Chapter 18: Arnav

The next day, breakfast was a blur of activity. Arnav wove his way around the women in his family to sit at his customary place on Nani's left.

"Chhote! I'm so glad you're here," Di turned to him, her arms full of saris, "Quick, pick a sari for Khushi-ji."

Arnav turned to the pile she set beside him, nodding absently at HP as he placed a plate of buttered toast and a glass of orange juice in front of him. First, he rejected all the pastel colours, cutting down the options to just four. He rubbed fabric between his fingers.

"This is too rough," he rejected the cotton blend.

"The Managing Director of AR Designs is making an appearance," Di commented to no one in particular.

"The netting won't fall properly when she's wearing it," he rejected a turquoise blue sari.

The choice was down to a pink and purple sari in chiffon or a red one in georgette.

"The red one," Arnav decided, letting the soft fabric slide through his fingers as he admired the thin gold border with threads of green.

"Excellent," grinned Di, "now we can pick matching jewellery."

He watched Di and Mami open and close jewellery boxes at the other end of the dining table as he polished off his toast. They showed him when they were done.

"Not diamonds," he shook his head, "Give her the set with the garnets, she likes bright colours."

"Chhote knows his future wife very well," Nani smiled at him.

"Mmmm," Arnav agreed absently, his mind racing to the next occasion, "Her engagement ring can't be diamond either. Not white diamond. I was thinking a yellow diamond. Her favourite colour is yellow."

He looked up from his plate to find his entire family gaping at him. "What?"

"It's just ... we've never ..." Di stammered.

"You wanted me to get married, right?" he frowned, "Isn't this what husbands do?"

His only answer was a stunned silence.

"Unbelievable," scowling, he retreated to his bedroom.

He was sliding into his jacket when his phone chimed with a text message.

'When will you be here? '

Smiling, he typed out a reply.

'1 hour. You miss me? '

Khushi's reply was almost instant.

'No.'

He was still smiling when he returned to the dining room, where Nani, Mami, and Di were busy wrapping the gifts. In addition to the sari and jewellery for Khushi, there were saris, bangles, and necklace sets for the women in her family, and a kurta set for her father. Mami, worried for Khushi and Payal's wedding photos, had also arranged for two makeup kits.

"Aakash," Arnav disturbed his brother as he ate, "can you drive everyone to Laxmi Nagar? I have to see to an errand but I'll meet you there."

"What errand, Chhote?" Nani had overheard.

"Just ... something ... I'll see you there."

. _ . _ . _ . _ . _ .

He was happy.

While contentment and satisfaction were familiar companions, found in successful acquisitions and increased profits, happiness had always been for others. It was Di's smile and Aakash's confidence and sometimes even Nani's praise. The mere promise of Khushi, however, had changed everything.

He'd wanted her from that first day and the knowledge that she wanted him - that she wanted him despite everything that said she shouldn't - had weakened his resolve long before Di had asked her questions. Khushi had chipped away at him, slipping past his defences one by one until she was safely ensconced somewhere in the region of his chest.

How laughable the plan to force her rejection seems now.

Arnav parked his car behind the white Hyundai that Aakash favoured. He snatched a small parcel from the passenger seat and slid out of the car, his heartbeat quickening as he strode up the steps. He slid the parcel into his pocket as he rang the doorbell.

"Namaste," Payal appeared at the door, "Come in."

"Namaste," Arnav brought his hands together in greeting, feeling awkward, before stepping inside.

His eyes found Khushi immediately, seated symbolically between his Nani and his sister, officially a part of his household. She wore a purple and gold salwaar suit, her glossy hair unbound, her lips painted a becoming shade of fuchsia. Arnav distractedly offered obeisance to her parents and Bua-ji before taking a seat next to Aakash, his eyes unwilling to leave Khushi. She blushed.

Mine. My happiness.

Hours of sitting in his car, of listing everything he wanted and everything he stood to lose, everything he was and everything he wasn't, had led to one startling and bitter truth. Oddly, it had taken a mechanic with grease-stained hands to show him - the man's innocent question had inspired an irrational jealousy.

One day - perhaps not tomorrow or next week or even next month, but one day - there would be a man at Khushi's door. A man her family would not refuse, a man who would put his marks on her before taking her home, a man who would wake up to her every morning thereafter.

And just like that, the question was no longer whether he could live with her, but rather whether he could live without her.

"Arnav-babua, you came at the best time. We're just about to start the gift giving," Madhumati-ji was all smiles.

"Sorry I was late, Bua-ji, Uncle, Aunty. I had an errand to complete," Arnav took the cup of tea Payal offered him, nodding at her in thanks.

Shashi-Uncle waved off his apology as Nani tittered, still unimpressed with his unexplained absence.

"Chhote," Di tried to distract them all, "why don't you sit next to Khushi-ji while we present her with the gifts?"

He squeezed his sister's fingers in gratitude before switching seats, sitting close enough to Khushi to feel her warmth all along his side. She wiggled away. Mami first adorned Khushi with a tilak, officially welcoming her, before handing over her present.

"This is a foreign-returned makeup set," she explained, "Use it when you marry Arnav-bitwa so you look nice in the video."

"Yes, Mami-ji," Khushi smiled as she accepted the gift.

She reached to place it on the small table but it was laden with tea and sweets. Khushi looked around, confused, before sitting it back in her lap.

"I can't wait until you join us at home, Khushi-bitiya," Nani turned to Khushi and handed her a large box, "It's going to be so hard to wait six months."

"Thank you for considering my studies, Nani-ji."

Arnav leaned closer to hear Nani as she whispered in Khushi's ear.

"It's not me you have to worry about, child, it's Chhote. The wait will drive him mad."

Stifling a smile, he watched Khushi blush as she nodded to Nani. Di approached last, holding the wrapped red and gold sari in her hands.

"Welcome, Khushi-bhabi," she grinned at both of them, "Thank you for saying yes to my crazy Chhote. He chose this for you."

"Thank you, Anjali-ji," Khushi breathed, her blush intensifying.

"Di. Call me Di."

Khushi met his eyes briefly before looking at Di.

"Di," she repeated obediently.

Emotion swelled inside Arnav. He used the cover of her dupatta to lightly run his fingers along her arm, a silent thank you, and smiled as she gasped at the contact. The gifts threatened to fall from her lap as she tried to squirm away.

"Give them to me," Arnav murmured.

He took the boxes and parcels from her and sat them on his lap, ignoring the happy giggles and sighs of both their families as they watched. Arnav allowed his hand to sit innocently next to hers and linked two of his fingers around two of hers when she wasn't paying attention. Khushi stilled, not even drawing breath as she watched Di distribute parcels and accept presents in return.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"What are you doing?" she murmured back.

"Nothing."

She made a soft noise, half growl and half sigh, as she tried to rescue her fingers.

"Stop it," he commanded, "Do you want someone to notice?"

They stayed like that, his fingers tracing patterns on her palm, until Bua-ji invited them to stay for lunch.

"Yes, we'll stay," Arnav accepted before anyone could object.

Khushi escaped to prepare with her sister, leaving him to make small talk with the rest of the family. They discussed Payal's upcoming wedding in detail, with Shashi-Uncle kindly inviting them to the functions on their side.

"Then it will be Arnav-bitwa's turn," gushed Mami, "We'll start their wedding preparations as soon as the other daughter is married."

"Shashi-ji, would you prefer to delay the engagement until Payal is married?" Nani asked, shooting Arnav a wary look.

He smiled at Shashi-Uncle, knowing the family didn't have the finances to focus on two weddings at once, and hid his distress at the thought of further delays.

I need Khushi in my home, in my life, in my bed.

"No, no," Shashi-Uncle assured them, "We'll have the engagement as soon as possible."

"Teej is this Friday," smiled Nani, "so we'll look for the earliest date following that."

Arnav breathed a sigh of relief as Khushi's mother and father agreed.

"So ..." he began innocently, "Where should I put these gifts?"