It should have been you

1. First wish

Quick note: Watching the scene added above is recommended but not necessary. Happy reading❤

About this scene: Khushi and Arnav are at loggerheads and somehow, she manages to land in his car's boot when he is on his way to Nainital. A series of sequences later, their car breaks down and they try to find their way through the jungle. Khushi uses a public restroom to check her dress when a runaway bride runs away with Khushi's dress and khushi has to wear the wedding attire. Seeing her makes Arnav feel the first bout of wishful dreams. (S3 episode 21 on Hulu/Hotstar, Epi 95 otherwise)

--~--

Wishes are strange. Arnav never believed in them. He believed in actions. He was a go getter as they said.

But something had changed. Recently. Ever since, he went to Lucknow to reclaim what was his. Sheesh Mahal. Something had changed since that trip to Lucknow. And he knew what had. He had suddenly felt an urge...like never before...to wish.

--~--

Wishes always work. Khushi passionately believed that. That is why she always made wishes to her Devi Maiyya. And they were most often fulfilled.

But something had changed recently. Ever since she stepped into that old, mysterious palace called Sheesh Mahal. Something had happened to her since that night. And she knew what had. Her wishes stopped getting fulfilled like never before...

--~--

"You will see Arnav, one day there will be a girl in your life who will make you fall in love with her, and even the thought of separating from her will threaten your sanity." Anjali Singh Raizada-Jha had once told this to Arnav and his only reply to her was,

"It won't happen with me, Di."

When she had asked him to make a wish to a shooting star, he had scoffed at her childishness but pretended to make a wish as she closed his eyes with her palm. However, Arnav Singh Raizada didn't become an atheist for nothing, and this is exactly what his 'wish' sounded like- of course in his mind so his Di didn't hear it.

"I do not believe in this bullshit. But if there is indeed some place where these words are reaching, I challenge you to send this so-called girl in my life who will make me fall in love."

Oh, how he feared someone had indeed taken that challenge, someone indeed sent someone in his life and right now, standing in the middle of a God forsaken jungle, in front of a damned sulabh shauchalay (toilet), Arnav Singh Raizada's mind revisited his own words from the past. And the reason was that one person who was messing with his mind. One girl. Khushi. A girl he had at times underestimated for her skills to work in his office and at other times overestimated for her patience when she engaged him in a battle of words. In whichever case, he was constantly proven wrong, and ASR hated to be proven wrong.

Like today when he was on his way to Nainital, she had somehow become a part of that journey! The worst thing happened when his car broke down and they had to walk through a dense forest to find their way to civilization and seek help. But this girl could not give up messing with him even during that time. First she annoyed him with her constant useless blabber, then she fell into a pit- yup a pit!, and then started jumping as some insect had gotten into her dress.

And now 10 minutes since she went to that toilet to get rid of that bug, she was still not out. What was she doing in there? And importantly, what was HE doing there? Never has he ever waited for someone like that in his entire life!

And then he saw her- or at least a girl dressed in her clothes- come out of the toilet. Finally. He decided to ignore her antics for the rest of the journey and keep walking.