Chapter 21
“Did she say where she would be?” he interrupted, his face showing his worry. She looked at him, a little puzzled.
Arnav seemed
to have taken over her life, Khushi thought dazedly over the next few weeks.
Every day
he picked her up, they went to office, the day spent in working, discussing …
laughing, joking, teasing each other like old times - then they would have
dinner together and he dropped her back. Within a few days, her life seemed to
be revolving around him - she waited for him in the morning, they were
constantly together, working, talking, arguing, Lavanya joining in at times,
and then he took over her evenings. If they finished work early, he would
suggest a movie or a play, or just a walk on the beach. When she wanted to
visit the Dewans and Pratibha, he came with her and sat talking with them
easily in their small living room, or played with the baby. After so many years
of ever-present tension and worry, she felt free, unbound, unfettered, she
laughed easily and the shadows under her eyes started slowly disappearing.
He didn’t
say anything about what he had said in Kathmandu, and Khushi was glad for that.
She was enjoying the uncomplicated friendship, enjoying being with him, and she
didn’t want to change that. It was too soon after Manish’s passing, and she was
still trying to get used to the changed equations with the Dewans. With
Pratibha ensconced there and unofficially acknowledged as their daughter-in-law,
her erstwhile in-laws still treated her like their own, but not like a
daughter-n-law, instead they treated her like the daughter she had been for so
many years, and especially since the last four years. It was Khushi they turned
to, for help in any decisions they needed to make, Khushi who took charge of
their finances, their budgeting, their doctor visits. They waited for her
weekend visits even more than before, now that Mr. Dewan was on the mend. But
did they think of her still as a daughter-in-law and therefore a widow, with
all the restrictions that meant? Khushi didn’t know. And she wasn’t ready to
find out.
Arnav didn’t
know, either, and he was as keen as she was, not to rock the boat. After so
long, he and Khushi were back on even grounds, back to their old friendship,
and he was content to enjoy the time, and let her set the pace. He came with
her to visit the Dewans and saw the easy comfort between the older couple and
Khushi, and started see more and more clearly, how close their bond was. He saw
how dependent the Dewans were on Khushi, and he knew she felt herself
responsible for them completely. Khushi would put them and their needs ahead of
her own, he saw that. It was the kind of person she was. And he loved her even
more for that. But that did mean that he couldn’t move forward as quickly as he
wanted to. He wanted her to meet his grandfather, his only surviving family,
but he didn’t want to rush Khushi into anything. She wasn’t ready for more
pressure yet. There were things he needed to do first.
****
Three
months later, Khushi was surprised to receive a phone call from Mr. Suri.
“How are you all doing?” the old man asked her
warmly, after the initial pleasantries. “You … Lavanya … Suresh …? Have you all
settled with Mr. Raizada? Are you comfortable working with him?”
Khushi
smiled into the phone. If Mr. Suri had called three months earlier, she would
have been hard pressed to answer this question. But now, her voice was warm as
she answered in the affirmative.
“I
thought I would give him at least six months to settle in,” the older man
explained to Khushi, “so I didn’t speak to you about this earlier. I have
another offer for the firm, so I have to make a decision soon. But as I said
earlier, I need to know if you are happy with Arnav and his style of working.”
Khushi
reassured him again, and Mr. Suri seemed satisfied.
A week
later, Arnav came into the office late. He put down a thick file in front of
Khushi. She looked up in surprise. His face was serious.
“Go
through this, will you, Khushi?” he asked her. “We need to be in court tomorrow
morning to sign the registration.”
She
looked at him puzzled, and opened the file, while he lounged casually at his
desk and watched her.
Khushi
went through the papers quickly, and then looked at him in disbelief.
“This
says … this says … but you were going to buy over the firm completely, weren’t
you, Arnav? What happened?”
“Does
this meet with your approval?” he asked her.
She shook
her head in bafflement.
“Arnav …
what is this? I can’t … I don’t have the money to buy my share … any share …”
“You
don’t have to buy it,” he told her, his face closed, almost expressionless.
“This is Mr. Suri’s deal with me. You are now part owner of the firm. He has
sold me 50% ownership rights. The other 50% is yours.”
She
looked at him warily. His earlier words, spoken in bitterness, when they had
first met after so many years, came back to haunt her. ‘How do you manage to wind all these old men around your little finger,
Khushi?”
Did he
still, somewhere in a corner of his mind, think that way? Why oh why?! She mentally chastised Mr. Suri in her mind. Just when
she felt she had got back her old equation with Arnav, this had to come up.
“I don’t
want it,” she said evenly, not looking at him. “I’m an employee. I work here,
I’ll continue working here when you take over. If that’s all right with you, of
course,’ she added.
“Ah … but
it’s not,” he said easily, and came over to her desk, loping like a tiger on
the prowl, she thought fancifully. “Not all right with me, I mean. Neither with
me, nor with Mr. Suri.”
She
looked at him warily. He didn’t sound angry … but then …
“Why?”
He parked
himself easily on the corner of her desk, and looked at her. And this time
there was a definite smile in his eyes.
“Khushi,
there are two parts to this. One is that from the beginning, Mr. Suri was very
clear that whosoever takes over Suri Constructions, has to have your approval.
Because he had never intended to sell out his full rights. He always meant to
leave you a share. And if you’re happy working with me, then he’s happy to sign
the deal with me. Otherwise I’m out on
my ear. And the second part, is what I told Mr. Suri … and he agreed with me
when I pointed it out … that making me take over as head, and you as my junior,
was not quite fair. We were college mates, same batch … so there is no way that
I am senior to you, or you to me. If we work here, we have to work as equals. By
giving you 50%, we become equal partners. Both issues resolved.”
Khushi
tried to process his words. Fifty percent of the firm … partnership …
The firm
made a healthy profit, this would ease her burden of looking after the Dewans
considerably. In fact, it would leave her very comfortably off. Her
responsibilities would be taken care of, even if she didn’t work again … and if
she continued working, she would be very comfortable indeed.
“And …
you don’t mind?” she asked cautiously. “You don’t think I … what was it … wound him around my finger …”
“Khushi,
please!” Arnav interrupted, his eyes hot. “Don’t make me feel worse about those
days than I do already. No, I don’t. I never did. The day we started talking
about the deal, he told me how grateful he was to you for carrying his work
forward. If it hadn’t been for you, he would have given up the firm a long
while ago. That was my ego and my hurt speaking … you know that.”
He got up
and looked out of the window, looking out blindly.
“You
know, Khushi, I asked him … why you? Why not the Dewans? After all, Dewan uncle
is his college friend, not you … And you know what he said?”
He turned
back to her, and his eyes were suspiciously shiny.
“He said
… Khushi will look after them. She is the daughter they never had.”
Khushi
swallowed.
“And if I
need any evidence of what he meant,” he went on, his eyes hot and intent on
her, “I’ve got it in the last few months, seeing you with Uncle, Aunty,
Pratibha, the baby. . You give your all for those you love, don’t you, Khushi?
Your heart is so big, Khushi … poori duniya usme samaa sakti hai. I know why
Mr. Suri wants to make sure you’re secure. Because left to yourself, you will
give away the clothes off your back for those you love.”
He put
out a hand and touched her cheek gently. ‘For
those you love.’ How he wanted to be included among that number. But first
… he had to set Khushi free. And hope that she came back to him of her own
accord.
If you love someone, set her
free.
If she comes back to you, she is
yours.
If she doesn’t, she never was.
She
looked back at him, lost in the intensity of his gaze. Molten brown eyes stared
into hazel green ones.
“I’m
fine,” she whispered. She didn’t really know what she was saying, what she was
answering to.
“And you
will always be fine,” he murmured back. “That’s all that this means, Khushi.”
She
nodded. His hand was still on her cheek, gentle, caressing, and it felt like
her skin was on fire. She swallowed, her mouth feeling dry suddenly. He was
close, very close … she could see the dark pupils dilating as his breath
quickened, as he leaned closer … her breath quickened in tandem with his, and
she put out her tongue to lick lips suddenly gone dry … and swallowed again
when his gaze dropped to her tongue.
His cell
phone beeped shrilly and they both jerked back to reality. Too soon, too soon, her mind screamed, but her heart seemed to have
a mind of its own …
The
registration process was started the very next day, and a few weeks later, with
the firm registered in both names, the last of Khushi’s worries seemed to drop
away from her shoulders.
*****
The day
after the registration was complete, Mrs. Dewan called Khushi at the office.
“Has Arnav
found somewhere for you to stay?” she asked and Khushi stared guiltily at the
phone. She hadn’t even asked him … she had been too caught up in enjoying …
life … she realized slowly. She had been enjoying her life … after many years,
had been happy, content, able to push all her problems to the back of her mind
and just revel in the sensation of being cared for, looked after, feeling
secure for the first time in many years … feeling happy.
And Arnav
did a lot of pampering. He made her feel warm, cherished, they talked all the
time as they had always done, and she was slowly opening up to him like a
flower to the sun. But he didn’t say anything like what he had said back in the
hotel room in Kathmandu, made no attempt to get closer, and a part of her
didn’t want him too – not yet. She was content to live in the present, not to
have to worry about the bills, the medical fees … and to simply enjoy life, for
the first time in many years.
One day
at a time, she told herself, and Arnav seemed to feel the same.
But now
her mother-in-law was pushing her.
“I’ll ask
him,” she promised Mrs. Dewan, and was about to put down the phone, when a
voice spoke behind her.
“Ask me
what?” he asked, and as she looked around, startled, he took the phone from her
and took over the conversation, chatting lightly, easily with Mrs. Dewan.
“Yes,
I’ve found her a place,” he said casually, as Khushi stared at him in surprise.
“But it’s not ready yet. Will take a little while. I’ll show it to you if you
like. Whenever you want.”
He signed
off and looked at her quizzically. She frowned at him.
“You
never told me,” she said. “And what about showing it to me?”
He
shrugged casually, but there was a glint in his eye. “I was going to,” he
murmured, “but Aunty has to approve also, doesn’t she? There are a couple of
places, actually – you have the final choice. We’ll go tomorrow.”
Khushi
bit her lip and didn’t say anything. There was a slightly hollow feeling inside
her, and she tried to ignore it. So Arnav had taken her words to heart, she thought
… and realized how badly she had been waiting for him to say something …
something very different.
Arnav
watched her face as she looked blankly at the papers on her desk. He could read
that face perfectly … he knew exactly what she was thinking, and he inwardly
blessed Lavanya a hundred times. But now, he thought, as he looked at the play
of emotions across her face, now, no more. No more waiting, no more games. He
ran an impatient hand through his hair. He couldn’t wait any more. He wanted
her … needed her – back in his arms, back in his life – forever.
Mrs.
Dewan arrived the next afternoon and Arnav ushered her and Khushi into the car,
his heart beating a little faster than normal. He took them first to a small
block of flats very close to office, the apartments were new and very well
finished, the security was good and there was a direct bus to office, although,
he added quickly, Khushi could get a car of her own. Mrs. Dewan looked
approving, Khushi was non-committal.
Arnav
cleared his throat a little nervously.
“There’s
another place,” he said. “it’s further away, but it’s bigger … shall we take a
look?”
They
agreed and he drove them to another building, a smaller one. Mrs. Dewan looked
at it in surprise.
“This
looks like a private house, Arnav,” she said. “Are there apartments inside?”
He
swallowed and shook his head as he ushered them out of the car and to the front
door. He pulled out a bunch of keys and opened the door, as both Khushi and
Mrs. Dewan stared at him.
“This is
where I live,” he said and Mrs. Dewan looked startled, then pleased.
“You live
here? Then are there other apartments here too? Arnav, that would be perfect!
I’d be so relieved that Khushi is with …”
“No, no
other apartments,” he interrupted, his mouth dry, not looking at Khushi. “It’s
my own house. I live here.”
Mrs.
Dewan was looking around approvingly at the furnishings, but at his words she
stopped and turned quickly to look at him. As he held her look, his meaning
sank slowly in. She looked at Khushi, who, after a first stunned glance, was
looking anywhere but at Arnav – and caught the sheen of tears in her eyes. Arnav
looked steadily at the two women. Mrs. Dewan drew in a deep breath, as
comprehension came slowly. She paused, seemed to be searching for words.
“It’s Khushi’s
choice,” she said finally, quietly, and put an arm around the younger girl. Khushi
looked at her desperately, a sob in her breath.
“Mummy …
I … Manish …”
“Manish
is gone, beta,” said Mrs. Dewan gently. “And you have a life to live. A long
life, God willing … And I want that life to be happy. God knows you deserve all
the happiness in the world.”
She
turned to Arnav.
“It’s Khushi’s
choice,” she repeated, more firmly. “We … her baba and I … are there for her
always. Nothing would make us happier to see her in her own house, with someone
she loves, someone who will take care of her. That’s the wish of every parent.
But it’s her choice. We just want her to be happy.”
She
turned to Khushi again and kissed her gently on her forehead.
“We just
want you to be happy,” she said again, smiling lovingly at the younger girl,
and Khushi smiled waveringly back. Mrs. Dewan turned to Arnav.
“Arnav,
will you take me back home, beta?” she asked. “I think you both need some time
together.”
Arnav
nodded, and she smiled at him and raised her hand to his head in silent
blessing.
He had
never driven so fast in his life. He dropped Mrs. Dewan back home, that lady
wisely maintaining her silence, and then rushed back home.
She had
left. Soon after he had, his servant told him.
Arnav stared
nonplussed for a minute, then took off again, his heart racing.
He broke
into the office and Lavanya looked up startled.
“You …
here? I thought you’d be with Khushi …”
“Did she
come here?” he asked harshly. Lavanya nodded, still looking surprised.
“Yes, she
came … but she went off again … she said she needed to talk to you alone. Arnav,
what happened? Did you show her …”
“Did she say where she would be?” he interrupted, his face showing his worry. She looked at him, a little puzzled.
“She said you know where to find her … revisiting
the past, she said.”
He looked at her, and his brow cleared.
