Arnav Khushi's kids

6. Rendezvous with heartbreak - Pari

"All promises are meant to be broken." - Josh Billings

Disclaimer: The newly introduced characters in this story are purely a product of my imagination and are not intended to cause any offense.

--*--

It was Diwali of 2040. Arnav-Khushi's usually timid and reserved daughter, Pari, was bustling with energy. 

Being a natural beauty with fair complexion, flawless skin, deep brown eyes inherited from her dad and long eyelashes gifted from her mother, she was stunning any day. But today she had taken extra time to get ready. She spent hours to perfectly style her long, silky black hair. Her beautiful lavender colored lehenga was adding charm to her appearance. And why not? In the past few days, she had spent hours at AR's design department, discussing with one of the finest fashion designers there and got her clothes specially tailored, for all 5 days of Diwali! This had never happened before! All these years, as she and Aru grew up, her Maa, her Rama Dadi, her Payal maasi tried so many times to get her interested in dressing up but she would choose to not spend much time on it, letting her natural good looks do their job. Even when Piya and Aru had long ago started getting their dresses and especially festival clothes and lehengas custom made from AR, she would just go with whatever her Maa chose for her.

But this year was an exception. Not that she didn't trust her mother's choice anymore. That she always would. But this year, there was an urge to dress up, to look good, to make a good impression...

After all, this was going to be his first Diwali experience! And she wanted him to like everything about it, the food, the decoration, the celebration...and her!

His name was Nicholas Smith. Also known as Nick.

He was an American exchange student who attended her university this year, just for this one year. It was their final year at undergrad, a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in prestigious Delhi university.

They had instantly hit it off! After all, he was so much like her. Soft spoken, introvert, nature lover and mainly, a nerd! They were often found reading and discussing a book in the library.

When their university had Diwali holiday, he mentioned how he had heard a lot of this festival but never really knew how it was celebrated. That was when Pari extended an invitation to him to attend Diwali celebration at Raizada Mansion.

And tonight, on the main Diwali night, he was going to be here...

Khushi who had just come outside in the front yard of their house, to check if Piya and Pari needed help with the decorations, she couldn't believe her eyes. Piya wasn't around but Rangoli was already done, and her daughter was engrossed in doing the finishing touches. Since the past few years, Piya and Pari had taken over Khushi's job of doing Rangoli and lighting beautiful diyas around their mansion. But this year, Pari beat her piya didi to it and already worked on a beautiful peacock-themed rangoli.

"Kitni sundar rangoli banayi hai (This is such a beautiful rangoli), beta." Khushi's words of praise got her Pari's attention, and she looked up with a shy smile.

"Really maa? Sab ko acchi lagegi na (Everyone will like it, right)?"

Khushi felt a little puzzled about why her otherwise always confident child was suddenly asking this, but she gave an honest answer, nevertheless. "Everything my baccha does has always been lovely, toh sabko toh pasand aayegi hi (then of course everyone will like it)."

Pari looked pleasantly satisfied with her maa's approval.

Khushi soon understood the reason behind her daughter's nervous excitement today when guests started arriving in the evening and Pari introduced her new friend – Nick, to them. Every year, all Raizada kids invited their friends to their Diwali celebrations along with other family friends that Khushi, and Payal got over and some business associates that Arnav and Akash invited.