Beyond Words

Heart to heart

Aman knocked on the door to the Raizada Mansion. Hari Prakash opened the door and had him seated in the study. Anjali sat in her room on the phone with the choreographer picking songs for the Sangeet. Hearing the door bell ring, she walked out to see a vaguely familiar gentleman being seated in the study by Hari Prakash.

As she walked down, she remembered. "Aman. Chottey's man Friday. He was here with his little girl Anya for the roka ceremony."

Smiling she welcomed him and asked if she could help him. Aman held out a file marked Lucknow and said ASR had asked for it to be delivered home.

"Is he not home?"

Anjali looked at the clock and wondered aloud.

"He usually is. Not sure what is keeping him today."

As Aman got up to leave, she asked him to stay a bit for she was sure Arnav would be home shortly. Aman hesitated and sat back. As they waited, she got to talking and she realized why her Chottey liked Aman. He was quiet, with a quick wit. She was rather nice looking she realized when he reached out to pick his tea. His eyes held back a little something when he smiled.

Khushi pulled her seat belt and watched Arnav ji as he started the car. They had walked around the garden and he had shown her all the plants he had planted with his mom. He had caressed the trees and shrubs as if they held a piece of his mother. Khushi felt overwhelmed at having been admitted to what was surely an inner sanctum in his life.

Where was this leading to? The questions seemed to get more persistent as the unease in her heart grew.

As they pulled out the dirt road, Arnav said he would drop her home.

"Arnav ji."

Arnav looked at her. Her voice seemed to tremble as she said his name. He could see she was fighting within herself about something.

"Arnav ji. I need to tell you something."

"The reason I went to the temple today was that I felt a disquiet in my heart. I don't know where this is headed. Where we are headed. We come from very different worlds..."

She left the words trail as she realized she could not bring herself to ask the one question she wanted to ask him. It seemed immaterial. Whether he loved her or not. She loved him. She had realized that the moment she had linked his hands in hers and shared his sorrow as hers. All she had wanted to do was wipe away the torment that racked his insides.

She couldn't bring herself to talk about how she felt without knowing what he felt for her. She lapsed into silence.

Arnav looked at her. Her face troubled. She looked innocent and beautiful as she sat there weighing where they were headed.

Arnav reached out to her with his free hand. Holding her hand in his he said "Khushi. All I know is that you make me feel complete. I am different when I am with you. I feel lighthearted. I wake up in the morning with you in my thoughts. One tear of yours affects me like nothing does. The prospect of losing you makes my heart stop."

He paused and as if letting go of his reservations said simply.

"I love you Khushi. I always have."

Khushi turned to him. Her eyes looked clear. She gripped his palm and weighed her words.

"I love you too.  Arnav ji."

All her other misgivings could wait. She had heard what she needed to hear. She felt happiness balloon inside her threatening to burst and overwhelm everything around her. She closed her eyes and let the tears come.