Chapter 9

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. Frowning, and slightly startled, Khushi walked to the window, threw it open, and looked down.

Aman waved at her frantically from below, accompanied by Akash who grinned like a fool. Only when she looked hard did she see Anjali and Payal lurking in the shadows of her mother's garden's plantations.

"What?" Khushi mouthed.

"Come down!" Aman stage whispered.

"Right now? Why?" Khushi frowned, feeling ridiculous as she whispered like thieves in her own home.

"Just come down. From here." Akash gestured towards the window.

Khushi's eyes rounded. "I can take the stairs..."

"NO!" Aman hissed fiercely. "Maa can't know. Climb down."

Khushi threw a nervous glance over her shoulder. As far as her mother knew, Khushi was fast asleep after the exhaustion of the pre-wedding ceremonies. But still...why the hell did they want her to climb down from her window?

"Just jump. We'll catch you." Aman raised his arms up as if waiting for a small child to jump into the cradle.

"Absolutely not!" Khushi deadpanned.

"Oh come on...you're light as a feather and there are four of us here! We have this!" Aman stage whispered again.

Khushi held up a finger. "One minute!"

Khushi ran back to her bedroom door and made sure it was locked before she tied her hair in a messy ponytail.

With surprising agility and ease, Khushi threw one leg out the window, balancing her night slippers clad toes on the thin ledge on the outside wall, while she sat straddling the window ledge. Aman's jaw dropped slightly in surprise as she climbed out of the window completely, balancing herself on that two inch wide ledge. Holding on to the window for support, she reached out with one leg and one arm to reach the nearest set of branches of the tree growing just off the side of her window.

With feral grace, she climbed down one branch after another until she landed lightly on the soft damp grass and smirked at her brother and Akash's stunned expressions.

"What?" Khushi shrugged innocently. "How do you think Payal and I snuck out sometimes?"

Aman opened his mouth to admonish her but Akash intervened. "Save your arguments for later...we need to go!"

Akash grabbed Khushi's wrist and started leading her towards where Payal and Anjali hid. The three women giggled as they rushed with hushed footsteps towards the back gate of the yard. The gate, to Khushi's surprise, was open just enough to let them squeeze by. Soon after having tackled the gate, they rushed down the street towards Aman's SUV.

"Where are you taking me?! I'm in my PJ's!" Khushi argued even as Payal shoved her into the back seat.

"Don't worry...we've got you all covered." Anjali tossed her hair over her shoulder, sliding in next o Khushi while Payal flanked her other side.

Aman got in behind the wheel while Akash took the seat next to him. Khushi watched on, confused as ever, as Aman drive away from the house and onto the semi-busy roads of Mumbai.

She found herself getting annoyed when no one offered her any explanation and more over, they ignored her when she asked what they were doing. They stopped at a gas station and Payal and Anjali both scurried out of the same door, forcing Khushi to get out with them.

Shoving a bag in her hands, they led her to the dinky washroom and ordered her to change. Not in the mood to argue at this point, Khushi quietly changed into the navy blue Anarkali suit and slipped on the navy blue flats.

Well...clearly, we're not headed to the club...so much for my bachelorette party!

As soon as she stepped out, they whisked her away again and Khushi tried her best to ignore the weird looks they got from the cashier behind the counter. Once again, they shoved her into the car as if she were being kidnapped -and that is exactly how she was beginning to feel now"and then they were off once more.

A few long minutes later, Khushi realized that they had driven away from the urban area of the city and were driving towards the beaches. A few more minutes later, Aman veered off onto a dirt path leading into a small secluded beach area. Khushi could see lights glimmering ahead but Aman stopped a bit away.

Anjali stepped out and Khushi followed suit. It wasn't until she stepped out that she noticed the familiar car parked a little further down. As if on cue, the door swung open and out stepped her fianc, looking like a supermodel, dressed in black jeans, navy blue shirt, and a black vest to compliment his look.

Khushi forced herself to breathe and look away as he approached them. She refused to be caught staring!

"Here you go, man. She's all yours." Aman teased, making Arnav throw a nervous glance in Khushi's direction.

Anjali snorted rudely. "He thinks he's so clever!"

"I like to think I am, Ms. Raizada." Was Aman's quick response.

Anjali opened her mouth to retort but Payal interrupted. "Oh stop it you two. Even I am growing tired of these childish arguments...and if you two want to fight, let's set up a ring for you two and hand you a pair of boxing gloves but stop ruining their date."

"Date?" Khushi whirled to face Payal, surprised.

"Oh...um...yes. You have a date with your fianc and no, I don't want an over the top oh-my-god-what-the-hell reaction from you." Anjali rolled her eyes impatiently.

"I wasn't going to give you an over the top reaction...It's just that you guys didn't have to be so damned cryptic about the whole thing..." Khushi argued.

"I'm glad we did...how else would I have figured out how great my sister is at escaping through windows." Aman scowled and looked at Arnav. "I suggest you board up all the windows in your room...if she ever runs, it would be through there."

"Bhai!" Khushi gasped, feeling indignant while Arnav chuckled.

"You climbed out of a window?" Arnav's voice was amused, his eyes twinkled with humor and a smile tugged at his lips.

"Yes." Khushi answered, her tone challenging him to make fun of her for it.

Arnav's lips twisted in amusement. "That's impressive."

"Thanks..." Khushi murmured and looked at Aman. "Well?"

Aman sighed. "It's more adventurous this way. Yeah, you could have left smoothly through the main door and we could've told you where we were taking you but where's the fun in that?"

Khushi narrowed her eyes at him and Payal made an impatient sound.

"Stop killing time here and go! I am not giving you more than two hours...she needs her beauty sleep for the wedding tomorrow." Payal scolded.

"Why are women so bossy?" Akash blurted and regretted it the very next second when three pairs of eyes threw glares at him.

"I will speak to you about this later." Payal threatened and turned to Arnav. "Will you just take her and go?!"

"Khushi?" Arnav called out to her and Khushi's heart raced at the way her name sounded from his mouth.

Every. Damn. Time.

She nodded lightly in approval and walked to him until she came to a stand next to him. Together, the two bid goodbye to their friends and siblings and turned away. Arnav gestured for her to walk ahead and as usual, he walked next to her.

They walked in companionable silence until he suddenly came to a stop in front of her, his hand held out. Khushi twisted the end of the duppatta more harshly as her eyes darted between his face and his hand a couple times.

"Trust me?" His voice was so warm, so relaxing.

Khushi found herself holding his gaze and accepted that even though she didn't know him that long...trust him, she did. Slowly, she lifted her hand and placed it in his, marveling at the warmth and gentleness of his hold.

He led her around the small hedge of bushes until they were on the beach. Her lips parted in a pleasant surprise as she took in the view.

There was a small table with two chairs, draped in white tablecloths. The setting was centered in a large oval of small candle lanterns along with a few Tiki lanterns shoved into the ground. The waves of the ocean faded a few feet from the table and as they got closer, she noticed a thermos with two classy coffee mugs. There was also an ice bucket in which a small champagne bottle sat alongside an equally small bottle of wine. Of course, to go with those drinks, there was a pair of long stem glasses perched next to the ice bucket.

"I figured it's a tad bit late for dinner." Arnav shrugged, noticing the question swim in her eyes. "And I didn't know what beverage you might prefer."

A shot of vodka to calm my nerves, please!

Smiling at him, Khushi took a seat when he pulled out the chair. All of this seemed a bit familiar but for the life her of her, she couldn't recall where she'd seen this before.

Maybe some movie...or maybe I read it in some book...

Arnav watched with bated breath as she looked around, taking in her surroundings. She looked absolutely beautiful. With no makeup or jewelry, a plain navy blue outfit which made the green in her eyes pop out, the dark, deep red of the henna on her hands arms, and the candle-light reflecting on her bright face...she looked ethereal.

"You did all this?" She questioned.

Arnav chuckled and shook his head. "I wish I could take all the credit but no...This was a very last minute plan so I've had a lot of help from the gang."

Khushi nodded thoughtfully. "It looks so peaceful...I could sit here all night."

Arnav smiled widely. "I don't think Payal and Anjali will be very happy about that."

"No, I don't think so." Khushi chuckled.

"Champagne, wine, or coffee?" Arnav gestured towards the two bottles and thermos.

For some reason she didn't know, Khushi laughed at his question. Never in her wildest thoughts had she considered this date and the fact it was actually happening was so bizarre that she found it amusing. And the question itself was so odd...Champagne, wine or...coffee.

Of all the things... Khushi curbed the urge to roll her eyes.

Her eyes settled on the bottle of red wine but she dismissed the thought immediately. Would he judge her for choosing wine? She didn't even remember if she told him that she drank occasionally. She decided to play safe...for now.

"I guess I'll go with the coffee." She smiled

He looked amused, like a parent who knew that their child had done something wrong but listened to their no, I didn't do it' explanation anyway.

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "I've picked up news that you like to have a glass of wine sometimes..." Dismissing her choice of coffee, he reached for the bottle of wine.

"Anjali told you?"

"Who else...?" Arnav gave her a lopsided smile. "You apparently like to keep things from me...especially your likes and goals."

She seemed apprehensive as she glanced from the bottle in his hands to his face.

"Khushi, I'm not going to judge you for drinking alcohol..." Arnav spoke with the tone one would use with a child.

Khushi felt herself relax at his words. She didn't what the hell she was thinking when she thought he might be upset if he found out that she drank. Didn't Indian culture expect an ideal girl to not drink?

Drawing from his assurance, Khushi sat back in her seat. "Wine sounds great. I could use a glass to calm my nerves."

"Cold feet?"

Khushi lifted her gaze to meet his. Was he worried about her backing out??

What the heck?

"No...just...pre-wedding nervousness." She paused for a second as he worked the corkscrew. "You?"

"No. No cold feet." An amused smile played on his lips as if he were enjoying a private joke while he poured out the deep red liquid into a glass. He lifted his glass for a toast as he handed her hers. "To the last night of bachelorhood."

Khushi smiled a little wider. "To the last night of me being Ms. Khushi Kumari Gupta."

She clinked her glass with his and took a sip but he didn't move at all, his eyes watching her keenly, trying to decipher her words and expressions.

"You've...given your married name a thought?"

Khushi shrugged. "Naturally..."

"And what have you decided on?" He took a sip of wine to soothe his suddenly dry throat.

Blood rushed to her cheeks on cue as he made her say the name out loud but she wasn't going to fall for it. "I'll be dropping the Kumari Gupta' to take on your full name."

His eyebrows knit together slightly with a tinge of disapproval as he mulled over her answer. He set his glass on the table and leaned a across the table slightly.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Arnav held her confused gaze and let the respect he had for this woman shine bright in his eyes. "Make it Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada."

Khushi burst into a small laugh at the lengthy name he suggested and he watched her with a frown.

"I'm serious." He stated matter of factly.

The laughter stopped instantly and her eyes rounded slightly. "Oh..."

He sighed as he leaned back in his seat, his eyes never leaving hers. "I don't want you to lose your identity just because you'll be getting married. You are Khushi Kumari Gupta...why should that change just because you decided to get married?"

"But culturally"" Khushi began but he interrupted with an impatient shake of his head.

"Damn the culture. No one is forcing me to become Arnav Gupta...why shouldyou have to get rid of your name? Khushi, your birth certificate, your degree, all your certificates and awards, everything has your maiden name on it because that who you are. I would like you to keep your maiden name and just attach your married name to it. Of course, the decision is yours but...this is just my opinion."

Khushi looked away guiltily. It's not that she agreed with the tradition of the girl dropping her maiden name to take on her married name...She actually wanted to go for Khushi Gupta-Raizada' but truth be told, her mother had put her foot down and refused flat out.

"Maa won't like it..." Khushi murmured.

"I think she'll accept it if you tell her that I made you keep your maiden name." Arnav shrugged. "We'll talk to your parents together...that's if you want to keep your name."

Khushi slowly pulled her eyes away from the serene waves to the serene face in front of her. Suddenly she felt overwhelmed. His ability to figure out what she wants without her saying a word about it was scary but heart-touching as well. Her hand automatically reached out and curved over the one he had rested on the table. She saw the surprise on his face as his eyes glanced down at their hands.

"Thank you." Khushi gave his hand a small squeeze before withdrawing.

She stared down into the deep red liquid as she took another sip from her glass. Arnav decided to change the topic and jumped at the first thought that came to his mind.

"How's the wine?" His chin pointed slightly in the direction her wine glass.

And so began their conversation about wines which led to popular countries for wines which led to countries they'd visited and wanted to visit in the future which, in turn, led to the conversation of a Bucket list or a list of things they wanted to do.

The conversation shed a light on the similarities in their hobbies. Although they preferred old Hindi songs, or classic international songs, they also kept up-to-date with the music of the current day and age. Though they preferred to sit down with a good book, they sometimes went out to have some fun with their friends and loved ones. Although they both loved travelling and seeing new places, their favorite place to be was at home with their family.

Arnav didn't even realize when he only had a few minutes before Payal and Anjali would come back to take Khushi away. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Khushi brushed a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He had an opening for the next bit of the conversation.

"Where's your ring?" Arnav questioned.

Khushi looked down at her left hand and then looked at him sheepishly. "It's at home. I took it off for the mehendi and then decided to keep it off for the halditoo...I didn't want any of the pastes to get into the tiny grooves."

"Okay." He nodded and then looked at his watch suggestively. "I think I should take you back to the car. They'll be back any minute."

Khushi gave away none of the disappointment she felt. This date had been absolutely perfect. She was having such a good time that she didn't want to leave. She stared out at the waves while he sent a text message. Then she stood up reluctantly to follow when he stood up. They'd barely taken a couple of steps when he spoke up again.

"Hey...do you want to see a magic trick?"

"Um...sure...?" Khushi frowned, unsure of what had brought this on or where he was going with this.

"Close your eyes." He stopped walking and turned to face her.

She looked at him speculatively and the amusement returned in his eyes.

"Trust me?" He whispered again.

Damn him! Khushi sulked internally knowing that he was going to use that statement a lot in the future. Since she did trust him, she closed her eyes dutifully. She strained her ears to hear something"anything"but she picked up nothing.

"Khushi?"

His voice had changed. It was confident but she didn't miss the slight tremor of nervousness. His voice was almost soft, cajoling, and hopeful. She opened her eyes and the very next second, her eyes rounded and her hands flew up to cover her mouth even as her jaw dropped.

Whatever she had expected to see, it wasn't this!

"You ring isn't at home." He stated matter of factly.

There he was...kneeling on one knee, holding up her engagement ring, a lovely smile on his gorgeous face.

Khushi's heart raced and speech deserted her. All she could do was stand there and stare at him with utter shock.

Is he really doing this?!?!

"It's kind of too late to ask if you'll marry me..." He shrugged impishly. "You agreed to marry me when you barely knew me but now...you know me a bit better...so I guess I'll ask you this: Are you sure you want to marry me?"

Behind her hands that covered her mouth, Khushi's lips curved into a big grin before giggles shook her body.

And she had thought this date couldn't get more unreal!

And of course, as every proposal warrants, tears rushed into her eyes because of a different reason altogether. This feeling was like having hoped for something for a long time, then losing that hope altogether, and then your wish coming true in the blink of an eye when it was least expected.

Seeing her reaction, Arnav couldn't help but grin widely as he waited for her to come to terms with his surprise.

"Oh, My God! I can't...I don't believe this..." Khushi took a deep breath and blinked rapidly to blink away some of the tears before she looked down at him. "I've never been more sure than I am at this moment...so yes...I'm sure I want to marry you."

Arnav's heart stuttered a beat at her words. She lifted her trembling hand for him and he held it in his as he slipped the emerald engagement ring on her ring finger, where it rightfully belonged. Still holding her hand in his, he stood up, unable to stop grinning. The unmasked joy reflected in their mirrored grins.

She couldn't ask for anything more at this point.

This was her dream proposal: A dinner date on a beach with candle lanterns all around and ending with the cheesy proposal. He'd made her dream, one of her deep buried wishes, come true!

As everything clicked in her mind, Khushi looked back at the table and the setting before her eyes scanned the beach and then returned to his face.

"How did you know?" She breathed, her heart still beating in an ecstatic rhythm.

"I have my sources..." He smirked. "Do you want another surprise?"

Khushi took a trembling deep breath, still aware that he hadn't let go of her hand. "I don't know if I can handle another one today..."

Arnav tilted his head to the side, towards the bush. "They've got the whole thing on a video and pictures."

Khushi's head snapped in the direction and the very next second, Aman, Akash, Payal, and Anjali scampered out from behind the bushes, cameras and phones in hand. Arnav gently let go of her hand as everyone made their way towards them.

"You're engaged!!!" Anjali announced, making a beeline for Khushi.

"You told him!!" Khushi's mind finally processed the detail at the same moment Anjali crushed her into a big hug.

"Your reaction was so perfect!" Anjali chuckled. "Tears of joy and all!"

"I think this is one of the best proposals I've seen...the fact that this is an arranged marriage makes it even more special!" Payal spoke dreamily.

Akash made a mental note: Payal will be expecting a cheesy proposal.

"Aren't you glad you let us kidnap you?" Aman ruffled Khushi's hair as he gave her a hug as well.

"Here! Let me get another picture of you two!" Akash positioned Arnav and Khushi side by side and held up the camera.

Automatic smiles lit up their faces as Akash snapped a picture and the next few minutes were spent clicking more pictures with the group of them. Finally, Payal and Anjali decided it was time to go.

"I'm sure you want to look good tomorrow, Khushi...I'll never forgive you if you're sporting dark circles for your wedding pictures." Payal draped an arm around her friend and started walking towards the cars while the others followed.

"Give me a minute...I need to talk to him." Khushi spoke quietly.

Payal scoffed. "What? The last two hours weren't enough?"

"I need to talk to him about the proposal." Khushi rolled her eyes.

Shaking her head, Payal let go of Khushi and walked ahead while Khushi slowed down to fall in step with Arnav. He smiled down at her but didn't slow down as they headed towards the car. Khushi tugged at his elbow to gesture him to slow down. He finally caught on and slowed down more.

"Everything okay?" He glanced at her sideways.

"I just wanted to talk to you...well...I wanted to thank you." Khushi smiled at him.

"For what?"

"Multiple things. You always seem to know what I want even if I don't say it...first letting me finish my degree...then the whole thing with the married name...and now the proposal..." Khushi glanced down at the ring, reliving the sweet memory. "I just want you to know that I really appreciate it...you've done so much since we've gotten engaged while I've done pretty much nothing to return the favor."

He stopped walking and Khushi turned to look at him, coming to a stop as well.

"I'm not keeping count Khushi...nor am I expecting anything in return for what I'm doing." He shrugged. "I told you...I like making my family happy...granted that we've barely known each other for a month but the fact remains that you're my fianc. You're a part of my family and I will do everything that I can to make you happy."

"Let me return the favor then!" Khushi pleaded, feeling selfish. "Let me do something for you..."

"Show up at the altar tomorrow." He countered, his tone teasing her.

Khushi caressed the gems on her engagement ring. "I just promised that I'll be there."

He smiled at her but the seriousness didn't leave his expressions. "Khushi, I'm not keeping count...and I don't want you to feel obliged to do something for me...I'm sure I'll need you to do something for me at some point but we'll cross that bridge when we get there...we have an entire lifetime for that."

Khushi smiled and nodded gently, holding his gaze with hers. "We do..."

Simultaneously the two took a step towards each other and shared a friendly embrace that silently promised companionship. Khushi chose to ignore the cooing and aw-ing behind them as she pulled away from him.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Khushi took a step backwards.

He walked forward as she continued to walk backwards. "See you tomorrow."

With a last smile and another blush, Khushi turned around and walked towards the awaiting crowd while he followed. Leaving Akash, Payal, and Anjali with Arnav to pack up everything, Aman and Khushi got into the car and drove off.

That night, rather than brooding over leaving her parents' home, Khushi fell asleep watching the moonlight flickering on the ring on her hand, and thinking about the future that awaited her as Mrs. Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada.

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