Chapter 21

The same night, Shaantivan:

Arnav comes home to see everyone is busy arranging for havan. His eyes immediately start searching for Khushi.

Anjali notices that. She walks up to him and teases: What is the matter, Chotey? Are you looking for something? Or maybe someone?

Arnav gets flustered: Di, Khushi… I mean…

Anjali interrupts with twinkles in her eyes: Oh… Khushi… She is upstairs getting ready for havan.

Arnav walks towards the stairs and goes to Khushi’s room. He walks in without knocking to see, Buaji, Garima, Payal are all there except Khushi.

They look at him in surprise. Arnav gets flustered: Errmmm… I’m sorry. I thought Khushi…

He hears Anjali’s giggle behind him. He turns to see NK and Anjali were giggling together.

Anjali chirps: Chotey? Could not you find Khushi?

Garima, Payal and Buaji control their laughter.

NK also puts his two cents in: Looks like Nannav is getting impatient to see Khushiji.

Arnav gets angry. He booms: Where is Khushi?

Anjali realizes that this volcano will erupt soon. So she soundlessly points towards Naniji’s room.

Arnav scowls as his chance of seeing Khushi immediately seems unlikely. He stomps to his room.

Arnav’s room, Shaantivan:

After Arnav takes shower, he comes out to see a cream Kurta with silver subtle embroidery were on his bed.

He scowls thinking this must be Anjali’s attempt to get him to wear those idiotic clothes.

He picks it up to put it back in his wardrobe when he notices a paper fall out. He picks up the paper and reads it.

It reads,

Arnavji,

You have given me so much. But I never bought you anything. Today when I was returning home, I bought this for you. It’s not expensive, but I bought it with my own money. If you wear it for just a few minutes, it will make me very happy.

Yours

Khushi

Arnav was touched. In his line of work, he always got a lot of gifts from people who can afford to shed a million or two without blinking an eye. But he never got a gift from someone who spent her entire savings to buy him a gift out of love without asking anything in return.

He realized what Khushi used to tell him before. Simple things in life bring more joy than all money combined together. There is no gift more precious than what is given unconditionally without asking anything in return.

Khushi won his long-forgotten heart all over again…

He decided, tonight is the perfect night to give Khushi the present he got her.

He opens his wardrobe and takes out a box.

Living Room, Shaantivan:

Khushi was helping Naniji set up the havan and was looking upstairs every 2 minutes to check if Arnavji liked her gift.

Naniji notices that. She hides her smiles: Khushi bitiya? Chotey will come. You relax.

Anjali also teases her: What’s the matter Khushi? Can’t stay away from Chotey?

Khushi blushes, but jumps when she hears Anjali’s loud gasp followed by everyone’s exclamation.

Khushi gets worried: What is it Di?

Anjali looks at the stairs as if she saw a ghost and points her finger.

Khushi turns and sees Arnav coming down the stairs, wearing her gift, looking incredibly handsome.

Anjali slowly comes up behind Khushi, squeezes her shoulder and whispers in her ears: Thank you Khushi.

Khushi’s eyes were still glued on Arnav and fills with tears of happiness.

Arnav’s sees the appreciative look on everyone’s face. But the only eyes he wanted on him were a pair of wide mystical eyes, drowning in tears like deep, bottomless lake…

He starts walking up to Khushi but NK comes in front of him: Nannav, mere bhai… Wow… you are looking good man…

Arnav’s jaw clenches in anger at NK’s untimely entry.

But oblivious to Arnav’s rising temper, NK goes straight to Khushi and squeals: Khushiji…

Khushi comes out of her mesmerized state and smiles at NK: Yes, Nanheji.

NK takes out a box: I got something for you. I wanted to give it tomorrow. But I know you will be busy. So I’m giving it to you today.

Khushi gets surprised. She takes the box from NK: Thank you Nanheji.

NK squirms in excitement: Come on, come on… Open the gift.

Khushi smiles and opens the gift. It was a bunch of colourful glass bangles.

She squeals in happiness: You bought me bangles? I love them.

Arnav’s jaw clenches some more.

NK blushes: I have noticed you always wear bangles and they make tinkling sound. So I thought you might like them. I did not know what your favourite colour is. So I bought all colours.

Khushi smiles: I do. I love bangles and I like all colours.

She looks up to Arnav to share her happiness and sees him stalking off to his room again.

Khushi gets worried: Now what happened to Laad Governor.

She once again thanks NK and follows Arnav.

Arnav's Room, Shaantivan:

She goes into his room to see Arnav pacing on the poolside in anger.

Khushi walks up to him with a big smile: Arnavji, I’m so glad that you wore my gift today.

Arnav whirls in anger: So you finally had time to notice me. I thought you will have hard time getting away from gushing on NK’s gift.

Khushi gets angry. So she retorts: Well, I only got one wedding present so far and that was from Nanheji. Of course, I will gush on them.

Arnav sneers: Oh yeah? Fine. Why don’t you wear them then?

Khushi retorts: I will.

She takes out bangles from the box and starts wearing them. But the bangles were a couple of size too small.

Arnav sneers: Not only he does not know your favourite colour, he does not even know your bangle size.

Khushi’s eyes fill with tears at the taunting: It’s the thought that matters. He at least thought to bring me gift.

She pushes the bangles hard, but one of them breaks and gets stuck on the nerve of her wrist and she starts bleeding: Ouch…

Arnav hears Khushi’s pain. He runs to Khushi to grab her hand.

He shouts out in anger: When you knew they were not your size, why were you forcing them in? What if you got seriously hurt? What if something happened to you?

Khushi shouts back: So what? You go and make fun of me. Nanheji got me a gift with so much love and you made a mockery of the sweet thoughtful gesture. You are just… just Laad Governor…

Khushi’s eyes fill with tears and one by one they roll down her cheek like pearl drops on porcelain…

Arnav gets sad. He takes Khushi’s resisting hand in his own, brings the wrist to his mouth and uses his teeth to take out the glass piece.

Khushi closes her eyes and whimpers in pain.

Arnav slowly blows on the wound and gets fast aid kit from his bathroom to dress the wound.

Khushi looks at him with tear filled eyes. She sees this man, tending her wound with so much tenderness and then she thinks about the man, who blew like a volcano few moments earlier.

She remembers the story she heard as a child called “The Beauty & the Beast.” An eternal love story of a beautiful girl trapped in a castle by a beast who was actually a cursed prince. The girl brings back the prince with her love. But does the Beast ever completely go away. Does the life a person have been living for so long, ever gets wiped clean?

Sometimes she feels she is marrying both the beast and the prince charming at the same time. The prince is there. She has felt him so many times - more often now than before. But the beast is not completely gone either. And may be, he will never be completely gone. Can she tolerate the beast’s anger to find the prince underneath?

The only answer she got from her heart was, if she finds true love under the beast’s shell, then everything is worth it. Without love, nothing is worth fighting for.

Khushi asks softly to Arnav who was tenderly bandaging her wound: Arnavji, why did you get so angry?

Arnav looks at Khushi in pain: Because I’m selfish.

Khushi gets surprised at the answer: Selfish?

Arnav looks at Khushi tenderly: Yes. When NK gave you his gift and you smiled at him, I wanted to bring that smile to your face. I wanted to be the one you looked up to with admiration. I could not even share your smile Khushi.

Arnav gets up impatiently and runs his fingers through his hair: You won’t believe it. But I’m scared. I feel that if you realize that there are other men out there who can make you as happy as me, if not more… Men without any troubled past, men who are not as damaged or angry or tyrant as I am, you will realize what a bad bargain you made accepting me as your husband. And you will leave me.

Khushi’s eyes fill with tears at his vulnerability.

She walks up to him and turns him to her: Arnavji, you think I made a bad bargain by accepting your proposal? I won a jackpot. I won a man who loves me with all my craziness, I won a man who protects me from all harm, I won a man who honours me and respects me and most of all, I won a man who loves me with every part of his being. I could not have asked for a better man, Arnavji.

I never wanted a man without a past. Because that means that man has not lived his life. I wanted a man who might have a painful past. But he survived. The scars on your heart and soul make you who you are. Wear them like medals of honour. You survived the greatest battle of all time… you survived life and achieved your dreams. Not many people can claim that. I will be proud to call you my husband.

Arnav pulls Khushi in his arms and hugs her tight. Khushi hugs him back but notices something sparkling in the corner of her eyes. She pulls back and notices a decorated wooden box on Arnav’s bed. She asks: Arnavji, what do you have there?

Arnav pulls her down on the pool chair.

He says with a cute pout: I got you a gift too. But NK stole my thunder.

Khushi smiles happily: Really?

Arnav smiles at her happiness and he brings out the box.

Khushi opens the box eagerly and her eyes fill out with wonder and more tears until her vision are blurry.

In the beautifully decorated box were bright red wedding bangles and bracketing those bangles were her mother’s bangles that she sold to buy Arnav his exotic plants.

She looks up to Arnav in surprise and love: How? Where? When?

Arnav smiles in tenderness and says: I know you sold your mother’s bangles to make me happy and to get, who you thought was my love, back in my life. So I bought them back to welcome my true love back in my life.

Khushi smiles in happiness: This is the best gift I ever had.

Arnav takes her wrists and gently puts all the bangles on her wrist. They blend with his mother’s bangles as if they always meant to be together.

Khushi and Arnav look up in the sky and see the sparkly stars twinkling.

Khushi puts her head on Arnav’s shoulder and whispers: Arnavji, look… Our parents are so happy to see us together that they are smiling at us.

Arnav puts his arms around Khushi and takes her palm to plant a kiss on her wrist.

Suddenly, they hear Anjali calling out for them to come downstairs and they walk down to the living room for havan.

Living Room, Shaantivan:

The havan ends without any mishap. Khushi and Garima start helping Naniji and Buaji to clean up the area. But they suddenly hear mamiji’s shout.

Everyone come running to see Mamiji shouting at Payal.

Aakash asks: What happened Maa? Why are you scolding Payal?

Mamiji still angry screams: Hello Hi Bye Bye… Aakash bitwa, this Khoon bhari taang has cheated us. They never told us that her wedding was fixed before. But it broke. Why did they hide it from us? Tells tells?

Anjali gets sad: Mamiji, my wedding broke too. If you don’t blame me, why are you blaming Payalji?

Mamiji tells Anjali: Anjali bitiya, you have never hidden any truth about your wedding. But they did. Tell me, why did her first wedding break? Was it because she had some short-coming or such? And if there was no such thing, why did not they tell us?

Buaji speaks out: What are you saying? We told everything to Aakash bitwa. Ask him.

Mamiji shouts out: Stop lying about my son. If he knew everything he would have told me.

Aakash interrupts her rant: Maa, I knew Payal’s first wedding broke.

Mamiji shocked to know that Aakash knew it: Really? Then you must know why it broke. Tell us pleej why her first wedding broke?

Aakash become silent as Payal never told him why her first wedding broke.

Mamiji gloats: See? If they had nothing to hide, then they would have told us.

Suddenly Arnav’s voice booms: I will tell you Mamiji, why Payal’s first wedding broke.

Everyone looks at Arnav shocked, wondering how did he know all this?

Arnav comes to Mamiji and tells Khushi and his first meeting, him locking Khushi in a room all night, Payal’s wedding not occurring because the dowry paper were with Khushi, then him releasing video tape and Khushi and her family arriving in Lucknow.

He finishes his story and says: I am responsible for causing this family distress. But when I realized that I was wrong, I said sorry to Payal and she forgave me. If you have to blame someone, Mamiji… Blame me. But Payal is not the guilty person here, nor her family. They did not reveal the truth because they did not want me to look bad in front of my own family.

He looks at Khushi and sees Khushi looking at him with pride for protecting her family at the cost of his own.

Naniji gets upset: Chotey, I can’t believe you caused so much trouble for them.

Buaji says: Naniji, please forget everything. May be NandKishore wanted us to come to Delhi, so we did. Everything worked out in the end and that’s all what matters.

NK was silent but he speaks out: I wanted you to come to Delhi? When did I say that? I did not even met you until a few days ago.

Everyone laughs at the joke and the atmosphere gets lightened.

Naniji tells everyone to go to bed as next day is the wedding. So they have to be up for haldi ceremony.

Guest room, Shaantivan:

Khushi and Payal are lying in bed.

Payal whispers: Khushi, when I first met Arnavji, I thought he was the worst man I ever met. But today, he protected me in front of everyone. I’m happy to say that I was wrong. He is the best man for you. You are very lucky to have such a loving husband.

Khushi whispers back: I know jiji, I know…

She closes her eyes and dreams of Arnavji…

In Devi Maiyya’s temple, a flower falls from the deity’s feet into a burning candle and bursts into flames.