The Bride Trilogy - Part 1 - The Chosen Bride

Chapter 4: Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai

It had been one month to their uneventful first meet. The family was ecstatic that Arnav and Khushi were actually interested enough to want to explore the possibility of a marriage with the other.

Arnav was bombarded with ideas on where to take Khushi on dates, and how to treat her, and what to say. Khushi on the other hand, was being cautioned about how far to go, and how to behave with circumspect and caution.

Both of them shook their heads at their well-wishers and did what they wanted.

Khushi's phone rang the next evening. It was an unknown number.

"Hello?", she began tentatively.

"Khushi, its Arnav!"

"Hi Arnav. You got my number from Ratna Aunty?"

"Yeah. This is my private cell number if you want to store it"

"Private cell? How many phones do you have?"

"Just two. This one for family and friends, and a business one for work"

Khushi smiled, "I'll save it".

"I'll text you my business number too, just in case"

"Just in case of what? In case I have a great business deal for you?", she was amused.

Arnav smiled, "Yes. Also in case you want to get in touch with me in an emergency and I don't pick up this phone"

"Oh, ok. In that case, I have to give you my emergency number too"

"Sure"

"Its 102"

Arnav laughed out loud. And Khushi felt those tingles again as his husky voice traveled down her spine.

"Yes doctor", Arnav smartly replied. There was a lull in the conversation after that, though there was a smile on the participant's faces.

"How was your day?", Khushi asked.

"Pretty much the same as everyday. We did have that one moment when the coffee machine broke down and there was widespread panic in the office"

"Oh My God! Are you guys ok?" Khushi asked in a horrified tone, "You should've called me for medical help for the wounded"

"I didn't have your emergency number, but next time, I will"

And they both burst out laughing.

The ice thawed and the conversation continued with both talking about coffee addictions and sharing their favorite beverages.

Finally, when Garima called Khushi for dinner, she had to reluctantly hang up, and realized that they had talked for nearly a half hour. She was surprised, it didn't feel that long. And she really wanted to keep hearing his voice for a bit longer.

Both sat down to dinner at their respective homes with a smile on their face.

The next night, Khushi called Arnav right after dinner and they had another chat, this time about hobbies and friends.

And they settled into a routine. They'd take turns calling each other alternately. Except this time, by unspoken agreement, they'd call after dinner, so the conversation could go on for as long as they wanted.

Khushi was taking two weeks off, after her exams were over, to just vegetate at home, and her only commitments were visits to the NGO and to her father's clinic to help out. Arnav, on the other hand, was busier than normal, with a fashion show being scheduled for the week after, and talking to Khushi every night was his only downtime. It never failed to bring a smile to his face at the end of the day, and he slept better after that.