It was the day of Teej that they met next. They had bumped into each other causing the 'sindoor' (red coloured powder) to fly and that was why both of them had been covered in red that day. In that confusion, our 'pooja thalis' (veneration plates) got exchanged and to return my 'pooja thali' to me, Khushi ji and Payal ji came to the same mandir as us. Khushi ji told me how Chote inadvertently broke her fast before the 'Pooja' as she had fainted.
The day after, Khushi had gone to collect her stuff from Chote's office and once again they met. Khushi ji and Chote were accidentally locked in the storeroom and, as Khushi ji refused to listen to anything ASR said, Chote broke her phone. When he tried to once again talk to her, Khushi ji interrupted him and told him she won't listen to anything he says until the door is open. Surprisingly, ASR was so desperate to speak to her, he broke the door down but Khushi ji left without listening to him and instead told him he should be happy now because she was going back to Lucknow.
The next time they met was at Shyam and mine wedding anniversary where Khushi ji and Payal ji brought the mithai (sweets). Khushi ji had hid in Chote's cupboard to escape from him. I know, what an absurd idea but, as Khushi ji says, her brain stops working when the 'Rakshas' is around. Then Chote cornered her by the poolside asking her why she was still here and not in Lucknow; when Khushi ji didn't answer, he once again taunted and insulted her.
I remembered their next meet clearly, after all, it was due to me. I was ashamed to say that I had threatened Khushi ji with the '1 lakh' clause to train Lavanya ji to become like her so that Nani could accept her. And so Khushi ji came to our house and Chote insulted her so much in front of all us that it was no wonder Khushi ji called him a 'Rakshas' because, at that time, that was all he was. He had been in such a 'Rakshas' mode that day that he even hurt me.
Khushi ji tells me that the 'Rakshas' once again came to their house and offered money to Khushi ji to compensate her for her insults and called her back to work. Khushi ji's financial state was such that she had to accept that money and that reinforced ASR's opinion of her being a gold-digger.
The next day had been 'Raksha Bandhan' (a Hindu festival where the sister ties a 'rakhi' (sacred thread) to her brother and he promises to forever cherish and protect her) and when Khushi ji arrived, she got the news that I was missing. Nani persuaded Khushi ji to go with Chote to find me; it was during this car ride that Chote blamed Khushi ji for creating a rift between us. Which was just illogical because it wasn't due to Khushi ji that I was upset, it was because Chote had really hurt me the day before. It seemed like Chote just blamed everything that went wrong in his life on Khushi ji.
Khushi ji tells me that she overheard all that Chote said to me to pacify me. It was then that she witnessed her Arnav ji in ASR; her hatred for him vanished and he once again gained her respect. It was here that she realised he doesn't have control over his anger and says things he doesn't mean in the heat of the moment; it was here that she realised how deep her Arnav ji's love can go and how far he can go for his loved ones; it was here that she realised he too was human and made mistakes; it was here that she realised he can ask for forgiveness; it was here that she realised how much his Di means to him; it was here that she realised the depth of the bond between the brother and sister; it was here that she realised that, even though he didn't believe in God or rituals, he believed in his Di and would do anything for her, that Raksha Bandhan was the only festival he celebrated and fasted for, just for his Di; it was here that she realised that beneath ASR was a man who also had emotions; it was here that she realised there was a story behind why he became ASR; it was here that she forgave him everything.
I had naively thought that Chote had apologised to Khushi ji as he apologised to me and persuaded her to come back to work, after all he had insulted her brutally the day before; it had never crossed my mind that it wasn't my Chote who brought Khushi ji back home but ASR.
YOU ARE READING
An Unexpected Companion (IPKKND fanfiction)
Fiksi PenggemarI knew Khushi ji and Chote would be at each other's throats because of how different their personalities were but I also knew how much they loved each other. I had thought that their love would overcome the all differences in their personality, and...
