement venue to an OR...are you always this depressing?”

“Shut up and give me that!”  Arnav grabbed the suit cover bag out of his hands and made towards the shower.

Akash shook his head and plopped down on the sofa, relaxing after the dreadful drive here.  He’d been working way too much for his liking during the fashion week in London.  As soon as his work had wrapped up, he’d flown down to India to attend Arnav’s engagement.

It’s such a small world.  Here he was, attending the engagement of his friend of a couple years and his high school classmate.  Who would have thought?  He remembered Khushi Kumari Gupta well.  She was the bright kid in the class who every parent compared their own kids to.  The pretty girl who had flocks of guys crushing on her secretly.  If it weren’t for the knowledge of a tall, lean, and possessive brother of hers, the teenage boys would have been less secretive about their attraction to her.  Akash remembered her for that and also because she was Payal’s best friend.

Payal Saxena.  The girl Akash had been in love with for as long as he could remember.  His secret girlfriend of a year, for crying out loud.  For reasons that they didn’t understand, they’d mutually decided to keep their relationship a secret.  There was a sort of thrill to it which made it more romantic. 

Payal had gone off to Delhi a month ago for a business related trip and soon after, he had flown out to London.  After that, they were meeting today, in front of everyone.  How the heck is he supposed to keep away from her?

The woman in question was also thinking along the same lines, in the room on the floor above, as she helped her friend get ready.

“Payal, what are you doing?”  Khushi questioned curiously, looking at Payal through the mirror.

“What am I doing?”  Payal frowned in confusion and watched as Khushi’s eyebrows arched up.

“You just helped me put the bangles on and now you’re removing them...”

“Oh...”  Payal looked down at her hands which held the recently removed light pink and maroon bangles.  “I’m sorry...I didn’t realize...”

“What are you thinking about?”  Khushi suppressed a smirk.  “Or should I ask who are you thinking about?”

Payal’s eyes widened.  “What?!  It’s nothing like that...”

Khushi scoffed.  “Please...I’ve known you for years...you’ve been acting strange for the past year or so...”

“You’re the one getting engaged within two weeks of being here and I’m strange?”  Payal fired.

Khushi averted her eyes and became too busy in re-setting her already perfect dupatta.  “He seems like a nice guy, Payal...I’d have to get married sooner or later...then why not now?”

“I know he’s a nice guy...”

“You do?”  Khushi shot, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh...Yeah...Aman talks about him...I’ve met him once too at one of Mr. Raizada’s business parties that I attended.”

Khushi nodded just when a knock sounded on the door.  Aman walked in, looking rushed.

“I need to go see Arnav...can you and Payal be downstairs within the next fifteen minutes?”  Aman questioned, not noticing just how beautiful his sister looked.

“Bhai!  You said you’d be with me today....”  Khushi whined.

“I know...and I will be once you’re downstairs...What am I going to do in your little girly ventures?  Akash is back and he’s in Arnav’s room...I’ll just go see them and I’ll come downstairs with them...”  Aman grinned noticing the red hue on Payal’s cheeks at the mention of Akash and a similar hue on Khushi’s cheeks at Arnav’s.  “I’ll see you very soon Khushi...”

Aman took long strides back towards the door and paused to look over his shoulder at Khushi.  “You look gorgeous tonight...as usual.”

Exactly ten minutes later Aman, Akash, and Arnav stood in a small alcove down the hallway of the entrance of the hall, waiting for Khushi and Payal.

“I thought your favourite colour was red...what the heck is up with the green and blue theme?!”  Akash looked around, noticing the smooth drapes that cascaded along the walls of the hallway.

Arnav pressed his lips in order to keep from giving him the real reason.  He’d helped his mother pick a decorations theme and this particular one had reminded him of a striking pair of green-blue eyes.  He’d picked it immediately and was glad that his mother loved it too.

He wasn’t about to admit that to Akash and Aman, of course.  That would only induce a round of teasing and there were already enough of those.

Arnav stood there listening to Aman and Akash converse about the latest model of a BMW that was launched a few days ago.  He was just about to check his wristwatch when the tinkling of anklets behind him caught his attention.  He couldn’t help it and he found himself turned his head to look over his shoulder.

His breath left his lungs in an appreciative inaudible gasp the second his eyes landed on Khushi.  Dressed in a baby pink and deep red lehenga, she looked an epitome of grace and beauty.  He barely noticed the woman walking next to her.  He knew he was staring and may come off as rude but he couldn’t make himself look away.

Khushi was well aware of his gaze on her because everywhere his eyes fell, her skin tingled in excitement.  She’d been to clubs and bars and she wasn’t oblivious to the coy glances of men in the vicinity but there was something substantially different in the way this man, her soon to be fiancé, looked at her.

It didn’t make her uncomfortable, it didn’t make her squirm.  It didn’t make her want to overturn a glass of drink on his head, and it didn’t make her feel gross.  In fact, she liked it.  Just the way he looked at her, with no hint of perverseness, with pure admiration made her feel...beautiful.

Khushi.  Kumari.  Gupta.  What the hell?

He, himself, looked alluringly handsome in his mahogany-brown jodhpuri bandh-gala suit.  His neatly set hair and tanned skin giving him an immaculate look.

What?  I’m allowed to look at him, right?  I’m getting engaged to him for crying out loud!

They weren’t the only ones who were busy appreciating what they saw.  Payal and Akash were doing more than just seeing with their eyes.  Payal, dressed in a simple purple lehenga looked gorgeous, even more so with the red hue on her cheeks as she decoded Akash’s seductive looks. 

Aman, as usual, broke all of their reveries by cheerfully engulfing his sister in a bear hug.

“Aman!  You’ll ruin her hair and you’re wrinkling her dress!”  Payal reprimanded, annoyed that the incredulous man had ruined her masterpiece within a second.

“Kindly, shut up Payal, before I’m forced to duct-tape your mouth shut.”  Aman smiled evilly at her.

“Haww!”  Khushi slapped his shoulder.  “Be nice to her.”

Sensing an argument brewing, Akash decided to douse the situation.  “Remember me, Ms. Kilogram?”

Khushi’s smile was erased from her face instantly and replaced with a frown.  She was clearly displeased at being addressed with that name.  She was even more annoyed that Aman was guffawing while Payal tried, unsuccessfully, to cover her own laughter.

Just bloody perfect!  They’re making fun of me in front of Arnav...

“You call me that one more time and...and...”  Khushi sputtered.

“And what?”  Akash challenged.

“And I’ll tell everyone a certain story about a certain boy proposing to a certain girl and what followed...in great detail.”  Khushi crossed her arms smugly.

Akash’s eyes narrowed.  “You wouldn’t.”

Khushi raised an eyebrow challengingly as if saying “Try me.”

The two stared at each other for a couple of seconds and then burst out laughing as they, presumably, recalled the incident.  Arnav watched with growing amusement as Akash and Khushi shared a quick hug too.

Suddenly, out of absolutely nowhere, Arnav found himself wondering how long it will be before he and Khushi reached that comfort level.

What the...!

“You haven’t changed at all, Akash!”  Khushi smiled at the man who grinned back.

“But you have...you went from Ms. Kilogram to......a woman that models would envy!”  Akash shamelessly raked his eyes from Khushi’s head to toe.

“Would you stop flirting with her in front of Arnav?!”  Payal frowned.

Aman smirked.  “Why are you getting irritated?”

Khushi looked between Aman and Payal with narrowed eyes, as if accusing them of keeping secrets.

“Excuse me...um...Ms. Kilogram?”  Arnav questioned.

Khushi rolled her eyes and suppressed the urge to groan.  Akash, however, gladly jumped at the opportunity.

“It's what everyone called her in high school to irk her...she used to be stick skinny and then her initials...K.G...Abbreviation for Kilogram and it just stuck.”  Akash grinned.

“My initials are K-K-G!”  Khushi whined.

“Not for too long.”  Akash winked suggestively.

Arnav pressed his lips together, catching on to the implied tease and glanced at Khushi to see her blushing profusely.

“Oh please!  Stop teasing my sister....”  Aman exclaimed, draping an arm around Khushi.  “Let's talk about your initials Mr. Akash Suraj Singhania.  What do you think of that?”

Khushi and Payal burst into giggles and Arnav couldn’t help but smile.  Partly, the reason behind his smile was Aman’s witty retort but Arnav knew that the bigger reason was the way her laughter sounded.  The feeling that the sound invoked was akin to the feeling that follows hearing the baby’s first cry after birth: pure and unhindered joy.  Her laughter, Arnav concluded, was contagious.

“Enough you guys...let's go before Garima aunty bursts a vein!”  Payal suggested smartly.

“Yes!”  Aman made an impatient noise.  “I bet she’s already freaking out...”

“Asha aunty, too...she’s practically besides herself.”  Akash shook his head as he recalled running into the kind lady earlier.

“Alright...we’ll go in and make the announcement...you two just need to walk in...”  Aman looked at Khushi.  “Try not to trip...”

Khushi’s jaw dropped slightly.  “Oh gee....thank you for the tip Bhai!  That didn’t make me more nervous at all!”  Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Arnav looked at Khushi for a long second.  She didn’t seem to realize it but while trying to poke a jab at Aman, she’d indirectly admitted that she was nervous.  Arnav felt a weird sense of calmness settle over him.

Well, that makes two of us.  Good to know that I’m not abnormal.

Payal, Akash, and Aman gave the couple warm smiles and encouraging nods before walking towards the hall.  Arnav and Khushi followed quietly, walking side by side.  Arnav noticed the extra cautious steps she was taking, trying to be mindful of the hem of the skirt of her lehenga.

Stupid Aman! 

As the three friends walked into the hall, Arnav and Khushi stopped in front of the large wooden doors with intricate carvings, listening hard for the announcement that would soon follow.

Arnav looked at the woman standing next to her with her eyes squeezed shut, her lips quivering as she spoke inaudibly.  He felt the corner of his lips lift in another smile.

“Relax, Khushi...breathe!  You’re going to hyperventilate.”  Arnav used his ‘doctor’ tone that he normally used to calm down anxious patients.

Her eyes flew open the moment her father’s voice echoed in the hall, seeping through the door, reaching their ears in a muffled form.  She started taking deep breaths to calm herself and that erratic heart of hers.

“I’m fine.  I can do this.  I’ve got this.  I can do this.  Come on, Khushi...You can do this!”  Khushi muttered to herself.

A chuckle escaped him at her giving herself a pep talk.  “You make it sound like you’re going to war.”

Khushi looked at him sheepishly.  “I’m...I....I just...”

He chuckled and shook his head.  “Relax Khushi...I’m only joking...you’re anxious...I understand.”

“How are you so calm?!”  Khushi blurted, feeling that this situation was absolutely unfair.

He gets to be calm, composed, and confident, while she’s a bundle of nerves!

Devi Maiyya!  You’re supposed to be on my side!

“I’m not.  Who told you that I’m calm?”  Arnav admitted, indirectly, that he was nervous too.

“You look like you’re about to take a stroll in the garden.”  Khushi sulked and looked at the door in front of her.

Arnav shrugged.  “Doctors are supposed to have a good poker face.”

“Now without further ado...”

The words spoken by Arvind on the other side of the door instantly increased Khushi’s nervousness.

“I won’t trip.  I won’t trip.  I won’t trip.”  She chanted to herself religiously, looking at a flower carving straight ahead at her.

“I won’t let you trip.”  His voice was husky, serious, and sincere.

Khushi looked up at him, secretly appreciating his height.  Even with three inch heels on, the top of her head barely went past his chin.  He still stood four to five inches above her. 

He raised his eyebrows questioningly and it was then that she realized that he was holding out his arm for her.

He was offering her support.

Holding his hazel eyes with her turquoise tinted emeralds, she wound her right arm through his left, letting her slender fingers curl around the bulging muscles of his upper arm.

He responded to her grateful smile with a charming smile of his own.  He didn’t know what had made him offer her his arm, he didn’t know how she would react but he had felt compelled to do it anyway.  She was anxious and uncomfortable and all he wanted to do was calm her and make her comfortable.

Sure, they would both need time to get used to this new relationship that would form between them in a few minutes but from the looks of it, she seemed to be having a more difficult time dealing with these changes than he had.

He remembered his conversation with Dadi earlier that day.  She’s explained how it’s more difficult for the girl because she has to leave the world she has known as her home and enter a brand new one, in a brand new role, with brand new responsibilities.

He knew that this moment would have been very different if this wasn’t an arranged marriage situation...but it was.  And one that had progressed at the speed of a bullet!  He couldn’t do anything to change that, nor could she, because for both of them, their family’s wishes came before their own as far as the proceedings of the marriage were concerned.  What he could, and he would, do was try to make this as comfortable and smooth as possible for her.

And his simple gesture had done wonders to soothe Khushi’s jumpy nerves.  He felt her relax next to him just in time.  A couple seconds later, the doors in front of them swung open and the two walked into the hall, sporting genuine smiles.  The hall thundered with applause at their grand entrance but what caught their attention was the pair of proud parents who stood on the stage, smiling down at their kids affectionately.

All of Khushi’s remaining apprehensions flew out the window at that point.  Her father had tears of joy glistening in his eyes and he looked at her as if she had given him the most precious gift.  He looked utterly proud of his daughter and even her Maa looked ecstatic.

This felt right.  The happiness on the faces of her parents and Arnav’s parents felt right.  The bliss on Aman’s face felt right.  The joy on Payal and Akash’s face felt rigt.  The way her arm sought support from his felt right. 

He feels right.  The concept of us feels right.

Involuntarily, her hand around his arm tightened its grip slightly.

Like the gentleman he was, he gently freed the arm she was holding on to and climbed the first of the four steps only to turn towards her again.  He extended his hand offering support without being asked again.  Khushi placed her hand in his, noticing how gently he held it.  She followed him up the stairs and was immediately engulfed in a quick hug from Asha and Garima.  Devyani, holding onto Akash’s arm, walked up to Khushi. The elderly lady wiped a tad bit of Kohl from her own eyelid and placed a small dot behind Khushi’s ear in a gesture to ward off the evil.

No time was wasted after that.  Arnav and Khushi were seated on the throne-styled elegant loveseat.   Aman had been summoned with the rings and he sauntered over with a goofy grin in place.  He handed the small blue box to Khushi and she took it with a slightly shaky hand.  She turned in her seat to face Arnav, keeping her eyes downcast, looking at his manly hands instead.

Asha squeezed Arnav’s shoulder encouragingly, and taking the hint, he extended his hand towards Khushi.  Khushi couldn’t help but marvel at the steadiness of his large hand that occupied the space in between them.  Her hand was trembling and the ring felt oddly heavy in her hand as she slipped it onto his long ring finger.

As their families and the crowd applauded, Khushi looked up at him from under her lashes and gave him a small smile.  He returned the smile before he turned towards Aman and took the box he offered.  Arnav picked out the ring that had been the one since he’d laid his eyes on it.

The single emerald sat pompously in the center, surrounded by a circle of small diamonds.  Together, the gems rested on a band of white gold which was studded with small diamonds as well.

Just like the decorations, Arnav had picked this ring almost immediately after going through many other designs.  The emerald had reminded him of her eyes while the simple yet elegant design had reminded him of her.  Right now, he wanted nothing more than to know whether or not she liked the ring.

He glanced at her when she raised her hand slowly.  He didn’t miss the slight tremors in her hand and automatically reached out to hold it steady.  Her fingers felt fragile and cold in his gentle, warm grip.  He slid the ring onto her slender finger, feeling an odd satisfaction as he registered the way the emerald stood out against her milky skin.  He held her hand for a few moments longer than necessary before he slid his hand away from hers slowly.

The moment the contact broke, Arnav and Khushi were hauled up and into various hugs.  Both of them sought blessings as a pair from their parents and hugged their friends as everyone rejoiced in the union.

For the next hour or so, Arnav and Khushi barely had the chance to speak to each other as the guests took their turns to come up on stage and congratulate them.  As the moments passed, Khushi had found herself relaxing more and more.  Of course, it helped that Aman, Payal, and Akash kept coming back every few minutes to keep them entertained.

Suddenly, without warning, a group of men with Dhols rushed into the hall from the side entrance, immediately adding a homely and festive feel to the environment. 

Khushi sat there, silently cursing her luck as she watched people make their way towards the central space which was the makeshift dance floor.  Her mother had specifically told her to keep seated and not get into these insane dances.  She was supposed to behave like an ideal bahu.  Apparently, in Garima Gupta’s books, that meant that Khushi wasn’t allowed to dance at her own freaking engagement.

Hmpf!  So rude!  What does a girl have to do to have fun at her own engagement?!

She wanted to bang her head into the wall out of frustration when Payal ran up onto the stage, trying to urge Khushi to join them on the floor.  Khushi, from the corner of her eyes saw her mother scowling at them from the other end of the hall.  Rolling her eyes, Khushi refused the offer as politely as possible, making an excuse that her uncomfortable shoes wouldn’t let her enjoy the dancing properly.

“You can always take them off, you know.”  Arnav suggested once Payal had huffed away in displeasure.

Khushi shrugged but gave him no other response.  Arnav watched her as she turned to look at the crowd dancing again.  He could tell that she wanted to go and join them.  Her feet were already tapping in synch with the beat.  He didn’t buy her excuse of the uncomfortable shoes for one second.

Maybe she doesn’t feel comfortable going there in the crowd.

Arnav turned towards the crowd to see that his mother had joined the group and left no stone unturned to express her joy on this occasion.  He couldn’t help but smile when Akash, Payal, and Asha started a little Bhangra step of their own.  Arnav was too busy to notice that Aman had walked back to them and had taken a seat next to Khushi, in turn pushing her closer to him.

“Asha aunty is stealing the show!!”  Aman spoke after a few minutes.  He was practically jumping in his seat.

“I know!”  Khushi chuckled whole heartedly.  “She is so cool!”

And she meant every word.  Khushi couldn’t understand why the TV shows made the mother-in-laws so damn scary.  Asha was cooler and more lenient that Khushi’s own mother!

“Go Asha Aunty!!”  Aman cheered loudly over the music, knowing well that his voice may not reach her.

It must have, however, because a second later, a beaming Asha turned in their direction and waved them towards the floor.  Arnav chuckled and shook his head but Aman jumped off the stage with gusto and joined her.  Khushi saw Payal and Akash trying to get a hesitant Garima to join the crowd.

Khushi and Arnav observed Aman and Asha for a few long moments until Khushi chuckled out-loud once again.

“Aww!”  Khushi looked endeared.  “She is so adorable!”

“Who?”  Arnav looked at Khushi.

“Asha Aunty!”  Khushi looked at him like he was crazy.  “Do I have the best mother-in-law, or what?!”

Arnav felt the corners of his lips lift up at her undaunted comment.  Sometimes, she was just like a child, speaking without a second thought, letting her innocence pour out into her words.  He liked that quality in her.  What he didn’t like was how she was practically forcing herself to sit there when what she really wanted to do was run out onto the dance floor.

“Look...Khushi...why don’t you just go and dance?”  Arnav raised his eyebrows when her head whipped around to look at him with an expression akin to shock.

“What?”  Arnav shrugged.  “You know that you’re dying to have fun with them...you should go...”

She looked at him for a long moment, trying to figure out just how he knew that she wanted to go and have fun.  Her thoughts must have reflected in her expression because the next second he shrugged again.

“You’re practically dancing in your seat.”  Arnav noted.

He watched with increasing amusement as colour rushed to her cheeks.  For the first time since they’d set foot into this hall, Arnav found himself admiring her again.  With minimal make-up, long silky hair let down in perfect curls, and just enough jewellery, she looked beautiful.  The colour of her lehenga contrasted with her eyes, making them stand out even more, just like the emerald on her ring finger.

She was beautiful; there was no doubt about that.  Her eyes had taken over his thoughts since he’d met her; there was no doubt about that.  They were engaged now and she was his fiance, there was no doubt about that.  Arnav Singh Raizada was already captivated by Khushi’s innocence and beauty; there was no doubt about that, either.

“Khushi!”  Asha’s voice made Arnav look away from Khushi’s flushed face.

He watched as his mother excitedly climbed the steps of the stage, holding onto her saree pleats, and headed directly towards Khushi.

“Come dance with us!”  Asha held Khushi’s hand and tugged gently.

Khushi’s unsure glance flitted towards Garima and then at Arnav.  Arnav nodded imperceptibly, telling her to go without worrying.

“Um...I...”  Khushi stammered, looking up at Asha.

“I don’t want any excuses...come, let’s go.”  Asha pulled Khushi up and started walking off the stage.  Arnav’s eyes flickered towards where Khushi had looked earlier and he understood the reason for her hesitancy.  Khushi’s mother suddenly looked a tad bit annoyed while Khushi’s father held her hand in a gesture to keep Garima from charging towards Khushi.

Arnav wasn’t unaware of Garima’s old-fashioned ways, of course.  He’d heard many stories about it from Aman and he’d even witnessed an outburst from Garima when Aman had disclosed their plans of going clubbing one day.

He sighed and looked at his mother and Khushi who were now a part of the crowd and his lips curved into a bright smile seeing the two ladies match each other’s steps.  Both of them had one hand rested against the back of their hand, while the other rested on their waist as they swayed their hips in the classic dance step.  Arvind, Aman, and Akash took turns twirling Asha, Khushi, and Payal joyfully. 

Feeling awkward on the stage all alone, Arnav also stood up and made his way towards Khushi’s parents.  This was the perfect time to talk to them about his plans.

His eyes kept darting to the woman in baby pink, his mind and heart glad that she was enjoying herself.  He hoped that her parents would consider what he had to say to them.  He’d already spoken to his own parents and they’d been supportive of his suggestion and now he wanted that same support from her parents.

Before he could reach Khushi’s parents, he found himself being dragged towards the dancing crowd by Aman and Akash.

Inevitably, they shoved him next to Khushi and within seconds, the couple found themselves standing in the center of a concentric circle as the dhol beats peaked, nearing a climax.  Khushi clapped in time with the beat and looked absolutely comfortable even with him standing next to him.

Well, that’s one step forward, I guess.

The entire hall was taken over by the echoes of applause, cheers, and wolf whistles as soon as the music stopped.  Arnav flashed a polite smile and moved to remove himself from there but Payal held his hand and pulled him back.

“Where do you think you’re going my would-be-jeejaji?”  She winked boldly.

Arnav smiled at her politely.  “I need to speak with Shashi uncle and Garima aunty...it’s important. I promise I’ll be back soon.”

Payal pouted but nodded anyway.  Arnav turned on his heels and waved to Aman.

When Aman noticed his friend, he walked over with a confused frown on his face.

“What’s up?”  Aman questioned as the two stood face-to-face, away from the crowd.

“Come with me...I need to talk to your parents and I think you should be there too.”  Arnav said as he glanced over at Khushi.

Aman raised an eyebrow doubtfully.  His sister’s happiness and safety took the priority in his mind.  “What?  What’s wrong?”

Arnav turned to look at Khushi and smiled naturally.  He was even more sure of his decision now than before.  He needed to do this for her.  She deserved it.  He turned back to look at his friend.  “It's about Khushi.”

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