MY IMAGINATION

Part 32

Arnav open the door and asks Khushi "Chalo!(lets go)"

Khushi hesitates. He knew it would be difficult for her to come in so he holds her hand and walks inside with her. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees the room inside. His Di had decorated their room as well. The lights were switched off and only candles were burning. It was candles candles and candles everywhere along with beautiful flowers spread all over. He hadn't expected his room to have been decorated. He thought his Di would never even dream of doing this to his room ASR's room. But today it was not ASR's room but Arnav's room, Chote's room, Khushi's room, their room.

Khushi had been looking down when she senses Arnav stare at something, she too looks up and she is surprised to see the room. The flames seemed to glide on the reflection of the water from the pool. The flowers perfectly matched the entire setting. The room had been done beautifully. She wondered why Di had decorated their room, after all it was only a contractual marriage, and then realizes that it was only they who knew it. For the rest it was a normal marriage. The room had taken a totally new and different meaning today for both of them. She had been here a number of times sometimes in anger, in confusion, in trying to convince him and even in need of support. But never like this. She had never felt this strange in coming here. The warmth of the room had always welcomed her even if its owner had been wild with anger at her but she had never felt any hesitation in entering this room. At times she even wondered why this room was not like its owner, why had it always been so warm towards her. Today both the room and its owner were welcoming her but still she was hesitating.

Arnav himself was having a strange feeling. It seemed to him that he too was entering his room for the first time. The room that had been so desolate and lonely till now was now filled with warmth and love. They both stood like that for some time, both lost in their own thoughts.

Arnav was thinking why had he not told her that he loved her, had he told her he could have turned round and hugged her tight to himself never to let her go.

Khushi was thinking, why doesn't he love me the way I do, wish he too loved me then I would have turned now and hugged him tightly never to let him go.

Both were too engrossed in their own thoughts and unconsciously moved closer to each other. The moment Khushi feels the brush of his coat's sleeves on her arms; she comes back to reality and moves back. Her movement brings Arnav also back to the present. He turns and locks the door.

Arnav "you make yourself comfortable while I switch on the lights and blow out the candles."

Khushi just nods. She didn't know what to say or do. She goes and stands near the poolside door. He also did not know how to make her relax. He knew she was tensed, so was he. Both were at their wits end, not knowing what to do. He then looks at his watch, it was almost 1.00 in the morning.

Arnav "Khushi you take rest, Di has planned a lot of things for tomorrow." He pauses and then adds "you clothes are there in the almira, you can change"

Khushi moves to the almira and stands in front of it wondering whether to open it or not. He had been watching her and comes and stands next to her. He lifts her hand and places it on the door handle and slides the door open.

He then turns to her "Khushi this is your almira, your room and your home. You don't have to feel awkward about it. You can do what you feel like, no one will say anything." He shows her the clothes that he had bought for her with his Di "Khushi, I didn't get much time to buy anything for you, this is all that I could manage in this short time. You can change into anything that you want. Tomorrow you can go with Di," after a pause "or me and we can buy whatever you want."

Khushi looks at the clothes hanging in front of her. On one side of the almira were his clothes and on the other side were her dresses. They were the most beautiful sarees that she had ever seen.Her instinct told her that they were all his choice. She starts looking at the sarees, one at a time and then something clicks in her head. They were hung in a particular pattern starting with light green(the colour of lehnga she had worn when she first met him at the fashion show)followed by the bright yellow one with a red border(one that she had worn when she had fainted in his arms at the factory site), orange and red(similar to the one that she had worn on tej when she had fainted), deep blue(the suit she had worn for the Nanital trip)and so on, each saree telling a tale of their meetings. The last one was a plain red with golden border, exactly like the one she had worn for Diwali. Only one saree, the last one, was different and she could not connect it to any of their memories. A small frown appears on her forehead, as if she was racking her brains to remember something.

Arnav notices the frown and says "that was Di's choice. She wants you to wear it tomorrow for Puja".

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