Javed naam hai mera phir se

Chapter 3

- May I come in? - shy voice from behind the door belonged to one of very few people who had a right to enter without permission - yet she always asked.

Arnav stood up to open the door with wide smile on his face:

- Di, off course, you may! Why do you even ask?!

Anjali entered smiling back to Arnav and shrugged a bit:

- I don't want your employees to think that I boss my little Chote around.

Arnav chuckled at this mental picture - Anjali bossing somebody around...

- I guess my ASR image has already been completely destroyed by my wife who keeps spreading those rumours about my warm and generous heart all over the place... So people might as well think that I'm a pushover and bow to my Di.

Di laughed shortly and pinched his cheek:

- Should I start by making you wear kurtha?

Arnav finally noticed quit a sizeable bag his sister was holding and his expression became hunted - he looked around checking for hideouts in case Di brought that dreadful pyjama suit to embarrass him. He squinted:

- Do you have some kind of arrangement with Khushi to get me into this weird clothing?

Di set by his coffee table and placed her bag on the table while Arnav was trying to stay away from it as if it was poisoned. Anjali opened the bag and took out... a lunch box. Like the one Khushi gave Arnav this very morning. Di motioned Arnav to sit with her:

- Khushi has sent me to have lunch with you. Have you already eaten?

Arnav stammered on his answer with surprise still written on his face:

- Nnnno... But... why? Why would Khushi send you to have lunch with me?

- Exactly because of the "nnnno" part - it's half past four and you still haven't eaten. And last two days you came back home with your lunch box unopened. Khushi is worried for your health... you should eat regularly, Chote, you know that!

Anjali patted his hand to smooth down her scolding speech and offered almost apologetically:

- Would great mighty ASR find a time to have a lunch with his sister?

What was he supposed to say? Arnav smiled admitting his defeat and went to take his lunch box too. Not the worst deal, he had to admit it to himself...

...

- Well, Di, I have to give it to both of you - this lunch was worth forcing upon me! - Arnav made a satisfied humming sound stretching in his chair.

Anjali raised her eyebrows, her tone a bit pompous:

- I will be a good sister and won't mention to Khushi that you said "force upon" about her cooking!

Arnav's eyes shot wide open when he realized what a dangerous mistake he'd just made and he quickly nodded:

- Would be much obliged, Di, really! Khushi would starve me to death if she'd hear something like this!

Anjali disagreed:

- She's too concerned about your sugar level to do that. Most likely she'd appoint one of your employees to report on your lunch schedule...

-... if she hasn't done it already, - murmured Arnav in a hushed voice.

- What did you say?

Arnav startled and went to change a subject before he can say anything else that can be used against him:

- By the way, why haven't Khushi showed up herself? Too busy to feed her husband?

There was a soft thunder in his voice - Arnav was fishing for an argument to use against Khushi if his earlier slip-up would ever surface.

- Ummm... - Anjali's voice suddenly became lost, she fidgeted in her seat and looked away - which only made Arnav worry:

- Di, what is it? Is everything all right in Shantivan? Khushi? Aarav? Is everybody ok?!

Seeing how her silence made Chote anxious Anjali gathered her courage to say:

- No, Chote, everything is fine, really! It's just... I was planning to talk to you for some time now... I actually think Khushi has made this excuse for both us - for you to have lunch and for me to talk to you.

- But... but why would you need an excuse to talk to me?! You see me everyday at home!

Anjali nodded indecisively:

- You see... it's kind of office talk. I want to work for you.