Love Me Like You Do

Do you know who she is?

Present, January 1st, 2012, Shantivan.

"You're Khushi Agnihotri?" Mami screamed.

Khushi panicked on her reaction. "Mamiji, calm down... jiji..."

Mamiji had started hiccuping.

"Beta, what was the reason you..." Mamaji asked. He rarely asked for information, but for Khushi, Sanka Devi, Parmeshwari, Phati Saree to be Khushi Agnihotri, was clearly pretty shocking to him.

Khushi closed her eyes then felt Arnav grasping her hand. Payal was looking at her with a sly smile, when she opened her eyes.

"Six months ago, I returned from Harvard after completing my degree to Mumbai. I was to join the business with my father. But a few weeks later, my ex boyfriend came there. He was obsessed with me and was willing to go to any extent. He... "

She looked at Arnav and he nodded. "His tactics in getting under the security and threatening me was scaring my father. So Papa took decision to send me to Lucknow to lay low. I came to Garima Maasi's home and stayed as an orphan. It wasn't new. I am an orphan. The Agnihotris adopted me when I was 11. I got a new life, a new personality, a new identity and stayed as Khushi Kumari Gupta.

When jiji's marriage got cancelled and my face got plastered in Lucknow's news channels, my father was scared again. He supported Garima Maasi's decision for me to move to a new city. We came to live with Buaji and..." She looked at Arnav. "I dented his car with my borrowed scooter."

Akash laughed. "You dented his brain Khushiji."

"We are in-laws with Agnihotris." Mami whispered.

"I think she's still in shock." Payal giggled.

"Jiji." Khushi looked at her sternly.

Nani was too shocked to react. Anjali looked at Khushi with newfound respect. Mamaji was happy with the truth but unsure of how he felt otherwise.

"We got married five weeks ago. Khushi's pregnancy is five weeks along." Arnav announced.

This brought a smile on everyone's face.

"Can I celebrate becoming a Maasi now?" Payal whined.

"Payal bitiya. I have one question. You are a Gupta. Of the..." Mama didn't dare to ask.

"Babuji let his elder brother take over the business. After my birth mother passed away and he married Amma, he wanted a simple life." Payal explained.

"Who's going to tell Nk?"  Anjali smiled mischievously.

"I will." Khushi said.

"Can I please be there to see his reaction?" Four people screamed.

When Nk was told, he almost fainted. 

He looked at Arnav. "Nannav, keh do ki ye jhut hai. I didn't flirt with Khushi Agnihotri. It can't be true." He was blabbering like crazy for a whole minute till Arnav silenced him with a tight slap.

Nk clutched his cheek and sat down on his bed.

"That was for flirting with my wife."

"Okay, Nannav."  NK was still in a daze.

***

"Mumma Papa have been wanting to meet you." Khushi said to Arnav as they cuddled that night.

"Now they can meet everyone. Shyam did us a favor really."

"He never gets it, does he?" Khushi asked, frustrated at her soon to be ex brother-in-law.