FF: It's Not Right - Chapter 47

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Chapter 47

Khushi ran into the house, giving Buaji a brief twirl on her way towards Payal who was cooking in the kitchen. She pulled the ladle out of Payal's hand and hugged her tight ignoring Buaji's cries enquiring as to whether she'd finally gone crazy.



Payal pulled away from her still holding her shoulders and searched Khushi's face to find the reason for this unexpected show of affection. When they had communicated silently through a few quirked eyebrows and Payal realised Khushi had done what she always did and solved Payal's problems she squealed loudly and gathered Khushi up in another big hug.

Buaji looked on and sighed as Khushi whispered something in Payal's ear and then began jumping up and down on the spot, taking Payal with her. 'Hai re Nand Kishore Shashi Babua, you already had one crazy daughter and now she's infected the other. What are we going to do with them?'

Shashi watched his two daughters looking just as content and carefree as any father could wish his daughters to be and sighed. His sigh was vastly different one to the one Buaji had sighed only seconds ago. While Buaji had lamented at how unladylike her two nieces were behaving and wondering how either of them would ever settle down with suitable husbands, Shashi was wondering how he would ever bear to see either of them marry and leave him behind.

---

Arnav was accosted by Anjali almost as soon as he entered the house and was dragged - well as much as Anjali could manage with a foot impediment - into the living room and deposited onto one of the sofas with Anjali looming over him, hands on hip.

'Where have you been? Chotte, you are not leaving today until you answer all my questions. Don't you love me anymore Chotte? You won't even share with your Di what it is that makes you so happy these days?'

Arnav rolled his eyes at her theatrics. Between Mami, Nani, Anjali, and Khushi it seemed he was destined to a life surrounded by Drama Queens. He had been about to distract Anjali from her line of questioning until he saw Akash who was sitting on the sofa opposite next to Dhruv sniggering behind his newspaper.

'I think there's somebody else you should be asking that question to Di.' He stood up, giving Anjali a reassuring look as he did and made his way over and settled himself in between his two brothers.

Dhruv had eyed Arnav warily as he came to sit next to them but Dhruv had no cause to worry as Arnav slung a casual arm over Akash's shoulders and pulled him close.

Anjali's eyes widened in glee and she rushed to sit on the table in front of her three brothers and lean forward excitedly. 'What? What? What aren't you telling me Akash?'

Akash had turned a deep plum colour and wriggled trying to get away from Arnav's grasp while also fiddling with his glasses nervously. 'Er... no Di, there's nothing to tell... It doesn't matter, Bhai's just... he's just joking. Tell her Bhai.'

'Oh well if you're sure it doesn't matter. I guess that saves me a job of talking to Mama and Mami.' Arnav shrugged and took his arm away from Akash and pretended to be interested in what Dhruv was currently reading. Although how even Dhruv could be interested in The Eden Memoirs: The Reckoning he found hard to fathom.

'Bhaiii!'

Dhruv grinned at Akash's whining tone; he knew he would never be that gullible to Arnav's tricks despite knowing him a lot less than Akash probably should.

'Yes Akash?'

Anjali was watching the interaction in anticipation, knowing that there would only be a few seconds between her and precious gossip about one of her brothers but she would never have anticipated the words that came out of Arnav's mouth.

'Akash asked Payal to marry him.'

Anjali's mouth opened in shock and she looked back and forth from Arnav and Akash to ascertain if she was being duped or if this bizarre turn of events really was true.

'Payal? As in Khushiji's sister?' Dhruv snorted at the coincidence before a thought occurred to him. 'Wait, Bhai do Khushiji and Payalji have a younger sister?'

Arnav looked at him perplexed at the odd question, 'what are you...? No.'

Dhruv wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from his brow. 'Phew, I thought for a minute there I'd be forced to marry her if they did and complete the set.'

'Complete the set?' Anjali asked as she and Akash looked between Arnav and Dhruv in confusion while Arnav glared at Dhruv, hoping to scare him into silence.

Anjali was still trying to process the fact that shy little Akash (as she still thought of him sometimes) had not only wrangled himself a girlfriend all by himself but also asked her to marry him, in full defiance of his mother's wishes without anyone knowing. So she let Dhruv's comment pass pouncing on a still embarrassed Akash for details while Arnav stood up, patted Akash on the shoulder to wish him good luck and strolled off to find Mami.

---

Khushi had locked herself and Payal in their room all evening away from the prying eyes of their Buaji and was regaling Payal with song after song. She had already gone through 'Sun Didi Sun,' and 'Meri Banno Ki Ayegi Baraat' and was on the first verse of 'Oh Jiji' when her loud ringtone interrupted the merriment.

She quickly grabbed her phone from the dresser, grinning as she saw the name flashing on the screen. 'Jiji! Shhh! It's Arnav!'

Payal spread her hands out in affront; Khushi was the one making all the noise. 'What? Khushi I'm not even...'

'Jiji be quiet! Hello Arnav... Arnavji I mean! How is everything? Did you talk to Mami? What did you say? What did she say?'

'Khushi...'

'Oh she said no didn't she? Oh no, Jiji will be so crushed!'

'Khushi!'

'Yes?'

'Can I talk now?'

'Of course you can talk! I've been asking you a question for so long and you won't even give me a straight answer.'

Arnav raised an eyebrow at the irony of her statement. 'Oh really? I won't give you an answer? And what about my answer Khushi? When are you going to give me that?'

Khushi's eyes widened and she turned away from Payal quickly 'Arnavvv... Jiji's here...'

'I know, I know. Anyway Mami said yes, just like I...' Arnav didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Khushi screamed on the other end and he had to move the phone away from his ear for a few seconds but he could still hear the sounds of excitement and celebration making him smile as he imagined Khushi breaking the news to her sister.

It was another minute or so before Khushi came back to the phone breathless and energised all at once. 'Arnav, thank you, thank you, thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me!'

'I think I can guess. Nani wants to come over tomorrow for the Shagun or something. Is that okay? I mean she'll phone your parents later anyway but I thought I'd let you know.'

'Of course it's okay! Okay I'm going to go now Arnav, I'll talk to you later. I'm so excited!'

'Wait Khushi, do you have anything to say to me before I hang up?'

The mood changed in an instant and Arnav listened to the silence that now came through in waves over the phone. He could almost hear her chewing her lip anxiously and grinned to himself. 'Well?'

'Erm... erm... Bye!'

Arnav dropped his phone down on the bed beside him before falling backwards onto the bed himself, his smile wide and full, reaching up to sparkling brown eyes creased with laughter.