Foundation of Marriage

Part 22 - Roses and Food

Khushi rushed to her room after dinner, eager to finally open the parcel she had tucked away in the cupboard. As she had expected, the beautiful roses inside had begun wilting. She muttered to herself, frustrated for not checking earlier. Just then, Arnav walked into the room and saw her holding the wilted roses.

Arnav: "What the hell! "Yeh kya kiya tumne?"

("What the hell! What have you done?")

Khushi looked up at him with her wide, innocent eyes and began explaining nervously,

Khushi: "I thought it was something important for you from the office, Arnavji. I didn't know it was... this."

She gestured to the flowers, feeling guilty.

Arnav: "Why didn't you read the label? It clearly said what it was!"

Khushi: "I was in a hurry to go down and prepare lunch, and I didn't want to be late. I thought I'd check it later, but then I forgot..."

Arnav: "Anyway," he said, trying to sound casual, "I just sent that so Shyam would see it. It's no big deal. Just crush the roses and put them in the soil of my plants."

In truth, Arnav had sent the flowers and the gift because he wanted to give her something special. But seeing her ignore his gift had bruised his ego, so he quickly made up the excuse about Shyam. Khushi felt a pang of guilt as she carefully discarded the wilted roses, wishing she had been more attentive. After mixing them with the soil in his garden, she noticed the crystal heart-shaped memento still in the parcel box. Without thinking twice, she placed it on her bedside table, adjusting it carefully. 

Arnav watched her out of the corner of his eye, feeling a small sense of satisfaction despite his earlier annoyance. As she turned to him with a small smile, Arnav's stern expression softened slightly. Despite everything, it warmed his heart to see that she had given it a special place. Even if she had missed the flowers, it seemed she hadn't missed the gesture entirely. He had been thinking about her a lot lately, about how much he loved her, despite the unresolved differences between them, and how her gestures had been showing to him that she loved him too. He liked spending time with her, therefore there was one thing that kept nagging him, and he decided it was time to address it.

Arnav: "When are you planning to join back work at ARD?"

Khushi (hesitated): "I... I don't think I want to work at ARD anymore"

Arnav (surprised): "Why not?"

Khushi: "It just doesn't seem fair anymore. I'm the boss's wife now. People will think you're being partial to me, and I don't want that. It wouldn't be right."

Arnav leaned back on the bed and said with a teasing glint in his eyes.

Arnav: "If that's your only concern, I can always punish you more often in the office to keep things fair. Maybe even give you extra work."

Khushi felt a surge of anger but quickly controlled it.

Khushi (sarcastically): "No need to go through all that trouble for me."

Arnav smirked at her response but then noticed the thoughtful expression on her face.

Arnav: "What are you thinking about then?"

Khushi: "I was thinking of starting something on my own."

Arnav: "You mean like a business?"

Khushi: "Yes, I have some ideas, but I'm not sure how to begin. And I haven't asked Naaniji yet."

Arnav (puzzled): "Why do you need to ask Naani?"

Khushi looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.