Arnav’s Interlude I

“Sir, we have arrived…”

I glance up from my phone, and nod at the driver as he pulls up in front of  Khushi’s parent’s home.  

The two storey traditional bungalow with a balcony and spacious porch with plants surrounding the home is precisely how Khushi described her childhood home. Though it might not be large in size, it has the charm of an inviting aura about it. Where one has all the comforts to live a content life inside the structure in front of me.  

I find myself admiring the home thinking of my Khushi growing up here.

Aware I need to send an email before going inside, I attempt to finish composing it. But it takes longer than necessary as I struggle through it.

Why do I feel like I am back in school getting ready to take a final exam?

One of the main reasons I wanted to rush to Delhi, besides the fucked up situation at AR, was to finally meet Khushi’s parents.  

Now that Aditya and Di are well and life is back to normal, I want to give our relationship a proper name. In order for that to happen, I need her parents approval and blessings. And I refuse to leave without it.

That’s more like ASR, now time to get out of the car, go inside and face my girlfriend’s parents.

But first, I need to lose the tie. I feel like someone is strangling me. Which I bet her father would probably have no problem doing for me falling in love with his precious daughter.

“Damn it!” I yell, as a simple task of taking off my tie becomes complicated.  

After several attempts I get the tie off, and throw it in the empty seat next to me.

Taking a deep breath, I make my way out of the car slamming the door shut due to the nerves that are vigorously taking over.

What the fuck is wrong with me?  

“If I keep this up, there is no doubt I will make a fool of myself.”  I mumble under my breath, as my driver comes towards me to hand me the bags and flowers.

“Thank you, Bala. I should be ready to leave in a few hours, if you want to take a break. Just stay close by.”

“Sure sir, I will be here waiting for you.”

As he goes inside the car, I turn to look up at the house. All of the sudden it looks uninviting compared to when I first had glanced at it. But I continue with my quest that I have come to accomplish taking small steps towards the house. My feet stop for a moment at the gate which has been left open.

They really should have classes on how to win your girlfriend’s parents over. With that thought, I move ahead very slowly, taking my time to reach the door. All the sudden I am in no rush.

“Damn, I should have paid attention to that movie with the goofy guy trying to get on the father’s good side, instead of making out with Khushi. But who could resist those scrumptious lips when they pout whenever she is engrossed in a movie.” I smile thinking of her, but quickly shake the lustful thoughts away.

What is wrong with me thinking about making out with her right before meeting her parents?

That is wrong on so many levels.

As I reach the steps to the house, again I stop as my heartbeat increases feeling like it’s going to shut down any second.

“Remember you are ASR, and you can do anything. Compared to all those business deals and problems you handle on a day to day basis with a snap of your fingers, this should be easy to close out… Right?”

Wrong- I can’t help but chuckle, knowing I am fooling myself.

Those deals are nothing in comparison to the deal I am about to make with the parents of my girlfriend.  

Making Khushi officially mine forever.  

And that gives me the courage to stride up the few steps, and ring the doorbell.

I compose myself just in time, as her father opens the door. He’s dressed in a casual yellow kurta compared to my formal Armani navy suit with a light blue crisp shirt. It’s a good thing I took off my tie, otherwise it would have looked like I was attending a business meeting. But, coming here in jeans, would not have impressed them either.

“Hello Arnav. Please, come in.” Her father greets me with a small smile, moving to the side to allow me to walk inside.  

For a moment we stand awkwardly in the front hall making eye contact for the first time. There is something about his eyes that doesn’t make this intimidating as I imagined the moment to be. And I think it’s the fact his eyes resemble the captivating hazel orbs, that I love so much on a certain someone.  

“Namaste Uncle.” I smile, before bending to touch his feet.  

“Khush raho.”  

When I stand back up, I notice that his stiff posture has relaxed a bit. Then it dawns on me, he is nervous as well.  

Hearing footsteps, I turn around to see Khushi’s mom walking towards us from the kitchen. She looks graceful, and elegant dressed in a traditional pink saree. I notice some of her features that resemble Khushi’s, which instantly brings a smile to my face.

“Namaste Auntie.” I proceed to bend down, but she stops me holding my arm, and shakes her head.  

Uncle and I both are both surprised when she pulls me into an embrace.

“Thank you Bitwa.” She whispers.

My heart warms as I wrap my free arm around her petite frame, knowing the significance of those three words.  

Our one thing in common to see Khushi happy, connects us even though this is the first time we are meeting.

She pulls away, but the warmth of a mother’s love being showered upon me helps eliminate the anxiousness that was there before seeing her.

And, with that I feel welcomed.

Her tender gaze glistens as she takes in my appearance.

“Um… woh… Auntie these are for you, and the sweets are for both of you from your favorite Halwai. Khushi always talks about it so I hope you like them. I also bought her favorite jalebis, which uncle likes as well.” I hand her a bouquet of flowers and a couple of bags with the sweets that I picked up before coming here.

“But… you didn’t have to bring anything. We are just happy that you are here. The flowers are beautiful, thank you Arnav Bitwa.”

“Please, let’s sit down.”

Shashi Uncle’s soft voice brings us to face him. His gaze is fixed on his wife silently asking if she is okay, which comes right through in his expression.  She smiles at him in assurance.

I think about the many times Khushi and I have done the same. The power of speech is often not needed when you are connected to the one you love. Your eyes have a way of conveying what you want to say.    

He leads me to the living room, which is connected to the dining room and is surrounded by windows looking out to a lush garden.  

I wait for him to take his seat in the armchair he’s standing near, before I sit down on the sofa close to him.

“Would you like something to drink?  If you are hungry I can bring some food, I know you have been working all day.”

“No thank you, Auntie. I am fine right now. Please sit down with us.”

She nods, then takes a seat next to her husband. Both of them trying to figure out what to say, and I as well.  

A few moments later, the silence is broken with a topic that is easy for me.

“Thank you for coming to meet us despite your busy schedule. Are you making any headway resolving the issue with the InfoTech merger? I have been following it on the business news channels, it looks like they aren’t cooperating with AR after the merger.”

For a second, I am taken aback with the fact that he follows AR in the news, and knows the scope of why I am here.

“I actually wanted to come sooner, but I haven’t had any free time since I arrived in India. But, meeting you both has been a priority for me, no matter how busy my schedule was going to be.  I am glad to finally be here.” I say softly, before my business tone takes place, as Khushi would say, when I start to talk about work. “After my meeting today, I doubt we will have any more problems with them. There are a few things that should get cleared up early next week, after that we should be set. I have a press conference scheduled for Wednesday before I head back to New York. And, Aaskash, my Mama’s son, will be back next month to take over.”

“That’s good news, it all worked out, but I am guessing it wasn’t easy.”

I smile, since it was far from easy, cleaning this mess up. A mess that was created due to lack of leadership in Delhi as Mama fades away from the business, and me being in New York.

“Not easy at all, I have hardly left the office this week. Today is the first time I left at a reasonable time.”

“You shouldn’t work such long hours, it’s not good for your health. I hope you were eating…”  

I nod, meeting Auntie’s concerned gaze.

“I haven’t worked this late in a few months, since Khu…” I hesitate for a moment uncertain about their reaction, as they stare at me but decide to continue. “Since Khushi… came into my life. And, I wanted to get things wrapped up soon, so I can get back home. As for eating, I have to otherwise she will lecture me, so I tend to eat before I call her. Though getting her to eat at work during the day is impossible. I have to make excuses to take Khushi out to lunch a few days a week so she will eat. Has she always been that way?” I look at them curiously wanting to know since it has been something that bothers me about her.

Both of her parents laugh, and all of the sudden we ease into talking about our favorite person.

“Titaliya has always been that way, whether she was studying or working she would rarely eat during the day.  But then at dinner time…”

“She is screaming about how hungry she is…”  I say grinning, before he can finish.

“That’s our Khushi!” Her mother says affectionately, as she chuckles.  

We spend the next hour talking about my family and Khushi’s mood swings, while Auntie brings out some homemade Samosas and Mosambi juice. I listen intently as they talk about her antics when she was younger, which keeps a fixed content smile on my face. I notice their faces lighting up talking about her childhood.

I have always seen Khushi’s love for her parents, but seeing her parents love for her makes me realize how strong their bond is. I am reminded about my own parents, and how close the four of us were when I was younger.  

How I miss them, being surrounded by Khushi’s parents.

Her mother surprisingly spills some secrets about her that will come in handy at a later time. I can imagine Khushi’s face when I bring it up with the classic mouth wide open followed by a pout, oh and the whining of my name Arnavvvv.

“Sorry one second…” I pull my phone out of my pocket hearing a incoming call, assuming it would be Khushi. But I decline it when it’s a business associate.

“If you need to take the call, please go ahead we don’t mind.” Her father says.

“No it’s okay, it wasn’t anything important. I can call them back later. I just thought it would be Khushi, so wanted to pick up if it was her.”

“Garima, did you want to get dinner ready? Arnav probably has to get to back to work…”

“Actually… um… before we eat dinner I wanted to talk to you both about something important… it’s about Khushi and me.”  

“Did anything happen between you both?”  

“No Auntie it’s nothing like that.”

“What is it Arnav?” Her father asks sitting up straight in his chair.

My plan had been to bring this up later, but now being here, I need to do this. It’s something I know they would need time to absorb, before they agree. I take a deep breath to get ready to ask for the most important thing in my life.

“Um… I… know this is not the traditional way, and someone elder from my family should be here. Mama and Mami are in Lucknow and as you know, Nani and Di are in the States. Which leaves me no choice but to do this myself. So… um… I… wanted your permission and blessing to marry Khushi.”

This was a lot harder than I thought it would be, as an eerie silence fills the room. I fold my hands together to get a hold on my nerves that have come back with a vengeance.

Both of them look at each other then turn to stare at me in surprise.

“I am sorry. I know this is not how it’s done. However, I wanted to bring this up right away so there’s enough time for me to clear any doubts or concerns you may have either about me, or my family before I go back to New York next week.”

Auntie looks over at uncle, who remains quiet for a few minutes. Minutes which seem like hours as we sit in silence. I want to say something as my patience is running thin, but I opt against it.

“Isn’t this sudden? I mean you and Khushi have only known each other for six months.”

“I don’t believe it is. In fact this discussion should have taken place a few months back. But Khushi and I both mutually agreed to wait till Aditya and Di were doing well before thinking about formalizing our future. And, in my opinion you don’t need years, sometimes you just know when the person is right for you. How long you know someone does not guarantee a successful marriage.”

I watch as Auntie sits back anxiously as Uncle and I are having this conversation.  

“Does Khushi know about this?” He asks.

“Khushi does not know that I was going to ask for her hand in marriage… ”

“And what makes you think she will say yes?”

“We have talked about a forever, which leaves no doubt in my mind that Khushi will agree. It’s time we take our relationship to the next step, giving it the formal name that it deserves. With home and work, she hasn’t been thinking much about it. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want this as much as I do.”

Khushi’s father sits back thinking about what I have said, but I can sense he is not convinced.

“I know you have hesitations about me, but please know that I love Khushi. I want to be part of making her dreams become reality with her career and us having a family in the future. But most of all I want to see her happy, which is with me. She deserves that after…” I stop myself for saying anything further not wanting to bring up the past.  

“Arnav, I presume you know about Khushi’s broken relationship. So you will understand, I can’t see my daughter go through that again. And to be honest, someone wealthy like you can…”

“Excuse me, Uncle. But me being wealthy doesn’t mean I don’t respect women. Before Khushi came into my life there were two people who mattered the most to me in this world. My Nani and Di, who happen to be women that I have the utmost respect for. They have supported me while I have worked hard to be where I am today. They were there for me when men from my father’s side of the family turned their back on me. And just so you know, I was not born into money, what I have today is what I have earned on my own. If someone asked six months ago to give up my money to be with someone, I would have looked at them as if they were out of their mind. And if you ask me today, to give it up for Khushi, I would in an instant. I am sorry if this has  come across rude, but the fact is I would never do what Sameer did to Khushi… ever.”

I take a much needed deep breath after attempting to get my point across. But I refuse to be judged because I am wealthy, and to be compared with Sameer.

What is it going to take to convince him that I will never hurt Khushi?

Auntie looks away to wipe her tears, while Uncle looks downs at his folded hands.

But my eyes widen hearing Khushi’s mother’s soft voice.

“I know you would never hurt our Khushi, Bitwa…”

I nod, giving her a small smile in acknowledgement of her faith in me.  She nudges her husband, and there are unspoken words exchanged through their gaze.  

He clears his throat, before our eyes meet, and I know he has come to a decision of sorts.

“I hope you know, my intentions were never to compare you to Sameer, but my daughter is my life. A father’s responsibility is to protect their children, and I have already failed once so I am being cautious. However, I can see your love for her is genuine. I also know that she loves you, and how much you mean to her. But this is a big decision. If you don’t mind, I would like to talk to Garima before we take this further. For now, let’s enjoy tonight as we get to know each other better. Does that work?”

It isn’t a no, and that’s enough for me to smile in agreement. My plan coming here was to bring up the topic of marriage knowing they would need time.  

“Sure, I understand. And if you don’t mind, I would like to keep this between us for now until you both make your decision. Khushi has a lot going on at work with her new role, so think it would be best not to worry her.”  

“That is a good idea, hai na?” Auntie smiles, putting her hand over Uncle’s hand, asking for his agreement. When he smiles at her, putting his other hand over hers, she relaxes knowing his answer before he says anything.

“Yes it is. Now aren’t you going to feed our guest? Arnav, please tell her you are hungry, so I can get some food. Your Auntie, won’t feed me until you eat…”

“That is correct, I made the food specifically for him. He comes first, like Khushi, then you. Bitwa, give me fifteen minutes.”

“Please take your time, there is no rush.”

Once she leaves to go to the kitchen, Uncle and I fall into an easy conversation regarding the latest business news. I also take the opportunity to ask him about his work, which I find fascinating. He has recently moved into a consulting role to be able to ease into retirement in a few years. It surprises me how much we have in common, and our love for specific cars is identical.

“Uncle, I am sorry, do you mind if I take this call? It’s an important call from my legal team.”  

“Work comes first, Bitwa…  you take your call, and I will see if your Auntie needs help.” He says affectionately, which leaves me stunned as he walks away.

It looks like Mr. Gupta is warming up to his future son in law. About time.

A few minutes later, when I am done with my phone call, I go to the dining room where they are setting up the food.  

“Auntie, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble.”  

I stand at the table shaking my head, looking at the spread that has been set out. There are so many different varieties for a full course homemade meal. I can only imagine how much work she must have put into it.

“This your first time here, and Khushi told me you have been eating out. I figured you would like ghar ka khana. Please sit down.”

I sit down next to uncle who is sitting at the head of the table, while Auntie serves us.

“Arnav, you should come here more often, that way I can get to eat a good hearty meal. Otherwise she makes boring food for us everyday.”

“Aap bhi na… you just need an excuse to complain. Bitwa, please start eating. Don’t pay any attention to him.”

I look down at my plate which consists of my favorite dishes, and smile, knowing who is responsible for this.

“Wow, this aloo subzi is delicious! Khushi was right, it is the best. Everytime she makes it, she always complains it doesn’t turn out like yours. Though she seems to be fond of Nani’s subzi.”

She relaxes once we dive into dinner, and takes a seat across from me at the table. The food is delicious, and I shamelessly eat away. How can it not be when she has lovingly cooked it for me. The conversation flows through on various topics. At one point, I surprise Auntie, praising how much I love Khushi’s cooking.

“Have some kheer, Bitwa…”  She offers when we are done with dinner.

“Oh I am sorry, but I can’t…”

“It’s sugar free… woh Khushi told me about your diabetes, when she called us this morning.”

After a few bites, the corner of my lip curves at the taste which is exactly how Khushi makes it for me.

Damn I miss her!

“Thank you, everything was so tasty. I ate more than I should have, it really was nice having a homemade meal after a long week. Not to mention all my favorite dishes.”

She smiles at me affectionately. From the corner of my eye, I can see her glancing at uncle as if she wants to say something.  

After he nods at her, she looks over at me and hesitantly speaks up.

“Woh, Bitwa… we were thinking, since you are staying by yourself… um… why don’t you stay here with us?”  

Wait, did I hear her correctly? Did she just ask me to stay here?

“But Auntie…” I don’t say anything further seeing her smile fade.

“We were thinking if you stayed with us, it will give us an opportunity to get to know each other. Unless you won’t be comfortable here…”

“Oh that’s not a problem at all, I would be very comfortable here. In fact I would love to stay here, but I don’t want to inconvenience you. My work schedule is unpredictable.”

“It’s not an inconvenience, Arnav. We are used to hectic work schedules, between mine, as well as Khushi’s. Before she moved to New York, she worked nonstop for a year, coming and going at different times. It will be nice if you stayed. For Khushi’s sake. I know it will make her very happy.”

“Uncle, it looks like we are going to be eating a delicious meal everyday till I am here.”

Auntie shakes her head in embarrassment as she looks away, and then we all burst into laughter.  

After a few moments, I can see my yes has made her emotional, but at the same time extremely happy as we discuss my arrangements here.

An hour later, I decide to head out since I have an early meeting with my Legal team to finalize the terms for InfoTech. Despite it being Saturday, I had scheduled the meeting since I needed things to get resolved by early next week. This issue has gone on long enough, and it’s time to close it out.

We agree I will be back tomorrow afternoon around lunch time after my meeting is over.

The first thing I do when I get in the car is call Khushi to tell her about my visit. And that I will be staying at her parents home for the duration of my trip. But I am disappointed when it goes straight to her voicemail after several attempts.

Why is her phone turned off?

She is probably getting back at me for not picking up her call from earlier in week.

Not a problem, I can easily find her since she is at the office. After a quick call to Lavanya, she calls me.  But I hear her frustrated voice as soon as she gets on the phone, which definitely is not the Khushi I was expecting.  

I thought she would have bombarded me with questions, but she didn’t even realize why I was calling. Which explains why she never called while I was there. Her parents and I had expected her to call a few times to see how things were going.  

Throughout the conversation, I can sense she is not herself. Come to think of it, she has been distant this week. I have asked on numerous occasions, but she avoids the topic, saying everything is fine.

Could this be because she misses me?

It can’t be just that, there has to be more.  

Why do I have this feeling that something is not right with her?

By the time I get back to my Penthouse located on the top floor at AR Towers it’s after eleven o’clock. This is where I opt to stay during my business trips for convenience.

I remember when I had this place built for me on the top level, facing the city.  This building was an investment opportunity for AR as we expanded significantly five years ago. This penthouse was my first splurge on myself, usually it’s me taking care of other’s. Whether it was for Nani, Di or other members of my family back then. But I wanted an independent lifestyle, away from everyone where I can come and go as I please. So much to Nani’s reluctance, I had went ahead with creating this space for myself.

And now, how much has changed.  

Arnav Singh Raizada wants to be a tied to a woman for life. Furthermore, wants to have a family in the future. And it’s also because of this woman, that I enjoy spending time with my own family rather than being alone.

Never did I imagine myself changing the way I am today. There was never a reason, or shall I say a woman, that ever made me want more or even a future with them.

But Khushi Kumari Gupta came into my life, and in just a short period of time she has become my life. This has been more apparent this past week.  Being away from her with hardly any interaction due to the time zone difference and our hectic work schedules has been nerve racking.

I never thought I could miss another person so much. Without her by side, I am not myself.

Professionally I am there. Though I have been less patient and snap at everyone for no reason. But once I leave the office, I don’t know what to do. It’s as if I am lost. I can’t sleep properly without her by my side, and doing basic things which I am more than capable of has been daunting.

I lie down on my bed exhausted from today, but as always sleep is far away.

Like every night I go through my phone, sneaking in a glimpse of her. With the distance, it makes me feel closer to her, helping me to sleep.

Damn it!

Even that’s not working today. I glance at the clock, and see it’s almost two o’clock. And I go back to blaming this uneasiness on her text for thanking me for dinner and sending Mohan. There was something about it that sends a dull ache to my heart. The sadness in those words is  something I can’t bear to see in her.  

What could be wrong with Khushi?

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