Air Beneath My Wings(On Hold)

Sowed

Arnav found Aman laying on the sofa, furiously typing away, when he entered the new home with his wife in tow.

Khushi lightly indicated that she was heading to their room, that he could come later after talking to Aman.

Nodding at his wife, he made his way to the living area, making Aman stop typing and turn up at the noise. "ASR!"

Arnav raised an eyebrow.

Aman got the hint. "I mean, Arnav. You're back! What time is it?" Aman looked at laptop screen again.

"11:45." Arnav supplied. "What has brought you outside your room?"

"Nothing. I needed some coffee and then just lost track of time, I guess."

"Anything I should know?"

"Really nothing, Arnav. Everything is fine."

"Are you convincing me or yourself?"

Aman sighed.

Arnav proceeded to unbutton his suit and get out of it. "Just tell me dammit. What has you working at this god forbidden hour?"

"Alex." Aman murmured.

Arnav turned to his right hand man. Did he hear him right? "I'm sorry. Alex called you? At this time?"

"No. She... She is very much like me, Arnav. Hard headed, resourceful. She wants things to be done a certain way and for this one request, I'm having a hard time understanding why do it."

Arnav took a seat beside him when Aman sat up and pulled his laptop to the center table. Looking at the screen, he scrunched his eyes. He blinked. "That can't be right."

"It is."

"But the venue-"

"Venues can change, Arnav."

"I never thought it would be this big. But we are on track, right? We can easily manage it."

Aman nodded. "We can. The only thing is, not only Aspire but Indigo has eyes on us too now."

"Khushi." Arnav closed his eyes.

*****

Khushi was happily singing an old song Arnav and her had caught on the radio on their drive back home. "Zindagiiiii, kaisi hai paheli, haaye!" She let her hair curl into a bun at her hands' auto mode. (Life, it's such a puzzle!)

"Kabhi ye hansayeee ... " She pulled out her earrings one by one. "Kabhi ye-" (It makes you laugh sometimes. And sometimes-)

"Hell no. Our lives are never going there." Her husband cried, making her turn around in surprise from the vanity. How had she not seen him in the mirror?

Arnav was at the door, barely in view of the mirror placed strategically for them to view anyone at the only door of the room. "Damn you. You gave me such a fright."

"Sorry, love. But I don't like that you picked this song from all that we heard."

"Well, its stuck in my head." Khushi complained. It was. Maybe because that was how life was for her right about now. It was a puzzle. Like Payal. It made her happy, like Arsh, like Piyush. It made her sad, too. She hated that the very culture she had been bred in by her relatives was feeling suffocating, when Amma had reminded her of it.

"Khushi."

Khushi looked up to see her husband crouched to match her height, as she was still seated at the vanity. When had he come here?

"Is something bothering you?"

How did he always know?

"Just the evening. We'll get through it." How, she did not know yet. To make Amma change her mind, something drastic would have to take place. "Somehow, we will."