Chapter 12: Arnav
He shouldn't have cornered Khushi in their bedroom earlier. Those few precious minutes had only heightened his need for her, and the kiss in the kitchen had made things worse.
Arnav sat surrounded by his family, a little distracted, as they proudly presented all his favourite dishes to celebrate his return and the launch of the new offices. The potato dish, a childhood favourite, particularly touched him.
Khushi delivered piping hot jalebi to the table soon after everyone finished eating, rounding the table to serve him first. Feeling guilty that he'd eaten without her, Arnav indicated that she sit next to him and served her food for her. He grinned at her as she met his eyes shyly, squeezing her hand briefly under the table to let her know how much he appreciated her efforts.
Her jalebi was delicious, as always. He'd tasted both types by her hand – sugar free and not – and marveled at how sweet her sugar-free jalebis were in comparison. He'd associated sugar-free with taste-free before Khushi, but she'd taught herself to make delectable sugar-free food.
Just for me.
A sudden memory of that first Diwali – that beautiful disaster of a Diwali – came to him. Khushi had made sugar-free sweets especially for him and he'd been moved by the gesture, even in the midst of all that heart break.
"Thank you, Khushi," he said now, meaning it for everything she'd ever done for him, everything she was doing for him today.
She smiled at him, stealing a jalebi off his plate and watching his reaction as she happily ate it. He held her free hand under the table and winked at her, running his thumb back and forth over her fingers.
"Chotte, do you want anything else?"
Arnav startled at Nani's voice, dropping Khushi's hand guiltily.
"Ahh, no, I'm fine. I'll just wait for Khushi to finish."
"No, Arnav-ji," Khushi interrupted, "I'll clear the table and clean the kitchen after eating. You can go and rest."
She smiled brilliantly at him, thinking herself the winner in their little game. Arnav shrugged. He knew how willful and stubborn Khushi was. If she didn't want to come upstairs with him, she wouldn't.
He resigned himself to not being alone with her until they went to sleep, and instead chose to spend his time in the study, where he could at least see her as she ran between the dining room and kitchen. He called Aman, updating him on the major developments from his trip before asking him to send over a short-list of employees who could train the new staff at the London office. He needed experienced personnel who could live there for at least six months, making sure that everything was set up properly.
"Aman, try to pick employees who don't have families. I think six months a long time to be away from a spouse and children. If we choose people with families, perhaps we can arrange for their family to travel with them, or at least, to visit occasionally."
"Yes, sir."
Arnav had never considered this before, but now that he had Khushi and Aarav, he was aware of what families went through when separated. Aman had sent him a file of what had happened at the office in his absence, and he settled down to read it.
A few hours later, he was interrupted by a call from Aakash, and he took a well-needed break to talk to his brother. They alternated easily between talking about business and personal matters. Progress with the new factories was encouraging, Payal had adjusted well to the US, Aakash was happy to be with his father, and they were all planning to return together in 4 weeks. Mami would be overjoyed that Mama was returning after almost a year abroad.
Khushi came running when she realized he was talking to Aakash and stole the phone to talk to Payal. She handed the phone back when she was done and after a brief hesitation, allowed him to pull her into his lap. The phone call had made her emotional.
"Are you okay?" he asked, wiping her tears away and holding her tightly. "They'll be back in a few weeks."
She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled close. They stayed like that for several minutes, until Mami's voice floated up to them and she sprang out of his arms. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and escaped.
When it was time to meet Aarav's school bus, Arnav went alone. He checked his email while he waited, and was startled when Aarav launched himself out of the bus, yelling "Dad!"
Arnav knelt and caught him in his arms, hugging him tightly. Seventeen days was a long time to be away from his son.
"Hi, big guy," he said, completing the handshake they shared between them.
"Dad! I missed you!" Aarav greeted him excitedly, "Mom didn't let me stay home to see you but you came to get me!"
"Mom didn't let you stay home because school is important, Aarav, not because she didn't want you to see me. We'll spend the whole afternoon together, I promise."
They talked all the way back to Shantivan, Aarav telling him about his day at school and planning out their evening to the last minute. Aarav ran ahead when he saw Khushi waiting outside the doors, hugging her and kissing her cheek in greeting before dashing inside.
Khushi met his eyes and they shared a smile, both thinking how lucky they were to have Aarav in their lives. They'd adopted him under unusual circumstances, but he'd accepted them as his parents whole-heartedly. He brightened their days and gave their lives a new meaning.
Arnav pulled Khushi to him and kissed her forehead.
"Thank you for sending me pictures of him every day, Khushi."
Her arms tightened around him.
"Next time will you send me some of yourself?" he asked her.
"Next time?"
Shit.
