Three weeks later

Ping. Arnav's phone beeped, interrupting his workflow. He ignored it. One more ping. Another ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. He sighed irritatedly and got up from his couch to go see who was bothering him at this ungodly hour at night.

12 new messages from Khushi. He rolled his eyes up in frustration. Without bothering to read the messages he dialed her number. She answered it in the first ring.

"Hello," she whispered.

"Now what happened Khushi?"

For the last three hours, Khushi had made it her mission to bother Arnav with all sorts of information that had no absolutely no relevance to either Arnav or their relationship.

She'd informed him that her Amma had made Khushi's favorite bhindi ki sabzi and tadka dal for dinner, that she was feeling sad because the plant outside her window might die in the next four days, that today they tried a new sweet recipe at the shop, that their usual sabziwala had decided to rob the Guptas by significantly increasing the price of onions and tomatoes, that she'd decided her new favorite color was going to be orange, that the tailor had completely ruined the blouse that went with Payal's wedding dress and Khushi would never use him for her wedding.

None of this mattered to Arnav. What mattered was that Khushi was far away in Lucknow. What mattered was that he missed her very much.

Khushi had withdrawn her resignation and had instead requested a transfer to Lucknow. "Amma and Babuji need me Arnav. The doctors have advised that Babuji has better chances of recovering in a familiar environment," she'd told him two nights later in her apartment, while Arnav helped Khushi pack her belongings. It was on that day that Arnav realized that Khushi slept in the spare bedroom.

When he asked her about it, she looked melancholic. "It isn't good to get used to things that you can't have forever. You and me, this," she said pointing to the ring on her finger, "was never on the cards. Our deal, that I became your "business developer", and that one fine day you will move on, was. I didn't want to start living a lifestyle that would cease to exist after this was all over."

Khushi had simply stated the fact. Nevertheless, Arnav flinched. He felt like a hollow heartless monster. Ever since the night he professed his love, he'd wracked his brain for a reason as to why he'd unfairly involved Khushi in his power game. And he couldn't come up with one valid reason for doing so. He shuddered to think of the havoc his deal would have caused if things hadn't taken an unexpected turn.

Khushi realized the direction his thoughts were progressing in. Garlanding his form with her hands, she said, "Indeed, I hated ASR then. You know, the day before I left Lucknow to come to New Delhi, I went to the temple and cried. I didn't understand why my Devi Maiyya would allow something like this to happen to me. But then, things changed. Our contract changed. And when I began working with you, I started seeing the other personalities that were hidden under ASR's exterior. You were a kind mentor, a caring taskmaster, a fair employer. I don't even know when and how, but slowly I started falling in love with you.

"I'm not trying to make excuses for your past actions, no. Nor am I trying to absolve you of all the wrong you've done to everyone, including me. All I'm trying to explain is what Aman made me realize two months ago. That I'm very much head over heels in love with Arnav. Not ASR. Arnav."

Arnav jerked his head to look at her. "Aman?"

She smiled sheepishly.

"So Aman knows?"

"Not about the proposal, no. But yes, he knew long back that I had fallen hard for you. In fact, I'm certain that Aman along with Shyam ji and Anjali ji decided to play cupid between us."

"Seriously? How come I didn't know?"

"Because you're ASR. When have you ever paid attention to matters of the heart?"

Arnav let out a soft whistle. "Imagine that," he laughed good-naturedly.

"Excuse me," Khushi expressed mock consternation. "You might be my fiancee but Aman is still my best friend. I'm not going to stand around listening to you call my best friend names, in case you plan to."

He laughed a little then and pulled her into a hug. "Mine too, Khushi, mine too."

Arnav owed Aman an apology for misunderstanding him. He was thankful for have people like Anjali, Shyam and Aman in his life, who genuinely cared for him.

*****

Moving back to Lucknow was the best thing Khushi could have done for her family, Arnav grudgingly accepted. Her Babuji's health had shown immense improvement. Her Amma was relieved. They had an entire community to support them, friends, and neighbors who'd become family.

But in all of this, Arnav still missed Khushi. Occasionally, sitting in his cabin, he would glance at the cubicle that used to be occupied by Khushi. The new girl who sat there was organized. There were no more accidents, no strewn color pencils, no fluttering papers with hastily scribbled doodles, no unbidden laughter, and no acts of kindness. AR had gone back to the way it used to be before an angel had walked in and turned his life upside down.

Each time he thought about her, he missed her more. He'd contemplated temporarily working from the Lucknow office, but had instantly dismissed the idea. It wouldn't be fair to Khushi. If he was near her, he would demand a lot more of her time. And right now, her family needed her more than he did.

All of this was new to both of them. Khushi had never been in a relationship before and Arnav had never been in a real relationship before. Khushi's faint voice wafted to his ears. She had been talking non-stop for the last five minutes and Arnav hadn't registered a single word of what she said.

"Did you hear what I said?" she whispered furiously.

"Uh..Uh."

"You didn't. Ravan." She called him that when she was miffed with him. He adored that name. It suited him. Every time she called him by that name, he knew he'd managed to rile her up. That was the best thing about their relationship. Their banter. It was cute and innocent just like Khushi.

"Tell me again."

"Akash Jiju's mother has sent a marriage proposal for me. It's Jiju's cousin who's working and living in London. Amma said they can't refuse directly without it looking bad on the family, because Jiji is getting married to Akash Jiju. So I've been told to behave and give it a chance. The boy and his family are coming to see me tomorrow. If they like me, they want the marriage to take place along with Jiji and Jiju's wedding."

The monster was back. Unaware of the anger building up inside Arnav, Khushi continued. "Jiji and Jiju's wedding is two weeks away." She suddenly heard a beep that indicated the phone call had been disconnected.

"What the...," she muttered under her breath. Arnav was getting impossible to handle. Here she was discussing their future and he'd hung up on her.

*****

The next day morning, Khushi found out something new about Arnav. That he could pointedly ignore her and pretend as if they were strangers. 

When the doorbell to the Gupta household rang at 7 in the morning, no one was surprised. They expected Madhumati to arrive any minute. Madhumati had been ecstatic at the possibility of Khushi settling down. She had immediately booked her tickets to Lucknow, to ensure the meet and greet with the prospective groom's family went off without a hitch. 

But when Khushi opened the door, she was shocked to find someone clad in a carbon black Brioni suit, on the other side. A someone she hadn't seen for three weeks. She was so excited she could hardly contain her emotions. And yet, he seemed rather cool, collected, and aloof. He looked at her, and past her at Garima who was eyeing his presence with growing unease.

"Mr. Raizada, please come," she invited the man into her house. He made himself comfortable in their modest living room and gratefully accepted the glass of water that was offered.

"Mr. Raizada, Shashiji is resting. The heart attack has left him quite weak. I'll go and get him but it might take a while."

"Sure, Mrs. Gupta. Take your time. I, too, am waiting for some people to join me for this meeting. We're in no rush."

Garima threw him a grateful glance before hurrying to help Shashi get ready for this unexpected meeting.

As soon as Garima was out of earshot, Khushi marched up to Arnav to demand the reason for his presence.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered furiously poking her forefinger onto his chest. "Why didn't you tell me? We just spoke last night and you hung up on me, and now..." Just as she closed her eyes to take a deep breath, Payal walked in.

"Hello Mr. Raizada," she greeted the guest and then noticed Khushi's threatening stance. "Khushi, not only is he our landlord and your boss at AR, but he's also our guest. Is this how you treat our guests?"

Chastised, Khushi moved away but continued giving Arnav the death glare. Just then another car drove up to the Gupta residence and Anjali and Shyam made their way into the house.

"Sorry Chhote, for being late," Anjali apologized while Arnav got up to hug his sister. Shyam smiled. "She's behaving like she's the one getting married," he told Arnav. "She's been nervous and has actually changed her outfit three times since she couldn't decide on what to wear for this momentous occasion."

Marriage? Momentous occasion? What was going on in this Ravan Raizada's head now? Before Khushi had a chance to ponder, aided by Garima, Shashi wheeled into the living room. Arnav walked up to him.

"Mr. Raizada," Shashi shook his hands. "Please sit down." When he stared at the other two guests quizzically, Arnav introduced them. "Mr. Gupta, this is my sister Anjali and my brother-in-law Shyam."

Another round of water, tea and biscuits followed the introduction. After some initial hesitation, Anjali cleared her throat to speak.

"Shashiji and Garimaji, there is no easy way to say this."

Garima grew uneasy by the minute. Every time their earlier landlord had paid them a visit, it was to increase rent. In their current situation, they couldn't afford an increase in rent.

"Anjaliji I understand your concern, but I don't think it's possible right now. Given Shashiji's health and Payal's wedding, I mean the groom's side has been very accomodating but we still need to keep everything to respectable standards."

Both Anjali and Arnav looked at each other. It seemed as if Garima had already made up her mind to get Khushi married to Akash's cousin.

"I understand your predicament, Garimaji," said Anjali. "But have you asked Khushi for her opinion?"

"Not really Anjaliji. I didn't know about your intentions until Mr. Raizada came by this morning. I haven't had the chance to talk to Khushi about it. But I'm sure she will feel the exact same way I do, about this whole thing."

What was Khushi's mother saying? Had Khushi agreed to the proposal without meeting with the boy? While the siblings were flustered, Shyam was sporting a benevolent smile. He continued munching on the biscuits, picking up another, as his smile threatened to turn into laughter. Truth be told, he was relishing the scene in front of him.

"I think there is some misunderstanding Garimaji but Khushi and.." Just then Arnav's eyes wandered to Khushi's hands fidgeting with her dupatta. The ring he'd put on her finger was missing. He placed his hand on Anjali's to stop her from completing her sentence.

"I think Mrs. Gupta is right. We should leave. Sorry to bother you so early in the morning." He got up to make his way out. All that while, his eyes never left Khushi, clearly indicating that he was hurt, very hurt.

"But Chhote," Anjali held his hand to stop him from leaving.

"Di, forget it. Somethings are not meant to be."

Anjali looked at Shyam pleadingly and got up to go after her brother. Arnav had already reached the main door. Khushi's eyes kept following Arnav as he made his way to the door. She didn't understand what it was that had hurt him, but she couldn't see him like that. She walked up to the door and held his hand, to stop him from leaving.

"I'm sorry Garimaji if our visit bothered you in any way." Anjali was just about to make her way out when Shyam held her hand and stopped her, gently pulling her to sit back down on the sofa.

"Shashiji, Garimaji, I believe everyone has beaten around the bush and caused enough confusion," said Shyam. "Now before things really get out of hand, let me tell you why we're all here.

"My brother-in-law Arnav is in love with your daughter Khushi. And if you'll have no objections, we would like to ask for Khushi's hand in marriage for Arnav."

If the Gupta's were shocked, they hid it only too well. Garima quickly apologized for her earlier comments. "I thought you were here to talk about increasing the rent," she admitted sheepishly. The entire family had a laugh. Garima and Payal quickly made their way to the kitchen to make another round of tea and Shashi looked at the beautiful pair Arnav and Khushi made standing next to each other. Everyone seemed happy except Arnav. Under the pretext of wanting fresh air, he excused himself and Khushi followed him.

"There's no compulsion," he told her, just as soon as they were by themselves.

"For what?" Khushi was getting confused and worried. What had suddenly gotten into this man's head?

"For us." He was experiencing a new emotion - helplessness. He closed his eyes to will the words which seemed stuck in his throat. "There's no compulsion to marry me. I know I made quite a hash of things by bringing my family here today, but I'll clear it all up. I can totally understand if you've changed your mind."

"Arnav," she forcefully turned him to look at her. "You're mad, annoying, bossy, frustrating..." She threw her hands up in frustration. She didn't know what had happened but she understood that he needed reassurance.

Taking his hands in hers, looking him straight in the eye, she said, "Arnav Singh Raizada, I love you and there is nobody else I want to spend the rest of my life with."

The helplessness he was feeling gave way to relief and he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. Moments later when they untangled, he pointed to her bare finger. She understood. Slowly she pulled out a delicate chain that discretely adorned her neck. Looped through the chain was the 2-carat round cut solitaire diamond ring, he'd gifted her.

*****

Ten minutes later when Arnav and Khushi made their way back to the Gupta's living room, they were informed that the Raizada's would be staying for lunch.

"Seriously Di?" Arnav asked amused. "Chhote, its been so long since I've had traditional food. After Amma's death..." Tears glistened in her eyes and Shyam got up and gave her a sideways hug while rubbing her arms.

The Gupta's saw the love between the siblings and the love and concern Shyam expressed for Anjali. Khushi was very lucky to find such a caring family. As Anjali continued to munch on a snack while standing near the kitchen chatting with Garima and Payal, Shashi wheeled himself to his daughter.

"Khushi, I know Garima didn't give birth to you, but I've always treated you as my own daughter. I only want the best for you. I would never force a marriage alliance on you simply because I think its the right thing. You're old, you've seen the world, I trust you. Tell me Khushi, do you want to marry Arnav Singh Raizada?"

Khushi hugged her father and cried. Tears of joy. Her father had thought her worthy of a say in the biggest decision in her life. She was humbled. How many middle-class fathers thought their daughters were worthy of that honor? 

She had always wondered what life would have been like if Rishi and Hema were alive. But whatever life had been, God had been extremely kind to her. He had sent Shashi and Garima into her life and for that, she couldn't thank God enough.

When he wiped away her tears of joy, she held her Babuji's hand and said: "Thank you Babuji, for believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself."

"Silly girl," Shashi said fondly caressing his daughter's hair. "My daughters' are my pride and both of you've never done anything that has made my question my upbringing. I'm proud that I've raised such beautiful, sensible girls."

*****

"So?"

"So, when do you plan to stop pulling stunts on me, Laad Governor?"

She had a new name for him. He laughed.

"What did you expect from me after you told me your family had invited a boy to potentially fix your alliance?"

"Trust me, I would've handled it on my own?"

"How? By saying yes to the alliance or by risking Payal's wedding without giving your family a reasonable answer?"

Khushi knew what he said was true. It had been three weeks and she hadn't told her family about Arnav's proposal. In fact, she'd gone out of the way to hide the ring he gave her.

She started fidgeting with her chain. Arnav noticed this and chuckled. He walked closer, gently freed her hands from the chain, and adjusted her dupatta to hide it. Then kissing her gently on her forehead, he whispered in her ears. "Get ready Khushi Kumari Gupta. Soon, it'll be time to add Singh Raizada to your name."

*****

"Two more weeks?" Garima had taken Khushi's place in the kitchen for a change. So far, twelve boxes of jalebis had been packed and sent to their neighbors. "Two weeks, Jiji," she said, dunking a newly fried batch into the sugary syrup. "How will I plan two weddings in two weeks?"

Madhumati had finally arrived. And so had Akash's family. They had been politely informed that Khushi's alliance had already been fixed elsewhere. If the Mishras felt anything odd, they didn't let it show.

In the evening, Shyam and Anjali were back at the Gupta household with the shagun. While exchanging the traditional plate with the wedding items, Anjali casually let slip that it might be sensible to have Arnav and Khushi's wedding at the same time as Payal's and Akash's. Shashi had smiled and Garima had panicked. Soon after Anjali and Shyam departed, Garima had taken to the kitchen. And for the last hour, she was frying jalebis.

Madhumati and Shashi exchanged glances. Surely, Garima could be as crazy as Khushi if she wanted to.

"What's bothering you?" asked Shashi wheeling into the kitchen. She stopped making her jalebis and crouched to reach Shashi's height. "First Payal and then Khushi.." And she placed her head on her husband's lap and cried. She was mentally prepared to lose one daughter, but two was too much to take for her.

"Garima, why don't you see the positive side? Both our daughters have been through so much but they've emerged victorious. They've both found husbands who positively dote on them. God has been kind."

Garima smiled through her tears. Madhumati came and stood behind her brother. "I can understand your sentiments Garima, but sometimes you need to understand ours too."

When Garima looked at her quizzically, she replied. "You've made so much jalebi. Who's going to finish all this."

"Who else Jiji, Khushi!"

And the trio, through their tears, burst out laughing.