Chapter 8

As the three of them made their way through the arrivals gate, Anjali's eyes immediately scanned the crowd for her family. She caught a glimpse of her father and her tearful mother waving in frantic excitement at her.

Leaving Arnav and Khushi to follow, Anjali practically ran to her parents and flung her arms around them as the floodgates opened and tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks.

Khushi also rushed up to greet her parents while Arnav walked up to them casually, with an impish smile on his face.

He was a happy man. His sister was back, his family was ecstatic about the impending wedding, his fianc was a beautiful woman with a kind heart, and he had just spent the last 16 hours sitting next to her. Thankfully, the flight was made more bearable by the conversations they'd had about random topics, amusing conversations between Anjali and her, and then conversations with all three participants.

Naturally, the more he spoke to her, the more familiar she became and the more familiar she became, the more he was drawn to her. He had also begun picking up on small things that she did unconsciously--the way she would blush any time the conversation veered in the direction of their future together, the way a mischievous glint entered her eyes when she spoke to Anjali, the way she would shyly glance away when she caught him looking at her, the way she would toy with the necklace she wore when she was in thoughts.

Not that he would admit it to anyone right now, but he was enjoying spending time with her.

When Khushi parted from her father and turned to greet her in-laws, Arnav found himself being gathered in a motherly hug from Garima. Shashi followed suit and clapped Arnav's shoulder.

"Thank you...again."

Arnav shook his head. "Please don't embarrass me by thanking me..."

Khushi smiled to herself hearing the small exchange between her father and Arnav as she pulled away from Asha.

"How were your exams?" Asha wiped her cheek once more, giving Anjali a side hug.

"Exams went well...I don't think Anjali agrees with me." Khushi chuckled.

"I don't!" Anjali crossed her arms in annoyance. "That last exam was so unfair!"

"I'll tell you what's unfair..." Asha twisted Anjali's ear. "Oh No Mom...I live alone...I wish I had a roommate." She imitated her daughter while Anjali smiled sheepishly, and Khushi bit her tongue cutely.

"So unfair! How come only I get I trouble?! Khushi was also in on it!" Anjali gasped.

Khushi's eyes rounded and then narrowed in warning at her friend.

"She told Arnav right away when she figured it out! I swear, if it weren't for her, you would have never told us." Asha let go of Anjali's ear and frowned.

"Well, if I had told you, you would have turned my pretty sweetheart of a friend into some cunning monster!" Anjali shot an accusatory glare in Arnav's direction. "Especially you...you would have flown down to kick her out of the house instead of announcing your wedding...which by the way I am mad you guys for hiding from me."

Asha and Arvind exchanged a guilty look while Arnav rolled his eyes at Anjali's antics.

"Aunty!" Anjali walked around Khushi to get to Garima. "See...Khushi hid such a big news from her best friend...so did my brother and my parents...now tell me...is that fair?!"

"Of course not." Garima caressed Anjali's cheek.

Anjali stuck her tongue out in Khushi's direction. "See! Aunty's on my team!"

"Where's Bhai?" Khushi questioned sullenly, knowing that her brother would always be on her side.

"Emergency surgery...he left really early in the morning." Shashi explained.

A flurry of conversations carried out as the two families walked towards the parking lot. Anjali did most of the talking, trying to include everyone in the group. Much like before, Arnav chose to be a silent spectator and walked a mere step behind Khushi.

All too soon, the time came for them to part ways. The women began their exchange of hugs once again while Arvind, Shashi, and Arnav resorted to handshakes. When Khushi turned to face Arnav, she found him smiling at him, even though a tinge of disappointment made his eyebrows knit together infinitesimally.

"See you tomorrow." He nodded tightly, knowing that there would be no exchange of a friendly hug this time.

"Khushi smiled and nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"Oh stop acting like you won't see each other for ages! She'll be moving in with you in four days Bhaiyya!" Anjali rolled her eyes.

Asha giggled while Garima looked on wide eyed. Such teasing statements from a woman...that's blasphemous!

Arnav might have told Anjali off if it weren't for the presence of his in-laws and for the crimson hue which quickly made its way to Khushi's cheeks. This time, he'll let it slide.
_____

She adjusted her already too secured dupatta as she walked up the stairs leading into the banquet hall. Oh, how she hated dressing in Indian clothes. Too focused on not tripping over the hem of her lehenga, she didn't pay attention to what, or rather who, she was walking into.

When she finally hit the wall of muscle, she fell backwards and waited with bated breath for her derriere to hit the floor but two seconds later, she realized that she was still floating mid-air.

Her eyes flew open and met astonished brown ones. The warm depths of the brown eyes anchored her even as they moved down her face, scanning, gazing. And then she felt something that she hadn't felt for a long time. Blood was rushing to her cheeks.

Anjali Singh Raizada was...blushing! Blushing because some browned eyes man was looking at her.

What the--!

No! It's the embarrassment! I nearly fell flat on my a**. I'm just embarrassed. And just what the hell am I doing lying comfortably in his arms?!

Instinctively, Anjali pushed at his chest and he blinked at her.

"Do you mind?" Anjali wiggled, indicating that she wanted to get out of his hold.

Without so much as an apology, the man straightened up and withdrew his arms. Anjali smoothed out her dress and averted her eyes from his as the embarrassment caught up. With no other outlet to let off the steam, she shot him a glare as if this entire situation was his fault.

"You're welcome." Humor tinged his deep voice.

"I didn't say thank you." Anjali narrowed her eyes at him.

"No worries, Ms. Raizada...I'm just saving you the trouble."

"Excuse me!" Anjali huffed. "I wasn't planning on thanking you anyway. I nearly fell because of you..."

"But you didn't...because of me."

"But I wouldn't almost have if it weren't for you...I think you owe me an apology..." Anjali crossed her arms, noting for the first time that the man in front of her looked familiar and then something else hit home.

"Wait a minute! How do you know my name?!" Anjali gasped.

"Anyone who knows Arnav Singh Raizada well knows of Anjali Singh Raizada." The man smiled.

Anjali opened her mouth to argue when the man looked past and over her head at something behind her with a big smile on his face.

Oh...his smile! No! Stop it Anjali.

"Well, hello there Gorgeous." The man spoke again and Anjali was surprised at the sincerity in his voice.

All men are pigs...well...except for my dad and brother...wasn't this guy just flirting with me a few seconds ago?!

Anjali turned to face whoever he was speaking to her and jaw dropped to her knees when she saw Khushi walking up the stairs. She whirled around to face the man again.

"Watch yourself! That is my best friend and my soon-to-be bhabhi."

"Whoa...what's going on here?" Khushi questioned as she came to a stop next to Anjali.

"This low life was first flirting with me and didn't you hear what he just said to you when you were walking up the stairs?" Anjali went on a rant.

"What are you screaming about, Anjali?" Arnav walked out from the hall to join them and came to a stop when his eyes spotted Khushi.

She stood, dressed in a blue and red lehenga with only the necessary jewelry to complete her look. Her beautiful eyes were throwing fleeting glances in his direction while blood gradually colored her cheeks.

"This man is getting frank with your fianc!" Anjali accused.

"This man is her brother..." Arnav nudged his chin in Khushi's direction.

Oh shit! Anjali looked between the three of them and she caught Khushi suppressing a chuckle. She was already on a loathing rant...no backing down now.

"Oh whatever! I still don't like him...I nearly fell because of him!" Anjali turned to face Khushi. "And him being your brother doesn't change anything."

"I think your sister is absolutely nuts, Arnav...I think she needs treatment."

"Bhai!" Khushi reprimanded. "Be nice!"

"I can't believe this jerk is your brother, Khushi!" Anjali stopped her foot, looking like a stubborn eight year old.

She grabbed Khushi's hand and walked into the hall in a huff while both Aman and Arnav turned on their spot the watch them leave.

"Hmm...Ms. Raizada...very interesting." Aman blurted a mischievous grin on his face.

"Dude..." Arnav warned, knowing that look well. "She's my sister."

Aman scoffed. "you're the one to talk...you're marrying mine...Do I need to list all the things that will happen between you two that I'd rather not think about or imagine?!"

Arnav's eyed widened at what Aman was implying. "What the--!"

"that's right...and months or years down the road, when you two announce pregnancy...the first thought that will cross my mind is the process of how babies are conceived...I don't need to think of my sister involved in all those scenarios."

Arnav groaned, beyond horrified at this point. "Unbelievable, man! I'm done listening to you right now."

Arnav walked away briskly while Aman followed, his inner devil rubbing his hands together in glee.

It was almost as if the party was waiting for them to return to start. No sooner had Arnav walked into the hall than the music got louder and people of all ages made their way to the centre of the banquet hall.

Of course, the Gupta's and the Raizada's had left no stone unturned. Thesangeet ceremony was being held with all the grandeur of a bollywood dream wedding. Arnav wasn't surprised in the least with the arrangements.

What he was surprised about was the fact that Khushi, who obviously loved to dance, was chatting animatedly with a group of guests. After greeting a few people and speaking to them shortly, his eyes sought out Anjali and he walked to her. Smiling warmly at her brother, she looped her arm through his and smoothed out the non-existing crease on her shoulder.

"I'm very happy for you...you've made everyone so happy...Thank you." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I just hope that you didn't decide solely on what the family wanted...I can see that you're happy but...I just want to make sure that you're actually happy."

"You know I wouldn't make a decision like this simply because the family wanted me to." Arnav stated matter of factly.

Anjali shook her head. "No...but you would make this decision if you knew it brought them happiness...pun intended...don't deny it...you would get married just to make us happy."

"And ruin Khushi's life?" Arnav raised his eyebrows. "Is that what you think of me?"

Anjali bit her lip guiltily. "I didn't mean it like that...I...I just...I don't know how to put this in words."

Arnav took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm happy Anjali...I understand what you're trying to ask...I was worried about the same with Khushi...I wanted to make sure that she agreed willingly too."

"Oh, she did. She's happy with this alliance. I can assure you of that."

"You can?" Arnav's eyebrows rose high up on his forehead.

Anjali nudged her chin in Khushi's direction, who was currently laughing with Asha. "Look at her. She couldn't act to save her life. You should know that about her...her heart reflects on her face...whatever she's feeling; her expressions will tell you better than she can in words. And I don't know about you but I don't see anything but contented happiness right now."

Arnav's lips quirked up in a smile as Anjali's words were processed in his mind. In the short time he had known her; he had figured out that her face was expressive. Her eyes were even more expressive and what better than having the theory confirmed by none other than Khushi's best friend?

"Ladies and gentleman..." Aman spoke up to get everyone's attention. After a few seconds when mostly everyone was looking his way, he spoke up again. "I would like to thank everyone who could join us tonight for my sister and my friend, Khushi and Arnav's, Sangeet. I know that you guys probably want to get back to dancing soon so I won't take much time...but since this is a sangeetceremony, it would be a waste without live music..."

He waved his hand towards a large door on the side through which three people pushed in a grand piano.

Arnav heard Anjali gasp in surprise next to him while a few people in the room cheered, including Akash and Payal.

"You know something about the Piano?" Arnav whispered to her.

She shrugged. "It's obvious, isn't it? Khushi's going to play."




Arnav turned to look at Khushi who was being led to the piano by Aman.

She plays the piano?!

Arnav barely noticed when Anjali left his side to rush up to Khushi. Khushi had just taken a seat on the bench, twisting her hands nervously, when Anjali whispered something into her ear.

The fast appearing red on Khushi's cheeks and Anjali's evil smile was a telltale sign that whatever Anjali had said had to do with Arnav. His breath hitched in anticipation as she expertly placed her slim fingers on the keys, preparing to play.

As the first notes floated to his ears, he found himself being allured to the young woman once again. He recognized the tune almost immediately. It was an old Hindi song which was one of Aman's favorites.

The crowd smiled and swayed gently in time with the music, savoring the sweet bliss the sound brought. She seamlessly morphed the tune into a different one which Arnav recognized yet again as his dad's favorite Hindi song.

He couldn't help but smile at that. She had already blended into the family so well that she knew these things. More than that, he was touched that she had chosen to play this piece. Somewhere, this was assuring of the fact that she had accepted the Raizada's as warmly as they had accepted her.

The warm feeling growing in his heart only doubled when she changed the tune once again...this time...it was one of his personal favorites.

How does she know this...? And then he caught Anjali's smug smirk. Of course.

Aman, who Arnav didn't realize was standing next to him, slapped his back enthusiastically. Only now did Arnav realize that in his trance, he had walked around the edge of the crowd and come to a stop with their family, directly in front of her.

As she played out the song further, she kept her eyes trained on the keys and the crimson flush didn't leave her cheeks.

When she finally did raise her eyes she saw Arnav standing between her father and Aman. She saw joy on Aman's face, surprise on Arnav's, and...tears in her Papa's eyes.

Taking a deep breath, she focused down on the keys again and changed the tune to her father's favorite song. She felt the tears prickling her eyes when she looked at her father again. This time, even Aman's face had mellowed a little. Clearly, he had picked up on the silent exchange between his sister and father.

Tears pooled in her eyes quickly when she saw the ones in her Papa's eyes spill onto his cheeks. She pressed her lips together and focused on the keys again but she could do absolutely nothing about the traitor tears that escaped her eyes.

For as far back as she could remember, she had always been a papa's girl. They were partners in crime when it came to pulling Garima or Aman's leg. He'd been her biggest pillar of support until Aman had grown mature and taken over the role. She was proud of herself for giving her father the only thing he had ever asked of her...she had agreed to get married to fulfill his wish and it was that same wish of his that was going to take her away from him.

Today was nearly done...after this, she had three days to spend with her family until she left. Just three more days.

Knowing that she won't be able to hang on to her emotions for longer, she brought the tune to an end and took a deep, calming breath to compose herself as the last note lingered in the air.

The ring of the applause confounded her to stand up and acknowledge the appreciation. Some people came up to her for a handshake or to give her a quick friendly hug and during those interactions and smiles, Khushi managed to blink the remaining tears away.

By the time she managed to turn to her father, he had also composed himself. Now, he was smiling at her with unbound love twinkling in his eyes. Khushi made to take a step in his direction when Akash tugged at her arm and pulled her away into the crowd which had begun dancing again.

For the next hour or so, Arnav stood with any family member or friend that wasn't dancing and observed the celebrations with a satisfactory smile.

Just like every couple, there were similarities and differences between him and Khushi...and he had accepted that gracefully. He was mellower while she was more out there. He was controlled and composed most of the times while she was bubbly and full of life.

This was exactly the reason why they were perfect for each other. He was, by no means, a perfect human being and neither was she. As a couple, they were as perfect as couples could be. She possessed characteristics that he lacked and vice-versa. If accepted and treated the right way, these differences could contribute towards equilibrium between the two.

But of course that is just a theory. Some couples never find that equilibrium and the misbalance eventually tears apart the relationship.

His observation session was cut short by Payal who cheerfully skipped up to him and held his arm without hesitating. He didn't need to guess twice to know where she was taking him and he knew that there was no point in protesting.

Even Khushi didn't seem surprised when Payal pushed Arnav closer to her. Somewhat stunned, Arnav looked around, trying to grasp the moves but everyone was doing something else and he was a hopeless dancer. The only dance that was his cup of tea was a slow dance and right now, the mood of the party was nowhere near that.

He turned to face Khushi again when her elbow nudged against his arm accidentally. A chuckle escaped him as he saw his Dadi join the gathering with her cute little shoulder and hip sways. His Dadi was immediately joined by Asha, Anjali, Khushi, and Payal. The four women put a hand at the back of their heads, one hand on their hip and continued the soft hip sways in unison while Akash, Aman, and a few other men broke out into wolf whistles.

The warm and fuzzy feeling engulfed his heart again when Khushi, Anjali, Asha, and his Dadi embraced in a group hug. It was a perfect picture: The four women of significance in his life.

Unknown to everyone, even himself, that was the moment that started it all for Arnav Singh Raizada.
_____

The next couple of days passed by in a flurry of activity, especially at Khushi's house. A crowded mehendi ceremony took place the day after the sangeet and of course it involved more singing and dancing.

Khushi, surprisingly, had sat in her spot as the henna artists worked away, making intricate designs on her palms and arms. Many of her distant relatives and friends and other women had come forth to bless her and congratulate her and Khushi had found herself feeling happy.

If someone had told her that she would be enjoying her wedding ceremonies a month ago, she would have told them to go get their mental health checked but now she couldn't deny it. It was too evident in her laughter, in her smiles, and in her glittering emerald eyes.

The haldi ceremony the day after added the radiant glow to her complexion, completing her look of a bride-to-be. The haldi hadn't been all smiles and laughter, though.

Garima had ended up tearful at one point which had induced a round of tears from Khushi too. Once the ceremony had completed, Khushi had sought out her father and given him a big hug, forcing herself not to cry and failing. The father-daughter duo had shared a nostalgic session of recalling childhood memories. After dinner, the four of them had sat in the living room, once again, recalling all their happy memories together.

Now, as she sat at the edge of her bed, she looked around the room which had been her personal space for years. Various pictures of her with her parents, brother, and friends adorned bookshelf shelves, walls, and desk corners. A part of her book collection, her clothes, and other necessities were packed in bags and waiting by the door to be moved to Shantivan tomorrow.

Tonight would be her last night as Khushi Kumari Gupta. Tomorrow, by this time, she will have become Mrs. Khushi Arnav Singh Raizada. Somewhere in her heart, there was joy, there was nervousness but the most profound feeling was of sadness.
The tears were just beginning to prickle her eyes when a small stone clattered against the glass pane of her window.

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