Part 81

Arnav and Khushi looked at each other bewildered. Arnav went up to the door and tried to open it.

"He has locked it!" he said looking at confused Khushi.
"Why? What happened? Is there someone else outside?" She too came near the door and pressed her ear against it trying hard to hear what was going on outside.

"What is it? What happened?" She asked again looking nervous and fidgeting.
"Don't know! Khushi....did I say something that hurt him?" Arnav asked nervously.

"No! he looked happy when he went out. Why..?" she thought aloud.
She started biting her nails and he paced the room.
"Somebody must have come!" blurted Khushi.

"At this hour? Its 5 in the morning!" rebutted Arnav. He tried to look through the peep hole.

"There is no one in the passage!" he said.

They both paced the room restlessly. She started muttering relentlessly.

"Khushi! Stop! Let me think!" he told her getting irritated.

"What? And what do you think I was doing?" She asked furiously.
"Khushi! Now don't start that again. I am thinking about what might have happened that compelled him to lock the door!"

"There sure must be something serious!" said Khushi worriedly.
They sat on the couch with bated breath looking at each other's tensed up faces.
They heard a click unlocking the door and they both ran towards the door and froze gaping.

Papaji was at the door with a tray.
"What?" Papaji looked at them in surprise.
Khushi was furious. "Why did you lock the door, papaji? Who was there?"
"What? Who? No one!" answered papaji.
"Then why did you lock the door?" demanded Khushi.
"For you two!" came a simple answer from papaji.
"What?" they both screamed.
"What? Did you not patch up with her, Arnav puttar?" asked papaji.
"What? Patch up? When did we fight?" asked Arnav bewildered.
"What? Don't you understand? Look at all your encounters! You start friendly, lovingly and always end up with a fight either she walking away or you walk away!... I just eliminated that possibility today!" he said keeping the tray on the table and bursting out in laughter.

"Arnav puttar I think you missed the opportunity!" said papaji winking at him and putting his arm around her shoulder. She blushed furiously and pushed papaji away and in the process bumped on Arnav. He held her tightly. Papaji gestured at the tray. He had brought in his early morning tea.

"And one more thing! I want both of you to be in our room within next fifteen minutes! I don't like people coming in late!" he said winking and left.
He came into his room and hugged his wife happily.

*** ***

Within ten minutes both of them were in mummiji's room. Papaji had sat on her bed and she was sitting upright with her bandaged head. She was smiling. Khushi came in rushing to hug her. But she stopped her raising her hand and said "Khushi Wait!" and then opening her arms for Arnav said "Arnav bete, come here!"

He came closer glancing at Khushi's furious face. She thrust her hands on her hips in rage.

Khushi looked at papaji. He shrugged. Mummiji hugged Arnav first and kissed him on the forehead. Then she called Khushi.

Khushi refused to go sulking. She turned her back and tried to leave. But papaji stopped her. She looked at him in rage.

"Khushi!" Arnav called her getting up from the bed. She refused to look at him either.

"Khushi, come here by child!" called out Mummiji. She did not look at her. Papaji forcibly turned her to face mummiji. She had opened her arms for her. Khushi did not budge. She did not move. Papaji pushed her saying, " Khushi, go to her!" He made her sit on the bed. Mummiji took her hand and stroking it said. "Khushi, my child! It was his right! We have a blood relation!"

"What?" Khushi screamed getting up from the bed in a jerk.

"Khushi, relax!" Arnav said looking at her outburst.

"What? What did she say?" asked Khushi looking at papaji.

"Khushi, she is right. They have a blood relation. They have the same blood group and Arnav donated the blood during her surgery. So his blood runs in her veins!"

papaji said smiling and looking at Arnav fondly.
"What? You gave blood? And why didn't anyone tell me about it?" she looked furious but she held Arnav's arm and squeezed it to thank him. He smiled at her. Papaji exchanged looks with his wife.

"Ok. Now go and have some rest. And you! You take the kids out and buy gifts for them of their choice. Don't impose your choice on them. You have a horrible choice!" Mummiji ordered Papaji grinning at him as telling him to take the kids out and have fun.

"What? My choice is horrible? Then who married you? Khushi... I married a horrible woman!!" Papaji almost shouted bursting out in laughter.

"Ok. Tell me when you two want to go out and what do you want!" asked papaji.
"Gifts? Khushi's eyes twinkled and face brightened up! Wow..Can i have more gifts? I have a big wish list! i will have some from papaji and a few from..."She started off dreamily.

Then turning to Arnav she asked, "I am sure, you have no plans to buy anything for me!" looking at him sulkily.

"What? Did he not gift you anything?" asked papaji looking at Arnav. Arnav looked away, embarrassed.

"Gift? From him?" asked Khushi looking at Arnav. "He is the most unromantic person! Doesn't even know ..!" she muttered.

"What? What did you say? Unromantic? humm? Unromantic?..Ok!... " he moved towards her staring into her eyes. She was backing away and he came closer to her.

"What did you call me? Unromantic!" He hissed. She got nervous.

"No, I mean.."she whispered in fright looking at his aggressive advancement.
He stopped with no gap left between them. Still looking in her eyes, he pulled out something from his pocket, kissed it and held her hand. Opening her palm he kept the Mannat Key on her palm and closed her fist. Gripping her fist tightly with his fingers, he looked into her eyes and said.

"This is the gift, key to my heart, giving it back to you, again! ..." He paused and then " Now what did you say? Unromantic?" He said locking his eyes with hers and holding her fist. She blushed!

"What? What was that? Is there something I don't know yet?" asked papaji looking at both of them rolling his eyes and breaking their trance.

Aranv took a step back still looking at Khushi. She said "It's a secret!" blushing.
Papaji laughed. He looked at them fondly as if looking at small children having their secret hiding from their parents. His eyes twinkled. Arnav was enjoying his newly found, long lost childhood in papaji's company. He looked sober and loving. He enjoyed fighting with Khushi. She had brought him down to her age. After all he was not unreachable!

"Now if you do not want any rest then we move on!" said papaji. "Khushi stay here with mummiji and I need to talk to Arnav about your wedding arrangements!" declared Papaji.

"What? Our wedding arrangements? And you are talking only to him? Not me?" Khushi asked with mock fury.

"What? Wedding? When?" asked Arnav bewildered.

"Yes. Your Wedding! And as soon as possible!" Papaji said.

"When?" both Khushi and Aranv asked eagerly. Arnav looked away immediately embarrassed at his own eagerness.

"Once I get the possession of Sheesh Mahel!" Declared papaji.

"What?" Arnav almost screamed.
"Yes! " said papaji. "Do you remember? I had asked you to send me your personal and property file? And took your signatures of the petition papers? Well, I got the case reopened and turned around the entire case. But now, don't worry about the details. Just know that I am waiting for the possession!"

"Arnav Puttar! You will get everything back including your family name and that's a promise! You will get married in Sheesh Mahel! That's again a promise from this papaji! And you will have your Khushi as your legally wedded wife! That's my third promise!" Arnav looked away to control his emotions swallowing hard. Khushi pulled him to take papaji and mummiji's blessings. Papaji hugged them both and wiping his eyes turned his back.

"But what about HIM?" Khushi asked bringing everybody down on earth from their day dreaming state.

Arnav gaped at her. She looked at Papaji. He was lost in thoughts racking his brains for solution. Papaji knew, exposing Sham would take some more time and he did not want to wait for that long to bring his childrens' happiness back.
"I don't care!" said Arnav resolutely. This time his heart spoke ahead of his brain!

"But we must do something about HIM" said Khushi her brain talking ahead of her heart!

They both looked at papaji for a ray of hope. He was still lost. He knew, by now Sham must be aware of the reopening of the court cases. Ratan Singh would try to do some damage with the help of sham.

"Anjaliji? what happened to her..? Could you take second opinion?" Khushi asked hopefully.

"No!" Arnav looked helpless.
"by the way, you did not tell us anything about that Sham and Anjali ji's love marriage!" asked Khushi.

"Khushi! He will talk about it later. Not now!" said papaji sternly. She kept quiet. Lot of unanswered questions still lingered in her mind. She was still clutching the key tightly in her fist!