13

Khushi and Arnav had come home for lunch and Payal and Anjali were at the hospital with papaji. 

They had not allowed Mummiji to go to the hospital. She too understood that she would not be of much help there. 

*** ******
"Khushi..!" Arnav stood behind Khushi in their room. She looked at him from the mirror. He took out the gift packet and placed it on the dressing table. She looked at him in surprise.
"You forgot? Its 30th today!" he said blowing on her cheek. She blushed and turned to face him in his arms. She remembered her wedding day! He opened the box and took out the necklace. Placing it around her neck, he inserted the bangles and helped her wear earrings. She looked at him intently.  He ran his finger on her neckline…She clasped his hand.  “No!” she said holding her neck with the other hand.  He gazed at her.  She tried to remove the necklace… “No! Khu…” he swallowed hard holding her hands.  She looked up his moist eyes…! “I.. I was heartless…” he said chocking.   “I… threw you out…!” he said reliving the anguish.  She gazed.  

“Arnav ji…  I opened your wound, that day…And left you bleeding…!” she said and he buried his face on her shoulder.  She held him close to her heart. 

 “Every moment after that was torturous….  Khushi…I couldn’t forgive myself…!” he looked up.  His Khushi was weeping… He felt her pain and she felt his anguish…! 

“You were not heartless… I felt your gentle heart…!” he looked up surprised.  “When you came to help me in the warehouse…In the thunderstorm…!” she said smiling…! He kissed her hard till she went breathless.

“Huff… Huff…Rakshas,,,!” she exhaled struggling for breath.  He released her and closed his eyes, satisfied.  She merged into his embrace.

"My gift?" he asked, after a while. "Haan?" she felt guilty. "You know what I want..!" he said staring at her pulling her on the bed. She blushed.  She tried to break away from him after a while but he was not satisfied with the gift. He pulled her again rubbing his nose on her neckline! She held his head close to her heart pulling his hair. "Khushi... !" he groaned with pleasure. 

********** ********
Papaji was discharged from the hospital. Everyone took a sigh of relief. Papaji turned out to be a very bad patient, cribbing about everything related to hospital or doctors. Only Avinash could handle him. 

"Thank God! We are taking him home! The hospital staff will distribute sweets and give us the TIP, for taking him home!" said Khushi teasing Papaji. 

Arnav was with Avinash in the lounge area. "Arnav, I am waiting for the biopsy reports. Hope everything is ok!" he said. "Yeah!" said Arnav. 

Papaji was in a hurry to go back to Kolkata! He had already started working. His phone never stopped ringing. Khushi was irritated with this. "Papaji, if you don't stop over exerting... I am going to call Raj bhaiyya here!" she threatened him. He smirked at her. "Do you think I will listen to him? When I am not listening to you?" he asked her. She tried everything to slow him down. But somehow after coming home from the hospital, he seemed to be in a hurry to finish off as much as possible. He gave frantic instructions all the day to his staff, his officers and kept on talking to his legal department. 

Khushi could sense pain on his face. "Papaji, are you ok?" she kept asking him several times and he nodded every time.

Khushi called Shondeep! "Shondeep sir, please do something! Stop his workoholism! He needs rest and that's the only thing he is not doing" she cribbed. "Ok. I will try! I am coming tomorrow!" he said. She was happy!

"Thank you Shondeep Sir!" she said with gratitude. "Khushi stop calling me Sir!" said Shondeep.

"Then what should I call you? Uncle?" she asked giggling. He gave up! "She is unbelievable!"

"I want to call you something else, Shondeep sir! But till that time, I am going to call you Sir! This will remind me of my mission!" she thought smiling to herself.

**** **********
Arnav came out of the guest room frustrated. Papaji had no time to talk to him. He looked at Khushi who was in the hall. "Khushi...! What he thinks he is doing? Why is he suddenly micromanaging all his units? He needs rest! he has become a control freak!" he sounded hopeless at the situation. 

"I will take away his phone!" said Khushi getting up. "Within no time he will get another one!" said Arnav. She gaped at him. "He is Balwindar Singh, Khushi!" Arnav reminded her.
"Khushi!" papaji called out hearing her voice. "Yes, papaji!" she went in. "I need your laptop!" he said.

"What? No!" she said. "Khushi, give me your laptop, else I will order a new one!" he threatened her. 

"Papaji... you are not supposed to be sitting for a long time!" she pleaded. Arnav came in.
"No! You are not getting a laptop! No work on computer!" he said with determination. 

"Arnav puttar, its urgent! Its difficult to reply the mails at length with my mobile!" he said.
"Nothing doing! I will reply all your mails on your behalf!" said Khushi.

"Khushi, listen to me! I have a very little time and so much to do!" said papaji gravely stunning everyone. 

"What the..!" Arnav was irritated!
"Ok. I will give you! But not now! In the evening!" she said. Papaji nodded. "Khushi I will dictate and you type in!" he said. She nodded determined never to turn up in his room in the evening!

********* **********

Shondeep walked in Raizada House and he saw Anjali first, going somewhere in a hurry. "Hello Shondeep ji!" she greeted him pleasantly. His spirits lifted. He gave her his captivating smile.
Khushi came out and stopped looking at the duo. She smirked. 

"Anjali di? You are still here?" she asked loudly. Anjali went out hastily. Shondeep came in.
"You know what, Shondeep sir? After a long time Anjali Di is going to meet her friends and she will be staying with them for a couple of days!" Khushi gave him the news! He looked away. He was clearly disappointed. "Where is Sir?" he asked. Khushi smirked and took him to Papaji's room.

"Shondeep.. !" papaji was happy to see him. He started off with the list of tasks to do. Shondeep was calm. "Shondeep we have to verify the assessment papers of insurance!" said papaji. "I have done that!" he said.

Papaji gave him the task list and he went on striking out the tasks saying "it is done!" 

"Shondeep, have you left anything for me to do?" asked papaji in admiration. He said "yes! To take rest!" he smirked. Papaji looked hopeless. Arnav sniggered at Shondeep and they both came out in the hall. Shondee saw Anjali walking in and forgot to respond to Arnav's question.
He looked around at Khushi in surprise. Khushi winked at him. "Anjali Di had been to Mandir!" she said giggling. He engrossed himself with the conversation with Arnav.

******** *******
Arnav and Khushi were in the room. Both were working on their laptop. Khushi had almost completed her day's work and was finalizing the to-do list for the next day, Arnav'phone rang. "Hi Lavanya..!" He said.

"Ok!" he said after listening to her for a while. Khushi wanted to talk to Lavanya but Arnav completely ignored her. 

"Lavanya, it will be difficult! Papaji is here for the surgery!" he said. 

"What?" asked Khushi... Arnav stopped her raising his hand. "Tell her Shondeep Sir is here!" she whispered. Arnav looked at her sternly. She kept quiet. 

He disconnected and said "She is coming day after!".

"Oh! That's great! It will be fun!" Khushi was excited. "She is joining back AR Group!" he said.

"Great!" she almost screamed. "Till papaji is here, we can arrange her stay in the spare room we have at the ground floor!" she started blurting out the plans.

"No! Khushi! She is not staying here! She has her own apartment!" Arnav dismissed her plans and went out of the room at poolside. He sat on the armchair and started reading the file. 

Khushi looked at him and went down. She went to papaji's room to see everything was ok. Mummiji was talking to papaji.

"Khushi... what are you doing here this late?" asked mummiji. "Nothing! Just peeped in to see everything is ok!" said Khushi.

"Mummijii, can you come with me? I want to show you something!" Said Khushi with flashing eyes.

She took mummiji's walker and helped her climb the stairs. She took mummiji to her bedroom and switched off the lights. Arnav was surprised he got up and came in. Khushi opened up the ceiling and the glass dome appeared. She pushed the curtains aside and switched on the LEDs. The water mahel glued with the starlit sky peeping in. Mummiji was mesmerized.

"Arnav ji, did all this for us!" she said with pride. Arnav was at the door leaning against the wall. He came forward. Mummiji embraced them both with tearful eyes.

"Ok Khushi, good night!" she said turning. Arnav helped her descend the steps and came back. Khushi was still lost the in beauty of her room.

"Khushi!" Arnav was lost in Khushi's beauty, resting his chin on her shoulder.