Chapter 34

Khushi was the first to wake up in the morning. Due to their late night, she had shut the alarm off and gone back to sleep. She never intended to sleep in so late though. It was already 7:30. She shot up out of bed but an arm pulled her back to bed. "Go back to sleep Khushi" Arnav mumbled as he pulled her towards him. "Leave me. It is already late and we have to get ready."

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Mrs. Raizada – you have become too bossy. First you insist to take you out on a date. Then you seduce me and then you don't let me sleep." "Haww! Mr. Raizada – I did not seduce you. I did not ask you to accompany me, as I could not have gone with Di and Jiji. You are the one who doesn't want me going anywhere without you." "Excuse me Khushi! As your husband it is my responsibility to escort you to places. I am merely trying to be a good husband." "Great! Then be a good husband and pick me up at 10pm from Buaji's as Jiji and I are going there tonight to dinner." She giggled and ran into the washroom.

Arnav – What the!
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NK was reminiscing about the previous night with Maya. The backdrop at Sevilla had been almost magical and that had helped maintain the mood. Not that they actually needed the help. Conversing with her was extremely easy and it felt like they have known each other for ages. They shared a wonderful rapport with each other. They laughed and joked throughout their meal. Maya was the perfect girl in many ways. She was modern yet traditional. Ultimately, he had solely been attracted to her but after discovering her many unique qualities his fondness was only growing. The only thing that bothered him was when mentioned him having another girlfriend who was sending him those chocolates. Who could have sent them? 

Khushi had been studying NK who was completely lost in his thoughts.
Khushi – Nanheji  how was your date last night?
NK – It was very nice Khushiji!
Khushi – Glad to hear it was well. I was quite disturbed when I received your text that your date was going horribly.
NK – What? I never send you a text saying that my date was horrible.
Khushi then proceeded to show her phone and the text message that he had sent.
NK – See Khushiji this says my date is Bohot Kharaab, meaning it's going very well.
Khushi looked at him baffled for a minute and then burst out laughing. "Nanheji this means very bad. What you meant to say was Bohot Khoob!"
NK – My bad Khushiji!
Khushi – So how were the chocolates that I sent over to the table? They were one of Maya's favorites.
NK gasped as realization dawned upon him that she had sent it. But wait, how could that be. "Khushiji how did you send me those chocolates all the way from Shantivan?"
She looked down nervously and she began talking. "Umm I was actually at the same restaurant with Arnavji. When you texted me I got nervous and sent the chocolates to Maya."

NK – What?? Do you know Khushiji that the waiter delivered them to me, and said it was from a pretty girl. Maya thought it was one of my girlfriends.
Khushi – Hey Devi Maiyya! What have I done? I will call Maya right now and tell her what happened. She left there hastily before NK could get a word in edgewise.

NK was upset. It was obvious that Khushiji had purposely gone there to keep an eye on him and Maya. He knew her sweet nature though and she never meant any harm. However, there was one person who should have been the voice of reason and should have convinced her otherwise. "NANNAV!" He trekked up the stairs, two steps at a time, headed towards his dear cousin's room. "Nannav I cannot believe you have become such a Joru Ka Gulaab!"

Arnav had a confused look on his face as he processed the phrase "Joru Ka Ghulaab." He smirked as he realized what NK meant to say. I think you mean "Joru Ka Ghulaam. (Wife's slave). Gulaab means rose".

NK looked at him sheepishly and then remembered the reason for him to be here. "Well the point is that you are one."

"Excuse me?" asked a confused Arnav.
"Nannav how could you take Khushiji to the same restaurant as Maya and I, on the same day? Don't you have any say Nannav or do you just do as she says?"

"NK listen to me. Khushi was absolutely determined to go with or without me. I accompanied her but I made sure that she stayed at of your way. I even made sure our tables were not nearby. You know how Khushi gets when she sets her mind on something."
"Well you know Nannav! She almost ruined my date by sending a box of chocolates to our table. The waiter said they were from a pretty girl and Maya got the impression that I am a flirt."
"Hmm but how could that be possible? NK I was with her the entire time. Oh wait! I stepped away just for a couple of minutes to greet a sponsor. That must be when it happened. Crazy girl!"
"Well, I never imagined that you would be so scared of your wife. You – the mighty Arnav Singh Raizada! You have become a Joru Ka Ghulaam!"

"What the hell NK! I am in no ways a Joru Ka Ghulaam ok. She didn't even tell me about your date, I found out about that after I had agreed. Also, you met Maya because of Khushi. So she has some weird sense of responsibility towards you both. But stop calling me Joru ka Ghulaaam!"

NK was not an angry person by nature. His anger was slowly dissipating as he watched Nannav get annoyed with that phrase. He really couldn't explain why Nannav's annoyance was a personal satisfaction for him. "Just make sure that Khushiji doesn't crash any more of my dates, Joru! " Revenge would be sweet, he thought!
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Due to meetings, Arnav had to stay back at the office later than usual. He came home around 9 and then instinctively called out, "Khushi – please get me a cup of coffee!" HP approached Arnav and informed him that he would prepare the coffee as Bhabhi was out. In record time, a hot steaming cup of coffee was delivered to his room. Arnav took one sip and spat out the coffee. "Dammit! Can't anyone else besides Khushi make a decent cup of coffee?" He figured it was best to just to and have his dinner. He joined Di, NK, Aarav, and Akash at the table. He was in a foul mood and silently filled his plate.

NK noticed Nannav's mood and presumed it was due to Khushiji's absence. "Di – before Nannav and Akash got married did they watch a lot of Hindi films?"
Anjali looked puzzled. "I don't think so NK bhai."
Akash was also curious as to this line of questioning. "Why do you ask?"

Well NK began, "I was reading an article about how some people's attitude can be influenced by movies. After observing Nannav I thought maybe he had watched Joru Ka Ghulaam", and then he casually resumed his meal.
Di and Akash squeezed their eyes shut as they braced for Arnav's anger. "What the hell NK! Give it up already."
Di decided to intervene. "NK bhai – why you are unnecessarily teasing Chotte."

"Di – I am merely stating the facts. I bet that Nannav cannot last one night without Khushiji. Remember how he used to make excuses to visit her house prior to their marriage."
Right on cue the phone rang. Arnav needed an excuse to escape this conversation and answered immediately.

"Arnav, it's me Khushi. Um I wanted to ask you something. It's already late and Buaji wanted to know if it was alright for me to stay the night tonight. Jiji already has permission and I was wondering if I could too" she said softly as her voice trailed off.

Arnav shut his eyes exasperated! "Of course it was not alright! He hated it when she was away from him even for one night. But unfortunately for him, he knew NK would never let him hear the end of it if he didn't allow Khushi to stay. He would obviously inquire as to why she was returning back alone with Payal. Damn that NK! Wasn't it time for him to return back to Australia?" "Do you need me to pick you up? It's not a problem for me." He hoped she would understand his sentiments that he wanted her to return. 

Anjali was listening in and piped in. "Chotte it is late and Payalji is staying the night. Let Khushiji stay there as well, they will have a fun time."
Arnav grudgingly agreed as he had no choice. He finished the rest of the meal quietly and fled to his room.

Back at Laxmi Nagar, Khushi half-heartedly informed Buaji that she would be staying. She had tried to resist but Buaji and Jiji had teased her so much about her hesitating to spend one night away. She had initially hoped that Arnav would insist on picking her up but he did no such thing. Instead she put on a fake smile and settled on the sofa next to Buaji and Jiji, ready to watch a Hindi movie.