Part 21

Just like he thought when he got home, his Di ignored his very existence and the more he tried to apologize the more she ignored. He realized the engagement ceremony was done and people were relaxing and eating and mingling with each other.

Nani came up and said “Chotey we will talk about your behavior later, but now go get changed and come down, all the guests are asking about you. It won’t be nice if you don’t say hello to them.”

He nodded at Nani, not wanting to get her too angry walked towards his room….

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ASR entered his room and locked the door and removed his coat and vest and started unbuttoning his shirt when he realized the pool side door was slightly open, not wanting any guests to walk in on him.

He moved towards the door to close it and what he saw at his poolside was the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld.

There she was sitting on the swing at the poolside…and lightly swinging it with her feet. She was looking up at the sky and he saw a peaceful smile on her lips. She was wearing a baby green lehenga choli… and amidst his beloved plants and at his pool side she looked like a fresh water nymph made especially to rule over this location…. his poolside…   

Between the fairy lights and the gentle moonlight her skin just glowed. Her dupatta and her hair were flying just a little in the soft evening breeze and he noticed she was now looking into the water in the pool. She stood up and walked towards the pool and sat on the edge of the pool and seemed to be looking at the reflection of the sky in it.

When she had left the swing an end of her dupatta was caught on the chain of the swing and she hadn’t noticed that and her dupatta now formed a beautiful bridge between the swing and her… now she looked like Arnav captured the picture in his mind. But he didn’t know it was in his heart and also in his soul… “Was he dreaming?or was she really there.”

Please imagine this swing at the poolside… that pool side soo deserved a swing:

 

Please imagine Khushi in this dress:

 

ASR decided if it was a dream he wanted to make himself a part of it and if it was not a dream he still wanted to make himself a part of it, so he gentle pushed the poolside door open further and stepped into his dream…. Or his reality… he was not sure.

She looked up straight into his eyes and he knew it was not a dream as he felt his heartbeat race as soon as their eyes met. He moved forward like a zoombie under a witches control and went towards the swing and unhinged her dupatta from there.

She had stood up by now and took the end of the dupatta he handed to her in her delicate hands and gave him a slight smile and he was lost all over again in her. Akward silence followed Khushi was trying to figure out what to say and Arnav was just staring not being able to think at all…

Then she said “We.. we have never been properly introduced…” and held out her hand for him and said

“Khushi…. Khushi Kumari Gupta..”

“Singh Raizada..”

blurted out Arnav and when he saw her frown a little he immediately said “I mean Arnav Singh Raizada..” and stepped forward to take his hand in hers but just as he was about to touch her…

“Khushi are you ready we are leaving now..” he heard her sister call her from the terrace that was looking over the poolside. She immediately dropped her hand said…”haan Jiji I am ready..”

She turned to him smiled a little and said “Bye….” and walked away briskly from him towards the terrace entrance to the poolside..

ASR’s heart and mind were in turmoil, she was leaving already… and he was feeling as if she was walking away with something of his that was very precious to him…. He just couldn’t figure out what… he just kept staring at her… wanting to say something to make her stop but no words were coming out of his mouth….

But she stopped at the base of the stairs and looked back at him and said “Arnavji, I .... I wanted to tell you your garden is beautiful…” smiled at him and left…

Arnav watched her till she disappeared completely out of his sight. Then he collapsed on to the swing and took a couple of deep breaths to free his chest of some constricted feeling he was having… put his head in his hands and thought about what had just happened…

Whatever it was there was only one word to describe it….Magical….

Out of nowhere a thought popped into his head “why does she wear all the colors but red .. dammit..”