Chapter 11: Khushi

"This house is so big ..."

Khushi scampered along a corridor, her footsteps echoing in its empty silence.

She was lost.

Not lost! I just need to find Jiji and Anjali-ji, she reassured herself.

She'd returned to the terrace to find it empty, and had rushed down the spiralled staircase in an effort to catch them. But now, ten minutes later, she was no closer to finding her way in this maze of a house. Khushi bit her nails as she hurried, sometimes walking backwards, sometimes running, always hoping for a clue.

Or a sign board.

A door on her left clicked open, and a figure stepped into her path before she could properly register it. They collided.

"What the-!"

"Mmpfh!"

Her nose stung from the impact. But then heat uncoiled within her, turning her insides into molten lava, as she realised what had happened. Arnav-ji's hand seared through her blouse and sari where he gripped her shoulder. His chest rose and fell sharply against her palm, in tandem with her own erratic inhalations. She was aware of him as she'd never been of anyone else, all six feet of him somehow robbing her of breath.

Her hand left the soft fabric of his suit. His fingers trailed over her arm as he released her. Khushi drew a shaky breath, inhaling the sandalwood-cedar scent of him as she stepped away, and yelped at the sharp tug on her ear. Her earring - that pesky jhumka from Sarojini Markets that always caught on her clothes - had caught on his suit. Her hand shook as she wedged it into the too-small space between them, trying to free herself, but her fingers didn't want to obey. His breath tickled her forehead. Arnav-ji shifted with her, trying to give her space, and the butterflies in her tummy reacted to the slightest movement of his body against hers.

"One minute," his voice rumbled against her ear, "I'll get it."

He lifted her hand away before replacing it with his own. His fingers were warm where they brushed against her cheek and ear, and Khushi closed her eyes as he threaded the earring off. Free, she looked up at him. They stood so close that she could see the caramel flecks in his eyes. He had a small scar underneath one eyebrow.

Khushi stepped back hastily as he untangled the earring and offered it to her. His eyes didn't leave her as she pushed it into place, mentally scolding its boldness in having caught on his suit.

"Are you okay?" Arnav-ji broke their silence.

His concern was so unexpected that Khushi could only nod in response, wondering where the cold and aloof man of earlier had gone.

"Are you lost?" he asked, "Dinner is usually served in the dining room."

"Th-that's where I'm going."

He pointed in the direction she'd come from, "That way."

Oh.

"I was taking a short-cut," she blurted.

The absurd claim hung between them, awkward and unwanted, as he frowned at her. He tilted his head, studying her as if she were a particularly vexing puzzle. Khushi stared back with all the defiance she could muster, trying to ignore the way her pulse reacted to his scrutiny. He pressed his lips together – stop staring at them, besharam! – and he strode away without a word. After a moment of hesitation, Khushi followed him across two corridors and down some stairs. They arrived in the sitting area she'd left her family in. The conversation stalled.

"Khushi ..." Babu-ji frowned as he looked between them.

"She got lost," Arnav-ji spoke over the beginnings of Khushi's explanation.

How dare he!

Indignation swelled inside her as Bua-ji bounded up, "Oh I'm so sorry babua, this Sanka Devi is always creating trouble."

"The fault is mine, Bua-ji" Anjali-ji came to stand next to her brother, "I left Khushi-ji and Payal-ji on the terrace. She must have tried to find me and found Chh- Arnav instead."

"You've arrived at the right time," his Nani smiled to distract them all, "Dinner is ready."

Resisting the urge to look at him, Khushi joined her sister as her tummy gave a little growl.

"Where did you go?" Jiji asked in undertone, "Anjali-ji said that you were with him."

"I'll explain later, Jiji," she said, "Let's eat first, I'm so hungry!"

"Amma and Babu-ji were worried."

"I'll say sorry at home," Khushi pouted, "Let's go, it feels like there are mice in my tummy."

Smiling affectionately, Jiji took her arm as they followed everyone to the dining room. "Did you speak to him?"

A frisson of energy zipped through her as she remembered the scorch of his fingers on her cheek. "No Jiji, we didn't speak. Sometimes I think that ..."

Khushi trailed off. There were only two seats left at the gigantic table. One between Amma and Bua-ji, and one next to him.

"Khushi-ji, sit here," Anjali-ji grinned, indicating to the seat Khushi definitely did not want to sit in.

"N-no, I'll be fine over ..."

But Jiji had already claimed the other seat, leaving Khushi to shuffle reluctantly to the remaining chair. He didn't look up as she sat.

There was a buzz between them, as if he were a magnet and she a piece of iron filing, an undeniable something that made it impossible for her to enjoy her food. The conversation eventually turned to Teej, and Khushi tried to concentrate as Anjali-ji invited them all to a temple function. She peeked at the man beside her, noting his obvious discomfort as his sister grinned at him.

The servants cleared their dishes away before bringing out the sweets.

"Delhi's food has its own charms, but I prefer sweets from Lucknow," Nani-ji smiled.

Grinning at the delights set on the table, Khushi reached for a laddoo from the platter in front of her, and her fingers brushed his as he reached for one as well. They froze.

"It's not sugar free," she said softly.

"Oh," he replied just as softly, trapping them in their own little world, "Okay."

"I made you sugar free things," Khushi told him breathlessly, "They're in front of Aakash-ji."

Warmth spread through her as their eyes met. Time seemed to stand still as something unspoken passed between them, but the moment was broken when a spoon clattered on the other side of the table. Khushi blinked, blushing, as he signalled to a servant. He started to wave the tray away after taking one of everything, but she reached out to stop him.

She took a deep breath. "I'll have some too."

Her heart skipped a beat when he rewarded her with the tiniest of smiles. It transformed him.

All the air rushed out of her lungs.

Hai Devi Maiyya. Why did you make him so handsome? When he smiles he ... he ... What's he doing to me?

She spent the rest of the meal in a fluster, aware of the slightest movement he made in his seat.

Later, when Babu-ji started saying his farewells, Arnav-ji insisted on driving them home. He ignored their collective protests - they'd arrived in rickshaws and could leave in them as well - and soon they were piled into a minivan. Babu-ji sat in front with him and Bua-ji and Amma sat in the middle row, leaving the back for Khushi and her sister.

Babu-ji made polite conversation as Arnav-ji drove confidently to Laxmi Nagar. Khushi noticed him turn the rear-view mirror so she could see him, and spent much of the journey twisting her hands in her lap, refusing to look up. He came inside readily when Bua-ji invited him for a cup of tea, but as Khushi hurried to the kitchen she noticed her family discreetly disappear into other parts of the house.

She stopped in the archway, cups in her hands, and let her eyes to study him as he looked at the photos hanging on the walls. He was clad in black from head to toe, with the exception of a thin silver tie, and Khushi had to admit that the colour suited him.

I wonder if he sleeps in a black suit.

Her mind supplied the image – Arnav-ji sprawled on a bed in black, that tiny smile playing on his lips. She choked on absolutely nothing, and that small sound announced her presence.

"What did your Fufa do?" he asked softly, glancing at her before returning to his study of Bua-ji's wedding photos.

Hey Devi Maiyya. What shameless thoughts!

"He worked on the train lines," she handed him a cup, hoping he didn't notice the slight tremble of her hands.

"My Nana owned land in Lucknow, Delhi, and Agra," he sipped, "Mama used to work as an engineer before he started helping with AR. Aakash studied accounting, and now he looks after the Accounts department at AR."

"Only the men in your family study and work?" Khushi frowned.

"No, no. It's not like that. Nani never had to study, she married so young. Mami ... her family couldn't afford to send her to school past the tenth grade and she didn't want to study after marriage."

"Anjali-ji?"

"Di didn't get to go to college," he strode to the lounge and sat down heavily, leaving Khushi to follow.

Only you could hurt him with your very first question, Khushi.

"I ... I didn't mean to ..."

He only nodded, and the silence stretched until it was heavy with awkwardness.

"Are you fasting for Teej?" he asked suddenly.

"Ahh, I think so ..." Khushi squirmed in her seat, "Bua-ji says Jiji and I should fast for g-good hus-husbands."

Some of the spark came back into his eyes as he watched her stutter.

"Good husbands," he mused, "So you're assuming we're not going to work out."

"N-n-no. That's not ... I ... we ..."

"Relax, Khushi."

She shivered, liking the way her name sounded when it was wrapped in his voice.

"Give me your phone," he said a few minutes later, startling her into standing to snatch it from the dining table. She watched him type into it.

"Now you have my number. I asked to meet you a second time, whether we meet again is entirely up to you."

She could only nod as her fingers wrapped around the phone, still warm from his hands. He stood, and she stood with him to walk him to the door in silence.

"I'll see you later. Maybe," Arnav-ji said, his eyes shadowed, "Oh, and Khushi? I don't believe in all that fasting nonsense. Di is scheming something, but don't expect-"

"-I know," her heart sank as she remembered, "You don't believe in Devi Maiyya. You didn't sit in the pooja."

His expression closed off immediately, and she realised that she'd been unsuccessful in her attempt to keep the disappointment from her tone.

"No, I didn't," his tone was harsh, "It's all pointless, just for show. If there was a God in this world, then there wouldn't be any suffering."

"But God has given everything you have," her voice trembled, "Everything you are today, you are because of Him."

"Everything I am today, I am because of me. God has only taken. And what use is a God who expects you to beg?"

Astounded by his bitterness, she stood frozen in the doorway as he left without looking back. When he was gone, Khushi wiped the lone tear that had managed to escape.