SS (Pichay pichay aunda) I will follow you

Part 1

Arnav stood frantically turning the calendar. It cant be. He muttered. How could 6 months fly by so quickly, and him not realizing it! He felt a knot in his stomach. Is that why khushi left?!

Immediately the images of him shouting at her when he expressed regret flashed before him.

Please no. please. Oh Shit!!!

He threw the calendar on the bed and dashed to the cupboards. He scanned her clothes and breath a sigh of relief. Her stuff were still there.

Don't overreact Arnav ' she's just gone to buaji's house to look after her.

But that was a lie. Buaji was not ill, he thought. He turned towards the bed and saw a collection of shiny stars left by his bedside. The last time khushi had left him the stars was when she was due to kill herself. A niggling feeling burnt inside him. He turned and frantically examined the cupboard again. Her expensive outfits were left but most of her everyday outfits were gone. He opened the drawers and saw that her devi mayaa was missing. Realisation dawned on him. Khushi had left him, not for a few days but for good. She still held on to the marriage contract and now there was no way he could bring her back.

He didn't want to force her back. The thought did cross his mind but he wanted her to regard him as her husband and to come back on her own accord. He stood by the cupboard dejected. The last time he felt this way was when he had rescued her from the guest house and could not understand why he felt so anxious. Now he knew. He could not be a part from Khushi but he did not know what to do either.

He walked slowly towards the pool area and stared at the stars. "What do I do? What can I do?"

He closed his eyes to wait for a sign and then recognized the absurdity of the moment.
There had to be a way.

Maybe she left something and he would return it. Yes, he could do that. It was not like he was at work today anyway. He spent most of the time driving up and down to GH. Initially worried about puaji and then being annoyed at Khushi for her stupid story telling.

So for start, he could go back tomorrow. And then what? He could not just march up to her and demand that she come back. She would definitely say no and he would say yes and then they would argue. Arnav knew that was a lost cause as well. He would lend up storming off and not achieving his main aim of having Khushi with him.

"There has to be another way, Arnav. Think!" he commanded himself. He searched her belongings for something, anything and then his fingers stumbled on something firm underneath her neatly folded saree petticoats. Arnav picked it up and scanned it. An worn out exercise book, labeled "101 ways to annoy Laad Governor".

"What the?"

He immediately flipped the pages open and there in bold black ink was all the things that khushi did to annoy him:
1.    Get into the shower before LG : check
2.    Off the water supply whilst LG is showering: check
3.     Redecorate the room to my style: check
4.    Remove his clothing and put mine in: check
5.    Playing the devoted wife: check
6.    Placing a kiss on his handkerchief for work: check
7.    Making LG wear a red shirt: check
8.    Sending food to work to embarrass him: check

"What the? She did all of that to annoy me." He felt himself getting angry. 


"No Arnav, take deep breaths. Getting angry will not help. It's you being angry that made it worse in the first place. What is needed is a different technique."

He looked around the room and then at the book. He had tried winning Khushi over by being himself. That had not worked, as evidenced by him standing in his bedroom alone, when he should be enjoying his wife's company. And boy, how he longed for her.
Did he want her back?  Yes. Would he go to any lengths to get her. Again he nodded. Definitely. So he would need to use a different strategy. But what?!

He glanced across the room and then at the little book in his hand. A smile edged on to his lips. "Well Khushi kumari gupta singh raizada, two of us can play the same game."
He moved quickly around his room, gathering his key clothing items, including the gold stars and the pink saree he bought for her. He moved swiftly, placing the items into his bag including his laptop. He then stepped out with bag in hand to find Naniji.






Khushi stared at the TV, munching her jalebis. Since Arnav left she had felt awful but did not know what else could she do. Theirs was a contract marriage. He said 6 months and 6 months was up. How she wished it wasnt but a contract was a contract. And also Anjalidi did not like her either. So there was no point in staying if all she did was bring more pain to him and his sister. But the hollowness continued to engulf her.

"Dont be so stupid Khushi. You are acting all love sick. Be strong. He only said 6 months."
But part of her tried to argue - he wanted to be her husband. He wanted her to take him as a husband. She touched her cheeks softly where he had placed a kiss earlier in the day and tried to resist a smile from forming.

"My mad husband." she smiled and then felt her eyes become heavy. "Soon, he wont be my husband." She placed another crunchy jalebi in her mouth and picked up the TV remote to scanned the channels. Nothing caught her attention, not even to silly astrological channel. She was seriously doomed.

"Sanka Devi? Are you not going to sleep?" Buaji called out.

"Soon, buaji. I'm just watching ..." Khushi  tried to atleast find a program that she liked. 
Nothing. "something interesting buaji. I'll go to bed when it finishes."

"What's it about?"

I dont know "Too complicated to explain buaji."

She placed another jalebi in her mouth as she reminisced about Arnav when he last stayed with her in GH. She was so into her thoughts that she failed to notice buaji coming into the sitting area.

"Move, Khushi, let me see what's so interesting." Buaji stared at the screen and then at her. 

"This is interesting?! Someone selling wonderhose to clean cars? Planning to buy a gift for Arnav babua or just missing him"

"What?!" Khushi turned her attention to the TV and realised that she had the informercial on. 
"Dont be silly buaji, of course I dont miss him. I was just intrigued by the modernisation of the wonder-hose." Khushi placed another jalebi in her mouth in an attempt to shut herself up and tried to look around for something to distract her. Surely she could not appear that pathetic in front of buaji.






A loud knock on the door startled her.

"Are you expecting someone this late, buaji?"

"No. maybe they are coming to collect the rent."

"That's not possible. The rent has been paid."

"Really, by whom?"

"That does not matter. I sorted it somehow." Khushi mumbled as she got to her feet.

The knock came again, louder.

"Coming. Be patient." She inched the door open and immediately, her worse nightmare emerged.

"You? what are you doing here?" She growled. "Did I not tell you to go away?"




"Hi, my patniji." Arnav smiled as he rested his hands on the door and winked.

"Excuse me. what did you call me?"

"Nothing, by dahling patni. Is buaji still up or is she now in critical condition?" he smirked.

"Get lost."

"You see I find that very rude and not very nice Khushi. Is that how you treat your loving husband?"

"I dont take you as my husband."

"Really?! I remembered you ran to me and hugged me tightly."

"You lied and tricked me."

"Hmm. and you always said the truth?!" he raised an eyebrow at her.






"Who's that khushi?!" Buaji called out.

"Buaji, it's me."Arnav barged past.

"Arnav babua, what are you doing here?" buaji smiled. "Missing khushi I see. Dont worry, she was missing you too, munching on her jalebis."

"I was not missing him, buaji. I was enjoying a nice sugary treat."

"Oh yes and watching the informercial to buy Arnav a wonderhose to wash his car."
Arnav turned to look at Khushi and tried to surpressed a laughter. "How sweet Khushi." He inched closer to her and whispered "You dont need to go to that lengths, to get me wet Khushi. Just being close to me will get me equally excited." he winked.

"Disgusting!" she stormed in, locking the door behind him.

"I'm not the one watching the channel."

"I wasnt either."

"Obviously. Missed me?" he moved towards Buaji. "You dont mind if I stay here for a few days Buaji. Khushi was saying that she missed you all so much and you know, I struggle to stay without her. So I thought maybe I could join her here as well."

"Definitely babua." buaji replied excitedly. "We had such a good time the last time you were here. Stay as long as you like."

"No dont." Khushi immediately replied. "Arnavji, think about Anjaliji, you need to be at home to look after her. I'll look after buaji here."

"It's okay khushi. I know you are so thoughtful and placing everyone else before us but I spoke to Naniji and she agreed that I should be here to look after you and buaji. NK has agreed to look after Di. Besides, we are both in Dehli, so if there is anything, he will give me a call and we both can attend to it."

"But you need to work. Work is important. Afterall you are the great ASR."

"Of course. But the great ASR also needs a break sometime, after all that I have been through. So I thought I could work from home, here and spend some quality time with you and buaji."

"What an excellent idea, babua. We'll have breakfast tomorrow. I'm going to bed now. Dont stay up too late and dont be naughty. You know your uncle used to be so romantic, just like you." Buaji pinched his cheeks and then made her way to her room.

Arnav picked up his bag and walked to his room. "Are you not coming, my dear patniji?" 

Arnav smiled. "Your patiji is waiting." He turned and winked at the stunned Khushi.

Phase 1 of his plan had worked. Tomorrow would be the next phase of Operation Get Even and Win Khushi.