Love Me Like You Do

Do you know who stalks you?

"Haaye re nand kishore! E ka pahan rakhi ho. Tumhari kameez kidhar gayi?" (Translation: Oh my lord! What are you wearing! Where's your salwar kameez?)

Khushi halted. Why didn't she change at the apartment? She wanted to hit her head.

"Khushi, achi lag rhi ho. Par ye kapde aaye kahan se?" Payal asked. (Translation: Khushi, you are looking goo. But where did you get these clothes?)

"Jiji, pata hai aaj bohot maza aaya." She started to tell them about Pam's evil idea. Then her plan. Then how she stood up to Pam in front of everyone. (Translation: You know, I had a lot of fun today, sis)

"Lekin Khushi, what was the need of this. You could have simply said you didn't want to participate." Amma said.

"Acha. And give Pam the satisfaction she wanted? Bilkul bhi nahi!" (Translation: No ways!)

"Nand kishore, humari bitiya ko satbuddhi dene ke liye dhanyawad. Isliye tum subah itna fudak rahi thi." Buaji teased. (Translation:Lord, thank you for gracing my daughter with some brains. This is why you were ecstatic in the morning. )

"Wo..." (Translation: That...)

"Koi baat nahi. Kapde to ache hain. Ja ke Babuji ko bhi dikha do." Buaji said. (Translation: It's all okay. Clothes are good only. Go, show your Babuji too)

"Haan hum abhi aaye." (Translation: Yes, right away. I will be back). Her father smiled on seeing her. She told him the whole story, not caring that she had to repeat it.

***

When Payal and Khushi retired to her room, Payal noticed something.

"Khushi idhar aao." She touched her neck at a red mark she had noticed. "Lagta hai tumhe kisi keede ne kat liya. Ruko hum dawai laate hai." (Translation: Khushi, come here. Seems you got bitten by an insect. Wait I will get some antiseptic.)

Khushi was glad Payal left immediately as she would not have missed the blush growing on her sister's cheek.

"Ye Laad Governor bhi na. Humein thora saavdhan rahna hoga. Wo to aise collar waale shirts pahante hain aur hum bina duppate ke jiji ke saath rahte hain. Haaye Devi Maiyaa, agli baar se thora unhe..." She stopped muttering, realizing what she was saying. Next time? No no. this had to stop. What were she and Arnav doing? (Translation: This Laad Governor! I need to be careful around him. He wears all those high collar shirts and here I stay with my sister without any care, my neck exposed. Oh my goddess, from the next time I have to limit him...)

But it felt so right. Whenever she was with him, she forgot about everything else. She always threw caution to the wind at his slightest touch. He had told her if she didn't want to, they wouldn't. Today she had only initiated.

Payal came back and applied an antiseptic on the mark. Khushi controlled herself and tried not to say anything at all.

"Be careful, Khushi. You wore new clothes without even washing them. Do you know how many people just try things in Sarojini and leave it like that? Bekaar mein rash ho gayi na. Upar se green room mein bhi it must be same case."

"Haan... haan jiji." Khushi said.

***

The weekend was hard for Arnav, it was the longest he had to be without seeing Khushi. So, on Saturday afternoon, he sent her a text.

Khushi saw the text and smiled.

Meet me at the apartment.

She made an excuse of shopping at Sarojini and left alone. She opened the door to Arnav's apartment to see that Arnav was in the kitchen stocking things.