SS: Selfless, Cold and Composed - Part 3

Part 3

'Chote? What is going on? I don't understand. You and Khushiji? I thought you couldn't stand her? Is Mamiji right? Do you like Khushiji? What is happening?'

'Di, not now!' Arnav shrugged Anjali's hands from his shoulder and stormed off after Khushi.

He had barely left when he saw her by the side of the road and put his foot on the brake. But even before he could get his seatbelt off she had turned around and started to walk towards the car. He watched confusedly as she got in herself and put her seatbelt on before looking at him expectantly.

'Shall we go then?'

Arnav gritted his teeth and started the car, going in the complete opposite direction to her house. As he drove he kept looking at her to see if she would mention that this wasn't the way to her house but she only looked straight ahead the whole time. Eventually they got to a fairly deserted road and he stopped the car, took off his seatbelt and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. 'Are you really engaged?

'What?' She looked as if she'd been expecting him to ask something completely different. What could be more important at this moment than finding out if she was engaged or not?

'Are you engaged?'

'I...Why?'

'Khushi, answer my question!'

'Excuse me Mr Raizada but I'm your employee, that's all. My personal life is nothing to do with you. Besides I don't matter to you remember, so why do you care if I'm engaged or not?'

'You weren't engaged last week. Or you would never have let me... I want to know is this because of my engagement?'

'Because of you? You must be joking!' She shook her head and looked out of the window again, 'despite what you might think Arnavji my life does not revolve around you nor do I make stupid decisions in anger that could affect my whole life.'

He couldn't miss the implication in her derisive statement but he couldn't argue with it either. He had made his decision hastily in his attempt to run away from her he'd gone running straight to Lavanya and said the first stupid thing that came into his head.

'Are you engaged or not Khushi?!'

'Are you going to take me home or not Arnavji?'

He wanted to shout at her to get out, make her own way home but he knew that she'd have no idea how to get home from here and it would take her an hour at least on foot.

As soon as they reached the house she got out, slowly this time. He watched as she got out carefully and then checked the seat and the floor of her seat to ensure she hadn't left anything behind.

He didn't move for 10 minutes, stayed parked right outside her house wrestling with his emotions. He didn't want to be with Khushi, she was too complicated, too traditional, and she affected him too much. But the thought of her being with someone else, making somebody else laugh, living with someone else, and kissing someone else, it made him feel sick. He had to know if she really was engaged and who to.

The door was opened although not by the person he'd been expecting, the person he wanted. 'Hai re Nand Kisore, what has she forgotten this time?'

'No, no, she hasn't forgotten anything. I came to talk about her... her engagement.'

'So she'd told you about it? Maybe you can convince her, I don't know what we're going to do with this girl. Her father is in such a state and she won't even try to understand!'

Arnav felt his heartbeat speed up at her words, 'you mean she hasn't accepted yet?'

'No, she doesn't realise that she'll never find someone better than Shyam babua, he's helped us so much and she doesn't appreciate it. You know she respects your family a lot, maybe if you spoke to her?'

Something flickered in Arnav's mind at the mention of the name Shyam. Di had been saying last week in one of her countless mentions of Khushi how Jijaji still hadn't met her and Arnav remembered wondering how it could be that Jijaji had never met Khushi even once over the past couple of months. Then he remembered Jijaji's increased workload which had started almost at the same time that Khushi began to come to the house.

'I can try. Can I speak to her alone?' Arnav had no intention of convincing Khushi to marry anybody whether it was Shyam or someone else but he wanted to talk to her and he had no problem with lying to her Aunt to achieve that.

She was wearing a pale pink dress and brushing her hair while staring absently into the mirror. She didn't notice him walking into the room and he took the opportunity to just stare.

When she did notice him she stood up abruptly dropping the brush in her hand and it landed with a large clatter on the floor.

Khushi's Aunt came running in immediately at the sound, 'hai re Nand Kisore, what happened?'

'Nothing Buaji, I just dropped my brush.'

It was another couple of minutes before Khushi's Aunt left after a lot of over gesticulating and exaggerations and Arnav wondered how Khushi could stand the woman.

'What are you doing here?'

She was back to her blank emotionless face but Arnav knew it was a lie now. He'd seen her when she'd been combing her hair. Her exhaustion and unhappiness had been evident on her face. He wanted to ask why she'd spent all evening lying about her emotions and her engagement but the more important one right now was the engagement.

He didn't answer her question but took his phone out of his pocket, located the picture he wanted and held it out to her. 'Is this your fiance?'

She looked confused as she took the phone and then shocked. 'Yes, but how do you have a picture of my fiance?'

He took the phone back from her controlling his anger and began scrolling. 'Wrong. This isn't a picture of your fiance for two reasons. Firstly, your Aunt told me that you refused to get engaged,' he gave her a smug look as he said this 'and secondly because this man is already married.' He held the phone out again and watched her face change to shock and horror.

'Anjaliji? You mean Anjaliji's Shyamji and my Shyamji are the same?'

'He's not your Shyamji!'

She looked instantly apologetic, 'no, no, of course that's not what I meant. I don't... I didn't.'

'I know, I know, you didn't do anything. You never do anything!' He spoke bitterly remembering her earlier dismissal of all the moments between them. 'I'm sure my brother-in-law just came after you himself.'

'What?! So you think any rich guy would do? I wouldn't care even if he was married? Please don't sugar coat it, tell me what you really think,' she added sarcastically.

He saw the look on her face and regretted opening his mouth at all, 'Khushi, I didn't... I just... I can't understand what's going on. How do you know him at all and why is your Aunt so desperate to get you married to him?'

Khushi sat down slowly on the bed still looking shocked and started talking. Arnav sat on the chair she'd been sitting on before and listened as Khushi told him how she'd first met Shyam in Lucknow and then he'd moved in and why her Aunt wanted to get them married.

She paused and looked at him hesitantly before she continued, 'I did think about saying yes but I didn't... I don't love him so I told Amma that I couldn't go through with it but Buaji won't let the matter rest.'

Arnav stood up slowly, he knew that he should be concentrating on Jeejaji and his deceit but all he could think about was the fact that Khushi wasn't engaged, there was no other man. The semi-normal way she'd just told him everything, without the cold facade she'd been wearing earlier and the way she'd looked at him when she said she didn't love Shyam had given him some hope.

Maybe the situation wasn't as dire as he'd thought only an hour before. However he still wasn't ready to allow Khushi to see his weakness and decided he needed a plan. 'You mean to say your Aunt wants you to get married just because of a little graffiti on the wall?'

'Well she's very conservative and she was worried about the neighbours gossiping.'

'Because of some graffiti?' He looked around at the dressing table as he spoke trying to choose his weapon. He decided on the glass full of water, it looked like it would break easily. He picked it up slowly before looking at Khushi straight in the eye determinedly and throwing it across the room.

She stood up immediately, 'Arnavji! What are you doing?!'

He walked over to her and put an arm around her waist pulling her towards him and his other hand behind her neck, 'what I should have done last week.'

Arnav vaguely heard the sounds of people running to the room before he bent his head and kissed her and the rest of the world ceased to exist.

She resisted slightly at first, refusing the open her mouth but he ran his tongue across her bottom lip causing her to sigh and open her mouth slightly and he took the opportunity to sneak his tongue in and make the kiss more intense. Slowly she began to respond and put one hand around him and up to his back while she snaked the other up his still half-buttoned shirt until she came into contact with his chest and she stroked the skin there lightly.

He opened his eyes when he felt Khushi pulling away from him but he was pleased to find it wasn't a willing parting but that she was being pulled away by her sister.

'Khushi! What are you doing?'

'Sanka Devi! I knew you would be the ruin of us one day! And you Arnav Singh Raizada! You said you would talk to her about Shyam and we find you in this disgracing position!'

Arnav looked at the bewildered expression on Khushi's face as he spoke 'No. Khushi and I will get married, straight away. Then there'll be no disgrace, no ruin, no gossiping.'

He waited for her reaction but there was only stunned silence throughout the room before Khushi's mother spoke.

'Khushi, is this why you didn't want to marry Shyam? Are you happy?'

'No Amma! I mean... I don't,' Khushi spoke nervously but she was interrupted before she could finish.

'Garima, what are you saying?! No! This can't happen! What about Shyam babua?'

Arnav couldn't believe this woman, if only she knew the truth about Shyam. 'This isn't your decision to make!' This is between me and Khushi and her parents.'

He walked out of the room and stopped in front of Khushi's father bending down to talk to him. 'I need your permission to marry Khushi. I promise you I will protect her, I'll keep her safe, I just need your permission.'

Arnav watched in amazement as Babuji lifted his hand slowly and unsteadily before placing it on Arnav's head.

'Babuji!' Khushi came running from where she had been standing in the doorway with her family to sit next to Arnav in a similar position as they had been in when Di's brace had come out.

Babuji nodded with considerable effort as he lifted his other hand to Khushi's head.

Khushi looked from her father to Arnav in shock, 'but... but Babuji... I can't... No! I don't want to. I won't marry you!'