Dark Night Dawning

Chapter 26

What the _____? Arnav thought as he saw Khushi run toward the exit. He hurried down the stairs after her. He finally found her in the parking lot trying in vain to stop a rickshaw. He quickly found his car and drove right up to her. He got off the car. 'Get in the car, I'll take you home,' he said.

'I can take care of myself!' she snapped back.

'Don't be silly Khushi, just get in the damn car!' he grated out.

Before she could say anything else, she saw some of her neighbours approaching. They were trying to go back home after the wedding and were finding it difficult to avail a rickshaw or a taxi. They requested them to drop them home if it was not too much trouble. Khushi looked at Arnav uncomfortably.

'Of course we will drop you aunty, it's no trouble at all,' said Arnav politely, 'we were headed home anyway,' he added looking pointedly at Khushi.

Arnav knew she wouldn't make a scene in front of her neighbours. As Arnav drove, Khushi sat silently next to him. He couldn't ask her anything with their neighbours just within earshot. He decided to wait until they got home.

After dropping all the neighbours, when they reached home, Khushi got off the car, banged the door shut and scurried into the house. As she began walking furiously toward the main house, Arnav stepped into the courtyard.

'Where do you think you are going?' he asked her, not able to understand her behaviour, 'Don't you have anything to say?'

She turned around, her eyes flashing with anger, 'What do you want me to say?'

'Didn't you hear me at all, out there?'

'Oh that speech?' she asked her tone flippant, 'the last time I asked you, you told me they were Ranjha's lines.'

'Don't you think there is a difference ----- the last time I said it and now?'

'Oh really,.....why don't you enlighten me?'

Arnav's anger rose at the taunt and he came up to her and held her by the soft flesh of her upper arms and backed her up against the wall, 'I came back all the way from London and ____'

'Why?' she asked him interrupting him, 'Didn't it work out with Lavanyaji?'

Why was she talking about his project all of a sudden? 'I don't really care about that deal right now!'

Hey Devi Maiyya! How could he be so callous about it? 'Everything is a deal for you, isn't it? 'How did Lavanyaji take it?'

'What do you mean? .......She tried her best......... but then there was nothing much she could do, because I had to come back here,' he explained to her a little confused.

'You haven't changed one bit, have you?' she asked him indignant, 'you just don't care!'

Again, she was not making any sense. 'You think I don't care?' he shot back, 'What about you? I come back all the way from London for you and here you are ........all dressed up and ready to go out with that that walking hindi dictionary!'

Khushi couldn't believe him. 'You haven't changed at all! You have done this from the first day we met. Blast Khushi --- she crashed my fashion show! Blast Khushi ------ she is not being a good employee! Blast Khushi ------she is brainwashing my girlfriend about marriage.....and on Diwali night _____'

'I wanted to kiss you........ so badly!' Arnav's tone had gone softer. But Khushi was beyond noticing as she continued to badger him.

'Yeah right!' she yelled, 'That's why you got yourself engaged to Lavanyaji!'