Arnav had been so frustrated when he had gotten home, okay Khushi put up a picture of an actor, big deal right? It wouldn't have been had she not rubbed in the fact that she wanted their child to be like him. "Oh great Khushi thanks. God forbid our child be anything like me. That would just be the end of the world, wouldn't it?" He argued with himself. Even as the day went on his anger didn't cool. Everyone returned in the evening, he could hear their laughter from his room which was making him even angrier. Of course, Arnav was sure they must have all had so much fun with Khushi Bhabi, probably laughed about him walking out, making more stupid "Laad Governor, Raakshas" jokes. Arnav clenched his jaw and went outside to the poolside to spend some quality time with the one thing that soothed him, his garden. He watered his plants and began to enjoy the solidarity and peace he found out here. He could do what he wanted here, act how he wanted, say what he wanted and no one would talk back to him. It was bliss.
"Chotte." Anjali called and Arnav frowned, bliss never lasted long did it? "Can you go drop this off at Khushi Bhabi's I forgot to give it to her." Di said, Arnav turned to see a baby book in hand and he scowled.
"No." He said simply and turned his head back to his garden.
"Arre Babba, itna gussa! Please Chotte I'm so tired and Khushi Bhabi will need this at some point. Abhi ki abhi jaon aur chutki mein vapaas aon. Simple." Anjali said and Arnav groaned.
"Di!" He whined.
"Arre, yeh kya baat hui? Pehle toh tum bekaraar teh usse milne aur abh... Khushi Bhabi neh humhe bataya tah ki kya hua. She was only having some fun, aur tum, kitne pathar dil insaan hoon." Anjali speculated and Arnav rolled his eyes. He walked over to Di and grabbed the book.
"Stop being so over-dramatic Di. I'll give it and come back. I wont stay there long, nor will I talk to her. Happy?" He asked and she smiled, ruffled his hair and walked away.
"Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada." He said whilst looking at the book. "You really are a piece of work." She made the mistake, she was rude and she told his sister on him and made him look like the bad guy. She should write a book. "Nautanki kahi ki." He said, with a small wry grin. Khushi was in her room, she placed all the bears in her cupboard, she was halfway through the first box of Jalebis and she had tied the tagha on herself earlier. Now she just needed to find the right place for Arnav's gift.
"Deewar peh, yah toh yahaan?" She said contemplating moving her hero's photo elsewhere if not removing it all together. She lifted the photo of Salman Khan up. "Apne humhe bohut sari problems diye thi aaj, jaante hoon? Arnav ko gussa kiya, aur woh bhi jab unho ne itna pyaara sah tofa diya. Aur maine apki ki khatir kitne bakwaas kehe diya. Usse toh bura hi lagenga na." Khushi said to the photo.
Arnav was standing by her door listening to her having this exchange, not wanting to interrupt, knowing she would never say any of this in front of him.
"Hum jaante hai ki woh perfect nahi. Bohut zyada gussa karta, mujhe khabi khabi rolata, jalebia nahi kaata, lekin phir bhi...hameshaa mere hi bharon main sochda...." Khushi said and felt a pang in her heart as the guilt increased. Arnav was outside near to breaking point, he wanted to go in there and take her home then and there and never let her out of his sight. But he controlled himself.
"Hum yeh saab kyun kehre? I'm still mad at him for what he did. What kind of man lets the apparent love of his life walk out on him? Chi!" She said aloud and this is why Arnav had stopped himself, she would come back to him when she was ready not when he wanted. It had to be on her times this time. Khushi lifted up the picture of Salman Khan and put it in her wardrobe.
"Tik hai Laad governor aap jeetgaye, mere Bholu! Tum aaj se humare bedside table peh rehenga, khush?" She asked her photo but was shocked when she heard a reply.
"Extremely." Arnav said and she turned to the direction of the sound and saw him stood there. "Aap?" She asked, Arnav noted how this time her tone wasn't accusing, nor was it followed by get out, she was just surprised. Whether she liked this surprise or not, he was about to find out.
"Hah main, why do you usually expect other men to turn up in your house in the middle of the night?" He asked, knowing full well the answer to that question was no. But he just loved teasing her, Khushi became nervous, he could tell as she was close to tearing her dupatta up.
"Nahi woh, aap pehle bohut gusa teh...isilye humne socha....ki...tum kuch din ki liye..." Khushi tried to verbalise her thoughts but the incessant beating of her heart made it hard for her to concentrate and the way he was looking at her did not help.
"Kuch din ki liye kya? Tera saath chorega? Tumse baath nahi karoga?" He asked and Khushi nodded, not looking into his eyes. He walked up towards her, throwing the book on the bed, not that Khushi noticed the book, she just noticed him, how close he was, how good he smelt and how heartbreaking it was not to be in his arms. He brushed his hands against her arms, his touch sending jolts of electricity through her body.
"Khushi." He said huskily, sending another pang into Khushi's heart. "I made the mistake of letting you go once, I'm not a big enough fool to do it again." He said and Khushi looked up into his eyes to try and decipher if he was being honest. His eyes burned with an earnest intensity that made Khushi's heart soar. She smiled up at him but Arnav knew that she'd need more time. He couldn't expect her to be over it in a few days. Before they could start a fight he decided to leave. He removed his hands from her arms and stepped away.
"Err Di wanted me to give you that pregnancy book." He said pointing to it on the bed and Khushi nodded. Arnav began to walk out the room awkwardly when he reached the door he turned back to look at Khushi. "I'll call you tomorrow." He said, testing the water, if she was willing to move on she wouldn't complain but if she was still going to hold a grudge for longer than he expected she would most definitely kick up a fuss. Khushi smiled and nodded, Arnav hid his smile and ducked out of the Gupta house not wanting anything to ruin this.
Khushi woke up the next day quite late, she'd started the pregnancy book last night and had freaked herself out. She loved kids and babies, but being pregnant, giving birth to them and looking after them seemed to be a lot more intense than she had expected. She'd be getting mood swings, she already had the sickness, her feet could swell up, as well as her legs, she would get pains all over her body, she would start lactating- Khushi didn't even fully grasp what that was and had to look it up! Then the Labour process, oh god, how would she handle that? Khushi was beginning to feel slightly in over her head, she finished getting ready when her phone went off.
"Hello." Khushi said, her tone reflecting her worry.
"Hi, Khushi kya hua? Have you been sick again?" He asked and Khushi shook her head.
"Nahin, woh, I started that pregnancy book last night." She replied to Arnav who made a sound of approval. "Main sochri thi khi kyun nah tum iss bache ko janam deh aur main bhaas ghar main rehe, tik hai?" She asked and Arnav made a face on his end.
"What? Khushi." He warned.
"It seems so horrible Arnav, so much illness and pain and...main mothi hojaogi!" She said and Arnav rolled his eyes.
"Really, we're about to have a baby and you're concerned because you're going to gain weight." Arnav said whilst thinking how unbelievable she was being.
"We? I don't believe you have to push a baby out, do you?" She shot back and Arnav suppressed a laugh, she needed comforting not taunting.
"Jaan." He said softly. "I will be there every step of the way even if you don't want me to. Every time you're ill or in pain I will be there for you. Every ache and pain and I wont care if you get fat either." He said.
"Shukriya, I'm so glad that you're still willing to love me when I'm fat from having you're child!" She said sarcastically and Arnav rolled his eyes, he hadn't meant it that way.
"And, when you go into that delivery room I will be there with you and when you hold our baby in your arms for the first time, I'm sure you'll realise how worth while all this is." He said and Khushi became thoughtful.
"Aap itne samajdaar kabse hua?" She asked.
"I was always mature and wise, you were just too immature to notice." He said cockily and Khushi gasped.
"Tum, tum..!Tum khabi nahi sudroge!" She said and cut the phone. Arnav grinned knowing she wasn't serious, these kind of exchanges always happened between the two, sometimes their silly fights helped their love to grow, it was one of the things he loved about Khushi. Nothing was easy with her, she had a fiery temperment too, but she only really let it out with him too. Arnav smiled to himself as Akash walked into his office.
"Kya baat hai Bhai, you look very happy." Akash speculated and Arnav looked up at him.
"Woh kuch nahi. Akash can you let Di know I'll be home late today, I'm going to go see you're Bhabi after work today for a little...quality time." He said with a grin.
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