ArShi One Shots [compiled]

OS | Banke Laal ji aur Hum

Once Shashi Gupta found out that his old sweet shop had been bought back by his younger damad ji, upon making an almost full recovery from the paralysis, he had insisted on returning back to Lucknow and buying the store back on his own terms. Three years after their marriage, and for the first time since arbitrarily being sent from their childhood home to live with Bua ji, Khushi, and Payal were visiting the home they hadn't thought they would leave the way they left.

Accompanying both the women were their husbands in tow. Akash had been curious to see where his dear wife had grown up whereas Arnav didn't understand why Khushi would want to visit alone and tagged alongside her without an invitation. Aarav had been left with his Bua ji on account of his school work!

Khushi was flickering through the channels on the television as Arnav sat observing her bored expressions in the living area while Payal and Akash were sipping tea behind the fake crystal curtains dividing the dining and living space. Arnav's eyes darted at Payal's voice at hearing a familiar name.

"—Khushi!! Noori Mausi said Banke Laal ji turned the pan stand into a shop! Should we get some for the evening?"

When Khushi had once told Arnav about her colorful chakar, he had dismissed her rant as something that was provoked from unexplored insecurities which she needn't need to bring up.

"Jiji, I don't want to go! He always trying tries to sweet-talk!" Khushi responded absently, forgetting about the time where she once pretended to be in a consensual yet secret relationship of sorts with the man.

"Whose Banke Laal?" Akash piped curiously.

Payal tried to talk in a lower tone but the close quarters were enough for Arnav to overhear, "Oh he used to have a paan stand when Khushi was in college. On the way back Khushi would often stop of gol gappe and chaat and because his stand was right next to the chaat stand, he would give Khushi free paan! Khushi didn't realize that he liked her until Bua ji asked her how much money she spends on paan every day and she said none!"

"A paan wala?!" Akash repeated with apprehension.

"He wasn't just any paan wala though! That's the problem!" Payal added, "He was a Lucknow's bodybuilding champion and he was one of the few people that all the girls had huge crushes on! Khushi was too caught up by Salman Khan to notice though!"

"You had a crush on him?" Akash questioned, offended at the possibility.

"No! I was engaged at the time, remember!" she remarked, as the atmosphere changed to that of somberness at Akash remembering how Payal was previously supposed to marry someone other than him.

Arnav shushed at Khushi as the conversation between his brother and his wife subsided. Not only was he curious about the very real existence of Banke Laal but the man being a professional bodybuilder was piquing a kind of curiosity that NK would've easily labeled as jealousy. Khushi looked at him annoyed and raised her eyebrows in question. "Let's get you that paan!"

"I don't want any!" she replied annoyed at the lack of Salman Khan films on air right now, and also at her husband for going to suggesting they visit a shop of a man who annoyed her.

"I want to go!" Arnav said.

She looked at him, her eyes taking him in head to toe before questioning, "When did you start eating paan? I've never seen you eat paan and I know you don't eat street food!"

"I started today!" he said impatiently. He needed to see how much this very real man that his wife had mentioned about ages ago appeared to be. Arnav did hope that his own take on the man's handlebar mustache and overbearing body size would be real than the one Khushi had narrated to him.