The Business Trip (Arshi FF)

Homecoming

5 missed calls from Karan. Khushi panicked and excused herself as she popped outside her flat to get some privacy and call him back. The phone rang once before Karan almost immediately picked up.

"Khushi, kaha thi tum? I've been trying to call you all day!", said Karan. Without taking a breath in between, he continued, "acha suno, guess who secured a slot at Lakmé Fashion Week this year?!". Khushi squealed in excitement, "ARE YOU SERIOUS KARAN?!". "Bilkul serious, and I cannot thank you enough for all your hard work recently Khush. BUT we have so much to do before the show next week, the collab piece with Sanjay is still not complete. By the way, Saumya's handling all the flight details, just send her your passport details please so she can book your flight to Mumbai for next week."

Khushi could hardly believe her luck. Lakmé Fashion Week had always felt like a distant dream for her. But the excitement was short lived as she realised she'd have to ask Karan about the office relocation to South Delhi. "Err actually Karan, before you tell Saumya to book my tickets, I have a question to ask.", Khushi said nervously. Karan raised his eyebrow. "I'm actually moving back to South Delhi. The commute to Swaroop Nagar and back just won't be viable anymore. Is there any chance I could get a transfer to your South Delhi branch?", she asked meekly, largely expecting a flat out no. "Hmm, that's a tough one. You've been doing such a phenomenal job at the Swaroop Nagar Factory. But I tell you what, if you agree to wear a Karan Malhotra exclusive at Lakmé Fashion week, i'll put through the transfer and i'll even throw in a 15% raise. It's the least I can do after all the long nights you've put in. Plus no one can carry it with as much grace and class as you." Khushi smiled and agreed. It felt like a small thing to agree to in return for how accommodating he'd been.

After returning back inside, Arnav wondered who and what had kept her so long. Khushi being Khushi didn't feel the need to explain herself, but blankly said "the transfer has been approved", before she went to grab her clothes to pack. That was almost too easy, thought Arnav, and after how difficult the last few weeks had been, it felt almost too good to be true that the universe would let him have this without any drama. He knew better than to question it though and instead offered to help with the packing. "I think I can handle a few folded clothes", came the short and blunt reply. The last thing he wanted was to cause another silly fight so he decided to step out to pick up his wife's favourite nariyal paani in an attempt to give her some space to start packing.

About 45 minutes later, Arnav returned with 2 nariyal paanis and a fresh nimbu paani from Haldirams, but only after checking with the restaurant owner 5 times that they definitely use Bisleri water. As he dropped the items in the kitchen and went to look for his wife, to his utter dismay he found her on a 5 step ladder trying to pull her dusty suitcase down. "KHUSHI SINGH RAIZADA ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND!", Arnav snapped, causing Khushi to jump as she was caught off guard, almost causing her to lose her footing before Arnav held her steadily with both hands. Khushi instinctively put her hand to her belly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, tum theek ho?", Arnav asked sheepishly. She looked up at him and glared, "i'm fine, no thanks to you". And since when is it OK to be heavy lifting in your second trimester, Khushi? She sneered, before mumbling "jab din mein teen baar chakkar aate the tab kaha the, ab ek bag pe tension le rahe ho". Hearing Khushi say those words really cut deep. He had missed most of her first trimester. And when he was around, they had spent it arguing. He hadn't been there to help at all. Up until now, he hadn't even realised she had suffered from dizziness. As Khushi sat down on the bed, she winced in pain. Arnav bends down next to her in worry, "kya hua? Dard ho raha hai? Doctor ko bulao?". She shakes her head in the negative as she catches her breath. "Cramps. It's common. It will pass." Arnav took a deep breath in. It had begun dawning on him how much his wife had faced alone this past month. He wished he could have been there to reassure her. To massage her head. To tell her that she was going to be the best mother ever. And then a weird thought crept in to his head. If the entire Sheetal incident hadn't happened, would he still be in New York? Would his ego have meant he'd have missed his wife's second trimester too? As he looked on at his wife who was in considerable discomfort, he realised he'd been the worst husband and father ever.

Arnav excused himself as he went back to the kitchen. As he handed the fresh nimbu paani with the Haldirams logo to his wife, with a nariyal paani in the other hand, Khushi's eyes welled up, much to Arnav's confusion. He figured he'd messed up once again. Arnav knew that Khushi had never been one for grand gestures. Big bouquets of roses never impressed her. Fancy restaurants never impressed her much either. Neither did luxury Belgian truffles or big teddy bears. Full attention with minimal annoying comments whilst watching a Salman Khan movie however, definitely impressed her. Khushi had been craving both for the longest of times and her only grudge was she couldn't have the malai from the coconut after. Pregnancy hormones, thought Arnav, smiling to himself watching her wolf it down, although he didn't dare voice it. It brought him joy that he could still bring a smile on her face. It sure hadn't felt like he could ever manage that again after all the recent events. To his surprise, Khushi muttered a thank you before she tried getting back on the ladder again. "Don't even think about it", he warned before getting on there himself and pulling out the bag for her. Arnav chuckled to himself thinking about how he'll have two kids to look after with how stubborn his wife is.

A few hours later, Khushi had packed almost everything she had bought with her. Arnav was surprised that she had managed to fit everything in to one bag, but figured it was a small flat so she had only brought with her what she could. As Arnav helped her with her bag, he told her to change and they can start making their way back to South Delhi. Khushi changed in a jiffy and Arnav noticed she was wearing a very old outfit that she had worn when they first got married. Arnav was perplexed why she chose this ancient outfit, but knew better than to upset a pregnant lady by questioning her fashion sense. He'd probably done enough upsetting for the day. As he went to zip her bag and saw the clothes in her bag, something clicked within him. Khushi hadn't packed any of the outfits that he had bought for her. Itna nafrat karti ho mujhse, Khushi? He thought to himself.

As Khushi stepped foot back in to their house, a certain uneasiness creeped in. She had been unhappy for weeks on end, alone in this house whilst Arnav was away. Unconsciously, she rested her hand on her belly seeking some sort of reassurance as she noticed her heartbeat accelerating. She looked down at her tummy, in a "this one's for you, kiddo" kinda way, as she constantly tried to rationalise that this was indeed the right thing to do.

Arnav welcomed her in to the guest room, all the while insisting that he'd move out of the master bedroom if she'd be more comfortable there. She just shook her head and started making herself comfortable in the guest room. He insisted, "Khush, it's a twin bed. Much smaller than the king sized bed in our master bedroom. It'll be much more comfortable during your pregnancy." But his wife wasn't having it. He knew at this point that even having her move back was a win itself, and he'd have to take that for now. He sighs in front of his stubborn wife, before telling her to just shout if there's anything she needs.

Before returning to his laptop to deal with the massive backlog he'd created at Blue Velvet Industries, he turns around to speak to his wife. "By the way, Blue Velvet has been invited to showcase at Lakmé Fashion Week. I'm going to decline though, I don't want to leave you and go to Mumbai." She looks at him confused. "Why would you decline?" She asked. "Besides, I'm going too. With Karan."