Reawakening

Part 32 - Apprehension

Opening the door, he breathed a sigh of relief "phew,.. where were you? Why didn't you pick my call? I need to speak to you.."

Stood at the door, Khushi was totally confused. Holding the shopping bags in both hands, Khushi had barely managed to ring the bell, only to get welcomed by a gust of wind followed by a barrage of questions. "Arnav ji?" she looked at him with mouth open, eyes wide, completely unaware of his urgency. One thing was for sure. This man would never let her live in peace.

Without asking any more questions, he took the bags off her. Taking her hands, he pulled her to his room, leaving all the shopping bags on the living room sofa on their way up.

HP, who had also come to open the door, was only half way to it, when he witnessed the scene. "Poor Khushi didi, today she is gone!!" he pitied her. Even though he had not seen an angry Arnav or a rude Arnav for that matter, going into the lions den was enough. "Khushi didi, sorry I cant help you, only your devi maiyya will come to your help today..". He soon went to help Anjali and NK who also followed with bags,.... and plenty of bags in their hands.

Seeing HP, giving some bags to him, Anjali told, "garam garam chai.. please with ginger. My head is bursting"

Back in the den, getting Khushi inside his room, he locked the door. He knew there was only one thing that lacked in Raizada mansion, that was his privacy. Khushi, feeling strange, looked around. There was no one, he had simply escorted her to his room and locked the door. She felt uneasy. Still standing next to the door, she was totally uncomfortable and kept glancing at the door. He was just not capable of understanding the norms of the society.

Before she could say anything, he started, "Khushi, listen carefully, are you really ready for marriage"

After a long day of tirelessly shopping till they dropped, out of the blue, comes this question. She looked at him , her face itself a big question mark, then she looked at the closed door. Immediately both were taken back in time when she had stubbornly refused to listen to him until he opened the door. He spoke again, "I will open the door soon, I don't want anyone to come."

"Arnav ji, this is not right. Let's go out."

"Can I not talk to you for two minutes?"

"Yes you can talk, but why in this way, what will your Nani say? Others think? Please"

"I asked you something."

"Why are you bringing that topic, I don't want to talk. Open the door and let's go out."

"I asked you a question Khushi,"

"Why should I tell you, I will not, let's go out"

He was getting irritated by her reluctance to answer. "If we go out that NK will start flying around you like a bee. And now..."

Now she understood, or so she thought. She remembered his anger at her house. His anger seeing NK all around her while shopping and now this question. She nodded in realisation. It pained to see Arnav never really understood her.

Scrunching her eyes, giving him an angry look, she spoke, "Now I understand why you are asking me. You think I am trying to trap your cousin. Right."

All the anger bubbled up inside her. She pushed him, "chi, how can you think like that Mr.Raizada?"

More anger seethed into her veins taking his name loud. She pushed him again "Just because he is rich, from abroad, does not mean I am all ready waiting with garland in my hands to marry him, thinking my life is done having found a rich man. I didn't even know you had a cousin until today, and already you have made your assumptions." With each step she took towards him, she was felt like screaming. Pushing him again, "You know what, every time I leave home, Buaji warns me not to get into any fight with you. But you don't want that do you? You don't want let me live in peace. Why are you behind me?"